December 2018

THE STINGER December 2018 Volume 44

Issue 3

stingerehs.com

FLOOD RESTORATION EFFORTS UNDERWAY

EHS teachers, students, and staff continue to work with 11 classrooms still under construction.

Debris, trash bags and boxes lined the halls at EHS after the Nov. 2 flood as school staff and restoration company RestoreCore worked long hours to ensure the school was safe and secure for reopening. Top left and bottom photos by Dayon Ketchens. Top right photo by Emma Brashear.

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Read about our extended flood coverage on pages 2, 12, and 17

EHS deals with threats, violence

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The LGBTQ experience at EHS

A day in the life of a swimmer

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News

THE STINGER

DECEMBER 2018

STINGEREHS.COM

Emmaus community responds to recent violent threats Erica Love Co-Editor-in-Chief Tabitha Nowak News Editor Emmaus High School seems unable to escape the emergence of threats, violence, and prescence of contraband after multiple incidents have been reported this year.

The prevalence of these issues was made particularly evident after “a significant population” of students left the building on Oct. 31, with anxious parents lining up outside the school to meet their children and bring them home. The culprit: a fouryear-old post containing the message “I might shoot up ehs [sic] on Wednesday at 12:47 to make my list clear” recirculated on social media, prompting any “EHS” school nearby to be on the alert. “[Online threats] are out there, but we are learning, responding to them,” School Resource Officer Al Kloss said. “We’re learning how to put a stop to them.”

The heavy use of social media among high school students poses a new, yet navigable challenge to EHS staff. Phones can be the source of an issue or in some cases can be an asset to investigations. “[Social media] fuels the fire,” Kloss said. “Even if [a threat] was a hoax, the use of social media helps it spread that much faster. It can be your best friend or your worst enemy depending on where you sit on the incident.”

In this case, a message home to parents on Oct. 30 promptly addressed the online post, maintaining that it was of “no credible threat to the Emmaus High School community.” In spite of this, concerned parents congregated outside of the main office to collect their children the following day.

Beth Zimmerman, mother of two current EHS students, decided that she would sign her kids out of school.

“It was more for me that I didn’t think that they should have to be scared,” Zimmerman said.

“So, I trusted the administration and Dr. Kieres to say they would not still be in school if there was any possibility of a problem, but I also did not want my kids to be scared while they’re at school.

So, for that reason, we came.”

Zimmerman and her husband believed that the scene outside EHS was concerning.

“I asked my husband to go get them, and when he got there, there was a line of like 100 cars…,” Zimmerman said. “He had to wait in line a block away.

He used to be a principal of a high school, so his first reaction was ‘yeah, the school has it under control,’ but when he got

there, he was also like ‘yeah we should get them,’ because, you know, it has escalated.”

The abnormal situation outside the school revealed some issues in how large-scale student exits impact the surrounding area.

“Where the school is located, we’re in a neighborhood and the roadways aren’t prepared or capable of handling all that traffic,” Kloss said. “It was an eye opener for us.”

Kloss elaborated on the issues Emmaus faces which may inhibit the school in a time of emergency. “[The students who left school on Oct. 31] caused quite a disturbance on Macungie Avenue,” Kloss said. “If necessary, we could not get a fire truck down, we could not get an ambulance down [the street] because it was so congested. And again that’s the physical layout of the building, and the area that we’re in, we’re not like, for example, Parkland High School. It’s a more rural area, bigger parking lots, and they’re equipped to handle it.”

Back at the scene, Jordan Fortier, 11th grade assistant principal, remained in the main office to attempt to control the situation inside the building.

“It was very busy,” Fortier said. “I’m being very kind with the ‘busy.’ We had a lot of parents out the doors, waiting to come in to collect children or sign children out. We had students waiting in the hallway, who had been called down to get picked up by parents. We had multiple staff members, there were the assistant principals, administrative assistants, instructional assistants, staff assistants, as many adults as we could to verify the parent or guardian or adult that was coming to sign out a student. And that was probably the most busy [and] chaotic thing that happened.”

[Online threats] are out there, but we are learning, responding to them. We’re learning how to put a stop to them.”

Al Kloss Fortier took it as his duty to talk with as many concerned students as possible in an attempt to quell the fear that spread throughout the school.

“I met with as many students as possible, I explained what was going on on our premises, I tried to encourage...the students, letting them know that they were safer in the building than they would be outside the building because of our locked doors, our staff members that wander

Above: Parents and guardians flock to the main office enterance of Emmaus High School to pick up their students on Oct. 31. Photo by Tabitha Nowak. Top right: 9th grade assistant principal Josh Miller directs students waiting to exit the building. Right: A view of the mass of students anxious to leave school. Photos by Rylan Bassett.

around the hallway, the fact that there were additional police officers around the building [and] throughout the building,” Fortier said.

The additional police officers were just one step taken by the school district to ensure that security was increased adequately.

Lots of work goes on behind the scenes when threats such as these are made, including comprehensive investigations.

“I’m the one collecting all the information: who, what, where, when, and why,” Kloss said.

“Then we try to make a determination [about] what we need to do. I am the in-between, between the law enforcement outside of this building, and then I bring them in to assist [with a situation]. I’ll coordinate emergency services: fire, EMS and any additional police that we need.”

Emmaus faculty and staff also take preventative measures to mitigate potential issues.

“We take every threat or any piece of information seriously,” Fortier said, “down to ‘this person doesn’t seem right. They’re off today.’ So I call them in and have a conversation with them [to] find out what’s going on… if there’s something more serious [happening] then we have other avenues to be able to do more intensive investigation.”

In spite of this assurance of safety, students in the thick of the event were frightened and anxious of what was going on.

“To be honest…[I left] because of everything that’s happened, everything that’s happening, I don’t want to put myself in [a dangerous] position,” freshman Isaiah Morales said. “The rumors, that post that was made, people saying 12:47, people saying that the auditorium

got locked down, so I don’t know what’s true and what’s fake.”

Other students felt similarly to Morales. “[When] I heard from my… daughter… she was going into aquatics, and everybody was kind of panicking [because] they didn’t know if they should change or not,” Zimmerman said.

Although “hundreds” of students left campus on Halloween, not all felt concerned or inclined to leave. Junior Grace Lynch felt indifferent to the situation that went on around her.

“I didn’t think there was a threat, it didn’t seem that bad,” Lynch said. “I told my parents, but they just told me to stay because they called the school and they said that [it] was taken care of.”

This panic occurred less than a month after two 16-year-old boys were arrested, both for “Possession of a Weapon on School Property” at the beginning of October, official police reports say.

One student carried a “folding knife lockblade” that was “three inches folded, six inches open,” according to police reports. The other student carried an air rifle, according to WFMZ. WFMZ also reported that the incidents were unrelated.

Fortier maintains that any potential danger is treated the same, whether it be a similar situation where a student possesses a weapon or something else.

“If it’s a weapon, if its drugs, if it’s something that’s going to cause harm in this building, right away we investigate,” Fortier said. “We don’t wait.”

Administration is preemptively made aware of threats in a variety of ways, most due to the attentiveness of students and

building faculty.

“In my experience… 90 percent of the time students are the ones that bring things up,” Fortier said. “The other 10 percent is [when] someone sees something on social media… or it’s one of the adults in the building that sees something and says something. But most of it is reported… and most of it is before it even happens. I’d say less than 20 percent of [incidents] are reactive instead or proactive. So it’s more proactive.”

The quick spread of information through increased access to social media and technology has undoubtedly made positive contributions to investigative efforts within the school. Yet, it is important to recognize that threats are often made and sensationalized using these tools.

“I would say [there should be] absolutely no cellphone use while in school, but the educators and the administration, they’re gonna say ‘hey, that’s a valuable tool for us,’ Kloss said. “Yes, that is a valuable tool for you, and I can see that. But look, this is what it’s doing to us on the bad side.”

Additional reporting by Caroline Bond and Marley Wait.

NEWS

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Late Nov. 2, a sudden storm swept the region, resulting in several inches of water flooding the bulk of Emmaus High School’s ground floor. District officials closed EHS for the remainder of the week to enable the faculty, staff, and the hired RestoreCore restoration company ample time to clean and prepare for the reopening of the school. Left photo by Emma Brashear. Middle and right photos by Dayon Ketchens.

Custodial staff’s immediate action proves crucial to restoration efforts Caroline Bond Associate Editor Efforts to remedy the damage brought on by recent flooding at Emmaus High School could not have been possible without the ongoing efforts of the community, most importantly the EHS maintenance staff.

Custodian Sean Roberts recalls the night of the incident when he suddenly got a call from a colleague about a “small leak” near the main office.

“Usually when it rains a lot some of the carpets get wet,” Roberts said. “So I said ‘just put a couple rags down.’ And then within a couple of minutes [my colleague] was like ‘my whole hallway is flooded.’

So I quickly went over there, and it went from just a small little leak on the carpet to that hallway having two to three inches already.”

It became almost instantly apparent that a few rags would do nothing to ease the water that was continuously rushing in.

The crew quickly brought out wet vacuums to help dry up some of the water, but Roberts noticed how rapidly the water was pouring in and told everyone to put them away.

Head of the maintenance department, Steven Onushco, also played a hands-on role in the clean-up efforts.

“I had to check the boiler room first to make sure that nothing was going to get ruined and cause massive damage, or explosions with water getting in the electrical gear,” Onushco said. “And then I went over to the science wing … and I could see the water up against the doors, and the only thing I can do is open up the doors and let the water start flowing.”

With the second shift ending at 11 p.m., and the water breaching the school at around 10:45 p.m., the Emmaus community should consider itself lucky that the custodial staff was still in the building.

“If it would have happened like say, 10 or 15 minutes after that, the building

would have been completely empty,” Roberts said, “and it would have been a lot worse than it was.”

Onushco is more than satisfied with the way his department handled the crisis.

“I think [it was handled well] for what was occurring in the time frame that it happened,” Onushco said. “It was so quick that...within 30 minutes the sliding door by Mr. Rampson’s room [500] came crashing in.”

Local news organizations have hailed the custodial staff, specifically Roberts, the hero of the occasion.

While Roberts was glad he and his staff were still in the building with enough time to help, he does not consider what he or anyone did that night to be ‘hero-like.’

“It was a team effort, it wasn’t me singularly,” Roberts said. “I know my name was in the paper, but it was definitely a group effort … we did what we could. But I mean it is part of our job to maintain the building.”

Not only did the maintenance team act quickly in the early stages of the flooding, some of them stayed the entire night to monitor the building and help in whatever ways they could.

“The guys … did try to go outside and open up the storm sewers that were blocked, but it was so deep already that it’s probably a good thing they didn’t go any further,” Onushco said. “If they would’ve opened up a drain it would have been like creating a vortex and just getting sucked into all of that.”

The next morning, around 40 of the 84 custodial members came to the school on a Saturday to offer their help in starting to repair the damaged school.

With continued efforts to make EHS what it once was, the school should be operating normally after the holiday break.

Teachers accomodate for classroom changes, loss of materials Tabitha Nowak News Editor After the Emmaus High School flood debilitated 40 classrooms, many teachers must travel from room to room to teach while their classrooms undergo repairs.

By the time school began again, 15 classrooms still needed to be restored, causing an influx of room reassignments.

Many teachers from the Social Studies Department, Family Consumer Science Department, and administrators who worked in the main office have either a temporary room or a cart to house all of their materials for classes.

Social studies teacher Pam Hunter was taken aback by the news; at first, she didn’t believe it.

“Saturday morning…[my son] remarked to me ‘mom, I don’t think we’re going to be in school on Monday.’ and I’m like ‘okay, that’s not funny,’” Hunter said.

“And then he showed me a picture of the building out front...and my reaction was ‘I really hope that’s photoshopped.’”

Despite her initial doubts, Hunter and her family traveled to the school to observe the damage, and immediately began cleaning her classroom (311). “[We tried] to clean up what we could, moving desks, trying to pull out books and binders,” Hunter said. “My husband grabbed professional dehumidifiers and RestoreCore was helping set up the [de] humidifiers particularly in the areas that were concerning. We were impressed with how many people were on site that morning. It was remarkable.”

Hunter kept many valuable objects, both personal and professional, in her room which were ruined.

“I’ve lost basically my entire AP U.S. History course,” Hunter said. “10 years worth of materials….Each day I took a

unit, pulled the unit apart in my garage, dehumidified them, flattened every unit, reran what I could and I’ve been retyping what I couldn’t. I also lost upwards of about 25, 30 books that were antiques that were my father’s. History books that date back to the 1950s, 60s, and the reason that is devastating on a personal level… is because they were my dad’s and he passed away when I was 21... And they had his name, and they were personalized on the inside of the covers. It was neat for me to reference to my students when I would talk about how history was written 60 years ago, I had those books to refer to. So that’s the tough piece, losing the personal items, as well as my professional work.”

Social studies teacher Brian Pum is displaced to three different classrooms during the day while his room (313) faces repairs from 15 inches of water.

“It’s been a little tough to be organized, I’m a very organized person,” Pum said.

“But it has been the best that it could be for the situation that it is. Everybody’s been very accommodating.”

Pum isn’t worried about his teaching materials, but there are some items from his room that he hopes can be salvaged.

“I lost my entire curriculum from my world honors class...hard copy stuff, but I have most of that stuff on electronic copies,” Pum said. “I’ve collected a lot of things from students over the years that are on my wall or things they’ve made, so I hope that stuff hasn’t been lost because that would be sad.”

Pum believes that his background as a teacher has prepared him for this sudden change of events.

“You just have to adapt,” Pum said.

“Teachers have to learn to do that. That’s our day to day lives, things get thrown in, you have to change, so we’re used to it.

The only difference is now we have to do it on a daily basis for all of our classes.”

Anne Smith, independent living and creative foods teacher, travels with a backpack rather than a cart to reach the three classrooms she’s teaching in. “[I] make do,” Smith said. “It’s a hike getting through the hallways from down here up to the English hallway but we make it work.”

The heavily cooking-based Creative Foods classes are situated on the ground level of the school, meaning necessary appliances are out of use. This includes Smith’s room (601). The FCS department currently does not know which of those need to be replaced or which will be ready for use again when the rooms are restored.

This does not deter the instruction of the course, rather, it delays the practice of it.

“We are reviewing a lot of content that we would always go through,” Smith said.

“In terms of...learning about the cooking methods and such we’re using a lot of video demonstrations so that when we get to the point of going back into the kitchen we’ve reviewed all that and we’re able to practice it.”

Additionally, several irreplaceable toys, used by the Child Development classes, have been destroyed. This includes ones created by students and vintage toys that are not produced anymore.

Despite obvious trials and tribulations, the teachers manage to stay positive. “[We] take a deep breath and just take it in strides,” Hunter said. “There’s not much else you can do. We’re instructing our classes as best we can under the circumstances and I think we’re making a really good progress with that. We’re making the most of a tough situation.”

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NEWS

Young Democrats attend “A Conversation with Michelle Obama” Kristen Heilenman News Editor On Nov. 29, Emmaus High School’s Young Democrats club and other students travelled to Philadelphia to see former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Obama hosted another installment of her tour at the Wells Fargo Center in honor of the release of her book ‘Becoming’ which is an autobiographical memoir of her life experiences.

A total of 17 students, one parent chaperone, and three teachers attended the session.

Junior Anika Stetz is not involved in the club, but decided to take part in the trip, given her positive opinion of Obama.

“I was expecting it to be like a speech, since she’s such a good public speaker, but then she would tell [stories] and so, seeing [people] react, and all of the audience relate to what she was saying was so cool, and I think definitely a huge part of the experience,” Stetz said.

The show opened with a video about her newly-released book. After that, Phoebe Johnson joined Obama to ask her questions, which ranged from Obama’s book, to her early life, to her experiences such as growing up in Chicago, becoming a mother and raising children, and taking on the role of First Lady.

In Stetz’s opinion, the experience was more of a talk show than a lecture. For

most of the time, Obama talked about her book.

“I really want to read her book,” Stetz said. “She kept like relating all of her stories back to her book.”

Like Stetz, the students in Young Democrats and others who attended had a positive reaction to the trip. The club’s advisor, Melissa Moxley, recalled the enthusiasm surrounding the moment the trip to see Michelle Obama was announced.

“Everybody was over the moon, they just couldn’t wait, they were so excited,” Moxley said. “They were just really, really pumped for the whole thing. We tried to kind of first temper it and say ‘We’re trying, we’re trying’ because we weren’t sure if we were able to get tickets, but [when we announced it] they were just screaming, and jumping up and down, so it was great.”

Without knowing what to expect Obama to talk about, both Moxley and Stetz shared positive reactions following the event. For Moxley, the most memorable part was how every person took something personal away from the experience.

“I had a view [about] most of what she spoke about being a parent, kind of that’s what I focused on because I’m a parent,” Moxley said. “We had other females that were with us, it was predominantly females, actually the whole stadium was probably 80 percent [female], and they

took a lot [away] about having to perform in a male-dominated area, like law, she was a lawyer, and how to navigate that, and how to handle those types of challenges. Some students who were in minority groups really connected on her comments about growing up as a minority, and fighting her way through Princeton and Harvard.”

For Stetz, it was memorable to learn about Obama’s experiences and policies she wanted to push through. “...One of the things she mentioned in her speech that I thought was really cool was that she said that it’s easy to get lost in Barack [Obama’s] journey, but it was cool to see her become her own independent person and work for policies that she believed in,” Stetz said. “I really thought that just overall, her being an independent person from, you know, always tied to the president, she did her own things and she was really advocated for what she believes in, and she made that possible.”

Moxley enjoyed Obama’s discussion about an initiative she started to focus on women’s education.

“Her organization was called Let Girls Learn, and it focused on all throughout the world, helping girls get into education, allowing their families get them into education, helping with financing,and when public education isn’t accessible,” Moxley said. “As a teacher, I think that’s

Several EHS students and staff attended Michelle Obama’s book tour. Photo by Willow Munson. something that’s really important.”

To Stetz, the experience was something she will remember forever.

“I just think that, again, being in the audience, seeing ‘Oh she was telling a story’ and then everyone was like ‘Oh my God, I completely agree with that,’ and that’s so cool,” Stetz said. “Just being in that environment. And so, I don’t know, it was such a life changing experience. She talked a lot about different life advice and things she learned from her entire life like coming up from the outskirts of Chicago to the White House.”

EHS junior creates female empowerment club Makenzie Christman Co-Editor-in-Chief In 2010 the United Nations Foundation established a worldwide female empowerment organization: Girl Up. The organization focuses on aiding disadvantaged girls across the globe. According to their website, their “focus countries” include Guatemala, Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, India and Uganda. Girl Up’s website also states that the goal of the organization is to help create a world in which girls face less violence and discrimination and live healthy lives.

As the organization grew to 1,900 active clubs within 48 U.S. states, junior Hailey Jack sought to create her own at Emmaus High School.

While looking for something to busy herself with over the summer, Jack stumbled upon Girl Up. “I was watching Gilmore Girls, as one does, and she went to this summer thing where she [became] vice president, so I started researching things to do in the summer,” Jack said. “I found Girl Up, who does a leadership [club] and I was like ‘oh that sounds fun, I want to do that.’”

Upon her inquiry to start the club, Jack was told to aim for double digits when seeking out signatures from

her peers, however, she ended up with nearly 100.

“It was kinda crazy [to see that many people sign up] because I’m very introverted, I guess,” Jack said.

“Going up to people and being like ‘hey, you wanna sign this?’ was kind of strange, but once I talked to one person, someone else would overhear and be like ‘oh let me sign this.’”

While the club is associated with feminism, Jack claims that those who want to join do not have to label themselves as such. Jack feels that the overall message of Girl Up is not just to help girls in underdeveloped countries, but to show support for the equality of both genders. “...This club, boys can join it, I mean, it is a girl empowerment club, but not for the girls who are in it, it’s for other girls,” Jack said. “So, if you care about people as a whole, then you can join.”

Math teacher and Girl Up advisor Shannon Wasilewski finds it compelling to see so many students want to take part in Girl Up. “I think it’s great,” said Wasilewski. “I think the main thing is yes, it’s focused on women and how we can empower them. But that doesn’t mean it’s only open to women, the more people we can get involved,

both men and women, I think is great to get the word out.”

The club was approved by the school board on Dec. 10, and Jack and Wasilewski anticipate holding their first meeting on Jan. 7. The pair hopes for the club to help spread awareness of Girl Up’s message.

“We want to educate the school about girl up…”

Wasilewski said. “...We wanted to introduce them to underprivileged countries, educate them with that kind of focus on important women in history each meeting.

And [we will] fundraise, raise money for the organization, get the word out and spread awareness.”

Overall, Wasilewski is thrilled to have the position as advisor. She hopes to watch the club grow, aiming to possibly spread the organizations message to other districts.

“I think [advising a club is] a great way to get to know students outside of the classroom, be more involved with the school, be more involved with the community,” Wasilewski said. “It kind of just fell in my lap and I liked what the organization is about so I agreed and I’m excited.”

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THE STINGER

| DECEMBER 2018

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THE STINGER

Opinion THE STINGER

Emmaus High School 500 Macungie Ave. Emmaus, PA 18049 CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Erica Love, Makenzie Christman ASSOCIATE EDITOR Caroline Bond MANAGING NEWS EDITOR Tabitha Nowak ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Krissy Heilenman MANAGING OPINION EDITOR Marley Wait ASSISTANT OPINION EDITORS Madison Mauro, Ronald Rohlsen MANAGING FEATURES EDITOR Katie Taranto ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR Julia Popule MANAGING CULTURE EDITOR Rylan Bassett ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR Jacob Welsko Victoria Rivera MANAGING SPORTS EDITOR Adrianna Tomasello ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITORS Chloe Gerhard, Erick De La Rosa BUSINESS MANAGER Sydney Lilly PHOTO EDITOR Emma Brashear EDITORIAL CARTOONISTS Kaylee Ruiz, Otavio Santos de Alberquerqe CONVERGENCE EDITOR Hersh Budhwar

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.

Business For advertising, contact business manager Sydney Lilly.

Have an opinion and want to be heard?

Submit an editorial to stingerehs@gmail.com 2.5 page maximum, double-spaced Letters to the Editor are also welcome.

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DECEMBER 2018

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Climate change demands action Marley Wait Opinion Editor As we drove along the lengthy, winding road, the first sign we saw read 1815. The next one was 1889, then 1894, and all the way up to the very last sign: 2010. These signs marked how far Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska had receded over the past 200 years.

I had the opportunity to see Exit Glacier this year and while looking out at it, I could not help but wonder, will I even be able to see this in 20 years?

I cannot unsee what I saw that day in Alaska. I saw our planet in a way I never had before. Although I believed in climate change, I had never seen its impacts so closely, and it prompted a realization within me: the daily choices I make have an environmental impact, and I am the only one in control of these choices. Exit Glacier is just one of the many visually notable examples of the drastic effects of climate change.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the climate change issue is the somewhat vast group of people that either do not care about the effects of climate change or do not believe that climate change is happening.

Some seem to believe it is happening, and they do care, but they just do not care enough to make personal changes that will help alleviate the issue.

One reason that people do not believe in climate change is because many of them have not seen its effects on an intimate level, but soon, people will begin to see and even feel these effects closer to home. Until droughts, floods, extreme heat, food shortages, and loss of land affect more people, Earth’s temperature will continue to rise at a higher rate than it has been.

These negative effects will begin to happen, and in fact, they will begin much sooner than some realize, according to a recent study published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC aims to provide the public with an objective, scientific outlook and perspective on the

Illustration by Otavio Santos de Albuquerque. state of climate change, along with the effects it will have on politics and economics.

They do not conduct their own research regarding climate change, instead, they read into and review already-published research and literature to assess the current state of the issue and provide this information to the public. The IPCC published a new report on Oct. 1, 2018, warning that a climate change catastrophe could strike as soon as 2040. The authors of the report found that global temperatures could rise by as much as 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit by 2040, leading to droughts, increased poverty, and rising sea levels that could submerge many coastal cities.

Not only will this affect the physical environment of nearly every human being, but it is going to affect the economy drastically. It is estimated that the damage caused from a 2.7 degree rise in temperature would cost $54 trillion, and this money will come directly from taxes or prices on carbon dioxide emissions.

While curbing the harsh effects of climate change that seem to be on the horizon is possible, it is likely not going to happen. President Donald Trump has claimed that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agree-

ment, a United Nations body formed to “strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.” Trump claims that leaving the Paris Climate Agreement will benefit the economy and help businesses and workers.

In regards to reading the most recent report on climate change published by the IPCC, Trump claims,“Right now we are at the cleanest we have ever been, and that is very important to me. But if we’re clean and every other place is dirty, that’s not so good. So I want clean air. I want clean water. Very important.”

Even though President Trump seems to think that the United States is the cleanest it’s ever been, there is zero scientific backing to this statement.

Contrastingly, the United States is one of the countries with the highest level of carbon dioxide emissions in the world, second only to China. It is saddening that our world leaders, the ones that have the power to prevent this crisis, do not even believe it is happening. Rather than accusing other countries of being polluted, we need to

take responsibility and make a change, because every single country is at fault.

While our President may not try to pass legislation and address this problem, that does not mean that we are powerless as individuals. In fact, each of us has the power to limit our environmental impact and carbon footprint.

Making informed choices that will lead to the creation of a smaller carbon footprint is a decision that each of us should make. What is most important to remember about this issue is that we as a population have the power to fix it. We created the problem, and now it is our responsibility to save the planet that we all call home. I once read a quote from Robert Swan that stated, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

It is imperative for us to not grow complacent, and for all to realize that we have the ability to make a difference by taking action. Sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option, and after all, who are we, as a population, if we cannot respect the planet we call home? What problems are worth fixing if we cannot first take care of our own planet?

The holidays: a time for cultural reflection Erica Love Co-Editor-in-Chief My mom, sister, and I have a fairly new tradition on Christmas Eve. We laboriously make homemade pierogies--an unmistakably Ukrainian delicacy. It is not surprising that we took up a tradition focused on our heritage. I have memories of being so young, travelling to the Ukrainian Homestead in Lehighton to visit the annual Ukrainian festival. I see myself running around, hanging out under a large weeping willow tree, hearing people, young and old, speak the language and keep their culture alive.

And it was not an exclusive environment--they without fail played both the Ukrainian and American national anthems before a troop of dancers would perform traditional Ukrainian dances: Pryveet (welcome) always coming first.

I cherish what these memories were, but I now long to build off of these cultural experiences. I want to speak the language, learn what life was like for my great-grandparents, and rekindle the culture that has always had an importance in my family.

But when I talk about these things significant to my family,

many people can’t relate. They cannot even tell you that it is the second largest country in Europe, believe the country is just a less relevant Russia, or, for some reason most infuriating to me, call the country “the Ukraine.” In reality, these are non-issues. But what is, is the turmoil and threat posed by Russia to the sovereign state.

Russia almost never fails to impose aggression on the country.

Most recently, their attacks and seizures of Ukrainian vessels represent the increasing aggressor behavior of Putin’s regime. And now, many are left wondering if this is the spark of a more pronounced war, ironically giving Ukraine broad-scale recognition.

Sadly, this is the best feedback I can get nowadays when talking about the country. People hear Ukraine and think of militancy and Russian conflict. But to me, it is much more than that.

Ukraine is all the old family friends, the happy folk songs I try to sing all the words to, and the special recipes reserved for holidays. In reflecting, I discovered that I hold so many memories and experiences with Ukrainian culture dear, and I hope this holiday season, each of you can feel the same about your roots.

OPINION

THE STINGER

DECEMBER 2018

7

Is Christmas losing its religious meaning?

Maxwell Hafner Opinion Columnist Christmas is coming and I couldn’t be more excited.

Am I excited about the the deep religious and spiritual meaning associated with that? No, I’m an unabashed atheist, but I hold Christmas dear as my favorite holiday. Christmas, as well as Easter, have become cultural holidays rather than religious ones, and I feel that reflects our society as a whole. In America, Christianity and religion have been slowly fading as a dominant cultural force. According to Pew Research Center, the fastest growing religion in the United States is “none.” For me, religion’s loss of importance has made Christmas even more important, but how are our declining religious tendencies reflective of our society?

Well, if we look at politics, it seems quite drastic.

There only seems to be one major religious issue left on the table: abortion. Gay marriage has been pretty much settled for good in

Obergefell v. Hodges, and the other moral issue of the day, drug legalization, doesn’t really have a religious opposition.

Now when we look at the most recent presidential election, only one candidate firmly embraced the religious mantel. How well did this individual do?

Well, it was Ted Cruz, a man who became a punchline of the Republican party after his devastating defeat to Donald Trump. It simply seems that religion just doesn’t do it for Americans anymore. So what has been causing this mass defection from religion?

Well, one reason has been the secularization of our society as a whole. One of the most visible examples is one that I said earlier: Christmas. It is no longer a Christian holiday, but rather more of a societal, capitalist one. Our society has become quite consumerist, and Christmas has become an extension of that.

A couple of my friends raised in Hindu households celebrate Christmas. Do they do it in spite of their

religion? No, Christmas, can coexist with Diwali quite easily. Christmas is an excuse to give one another gifts and love your family. When children in Christian households are raised in this society, they celebrate Christmas for presents received, not Jesus. If we’re looking for a specific religion that has taken quite a hit, and maybe begun to sink the ship for religion as a whole, look no further than Catholicism. The sexual abuse scandal that has been dominating the news about the Church for years now has been scaring off and away both current and prospective believers. The first thing that you think of when someone speaks of the Catholic Church is rape, and that is very poor advertising. One more social aspect is sexual orientation. Our society has become vastly more accepting of LGBTQ+ individuals, which is a step forward. However, certain religions and believers use their beliefs to attack and belittle them. Their association with hatred and bigotry isn’t exactly a great way to invite an individual into their religion.

So what does this all mean for Christmas, my favorite holiday?

Surely if religion is becoming less important,

Illustration by Kaylee Ruiz. the most celebrated religious holiday in America is following the same trend.

For me, however, I come to the opposite conclusion.

The less Christmas belongs to a religion, the more it belongs to the people. I think that the separation from a specific religion is a good thing. No one is saying that a Christian cannot celebrate the birth of Christ-- by all means, rejoice in the birth of your savior. I feel that having a cultural holiday that many people can enjoy and celebrate in their own way is a

good reflection of American culture. In a time when America is divided bitterly, a holiday that we can all celebrate is something to be embraced. There will always be those who think that Christmas is for Christians, and they are more than entitled to that belief.

For me, however, Christmas is for family. Waking up in the morning to open presents and be with my family is a joy that I feel everyone should be able to experience. I know that despite my, and many others’ lack of a belief in God, we

still eagerly anticipate Santa’s gifts under the tree.

Why winter is an overrated season Makenzie Christman Co-Editor-in-Chief It’s called the most wonderful time of the year, but is it really?

Every year I find it hard to grasp the concept that some people genuinely enjoy the cold weather. Don’t get me wrong, I love the seasonal activities that come around with the change in weather just as much as I love bearing the cold after ripping off five layers of jackets for the perfect Instagram picture--don’t be shameful, I know you all do it too.

Yet I still can’t help but question the sanity of those who truly love 30 degree weather. Do you miraculously wake up ecstatic to know the current temperature could freeze water? How does it feel?

Honestly though, there is nothing good about winter.

Anyone who suggests I stop complaining about the cold and grab a warm cup o’ joe, apple cider, or hot cocoa, I will gladly accept your hate and say that you’ll never catch me truly enjoying any of the three. You might wonder how I could I ever live without coffee, but I guess I’m just lucky being a picky eater, and not one with a caffeine addiction. As for apple cider and hot cocoa, let me ask this: has anyone ever actually drank one of the two at a tolerable temperature? I don’t see the point in spending money, time, or effort making a drink that is going to sear your tongue. Those two drinks can never be prepared at the perfect temperature. There’s no enjoyment in not being able to taste something you spent money on or made yourself. I also find the idea and feeling of something piping hot pooling in my stomach extremely uncomfortable.

And to all the trend-setters and locals out there: sweater weather is great and all, but I can’t remember the last time I was able to find a sweater that was cute and functional enough to provide me warmth. And if you’re able to find something that serves both purposes from

Forever 21, I will remain convinced that you sold your soul to achieve something nearly impossible. Also, there is no perfect ratio of pants-to-top-to-outerwear ratio.

Depending on your classroom, you’re either too cold or too hot, leaving you in an uncomfortable cycle of taking your jean jacket on and off while feeling like an icicle for the remainder of the day.

Snow days are the only good thing that winter has to offer, but even at its best, winter is still almost the worst season. Personally, I would rather have school. Like any other student, I want school to end, I want summer, I want whatever holiday breaks we can get. So yes, I would much rather be in school than have my Easter break taken away, if that’s still a thing that exists.

So how could I hate snow? I don’t exactly hate it. I absolutely love the beauty of it: the silence, the depth it adds to the night sky, the exciting nature of the first snow.

It’s all very much enjoyable, but aside from that I really see no positives.

Call me boring, but building snowmen and sledding has lost its exciting touch for me. Sure, it used to be cute as a kid, but I find it so unsatisfying to know my master-

piece will melt once the temperature rises again; I want to be able to admire my creation. Also, I’d rather have the carrot with some dip, not stuck into packed snow.

There’s also something so bothersome about a snowman being perfect. It’s rare to find a beautifully crafted snowman, but something about it brings out that childish nature of wanting to destroy something so pristine. Or maybe I just seem like some crazy 17-year-old girl who sounds mature one minute and unbelievably juvenile the next.

On another note, I applaud those who don’t have to deal with the responsibilities of caring for pets during the cold season. Shoveling your driveway is one thing-maybe your parents try to convince you with a few extra dollars, making it a bit tolerable--but shoveling a path for your pets is another. No one is paying you to do it; there is no motivation aside from the peace and quiet you’ll be rewarded with once your dogs can go outside.

Next on my list of reasons why I despise a good percent of the human race would be the unnecessary obligation that many people find to put their Christmas decorations up early and leave them out through spring.

Is it so difficult to find spare time to put Christmas decorations up within an appropriate time frame? A task so troublesome, that you must put them up before Halloween or directly after? What happened to Thanksgiving?

Sorry, this gal likes her turkey and mashed potatoes.

Maybe I’m secretly Scrooge as a teenage girl, or maybe I’m just living in the wrong state or country. If it makes it any better: I’m sorry if you feel offended by this; and yes, that is sarcasm.

8

THE STINGER

DECEMBER 2018

OPINION

My experience in the LGBTQ community at EHS Sarah Rabenold Opinion Contributor It goes without saying that every teenager faces difficulties in high school. Whether it be gossip, difficult classes, or busy schedules, the fact that teenage life can be stressful is common knowledge. When you add being a member of the LGBT+ Community into the mix, the stress only grows.

Let me begin by saying I consider myself very lucky.

The Lehigh Valley as a whole is a very welcoming place, Rabenold. Photo by Emma Brashear.

Emmaus High School has a diverse student body, and I have great friends who I know will support me through thick and thin. However, homophobia within the community, and particularly within EHS, is alive and well.

Freshman year at Emmaus High School came with the promise that I could finally be myself, and that there would be others just like me that I could connect with. After all, I knew there was a Gay Straight Alliance organization at Emmaus, so surely I could expect a friendly and welcoming attitude. So imagine the flood of shock, anger, and underlying shame I felt when I read the Morning Call headline: “East Penn Student Doesn’t Want to Share Gym Locker Room with Transgender Students.” Of course, I am fully in support of people following their religious beliefs, but to see someone in my school speak with such little understanding about what it is to be transgender certainly put a halt to my enthusiasm for the new school year.

Much to my relief, the year passed without any further incidents, as did the majority of my sophomore year. I even became a member of the GSA, a club that I was originally hesitant to join in light of rumors that I heard about what “type” of people joined. As it turns out, joining was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my high school career. The year came to an end, and we prepared the usual collection of videos to play on E-TV during the week when we promote the Day of Silence.

The issue became apparent later in July at a school board meeting. Conservative groups such as Liberty Council and the American Family Association spoke out against the videos, claiming violation of parent’s rights and social indoctrination. During the July 9 session, another student, although not queer himself, was upset by what conservatives were saying about LGBT+ students. When he excused himself from the room, a member of the Tea Party allegedly called him a homophobic slur.

These isolated major events, while harmful, aren’t the real issue. The roots of homophobia at Emmaus High School run much deeper, making them harder to notice.

High schoolers are known for their colorful language, and I’ll admit, I’ve said some

things in the hallway that I wouldn’t dare repeat to my parents. Cursing is casual for most teens, and that unfortunately includes using homophobic slurs. If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard somebody tease “that’s so gay” or tell their bro to “stop acting like such a f*ggot!” I wouldn’t be worrying about college tuition. There’s not much that can be done, as teachers rarely notice these kinds of conversations going on, and any student who tries to correct the offensive language will just be brushed off, if not insulted further. The students of Emmaus High School are so desensitized to homophobic language that I personally have been told that “f*g is just a synonym for idiot,” a common and dangerous misconception caused by a lack of education and exposure to LGBT+ issues.

Another subtle form of homophobia I’ve witnessed is the recurrence of GSA posters “mysteriously disappearing.” Some might argue that the posters might just fall off, but even when the posters were triple stapled into the bulletin boards, they vanished by the end of the week. The only evidence that there was once a poster there are torn colorful corners and a staples. Tearing down posters may seem like a petty offence to most, but for LGBT+ students the message is clear: you are not welcome here.

Although not inherently homophobic, another issue I’ve faced as a queer student at Emmaus is the lack of LGBT+ topics in the curriculum. It’s disappointing to go through a history class and learn how your country and its citizens came to be, but have no idea how your own community came to be. The most I’ve heard of LGBT+ history at Emmaus was a single paragraph about the AIDS crisis, and a presentation on the Stonewall Riots, which I delivered myself. If we cover the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and the Civil Rights Movement, shouldn’t we cover the Gay Rights Movement as well? Or does my history not matter?

There is also a distinct lack of LGBT+ related topics in Health classes. We learn about prevention of pregnancy and STDs for heterosexual couples, but LGBT+ students remain uninformed about how to protect themselves, or if they need to at all.

Also, because heteronormativity leads many people to assume they have to be straight, I personally feel that identifying--but not pushing, of course--different sexualities and genders would help students who didn’t know they had options.

LGBT+ inclusivity at Emmaus isn’t a black or white issue. Although homophobia and a lack of inclusivity is a problem at Emmaus High School, it would be unfair of me if I didn’t recognize the efforts that our administration makes so that the LGBT+ population of the school feels safe and welcome. The locker room debacle ended with an enthusiastic reaffirmation that transgender students would be able to use the locker room they found appropriate, and that very same year we acquired a gender neutral bathroom for nonbinary and gender non-conforming students. The backlash from the Day of Silence videos was met with an even stronger wave of support from the community, and two students became the first same sex couple to win junior prom court. The first day of school this year, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my homeroom teacher asked us for preferred names and pronouns, despite already knowing us for two years.

Life as a queer teenager is full of ups and downs. As many hardships as we may face, I’m proud to say that this school as a whole has always strived for inclusivity, and I hope to see even more growth in the future.

Trump challenges longheld Constitutional right Ronnie Rohlsen Opinion Editor To add more flames to the never-ending hellfire that is today’s political climate, President Donald Trump has publicly denounced birthright citizenship and stated that he plans to do away with it in the United States, adding another item to the long list of things that make you go ‘wait, can he actually do that?’

To nip that in the bud very quickly, the answer is no, he can’t do that.

Birthright citizenship has been a part of this country since the Fourteenth Amendment introduced the “Citizenship Clause” which directly states that “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

While initially it was introduced as a measure to quickly bestow citizenship to former slaves, these days it applies directly to children of immigrants, specifically of the illegal variety. Donald Trump, a known opponent of illegal immigration, has also made himself an opponent of birthright citizenship, stating that the U.S. is the only country on Earth to have such laws and that they are unnecessary (which is incorrect, there are actually over 30 countries who have some kind of birthright citizenship laws). He also believes that he can end the practice of birthright citizenship with an executive order.

Illustration by Otavio Santos de Albuquerque.

Now, anyone who knows anything about our founding document knows executive order? Well according to President Trump, the that the only way to change something in the Constitution phrase, “under the jurisdiction of” makes the Citizenship is with a Constitutional Amendment, and those are nearly Clause vague enough to undo it without an amendment. impossible to pass. So if birthright citizenship is a part Immediately he was shot down by Republicans and of the Constitution, how can the President end it with an Democrats alike, with even retiring Republican Speaker

of the House Paul Ryan saying that the president “obviously cannot do that.” This is entirely correct. Even if the wording of the clause is vague, it is not the President’s place to interpret the Constitution. That duty falls onto the Supreme Court, and while they have never ruled on a case debating the citizenship of a child of illegal immigrants, they have ruled in the 1898 case United States v. Wong Kim Ark that the Constitution grants birthright citizenship regardless of race or nationality. In other words, anyone born in this country is a citizen of this country no matter what country they were raised in or what they look like.

So now that we’ve established that birthright citizenship is here to stay, we must tackle the arguably more important question: is that a good thing? Now, while economists will argue back and forth about the value of immigrants in an economy, morally there really is only one answer to this question. In my mind, there is no way to justify removing someone from the place they grew up in, the place they were born in, and the place where they’ve spent their entire lives. If someone was born in the United States and spent years in the country, learning its values and being assimilated into its culture, it is simply unjust to deport them. No one chooses to be born and no one chooses where they will be born, so to punish a child for the actions of their parents is not only illogical, but amoral. How could we call ourselves the “Land of the Free” if we take people born in this great nation and kick them to the curb because of who their parents are?

There’s no real reason to be afraid of birthright citizenship ending. Unless the Supreme Court gets some landmark case to rule upon, its safe to say that birthright citizenship is here to stay and will stay here for the foreseeable future.

STINGEREHS.COM

THE STINGER

| DECEMBER 2018

Features A Day in Bethlehem

9

Celebrating the holiday in Christmas City

Makenzie Christman Co-Editor-in-Chief Finding a unique way to celebrate the holiday can be a bit challenging for high school students.

Simply going out to a usual chain restaurant isn’t enough at times; some students want something more special to do, and within their budget. Enter the area of Historic Bethlehem: around 30 minutes away from Emmaus, this area provides many opportunities for festive activities with friends.

The Flying Egg Hidden next to The Hotel Bethlehem lies a little white restaurant, The Flying Egg. Driving through Bethlehem, I was a bit disappointed in the lack of festive decorations. Sure, there was a wreath here and there, a few Christmas trees, but nothing truly set the holiday mood like this cozy little restaurant did.

The overall atmosphere of the restaurant feels very comfortable. For starters, the large interior contrasts heavily against its tiny appearance outside.

Walking in, the white interior The Flyin gave off a warm, cozy feelg Eg to 2 p.m. an g is open Monday ing. Maybe it was the subtle -Fr d 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on iday from 7 a.m. holiday decorations lining the weeke nds. the walls and booths, or the Christmas music gently playing in the background, but the aura of The Flying Egg definitely put me in the Christmas spirit.

My friend and I sat down at around 10:40 a.m., ordering breakfast and lunch, respectively. For nearly $11, I ordered French toast with a side of home fries. The French toast cost $7.95, and was worth every dollar. As a picky eater, I find myself not liking food from many restaurants, so to my delight the meal was fantastic. The bread was large and fluffy, topped beautifully with blueberries and powdered sugar; the appearance in itself was worth the cost. Aside from its presentation, I found myself surprised at how light it felt. I lacked that disgusting, sickly full feeling after eating breakfast. On the other hand, my home fries were the best I have ever had, neither overcooked or undercooked and perfectly priced at three dollars.

For lunch, my friend enjoyed chicken noodle soup for $7. While she found her soup quite appetizing, she thought the chicken and noodles to soup ratio was uneven, claiming it was “more broth with vegetables, than chicken with noodles.” Though the chicken was tender and the broth perfectly salted, neither of us felt that it was worth the seven dollars given the size.

Overall, my friend and I both loved The Flying Egg. Their price range fits a typical high school student’s budget, with the cheapest menu item being an english muffin at $2.50, and the most expensive menu item, the Ahi Tuna Burger, coming to $12.95.

With its comforting atmosphere and quality dining for affordable prices, The Flying Egg definitely makes it worth the trip to Bethlehem.

The Foo Foo Shop Across the street from The Flying Egg, m o r f e nywher tional a a quirky gift shop e g n a c ppe r actical, fun o h S called The FooFoo o Fo pr he Foo gag gifts, to T in Shop is tucked in s to Item nimals, a d amongst the other e f f u . st e socks shops on the block. gifts lik The exterior of the store is a bit of a turnoff, appearing childish and filled with useless objects. While most of the items sold in the shop serve little to no purpose in everyday life, the laughter it provides is worthwhile. Items range anywhere from what looks like hundreds of rubber ducks on a wall, gum with humorous packaging, squishy candles, and old picture frames and fragrance sets.

For me, the showstopper was the gum packs. For only $1.50, the packaging was priceless, but many lacked school appropriate language.

Located above the gum packs were various other gifts that enticed laughter, some including chapstick for $6.00 that read, “instantly Control your Family,” and “It’s not

brainwashing if it’s for their own good.” A tad juvenile, yet still funny, hand sanitizer hung next to the chapstick, one called “Maybe You Touched Your Genitals Hand Sanitizer,” and the other “OCD Anti-Bacterial Hand Sanitizer,” each for $6.50. Packs of soap with equally sarcastic sayings were stationed next to the gum, for $4, with one reading “Keep Your Big Mouth Shut.”

The collection of lotion and hand soap at the front of the store smelled amazing, and as a peach connoisseur, I can safely say this was the best peach scented lotion I’ve ever come into contact with. Sadly, I wasn’t willing to spend $16 carelessly, and the “buy three Camille Beckman items, get ten percent off,” sign wasn’t too enticing.

Though I only bought $6 worth of gum, but I wouldn’t say The FooFoo Shop was a flop. For those looking for a good laugh or the perfect gag gift for Christmas, this shop is definitely worth the time and money.

Christmas City Village Behind Bethlehem’s historic Sun Inn is their annual Christmas City Village.

It is a cute concept, however, the Christmas spirit is lost during the day. Luckily, for those who want to experience it illuminated by the Christmas lights at night, the event is open until 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 5 p.m. on Sundays. To those who have packed schedules, the village remains open on the weekends until Dec. 23.

As much as I wanted to feel overwhelmed with that undeniable Christmas feeling, I wasn’t. Perhaps it was the lack of lights as I previously mentioned.

Aside from its appearance, the vendors sold various items from little trinkets to useful everyday necessities. I wouldn’t deem it a complete waste of time, considering that four vendors caught my eye. One vendor sold sweaters that I’ve seen around school, and another conveniently showcased raspberry honey sticks that I desperately needed. The vendor that garnered most of my attention displayed essential oils, incense, and adorable genie lamps. I definitely would have bought myself one of their “oil burner gift sets,” which cost $13-26, had I not been running on the last few dollars of my most recent paycheck.

While my only purchase was two dollars worth of honey sticks, I would consider going back for Christmas gifts; most of the vendors prices were affordable and their gifts functional. Although, I’m still bitter that it did not give off as much as a holiday feel as I anticipated.

Chocolate Lab

s Christma rs in the andles, o d n e v e h rd, bombs, c ms that t Other ite sell include bath e bow ties, musta e d g City Villa ds, fudge, handma others. o o g d mong e k a b photos, a d n a s ic ceram

Walking down the street, I did something I thought I’d never do: I decided to buy hot chocolate.

I say this because I have great disdain towards hot chocolate. In my opinion, it is never crafted to perfection: some are too watery, some are too sugary, and some simply sear your tastebuds off, so why bother?

My consideration immediately changed to a decision once I saw the inside of the Chocolate Lab. Personally, I’m a sucker for cozy, small spaces, making the homely-looking interior of the restaurant beyond desirable. I needed to go in.

To anyone who cannot control themselves around chocolate, I highly suggest you skip this store entirely. The walls of the store are overwhelmed with chocolate everything: chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered marshmallows, chocolate covered Oreos.

The Chocolate Lab basically seems like the best place to lock yourself up and live off of chocolate for the rest of your life.

As I said before, I’m not exactly a fan of hot chocolate (or spending money). Considering that, I was clearly surprised and extremely happy to know their hot chocolate was only three dollars, and an extra $.50 for marshmallows and whipped cream. So, of course, I paid the extra few cents. By no means is this any exaggeration when I say I wholeheartedly give this hot chocolate a solid 10/10. For starters, my tongue was not burnt. Miraculously, this shop found the perfect temperature for one of the most undesirably hot winter drinks.

For some reason, a part of me wanted to feel irritated that my small cup cost $3.50, however, I couldn’t find it in me to be upset. The hot chocolate was perfect in my opinion: perfect temperature, perfect milk chocolate taste.

I ended up telling a good majority of my friends that day to go try the hot chocolate from the Chocolate Lab, a statement that I feel says enough in itself.

Photos by Makenzie Christman. Lights coutresy of Walmart.com.

10

High schoolers across the nation continue to push party culture Katie Taranto Features Editor While a lot about high school has evolved since the dawn of public schooling, from segregation laws to the nutrition content found in cafeteria lunches, there is one aspect of teenage life that seems to have remained unchanged: parties, in all of their cliche Red Solo Cup, music blasting, parents out-oftown glory.

In recent years, the media started actively publicizing party culture, exposing some of the horror stories which come along with it. Some stories warn about illegal substance use, some admonishing young adults about sexual assault, and some telling the tragedies of flawless reputations, all ruined by mere Facebook posts. All of this attention brought to the existence of party culture begs the question: what exactly is party culture?

According to senior Nadia Skibinski, party culture is just “teenagers being teenagers.”

“I think in every generation, the teenagers go out and party and their parents hate it,” Skibinski said. “Then when they get older, their kids are going to go out and party and they’re gonna hate it, and it just keeps going on, like that.”

Party culture refers to the plethora of dicey activities which happen at teenage parties, often involving some types of risky activities, such as drug use. What convinces high school students to engage in these activities in the first place? There are a variety of reasons. According to psychologist and licensed professional counselor Carolyn Gorski, numerous factors contribute to the popularity of party culture.

“Well first of all, you have the peer pressure of classmates, and we don’t know obviously what types of environments they’re growing up in,” Gorski said.

“So if their environment is one

that is more prone to engaging in risk-taking behaviors, such as drugs or alcohol... it obviously impacts what those children [do]... the other reason I think that high schoolers tend to rebel is… the brain structure and the development at that point. The parts of the brain that tend to be utilized for [decision making]... are typically not completely developed until roughly between 25 to 30 years of age.”

According to Gorski, the prefrontal cortex in a young mind is not fully developed, which may explain why young adults feel inclined to take part in more dangerous activities. Typically, peer pressure is the most common reason that people blame and associate with incidents occurring at parties. However, there are far more reasons which increase an individual’s likelihood to participate in party culture.

“Beyond just peer pressure and environmental factors, the biology and anatomy of the brain is not in favor of individuals who are of the high school age,” Gorski said.

Despite these other reasons, peer pressure is the primary reason for teenagers’ decision making skills, whether it be deciding to have a first drink, or making the choice to attend a party in the first place.

“Peer pressure; it’s just people hyping you up, people just get so excited to just do dumb things,” Skibinski said. “Your adrenaline is just rushing, and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m gonna do this,’ and you would never do it before. You would hop a fence or go swimming in a pool that’s freezing at night, [and] you would never do these things unless there’s other people that are like, ‘Come on, it’ll be so much fun,’ and everyone just goes and does it.”

Senior Abigail Wilson disagrees with the concept that peer pressure influences teens. She began attending house and college parties

45%

of American high school seniors have smoked pot at least once in their lifetime.

during her freshman year, and feels that if a student has prior knowledge of the climate they are entering into, peer pressure is not the precise term.

“I feel like if you’re going to a party and you know what kind of party it’s going to be, it’s kind of hard to get peer pressured into it,” Wilson said. “I mean, your friends are going to be like, ‘You’ve never had a drink before [and] you came to this party, have a drink.’ And I don’t really count that as peer pressure, I just kind of think it’s them pushing you forward, like, if you want to do this, you can do this.”

Teenagers may feel more inclined to attend a house party because they feel like their activities will go unnoticed by authorities, or parents who aren’t at home. As Gorski explains, this could not be further from the truth.

“I’ve had a ton of individuals that think just because they’re at their house, that they’re somewhat safer,” Gorski said. “That is a huge myth. You’re not safer just because you’re having a party at your parent’s house, or in the basement,” Still, Wilson says parties occur “every weekend,” some gathering hundreds of people each, all crammed into one house. Even pop culture popularizes party culture, as high school parties are often depicted in teen movies. Classic teen films from the 1980s including “Dirty Dancing,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” and “Sixteen Candles,” as well as teen films in recent years feature teenagers blithely partying with alcohol and drugs. But just how accurate are these portrayals of high school parties? To Skibinski, Hollywood’s portrayals are legitimate when compared to real life.

“For the most part, I actually really do think [Hollywood is] accurate,” Skibinski said. “People in movies, they do drugs, they hook up, they drink, it’s pretty much

the same, except [for] parties, like they have their own alcohol.

A lot of people [in real life] are very stingy with their alcohol and they don’t wanna share it, but with parties in movies, it’s always like, an open bar.”

Despite the popularity and traditions of high school party culture in America’s youth, there are certainly downsides as well, some of which happen too often but do not receive enough attention.

Drugs, Sex, and Alcohol

High school and college students have a broader access to drugs and alcohol than ever before.

With the advancement of social media and faster means of communication, obtaining party drugs can be a simple process.

“The other thing I think we’re seeing a lot more, is that a high schooler and or college student’s accessibility to a lot of these substances and also the potency of these substances [is higher],” Gorski said. “For a lot of these individuals, all it takes is one time to use one of the substances and they can be hooked. They might also see something in their parent’s medicine cabinet, like opiates [such as] oxycodone for back surgery... then once they run out of that, they buy it off the street.”

At parties, Wilson has come into contact with various drugs including marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, and acid. While she does not know the source from which her friends obtain these drugs, she has tried them numerous times.

“I think acid and shrooms open new gateways for you, and new understandings to life,” Wilson said. “And I think that marijuana is more of a medicine rather than a drug.”

5

Statistics and information sourced from The National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens, Alcohol.org, and DoSomething.org.

Design by Katie Taranto. Photos by Emma Brashear.

or more drinks consumed in one occasion is considered binge drinking.

4 in 10

American high school students will have a drink before their 21st birthday.

The effects of acid, as Wilson describes, can set a person at ease and help them let their guard down, which she feels explains why acid is a common drug of choice for high schoolers.

“With acid, you laugh a lot, you’re just very happy,” Wilson said. “Everything is great, like if you look at a TV you’ll see waves, or you’ll see it go in circles.”

When it comes to drugs, though, Wilson knows her limits. There are substances which she strictly refuses to come into contact with.

“I mean, the hardcore drugs like heroin and meth, those will [cause harm].” Wilson said. “But you know, the simple things, the harmless things, they don’t screw your head up that much... [but] pills are bad. Do not touch pills. I will never be able to stand by, and let my friends touch pills. But things like acid, shrooms, marijuana, I think those are safe.”

However, as Gorski explains, experimenting with drugs comes with a myriad of risks, let alone experimenting with drugs from unknown sources.

Drugs which are bought from “off the street” can be mixed with all kinds of other additives which can mess with a person’s nervous system or ultimately cause death. “[When] buying [drugs] off the street, you don’t know what [you’re] going to get,” Gorski said. “Often times now, it’s being laced with something like ethanol...a milligram of it can kill an individual.”

It’s common that a person who abuses drugs will not recognize their problem until it is too late. Wilson has lost a few of her friends to drug addiction in the past, and acknowledges that there are health issues associated with teen parties.

“I’ve lost some [friends] in Easton, and I wasn’t in contact with them for a couple months,” Wilson said. “But I have lost some in other areas. The friends that I’ve lost in Emmaus more has been to drugs, there’s been a lot of drug [problems]. My friends who are doing drugs, nobody suspected

that they’re doing these things. People who are overdosing and passing away in this area, people genuinely have no idea that they’re back on [drugs], so they want to help, and they wish they could have helped, but they can’t.”

Those struggling with addiction can be reluctant to get help, and so they learn about the dangers of these substances through personal hardships.

“Unfortunately, a lot of teens have to learn through experience,” Gorski said. “As much advice as I would love to give, the biggest thing that I tell individuals who are struggling with abuse is that it’s not a matter of ifs, it’s a matter of whens. So it’s either when you get caught, when you overdose, when you end up in jail, or when you end up dead.”

Another downside to drinking and substance use is the issue of sexual assault. Recently, anti-sexual assault movements such as MeToo inspire victims to open up about their experiences with sexual assault, but there are still plenty of people out there who have kept their experiences a secret.

Skibinski takes issue with this.

“Basically there has been times where I’ve known that guys have drugged a girl,” Skibinski said. “[It’s] definitely more likely at a party, [and] a lot of my friends, it’s actually happened to them. They would drink too much, and they would pass out, and then guys; there’s been a case where a guy took naked pictures of a friend, or [when] a guy tried to rape my friend-not good. So I think that’s a really bad thing that happens at parties.”

Wilson herself experienced sexual assault at a personal level.

“I’ve never witnessed [another person’s sexual assault], but I’ve had a personal experience with it,” Wilson said. “I handled my own with that situation, everything was completely fine, I handled it how I thought I should handle it. I just immediately got out of there.”

Since that night, she remembers to be aware of her surroundings at every party she attends.

Drugs continue to be promoted by pop culture.

The 21st Amendment is passed, ending alcohol prohibition.

1 in 4

American teens have driven while under the influence of alcohol.

“Anytime I’m out at a party, and I ever see a closed door upstairs or something, I will always open the door, just to make sure there is nothing bad happening in there, like what happened to me,” Wilson said.

something she recently started offering to her friends to keep herself more in line. Now at parties, she just focuses on the social aspect of things, a positive which is often overlooked.

“You definitely meet a lot of new people, you meet people who you never would’ve met if you just stayed in your house, or if you just went out to a bowling alley one night,” Wilson said.

For Wilson, learning cooperation also lessened her fear attending parties, since she has been to parties which have been broken up by the police in the past.

“I’ve been to a couple [parties] where the cops have showed up,” Wilson said. “And the ones when I was way younger, like when I was a freshman, when the cops would come, the first thing everybody would say is ‘Run,’ so it was a lot scarier then; having to run to get away from them, and not even know where I was originally at. [I just learned that] if you cooperate, everything is going to be fine, and not a single problem will happen. Once you realize [that] if you just cooperate, it will be fine, it’s a lot less scarier.”

Although the encounters which happen at parties can be important to gain experience from, they can put an individual into distressing situations.

Most students allow their friends to impact their judgement. However, Gorski believes that at the end of the day, one must make decisions for themselves, without the influence of others nearby. “[Party culture] usually involves them doing something that would, more likely than not, put that person at harm,” Gorski said. “From a psychology standpoint, it’s really the influence of an individual’s peers... influence that classmates have on each other is significant.”

Coming of age, or causing harm?

Gorski’s advice to avoid harmful predicaments would be to avoid high school house parties altogether.

However, to actual high schoolers, this is not the most practical advice.

Skibinski and Wilson agree that parties provide students with opportunities to gain experience for a future which may be filled with uncomfortable situations.

“I think it’s good exposure before you get into college,” Skibinski said.

“You don’t want to not have any exposure to parties, and just be thrown into college, and you’re not ready for those kinds of things. You want to be prepared, and it’s not good to be kept in the house your whole high school life, and then all of a sudden you’re in college, and everything’s free, and you can do whatever you want. [Then], you just get out of control.”

To Wilson, parties are a rite of passage in a teenager’s life.

“I truly believe partying is a part of becoming a young adult,” Wilson said. “You go out and you experience things, and I feel like it is something every high school student should experience, at least one good party.”

So, how does a student stay safe in a house party setting? Being aware of one’s surroundings and boundaries is a start.

“You do have to have your limits, and there are some people who haven’t realized that,” Wilson said. “I’ve known a lot of people who have left parties drunk, and have gotten into really bad accidents... I just don’t want to see any more high school students going to parties, getting drunk, leaving, and dying.”

One solution Wilson acknowledges is establishing a designated driver;

The National Minimum Drinking Age Act changes the legal drinking age to 21 in most states.

One student’s name has been changed for privacy.

Washington and Colorado are the first states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana for citizens 18 and older.

Former first lady Nancy Reagan begins her “Just Say No” campaign against teenage alcohol and drug use.

Former president Nixon declares drug abuse “public enemy number one.”

50%

of American teens do not believe it is harmful to try cocaine once.

More teens die of prescription drugs per year than heroin and cocaine combined.

Photo courtesy of Amazon.com.

11

12

THE STINGER

| DECEMBER 2018

F E AT U R E S

Local charity raises hope for the holidays Julia Popule Features Editor Simple necessities, such as food, clothing, and shelter can make a world of change for a student in need.

Kindness is Magic, a volunteer-only run charity organization, strives to spread inclusivity and help students struggling financially. According to their website, “one in six children in Pennsylvania suffers from hunger.

Over 480,000 children in our state alone do not have the security of knowing when their next meal will be.”

But before Kindness is Magic existed, awareness began with a mere GoFundMe. Dr. Ziad Munson, East Penn School Board director, exceeded expectations for his GoFundMe campaign and raised $2,460 out of the set $1,775 goal over a span of seven months. According to Munson, he caught wind of the lunch debt situation in the district some time last year, and “kinda on a whim” created the GoFundMe in April of this year. He wanted to offer his help to the families of students who are supposed to receive free or reduced school lunches.

“But then the question became: there needs to be something longer term,” Munson said. “You can’t just solve a problem by having a GoFundMe campaign every time you need to pay bills.”

Despite the GoFundMe being a “one time thing,” Munson still advocated for participation and the situation spoke to his ideals and beliefs that he holds for how the district can help its family.

“To my mind, one of the responsibilities that any member of a community has is to help out their members who are in need,” Munson said. “I don’t think anything expresses need more poignantly than not having enough money to feed your family, or not having enough money to eat.”

Munson recognized that while other charities may speak louder to other individuals, he felt that the impact of the student debt on kids and the financial struggles of the families was crucial to address.

“I think that [lunch debt] is a very worthy charity,” Munson said. “Food security is one of the most fundamental human needs, and so I would put it before some of the other [organizations] that may be worthy charitable ideas, but don’t go to that most basic of human needs.”

Though the physical work that Munson contributed stopped after the campaign, his contributions reached Melissa Fillman next and inspired her; after the GoFundMe ended, Fillman used his momentum to kickstart

Kindness is Magic, which Munson found admirable and “particularly important.”

Besides the motivation she gained from the campaign, president Melissa Fillman felt inclined to start the charity after hearing that her six-year-old daughter was paying for another boy’s milk at school. The boy hadn’t had enough money to pay, so the lunch lady made him put his milk back. This opened Fillman’s eyes to a problem within the community.

In Pennsylvania, lunch debt is far more common than one would expect. Concerning Emmaus and surrounding school districts, Allentown is the only district that qualifies for governmental financial assistance.

“Some districts have penalties; they hold the kids accountable for their lunch debt,” Fillman said. “So our focus is to pay down the debt. Expose the discrepancy of putting that responsibility on the child’s shoulders.

We really want that responsibility to be on the adults and on the community so we are trying to raise funds in different ways to pay down the student lunch debt.”

Central to Kindness is Magic’s work is planning charity events and fundraisers. Recently, they conducted a shoe drive at surrounding districts from Sept. 24 to Nov. 24. Despite the recent flooding preventing the charity from collecting at Emmaus High School, they were still able to amass over 6,000 shoes from every school in the district and every school in the Bethlehem school area.

In addition, the charity have hosted church spaghetti dinners and partnered with restaurants like Blue Cactus in Bethlehem. The charity has also worked with librarians and Girl Scout troops to make ornaments that they will sell in Bethlehem public libraries.

For students struggling with money, Kindness is Magic details eligibility requirements for the National School Lunch Program on their website, which can help with purchasing school meals.

“Essentially the requirement number changes,” Fillman said. “If they are financially eligible or not depends on how many people are in their household and [the program] gives them a salary range. If they are lower than that certain range then they’re eligible for free or reduced lunch.”

To participate in the NSLP, students have to sign up annually so long as they continue to qualify.

“The Pennsylvania laws have changed so now every child is given a lunch now,” Fillman say. “But if [the kids] don’t resign up, they’re going to be accrewing this debt that follows them throughout their school year and until they graduate.”

All the work to help those with financial deficit and who struggle with student lunch debt is strongly connected to the act of “lunch shaming,” which ridicules students for their inablity to pay for their meals.

Pa. has already passed laws to make the offense illegal, but there’s still much more that can be done.

“I think that the districts need to go one step further and take the responsibility of holding any activities against a child,” Fillman said. “Like walking at graduation: I think that’s disgusting. If the child earns the fact to walk at graduation, they should walk at graduation.

Whether they have library debt or student lunch debt, I believe they should walk.”

As the charity’s representative, Fillman is always willing to hear submitted ideas as well as accept any possible donations. Making sure these donations are sent to schools of preference was assured to be “very easy to allocate,” as Fillman usually files the donations into the districts from which they originated. For donations, inquiries, or suggestions, the charity can be visited at http://www.kindnessismagicinc.com or reached by email at info@kindnessismagicinc.com.

Kindness is Magic volunteers pose after collecting shoe donations. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

EHS receives post-flood donations from community

Kaite Taranto Julia Popule Features Editors On Friday, Nov. 1, heavy storms flooded the bottom floor of Emmaus High School with murky water, leading to major cleanup efforts and generous donations from the EHS community and surrounding local businesses.

Community residents, administrators, teachers, students--anyone the school could reach out to was asked for help. Among them, the school-run Red Cross Club answered a call Sunday morning to assist in the cleanup.

Claudia Murray, the advisor of the club, received pictures from sources within the school of the aftermath.

“Every picture I found got worse and worse,” Murray said. “When I was able to look online and see the pictures and I saw the videos, and I was just shocked that that could happen in our school.”

In the frenzy that proceeded, cleanup became the first priority, and it became evident that the school would need as many hands as they could.

“I texted Dr. Kieres Saturday night; I saw that they needed food and asked what [the club] could do,” Murray said. “[Kieres] said [they] could really use coffee about midday, so I asked the Red Cross Club kids. Some were ready to bring breakfast and the kids who got back to me after we planned for the breakfast said they would bring coffee. It was just something for [the workers] to get a break and have a snack, because they had been there all weekend, morning, noon, and night.”

The Red Cross Club did not stop there; Murray continued to do her part by cleaning out flooded students’ lockers.

“I asked Dr. Kieres if I could do anything, and she handed me the master key to the lockers,” Murray said.

“Someone from administration was taking inventory of all the textbooks that were damaged, so all I did was open up the lockers, and pulled out any ruined textbooks… then somebody went back and wrote down the numbers of the books, so that the kids wouldn’t get in trouble for losing their book… they were marking everything down so the kids wouldn’t be responsible for it.”

The main office was heavily impacted as it was the entry point for the rush of water into the school, but the

EHS wrestlers volunteer their time to help restore the wrestling room. Photo courtesy of WFMZ. flood seriously affected other areas as well, such as the wrestling room. “[The Red Cross Club] went to the wrestling room, which was bad,” Murray said. “It was empty and we went over to the auxiliary gym, but we went through some of the classrooms and the floors were being dried.

The molding on the bottom of the floors were already pulled off, so we knew they were going to be taking out part of the wall, because the water had gotten into the drywall, and they can’t really dry that out. It gets mold… and there were people everywhere.”

The wrestling team themselves were also contacted and called in to help with damage control.

“Saturday morning I got a phone call from the athletic director saying that the wrestling room was flooded and [they] wondered if I would be able to get some kids to come in and help out if we could,” wrestling coach Thad Smith said.

Smith asked for available wrestlers and parents to come and help, and received 42 volunteers.

“We picked up all the mats in the wrestling room, rolled them up, moved them, [and] pulled up all the flooring in the wrestling room and the weight room,” Smith said. “We moved everything else out of the weight room that was damaged--like all the scales, the bikes, all the equipment--we moved all that out of the wrestling room, swept it all out and we had [the room] all ready so [the workers] could just come in and start drying and cleaning it.”

Other than the various clubs and associations that offered their aid, local businesses who were happy to help donated food to the cleanup crew. Odiseas Draklellis and his brother, George Draklellis, managers of the East Penn Diner, felt eager to help when they heard the news of the flood.

“I did read [about the flood] and see it on the news,” Draklellis said. “The next morning, I got a call asking for supplies; one teacher reached out and asked if we’d help. [EHS] is very important, it’s the base of the whole town… so we sent about 50 lunches on Monday and Tuesday for the volunteers cleaning it up.”

Mike Neyhart, the marketing director at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse in Allentown, also felt inclined to donate. Being a 1990 graduate from EHS and having a daughter attending the school, he felt compelled as a member of the community to help out.

“I saw a post on the Facebook page, and I’m also personal friends with some people that work in administration,” Neyhart said. “So when I saw the post, I said, ‘Listen I’ll be right over.’ I brought them two party platters of boneless wings, and then also dropped off business cards and some coupons from free desserts. I said ‘Give us a call, whatever you need going forward.’ and the next day [EHS] had called. We supplied also about $300 worth of food, enough to feed 25 or 30 people- we did a catering order with salad and pastas and everything.”

At the end of the day, EHS received generous help and donations from the hearts of various student clubs, teachers, and businesses around the area, who all put in their time towards a common goal.

“If you’re not helping out, how are you a part of your community?” Draklellis said.

STINGEREHS.COM

Culture

THE STINGER | DECEMBER 2018

Kanye’s presidential friendship sparks controversy Jacob Welsko Culture Editor “I hate the new Kanye, the bad mood Kanye / The always rude Kanye, spaz in the news Kanye,” said the rapper on his 2016 track “I Love Kanye.”

Those lyrics seem far too prophetic nearly two years since the release, due to Ye’s blatant support for President Donald Trump (because showing presidential support is so taboo nowadays). This dog and pony show started back in April when the ever-controversial Kanye West posted pictures on Instagram and Twitter of himself sporting a “Make America Great Again” cap. Also in the polarizing photo is Lucian Grainge and Lyor Cohen, two musical executives.

Since the surfacing of the image, storms of hate engulfed West, but this was only the beginning.

In September, Kanye tweeted and posted yet another photo outfitted in the MAGA hat, which spawned even more backlash. Musical artist Lana Del Rey weighed in on the divisive topic, penning an extensive comment on Kanye’s Instagram.

The comment began by saying, “Trump becoming our president was a loss for the country but your support of him is a loss for culture.”

Although somewhat valid, the comment was downright sad. It’s upsetting to see someone so wound up over another person’s opinions and beliefs. Seriously, who cares who or what Kanye West supports?

Is it even any of our business? We only care when “Yandhi,” Kanye’s upcoming album, is dropping. Not whether or not he supports the person we may or may not support.

The more division and hate we let take place based on our political beliefs, the more regression we

perpetuate.

At the end of September, Kanye was featured as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live wearing a MAGA hat. After the credits rolled, he went on a pro-Trump tirade addressing topics like liberal tyranny, racism, running for president, etc. The rant proved to be more entertaining than the entire episode of SNL. On the topic of Trump, Kanye said, “If someone inspires me and I connect with them, I don’t have to believe in all they [sic] policies.”

Perhaps the climax of this great Kanye West political apocalypse came when Kanye met with Trump in the White House in October. Issues discussed included tax breaks, prison reform, mental health, racism, and the need for art programs in schools. Kanye took a page out of his wife’s book, who also visited the White House to address prison reform with the president this year.

It seems the White House in 2018 just has a thing for dysfunctional couples. Images of the meeting soon flooded newspapers and websites alike, with Kanye in his trusty red hat, which he has since said makes him feel like “Superman.”

Funny how it makes him feel like a fictional character while I wish what I am writing was fiction.

The president isn’t Kanye’s only source for political controversy, however. The rapper is also notorious for his support of Candace Owens, the woman behind “Blexit,” a movement advocating for African-Americans to exit the Democratic party. Not to mention, in a TMZ appearance featuring both Kanye and Owens in May, he gave the internet more ammunition by claiming, “slavery was a choice.”

Kanye, maybe take the time you’re using to work on your

album and spend it reviewing basic American history. To be fair, he did clarify and elaborate on this by saying he meant the modern mentality of slavery is a choice--similar beliefs to that of Owens. Though he only made matters worse when he labeled the 13th Amendment (emancipation of slavery) a “trap door.” Sorry Ye, but there’s no coming back from that one.

All this controversy raises a lot of discussion, yet I believe the most important takeaway is actually what Kanye said on SNL. The bit about him being inspired by Trump and connecting to him solidifies his argument that he doesn’t have to agree with everything Trump believes in.

Perhaps we should take this into consideration and apply it to this very situation. If you like Kanye’s music, if he inspires you, if you connect through his work, or even if you don’t, you don’t have to agree with everything he believes in. There’s a fine line between the creator and the creation, and the creator’s beliefs should not influence one’s opinions on the creation. I understand that all this support Kanye is showing towards Trump may send shockwaves to his community. It is sad he isn’t being more cautious and caring with the platform he has to generate actual change, rather than just controversial actions.

I’m no Trump supporter nor Kanye superfan. However, if we’re seeking real change, perhaps all of our attention shouldn’t be thrusted upon a rapper’s political orientation solely because it’s different than our own.

Photos courtesy of Bustle (left), StickPNG (center), Time Magazine (right).

Photo courtesy of TrumpTwitterArchive.

13

Remembering

Stan Lee

Rylan Bassett Culture Editor Marvel Comics has been a staple in youth culture for the better part of a century, especially in the past 10 years with the emergence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

We’ve grown up watching Robert Downey Jr. and company portraying our heros, so it is absolutely imperative to pay homage to the Hugh Hefner impersonator, WWII general, bartender, space barber, and the heart and soul of the modern Marvel: Stan Lee. He wore a diverse assortment of hats in his famous cameos, but his true role was as the face of Marvel Comics. Stan Lee brought humor and humanity to super stories, contradicting the stereotypical hero archetype. He looked at the big characters that dominated the pages of comics and was sorely disappointed by the regurgitated production of big and tall Superman types.

In a 1991 interview with Fresh Air’s Terry Gross, the legend describes his approach to comics and how he challenged the norm.

“Well, when I started working for the comics, all the heroes were really cut out of the same mold,” Lee said. “They were tall and handsome and strong and noble. And as far as their dialogue went, I felt insufferably dull.”

He looked at this hero mold with disgust. So he created Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, and The Fantastic Four.

Readers found stories of a bullied high school kid, a scientist with anger issues, and what resembles an incredibly dysfunctional family. And they loved it.

These new role models allowed readers to connect with their favorite characters. This is what made the genre so impossibly appealing, and these ideas are still present in the constant stream of cinematic wonder coming out of Marvel Studios. Thor and Loki’s “Get Help” tactic, Natasha’s asking Clint, “We’re still friends, right?”, Peter Parker assuming that “Dr. Strange” is a made up name. What we love about the extraordinary is the ordinary. We wouldn’t have such beautiful moments without the influence of Stan Lee, if we had the MCU at all.

In the same interview, Stan Lee describes how he combatted the cliché onomatopeias like “BANG,” “POP,” and “SOCK.” “One of my all-time favorite sound effects was btkooom,” he said. “And it was spelled... with three O’s. And then I put a little asterisk at the end of the word with a note on the bottom of the panel saying the third O, of course, is silent.”

Stan Lee shocked readers with cheeky humor and comedic satire. He single-handedly revitalized not only Marvel, but the comics industry as a whole.

But I don’t want to write a report on this man’s career accomplishments and how he changed the world. That would be no better than the larger-than-life, dry-as-bone characters that he replaced with 3-dimensional people on his pages.

I did not know him personally, of course, but I know enough. For Stanley Lieberman, ironically, fits the bootstraps archetype of the American dream. His was the classic story: growing up poor in his own world, reading classic literature as if it gave him breath. He worked odd jobs writing obituaries and press releases, all the while dreaming, yearning to be the writer of what he knew would be “The Great American Novel.”

Lieberman worked tirelessly on his writing, all the while viewing himself as a stifled poet. He was aiming for literary greatness, and he landed at Timely Publications (before Marvel’s name change). The station of comic writer was seen as, well, comical. And so Stanley Lieberman signed his first contribution “Stan Lee” in hopes of maintaining his professional reputation.

That pen name took on a reputation of its own, lifting Lieberman onto “Stan’s Soapbox” and eventually to the forefront of the comic industry, all the while exclaiming, “Excelsior!”

At 95 years young, Stan Lee died of respiratory heart failure on Nov. 12. In the hearts of comic lovers everywhere, this day will live on in infamy.

Illustration by Kaylee Ruiz.

14

CULTURE

THE STINGER | DECEMBER 2018

“Robin Hood” redelivers a tired narrative Thomas Hartill Culture Contributor As the modern action-adventure genre grows increasingly boring and repetitive with age, the world is inexplicably treated to another unnecessary, lifeless waste of the average moviegoer’s ten dollars.

The aptly titled “Robin Hood” is the eighth mainstream film centering on the classic folklore hero and released Nov. 21. Yet another attempt at creating a big-budget blockbuster action flick, the movie seems to be an attempt at reinventing its source material while at the same time lacking any drive to fully realize its ambitious aspirations. The film’s creators followed the example of their predecessors by tracking down the most prevalent stars of day to toss into the poorly-aged narrative. The film features Taron Egerton in the titular role, with Jamie Foxx at his side as loyal friend and mentor, Little John.

The story follows Robin of Loxley as he assumes the identity of a noble lord by day, and one of the crusading hero and thief, Hood, by night. In an effort to defeat the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham and his corrupt and greedy ways, Robin must learn to navigate intense conversations with the Sheriff as the Lord of Loxley.

Prowling the streets of the mining town, Nottingham, Robin attempts to put the rich in their place while helping the needy, poverty-stricken citizens.

“Robin Hood” (2018) is easily the most unfavorable adaptation of the classic tale in recent memory, the flaws of which far outnumber what few positive aspects it can muster. Throughout the film, it becomes increasingly obvious that the film studio responsible for this embarrassment is most comparable the film’s villain. The Sheriffs of Hollywood aimed to bombard the audience with tiresome, derivative concepts that left a bad taste in the end, all in a weak effort to make money quick.

There was a constant cloud of sluggishness and laziness looming over the film. Over the top, yet muddled special effects were littered throughout every pandering action set piece, with each sequence being buffered by dull, meandering scenes of exposition that did little to add to the enjoyment. From the strangely modern fight sequence ripped straight from war films such as “Black Hawk Down,” to the uncanny similarities between this version of Robin Hood and Bruce Wayne, the film was constantly mirroring better, more original work.

Photo courtesy of IMDb. Even the stellar cast including Taron Egerton, Ben Mendelsohn, and Jamie Foxx delivered disappointingly mediocre work. Mendelsohn essentially barked about his money for ninety minutes, Egerton tried to make due with what little he was given in the script, and Foxx just didn’t seem to be at the top of his game like he is in various other films (“Baby Driver,” “Django: Unchained,” “Ray”). However, the actors can’t take all of the blame, as the writers showed an even greater lack of passion.

The lead protagonist, Robin Hood, lacks any character development whatsoever.

It seemed as though the writers believed a somewhat charismatic performance and a few witty one-liners

would make up for a lack of any progression of Robin Hood’s motives or ideals (spoiler alert: they don’t make up for it). The Sheriff, played as best as he could have been by Mendelsohn, felt extremely one-sided, and could be described by few adjectives other than vile, wicked, and avaricious. In fact, practically every character seemed to have their own emotion that they had to stick to throughout the entire film, never being permitted to show any other. This perpetuated the already boring and gloomy tone even more, made the film feel far too repetitive, and relinquished any hope that the viewer would find enjoyment or relatability with these unlikable protagonists.

As possibly the greatest example of prioritizing style over substance, the director, Otto Bathurst, constantly opted for visual splendor as opposed to creative storytelling, yet still failed to provide any remotely entertaining or engaging imagery. It’s almost as if Bathurst realized the lifelessness of the film and decided to stick to a color palette of gray, brown, black, and more gray to match.

The costume design was rather lackluster as well and ultimately felt inappropriate for the time period. It appeared as though the costume designers decided on a theme of “Game of Thrones” mixed with the “Hunger Games,” which sounds appealing in theory, but sadly, it is anything but that. In the finished product, the costumes felt awkward and seemed like they were ripped straight off the cover of Vogue with far too many leather jackets and futuristic formal wear.

It seems that “Robin Hood” is stealing from the hopeful audiences and giving to the greedy production company executives. It’s being paraded as a new and original take on the tired character, yet is quite obviously none of that. The film could have been redeemed, but redemption wouldn’t be as profitable as following the example set by practically every other action movie from the past five years. Maybe it was studio meddling, maybe it was a fundamentally flawed script. No one can be certain of the exact cause of this disaster, but we can be certain that what we got is a complete and utter mess. In the end, the film included exactly what is expected of the tired genre at this point: forced humor, famous but miscast stars in the lead roles, and the obligatory sequel tease in the final moments.

“Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” offers nothing new Victoria Rivera Culture Editor Only two years after the release of “The Jungle Book,” Imaginarium Productions decided to create “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle,” a film based on the original book written by Rudyard Kipling in 1894.

Since 1942 when the first film adaptation “Jungle Book” was released, there have been eight film and three television versions of the classic tale. Being the latest retelling, “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” needed to introduce something fresh to the collection. Released in select theaters on Nov. 29 and on Netflix on Dec. 7, the highly-anticipated film falls short of expectations.

“Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” follows the life of orphan Mowgli (Rohan Chand) who is left in the jungle to be raised by a pack of wolves. Also raising the mancub are Bagheera (Christian Bale), a panther, and Baloo (Andy Serkis), a bear. Mowgli’s arrival into the pack creates much tension considering he is obviously human.

Furthermore, the tiger, Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch), will stop at nothing to kill Mowgli just like he killed his parents.

Since Mowgli is not a wolf, he must work twice as hard to fit in and prove himself loyal to the pack, avoiding the many dangers of the jungle and the followers of Khan. Considering it’s a film targeted to a slightly younger audience, it is no surprise that “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” includes typical themes about bravery and loyalty.

To start with the positive aspects of the film, “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” is visually stunning. The attention to detail for the CGI animals is

Photo courtesy of Netflix (left) and IMDb (right).

impeccable. The actual jungle captivates viewers with the lush greenery and larger-than-life trees towering over Mowgli.

“Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” is classified as an adventure film. In that category, the film delivers. Director Andy Serkis mixes thrilling action shots with powerfully dramatic scenes. The movie seems to alternate between Mowgli being chased by a terrifying creature and him expressing his feelings of exclusion from the pack.

As for the actors, each of their performances are highly unique. Rohan Chand plays a troubled and confused Mowgli that only wishes to be accepted by the jungle.

Christian Bale creates an overly protective and loving “older brother” as Bagheera. Andy Serkis portrays Baloo as a stubborn, yet wise, bear that tries to teach the curious Mowgli.

Other than all of these components, there’s really only one word to describe “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle”: meh. Aside from scenery, the film has few other exceptional components.

Should viewers spend an hour and 44 minutes watching the film? Does every scene keep the audience on the edge of their seats? Was there a reason to create yet another version of Rudyard Kipling’s story? To all of these questions, I say no. Not at all.

While watching the film, my only wish was for it to be over. There was nothing new or groundbreaking or completely shocking. The scenery was great, the action scenes were fun, and the actors did a pretty good job, but it was

hard to find something interesting to look forward to. The lingering threat of Shere Khan trying to kill Mowgli added some spice, but if Mowgli died in the first 30 minutes (which, considering it’s essentially a showdown between an enormous, ferocious tiger and a prepubescent child, obviously would have happened in real life), there would be no movie.

However, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s missing from “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.” There was nothing distinctly wrong with the film, it was just boring. One second Mowgli is about to be killed by monkeys and the next he is wondering about his purpose in the world.

Overall, there was no need for this movie to be created. With many versions of the same story, the most recent one has nothing new to offer. Although there were minor plot changes, the actual narrative was essentially the same. Even though there are some positive aspects of the film, viewers should not waste their time on something as plain and dull as “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.”

C U LT U R E

THE STINGER

| DECEMBER 2018

2018’s cinematic success Jacob Welsko Culture Editor 2018 has been one great year full of hot films, ranging from heartbreak to triumph--all eyes were on the big screen.

Below are the top five movies of 2018 (in no specific ranking), based primarily on impact, quality, and effect at the box office.

“Black Panther”

“Avengers: Infinity War”

Marvel has yet again marked their territory on movie culture as the kings of superhero films with the third installment of the Avengers series.

“Avengers: Infinity War” is quite often regarded as the most ambitious crossover event ever. With appearances from The Avengers, Spider-Man, King T’Challa and company, the list of featured characters seems endless.

Overall, the movie is your typical exhilarating Marvel flick with exciting action scenes. However, “Avengers: Infinity War” kicks it up a notch with the main villain, Thanos, dominating all of our beloved characters. The movie grossed a whopping $678.82 million, second only to “Black Panther.” Its total box office income consisted of $2.047 billion.

“Bohemian Rhapsody”

As a movie, Marvel’s “Black Panther” is nothing to write home about. Due to a fairly predictable plot and the antagonist’s main motive being to commit mass genocide on all white people sort of diminishes its credibility. However, the immense amount of fanfare that surrounded this film at release, and even still months later, is certainly monumental. Its impact on black culture as well as movies as a whole is untouchable. Not even a year after its release the film already shattered multiple records, such as being the highest-grossing solo superhero film and film by a black director--as well as countless other impactful accolades.

Not to mention, according to IMDb’s list of top most grossing movies of the year, “Black Panther” clocks in at number one, bringing in roughly $700.06 million.

Biopics, musical ones especially, are certainly a difficult craft to perfect. With a pretty notorious reputation, they’re either a hit (“Straight Outta Compton”), or a miss (“The Doors,” “All Eyez On Me”).

“Bohemian Rhapsody” falls into the hit category. This is all thanks to Rami Malek who steals the show as Freddie Mercury, as well as the actors (Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Lucy Boynton) portraying the band and the casting directors for their uncanny appearances to their rockstar counterparts. Despite some chronology errors and skewed scenes just to fit the plot, the film still delivers a great story showcasing one of the most iconic bands of all time--Queen. Forget the film’s flaws and chief criticisms, this movie was worth the eight year wait and is now worth the watch.

“A Star Is Born”

Despite being the third adaptation since the 1937 original, this 2018 version still presents something new. The 1976 remake featured Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, so the stakes were high for Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.

Luckily, their chemistry and star performances certainly make this film an elegant masterpiece. Accompanied by a rich soundtrack, the music intertwined throughout the movie makes the experience all the better. Also, “A Star Is Born” checked in at number 11 on IMDb’s top grossing movies of 2018 list--with $191.71 million. A star movie is born yet again.

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“A Quiet Place”

This John Krasinski-headed horror film is scary good. If last year’s great horror movie was “Get Out,” then surely 2018 will be remembered for this one.

Not to mention, Krasinski’s original concept and idea of the importance of silence makes the film even more thrilling. Krasinski maintains these exciting moments in a lean runtime of 91 minutes. The movie made it to number 11 on IMDb’s ranking of top grossing films of 2018, reeling in $188.02 million.

Images courtesy of IMDb.

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THE STINGER

C U LT U R E

| DECEMBER 2018

Against modern flicks, claymations Sleigh Rylan Bassett Culture Editor Who needs some fancy Grinch with busy computer-generated animation voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch? How insufferably uppity. Why is it that Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf has become the dominating, everlasting holiday flick? That film is caked with more cheap humor than Jim Carrey’s entire career.

The Ghost of Christmas Past should take everyone back to experience true holiday-themed entertainment.

1970’s “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” 1974’s “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” and 1979’s “Jack Frost” all run circles around the cheesy holiday movies that are too often the... hallmark of the modern festivities.

“The Year Without a Santa Claus” tells the harrowing story of Jingle and Jangle (Bob McFadden, Bradley Bolke), two of the less intellectually-inclined elves in the workshop. There is a crisis at the North Pole; Santa (Mickey Rooney) decided to cancel Christmas, or take a holiday, as he puts it, on account of the world’s lack of Christmas spirit. The brave elves take young Vixen on an endeavor in hopes of proving that there are still those who believe in Santa.

The ensuing drama lands the two elves, along with Mrs. Claus (Shirley Booth) in the presence of two brothers, Heat Miser (George S. Irving) and Snow Miser (Dick Shawn). This interaction is where the TV special shines. The art of stop-motion animation, achieved here with puppets, and beautifully written narrative song and dance come together to create one of the most riveting holiday performances in history. The brothers toss back and forth, along with balls of fire and ice, paralleling verses describing their thermic abilities in individual songs.

For a more current interpretation of these fantastic

ressing Jack Frost and Snip add rtesy of cou age Im r. nte Wi Father IMDb.

tunes, Thousand Foot Krutch released a cover of “Heat Miser” and FM Static released their version of “Snow Miser,” both on an album called “Happy Christmas” put out by the Capitol Christian Music Group.

Another notable, yet underappreciated musical byproduct of the Christmas claymations is “One Foot in Front of the Other” from “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.” Narrated by the mailman (Fred Astaire), the flick weaves a narrative about Kris Kringle’s (Mickey Rooney) backstory. He was left at the doorstep at the home of the Kringles, who worked as toymakers.

Kris wants to deliver toys to all of the children in the subtly-named Sombertown, but he must first win over both the town’s grouchy mayor, Burgermeister Meisterburger (Paul Frees), and the evil warlock, Winter (Keenan Wynn), who boasts another incredibly illusive moniker.

Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a family classic if Winter decided to tear Kris string from string. Instead, the young Santa strikes up a conversation with the rickety hermit, as one does when confronted by a towering evil warlock. He learns that Winter, although he appears to be quite advanced in age, does not know how to walk.

of Heat Miser yelling in a fit sy of rte cou age Im e. rag le adorab Odyssey.

This is where “One Foot In Front of the Other” comes in. In the wholesome nature that seemingly weaves its way into every holiday feel-good-flick, Kris sings the tune with toxic enthusiasm, teaching Winter to push the boundaries of his comfort zone by putting one foot in front of the other.

The creators of legendary stop-motion films must have had a pact to give their characters the most blatant, smack-in-the-face aptronyms (with the exception of Burgermeister Meisterburger because that is just fun to say), for “Jack Frost” features characters such as Snip (Don Messick), who is responsible for cutting out billions of unique snowflakes with scissors and Sir Ravenal Rightfellow (Sonny Melendrez), the knight in golden armour who turns out to be the right fellow for the love interest of Jack Frost (Robert Morse), Elisa (Debra Clinger).

Critics of the arts may claim the thoughtless and elementary tones that permeate the classics rob the films of any chance to be real cinematic greatness, and that is their prerogative. But the holidays aren’t about winning Oscars. They aren’t about perfect animation achieved with the best technology and the best voice to bless the Marvel universe. They aren’t about perfectly embodying the spirits of joy and giving and unconditional love for your family. The holiday season is a time for giving joy to loved ones, but that doesn’t have to be portrayed so cleanly as it is in overproduced wintry content.

Family is messy, and sometimes brothers toss elemental fury between clouds. The classic Christmas claymations, too often forgotten by this generation, capture the true, simple spirit of the holidays in thousands of frames, and laces them all together to create beautiful stop motion.

Snow Miser speaki ng brother’s minions/b to his ack-up dancers. Image co urtesy of Decider.

Winter holding Lu ke Kris Kringle hosta Skywalker ge in an ice cave.

Image courtesy of TheMovieRat.

Benedict Cumberbatch steals Christmas Victoria Rivera Culture Editor Everyone remembers the iconic Jim Carrey movie, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” The classic film captivated the hearts of young and old for years since its release in 2000. But now, “The Grinch,” released on Nov. 9, poses a threat to the older movie’s coveted position.

Featuring British superstar Benedict Cumberbatch as the Grinch, the animated version of the Dr. Seuss story puts a fun twist on the plot to keep things interesting. Considering the outstanding reputation Carrey’s movie had, Cumberbatch had massive shoes to fill. However, the major plot changes allowed viewers to experience a completely different tale with the same themes.

First of all, Donna Who (Rashida Jones) is a single mother trying to raise three kids. This shift from the nuclear family seen in the first movie is surprising, but contributes immensely to the film. Instead of trying to learn the story of the Grinch, Cindy-Lou Who wants to ask Santa to help her mother out since she always seems stressed. This forces her to hatch a plan with her friends to capture Santa.

The Grinch and Cindy-Lou Who’s stories don’t intertwine until relatively late in the film. “The Grinch” focuses more on how the two characters’ plans eventually cross over for them to meet.

While Cindy-Lou Who tries to catch Santa, the Grinch wants to become Santa

and steal Christmas from Whoville. After years of isolation and only having his dog Max as a companion, the Grinch finally decides to destroy the suffocating Christmas spirit of Whoville. Throughout the movie, both characters learn a lot about themselves and the true meaning of Christmas.

“The Grinch” offers viewers a very wholesome version of the Dr. Seuss story.

While Carrey made the Grinch malicious and inconsiderate of others, Cumberbatch plays a sweeter role that only wishes to be included. The new movie makes it seem as if the town is almost unaware of the Grinch, which allows viewers to experience the Grinch and Max’s relationship more.

Some major Hollywood legends helped in the making of this film. Pharrell Williams, mega-producer and music artist, narrates the entire story. The movie also features appearances from Angela Lansbury (Mayor McGerkle), and Kenan Thompson (Mr. Bricklebaum). All of the characters are vividly animated and fun to watch. Each voice actor creates a character that is completely different from the original film.

As for the soundtrack, social media blew up after discovering that Tyler, the Creator produced all of the songs. His recently released album, “Music Inspired

by Illumination & Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch,” perfectly complements the movie.

It’s impossible to look at the new movie without comparing it to the famous version, “How the Grinch Stole Christ-

mas.” The first obvious comparison is that movie. Grossing over $183 million in the the previous movie is a live-action film, United States, it’s obvious that they met while the newer adaptation is completethis goal. With the reputation of “How the ly animated. While the most recent one Grinch Stole Christmas” looming over mostly appeals to children and younger their heads, producers needed to create an audiences, the older version is enjoyable interesting twist on the Dr. Seuss story. for all ages. “The Grinch” comes nowhere “The Grinch” is not perfect, but it fulfills near the perfection of the first movie, but its role as a fun, animated Christmas most of this is due to Carrey’s hilarious movie for kids. portrayal of the character, which could never be beat. The silly, sarcastic jokes Carrey employs are replaced by scenarios that are so cute they’re humorous in the reboot. Although both films are amazing, it’s difficult to compare the two.

Without the comparison to the previous film, “The Grinch” is the perfect Christmas movie for children. The introduction of a lovable reindeer lures younger audiences in. Max’s fierce loyalty to the Grinch is significantly more kid-friendly than the love-hate relationship everyone remembers seeing.

The overwhelming appeal to children is slightly off-putting for anyone over the age of about 10 years old, however. Any form of an older audience was composed of either parents taking their kids to watch the movie or people in love with the film from 2000. Although the scenes are adorable and funny, teenagers are used to the sarcastic and vile nature of the Grinch.

This shift is slightly disappointing for older audiences that expected more from the character.

With a budget of about $75 million, Universal Pictures and Illumination Photo courtesy of IMDb. Entertainment had to produce a great

Sports Aux gym flood damages affect teams THE STINGER | DECEMBER 2018

STINGEREHS.COM

Chloe Gerhrad Sports Editor On the evening of Nov. 2, the bottom level of Emmaus High School flooded, affecting multiple areas of the school, including the auxiliary gym and wrestling room.

The damage to the aux gym was extensive, necessitating repairs immediately after the water was removed. The entirety of the floor and subfloor were damaged and needed to be replaced. According to athletic director Rebecca George, the floors had been removed and the area dried within three days of the flooding.

The subfloor and some floor boards had been laid down before the Thanksgiving break, and the aux gym is projected to be in use before the New Year begins, or shortly after the holiday break.

Luckily, no other related damages, such as mold, were found to slow down the process of repairing the aux gym. “[The water] didn’t sit long enough for mold to even become an issue,” George said. “We moved so quickly on it and the company that came in to do the restorations and all that stuff moved so fast that

there was just not enough time for mold to develop.”

According to freshman boys’ basketball coach Eric Luckenbill, the fact that the aux gym could not be utilized was a large concern for him, as the aux gym usually functions as the main practice area for his team.

“It’s safe to say that when the aux gym went there was a lot of fear from my perspective that we may not have a place to practice,” Luckenbill said.

Another thing that complicated the situation for Luckenbill and his team is that most of the other facilities within the high school and middle schools were already being used by other teams. However, a few days after the flood George approached Luckenbill with the possibility of an available space at Bethel Church, which he and his team accepted as their temporary practice location.

“I really don’t know what we would have done if we didn’t have [the Bethel Church] and that opportunity to practice,” Luckenbill said.

Despite his gratitude for the opportunity to continue with practices, Luckenbill admits that not being able to use their normal facilities presented challenges for him and his team.

“We’re doing what we can, there’s definitely some frustrations though,” Luckenbill said. “The bus is sometimes late to get us there and now that we’re not practicing in the school we feel a little bit disjointed. Like we’re not next to the varsity team so we’re kind of on our own little island, so that’s a little weird.”

The auxiliary gym in the days after the flood. Crews Luckenbill also expressed began ripping up the boards. Photo ccourtesty of EHS his excitement to begin using Athletics twitter. the aux gym again.

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“It’s taken some sacrifice by a lot of different groups,” Luckenbill said. “We’re willing to [use a different facility] but at the same time we are really excited to get the aux gym back and up and running so we can get our home back.”

While the auxiliary gym suffered extensive damage, it will be restored relatively quickly. While the wrestling room will require many more repairs and replacements until it can be used again.

Anything that the flood water came into contact with had to be The auxiliary gym after a top layer of seal was put removed, meaning that all the mats over the boards. Photo by Emma Brashear. and various equipment in the wressaid. “Other people have helped out, like tling room had to be replaced. Currently, the football team. They kind of moved the wrestling team holds practices in the their stuff into...what was the wrestling weight room because they cannot cut the mats they are borrowing to fit in the wres- room, [and] we’re in the weight room.

They were gracious enough to work with tling room. According to George, the cusus, so we’re making do in a bad situation, tom made wrestling mats will not arrive we’re making the best of it.” until the beginning or middle of February, Smith believes that this experience may and will not be installed until March. function as a bonding experience for his Wrestling coach Thad Smith said that team. the flooding has significantly impacted his “Maybe it’ll bring us together and make team. us closer,” Smith said. “That what doesn’t “[The flooding has] affected us a lot, kill you makes you stronger, so maybe we’re out of a home,” Smith said. “Our this will make us stronger as a team and wrestling room was totally destroyed, our bring us together as a team.” scales were totally destroyed, our time Luckenbill also believes that the chalclocks were totally destroyed [and] our lenges he and his team have faced will stationary bike.” strengthen them.

Unfortunately for the wrestling team, “Our motto for the year before the flood the flood damaged the room during their was ‘all in,’ just that mentality that we preseason and they will not be able to use wanted to be just all in together and to it for the remainder of their season. sacrifice for each other,” Luckenbill said. “[The members of the wrestling team “I think that when the flood hit that motto are] the ones who basically have to make became even...more relevant and applithe sacrifice and change locations for the cable to our team so I’m hoping that we entire season,” George said. learn some resilience and I’m hoping that According to Smith, he and his team are we can kind of grow from the situation.” dealing with their situation with some help from other teams at EHS. “Were making the best of it,” Smith

DYNAMIC DUO : Underclassmen to watch Peyton Rautzhans

Erick De La Rosa Sports Editor Peyton Rautzhan has played a huge role in the Emmaus girls’ swim team’s success, leading a great core of underclassmen talent.

Rautzhan joined the swim team as a freshman last year, and when you look at what she accomplished, it’s pretty easy to see how. Over the year her fastest time was 54.6 seconds for the 100 free.

She made it to the state tournament where she competed in the 200 freestyle relay with seniors Abby Heilenman, Riley King and Chelsea Gravereaux. Others relied on her as a young leader to give advice.

Swim and dive head coach, Tim O’Connor, believes in the leadership, skills, and dependability that Rautzhan brings to the team.

“I think Peyton has the potential to be a very good leader in the future,” O’Connor said. “As a freshman we kind of did rely on her a lot more than we would have other freshmen because of her talent level.

So I think she’ll be a good role model for future kids

who we need to rely on and lean on.”

O’Connor also praised the work ethic that Rautzhan presented last year.

“So many other young kids come in and think that they do one or two things well and they wanna focus on just those one or two things, and my job as coach is to bring all their talents out to the best of my abilities,” O’Connor said.

“Last year Petyon was only interested in two, maybe three events, and so I’ve been trying to get her to expand her abilities in these other events. I think over this next year, I hope with her continued focus and improvement, that she’ll see that growth and enjoy it as well.”

Rautzhan does not see her performance as an excuse, but instead a motivation to give it her all this year. She believes her teammates and coaches won’t be afraid to push her.

“Last year was a lot of learning the ropes,” Rautzhan said. “The coaches really helped me adjust to high school swimming.

Now that they know my limit, they’ll push me way

past it. There’s lots of competition amongst the team [that is] friendly. If you’re not competitive you’ll actually drown figuratively and literally.”

When competing in a sport, many have something that they focus on, however, Rautzhan likes to leave everything to her abilities.

“We do a lot of practice to turn everything into muscle memory,” Rautzhan said. “That’s why practice is so important. So before I jump in I just want to have a clear mind and only focus on what I need to do.”

Rautzhan doesn’t just compete with her teammates. The swim team is known in Emmaus for their traditions and Rautzhan has jumped in and completely embraced all of the wacky activities.

“I would say it’s more of a community than a cult,” Rautzhan said. “We’re all very close to each other and honestly it feels exactly like a family. Everyone’s family is crazy and does some crazy things, and that’s how I see us, [however], you have to be at least a little crazy for morning practices. I love them.”

Caden Wright

Chloe Gerhrad Sports Editor Junior Caden Wright began wrestling at four years old after his father continuously encouraged him to give the sport a try.

Despite his initial hesitance, Wright discovered that he enjoyed the sport.

He continued to wrestle throughout his childhood and middle school years.

However, his wrestling career came to a screeching halt when he was diagnosed with salivary gland cancer the summer before his freshman year.

Wright’s diagnosis required him to not wrestle or train for three months. “[My diagnosis] was pretty big in my life,” Wright said. “I never had to stop training or stop doing things and focus on the bigger picture.”

Despite his hardships, Wright believes that cancer helped him build his character and develop him into the person that he is today.

“I think it actually helped me grow as a person, dealing with adversity,” Wright said. “I had to overcome that.”

A few weeks after his recovery, Wright began

training for one of the day doesn’t end there. The biggest tournaments in the team is expected to better country. Wright thought themselves outside of the he performed well and he wrestling room. feels that his training set “When we go home, him up for success at Emthe coaches want us to maus. Wright wrestled for run more, or study film,” varsity his freshman year Wright said. “We also and during his sophomore focus on what we eat and year he won the district put in our body.” championship, placed secThe necessity for a good ond at regionals and was in work ethic only brings the the top 12 at states. teammates closer.

The wrestling coach “I think the one thing Thad Smith believes that that’s different about the aside from his success, wrestling team than every Wright’s work ethic and other sport [is] that not a willingness to learn defines lot of people know about him as a wrestler. how close we are as a team “[He is] so hard working and how hard we work,” [and] focused,” Smith said. Wright said. “We’re super “He has a thirst to learn close and we all work more...and he’s always hard together and that’s seeking what’s better and special.” what works better, he doesn’t take short cuts.”

Wright’s work ethic is also shown through his dedication to the sport. A typical day during the season consists of school, a team run and at least a two Caden Wright wrestles Bethlehem Cathhour practice. olic’s Mikey Lewis to win the District 11 However, his Championships. Photo by Don Herb.

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Showcasing Emmaus’

FOUR

Anthony Aims for a great season with Basketball

makes Anthony want to perform well. and that’s good to see in any leader.”

“The hype of the game [makes you want Considering the amount of playing time Sisonick and to succeed],” Anthony said. “When you’re Anthony have had together on the team impacted Sisonin the moment you want to perform and ick as a player. when you’re with your friends you want to “I got to play with her a lot last year,” Sisonick said. win. I’ve met a lot of new friends who have “She is extremely talented. Anytime she’s playing dehelped me with everything, and every year fense you know that she is doing something right. Last I can make more new friends and show up year especially you could see her leadership. She injured for them.” herself early in the season and was still around to help us Anthony has yet to find a school to attend out. She eventually made it back and we could see how after she graduates this June, but she’s hard she worked to do that.” hoping to catch the eye of some college scouts this year and receive a basketball scholarship.

“I want to make it to college and play basketball there,” Anthony said. “So we need to get college coaches to our games and hopefully they can see me play. If we Ky Anthony (left) along with other seniors Mallory Burns (left middle) win and play good, then they will come.”

Throughout her three years on the team, and Anne Glowacki (right middle) and team manager Phoebe Haberjunior Lexi Brader has appreciated Anthostumpf (right). Photo courtesy of girls’ basketball. ny’s positive leadership and communication on and off the court.

Erick De La Rosa “I have a lot of trust in her,” Sports Editor Brader said. “I can always Ky Anthony looks to make her final year of Emmaus count on her to be aggressive basketball a big one, hoping to impress college scouts and make good plays on the and lead the team to as many wins as possible. court. She has a big impact on Anthony has played girls’ basketball at Emmaus all the whole team by always havfour years of her high school career. As a shooting guard, ing a great attitude and helping she’s known on the court for her ability to score and everyone on and off the court.” create plays on offense. She also has a reputation as a Sophomore Marah Sisonlockdown defender and being a great example for her ick will be joining the varsity teammates to follow. team with Anthony. As another Anthony has one goal for this season: winning. She shooting guard, Sisonick looks wants to go into every game believing she can accomup to Anthony to learn some plish that.

“We want to win,” Anthony said. “That’s the big thing. of her moves and elevate her game.

We are working on running our offense and if we can do “She is fast and she is enerthat then we can win.” getic,” Sisonick said. “I think The motivation to win that Anthony possesses drives everyone should look to her her throughout the season, but it’s her teammates that Anthony (middle right), number 20, and the rest of the varsity team played their first give her the extra push she needs to give it her all. Living and try to do what she’s doing. game on Dec. 11. Photo courtesy of girls’ basketball.

She’s older and works hard, up to her teammates’ expectations is something that

Hurlburt leads the ice hockey team in defense

Justin Hurlburt. Photo courtesy of Wesley Works.

Natalie Schadler Sports Contributor Senior captain Justin Hurlburt began playing for the Emmaus ice hockey team seven years ago and has shown his exponential growth as an individual.

Hurlburt’s hockey career began 13 years ago and he hasn’t stopped putting effort into the game since. Aside from the Emmaus team, Hurlburt plays on the Phantoms Youth Club Team which won the Silver Stick Columbia Regional. They will be moving onto the Silver Stick International Finals in Newmarket, Ontario in January. Hurlburt’s competitive spirit drives him to do his best and learn from his experiences, which in return lead him to be named captain along with fellow senior Kyle Lawrence.

Improving your skills by practicing is a

vital part while playing any sport. In ice hockey, Hurlburt describes the practice environment.

“On [the] ice, practices usually consist [of] drills that simulate game-situations,” Hurlburt says. “Drills [also] focus on basic skills such as stick handling and skating.”

One of Hurlburt’s long time friends, senior Kyle Lawrence, is also a defenseman on the team and believes that Hurlburt puts others above himself.

“Justin is an essential member of the team,” Lawrence says. “He’s always performing to the fullest and prioritizing the well being of his teammates.”

Hurlburt’s accomplishments both on the team and school fall nothing short of superb.

“Some of my accomplishments include MVP and best defenseman for multiple years,” Hurlburt says. “I’m also a member of the National Honor Society and I’ve held the position of captain for four years on my Phantoms Youth Club Team.”

Lawrence acknowledges Hurlburt’s role on the team and what he does for all his teammates.

“Overall, he has improved the morale of me and the team throughout the season,” Lawrence says. “Seeing someone put forth tremendous effort is an incentive for others to do the same. He is a consistent and reliable teammate who will always have your back.”

Senior Alec Tomins, who plays as a defenseman on the team believes that Hurlburt’s ability to lead the team has improved the team vastly.

“Justin has brought a lot of leadership as well as team communication to the teams,” Tomins says. “[Hurlburt] is a good leader and it shows during practice

and games. He’s constantly pushing playplaying the game, he does not plan to ers to do their best.” pursue it through college.

Inspiration is the driving force behind “I may play club hockey in college for Hurlburt’s success in ice hockey. Three fun,” Hurlburt says. “But I don’t plan on people in his life have inspired him to playing at a very competitive level. I plan become who he is today and motivate him on focusing on school more than anyin the long-run. thing.”

“I have drawn inspiration from many people,” Hurlburt says, “including my father and my former coach Josh Hand, who is now the head coach of Lehigh University’s hockey team and the former coach of Penn State’s Club team. Another person who has inspired me to work hard is David Goggins who is a multiple world record holder, a former navy seal and a competitive long distance runner.”

Hurlburt’s experiences on the team have helped him grow as an individual and improve on certain areas.

“Being on the team has taught me how to work well with others and has also allowed me to develop good leadership skills,” Hurlburt says.

Even though Hurlburt’s journey has Hurlburt (middle) with his fellow captains Lawrence (left) and Basso been a long (right) at the PPL Center where they practice and have games. Photo courone while tesy of Emmaus Ice Hockey twitter.

FACES

19

Senior Athletes

Diehl shoots for boys’ basketball’s success Mac Thomas Sports Contributor When it comes to basketball, Bryce Diehl always prided himself on being a good team leader.

As a sophomore, Diehl saw limited action during the regular season, but during the postseason his minutes were increased and he delivered. Last year Diehl’s role turned into a full-time varsity starter which earned him team MVP and an average of 13.8 points per game, as well as four rebounds and four assists per game.

Diehl was also named Boys’ Basketball Player of the Week in January of 2018 by the Morning Call. It’s not just the stats that matter to Diehl as he also wants to be known for his character and leadership.

“I want to be a good teammate to everyone and also contribute to the best of

my ability,” Diehl says.

Diehl’s teammate, senior Cam Brooks, also sees the kind of player and leader Diehl is.

“Pass, dribble, shoot, rebound, he can do it all,” Brooks says. “Bryce also makes everyone feel a part of the team and that everyone has a role to play.”

The Hornets come into this season with a 14-10 record from last season, ending it against Central Bucks West in the first round of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament, losing 53-35. Diehl and the other varsity players hope to win a district title which has not happened for the boys’ team since 1985.

This year, the Morning Call called the boys the “team to beat” in the Lehigh Valley.

Despite receiving an abundance of

Diehl faces off against a Northampton player, Cory Weisenberger, in the hopes to score at the District 11 semifinals last February. Photo courtesy of April Gamiz.

preseason hype, Diehl remains excited about the upcoming season.

“As an individual and as a team we try not to let stuff like that get into our heads,” Diehl says. “We just want to play our way and our game and hopefully the outcome is in our favor.”

Diehl has been sidelined for the past few weeks after spraining his ankle at tryouts. He was expected to be back for the game against Parkland High School on Dec. 11, but did not play.

Despite this, Diehl has still brought the leadership and intensity he always brings on the court.

“Even when hurt for the past week or so, he was still supporting the team at all our practices and pushing us to work hard,” says Danny Bohman, a sophomore point guard for the team.

Besides playing their regular slate of the Eastern Pennsylvania ConferBryce Diehl. Photo courtesy of Wesley Works. ence and Lehigh Valley games, the boys’ basketball team will travel down to Florida and play in three games in Orlando and Universal Studios during the winter break. They will also play Abington Heights, the defending state champions at Muhlenberg College. Diehl feels extremely excited about both of these events.

“I can’t wait for Florida,” Diehl says.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and a chance to play some different teams. I’m glad we’re playing one of the defending state champs, it’ll be a good test to see how we are as a team and we’ll be able to learn what we need to work on to get far in states.”

Diehl has not committed to a college yet, but plans on majoring in biology and taking a pre-med track.

Jones looks forward to the rifle season Caitlin O’Brien Sports Contributor Senior Sydney Jones, captain of the Emmaus High School rifle team, has shown immense promise for this upcoming season.

This is Jones’ fourth year on the team, having joined her freshman year. She owes this largely to her father, who on their hunting excursions, introduced Jones to shooting sports and ultimately convinced her to tryout for the rifle team.

She found that she really enjoyed the sport, and excelled at it early on. During the 2017 season, when Jones was only a sophomore, she placed in the top five for Emmaus alongside graduated students Amber Ziegler, Jacob Baia, Tucker Danis and Lindsey Miller with an impressive score of 194 points. That year, the Emmaus team and eight others advanced to the state competition, pooled from the 40 participating teams in Pennsylvania.

At states, they earned a silver medal, a

mere five points away from tying with the first place finisher Woodland Hills High School.

Last year, the team finished runner-up to Southern Lehigh in the regular season with a record of 8-1 and they won the league championships for the fourth time in five years. Jones herself achieved an astonishing 99.4 percent accuracy in the 2018 season.

No matter her personal accomplishments, Jones emphasizes the importance of her team’s collective performance.

“I like doing good [sic] myself, but it’s nice to see when my whole team does good and everyone is improving on their own,” Jones said. “Power through everything, learn how you can improve yourself.”

The new rifle coach, Michael Schuler, offers similar sentiments.

“She’s one of our best shooters, but that isn’t the reason she’s a captain; it’s for her other qualities, and how much of a team player she is.”

As captain, Jones enjoys helping the younger, more inexperienced players learn the “ways of the sport.”

She recognizes that everyone on the team possesses varying levels of Jones shoots at a rifle range. Photo courtesy of Jones. competence

and strives to teach everyone how to develop the skills necessary to succeed.

Jones dedication to the team and the sport manifests itself in her hardworking attitude and leadership during practices.

“I know when Sydney comes in every day, I have a senior that I can count on to make sure everything is set up for practice,” Schuler said. “I know I have someone that I can count on to run the practice schedule if I need to work one-on-one with another student, or help adjust other students without me asking her to.”

A friend and fellow senior Gabi Holmes also agrees with Schuler. “[She is] understanding,” Holmes said. “She doesn’t really get frustrated a lot...she’s very chill about a lot of things and she works with the new shooters as well. She helps a lot with Sydney Jones. Photo courtesy of Wesley Works. getting their gear ready and if someone team.” needs help she is there to explain someAside from being captain of the thing.”

Emmaus team, Jones also shoots for the Her independence and adeptness have also enabled Jones to help guide the coach Guthsville Junior Rifle Team outside of the school. She takes this dedication to in his first season, and she values the the sport in the classroom as well, and she teachable moments that result from this. also enjoys photography in the offseason.

“It’s a really cool learning experience Jones intends on starting her college for me to teach him some of the techcareer at Lehigh Carbon Community Colniques in the sport,” Jones said. “Since lege, then transferring to another school he’s not 100 percent familiar with everyto pursue a major related to biotechnology thing, and also to remind myself of some and molecular biology. of the important, key techniques.”

As for her future, Coach Schuler advisJones’s fondest memories from her es, “I’d just like her to keep her work ethic years of rifle involve the friendships she and team spirit. I think it’ll serve her well has forged. She recalls the long bus rides in whatever she decides to do afterwards.” to competitions and matches, made more bearable by the camaraderie of her teamAdditional reporting Adrianna Tomasello. mates.

“Not only is she a good teammate, but she is also one of my closest friends,” Holmes. “It is nice to have her on the

20

THE STINGER | DECEMBER 2018

SPORTS

A day in the life of a swimmer What it takes to be on the Emmaus High School swim team

Adrianna Tomasello Sports Editor Three words that desribe the Emmaus boys and girls’s swim team’s experience are: dicipline, family and health.

Without that “internal drive,” the teams wouldn’t be what they are today. The boys currently hold a 10 year winning streak at the district meets, solidified after they beat Parkland High School last year and the girls carry seven Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association 3A championship titles.

As a whole their ability to generate wins at meets comes from three key areas that join together to assemble the high caliber group of swimmers: their schedule, health and team.

Schedule While most students lay sound asleep in their warm beds, their swimming peers are already up and about preparing for an early practice-- a 5:30 a.m. practice to be exact.

Unlike other high school sports teams at Emmaus, swimming conducts optional practices in the mornings three times a week on alternating days for around an hour and 15 minutes. Once the school day finishes the swimmers are back in the pool for another two hours and 15 to 30 minutes out of the pool for a dry land activity and a cool down.

Practices can include a range of different workouts from high to low intensity drills to warm ups and cool downs. Most people would imagine practice to be countless laps in the pool, but according to sophomore Lexi Shuryn they “make the laps count.”

Sometimes instead of doing the length of the pool they swim the widths, but there’s one exception: they can’t breathe during the set.

Practices aside, swimmers still have to maintain their

Health

agrees that it is a time for bonding.

“It is just a tradition to show team unity and be goofy because we spend so much time together,” Kocon said.

Like any sport, swimming demands a certain level of Unity amongst the team is crucial for individual perphysical strength to propel an individual and thus the formance which then translates into how well the team team towards success, but more so than others swimming does. Everyone must pull requires an athlete to maintain proper mental health. their own weight and A way that the coaches help promote mental health execute their given is through the added resource of psychologist Dr. task in order for Megan Cannon, who has worked the swim team success accordalong with the football, girls’ soccer and boys’ ing to Coach lacrosse teams. Cannon has also worked on O’Connor. the collegiate level with Bucknell Univer“[Similarly sity, Lafayette University, University of to] track and Pittsburgh and other schools outside of field and the state. Cannon provides the team with sports like different strategies, like mindfulness and wrestling breathing, to deal with and manage their there’s the mental health. individual “Our lives don’t exist in a vacuum,” compoCannon said. “People have stress. We nent have things we have to do between where school, sports and family. It’s a realyou want ly big balance. So having a resource all your available to a team where you can learn athletes strategies…to be successful and help the to excel to team environment be more successful. the best of [And] also have a resource for if there are their abilities,” things going on there’s a person that you O’Connor said. know that you can then reach out for and get “Regardless of that extra help.” how they perform Mental health is especially important for meaning win or lose swimmers because of the many meticulous details they earn points which that they must focus on during practice like stroke counts eventually go to a team total. or not breathing even when you want to. Even though There are times where Photo illustration by Kaylee Ruiz. swimmers are surrounded by their teammates, at times you can lose every indithey may feel alone in a pool of many. vidual event, but still win the overall meet and competi“In contrast to other sports, you aren’t talking with tion.” teammates or having that opportunity unless during a On the contrary, if teammates aren’t putting in the little break,” Cannon said. same amount of energy and work ethic as each other, the “So you have the opporteam could become disjointed. Coach O’Connor emphatunity in swimming to really sizes that someone’s actions not only affect themselves, be in your head and that can be but also their teammates. a positive or a negative thing.

“I have a quote in the pool that says ‘Honor your teamI think that is an extra added mates with your attitude and effort,’” O’Connor said. “I layer that you...are in your own just think that rings true when we talk about stuff like heard the whole time but also commitment because nobody wants to be involved with swimming, similarly to track, anything with people who aren’t really committed to doyou’re racing a clock.” ing the best that they possibly can and cheat themselves With all of this in mind, it is and if they cheat themselves they end up cheating their more than important for swimteammates too.” mers to maintain their health.

Calories Consumed Per Day by EHS Swimmers *

Team

four passing credits in order to compete at their meets throughout the season, which means taking advantage of the little free time that they have to do school work.

Shuryn finds it crucial to maintain a clear focus so that one doesn’t get distracted.

“I have easier classes,” Shuryn said. “I’m not in any AP, just honors and when I get home I make sure I don’t lose track of my time or lose focus.”

However, swimmers do have one last safety net if staying up late into the night doesn’t allow them to finish their homework: study halls. When all else fails the sport takes priority according to senior Jordyn Yerger. “[Managing swimming and school involves] being disciplined with the time that we have,” Yerger said.

“Sometimes that may be sacrificing time with friends in order to swim, but we love it so much that we are okay with that.”

Head coach of the boys and girls teams, Tim O’Connor, acknowledges that a swimmer must come prepared with a specific mindset to work hard and better themselves technically.

“I think a characteristic that swimmers need to have is discipline,” O’Connor said. “I think especially for the swimmers who do do morning workouts. When you’re swimming and in the pool for four hours a day on a Monday, Wednesday [and] Friday having the discipline to still be on top of your school work, your social life, your home life and those responsibilities, it’s very, very important to have that discipline. I think in addition to that, you need to have an internal drive to really be passionate about what you do.”

...

This year the team enters the season with high hopes of continuing their legacy with the help from their own hard work and dedication.

Countless hours together in and out of the pool has translated to tightly knit bonds formed by both the girls and boys team.

Even though individual performance is the focal point of swimming, all of the members still come together to represent the team as a single unit.

Every year the team spends time doing group activities outside of the pool to help grow their already present relationships, like playing laser tag. Another activity that the team holds is the “last supper,” which happens before high school tryouts and is the last big hoorah of preseason.

A more widely known tradition kept by the swim team is their fun with hair. Near the end of the season before the largest dual meet against Parkland, the girls dye their hair pink and the boys bleach theirs. Then before the districts meet the boys shave crazy designs into their already bleached hair.

Yerger believes that this is not only a time for some laughs, but also time to bond with teammates.

“It is five hours of us in the locker room together just eating [and] having a good time while dying each others’ hair,” Yerger said. “Forming bonds and getting some one on one time as well is cool and important.”

Junior Cooper Kocon * Data from the graphs were surveyed from EHS swimmers over a week period.

Yards Swam Per Week *