2024 Saint Francis Day Of Service
Kate Smith Contributing Writer
Are you someone who wants to learn more about the significance behind this day of service? The Saint Francis Day of Service specializes in honoring the life of Saint Francis of Assisi and is usually celebrated near the date of Feast of Saint Francis. Service is one of the five core values of Alvernia University that strives to further develop the character of members within the Alvernia community. Berks County participated in its Particular Potato Picking Pastime this year with the help of the Alvernia community.
On Sunday, September 29,
Alvernia University students, faculty and community members volunteered at the iHartHarvest Potato Field in Kutztown. During the day of service, volunteers picked and bagged potatoes. On average, between 150 to 200 volunteers take part in this service event each year. Thousands of potatoes were collected and donated to Helping Harvest, where potatoes are cleaned and passed off to local families in need. As a thank you for the hard work, iHartHarvest staff prepared hot dogs, fries, cookies, and soda for the volunteers. Thousands of potatoes were collected and donated to Helping Harvest, where potatoes are
cleaned and passed off to local families in need. As a thank you for the hard work, iHartHarvest staff prepared hot dogs, fries, cookies, and soda for the volunteers.
The Alvernian spoke to a few volunteers who took part in the event. Represented below are Vivianna Heath (third-year who is double majoring in Psychology and Physical Therapy), Aislinn Murphy (first-year with an undecided major), and Alvernia University’s current president, Dr. Glynis Fitzgerald.
Service Day Q & A:
Q: What does service mean to you?
HEATH: “Service to me is about the commitment to uplifting others and making a positive impact in their lives, reflecting empathy and compassion”
MURPHY: “What service means to me is helping the community out”
FITZGERALD: “I’ve been active in community service since my earliest days as a Girl Scout. Over time my perception has changed. Community service is one of the most powerful tools we have because the resources one can provide our fellow humans are infinite. The ways in which we participate in community service must transcend the traditional forms of how we serve others.” Although people may think that they themselves can’t make a difference, that is far from the truth. Organizations from all around the world need help every single day and anything that anyone can do to help makes a difference, even the littlest of practices as elaborated on in the following:
FITZGERALD: “Soup kitchens and food banks are incredibly important to providing emergency services to people in need and could not operate without the support of volunteers and Alvernia will remain actively engaged in supporting those. However, we also must highlight other forms of service that play an integral role in overcoming the reasons people resort to emergency resources.
Mentoring or speaking to at-risk youth like with the Reading Youth Initiative, providing support to non-profits through the O’Pake Institute, and educating ourselves about why challenges like food insecurity and social injustice exist through conversations with the Holleran Fellows are examples of approaches that support our communities.”
“Encouraging our students to adopt a proactive, outside the box approach to service is critical to combating many of the challenges our nation faces today.”
Q: What was your favorite part of this service opportunity?
HEATH: “My favorite part of day of service is discussing what we learned afterwards.”
MURPHY: “My favorite part was eating fries with my classmates.”
FITZGERALD: “Besides the fresh cut French fries straight from the field? No really, I enjoy spending time with students. Getting dirty in the field has a way of bringing us together and opening up conversations. I look forward to hearing the problems students share with me that we can solve together.”
Although the job is more exhausting than it may seem, if you’re looking to break a sweat for a good cause and is someone who doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty, then this service project is calling your name!
Volunteers picking potatoes on the day of service. Photo taken by Kate Smith
Volunteers bagging potatoes. Photo taken by Kate Smith
Movie Review
October/November 2024
the alvernian Transformers One Movie Review
Cole Windsor Contributing Writer
Managing Editor/Layout
Grace Wanner
Section Editors
Ben Houghton
Naomi Skeete
Grace Wanner
Contributing Writers
Kaitlyn Knopp
Anthony Mongeluzi
Ben Palita
Brittney Reyes-Avila
Andrew Simmons
Kate Smith
Cole Windsor
Faculty Advisor Dr. Ryan Lange
The Alvernian is the official student newspaper of Alvernia University.
Articles submitted for consideration into The Alvernian should be written in some semblance of AP style. Letters to the editor, requests for advertisements, and general comments and questions may be submitted to ryan.lange@alvernia.edu.
The editors reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity, accuracy, and length.
The views expressed in The Alvernian are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the student body, faculty, staff, administration, or sponsors.
Transformers One, directed by Josh Cooley, is the first film in what seems like a new animated Transformers universe. This movie is an origin story for Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, and Elita One, setting up for likely sequels.
Transformers One is an epic, dramatic, and actionpacked film, made for all audiences. “Great action with lots of humor, so I was entertained all the way through.” Michael Windsor said.
The inspiration the movie draws from other Transformers content helps the movie connect to longtime Transformers fans while still being original enough to connect with a new audience.
“As someone who didn’t know anything about the Transformers movies going into it, the storyline is still really good and it’s an enjoyable movie either way,” Grace Wanner, Alvernia Student, said.
Transformers One combines humor, drama, and action seamlessly, by utilizing great writing, plot, and voice acting.
The movie follows Orion Pax, D-16, B-127, and Elita One on a mission to find the Matrix of Leadership. The story begins with the four of them being miners from Lacon City, without the ability to transform. Throughout the film, they discover the truth about the origins and change
the fate of their world forever, becoming the heroes – and villains – modern audiences have come to know well over the franchise’s long history of films and television adaptations.
making the voice of Optimus Prime his own. Along with Hemsworth, costars Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, and KeeganMichael Key put new spins on the voices, yet still portraying the classic characters faithfully.
Keegan-Michael Key voicing B-127/Bumblebee created some incredibly funny moments. My favorite is B-127 building a friend out of garbage named A-A-TRON, referencing the classic Key and Peele substitute teacher skit.
Bumblebee acts as the comic relief for the group, but that doesn’t mean that he’s the only funny part. The interactions between the rest of the characters create very funny dynamics.
Their first transformation was a hilarious moment for the group. They try to run away from the Quintessons chasing them but keep accidentally transforming the wrong parts of their bodies, making for a funny scene of them stumbling down a hill.
Transformers One packs a lot of content into 104 minutes. The density of the movie does cause some things to feel rushed. The development of Orion Pax, D-16, B-127, and Elita One’s transformation abilities feel rushed once obtained. Other than this, the pacing of the film moves smoothly.
“The tight script of the movie kept the pace really well,” Kyle Conrad said. The first two acts of the film are great and set up well for the resolution, but the grandness of the third act blows the first two out of the water.
The third act contains the emotional climaxes of the various plot threads in the film. The nature of these climaxes is well-telegraphed for long-time fans, but even veteran audiences will be moved by the last scenes. The voice acting across the film was the key to its success, doing the emoting that goes beyond the metal faces of the characters.
Many long-time Transformers fans were nervous about Chris Hemsworth voicing Orion Pax/Optimus Prime because the role had been voiced by Peter Cullen for so long. Luckily, Chris Hemsworth truly stepped up to the task,
While this movie did have a lot of humor, it didn’t overwhelm the movie and balanced well with the serious moments. The emotional betrayal the group of four felt at the end of the second act when they learned their true origin created an intense situation and a powerful moment for the audience, as well as the final conflict in the third act.
The action in the movie utilizes both humorous and dramatic elements of the film, to create epic and entertaining scenes. The race scene early in the movie utilizes a humorous tone, making Orion and D-16 look goofy as they try to race against the Transformers without the ability to transform.
Contrasted with that, the serious nature of the final battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron shows how well the movie utilizes a combination of action and tone to develop the film
While at times the movie’s pacing feels too frenetic, the movie packs in so much content into a tight 104minute runtime. Both the comedy and the dramatic elements of the story helped develop the plot as well as the characters. This movie blew my expectations out of the water. I would give it a score of 9/10.
Transformers One promotional poster from Paramount Animation, Hasbro Entertainment, and New Republic Pictures
Transformers One promotional poster from Paramount Animation, Hasbro Entertainment, and New Republic Pictures
Alvernian
election info
October/November 2024
Grace Wanner Managing Editor
The talk of the town is the upcoming election, and for good reason. Hopefully, you’re planning to vote, but maybe you don’t know where or if you can. Well, you’re in luck! This article will hopefully answer all your questions.
If you’re not sure if you’re eligible to vote in November, don’t worry. The requirements aren’t stringent. To be eligible to vote, you must be 18 years old or older, a registered U.S. citizen, and not have been in prison within the last five years for a felony conviction. You can find the voting requirements specific to your state on the Vote.org website. You also must be registered in order to vote.
If you’re not registered to vote yet, it’s no problem. Registering to vote online on your state’s website only takes a couple of minutes and is completely free. You can also register by mail by printing and filling out a registration form and mailing it to your local election office. You can also go to the election office and register in person.
The registration deadline for this year’s election was October 21, 2024. If you are not sure if you are registered to vote, you can check on your state’s website.
If you’re not sure where to go to vote, you can find your polling site using a polling place locater either on your state’s website or on vote. org. You can also update your voter registration information to change your polling station 15 days before the election. You can also request an absentee ballot up until 5 p.m. on October
Election Perfection
“I Voted Stickers” are an iconic election day symbol in America to show you excercised your right to vote.
29. Your application must be received by your county polling office by this date and time. In order for your absentee ballot vote to count, the ballot must be received by your county election office by 8 p.m. on November 5. You may apply for an absentee ballot on your state’s website.
If you’re not sure who to vote for, don’t let that stop you from voting. Do more research to help yourself make a well-informed decision. There is a vast world of false information spread around the internet from both sides of the political spectrum.
The best thing you can do for unbiased information is go to each candidate’s website and look at the policies and platforms they list themselves.
Another great resource for unbiased information is the Vote Smart website. On Vote Smart, you can get non-partisan facts and information about candidates.
While this is a presidential election that is approaching, it is important to remember there are more names on the ballot than just the presidential candidates. The ballots vary from state to state, so it is important to research who is up for election/re-election in your state and county. There could be statewide or local elections on your ballot in November, so go into your polling place prepared and well-informed.
If you’re not sure why it’s important to vote or feel like your vote does not matter, here’s some brief history to combat those misconceptions.
The 15th Amendment, which was passed in 1870, granted African American men the right to vote, but states still implemented discriminatory voting qualifications. The United States was finally granted true universal suffrage in 1965 with the passing of the Voting Rights Act, which was created with the intent to squash racial discrimination in voting. That means there have been equal voting rights in the United States for only 59 years, and people fought for the right to vote for 95 years.
People fought for the right to vote because it is how we hold our government accountable and gives you the power to help make decisions that will have positive impacts on your community.
Alvernia University Associate Professor Dr. Nicoletti stressed the importance of voting for
several reasons.
“The right to vote is not something to take for granted. Over the course of American history, the right to vote — the right to have a voice in our Republic — has been central to civil rights movements like those of women and African Americans because voting is how citizens’ preferences are translated into policies. Voting is much more than just a civic duty; it’s the cornerstone of our democracy,” Nicoletti said.
Many people feel as if their vote doesn’t count or counts less because of the Electoral College. There are “electors” who cast their votes for a certain candidate based on the way the citizens of the state the electors represent vote. Whichever candidate gets the most votes in your state gets all of the votes of the electors.
For example, Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes to cast,
so if Trump were to win the popular vote in Pennsylvania, he would get all 19 votes. By casting your vote, you are telling the electors which way you want their votes to be cast. In a swing state like Pennsylvania, every vote counts.
American citizens have the privilege, right, and responsibility to vote for the candidate of their choice this upcoming November. The choice can be hard to make for some, but if you’re on the fence, it is important to do your research.
The 2024 presidential election is arguably the most pivotal election in recent history, facing major issues and two candidates seemingly on opposite sides of the spectrum.
“By participating in elections, you help shape the policies that affect your communities. It is the most direct way to ensure that the government responds to the needs of the people it serves. And in 2024, what will undoubtedly be a wildly important election, Americans will choose a candidate who will set the course of the United States at a critical juncture in history,” Dr. Nicoletti said.
So please, don’t hesitate to vote this November because every vote really does count. Letting election day pass by without casting a ballot is not only a disservice to America but also to yourself. Not voting says you don’t care about who makes the most important decisions regarding national security and your individual freedoms.
So, on November 5, go out, cast your vote, and get your sticker!
Photo from Creative Commons
Poster at CollegeTowne about the 19th amendment, urging students to vote. Photo by Grace Wanner
Poster at CollegeTowne about the 19th amendment, urging students to vote. Photo by Grace Wanner
Polling place sign photo from the State Department.
Photo by Ken White licensed for Creative Commons.
October/November 2024
Student life
The Ultimate Trio For Student Productivity
Naomi Skeete Contributing Editor
College students are always looking for efficient methods to improve their academic achievement in the digital era. Out of all the possibilities, three exceptional free online tools—Quizlet, Grammarly, and Canva—have become indispensable for students who want to enhance their academic performance and study habits. Here’s how these tools can help you in your studies at Alvernia.
The graphic design platform Canva is wellknown for its feature-rich capabilities and easy-to-use user interface. Canva is a popular tool used by students to make eye-catching infographics, posters, and presentations.
The platform makes it easier to create materials that seem professional by providing a variety of templates and design features. Students can create excellent content using Canva’s drag-and-drop feature and vast font and graphic collection without
Ben Palita Contrubting Writer
As a residential campus, Alvernia University manages mail and packages for its students, but lately, the University has been overwhelmed with package traffic.
Jake Lowe, a freshman here at Alvernia, ran into mailroom issues immediately after enrolling.
“The Wi-Fi in my dorm is extremely slow, so I bought a modem to try and fix it,.” Lowe said. “The app said it arrived quickly, but I never got an email from the mailroom that my package was ready.”
“A few days later, I went in to ask, and they admitted to losing my package. I was able to get another one, free of charge, but the room was so packed it was clear my original modem just got lost in the shuffle.”
Since there have been residential students at college campuses, students have had things sent to them from home. Shipping things to students is especially important for students who live far away from
needing to have sophisticated graphic design knowledge. Getting practiced with using Canva can let people who don’t usually think of themselves as “artistic” make visually beautiful and captivating presentations. Its accessibility and ease of use have been game-changers for students.
As a college student, Canva has proved itself to be quite useful. It simplifies and improves the visual attractiveness of preparing assignments, posters, and presentations. You don’t have to be an expert in design to use the templates because they are userfriendly and adaptable. It looks professional and saves me a ton of time, which is perfect for projects and
assignments. It’s also ideal for arranging information in an understandable and interesting manner for study guides and group presentations.
Grammarly is a popular program that helps students improve their writing by proofreading their work for errors in syntax, punctuation, and style. The real-time writing quality advice this application offers can help students polish their final drafts of papers, Canvas posts, or even emails.
Grammarly provides suggestions for improving sentence structure and word choice in addition to pointing out grammatical mistakes. With time, a regular user of Grammarly can learn how to stop making their most common mistakes and improve their overall draft quality.
Proofreading tools like Grammarly can be a good partner for students who want to write academic papers that are polished, coherent, and well-organized.
For me, there are a lot of advantages to utilizing Grammarly. You may use it
as a tool to have a second set of eyes to check your work. Grammarly can help to ensure that your work is at the collegiate level and help you earn an excellent mark, in addition to having your work peer evaluated!
Are you unsure about how to properly use a term? Do you want to confirm that the flow of your essay is correct? Grammarly can assist you with that too. Since you attend Alvernia University, Grammarly Plus is free to you.
You have even more tools at your disposal with Grammarly Plus, including, but not restricted to, citation generators, grammar checkers, and plagiarism detectors! Stop by the Academic Success Center (ASC) in Bernardine Hall 105 for more information. Online learning resource Quizlet is well known for its flashcard-based study techniques, which work especially well for memorizing and recall.
Students may make and share study games, practice tests, and flashcard sets with this service. The interactive elements of Quizlet, such
The Alvernia Mailroom Tsunami
Alvernia to get essentials. These students rely on the mailroom’s abilities but at the beginning of this semester, the mailroom became a major problem.
However, on that same note, the problem with having such a popular service on campus is that it will be used to its fullest extent. With the arrival of the 2024-25 school year, the mail room has become overcrowded with incoming packages, and the employees are struggling to
keep up with high demand.
“At the beginning of the year the mailroom was definitely a problem,” Ryan McBride, a residential student from Maryland, said. “I live sort of far from here and there, are things I need to have shipped here. I feel like the mailroom is necessary for me.
In early September, students were lucky to be in and out of the mailroom in 20 minutes. Students were up against large lines, buried
timed examinations and matching activities, improve learning and increase the enjoyment of studying. This feature is helpful for students getting ready for exams since it makes it possible for them to study important ideas in an organized and engaging way.
Grace Wanner, a student at Alvernia University, said, “Quizlet is extremely helpful especially if you get the subscription. Although, the free version works just as fine.”
Canva, Grammarly, and Quizlet can do a lot of good for the diligent student, however, it’s important to remember that a tool is only as good as the hand that wields it.
“Understanding the principles that underly good communication is important no matter what Canvas presets you use, or how diligently you use Grammarly,” Dr. Ryan Lange, professor of communication and digital media, said.
“No tool is a substitute for studying hard and doing your best work, but they can help you make good work great.”
was supposed to, and I was able to come pick it up nice and quickly.”
Although the mailroom had its problems, the quick fix of it by employees shows how important the students are for the staff here at Alvernia. Student comfort and success is extremely important for Alvernia as well as perseverance. It is shown with these certain programs and the never-ending attempt to make them better.
packages, and even lost items.
Since September, the mailroom atmosphere has experienced an extreme shift from chaotic and bunched, to neat and orderly. The gradual settling of the new academic year can be thanked for such, but the mailroom employees and their efforts should be thanked as well.
“I got a package from the mailroom last week,” McBride said. “It’s a completely different place now. My package showed up when it
Canva logo from Wikimedia Commons
The Franco Libraray at Alvernia University. Inside is where the mail room is located. Photo by Ben Palita
Max Romanok using the mailrooms lockers in the Franco Library at Alvernia University to retrieve a package. Photo by Ben Palita.
newS
October/November 2024
Brittney Reyes-Avila Contributing Writer
On the night of September 26, 2014, in the small city of Iguala, Guerrero, Mexico, a group of college students from Normal Rural “Raúl Isidro Burgos” of Ayotzinapa, Mexico, were attacked by local officers in a series of events that broke the dusk of night.
The chaos extended to civilians who were around until the morning of September 27, when 43 students ranging from 17-25 years old were kidnapped, 6 of whom were killed, and 21 survived. Ten years later, the pueblo, families, and general public still march in hopes of getting answers from the Mexican Government about what happened that night.
Ayotzinapa, a small rural town in the southern part of Mexico where the college is located, has been synonymous with rebellion and resistance. Since its early years it has fought for public education as a human right, stretching its message to the present day. Providing shelter and training to sons of campesinos, who originated from the poorest areas of the state of Guerrero, Mexico.
Throughout each generation, students have passed through their classrooms with the purpose of becoming professors, full of possibilities. Many are returning to their communities to support their families and implement the art of learning.
Since 1968, the government has stopped funding the centers, closing some and appraising others. Ayotzinapa, through strikes, road blockades, and pleas to
Los 43 Desaparecidos: Ten Years Later
those in power, has tried to keep the schools’ doors open.
Due to the lack of funding, many of the students rely on passively boteando, which means collecting money in containers throughout various parts of the region.
On that September day, the students decided to steal several buses, which would later be returned, a common tradition within the state of Guerrero. Due to the poor economic status acts like these were the only way to grant students accessibility to continuing their extracurricular activities.
Essentially, the buses were directed towards the capital of Mexico for the annual march to commemorate the acts of October 2, 1968, where 44 to over 400 students were killed by government officers in Tlatelolco.
After the five buses departed, all on different routes, three were intercepted by local police officers in the center of Iguala, where the buses came under fire, which at first was not unusual for the students to encounter, as this happened in previous protests. But when one student opened the door to throw a fire extinguisher at the officers, gunshots were quickly fired.
At that moment, the students knew something was wrong. Bullets began to fly around the buses, which started a spiral into chaos and confusion with multiple wounded.
At that point, the third bus intercepted by officers had students rounded up on the side of the street, roughly 29 of them, with signs of torture. While on the first
headlines and no concrete evidence to what occurred.
The remaining survivors returned home, with parents and families waiting nervously, hoping their child was not one of the kidnapped or deceased.
Authorities of all ranks at the time began their investigation. The case had so many irregularities that it raised a lot of questions that have yet to be answered. All the while, throughout the investigation the officers antagonized the survivors as delinquents.
As the investigation proceeded a month later, the orchestration accusations were pointed at the mayor, the time, his wife, and even the cartels. As this kept growing, so did the false information, which sparked many different theories that are still prevalent today.
bus, another officer tried to negotiate with the rest of the group to turn themselves in or face the same destiny as the third bus. Essentially, the scene became a target zone; the officers took the 29 on the third bus and never came home.
On the other side, the fourth and fifth buses, which were towards the exit of Iguala, were stopped by officers under the bridge near Palacio de Justicia.
Minor details are known about what happened to them. All that is known is that gunshots went off, some escaped to a hill, and one bus was able to continue its trajectory with no repercussions.
By roughly 12:30 a.m., the remaining two buses began to call for help while taking shelter. Reporters, professors, and other classmates arrived at a scene full of blood, bullets, and broken glass. Students placed rocks near every piece of evidence from the massacre.
Amidst all, a second attack was made on the students. A black truck, no plaques, with armed men, arrived. Once the sunrise came out, so did the remaining survivors, returning to the scene where later on over 180 victims were accounted for. A student became a notorious figure in this massacre due to him being found in a nearby dumpster area, shot, dead and the skin ripped off his face.
From there, the news broke out with false
Following the closure statements from the government about the case in 2015, the parents of those who vanished never agreed with the final statement and traveled to the capital in search of yearly updates on where their sons were.
With the group diminishing over time due to many passing away, their determination for the government to give a definite answer has been a constant battle. Despite this being deemed a state case, the legal attention towards it has seemed to go right into the “filing cabinet.”
In the eyes of the parents, their sons were good, hardworking men with big ambitions. They did not harm but only tried to excel with what was available.
Now, ten years after this massacre, a deep wound that is still fresh has been left on the back burner in modernday Mexican society, but why? Because these were all students who sadly fell into the eye of the hurricane between the government and the cartels.
During this time, the only things recovered have been three pieces of bones, false reports, and a web full of strings.
Writer’s Note: If you are interested in learning more about the 43 missing students, there is an HBO Max special titled The Ayotzinapa 43: State Crime, as well as BBC News Documentary.
Photo of woman marching and protesting for answers about missing students. Photo by Montecruz Foto. Source: Creative Commons
Photo of one of the missing student’s image is being used at a march. Photo by Montecruz Foto. Source: Creative Commons
SpoRtS
October/November 2024
Andrew Simmons
Contributing Writer
While Alvernia knows about its storied basketball teams, and has started to love wrestling and hockey, its track and field program is still often overlooked.
Track and Field’s season runs from winter into spring, yet it is rarely talked about. People only seem to care about the sport around the Olympics. The sport itself is much more intense than people realize. It can be mentally and physically draining, yet the athletes still go out and perform.
Each aspect of the sport has its own physical and mental battles. When participating in this sport, one thing to realize is that these athletes also need to develop a flawless technique to help them succeed.
The track is all about the Sprints, Distance, and Hurdles. Jumping over to the field side of the sport, there’s Jumps, Pole vault, and
The Truth of The Track
Throws. Each has different challenges regarding learning and executing. This is why some athletes from different events were asked on why their event may be harder than people realize.
Senior sprinter Elisiah Jerome said “Everyone can sprint, but people don’t realize the things needed to excel, such as proper form, explosiveness, and breathing. It’s also more competitive than people think, as a sprinter needs to work hard just to make it in the top 20.”
Jerome makes a fair point on this as well. As a sprinter, execution is everything. Every second counts, and you can’t afford to mess up.
Next are distance races. One must be focused on keeping a good pace, and it’s anyone’s race. Sophomore distance runner Sam Martinez was asked how distance is harder than people think.
“People are intimidated by longer races, and it takes a lot of energy,” Martinez said.
“Some people find it boring because it’s a longer race, and sometimes the winner runs away with the race. Most of the time however, it’s a super close race.”
Hurdles are also harder than people think, and sophomore Ethan Marcin states why.
“It’s harder due to the fact it’s a sprint with obstacles. Speed is one thing, then great form is the next. If you’re not mentally prepared for the race, you’ll mess up the first hurdle, which sets up the whole race,” said Marcin.
Jumping over to the field side of the sport, it’s just as cool, pushing your limits to throw and jump as far as you can. When asked why jumping is a lot harder than people realize, sophomore jumper Caleb Auzenne had this to say.
“Jumps are a lot harder than people realize because of how technical it is, everything from your approach to your jump, to your landing has to be perfect
even the equipment matters. The technique of learning how to spin for shotput and discus are so complex it takes a lot of practice and hard work. As a thrower, we have to be very precise, as any wrong movement or slight deviation in the technique can break the throw down. We must do all these things on top of throwing a 16-pound ball as far as possible,” Senior thrower Cory Gray said.
in order to maximize your distance. Along with that, it’s very physically enduring on your body to go from a full sprint into landing in sand,” said Auzenne.
As for throwing, it is very technical as well. Form is everything and must be perfected to have as much success as possible.
“Throws require technique, strength and conditioning, physical coordination, and
Lady Golden Wolves Hit the Court
With that being said, the effort put into this sport should be recognized more, and we hope to see support as their season kicks off this winter.
Keep watch for different announcements, and news surrounding the Golden Wolves track team. Come down to the PLEX to watch meets or practices, you won’t be disappointed. And most importantly, wish the team good luck on the upcoming season!
Kaitlyn Knopp
Contributing Writer
Alvernia’s women’s basketball is ready to grip it and rip it this season! The Golden Wolves made it to the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) semifinals in the 20232024 season.
The team sadly lost to Messiah University, which snuck ahead of the Golden Wolves in the second half to snatch victory away. “I was extremely proud and grateful for the senior class and everything they did for the program. They were the first recruiting class for our coaching staff, and they really changed the mentality of the women’s basketball program”, stated Coach Rayne deMarteleire.
“I’m extremely excited to see our young team grow and develop,” said Coach Rayne deMarteleire. She expressed that “the players have the opportunity to step up and grow into a new role on the team.”
“In order to win a championship, we need our upperclassmen to lead and guide our young players this season. We also need to have a team-oriented and defensive mindset”, stated
Coach Rayne deMarteleire.
This season, the Golden Wolves women’s basketball team has twelve players on their roster. One big returner this season is Jennah DeGrout, a D2 transfer.
The team is excited to have her back and healthy after breaking her foot last season.
Juniors Meghan Ruth and Jordyn Ingelido started several games last season.
These two girls are big returners to also watch this
season. This season, the team scored 3 first year students and 1 graduate transfer student, all of whom will play important roles this season.
After speaking with some players, they responded with similar answers about the sport. Basketball is both mentally and physically strenuous in many ways. The athletes’ condition and lift prior to the start of the season.
For practice, the team
does shooting, defensive, and offensive drills. These drills help prepare and give them the upper hand in games. Drills also build endurance for games and strengthen team dynamic.
While on the court, all five of these players must communicate and trust each other to play as a team.
The other main focus of basketball is the mental side. The players need intensity, focus, internal fire, and poise
while playing. The most important mentality they need in basketball is confidence. Mental toughness plays a huge role for the Golden Wolves. Their season is very long, so these women have to stay focused throughout the season.
On the other hand, they also have to keep their minds and bodies healthy. To do this, the coaches try to build in recovery days and light practices for the players.
In addition to that, Halloween and Christmasthemed practices allow the team to take some of the pressure off and have fun together as a team. This is one way that they build team comradery.
Another key point about basketball is energy. Whether the girls are on the side or in the game, their energy must stay the same. This environment keeps the girls fired up and helps them stay in rhythm with each other.
“This team has already created a team-first mentality where they don’t care who scores or gets accolades. They just want to win! Which I feel will take us a long way this year,” stated Coach Rayne deMarteleire.
Sprinter Elisiah Jerome (right) battling with another racer in the relay- Credit: Millersville University
Alvernia’s Meghan Ruth flies by a player from Eastern. Photo courtesy of Marisa Lombardo
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Tackling the Season: A Look into Berks County High School Football
Elliot Schmehl Contributing Writer
With the arrival of fall comes the Friday Night Lights of high school football. High school football brings entire towns and communities together to enjoy some fierce competition between schools in their area.
Some of the top and well-known high schools in Berks County include Exeter Township Senior High School, Governor Mifflin Senior High School, Wilson High School, and Daniel Boone Area High School.
These schools all have high expectations going into the new season. They have also had their setbacks and problems that they will need to figure out coming into the season. From players graduating and transferring to coaching changes and school budgeting. Some teams will have a disappointing season, and some will exceed their expectations.
Heading into the 2024 high school football season, Berks County teams are seeing significant changes. Several key players have graduated, including Wyomissing standout Max Hurleman, who earned praise after transferring to the University of Notre Dame.
Teams like Muhlenberg will lean on emerging stars like Cameron Small, who has broken records with a 346yard rushing performance this season.
Coaching changes also play a pivotal role, such as the retirement of longtime coach Keith Leamer after over 40 years in the game, coaching Reading High School.
There is also a new coach
for Governor Mifflin High School, former assistant coach Nick Morrissey.
Morrissey has been a coach for the Governor Mifflin football team since 2015 and was the defensive coordinator from 2021 to 2023. When he was first hired as the team’s head coach, he gave his thoughts about what he wanted his team to become while he is the coach.
“We have to win, the expectation that Governor Mifflin has is to be a champion. We won 15 league titles in the last 20 years, beat some of the best teams in the state throughout that run and that’s going to be the expectation. That’s where this program is going,” said Morrissey.
The conference that Berks County teams are a part of is the Lancaster-Lebanon League. The league has five sections from Section 1 to Section 5, each with at least seven teams based on the school’s student body and enrollment.
Last year’s Section 1 champion was Manheim Township. Section 2’s champion was Manheim Central. Section 3’s champion was split between Ephrata, Garden Spot, and Twin Valley. The Section 4 champion was Cocalico. Lastly, the Section 5 championship was also split between Annville-Cleona, Lancaster Catholic, and Schuylkill Valley.
So far, through the first five weeks of play, there have been a handful of teams to come out on top of their section.
In Section 1, Manheim Township leads with an overall record of 7-0, and in second is Wilson High
School with a 6-1 record. In Section 2, Conestoga Valley and Exeter Township both lead with a record of 7-0. In Section 3, Conrad Weiser leads with a record of 7-0, with Cocalico behind them at 5-2. In Section 4, both Lampeter-Strasburg and Twin Valley lead with a record of 7-0. Lastly, in Section 5, Hamburg leads with a record of 5-2, and Schuylkill Valley is right behind them with a record of 4-3.
Some other teams to keep an eye on the rest of the season are Governor Mifflin (2-4), Warwick (4-3), Lancaster Catholic (4-3), Muhlenberg (3-3), and Cedar Crest (4-3).
Governor Mifflin is a team to watch because although their record isn’t the best, they have a rich and long history of winning in the past. They won the District 3 championship in 2020 and could go on a later season win streak to get them back in the playoff picture this year.
Governor Mifflin is also powered by a very strong run game and a simple but efficient run game, Coach Morrissey said.
“We’re bringing back running the football and a very simple passing scheme that the kids know. Understanding what they’re doing and we’re going to be efficient when we throw the ball.”
Warwick is another team to watch because of where they are in the standings. They are in that bubble where they could easily make the playoffs with a couple of big wins down the road.
In 2020 Warwick made a deep state playoff run but came up short. Muhlenberg
is another team to watch because although they currently have a record of 3-3, this is already one of their best seasons in years after they have only won 5 games in the past 6 years and seem to be trending upward.
A fourth team to watch is Lancaster Catholic, although they are a smaller school. Only with about 500 enrolled high school students, they have made the playoffs the past two seasons and are a consistent playoff team.
Lastly, Cedar Crest is another team to watch, as in the past couple of years they are a team that is trending upwards and are a team that is consistently in the playoffs, or they are on the fringe.
Berks County has seen some standout football performances so far this year. Twin Valley’s dominance, with a string of blowout victories, has propelled them up the state rankings in Class 4A, including a commanding 49-0 win over Donegal in week 7.
Madyx Gruber of Wilson High School has also been outstanding, tying his school’s record with five touchdown passes in a game and contributing on both offense and defense for his team.
Muhlenberg running back Cameron Small leads the county in rushing, highlighted by a 257-yard, two-touchdown performance earlier this season.
Additionally, Wilson’s Monty Greer has made his mark with a couple of long touchdown runs and receptions.
Exeter High School remains undefeated at 7-0 with dominant performances week after week, with 3
shutout wins and big wins over Governor Mifflin and Muhlenberg.
Twin Valley also leads all schools in the county in points scored, already scoring over 342 points this season and averaging 48.9 points per game.
Not only is Twin Valley an offensive powerhouse, but they are also a brick wall on defense, only allowing 40 points against and 5.7 points per game.
Wyomissing Area High School is another school putting up some major points so far, scoring 307 points and averaging 43.9 points per game.
Manheim Township is another team putting up some serious points scoring 256 points, and 36.6 points per game.
Conrad Weiser is also a good defensive team in the area, only giving up 65 points on defense and averaging 9.3 defensive points per game.
Berks County high school football offers a vibrant, competitive atmosphere where talent thrives, traditions run deep, and communities unite.
From thrilling Friday night lights to the development of future stars, it provides an unforgettable experience for players and fans.
So, if you’re ever looking for a fun and entertaining time, look no further than Berks County high school football.
Players from Governor Mifflin and Lebanon, warming up before their game, at Governor Mifflin Stadium. Taken by Elliot Schmehl.
October/November 2024
Anthony Mongeluzi Contributing Writer
As October rolls around, the sight of the Phillies in the playoffs has become as common as falling leaves. This year is the third year in a row that the Phillies have made it to the postseason, and after clinching a firstround bye, expectations are higher than ever. First, let’s see how they got there.
With last year’s playoff collapse, the Phillies front office knew some things had to change. Step one to get back to the playoffs was to make some sacrifices to keep ace Aaron Nola.
Aaron Nola now has a hefty 7-year, $172 million dollar deal. The team hopes this is money well spent to retain a key piece to their starting rotation.
The first person the Phillies had to let walk was Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel was one of the best closers in the 2000’s, but his day has come and gone. In recent seasons, Kimbrel had become a liability too often putting the Phillies in inopportune situations.
Rhys Hoskins also had to be traded for the good of the team. Hoskins was loved by Philly and still is, but after a serious knee injury at 30 years old, Hoskins was a financial liability. Hoskins’ position at first was readily filled by Bryce Harper, and the salary cap was needed for Nola.
Other acquisitions included Whit Merrifield, who is a good platoon option, and Spencer Turnbull, who would add bullpen depth.
All this added up and the Phillies had real expectations to not only make it far in the postseason, but to win the whole thing. Those expectations were further bolstered with the way the season started.
After dropping their first two games of the season, the Phils wouldn’t look back as they went on a tear and finished the first half of the season with an MLB best 62-34 record.
The pitching rotation of Wheeler, Nola, Suarez, and Sanchez were tearing it up with an average 3.22 ERA(earned run average) combined with a bullpen average ERA of 3.79.
Suarez was playing like the #1 a majority of the season and getting actual Cy Young
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Red October Fever
shouts. All of that mixed with some amazing hitting had helped the Phillies stand out as the clear undisputed best team in baseball. This title would take a hit after the mid-season stretch, however.
After the All-Star Break, the Phillies had a dismal 33-33 record. While the team’s bats cooled, they kept some semblance of that dominant team from the first half.
The big thing that fell off was pitching consistency as certain sure-fire starters and bullpen arms were much less dominant than they had been up to the post all-star break.
The biggest culprit of this was Ranger Suarez as over the last 3 months he had a woeful 5.83 ERA. Overall, the team pitching ERA ballooned from a 3.41 to a 4.52. Hitting didn’t see a major jump or fall off compared to the first half of the season which is something promising heading into the post season.
Even with the shaky second half, the Phillies secured the first-round bye with the second seed, the first time the Phillies have had this luxury in the past three years.
Still seen as one of the favorites to win it all, this was going to be a challenge as these playoffs have multiple teams with realistic shots to win it all.
The first of these teams that the Phillies had the potential to play were the Brewers and the Mets. The Brewers were the runaway winners of the NL Central by ten games with a record of 93-69.
The Mets, on the other hand, were one of the last teams to clinch a wildcard berth, only securing one on the last day of the regular season. Don’t let this cloud show how good they truly are, however.
Seeming to be dead in the water, the Mets were 11 games under .500 at one point. They never gave up and found a rallying source no one suspected: McDonald’s character Grimace.
After Grimace’s first game where he threw the first pitch, the Mets rattled off seven straight wins.
(“Correlation is not causation,” Dr. Ryan Lange, faculty advisor for the Alvernian, reminds readers.)
From that point, the Mets never looked back, going 60-36 to finish the season being the hottest team in
baseball in that stretch. This would be an excellent series for the Phillies to gauge their potential opponents.
The Brewers and Mets would split their first two games, leading to a Game 3. Game 3 started quietly as both teams were held scoreless through the first six innings. Finally, the Brewers broke the deadlock in the bottom of the 7th inning with two solo home runs to put them up. The Mets had no answer to this at all and were seemingly finished.
In the top of the 9th inning, they had the top of their lineup up. On the mound was one of the best and most feared closers in the game, Devin Williams. Nicknamed the Airbender, the Brewers would win this game with Williams’s track record. The Mets had their team MVP, Francisco Lindor, leading off.
After going down 1-2 in the count, Lindor fought back to draw a walk—nothing to be worried about, though, as Williams would strike out Vientos on the next at-bat. Mets fans were distraught as their season was on the brink of ending.
Up came Brando Nimmo, the longtime Met drafted back in 2011. Nimmo was able to put bat to ball and single to right, advancing Lindor to third. Even with that, it still seemed like a long shot for the Mets to rally enough to drive in two runs even to tie.
Then came the Mets big first baseman, Pete Alonso. This at bat was more significant than just keeping the season alive. This would possibly be the slugger’s last at-bat as a Met, as he and the team could not agree on
contract terms. Mets fans begged him to stay and even gave him a standing ovation for his potential final game at Citi Field. He loved the fans, and the fans loved Alonso; and so he had his moment.
Taking three straight balls and Williams not wanting to load the bases, he hung a changeup that Alonso couldn’t help but indulge in. Alonso swung, and the ball carried to right field, creeping over the wall into the Brewers bullpen. The Mets had done it.
Even with the three-run shot, they weren’t done, as they’d tack on one more run from a Starling Marte RBI. The Brewers, stunned, couldn’t muster anything and would lose Game 3 at home in front of their fans. The Mets celebrated and booked themselves a ticket to the Bank to be the Phillies’ first opponent. As seen, though, it wouldn’t be easy.
It showed in Game 1. After starting the best way possible with Kyle Schwarber leading off and hitting a solo shot and Zach Wheeler having the best game of his playoff career, pitching seven dominant innings, it still wasn’t enough.
The bullpen, which has haunted the Phillies in previous seasons, struck again and blew Wheeler’s shutout game.
The final score would end up being 6-2. It was only Game 1, though, and the Phillies wouldn’t go down that easy.
In Game 2, however, the bats didn’t wake up early again. In the bottom of the 6th inning, down three runs, the Phillies bats got going as Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos would go back-to-
back on homers to make the score-tied three all. All that for Nimmo to hit a solo shot in the next inning.
The Phillies and Mets would go back and forth as Bryson Stott would give the Phillies a lead on a two-RBI triple, J.T Realmuto would drive Stott in, giving the Phillies a 6-4 lead.
And then, of course, in Mets fashion, Mark Vientos would hit a 2-run homerun to tie it in the top of the 9th. Castellanos had to pull more magic out of his hat and hit an RBI single to give the Phillies the win. Series tied 1-1 going to New York.
If the Phillies can get a little more from their bats early on, they’ll have a better chance of advancing. This wishful thinking never came to fruition, however.
In Game 3, the Mets came ready, and again, the Phillies’ bats were nonexistent.
Nola, who was pitching well besides two solo home runs given up, unraveled in the 6th, walking the three batters he faced before getting pulled. Orion Kerkering came in and couldn’t stop the bleeding as the Mets put two more on the board. The game wouldn’t get any better, and the Phillies would drop Game 3 7-3.
Game 4 was do or die and the last man to help save the Phillies season, was Ranger Suarez As said before, Suarez had a rough end of the season, so many fans like Anthony Jovovich, a resident of Philadelphia, were worried for Game 4,
“I love Ranger, and I hope that he succeeds, but with how he has been, I’m not too optimistic.”
Continued on page 9...
Source: Mary Monegluzi
Citizens Bank during a Philadelphia Phillies home game on Septemeber 23 when they clinched the division.
October/November 2024
Ranger felt these opinions from the fan base and went out there and pitched a solid game in a high-pressure situation. He struck eight batters out in 4 innings, not giving up any runs. In for Suarez came our best reliever, Jeff Hoffman.
The Phillies had a 1-0 lead after Bohm hit Harper in during the top of the 4th. In Hoffman’s first inning, he got the Phillies out unscathed, but everything fell apart in the second inning he pitched.
After giving up a single, hitting a batter, and walking another, he was pulled for Carlos Estevez.
The first batter he faced, Francisco Lindor, sent Citi Field into a frenzy by hitting a no-doubt grand slam to give all momentum to the Mets.
The Phillies had a shot in the 9th, having two batters be walked, but three strikeouts later, the dream was over. The Phillies season ended again in heartbreaking
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Red October Fever Continued
fashion, and the Mets’ fairytale run continues.
Who is to blame for this?
The only thing to look at is hitting and the bullpen. It also wasn’t a good combination for an up-and-down Phillies team to have a week off and then need to face the hottest team in baseball.
We have to look back to the stats, though. Every game besides Game 3, starting pitchers allowed a combined three runs. The Phillies somewhat took advantage of that in Game 2, but they never stepped up to the plate in every other game. In the series, the Phillies got outscored by the Mets 23-12. That is unacceptable when the Phillies were in the top 5 in runs scored in the regular season.
Again, it’s not all on the bats, as the bullpen allowed 16 runs. There’s no excuse for this, as the team is too talented for this. What’s next, though?
Many outfield players are set as is this offseason, bar a trade of some sort. The starting pitching rotation with Wheeler, Nola, Suarez, and Sanchez is still one of the best in the league as well.
The place that still needs work is the bullpen. Don’t be surprised if the Phillies try to make a splash and add an arm or two in the relief role to help sure up the bullpen. It will be needed as injuryriddled teams like the Braves will return to their best and compete for the division title again.
Depending on how their offseason goes, the Mets will be in the mix, too. Nonetheless, this will be a big offseason to see if the Phillies make any moves that move the needle.
It is not an easy time to be not just a Philly fan. The Phillies will be okay, though. This team is built to win now, and with some tweaks in the offseason, they will be right back in October of next year.
Ben Houghton Contributing Editor
As the leaves begin to change and the summer sun turns into a cool fall wind, the MLB playoffs signal the beginning of autumn for baseball fans. With the playoffs right around the corner, teams are looking to clinch a playoff berth and move on to win the Commissioner’s trophy.
There will only be 12 teams in contention for the prestigious annual trophy. While the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and the Houston Astros have the best odds to win the World Series, don’t count out the teams that could potentially sneak into the Fall Classic with some September magic.
Going to college about an hour and thirty minutes away from the Phillies stadium, the red gear on campus grows with every winning season. With the Philly faithful showing their love and support, there might not be anyone on campus as positive in a Phillies ring more than Josh Kreider. According to Kreider, Broad Street will be seeing a parade within the next two months.
Fall Classic Fever: What to Expect in the 2024 MLB Playoffs
“This Phillies team has been the best team in baseball all year,” Kreider said. “Their vibes have been immaculate throughout the year regardless of wins and losses and I think they will get it done come November.” Alvernia also has a vocal contingent of Yankees fans, who always believe their team will go all the way. “The Yankees are going to end their World Series drought this year, I think,” Michael Smith said. “The Yankees have done nothing but beat up on the AL all season. They’re 70-45 against AL teams this year, so I think that the AL side of the
bracket will be a breeze.”
On Fan Duel, those two teams come in as number two and number three as the best odds to win the World Series. The gambling app has the Phillies at +420 odds and the Yankees at +440 odds.
Yet it is the Dodgers who have the best odds to win it all at +320. This will be the Dodgers 12th season in a row making the playoffs, holding Major League Baseball’s longest active playoff appearance streak. However, their only championship during that streak was in 2020.
Baseball lover and Yankees
fan, Brody DeGroodt, talked about the Dodgers odds this year, “This Dodgers team is scary,” DeGroodt said. “They haven’t quite had the total success that they wanted every year, but they always seem to be in the playoffs. With the payroll that team has, they have no excuse but to win it all this year.”
According to spotrac, the Dodgers have the highest multi-year cap, with about $352,849,127. That is over $28 million over the Yankees who are in third. In Major League Baseball, a high multi-year cap means that a team has committed large long-term funds to its players by multi-year contracts. This tactic often involves making significant investments in talented players. This strategy can increase a team’s chances of being successful longer, but it also involves dangers and restricts financial flexibility. If important players perform poorly or sustain injuries, the organization might find it difficult to control its spending over the years. In the end, a large multiyear cap represents a brave commitment to talent. But managing and planning it carefully is necessary to strike a balance between short-
term success and long-term sustainability.
Don’t let the big market teams fool you. There are a handful of teams with great talent that snuck into the playoffs via a Wild Card spot. Two underdog teams to be on the watch for American League are the Kansas City Royals, and the Detroit Tigers.
Baseball analysts expect The Royals, and The Tigers to make a push deep into the playoffs. The Royals have a ton of young talent led by their MVP dark horse, Bobby Witt Jr. The Tigers are led by their potential CY Young winner, Tarik Skubal.
The number one team to look out for in the National League Wild Card is the New York Mets. The Mets have pushed their way into a playoff series after starting the year under .500. They are a balanced team when it comes to pitching and hitting. If they can get their star shortstop Francisco Lindor back from injury, they will be a team to watch out for.
The first Wild Card game starts on October 1 and continues throughout the first week of November. Tune in to see who will be hoisting the trophy in a little over a month!
Source: Bianca Biscardi Phillies going against the Cubs on September 23 when they clinched the division title.
Bobby Hansen, Sam Sepiello, Shane McDermott, James Wauters (Pictured left to right) attended game one’s loss of the Phillies post season run. Photo By: Robert Hansen