The Hilltop Echo

In This Issue

Midnight Hangout Spot: The Chardon Sheetz

By: Aiden Kingery

The Chardon Sheetz is a local hangout spot for many, but one of the busiest times might not be what people think it is. The local gas station lights up at night filled with trucks, high schoolers and regular pedestrians. Located less than one minute from the square, the 24-hour gas station sells not only gas but also many food options made to order.

If you make a trip to Sheetz around the “bar hours” (midnight to two a.m.), you will most likely witness a truck meetup. A truck meetup, similar to a car meetup, is when a group of people meet up to show off their trucks and hang out. The neighboring stores close this late in the night while Sheetz stays open. The parking lot then opens to be able to space these “loiterers.” They order food, hang out and talk. It’s been said that they sometimes bring their own furniture too. “Customers, we love them, like they can hang out,

Our Writers

eat Sheetz food all day if they want to.

I know there have been some issues with vandalism in the past, but I’m not saying it’s been people with the trucks. I just know that has been an issue with some workers, but as long as they’re not causing a scene, being disrespectful, stealing or damaging anything, it’s not an issue,” said Store Manager Ashley France.

France has worked at multiple Sheetz locations and said it’s not just a Chardon thing. The Mentor location gets similar customers.

“I think it’s weird that they have nowhere else to go. They don’t have a house to hang at. They’re just always at that parking lot,” said junior Caden Peterson.

Peterson, who goes to Sheetz three to four nights a week, enjoys it for a different reason than the truckers.

“On Friday nights, after the football games, I love walking into Sheetz and just seeing everyone. It’s a great environment,” said Peterson.

The only place open after Chardon football games to get food, gas and snacks is Sheetz. If you stop there after a game you’ll see plenty of people from both sides, foot-

ball players, and truckers. Truck meet-ups at midnight might not be the strangest thing you’ll encounter at Sheetz. During the day the

continued on page 2

The Eerie Century Homes of Chardon

By: Lindsey Schaefer

Established in 1812, the city of Chardon is over two centuries old and is rich in history and culture. The town contains plenty of century homesmany with over 150 years of history.

The family of Ellis Taddie, a senior at Chardon High School, resides in one of the several century homes on North Street. Taddie’s house has a lot of historical elements due to its construction in the early 1900s. Taddie had plenty of spooky and supernatural tales to tell which go hand in hand with the history of the

property.

“When we first moved into the house my mom and brother were playing hide and seek when they were home alone, and she went upstairs to his room thinking that was where he was. When she tried to open the door, she couldn’t because a dresser had been moved in front of the door from the inside of the room,” Taddie said.

“She had thought maybe her five year old son had some super strength or something, but when she finally pushed through he was nowhere in the room. Turns out he was

continued on page 2

The Chardon Sheetz Enterance at Night Photographed By : Yinxi Li

The Chardon Sheetz Gas Pumps at Night Photographed By : Yinxi Li

Front of a Centry Home Photograph By: Ellis Taddie

hiding downstairs on a completely different level of the house,” Taddie said. Taddie went so far as to recount how her parents invited a priest to bless the home in the early years of their residence because of all the eerie behavior. “When my mom first moved in, she had a friend come over and gave her a tour of the house. After the tour, her friend asked where my brother was and my mom was confused because

me and him were at our grandma’s house that day. Her friend then told her how she saw a little boy sitting in one of the chairs in the attic. After that experience, she would wake up around three in the morning almost every night hearing blaring train horns and a feeling of intense pressure in her chest before the priest came to bless it,” Taddie said.

According to the appearance of many of the homes in Chardon’s downtown and along the square, paranormal activity in the community is a fairly

plausible occurrence. Although many long-time residents have heard of the “purple haunted house on Court Street,” the majority are unaware of its true background besides stories they have heard. Vicky, Taddie’s mother, claims that when she was a child growing up in Chardon, her math teacher used to live there. He would frequently share ghost stories with his students about the location, including one occasion when the activity got so out of control that he was compelled to walk to the Chardon Police Station and spend the

night there.

Along with the old homes, the Chardon Municipal Cemetery off of Park Avenue has age to it. The majority of locals claim to have never seen anyone there, leading them to assume that, aside from the graveyard caretakers, it is on the abandoned spectrum. Due to the age of the city itself, some residents believe it to be haunted. Despite the spooky tales floating about town, Chardon’s heritage is valued by the activities and events that are still hosted there today.

corner of Sheetz is home to various homeless people. If you live in or around Chardon you most likely have seen two guys riding around on bikes. These two men are some of the (assumed to be) homeless people that will stand on the corner of Sheetz and play music. When asked about the strangest thing he’s seen at Sheetz, junior James DeMore said, “Random homeless people. The band playing instruments.” It’s assumed that they are homeless based on their lifestyle but it has been denied by

people, so it is only a rumor. They play a variety of instruments on the corner, but they don’t beg for money while doing it. In the summer, a different group of people come to the same corner and play music. They were different in the way they dressed and the instruments they played, but have since disappeared. Sheetz does have specific policies against panhandling on the property, so they’ve likely been talked to by management.

Sheetz is open 24/7, has fast food, and a big parking lot. The Chardon Sheetz is rumored to be a strange place but is the place to go for many bored teens late at night.

How Are The 8th Graders Adjusting To Chardon High School Life?

By: Molly Gilles

The class of 2027 is the newest wave of 8th-graders to arrive at Chardon High School. Moving up to high school can be a challenge especially when you’re technically still a middle schooler.

In 2018, two of Chardon’s elementary schools closed. The 4th and 5th graders were moved to Chardon Middle School and the 8th graders were moved to the high school. Not many students were excited about the change, but some eventually grew to appreciate it.

12th-grader Marisa Breznay said, “It was definitely a good preparation for my high school classes.”

Switching to the high school did come with some challenges though. “I really was not ready for the amount of work I got,” claimed 8th-grader Quinn Zimmerman. While it’s true that each school year gets increasingly more challenging, many 8th-graders agreed it was more than they expected. Some students said they felt that having lots of homework added stress to their lives.

Chardon High School has a very different

Geauga Rocks: Chardon’s First and Only Radio Station

By: Maggie Bonfiglio

When most students at Chardon think of radio, they think of their car radio which has been largely ignored in favor of their aux, or an obsolete alarmclock-radio abandoned in an antique store.

layout than the middle school. Finding your classes in the new environment can be a real struggle. 8th-grader Sydney Sheid said that one of her biggest challenges in the High School was finding her classes in the crowded hallways. With a student body of nearly 1,200, the hallways can be a real challenge to get through.

Some 8th-graders expressed their enthusiasm for having more access to their phones in the high school. In middle school, they were not allowed to be on their phones during their free time in school, yet as 8th-graders they can now use them at lunch or during study halls. Many students connect by playing games, sharing funny images or filming TikToks. When asked what his favorite thing about the high school was, Zimmerman answered, “I really enjoy Mr. Goss’ class.”

“They talk to you more like a person than a student,” Zimmerman added, “It’s more personal.”

The 8th-graders do have to go through quite a bit of change this year, but just like past 8th-graders, they will adjust and get used to life here at Chardon High School.

“Geauga Rocks” is aiming to change that misconception. For many teens who are dreading the end of their Spotify free trial or are tired of the millionth pandora ad, just hearing that they can listen to music for free without ads is a huge draw. Not only that but “Geauga Rocks” doesn’t force itself into the narrow constraints of other stations. The station is on 24 hours a day but 7 am to 8 am is the 70s, 8-9 am is the 80s, and 9-10 am is the 90s. After that, the song choices are based on the theme of the day, so there is always something new and interesting. If any of this makes you curious then you’ll be happy to hear from Mike Kehoe himself, the creator and DJ of “Geauga Rocks!”

“Geauga Rocks” was released August 2nd so the station is relatively new. Creating anything from the ground up is difficult. What does it take to run a station? What do you spend most of your time working on?

“To run a station, you need three things. A plan, the music, and money. Before starting a station, have a plan. Figure out what you want to play and who your audience is. If you are doing it to attract the largest audience, listen to a lot of popular stations and see what they do for programming, promos, etc.

If you are doing it to play a genre or format that appeals to you, make sure you know how to attract listeners with like interests. Once again, look up stations on services that play similar genres. Don’t just copy, use them as a guide.

The plan should also include your own website. Some services include a page for your station, but your own site is a big plus.

Have a good collection of music. I’ve been buying and collecting music since the mid 60s, so I have a huge collection. You need to own the music you play. Either music you already own or plan to buy.

The last thing you need is money. You will need to either pay fees to the services that pay royalties to the artists or use one of the few services that pay your fees for you. I use Live365. For a monthly fee, they have various plans that pay the fees for you. It is the most economical and easiest way to take care of it. Time I spend on the station is programming. Setting up schedules and playlists. I have over 250 playlists (and always growing) of varying lengths to fill in the various time slots during the week. “Geauga Rocks” has 18 hours a day of scheduled programming and from 12-6 am, we have an automated DJ setup to play through the night. It’s also important to see what is working and what isn’t. Either shows or songs that are more popular, and those that aren’t doing well. We are also getting ready to add prerecorded and live shows to the lineup, which is work-intensive.”

You mentioned before that you were DJing out of your bedroom in the 90s. What was that like?

“Doing the Alternative show live in the 90s was a lot of fun. It was still the Wild West of internet radio and the rules weren’t all in place yet. It was a Canadian station run by two women that I came across in a music forum. They would throw the broadcast to me for four hours on the weekend and I got to play whatever I wanted. I’m 99% sure that it wasn’t a legal broadcast, but that was easier to get away with then. I had a desktop computer, Winamp for broadcasting, and a crappy microphone. It was not the most professional of shows, but I got to play what I wanted, interact with some listeners, and not have to worry about everything else that goes with running a station.”

You’ve also said you’re a fan of the Talking Heads, The Temptations, and The Foo Fighters which are all great bands. What other crowd-pleasers can students look forward to hearing on “Geauga Rocks?”

“Besides having all the popular bands from each decade, the station has a wide variety of indie and alternative bands that are either semi-popular or downright obscure. We do play the hits, but we also play songs and bands that we think deserve more of an audience. While I enjoy a lot of mainstream stuff,

Designed and Sold by brackerdesign on RedBubble

Sheetz: Continued from page 1

my life has always been looking on the fringes for something. I spent half of my life saying to my friends “Come on, you have to give this a listen.”, not always successfully.

One of the big things that we push are bands that are popular overseas that never have had a big audience in The U.S. for whatever reason. Bands like Supergrass, The Coral, The Stereophonics, Happy Mondays, Oasis (beyond their two hits in the U.S.), The Stone Roses, and numerous others get airplay on the station. I am always scouring the internet for these types of bands.” Most stations are committed to one era or genre. Why did you make “Geauga Rocks” so diverse?

“My first station was a Classic Rock station several years ago. What happened is that I quickly got bored. All the music had been made. There was nothing new to find except an occasional ‘lost song’. I have always listened to new music throughout my life and being able to add current things appealed to me. I have old friends who think music stopped in the 70s and know younger people that don’t know what existed before they started listening to music.

My goal is to appeal both to older people who like listening to newer stuff and to younger people who will give the older stuff a shot.

The music on “Geauga Rocks” spans over six decades. That’s a lot of years. Except for the All-Night Rock Mix, we keep the shows pretty well defined by genre, so there is something for everybody at any given time.”

Students at Chardon are often confined by the top 40 hits or whatever their parents listen to. Name an artist you think high schoolers at Chardon should listen to.

“Since the station gears towards rock/pop/power pop, I’ll give a couple of newer rock bands that have popped up in the last few years. Rock bands are harder to find these days in the charts. They only have a few things out as of now but sound promising. They are both on Spotify.

Young Culture is reminiscent of the more melodic alternative bands of the late 90s after the Grunge era. Dirty Honey is in the Classic Rock vein. Think Led Zeppelin with an Aerosmith twist.”

We’ve all got our guilty pleasures or skeletons in the closet. What’s a music opinion you never admitted?

“The two guilty pleasures that I don’t admit to (but there are people who know it!) in music are A lot of 60s and 70s top

40 pop songs and I’m a real sucker for romantic pop songs, especially from the New Wave era of the 80s.”

The Alumni of Chardon

By: Grace George

Most students know about the alumni working as staff members at Chardon High School. To learn more about these staff members, two notable alumni answered questions about their opportunities/inspirations from their high school heritage. First and foremost, the faces of Chardons football are well-known. A recent 2018 graduate, Coach Niehus, had much to say about the high school.

“I always imagined coming back. Chardon was very impactful to me and I want to be able to give back to the community,” said Niehus.

Stereotypically, students can be divided as everyone has their own clique. Not Niehus, though. He’s proud to say that he took part in many extracurriculars such as football, lacrosse, free harmony, one acts, crazy captain, etc.

“Coach Hewitt was probably the most in-

fluential person to me. He was like a father figure to me. I admire the way he carries himself and I want to emulate that energy,” Niehus said.

Science teacher and 1998 Chardon graduate, Jill Carpenter said, “I never thought of coming back, but I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I think Mr. Rohr and Mr. Robertson made me want to become a science teacher. They had so much energy and it was just inspiring.” Carpenter was also an involved student academically. She was a part of student council for all four years of high school. Although she wasn’t the president of the council, Carpenter was still a big advocate for her graduating class. She also tried basketball freshman year, but soon realized student council was what she wanted to focus on. In addition to her thoughts on the high school, Carpenter said, “I’m shocked that no one uses lockers and that new classes like computer programming have replaced others like woodshop.”

People like Mrs. Carpenter and Coach Niehus are faces of Chardon High School. Chardon has been an impactful place for

many students throughout the years. The proof lies within your very own academic environment.

James Webb Telescope: How It’ll Change Science Today

By: Joey George

Back in 2021, on December 5th, the James Webb Telescope was launched. The James Webb Telescope’s initial purpose is to research and observe the first galaxies formed in the universe. It began its 120 day journey to the second Lagrange point which is orbiting the sun behind the Earth. Lagrange points are positions in space where the gravitational pull of two objects produce a force that retracts and repulses. The two objects producing the gravitational pull would be the Sun and the Earth.

The James Webb Telescope isn’t used for just that though. It can be used to see different stars forming planetary systems like ours.

Also, it is used to study the exoplanet’s atmosphere and look for building blocks of life. Exoplanets are the term for planets found in other systems outside of ours. or example, 51 Pegasi b. 51 Pegasi b also known as Dimidium, is an exoplanet in the constellation Pegasus.

This means that it’s outside of the solar system 50 light years away! Obviously, the main use was to look for the first galaxies in the beginning of the universe. Fortunately, the James Webb Telescope took a picture called SMACS 0723. The image shows a cluster of galaxies from 4.6 billion years ago. The real question is whether the information caught by the telescope is going to change the ways of science today. Most people don’t really care about the new discoveries like Chardon High School Senior Mason Fill. “I guess the scientists will keep searching for life but they probably might not find anything,” said Phil. Hope is low for finding new life because as people may know life isn’t perfect and it is nothing like those sci-fi films with space battles and laser swords. However, the James Webb Telescope has found 44 new galaxies that have never been discovered ever before. That is a lot of galaxies with a big chance to find new things.

Galaxies are game changers for science, but there are also other things the telescope discovered that could have a larger impact. For example, the telescope can collect data on any exoplanet’s atmosphere. This could show us if there is any life on these planets or if there could be life on them. If there was or could be life on an exoplanet, it could change the ways of science exponentially. “It would affect us by changing the universe around us,” says Sophomore Ethan Debevec. “We would live in our world knowing that there is more life out there.”What does the future look like for the James Webb Telescope? The observatory is expected to last at least 5 years up in space but NASA hopes it could last another 5 more years. The telescope still needs fuel to operate its systems and stay in orbit so after those ten years, it will shut off and drift in space. This means the James Webb Telescope will probably shut off around 2032.

Photograph By: NASA

Photo of Coach Neihus and Mrs. Carpenter by Grace George

Photograph By: NASA

Trypophobia: The Fear of Holes

By: Joe Ryan

People have many fears such as submechanophobia, the fear of large objects underwater. Or Nyctophobia, the fear of the dark. However, there is one fear that isn’t entirely recognized as a phobia and that is tyrpophobia. Trypophobia is the fear of holes. Think of something like a beehive or a lotus pod. Some people seem terrified and uneasy around pictures of little holes. Why is this? It would seem to be a widespread fear. However, as of 2021, 17% of children and adults actually have this phobia. In all actuality, trypophobia isn’t even considered a real fear as it’s never been officially deemed a phobia. So why does it seem as if everyone has this fear of holes? Especially people on the internet who claim they have it by self-diagnosing themselves. Well, people aren’t afraid of the holes but rather disgusted by them. student and past writer for the newspaper, stated “This is one of the silliest fears I’ve ever heard of. I can’t imagine that it affects many people. I can understand a lot of fears, this is not one of them.” Why does this happen? People associate

the holes with the decomposition of a body. According to a study done at the University of Kent in England in 2017 led by Tom Kupfer, he stated that people’s brains were activating in the same place as if they saw something like a parasitic infection or as stated before decomposition of a body. People are probably afraid of what the holes resemble and not the holes themselves.

Cleveland State student, Jake Ryan, was asked what he thinks about tyrpophobia. He said “I feel like it’s been made up by people for attention because it feels like it hasn’t existed since like 2011.”

This might be true as searches for it on google only recently spiked up.

Athan Marshall, another Cleveland Statestudent and past writer for the newspaper, stated “This is one of the silliest fears I’ve ever heard of. I can’t imagine that it affects many people. I can understand a lot of fears, this is not one of them.”

It seems as if the general opinion on it is that it’s either fake or just sounds funny. So it would seem that people aren’t afraid of these but are instead just seating they are because it would be easier than saying they are uncomfortable with the holes.

Sleep Deprivation in Teenagers

By: Camden Adamic

Students picture this scenario, droning up to glance at the clock, laying their head on the desk counting down the minutes until the bell rings. Eyes drooping, shooting up from a zombie-like trance when class ends. Waking up for class has become a chore for high school students across the country. Teenagers hit the hay half-way into history class, and sleep deprivation is something that every student has experienced. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine states the recommended amount of sleep for teenagers is 8-10 hours every 24 hours. However, this statistic is far from the average amount of sleep a real teenager gets. Besides being a full time student and athlete, Senior Natalie Hajjar has several other responsibilities. With only so many hours in a day, Natalie has to find the time to fit schoolwork into her busy schedule. She spends an average of 2 hours every night on homework, and calls it night usually around 11:30-12:00 A.M.

Students stay up all night finishing assignments, which leads to a difficult morning. There is another overarching factor contributing to sleepless nights. Technology has transformed into a necessity for our world, and it is exactly the thing that keeps us up during the night. Specifically the light our smartphones, TVs, and computers emit “blue light.”

Blue light carries a special frequency which hits the receptors in our eyes, and ultimately cancels the production of melatonin. Melatonin is a natural chemical found in the body which aids in the sleep cycle. So watching the amount of time you spend glued to your phone before bed, could potentially improve your mood in the morning.

This also can play into the homework aspect, working until late hours of the night with your laptop screen blaring into your eyes.

Student and athlete Ethen Jackson spends his time at the gym, participates in Chardon sports and puts in effort at his place of work. Ethen spends an average of three hours a night working on homework, which throws off his healthy sleep cycle. Ethen finds himself up till 3am on school nights, which would leave him with four hours of rest. “Senior year is easy,” Ethen said. He admitted that he has felt overwhelmed for the past 3 years of his high school career.

WIthout proper sleep we become irritable, and lack of rest can affect brain function, and physical health. Overworked students receive little to no sleep, despite the fact that teenagers need the most for a healthy development.

When it comes to the school work load, a majority of that is unalterable. There are a few ways students can better their sleep

cycle, and improve the amount of rest they receive each night. Limiting screen time before bed, whether that’s an Iphone or laptop. Avoid napping; after school seems like the perfect opportunity to take a long nap, but that can negatively affect a regular sleep schedule. Create a night time routine before bed. This can aid in creating a healthy sleeping pattern every night. Of course there are multiple major factors that cannot be changed such as school start times, which shortens the amount of time teens can spend sleeping.

Sleep is an important aspect of life, and health. So getting as much as possible is important, especially for students!

1. What is the shortest day of the year called?

a) Coldest day

b) Darkest day

c) Winter’s day

d) Winter solstice

2. What phobia is an extreme fear of the snow?

a) Chinophobia

b) Hydrophobia

c) Nephophobia

d) Pteromerhanophobia

Answers on page 8

Lindsey Schaefer Sleeping On Desk

Photographed By : Camden Adamic Trivia!

The Decline of Reading

By: Molly Gilles

Over the last few decades, the amount of people who read in their free time has significantly declined.

As students grow older, their schedules can fill up much more quickly than before. They might be on a sports team or have a parttime job. These events can take up a lot of time. Some people don’t have enough time in their day to sit down and read a book. Based on a study released by Pew Research Center, 35% of adults owned a smartphone in 2011. Over ten years, that percentage grew to 85%. This increase has created issues when it comes to reading. Phones are constantly taking attention from people trying to do everyday tasks. While reading, you might get a text and now all of your attention is on your phone. After responding to the message, you might get a notification that someone liked a photo you posted, and suddenly you’re scrolling through your social media feed and have completely forgotten that you were going to read a book.

Most people have had to read a book for school at one point or another. Reading for school often comes with many deadlines and tests. These factors can take the fun out of books. Students can procrastinate reading for class due to numerous things going on in their life. They may have to speed-read large portions of the book in one night if they’re behind. This can result in the student associating reading with the stress of schoolwork

and they may never want to touch a book again after they graduate.

Reading can have lots of benefits in life. One of those benefits is that your brain gets stronger with each book you read. When reading, you are using multiple functions in your brain like comprehension, fluency, visual processing, and more. You can use these abilities in other parts of your life, so reading can be a good exercise. Books can transport your mind into a whole new world. This helps to take the stress away from your everyday life. The more often you read, the easier it is for you to imagine the environment of your book. Picturing yourself in these fictional worlds can help take your mind off of your everyday stressors. According to the journal Neurology, “Illiteracy was independently associated with higher risk of dementia.” If you read regularly, the mental stimulation can slow down brain disorders like Dementia and Alzheimer’s. Much like exercising your body makes you less likely to develop diseases, exercising your brain with cognitive stimulation like reading can make you less susceptible to mental disorders later in life. You use thousands of words each day. One way to learn even more is to read books. Books provide you with the context for new words so it can be easier to learn than if you were to open a dictionary. The number of people who read may be on the decline, but books can still provide lots of benefits for their readers. If someone finds themself with a bit of free time, they should consider opening up a new book.

Where Did They Go?

By: Yinxi Li

Chardon High School’s Cafeteria went through many changes, noticeably the many removed amenities which were once open for the students.

During the 2019-2020 Chardon school year, the cafe began to remove previously accessible luxuries to now unaccessible amenities for the staff, but why?

One of these many luxuries of the cafeteria was the renowned microwave. With the installation of a student available microwave, cold, stiff foods would be heated to yesterday’s delicacy. The microwaves have since been removed.

“Students blew up things in them… they took them out because students were abusing them,” said Claudette Piras.

While microwaves were in use, students would find ways of ruining them. Mainly using materials including tin foil; students would end up placing sheets into the microwave and turning it on.

Students even went as far as wrapping pencils with tin foil and microwaving them.

“They would put gum, a lot of gum, and tinfoil in the microwaves and blew them up,” said Ms. Gidding.

Tin foil wasn’t the only form of foreign objects entering the microwave. Students would begin to “experiment” with other questionable materials such as gum creating destructive messes, maintenance would be called multiple times a week because of

Which Cereal Is The Best Cereal?

By: Joe Ryan

Cereal is one of the most popular foods with 2.7 billion boxes bought each year. Though, it is also one of the most contentious foods. Which brands are magically delicious and which fall flat and soggy to figure this out, a Google Form was sent out around Chardon to determine which cereal was the most positively received and which was the most negatively received. The more sugary brands like Fruity Pebbles, Lucky Charms, and Froot Loops were the most positively received. While the most disliked brands were the ones that were not as sugary such as plain Cheerios and the aforementioned Raisin Bran although there was one outlier, and that was Reese’s Puffs which is a sugary cereal. There was one trait of this cereal that needs to be mentioned. Reese’s Puffs is a chocolate cereal as well as peanut butter. Most were critical of chocolate cereals like CoCoa Puffs, Cocoa Pebbles, and Krave. Maybe it is because of the flavor of chocolate mixing with the milk that most people don’t like. Trix was the cereal that 34.5% of people thought Trix was middle of the road. Plain cheerios were also very contentious with 44.8% of the votes saying they were just alright. Frosted Flakes with 34.%.31%,and 31% said they were impartial to frosted Frosted Flakes, Apple Jax, and Frosted Mini Wheats, respectively.

Multiple Chardon students were asked what their favorite cereal was.

William Brooker said “Cinnamon Toast Crunch” and then followed up with “the big box”.

When another student, Joel Houser, was asked for his opinion on cereal he said, “Cereal is pretty good, it’s a way to start the day”.

The final student asked was Kristen Bettac who at first said their favorite cereal was Froot Loops, but after said that they didn’t like cereals. When asked why, replied that they just didn’t like it.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch was the most well-received cereal with 51% saying they liked it and Raisin Bran was the most disliked. cereal with 34.5% saying they disliked it.

these destructive messes.

“I believe it was immaturity and disrespect. It only takes one person to disrespect the equipment to ruin it for the rest,” said Piras. Ruining for the rest is what ended up happening, Piras noted an installation of a new commercial microwave for the students won’t be something the facility will be thinking about.

“They don’t pay for those items so they end up misusing them,” said Salatino With the misuse of our luxuries, it ended up with their removal.

The Grab & Go line on the left side of the Cafe served the students their own buildyour-own subs and sandwiches.

From the many varieties of dishes and combinations of ingredients. It doesn’t look as if it will see the light of day anymore.

“Cost, it doesn’t pay enough to open it up,” said Piras.

As the lunch department is an individual department, money management within their own department is necessary for the upkeep, though they can take money from other departments, “being in the red” is not something Piras wants.

“I will not open it because I am a business person. A business sense that does not make money,” said Piras.

Piras would end off by stating the subway line will be given off to the CREW as they have a surprise for the Subway Line. They plan to open their project to the public sometime this 2022-2023 school year.

At the end of the lunch line, the cooler filled with popsicles, ice cream sandwiches and ice cream tacos was a treat to remember. As with the sub and sandwich line, the ice cream cooler was just too costly to keep running.

Though it was one of the many enjoyable snacks in the cafe, it was beginning to make no income, and as with COVID-19, they would have to keep many sanitary regulations to keep the cafeteria a safe/sanitary environment, which was also a factor of the removal of the cooler, along with others like the veggie lines.

“Park did bring the ice cream cooler back. I order ice cream for them. I would like to bring that back,” said Piras. With Park Elementary School’s reimplementation of the ice cream cooler and her ambition to bring it back, it is foreseen the

ice cream cooler will be making a full recovery back into the lunchroom.

With previous prices being $1.50-$2.50 we should expect to see an increase in price for these snacks.

As an average lunch now costs up to $3 and the vending machine’s increase in price, Ms. Piras expect ice cream to range from $1.75 to even 3$ which is the cost of a whole lunch.

If these were implemented while all students were given free lunch, this additional cost to have a sweet treat wouldn’t be too costly of an add-on if compared to present-day prices.

Though many can argue it would be unfair, with how current events stand it will be the only option if the ice cream cooler is going to return. With products being inflated, it seems it will still apply.

Picture From verywellfit.com

Photographed By: Alexandra Shytsman

Photograph By: Yinxi Li

MARVEL VS. D.C.: Which Is Better?

By: Joey George

The first masked hero introduced to the world was in 1936 and his name was “The Phantom”. This comic was created by Lee Falk and showed Kit Walker donning a purple outfit and mask to fight crime. There have been many different superhero franchises throughout the years, but the most popular by far have to be the Marvel and DC franchises. Marvel was created in 1939 and featured its first-ever superhero, “The Human Torch.” DC however was created in 1934 only five years before Marvel. You might be thinking, “Wait but that’s before The Phantom came out?” Yes you are correct, however, DC doesn’t only write superhero comics. They came out with their first superhero after The Phantom and it was called “Superman in Action Comics.” As you heard before Marvel was created in 1939 by Mark Goodman. Marvel owns around 8,000 superheroes to this day, all with unique looks and abilities. The company’s first-ever superhero, “The Human Torch,” was named Jim Hammond and he was created in a lab by scientist Phineas Horton. He is an android that is able to surround himself with and control flames. Also there are many other popular superheroes in Marvel like Spider-Man, Iron-Man, and Thor. All of these heroes have unique and special backstories that usually involve their reason for wanting to be a hero to help people.

DC comics was created in 1937 by magazine writer Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson. Nicholson created DC so he could bring fresh ideas to the comic and magazine market. One of these ideas that he thought of was Superman. Superman was created in 1939, also known as Kal-El or Clark Kent, was sent to Earth on a spaceship from his parents. He was launched right before his home planet was destroyed from its core exploding.

He landed on a farm near the town of Smallville, which is where he would grow up for the next few years of his life. His adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha

GUEST COLUMN Start by Voting

By: Mr. Goss

This past November was election day for the United States. Millions of Americans went to the polls, or voted absentee, or by mail. However they voted, their voices were heard. Millions of qualified Americans did not vote. For an off year election, one in which the office of President of the United States is not up for grabs, participation was not, by American standards at least, that bad. No one should be surprised that a social studies teacher would be nerded up over voter turnout and election results. Maybe it isn’t surprising that this social studies teacher wants to give Americans a grade for voter turnout. So, what would a grading scale look like for voter turnout? Should we judge eligible voters? Should we examine voter turnout among just registered voters? Should we use a 90, 80, 70, 60 scale? Whatever the scale, America’s voting GPA would not impress. Consider 2020, a highly contested and tumultuous election cycle. More Americans cast a vote for their respective candidate for President than had ever been cast.

Sounds like this must deserve an “A”. Not so fast. Pew Research estimates that only 63% of voting age Americans cast a ballot in the 2020 election. Of course people were busy and the Covid Pandemic. I wonder what excuse Ohioans were using in 2013. The Ohio Secretary of State reports that In 2013 less than 27% of registered voters cast a ballot. Possibly there was not anything interesting to Ohioans during that cycle. Is it the same everywhere? In other countries where people can make choices about who is in charge or what is done, is everyone as disinterested in elections as Americans? No, not really.

According to the folks at Pew Research, Americans are well behind much of the “voting world” when considering voter turnout. For example, the people of Belgium, known for amazing waffles, deserve credit for averaging nearly an “A” for voter turnout. On average voters in Belgium turn out at an 88% rate. Belgium is not the highest but I wanted to make a waffle reference. Perhaps Americans have good reasons for not voting. After all, we are really busy.

Kent, teach him to be good and always help others even if you can get hurt. Other than Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash are the most popular superheroes in the DC universe. These heroes also have unique and different backstories that show their heroism like Marvel, however, they are a little more edgy. For example, Batman is not

a hero, he is a vigilante. A vigilante does good things for people, but they do it with violence.

“The movies are just better,” says Liam Goerndt. “And they’re easier to follow story-wise.”

Fourteen people took a survey that decided which superhero company they liked more, Marvel or DC. Twelve out of the fourteen said they liked Marvel while the other two said they liked DC. Out of the twelve people that picked Marvel three said Spiderman was their favorite superhero, other popular heroes among the survey were Iron-Man and Thor. When he asked why he liked Marvel more, Liam Goerndt said, “The movies are just better, and they’re easier to follow storywise.” Both responses for DC said that their favorite superhero was Batman.

Art By: Steve Epting

Art By: Joe Shuster

“The movies are just better. And they’re easier to follow story-wise.”

Liam Goerndt