The Wooster Blade, Volume MMXXIII, Issue #4

the wooster blade

Shop Small Saturday highlights local business

LILY CAMPBELL-LEHTINEN staff writer

Shop Small Saturday is a national holiday in which shoppers are encouraged to shop locally and support the small businesses in their community in favor of national brands.

Broken Rocks owner, Glen Grumbling, agrees that Shop Small Saturday is helpful to small businesses who are already struggling to stay afloat.

“Obviously just surviving through the pandemic and the shutdowns was a challenge. Now we are being harmed with inflationary pressures in food or labor costs,” Grumbling said. Grumbling also notes that Shop Small Saturday is beneficial

to local business owners.

“There are many pieces to the puzzle to make things work so we are appreciative of Shop Small Saturday. Every little thing helps keep local businesses relevant,”Grumbling said.

Operation Fandom and Blackbird Records owner, Josh Lehman, was also affected by the pandemic.

“It was also a challenging holiday season with COVID as we couldn’t get merchandise fast enough to keep up, and delivery times were usually several weeks out,” Lehman said.

Lehman said he hopes to continue expanding Operation Fandom by growing their inventory and selections.

In addition, Eric Lloyd, Sure House Coffee owner, said, “Shop Small Saturday allows local businesses to shine in a

Honey Bee’s Bistro offers healthy, vegan breakfasts

LAURA RAPPORT a&e editor

Honey Bee’s Bistro, owned by Makayla Keene, currently serves Saturday morning breakfast at Local Roots, located in downtown Wooster.

Keene said that she was inspired to start her business, which serves healthy, vegan breakfasts, by her friend and owner of Andio Sisters, Gina Bertelli.

“My end goal has always been to own my own restaurant and be able to be creative in my career. I never thought I’d get the opportunity this early in life to be able to do it though (I’m only 22). My amazing friend Gina Bertelli, the owner of Andio sisters…was actually the one who encouraged and helped me through the whole process of getting Honey Bee’s Bistro up and running. The love and support I get from my friends and family is what really inspired me to go all in on this

Baked By Melissa provides allergen friendly products

GRACE KOSTOHRYZ focus editor

Wooster has many small businesses throughout the downtown area, especially in Local Roots.

Local Roots is located downtown on South Walnut Street and is a sustainable co-op that features more than 200 producers selling their products, according to the Local Roots website.

Started around two years ago and sold at Local Roots by

Mel Kacere, Melly Bars are an allergy friendly granola bar. Many people have allergies and don’t find out until later in life.

According to Kacere, “… Alex [her husband] and I found out that we had quite a few food allergies and needed to make a drastic change in our diet,” Kacere said.

With the growing popularity of allergy friendly products, many are being made free of specific allergens, but not all allergens.

“I began experimenting with

market shadowed by national brands. We can give back to the community in ways that national brands will never be able to.”

Lloyd expects to see tremendous growth in Sure House in the coming years.

“We are excited to continue seeing growth in coffee roasting and opening other stores,” Lloyd.

The United States Small Business Association states that it is incredibly important to support small businesses: “This year, we all know that small businesses need our support now more than ever as they navigate, retool and pivot from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic” Shop Small Saturday falls on Nov. 26 this year and will help local businesses give back to their community.

project. I was beyond scared but I’m thrilled that I got up the courage to go through with it,” Keene said.

In addition to selling breakfast foods, Keene has recently expanded her product line to include takeout lunches and dinner.

Keene also plans to expand her business into a food truck in the future.

Keene encourages anyone who wants to start a small business to do it, saying “...[don’t] overthink it and don’t be afraid to seek help when you need it. It’s not the most original advice but sometimes we all just need to be reminded you don’t have to do it all alone.”

Food from Honey Bee’s Bistro is available at Local Roots..

homemade granola bars that were free of the top food allergens, and we loved them,” Kacere said. Wanting to make allergen friendly products more easily accessible to more people, “I realized that others may be struggling with the same issue we had and decided to start selling them at Local Roots in downtown Wooster. I tried making several different flavors but the chocolate chip flavor was the best seller - I generally stick with that flavor and feature other kinds every once in a while,” Kacere said

The rise in demand for allergen friendly products has allowed for more small businesses to be utilized. Melly Bars can be purchased at Local Roots for $2.25.

Mittens by Lori features recycled wool materials

OLIVIA HINER co-editor-in-chief

The idea to start Mittens by Lori began with a shrunken old wool sweater and a Martha Stewart TV demo.

In the summer of 2010, Lori Smith began handmaking mittens. Armed with a fine arts degree from and a minor in home economics from Kent State, Smith has painted and taught art lessons throughout her life and said, “I’ve loved to sew since my first sewing lessons at age 12.”

The mittens have been available for purchase at Local Roots since 2012, or 13 seasons. She works by herself, and every stitch is handsewn by her.

The mittens are double seamed, and crafted from wool sweaters.

“I have to shop second-hand stores for cute wool sweaters,wash them, cut out liners and mittens before sewing begins. Each pair has parts from four sweaters involved, a front, two

back colors and a cuff,” Smith said. Each pair takes around an hour to make.

While making them from old sweaters was a way to give new life to them, it has become a challenge of the business. Smith expressed that “For the first five years I could find endless supply of great wool sweaters… Now it’s very difficult to find an interesting supply. Sometimes only one in each store.”

Despite this hurdle, Smith loves her product. She said she is already planning for a 14 season, and said, “to think that first pair was meant only for me. The business bloomed from everyone wanting that pair. And I still have them.”

The mittens are available for purchase at Local Roots or makes personal orders at no extra charge. They can be ordered through calling her at 419-733-4433. Smith will also be attending two art shows coming up: the Fall Avant Garde Art and Craft Show held in Strongsville on Nov. 19 and Winterfest held on Dec. 9.

Recycle of Life by Kris D’Atri repurposes plants and pots

OLIVIA HINER co-editor-in-chief

About six years ago, Wooster community member Kris D’ Atri was given a small pot with stonecrop from a friend. It began to grow outside its pot, so D’ Atri cut some of it and repotted it.

Since then, she’s been growing her little plants.

She continued cutting small pieces of her plants when they outgrew their pots and replanted them in smaller pots.

Around three years ago, D’Atri began to develop quite the collection of her plants. In looking at the start of her business, D’Atri said, “it’s a hobby that outgrew my windows…”

D’Atri said she named the business Recycle of Life because she is, “recycling stuff that

otherwise might not be used.” She is not just recycling the pots, she also starts her own plants.

D’Atri notes, “Probably 80% of my pots are ones I found in antique stores or they came from my own collection of pots. Some of them are from when I lived in Japan.”

D’Atri’s favorite part about having her business is taking care of her plants. She explained it as being, “a nice little break in my day. It’s a nice way to start my day, I’ll get up and water them…”

Recycle of Life has seen a lot of success through selling at Local Roots. One of the reasons D’Atri said she started selling at Local Roots was because she ran out of people she knew to give them to, so in October of 2021, she began selling them .

D’Atri wanted to emphasize that her business “is just one of so many people at Local Roots.”

Maker Space program begins

CALEB KOSTOHRYZ staff writer

The Makerspace was started last year at Edgewood by CJ Spreng. He started it, “To provide students hands-on experiences in an after school program that engages students in a fun and challenging way. The goal is also to provide experiences that could help students with courses they take at the high school or careers they may choose to one day pursue. This year, it is being driven by Amy Sayre who is a seventh grade math teacher.

Makerspace was created, “to provide students hands-on experiences in an after school program that engages students in a fun and challenging way. The goal is also to provide experiences that could help students with courses they take at the high school or careers they may choose to one day pursue” according to Spreng.

The first meeting was Sept.27. During that meeting, the 48 students involved attempted the Pringles Ring Challenge.

Sayre said the meeting was, “It was a fun afternoon of discovery, problem solving, working together and having a fun snack after we were done.” Some of the students tried to do the challenge with Lays Stax chips, but were

unsuccessful with the challenge.

Shannon Federinko, Edgewood principal , was not involved with the Makerspace last year. However, she said, “it’s an outstanding opportunity for students at Edgewood Middle School to figure out what their gifts are and try to be curious and create something to help them find their voice.”

Although the high school program focuses on STEM, Edgewood follows STEAM, which encompasses Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math.

According to Sayre, “It wasn’t really a choice between STEAM or STEM, but the nature of it being hands-on makes it STEAM.”

Sayre said she hopes that the Makerspace can meet once a month, but is currently operating on a workshop basis to get students interested. There are upcoming workshops on Nov. 14 and Nov. 16 during which they will be finishing the friendship bracelets that they started during the Nov. 1 and Nov. 3 workshops. During the workshops on Nov.28 and Nov. 30, they will be experimenting with different designs of paper airplanes.

At the final workshops for the year, on Dec.6 and Dec. 8, they will be having a contest on who’s paper airplane can fly the farthest, the best stunt plane, and the most creative plane.

Digital footprints should be kept in mind

CALEB KOSTOHRYZ staff writer

Your digital footprint not only includes what you post online, but also what you search and where you shop online.

Although many people may think that their digital footprint is only what they post on social media, it encompasses so much more than that.

Luke Armour, Associate Professor in the school of media and journalism at Kent State University says, “Your digital footprint is a trail of where you’ve been but digitally. Your social media posts, your shopping, what you look at on the internet, things you put in Google search engines; all that goes towards you.”

Armour points out that this can even expand to your phone recognizing your face or your fingerprint. “It has become very convenient for people to just put their faces or fingerprints into phones and other devices.”

By doing so, “we’ve traded some convenience for security.” Digitalcitizenship.nsw.edu.

au says, “Right or wrong, your digital footprint can affect your reputation, both online and offline. Creating a positive digital footprint is an important part

of protecting your reputation, both now and for the future.”

Whether people are applying for a job or to college they need to keep their digital footprint in mind. For high school students, it is important to keep a positive digital footprint as some schools and employers may look at it and it may disqualify you from that school or job.

Individuals should not be posting negative things on their social media accounts that may be seen and hurt them in the future. “I’ve seen students lose internships over social media posts,” Armour said. Your digital footprint encompasses many more things than what you post on social media. It can be where you shop online, what websites you visit, and even when you walk into Wal-Mart.

Digital footprints play an important role in everyday life. Be mindful of what you post or share so you portray yourself in a positive manner.

Researchers at MIT develop way to know the future

It would be nice to be able to know the future and now, there may be a reliable way to do so.

Recently, an algorithm that has been developed by MIT researchers uses, according to Adam Zewe from MIT News, “...time-series data typically requires several data-processing steps and the use of complex machine-learning algorithms…”

Not only did those that created this algorithm, also are making it user friendly.

Making this algorithm user friendly means that the computers will do the calculations with an interface called tspDB, which stands for time series predict database, and this is where the data will be placed and the database will do the calculation.

According to the MIT News and the researchers, the algorithm is very reliable due to two things that the algorithm calculates

The first is filling in data points for missing variables, and the second the volatility, the liability of the calculated data and how much it could change.

AP students travel to Ashland University

The AP Environmental Science class from WHS recently traveled to Ashland University to hear a presentation about the relationship between health and the growing use of electric vehicles.

Perry Gottesfeld, Executive Director of Occupational Knowledge International, first emphasized that vehicles contribute 10% to 20% of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. However, vehicles in the United States release about 27% of the country’s carbon emissions.

According to a June 21, 2022, article by the Edison Electric Institute, projections in regards to electric vehicle use have continued to increase. The article projects that by 2030, 26.4 million electric vehicles will be on the roads in the United States. While growing the use of electric vehicles can cut down on carbon emissions, there are some negative consequences.

Electric vehicles use large lithium ion batteries to run the vehicles and those batteries have a life span.

Gottesfeld went on to explain that by 2040, the mining of metals used in lithium ion batteries would need to be 30 times greater than today to keep up with the demand

of lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles. Mining can be very hazardous for workers, while also having a negative impact on the environment through pollution and contamination among others.

While reuse or recycling of the metals after their lifespans could work, the process is very labor intensive and no one has achieved a way to make additional lithium ion batteries from used batteries, according to Gottesfeld.

A key idea that Gottesfeld mentioned during his presentation explains that the net savings on carbon emissions is greatest for smaller vehicles that have a smaller driving range.

REBEKAH LAY

staff writer

NORA LEVY sports editor

“RIGHT OR WRONG, YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT CAN AFFECT YOUR REPUTATION, BOTH ONLINE AND OFFLINE,” ARMOUR SAID.

Graphic by Nora Levy

BLADE staff expresses what they are thankful for

The Wooster BLADE staff was asked what they are thankful for this year. Here are some of the responses:

Mattie Dunlap (11):

Nora Levy (12):

I am thankful for the family of coaches and teammates I have through basketball.

I am especially thankful for the other seniors and their constant support and consistent hard work.

I am thankful for my amazing friends and family.

Laynee Eslich (10):

I am so thankful that my leg is not broken.

Ethan Keating (12):

I am thankful for my kin, the newspaper, monetary resources and whatever I want.

Grace Kostohryz (11):

Ben

The challenges I’ve faced this year that have helped me find myself.

I am thankful for my family and friends, especially my parents. They have always supported me in my many endeavors and gone wherever I go for my sports.

Teachers share ways for kids to be thankful

MATTIE DUNLAP cover editor

As Thanksgiving draws closer, the importance of gratitude becomes even more prevalent.

Teachers are an underrepresented group although they, according to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, have the most impact on people’s lives as they grow up, next to immediate family.

In the same way, teachers are the providers of education to today’s youth, therefore, giving them the possibility for a bright and unlimited future.

ways.

Allison Neptune, visiting professor in the department of education at the College of Wooster, explains more ways for students to show their appreciation for teachers.

“Showing respect with both their words and actions, engaging in class, and asking thoughtful questions. Teachers would rather have the things above rather than gifts,” Neptune said.

Miriam Stokes, WHS Foreign Language Dept. member, says one of the best ways for students to show kindness to their teachers is through their words and actions.

as a two-way street; both students and teachers should show kindness to the other. Wright also explains why this is so important.

“Sometimes, as humans, we take for granted the everyday constants, and I believe that, at times, students take for granted the work and effort teachers exert every day to ensure students are safe and cared for as well as provided with daily and engaging instructional lessons,” Wright said.

Molly Byrne (12):

I am thankful that it is my senior year of high school.

I am also thankful for my loving family and boyfriend, my friends in BLADE and my best friend Kayla.

There are plenty of ways to show thanks to teachers.

The means of giving thanks can be simple remarks or large gestures.

Grand Canyon University shares six tangible ways a student can express gratitude towards their teacher. Some of the ways are thank you notes, gift cards, school supplies, and snacks.

Parents, guardians and community members can also show their appreciation for teachers in similar

“...just to have kids come in and feel safe in your classroom, to be happy in your classroom, that’s a gift. Just to have that one student say, you know, ‘thanks for today’ or ‘that was a lot of fun’. Just make a comment or say thank you or just be kind,” Stokes said.

Stokes also mentions it can make a teacher’s day if students come back after graduating and say hello or mention a fun memory from that teacher’s class.

Jennifer Wright, WHS English Dept. member, sees giving kindness

Matthew Balsinger, Science Dept. member, emphasizes that one of the best ways for students to show their thanks for teachers is through communication and action.

“The best way to give thanks is to just tell your teachers thanks and that you appreciate them. It goes a long way…The most important way to show kindness towards teachers is the self-recognition of what you and others can do to make the classroom a better experience for everyone,” Balsinger said.

Balsinger additionally mentions that it is nice when students, both current and former, give their teachers letters as it reminds the teacher of why they teach.

JAELYN FREDERICK staff writer

November is the season of thankfulness and one way to show thanks is by volunteering and helping out within the community.

The Wayne County Humane Society is a nonprofit animal shelter located at 1161 Mechanicsburg Rd.

On the Wayne County Humane Society website, they describe the shelter by saying, “The Wayne County Humane Society is an independent, non-profit animal shelter located in Wooster, Ohio. As a non-profit, WCHS depends on the support of generous donors and volunteers to ensure it is able to continue its mission. We are extremely grateful for the support we receive from the community.”

Volunteers are very important to the WCHS. Anna Duke, the president of the board of directors at the Wayne County Humane

Society says,“WCHS helps more than 1,000 animals a year. Last year, we helped more than 400 dogs, over 600 cats, and even rabbits find their fur-ever home. This year, we are on track to help even more animals!”

Actively showing thankfulness maintains importance T H A

The WCHS helps many animals find safe homes for them in which they can live. According to Duke, “We welcome volunteers of many ages, including teenagers. We are always looking for people to help with animal care, plan food drives and events, help with clerical work, foster animals, take photos, and we even have opportunities for people to get involved with our marketing and social media.”

They offer many different volunteer opportunities and are currently looking for donations of cat litter, kitten food, and more as they are at maximum capacity for kittens. Duke says that if people are passionate about animals then they should consider volunteering at the WCHS. If you are interested

in volunteering at The Wayne County Humane Society you can fill out the application form on their website. Those interested can also find information about how to adopt, foster or donate there.

Some would rather say thanks to their family or friends. Cheryl Goff, WHS guidance counselor that the best way to say thank you is by just saying thank you with a

sincere heart. It’s simple and easy but it can mean a lot to someone. “Telling someone thank you is very important. I have noticed people don’t say thank you as much as they used to in the past. When someone does something for you or gives you a compliment, you should say thank you. I was brought up to say thank you if someone holds a door for me or if someone helps me. It is good to hear staff and students genuinely respond ‘thank you’ when people do something nice. It could possibly change someone’s day in a positive light, when you respond with ‘thank you’,” Goff said. Goff also provided an example of when saying thank you is important like when they get a recommendation back from a teacher it means a lot to say thank you since they spend a lot of time and effort into recommendations.

November is a great time to spend time with family and show thankfulness.

Stavnezer (12):

Graphic and guide by Hannah LoGiudice

“WHEN SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING FOR YOU OR GIVES YOU A COMPLIMENT, YOU SHOULD SAY THANK YOU.”

WHS Drama Club takes the stage with Elf: The Musical

1.

2. Daisy Carmon, playing the role of Jovie, fixes her make up before her solo song “Never Fall In Love With An Elf.”

3. Caleb Singer-Holden, a fifth year Drama Club member who plays Buddy Hobbs, interacts in a scene with Daisy Carmon who plays his love interest, Jovie.

4. Caleb Singer-Holden and Dane Kuzma, who portrays Michael Hobbs, bond over cold spaghetti during a scene.

5. Several WHS teachers and staff members perform in the Act Two opener “No Body Cares About Santa Claus.”

6. Ensemble members aid with a scene shift from Green way press to Macy’s.

7. After every rehearsal or performance the Fake Santa’s tale a photo to mark the performance.

Current WHS senior seeks to further pursue technical theater in college

credibly fun and rewarding experi ence.”

“Being able to express yourself ar tistically in many different areas is a very good way to learn what you do and do not want to do in your future life and career,” Hannah LoGuidice, the stage manager for the WHS Drama Club, states.

LoGiudice has been on the the ater stage management team since freshman year and is a five year member of the WHS Drama club.

This year, Drama Club is perform ing Elf: The Musical. LoGiudice expressed her gratitude for being able to work on the productions with the Drama Club, saying, “Be ing a part of WHS Drama is an in

LoGiudice said that working as the stage manager has allowed her to gain a multitude of skills. “I’ve been able to gain organizational and leadership skills and practical skills like carpentry while helping to build sets,” LoGiudice said.

Five year Drama Club member and Lights Production Head Ben Stavnezer said that LoGiudice handles the responsibility of stage managing well. “Hannah always knows how to control the situa tion no matter what happens,” Stavnezer said.

Acting and Drama club produc tion allow students to develop a wide range of skills that can allow you to gain real life skills and help

you in a search for colleges.

Following LoGiudice’s high school career in art she plans to go on to do theater production in col lege and later in her life.

Caleb Singer-Holden, another member of the WHS Drama Club who is going into college for mu sical theater described the college search by saying, “It’s going well, but it’s definitely hard due to a lot of options and not every college will accept a ton of people so I have to be really specific about what col lege I want to go to.”

LoGiudice mirrored this idea in her statement over the college search process for the theatri cal arts, stating, “The experience searching for college in theater production and design is a unique

challenge.” Despite the difficulty of searching for a college in the musi cal and theatrical arts, WHS Drama

On Nov. 12, the WHS Drama Club opened Elf: The Musical which sold a record breaking 636 tickets on opening nigh. The record was previously held by the 2019 production of Grease, which sold 504 tickets at one performance. The people in attendance get to see what is being performed on stage, while behind the scenes, an entirely different show is happening.

Tricia Nussbaum

Lydia Dunlap, a first year Drama Club member, sets props during a scene shift before the song “sparklejol lytwinklejingly.

Photos by Nora Levy unless otherwise stated

Club gives students like LoGiudice the experience and opportunity to excel and strive for future success.

RHYS FLORENCE-SMITH staff writer

Grace Kostohryz

Hannah LoGiudice (12) ,who serves as the stage manger for Elf, Calls light and sound cues during a run through prior to opening.

WHS new art club feature

TRISTAN MILLER staff writer

The WHS Art Club recently began its weekly Thursday meetings.

The club’s stated purpose from members like Maia Krain is to expand students’ passion and love for art, giving them the ability to create almost anything they want in a supportive environment.

President of the club Maia Krain said Art Club Could be a very enjoyable experience for young artists.

It’s a great way to make your life a little bit more creative,” Krain said. Club members elected Krain at the end of last school year and plans to expand the number of officers and members this year

“If anyone is interested in joining, you can talk to Mrs. [Tricia] Nussbaum or myself.

Braylon Jackson, a student who is showing interest in joining the Art Club, said “It would be nice to get together with a lot of other people who enjoy art and grow our love for it.”Jackson believes that the club could be a great opportunity for anyone passionate or interested in art.

The club is advised by ArtDept. member Tricia Nussbaum, who has held the position for multiple years and is passionate about helping the club expand, especially post-COVID. Nussbaum said she is working to grow the art club’s community work around the school this year, mentioning some projects specifically.

“There may be some opportunities of doing some murals or other things in and around the space,” Nussbaum said.

The WHS Art club meets every Thursday after school in room B139 and anyone is welcome to join.

LGBTQ+ representation and inclusion in film allows for better understanding

STELLA POWERS & CALEB SINGER-HOLDEN trends editor & staff writer

LGBTQ+ representation within film and television has grown more prominent in recent years, with many records being set and history being made.

Saturday Night Live has recently made history by welcoming its first non-binary featured player, Molly Kearney, who is best known for work on the 2022 series A League of Their Own, to the cast for season 48.

Following the Brendan Gleeson episode, Kearney took to Instagram and posted some behind the scenes photos, captioned “Week 2! Super fun and Mr. Gleeson is the coolest guy in the world.”

In addition to Saturday Night Live, Scooby-Doo has also recently made LGBTQ+ history.

In a Halloween special titled Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo, Velma is confirmed to be a

lesbian through her crush on supervillain, Coco Diablo.

In an email to NPR, director Audie Harrison shared that it seemed like a bigger deal that Velma was interested in the villain, not that she was a woman.

“It honestly did not occur to me that we were doing something so groundbreaking until right now. While writing and directing this, I just set out to have fun with the comedy of an awkward teenage crush,” Harrison said .

Though there has been behind the scenes confirmation in the past, this is the first on-screen confirmation of Velma’s sexuality.

The Owl House, the first ever Disney show to feature an openly bisexual lead character, Luz Noceda, also featured Disney’s first gay animated kiss between Luz and her girlfriend Amity.

This depiction was a very important event in media targeted toward a younger audience. However, Disney has not always shown support for queer couples.

Alex Hirsch, creator of Gravity Falls, has revealed that he had many emails concerning two minor characters showing any romance, with one from Disney saying, “Please revise the action of Blubs putting his arm around Durland. As noted in previous concerns, their affectionate relationship should remain comical versus flirtatious.” However, with some push back, those characters are now able to be openly LGBTQ+.

Katherine Putka, adviser of One Club at WHS, shares that this representation is important as it helps people see beyond themselves, while also helping them feel seen.

“Seeing aspects of ourselves represented in any form of media is helpful in understanding our identity and forming a sense of belonging or purpose,” shared Putka.

LGBTQ+ representation in television and film has grown majorly in recent years, allowing for members of the community to feel more seen, heard, and validated.

Science Club restarts after three years

ETHAN KEATING staff writer

WHS Science Club is meeting for the first time in almost three years.

Eric Heller, Science Dept. member and adviser of the club for seven years, said the club offers students opportunities to experiment and have fun in the field of science.

“Science Club is a place where students can come and do fun experiments after school once a month in my room[C129]…Students should come to Science Club to do fun science experiments that we can’t do in the normal classroom

either due to time constraints, them not being in the state standards, or due to cost. One example of this would be blowing up pumpkins that we did on Oct 31,” Heller said.

Fellow Science Dept. member Matthew Knight, who has helped with experiments like, “Weather balloon, pumpkin explosions, Coke can acid, cookie eating, and so many others” talked about why he loves science.

“All the most important things in the world have the scientific method to thank. It explains the universe” Knight said. Science Dept. colleague Troy Worth, who also helps with Science Club, has loved

seeing the results of the club.

“I have enjoyed watching young scientists become excited learning about the world,” Worth said.

Isabelle C, Science Club Secretary, explains what she is hoping to gain from Science Club.

“I am hoping to gain more practical knowledge from science. Basically stuff that I can apply to my life outside of school. Not just equations for problems I am only going to solve in school” Isabelle C. said. Science Club is a unique opportunity for students who want to dive deeper into the subject of science. The Science Club’s next meeting is after school on December 14th and is open to everyone.

Cafeteria workers deserve thanks

LAYNEE ESLICH staff writer

At WHS, the cafeteria staff does more than anybody knows. The effort put into making every meal goes unnoticed by students. The website Zippia describes the average job for a cafeteria staff worker: “Although a Cafeteria Worker can work for 43 hours a week, you can extend your working hours depending on your performance. Cooking, serving, or cleaning, and other tasks fall into the role of a cafeteria worker, just be sure to smile to please your guests.”

Some may not know that the cafeteria staff feeds not only WHS students, but also Ida-Sue and Wooster Christian students.

Dechelle Bishop, WHS cook manager, explains, “And so we prepare their food in our kitchen and then we package it up and it gets sent to their school on a truck in a hot box. So we do that in addition to feeding you guys lunch.”

Bishop and Don Lewis, WHS food service manager also must provide menus for each school and keep track of the amount of food the students will eat.

“I put the menus together, I order the food. A lot of my responsibilities is personal director,” Lewis said. As this is her 11th year working

for Wooster’s school food service, Bishop knows the kids’ favorite food are french fries, and so they make about 200 pounds of french fries a day.

Bishop said she has a favorite meal to eat that is made in the kitchen.

“Miss Chastain, who’s our cook, she makes really good spaghetti and her mac and cheese, of course, it slaps as you guys would say,” Bishop said.

Being honest and respectful in the cafeteria would be much appreciated

by everyone. Lewis mentions giving suggestions to the staff.

“Sometimes cooking in the school kitchen isn’t as much cooking with our hearts as we like it to be… So any chance we get to make you something good and homemade we, we want to do that for sure,” Bishop said.

Bishop has a request, “We like to joke with you guys, we like to interact with you guys… To feel a little bit of extra respect it, like I said, goes a long way with us.”

Cafeteria workers stand together in between preparing lunches for a photo.

Photo by Laynee Eslich

Cooking as a Tradition:

Good cooking resources for beginners and pros to use

BEN STAVNEZER feature editor

How to Boil Water by the Food Network is a great cookbook that shows beginning cooks the most basic tools, steps and extras of cooking to form a strong basis. It also has plenty of panic recovery steps to help chefs if anything goes wrong while cooking. The cookbook is sold for $13 on Amazon.

In I’m Just Here for the Food, chef Alton Brown goes to great lengths to get the most out of his ingredients and tools to discover the right cooking method for the dish at hand. He covers the spectrum of cooking techniques and stops to explain the science behind it all. The techniques are easily and thoroughly explained, and Brown also frequently adds how to augment the cooking to get optimal results. The cookbook is sold for $18 on Amazon.

Cook’s Illustrated magazine gives its readers the best of the best recipes tested thousands of times. Despite the complicated process of testing, recipes come out simple to

understand and readers get plenty of tips and tricks through the magazine for their tools and kitchen use. Around 10 recipes are featured in each issue, where the author talks about the recipe’s creation and improvement over time.

Pasta, Pretty Please is a good starting point for pasta makers. Including recipes, techniques, tips and inspiration from the pasta ninja Linda Nicholson, it starts with recipes for basic doughs and works up to recipes for dough in many colorful shades. She also shows you how to roll out dough, cut and form many pasta shapes. It teaches you just how many colors can be used to color your pasta. The cookbook is sold for $23 on Amazon.

Allrecipes is a crowd sourced collection of recipes the large community of home cooks have created and shared over the years. Recipes range from all across the spectrum of simplicity. Its app and all the recipes are all free and handy to access. Allrecipes has a rating and comments system to let you know quickly and easily how good a recipe is and what handy substitutions and extra steps others have used.

People share family Thanksgiving Traditions

JAMIE OGLE staff writer

Thanksgiving is a tradition that has been celebrated since 1621, when, according to history. com, “the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.”

So, as Thanksgiving has been a tradition that has been going on for over 400 years, what Thanksgiving traditions, specifically, are the most popular now?

In looking at his favorite Thanksgiving tradition was, Riley Brisbine (12) replied that “The Thanksgiving tradition that’s my favorite is just making a ton of food with my dad.”

Many students at WHS may enjoy spending time with their families on Thanksgiving, including Brisbine. “I celebrate with my Ohio based family,” Brisbine commented.

Another Thanksgiving tradition that has been common is watching

the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Jayla Cooper (11) commented that “I watch the parade with my family.” She said her favorite part of Thanksgiving is spending time with her family Students around WHS spend time with their families for the majority of Thanksgiving, which also can be said for many people around the country. According to playbill. com, “Ratings for the 2021 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC topped 25 million viewers, Variety reports.” That number translates to approximately 13 percent of the U.S. population.

Many students at WHS spend their Thanksgiving break mostly spending time with their families. Some of the long-time Thanksgiving traditions have been traditions for many years, but there are always new and exciting activities that can be done on Thanksgiving., including events like those sponsored by the YMCA, which hosts a 5K turkey trot, where participants can run or walk on the morning of Thanksgiving.

Easy fall recipes for all ages to use

MOLLY BYRNE cover editor

Easy Cinnamon Apple Chips:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees

2. Wash, core and thinly slice apples (use whichever is your preference)

3. Place apple slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if desired 4. Place in oven and bake for roughly two to four minutes 5. Turn off oven and let chips cool in oven for an hour

These apple chips are quick and easy to make and perfect for the fall season. I started making these during gymnastics season after see ing the recipe years ago on Pinterest! This is the perfect snack for kids to take to school for lunch as they are sweet but relatively healthy.

Wooster chefs share their sources of inspiration

Olivia Hiner co-editor-in-chief

With the holidays approaching, many take the time to stay home for traditional home cooked meals with family and loved ones. During this time of year, lots of families gather over meals and share cooking customs. For some of the local chefs in Wooster, their inspiration began with these traditions and sparked their interest in the culinary industry.

Melissa Kacere, just recently hired as the head pastry chef at The City Square, is currently beginning the process of redesigning their dessert menu. Kacere said she has always loved creating things and found food as an outlet for imagination at a young age. Her grandmother used to make wedding cakes and passed on techniques to Kacere’s mother, who then passed

on these techniques to Kacere.

When looking at where she currently finds inspiration for her new recipes, Kacere stated “ Social media plays a huge part in my inspiration now - it could be a famous chef, an old coworker, or even a friend - I pull ideas from their flavor profiles and plating techniques.” She said her favorite part about her job is that she gets to be creative every day.

From another perspective, Ashley Breneman is the brand chef for Certified Angus Beef. Along with being the brand chef, she works with media on posting content such as recipes or tips for cooking. Breneman has been on Chopped, Master Chef, Cutthroat Kitchen, and has worked alongside Nancy Silverton, who received The James Beard Foundation’s Oustanding Chef Award in 2014, according to lafoodbank.org

Growing up, Breneman said she enjoyed watching Food Network, and said that “Food Network planted the seed, and the seed was never uprooted.” In addition to the Food Network, Breneman said she watched her mimi do cooking from scratch, and noted that she was the very first person to put a whisk in her hand. As posting in the media is a part of her job, she also finds great value in connecting with humans as a source of inspiration. In looking at the challenges with her job, Breneman discussed having creative blocks. To combat them, she finds inspiration through simply walking through grocery stores. Glen Grumbling, the owner of Broken Rocks, is another local chef whose inspiration began at a young age. Despite studying history and philosophy for four years, he stated, “I’ve always been

interested in food. As long as I can remember it’s been of interest.”

When he was younger, Grumbling said he used to sit on the table and watch his relatives make bread. He develops most of the recipes himself and notes that creativity is not the focus of being a chef, it is actually more centered on a lot of repetition. While this is true, he also said that just walking through farmers markets and seeing fresh products makes him think “oh I can do this with that.” Grumbling said the day-to-day of owning a restaurant is challenging, but notes he feels inspired, “when it works, and it’s so difficult to make it work, that is satisfying..”

Growing up around the family traditions of cooking, or watching it on television begins the journey in the industry for many, and they find themselves feeling inspired through their jobs every day.

Peanut Butter Spider Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

2. Combine 1 cup of peanut butter, one egg, and 1 cup of white sugar into a medium sized bowl 3. Roll mixture into 1 inch balls; mark with a criss cross pattern using a fork and place into oven Bake for seven minutes

4. Take cookies out of the oven and let cool

5. Using pre-made black frosting, draw spider webs on the cooled cookies and enjoy!

While these cookies are not only delicious treats, they can engage the kids in decorating cookies and baking without any difficult or dangerous tasks! I discovered this recipe on Pinterest one day while looking for an easy way to make cookies with little ingredients.

This recipe became one of my favorites to make because of how little time they take to make

how delicious they are.

Graphics by Jamie Ogle

Graphics by Jamie Ogle

Graphics by Jamie Ogle

Graphic by alfmaler

Graphic by Cook’s Illustrated

Graphic by Allrecipes

and

Around Thanksgiving, classic food and cooking traditions are the great unifier of get togethers. The traditional family recipes, working together to make a meal and sitting around the dinner table, sharing stories and experiences of our lives. We chose to showcase traditions and recipes and some resources for new chefs to jump into cooking.

OHSAA adds two new emerging sports for winter and spring sports season

JACKSON STANSIFER staff writer

As the fall sports season wraps up, one winter sport, girls’ wrestling, will begin its inaugural season.

According to Chad Krispinsky of WKBN 27, girls’ wrestling, along with boys’ volleyball, were officially recognized by the OHSAA as high school sports in January of 2022; however, they must meet additional regulations to allow for full sanctioning in the future.

Brian Teter, two-year wrestling coach at the WHS, said that while Wooster does not currently have a girls-only wrestling team, we have had female wrestlers on the team in recent years. Teter said OHSAA recognition benefits the individuals competing in this sport.

“Wooster has had girl wrestlers

compete on the wrestling team in the past. When this happened, the girls mostly had to compete in the same tournaments as the boys.

Over the last few years, as the sport has grown, there are more and more girls-only wrestling tournaments in Ohio. Because of this, along with OHSAA [recognizing] girl’s wrestling, we have the opportunity for girls on our team to compete in these girls-only events,” Teter said.

According to Doug Ute, three-year executive director of the OHSAA, boys’ volleyball, which will hold its first official season in the spring, garnered similar popularity in Ohio over recent years.

“Both sports have shown growth over the past few years… we have already seen growth in boys’ volleyball; last year we had 85 teams in Ohio, [but this] number has already grown to over 160 for this coming spring,” Ute said.

While Wooster does not have a boys’ volleyball team, there is another emerging sport that Wooster students are able to compete in: esports.

The esports team at WHS has been holding its first full season this year, including a fall and spring season.

Although OHSAA has not yet recognized esports, Ben Ott, the esports adviser at WHS and district technology resource teacher, expressed his optimism for recognition in the near future, with the help of Esports Ohio.

“I am very hopeful that esports will be recognized and added to OHSAA alongside more traditional sports very soon,” Ott said.

Ute said that although the OHSAA have been in talks with the Esports Coaches Association and various esports sponsors this year, it is not currently an “emerging” sport in Ohio.

Speech and Debate season begins

REBEKAH LAY staff

Speech and Debate has officially started, and with excitement for the new season and a new coach at hand, it will be another busy year for the team.

Speech and Debate this year is composed of 43 students, seven of whom are seniors.

Holly Custer, head coach who has worked with the Speech and Debate for the last 17 years, said, “I am excited to have a new coach with us this season who is a Wooster alumnus, Brian Hoffman.” Hoffman is a coach for debate (Lincoln Douglas) and extemporaneous speech.

During COVID, numbers dropped, and Custer said she is excited to help rebuild the team.

Hannes Wiebe (12), has been in Speech and Debate for two years and is in the category Lincoln Douglas (LD).

“I am excited to see the friends I made last year in debate, and

Previewing the Winter Sports Season

to practice and compete with my teammates,” Wiebe said.

Lincoln Douglas’ topic at this time is ‘Whether the Peoples’ Republic of China ought to prioritize environmental protection over economic growth.’

Fellow LD debater, second year member Adeline Gerbick (10) said she is excited about getting to know more people and to see old friends both on her team and from other schools. Due to this being a new year, and having already debated last year in LD, Gerbick stated “I also am excited to grow my debate skills.”

Leslie Drager (11) has been in speech for three years and is in Dramatic Interpretation. Drager is doing a piece that is a scene from the play “Clara Bow,” which is piece is that addresses a mental breakdown after being overworked. Drager stated the “…the vulnerability that I learn to show helps me get so comfortable with my teammates and build bonds…”

WHS will be hosting a tournament on Jan. 13 and 14.

2021-22 OCC Champion: Ashland

Two Wooster athletes selected to first team AllOhio Cardinal Conference.

Gymnastics

Wooster Gymnastics competes in the North Eastern Gymnastics Conference. Placed third in the district meet and has six senior gymnasts.

Girls Basketball

2021-22 OCC Champion: West Holmes

Three Wooster athletes were selected to first team AllOhio Cardinal Conference including the Player of the Year. Wooster returns six total OCC award winners.

Boys Bowling Girls Bowling

Boys Basketball Cheer

2021-22 OCC Champion: Wooster

Two Wooster athletes earned second team AllOhio Cardinal Confer ence. Wooster coach Suzanna Donely was selected Coach of the Year.

2021-22 OCC Champion: Ashland

Two Wooster athletes earned first team AllOhio Cardinal Conference, including the Player of the Year.

Winter Cheerlead ing has eight seniors this year. The winter team cheers at home and at away boys basketball games.

Girls Swimming & Diving Wrestling Boys Swimming & Diving

2021-22 OCC Champion: Wooster Returns first team OCC award winner Andrei Dordea (11) and second team OCC award winner Michael Bucholz (10).

2021-22 OCC Champion: Wooster Wooster athletes won both the Swimmer of the Year award and the Diver of the Year award. Chris Matthew also won the Ohio Cardinal Conference Girl’s Swimming Coach of the Year.

2021-22 OCC Cham pion: West Holmes Wooster had one district qualifier, incoming junior Jayson Deeds (11).

Information courtesy of ohiocardinalconference.org

Last winter sports season, Wooster had three conference champions in winter sports en route to the school’s All Sports Championship in the OCC. Wooster also earned four player of the year awards and two coach of the year awards. The 2022 OCC Player of the Year in Girls Basketball, Nora Levy (12), and 2022 OCC Girls Bowler of the Year, Abbie Leiendecker (11), will both be returning for their teams this winter.

writer

Staff evaluates namplate

As 2022 has brought about the return of The Wooster Blade’s printed paper, the editorial staff wanted to pay homage to years past.

The Wooster Blade has been a part of the history of WHS since 1924. Throughout the history of BLADE, there have been a lot of changes.

The Wooster Blade began as a combination of the yearbook and newspaper, originally called The Observer It has gone through many name changes; The General and News in General are just a couple of its previous names. While looking through old newspapers, we discovered that there have been many different

nameplates used. The printing of our paper this year has changed the layout and measurements of our pages, so we need to redesign it. We decided to reuse a nameplate from one of the early years of The Wooster Blade. The one used on the Nov. 18 issue is from the 2013 printing year. As an editorial staff, we decided that the 2013 nameplate would be a good jumping off point because of its simplicity and its difference from our current square nameplate. For printed issues in the future, we will continue to bring back old name plates until creating a new and unique one for future years. As always, thank you for your continued support!

Shopping local greatly impacts community

Small Business Saturday, a national shopping holiday on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, is coming up on Nov. 26.

Small Business Saturday was first observed in 2010 as a response to corporate shopping holidays such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The holiday was first introduced by American Express and has grown in popularity since its introduction 12 years ago.

Supporting small businesses not only helps the business, but helps to grow the local culture in smaller areas such as Wooster. Wooster has many small businesses owned locally that contribute to the culture of our area such as Local

Roots, a co-op that allows many small business owners to sell their products to a wide variety of customers.

Not only does supporting small and local businesses help promote the culture of a town, but it also helps the community to grow. Supporting local businesses helps to boost an area’s economy. When someone buys from a local business, the majority of the money goes back to the community, whereas when someone buys from a corporate business, most of the money goes back to the corporation instead of the community where the business is located.

Most importantly, however, supporting small and local businesses gives a customer a more personal experience than when a customer buys from a corporate business. Buying a product from someone that lives in your community can be a very rewarding experience that most people won’t get buying from corporate businesses. A product that was made by a friend or neighbor carries much more sentimental value than a product that was made in a factory. Overall, supporting small businesses helps to boost the local economy and keep the culture of a small town thriving.

Students advocate for more nutrition guidance for athletes

energized for games and practices. In a parents meeting for the girls basketball team, nutritionist Michael Bowers was brought in to properly explain nutrition for high school athletes. While not common, having a nutritionist help high school athletes is helpful in providing a strong base for athletes to build from throughout the season. Nutrition training can also be helpful for a student who does not participate in athletics as proper nutrition is helpful for students to learn and comprehend material throughout the school day.

after a hard workout or game. While getting carbs before a big game is common, most athletes do not know the importance of eating carbs after a game which can decrease performance at following games or practices.

Hydration is also a key component of proper nutrition. Drinking water throughout the day is key to hydrating while having Gatorade during practice can replenish the carbs and sugars you lose during athletic activities.

and recovery. As well, much of injury prevention starts with fueling the body properly.

One of the keys to living a happy and healthy lifestyle, while also performing your best, is fueling your body properly. Many high schoolers may not have the tools

to know how to properly fuel their body. Especially for high school athletes, proper nutrition is important to staying healthy throughout the season and being

While many have heard of carbloading before a game, Bowers, the nutritionist who spoke to the girls basketball team, emphasized the importance of getting carbs

Alex Kacere, head coach for the WHS girls basketball team, highlighted the importance nutrition has on an athlete’s performance. “Fueling your body properly can be the difference maker when it comes to stamina, in practice/game performance,

Oftentimes, we don’t even realize how much energy our bodies are outputting during any given practice or game,” Kacere said. Understanding basic nutrition is essential for athletes to help prevent injury and properly fuel their bodies for practices or games. However, many athletes lack an understanding on how nutrition works because unless brought in by a coach, athletes do not have access to nutritionists.

That is why all high school athletic teams should be required to teach their athletes about proper nutrition to ensure the safety and well-being of all high school athletes.

Manifestation provides spiritual alignment for individuals

various social media platforms.

According to Tchiki Davis from Berkeley Well-Being Institute, the idea behind manifestation is, “To create something or turn something from an idea into a reality.”

Through manifesting, people have the ability to speak into existence what they want for themselves.

that whatever you focus your energy on will come back to you.

BRITTANY WACHTEL co-editor-in-chief

Manifestation is a new spiritual alignment that has come to attention in recent months via

The power of manifestation is something that has become quite controversial, as many believe that manifestation is based in delusion, with some saying that manifestation is a product of one’s imagination and a fantasy.

As someone who manifests often, I believe that manifestation is something that has the power to transform life into its most ideal form.

The most effective form of manifestation based on my own experience is a combination of journaling and speaking things into existence.

To properly speak something into existence, a person must act as though that thing has already come true. For example, instead of saying, “I will become happy,” say, “I am happy. Happiness and prosperity flow to me freely and with ease.”

Many manifestors also believe in the law of attraction, which states

Scientifically, manifestation is based on a growth mindset, which means that believing you can do something increases the chances that you will actually do that thing.

Founding father of quantum physics Max Planck claims that all matter originates from the power of the brain, meaning that atoms are created based on the power of the human mind. Planck says, “We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter.” This furthers the belief that the mind

is in control of all things around you, including biological factors. I believe that the power of my personal manifestation is based in spirituality. As someone who does not align with a certain religion, I believe that those spirits who look over me guide me via my manifestations.

For those who may be skeptical of manifestation, I would recommend starting with manifestation via journaling.

Try writing a journal entry that speaks into existence your goals for your future self. To aide in the process, listen to calming music meant for meditation to calm your mind.

The

Blade, 515 Oldman Road Wooster, Ohio 44691. The Wooster Blade can be contacted at 330-345-4000 ext. 3210.

Editors-in-Chief Brittany Wachtel, Olivia Hiner • Graphics Editor Nora Levy, Ben Stavnezer • Feature Editors Ben Stavnezer • Cover Editors Mattie Dunlap, Molly Byrne• On Campus Editor Hannah LoGiudice • Focus Editor Grace Kostohryz • Sports Editor Nora Levy • Trends Editor Stella Powers • A & E Editor Laura Rapport • Views Editors Brittany Wachtel, Olivia Hiner •

Staff Writers Lily Campbell-Lehtinen, Laynee Eslich, Rhys Florence-Smith, Jaelyn Frederick, Ethan Keating, Caleb Kostohryz, Rebekah Lay, Tristan Miller, Jamie Ogle, Caleb Singer-Holden, Jackson Stansifer • Head Photographers Nora Levy, Ben Stavnezer • Photographers Brittany Wachtel, Ben Stavnezer, Nora Levy, Lily Campbell-Lehtinen, Hannah LoGiu dice, Ethan Keating, Molly Byrne, Caleb Kostohryz, Rebekah Lay, Laynee Eslich, Caleb Singer-Holden • Adviser Kristi Hiner

Wooster Blade is a biweekly student publication printed every other Friday by the Newspaper Production classes at Wooster High School. The paper is designated as an open forum and follows publishing guidelines as established in a district-wide publications policy protecting students’ freedom of expression. All copy, art and photography are property of The Wooster Blade and cannot be reproduced without permission. Letters to the editor are limited to 300 words and The Wooster Blade reserves the right to print and edit as per length and content. The Wooster Blade is a member of Quill and Scroll, National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Letters and inquiries should be addressed to The Wooster

HANNAH LOGUIDICE on campus editor

NORA LEVY sports editor