The Playwickian
February 14, 2017
Issue 3
Volume 85
Photo/Wikimedia Commons Millions gather in Washington D.C. in support of women’s and civil rights. By Catherine Hilliard After the inauguration festivities wrapped up on Jan. 20 to celebrate the newly elected President Donald Trump, millions of men and women gathered in the nation’s capital and other cities across the United States to rally on President Trump’s first day in office. The event was held to highlight the degree to which the President has unsettled people domestically and internationally. A major cause of the march was a demonstration in support of women’s rights and civil rights. However, clear undertones towards the newly elected president were also connected to the march. The turnout in the capital was so large that the designated march route along the National Wall was impassable. Protesters were told to make their way to the Ellipse near the White House by way of other streets, causing a chaotic scene in downtown Washington. As marchers walked the streets of Washington D.C., many with pink hats and signs, they chanted, “Welcome to your first day. We will not go away.” The Washington rally alone attracted over 500,000 people with similar marches in cities in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles
to Mexico City, Paris, Berlin, London, Prague and Sydney. The rally featured speeches from Madonna; actresses America Ferrera, Ashley Judd and Scarlett Johansson; women's rights activist Gloria Steinem; Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards and director Michael Moore. A large group of senators and politicians also took the stage at one point during the event, including Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey. Neshaminy alumni Zoey Joyce also attended the march on Washington D.C., and described the crowd as ever increasing and positive. “We had lots of positivity toward women, members of the LGBT community and people of different races,” Joyce said. “There was a small group I encountered that actually gathered to sing at the march. It was very touching that they were compelled to speak out in such a peaceful but powerful way.” Joyce was motivated to take part in the march based on the speech and actions that have happened in the past few months from politicians and the current president. “I believe that the event was successful but not at what it was created for,” she said. It set a tone for future matches and protests
by showing the general public that we can peacefully assemble and be heard. It also showed that it’s better to get out there and try than to worry about those worse scenarios and not attending. I believe it’s integral for that same crowd to continue being socially and politically active in our government and I think this was a stepping stone toward that possibility.” Steinem suggested that the size and energy of the event was a positive result of Trump's election and inauguration. "This is the upside of the downside. This is an outpouring of energy and true democracy like I have never seen in my very long life. It is wide in age. It is deep in diversity," Steinem said. The activist also praised “our great leaders” Barack and Michelle Obama, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton and their support for women’s rights. Hours after the event ended, demonstrators continued to march and chant down the streets of the city, some with homemade signs related to Hillary Clinton, President Trump’s campaign rival. One read, “Lock him up,” flipping a chant Trump supporters directed at Clinton during the campaign. Another read, “Still with her,” a play on Clinton’s campaign slogan. Several “Stronger Together” signs were displayed as well. Although not present at the rally, Clinton turned to Twitter to give her support posting, “Thanks for standing, speaking & marching for our values @womensmarch. Important as ever. I truly believe we're always Stronger Together.” "We march today for the moral core of this nation, against which our new president is waging a war," Ferrera told the Washington crowd. "Our dignity, our character, our rights have all been under attack, and a platform of hate and division assumed power yesterday. But the president is not America ... We are America, and we are here to stay."
Senate attempts to gut ethics committee
www.playwickian.com
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Women’s March draws millions
The Newspaper of Neshaminy High School
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2001 Old Lincoln Highway, Langhorne, PA
Photo/Wikimedia Commons
Trump eliminado de la version de sitio web de la Casa Blanco
De Grace Marion La administración nuevo de Trump comenzó sus plazo eliminado de la versión de sitio web de la Casa Blanco en español. Viendo esto, oficiales y periodistas de España alarmaron. Más temprano, el sitio web mostró un mensaje de error, pero el sitio web redirecciona a la versión inglesa en enero. “Lamentamos que el versión español de el sitio web fue borrado, no lo parece igual una idea bueno… dado que esto es un país con 52 millón hablantes de español,” ministro forense de España Alfonso Dastis dijo en una entrevista con La Local en inglesa. La Estados Unidos población hispana tiene una estimación de 57 millón gente ahora de acuerdo a el Censo Oficina de Estados Unidos. Clamar el preocupaciones de la oficiales de España, secretario prensa de Estados Unidos Sean Spicer liberado una declaración reclamando el sitio web estaba actualizando. A pesar de esto, algunas personas todavía te preocupas sobre de estado de el lenguaje español en el gobierno y sociedad de Estados Unidos, porque la cuentas de redes sociales para la Casa Blanco en español y la coordinador de prensa para español hablando agencias de noticias ambos sigue apareciendo irse.
For a translation, visit: www.playwickian.com
By Regina Thomas
To start off their first day of 2017 in power, House Republicans took a closed-door vote to decide the fate of the independent ethics office. They came close to eliminating it, but backed off once they faced harsh criticism from watchdog ethics groups and Democrats. It was a 119-74 vote in favor of renaming the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) to Office of Congressional Complaint Review and placing it under the oversight of the House Ethics Committee. The OCE is an independent body which oversees and investigates ethics complaints. It is led by eight people: four from the Democratic Party and four from the Republican Party. They are not allowed to be current members of Congress or work for the federal government.
Page 1/News
Its main job is to evaluate and investigate Congress members. Their website explains that their mission is “to assist the U.S. House in upholding high ethical standards with an eye toward increasing transparency and providing information to the public.” The Independent Ethics Office was created in 2008 in the midst of congressional scandals such as the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal where he was sentenced to six years in prison for tax evasion, mail fraud, and bribing public officials. Also, Republican Party House member Tom DeLay was convicted of money laundering and conspiracy charges. The House already had a committee to investigate members of Congress called the House Ethics Committee- which is run by Congress members, but they decided they needed an
extra committee; thus, the OCE was established. Some lawmakers do not like the OCE because they claim the office treats them unfairly while others do not like that the OCE’s findings are made public. Congress wants to be in control of what findings should be made public, which is why they want to gut the OCE, according to The Washington Post. The House has been criticized for this vote, even by President President Trump criticizes actions of the Congress on Donald Trump. Twitter.
The Playwickian
February 14, 2017
NHS alive with sound of music Noel Henry
How do you feel about your team’sperformance? Really good. We put in a lot of work and it shows. What do you hope to gain out of this experience? To meet new people and make new friends. What are your expectations for gym night? Obviously to win, but we’re really close with the red team, so I hope for all of us to do well.
Connor Gibson
What performance are you most looking forward to seeing? Both of the senior’s dances What do you hope to gain out of this experience? Just fun and hopefully a dub What are your expectations for gym night?
For everyone to have a good dance.
BEHIND THE SCENES:
COLOR CAPTAINS
GRAPHICS/ DORTHY O’CONNOR
Chad Wiatrowski
What inspired you to run for captain? I wanted to finish it off and the last three years have been amazing. What performance are you most looking forward to seeing? Blue Seniors. They really stepped up to the plate last year, so I’m excited to see what they do this year. What are your expectations for gym night? Awesome, exciting, high adrenaline.
Alex Monaco
What performance are you most looking forward to seeing? Red Seniors, but I really think the red sophomores dance will be really exciting. What do you hope to gain out of this experience? Leadership and time control. What are your expectations for gym night? That everyone gets along and each team has a wonderful dance
SHADOWING A GIANT:
NESHAMINY STUDENT FOLLOWS PROMINENT JOURNALIST By David Tilli The clouds were too charcoaled and ominous, almost paradoxically so, for the occasion. With rain apparently imminent, I hurried into a high rise on 801 Market Street, ornamented with a plaque reading “The Inquirer, Daily News, and philly.com.” Beyond the doors and security desk awaited a shadowing opportunity only formally recognized in my dreams. The Pultizer-Prize winning journalist I was shadowing, Kristen Graham, was the sister of my family doctor, who connected me with her esteemed sibling after I told her of my interest in journalism. The experience was enlightening, and the revelations gained would be both useful and fascinating for all types of students. And so, in order to best optimize the fluff-to-stuff ratio, I compiled a list of the more profound of these revelations. Clicks Matter in the Newsroom One streak among the many highlights of the trip was the editor’s meeting, where, in a confusing act of linguistic deception, the editors met and discussed the news of the day. Particularly notable about this meeting was the presence of a large
conference board, whose screen was filled with the homepage of the paper’s website. Only, the titles of the various articles were augmented with a viewcount to their side. In this brave new world, clicks truly matter, and they frequently led the discussion in terms of worthy (i.e.viral) stories. Journalism Degrees Matter Less Out of all the questions I had anxiously awaiting to be answered, the most pressing one was about degrees. More specifically, which type of college degree was most necessary for aspiring journalists? The answer I received from Graham was relieving: “Your experiences matter more than your degree.” Though she herself had an oldfashioned journalism degree, Graham introduced me to two fellow employees to prove her thesis. Practically chosen at random, these two journalists admitted that their undergraduate majors were business and communications, and confirmed that interning, finding the right connections, and writing for the college newspaper would take writers further than any single degree. Middle Class Living, Plus You Can Sleep at Night No doubt, journalism appears to be an intimidating field. With the amount of job openings expected to decrease by nine percent and median salaries starting around $37,000, journalists seem to suffer from both short demand and short shrift; the burgeoning impact of the Internet (and the
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staggering number of choices offered by it) certainly plays a role in this apparent instability. Graham is confident, however, that the field will eventually stabilize in this new digital age. She also affirmed that, while newcomers might face difficulty in gaining entrance, those who do make it past the gates can expect a healthy middle-class life, along with the benefit of working in a field capable of changing the world for the better. Playwickian Plays in Big League One of the more pleasantly surprising tidbits I gleaned from the experience came in the form of a quizzical editor. During the aforementioned meeting, after I was introduced to the gathered editors, one of them asked me if I wrote for The Playwickian. When I answered in the affirmative, he followed up by proclaiming: “That’s great. Y’know, you guys have one of the best student papers by a mile!” High praise, and I was certainly willing to accept it on behalf of my fellow journalists-intraining. After the shadowing was over, I walked out into a Philadelphia that had seemingly offended Zeus himself. With rain pelleting the sidewalks, making them ever slicker, I took refuge in a bus stop decorated with posters and inhabited by only one fellow refugee. Since sharing shelter from the storm was a strong-enough bond, he began to ask questions, like if I was a movie buff, or if 5 dollars for 15 movies on DVD was a good deal or what. “Sorry, man,” I said. “I got no money on me.” “It’s alright, brother, it’s alright. I know how that is.” This modern-day street merchant found his hustle. Hopefully I just found mine.
The Playwickian
By Connor Menzel The doors close behind the audience, and suddenly they are transported to World War II era Austria, where a playful nun named Maria sings her heart out on the hilltops. This is the beginning of Neshaminy High School’s production of “The Sound of Music.” The production premiered on the night of Thurs, Feb. 2. Ever since the auditions for the show in the middle of October, the cast has been working nearly every day after school to perfect every detail. Each after school rehearsal took place from 2:30 to 5 p.m., and there were also some evening dress rehearsals during the week of the play and occasional practices on the weekends. “We picked the show in the summer,” said Kristen Nichols, one of the choir directors and the head of the music of the play. The drama department was very excited to choose “The Sound of Music” and the teachers and students were eager to begin working on it. The school musical is an activity that all types of students can be involved in. Some of them are very involved in the choir program, while others are more interested in acting without singing and dancing. The show also has live music performed by a pit orchestra consisting of band and orchestra members. The students chose what character they wanted to audition for, which meant they could audition for a role based on their interests. “I’ve always been much more of an actor than a singer or dancer, I think,” said sophomore Michael Russo, who played the role of Franz, the butler of the von Trapp family. “I auditioned for Franz because he is one of the characters that doesn’t have to sing or dance.” Many of the students that did not get a leading role in the play were still able to be involved by being part of the company. continued on website www.playwickian.com
February 14, 2017
Teacher Transformations
Photo/Riley Turner
Finding a voice through art
Photo/Courtesy of Kevin Hensel
By Riley Turner A picture is worth a thousand words. So for some, art is the way to unleash their true inner feelings, giving a voice to those who are too shy to unleash it vocally. Senior, Maeve Potash is one of these people. Although quiet and mild mannered in person, she speaks volumes with her paintbrush and camera, expressing herself through each drop of paint and each snap of her camera’s shutters. “One of the reasons why I love art is that it’s kind of like a place to store your thoughts,” Potash said. “It can be exhausting to have a million things going on in your head, so it’s nice to put some of those things somewhere else and also create something out of it. I think in a way art has given me more confidence. I'm usually pretty quiet and introverted, so through art I can express the thoughts and ideas that would be hard for me to communicate to people otherwise.” Potash’s love for art is deeply rooted in her life. She grew up in an art-friendly environment with parents that encouraged this love. Since then, her love has grown from taking art courses both in school and outside. She has taken six art courses at Neshaminy and two, one-week courses at the Moore College of Art at Temple. She mostly draws and paints expressions, eyes, hands and people, a skill that has been honed over years of capturing the world around her, be it by photography, paintbrush or pencil. She plans on attending the Tyler School of Art at Temple University and majoring in fine arts. "Maeve combines exceptional artistic skill with witty and smart commentary,” said her studio art teacher Terry O’Neill. “I am excited to see how her AP portfolio takes shape."
Photo/Riley Turner
Left, Kevin Hensel, 20, was a college student studying American History at the University of Pensylvannia. Right, Hensel is a Neshaminy AE APUSH and Honors World History teacher. He finds joy in collecting stuffed animal pigs and presidential bobble heads in his free time.
Photo/Courtesy of Michael Cochran
Photo/Nina Taranenko
Left, 10th grade English teacher Michael Cochran is pictured in his Neshaminy ID when he started working as a substitute teacher in 2007. His hobbies include listening to punk rock music and watching 80s movies.
‘Rogue One’ review:
Visually a blast with a so-so plot By Michael Wenderlich
Potash expresses herself through her elegant art designs. Drawings/Maeve Potash
D irector Gareth Edwards takes on the first spinoff to the Star Wars franchise, one in which normal people are forced to come together to fight the Empire as opposed to relying on the Jedi or the Force. The film is centered on research scientist Galen Erso’s daughter, Jyn, and a group of heroes, the Rebel Alliance, on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star from the Galactic Empire. Prior to the main plot, Galen Erso was forcibly captured to complete the design for the Death Star, a space station that has the ability to destroy entire planets. Photo/Google Creative Commons
Page 3/Arts & Entertainment
The Plawickian
“Rogue One” is close to the originals in action and suspense. Since it is a prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, the film fits in perfectly with the timeline. Using a mixture of both CGI and practical effects, the film displays a fluency of realistic visuals. These are key elements that Star Wars fans would expect; the original trilogy employed mostly practical effects. Although the visuals were realistic and effective, the film lacks a plot build-up and some character development. The plot may seem interesting and exciting prior to watching the film, but the first act started off slow. However, while the pacing eventually did pick up throughout the movie, the character development did not. For instance, Saw Gerrera’s (Forrest Whitaker) role in the film was so irrelevant that it was difficult to pay attention. Despite the disappointing character development in most of the characters, the female protagonist, Jyn Erso, (Felicity Jones) was the only character that had significant growth. By the third act of the film, viewers will eventually care for these characters, although their development was not up to par. Even though “Rogue One’s” plot and characters may not be well developed, the visual effects and action shots hold this film up. Overall, “Rogue One” is a satisfying installment to the Star Wars franchise.
February 14, 2017
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To my Playwickian family are only a few things I wou trade you nuts. Than ks for amazing four years. <3
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The Playwickian
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February 14, 2017
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I confess my truest love to my waifus. Two dimensional girls are simply superior. Their pastel-colored frilly dresses adorned with ribbons and lace matched up with stockings, the way they cutely posture themselves--they are infec tiously adorable. I dream of waking up, my waifu sliding open the door. “Ohayo~!” she’d say with confidence, slipping in with eggs, orange juice, and a rose on a tray. She’ d trip and the tray would fall to floor in a clattering mess--the ruin of a surprise. As she crouches in vain attempt to clean up, pushing back tears, I’d pull her up and embrace her, and she’d embrace back. Clenching her expression in emotion, we’d stand there for a moment until she’d let up. Then, with a twinkle in her eyes and a smile broken acro ss her face, she’d blushingly utter: “Oniichan ichiban suki~.” As I sit here writing this, listening to Snail’s House on my triple-monitor computer adorned with wallpap er of my waifu-of-the-month, I realize I’m not the only male in such a predicament. Inde ed, there is a growing many such as I, and as I gaze at the waifu figurines of Rem, Noz omi, Tsuyu, and Isabelle from Animal Crossing sitting upon my desk, I am assured of one thing--soon we will make cute anime girls real and 3D women shall be no more. Soon.
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Page 5/Features
The Playwickian
February 14, 2017
The Playwickian CSPA Member 2001 Old Lincoln Highway Langhorne, PA 19047 www.playwickian.com 215-809-6670 theplaywickian@gmail.com
Adviser Genevieve Kannengieszer
Editor-in-Chief Grace Marion
Managing Editor Gauri Mangala
Business Editor
Natalie Pietrowski Archive Editor Jake Callahan
News Editors
Catherine Hilliard and Connor Menzel
Op-Ed Editor
Brynn MacDougall
Campus Life Editors Andy Nguyen and Ashley Reiss Features Editors
Madison Pickul and Nina Taranenko
Entertainment Editors
Leanne Khov and Regina Thomas
Sports Editors
Maggie Aldrich and Natalie Pietrowski
Copy Editor Riley Turner
Staff Writers
Eliyana Abraham, Julia Capaldi, Samantha Diodata, Devon Horton, Kezia Joseph, Ryan Miller, Jenna Muller, April Phillips, Gwen Reckus, Jessica Schnur, Shane Schuchardt, David Tilli, Jacob VanDine, Cristiana Amaro, Payton Steckroat, Madison Maldonado, Amanda Kala The following is an excerpt from Policy 600, which the Playwickian staff must follow. The excerpt is not representative of Policy 600 in its entirety. The Playwickian has been directed to publish this excerpt of the Policy in its masthead. The staff feels this section of the policy is also important to be featured in the masthead: “It is the intent of the Board of School Directors of the School District that School District publications be considered government speech for purposes of the First Amendment and to the extent permitted by the First Amendment.” Playwickian Policy: The policy of the Playwickian which shall be published as part of the masthead of the newspaper shall be as follows: “Policy. Subject to applicable law and the terms, conditions and limitations set forth in Policy 600 of the Board of School Directors of the Neshaminy School District and this policy statement, it is the policy of School District that student journalists shall have the right to determine the content of the Playwickian. Except for advertisements, all content shall be prepared by students, subject to editing by others. Students: (a) strive to produce media based upon professional standards of accuracy, objectivity and fairness; (b) review material to improve sentence structure, grammar, spelling and punctuation; (c) check and verify all facts and verify the accuracy of all quotations; and (d) in the case of editorials or letters to the editor concerning controversial issues, determine the need for rebuttal comments and opinions and provide space therefore if appropriate. As examples, and not limitations on the proper authority of school officials, the following types of expression will not be approved for publication: (a) material that is obscene; (b) the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value; (c) indecent or vulgar language is not obscene; (d) material that violates the legal or constitutional rights of others; (e) material that will cause a material and substantial disruption of school activities; and (f) any other material that the school authorities reasonably believe should be prohibited. Within the terms, conditions and limitations of Policy 600 and this policy statement, students are free to express opinions. Specifically, a student may criticize school policy or the performance of teachers, administrators, school officials and other school employees. The viewpoints expressed by anyone in this paper shall not be deemed to be the viewpoints of the School District, any official or employee of the School District, or any student other than the student or students who expressed the viewpoint.
Page 6/Op-Ed
The Viewpoint: Late policy harsh on students, lenient on absences If a student is late to school, instead of missing the entire day, their lateness can lead to repercussions of greater magnitude than simply not showing up to school. This discrepancy in policies has left some students frustrated. The student handbook states that an “unjustified partial absence...will be treated with the same seriousness as an unexcused absence with similar consequences.” This leads students to believe that lateness and absence will be treated equally in the eyes of disciplinarians, yet if a student is late more than three times in a marking period without a proper reason, they receive a detention, while if a student has three unexcused absences, they incur no repercussions. In fact, students must be absent 15 times within a marking period or 30 days within a year to incur any disciplinary actions at all. In addition to this, absences are often automatically considered to be excused. Students can turn in notes to excuse their lateness or absence, avoiding repercussions. Acceptable excuses include things like college visits, illness and emergencies. Despite these accommodations, if a student is able to come into school instead of being absent for the entire day, it should be viewed more favorably than if a student were to miss the
school day entirely. Students often choose to miss entire school day, rather than to be late and face detention, despite missing less class time than if they had been completely absent. The stricter enforcement of late policies than of absent policies encourages students to miss more class time than need be in order to avoid wanton disciplinary action. This policy demonstrates a public high school, an institution meant to educate the masses, valuing punctuality over learning, and in doing so, betraying their mission to better the knowledge base of students above all else.
This unsigned editorial represents the unanimous view of the editorial board.
Photo/Brynn MacDougall Students who come into school late suffer disproportional punishments compared to when they don’t show up at all.
Check out more opinion pieces and other articles on our website, www.playwickian.com. Interested in sharing your views? Submit your own articles to The Playwickian in G202 or to theplaywickian@gmail.com. Got something to say about an article? Write us a letter to the editor.
Whistleblower Chelsea Manning’s sentence commuted by President Obama By Brynn MacDougall On the night of Jan. 17, it was announced that Wikileaks associate Chelsea Manning’s 35-year sentence had been commuted by President Obama. Manning will be free on May 17, 2017.
Graphic/Google Creative Commons Wikileaks is a non-profit organization that makes government documents, news leaks, and other classified media available to the public.
On Feb. 13, 2010, Manning had released thousands military documents that exposed the unjust acts committed by the U.S. government. Among the documents released were the “Collateral Murder” video which exposed the killings of unarmed civilians and two Reuters journalists by a U.S. Apache helicopter crew in Iraq, the “Afghan War Diary” which revealed uninvestigated civilian casualties in the Afghanistan War, the “Iraq War Logs” which exposed civilian casualties and uninvestigated reports of torture in the Iraq War, and the U.S. diplomatic communications that revealed the role of corporate interests and spying in diplomatic relationships. What Manning did should have been considered a noble, heroic act rather than a crime and should have been rewarded instead of imprisoned. The people are the ones who put the politicians in power and have the right to know what said politicians are doing, especially in times of war and other crisis. “Chelsea Manning has served a tough prison sentence,” Obama wrote in response to a “We the People” petition to free Manning on Jan. 17. “So the notion that the average person who was thinking about disclosing vital, classified information would think that it goes unpunished I don't think would get that impression... the sentence that she received was very disproportional...to what other leakers had received, and that she had served a significant amount of time, that it made it sense to commute...
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her sentence...What I can say broadly is that, in this new cyber age, we're going to have to make sure that we continually work to find the right balance of accountability and openness and transparency that is the hallmark of our democracy, but also recognize that there are adversaries and bad actors out there who want to use that same openness in ways that hurt us -- whether that's in trying to commit financial crimes, or trying to commit acts of terrorism, or folks who want to interfere with our elections.” Obama’s response gave off the impression that he was trying not to rock the boat, given that his term was up in two days, it is easy to see why. However, with the swearing in of a new president who has ties to foreign countries and possibly even organized crime according to TIME Magazine’s Jeff Nesbit, government transparency is needed more now than ever considering President Donald Trump’s ties to Russia. “I don’t think this erases what Obama has done, being the president who’s prosecuted more leakers and whistleblowers than any other in history,” said Trevor Timm, the executive director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, to Andy Greenberg of Wired magazine. “It may be him looking towards his legacy and realizing that a 35-year prison sentence that involves torture and solitary confinement was unjust and not going to be looked at well in the history books. But you have to give him credit for doing the right thing here.”
February 14, 2017
Neshaminy grad first female to win journalism award
Claire Smith graduated from NHS in 1971 and currently works as a coordinating news editor for ESPN. Photo/Neshaminy Yearbook By Natalie Pietrowski Neshaminy alumi Claire Smith was recently named as the 68th recipient of the prestigious JG Spink Taylor Award, the highest honor a baseball writer can receive. Smith was the first female, as well as the first African American, to receive this award. Additionally, she was the first full time African-American female beat writer for major league baseball. Previous winners of this award include sportswriters Paul Hagen and
Dan Shaughnessy. Smith was nominated by her peers for this award, and will be honored during the induction weekend of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. this July. “I just can’t put myself in a sentence with those gentlemen, and yet my peers chose to do so,” she said reflecting upon the honor. “Knowing that some of the most iconic writers in the history of America have this award on their mantels… I still haven’t been able to wrap my head around it.” Smith initially joined the workforce upon her graduation from Neshaminy High School but later took classes at Temple University when she realized she wanted to be a journalist. After college graduation, she began her journalism career with the Philadelphia Bulletin, Smith stayed with the publication until it ceased in 1982. “I loved the Bulletin, I would have stayed there for the rest of my career,” Smith said. “It’s the only paper I ever really wanted to work for, but stuff happens in life, and you end up on roads that you never dreamed of walking.” Pursuing a career isn’t always easy at first, and beginnings are often filled with moments of uncertainty. This certainly was the case for Smith, who recalls the events leading up to her first front-page story with the Philadelphia Bulletin. “I was absolutely sure that story
“Blow them away with what you do know, and show them that you belong.” -Claire Smith would never see the light of day,” she explained. “The next day I went out and bought the paper, and lo and behold, that story led the paper. That was my only front page story at the Bulletin, which folded a year later.” To Smith, a Neshaminy class of 1971 graduate, high school was a place to begin and to learn a lesson about escaping from one’s comfort zone. “I had wonderful teachers, but maybe it was a school that I had to use as a launching pad,” she said. “…Back in the day, I felt invisible because there were… few people who looked like me, and (no one) seemed to really care about me.” While her brothers were star athletes and “the life of the party,” Smith’s talents were “more internalized.” “I wish that I could look in the mirror and see where I am now,” she said. “Perhaps I wasn’t ready yet, maybe you have to start the walk before you realize that you can walk at all.” Smith credits her father with giv-
ing her a crucial piece of advice. “He told me, that as an African American, you are going to have to prove what you’re not before you prove what you are,” she said. “Instead of letting that be a doubly difficult task, I take it as a doubly difficult bonus, because it gives me twice the opportunity to show someone… that I belong here.” As a journalist in a field that is stereotypically dominated by members of the other races and genders, it is crucial to show that anyone can get the job done. “Don’t allow the majority to try to pigeonhole you into a stereotype, especially a stereotype that goes against your beliefs,” Smith said. “Blow them away with what you do know, and show them that you belong.” Smith is currently a coordinating news editor for ESPN, and received the Law Klein Alumni in the media award from Temple University in 2014, along with multiple other awards for excellence in journalism.
Boys’ basketball team recovers from abrupt coaching changes By Grace Marion Current head coach of the Neshaminy boys’ varsity basketball team, Mark Tingle, took up his position just six months ago following the removal of his predecessor, Jerry Devine, who was removed from his position on the coaching staff as a result of a physical confrontation with a referee at a basketball game on Jan. 5, 2016. Tingle and his new team have been working since August, when Tingle began his position as head coach, toward what they hope to be the team’s first winning season since the 2010-2011 school year. “Our new coach has really just got us conditioning all the time, and in the summer, and he just got us all in shape and we’re starting to finish out games,” said varsity player and junior, Chris Arcidiacono. The boys’ varsity basketball team is currently ranked 231 in Pennsylvania, and 5314 nationally. “The energy of our team has picked up since Coach Tingle took over” said varsity player and senior Zachary Tredway. “More people are starting to come to our games and travel with the team which helps us greatly. We are becoming more focused on our goals for the season.” Tingle is a 2001 Neshaminy alumni with 10 years under his belt as an assistant coach at his alma mater. His senior year, during which he played basketball for the same team for which he is now the head coach, was the last in which the Neshaminy boys’ basketball team won a league title. “...Anytime a former player comes back to their school it is beneficial to a program.” Tred-
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way continued. “He knows the area and the teams to help us succeed and having that input from someone who was in your shoes years ago helps gain an understanding between the sides.” Following his senior year, Tingle shot hoops at Bucks County Community College until 2003 when he began his coaching career under coaches Joe Blair and Devine. Tingle declined to coach during the 2013-2014 season, working at Council Rock South instead, according to Bucks Local News. “He knows everybody’s strengths and weaknesses from being an assistant for Neshaminy and then from also being an assistant within the area at Council Rock South,” Tredway said. “It was [an] easier transition for us even with a new coach and he puts us in position to win games.” Although the team is focusing on the future, some still regret the loss of their former coach. “Coach Devine was a really good
coach... he just got put in a bad situation,” Arcidiacono said. Despite mourning, some players still look forward to the rest of their time on the team. “We’re not looking at the past,” Tredway said. “We’ve been stressing a new era and Junior Chris Arcidiacono shoots a layup over a Council Rock North a new team player at a home game. Photo/JS Garber for Neshaminy for this year and beyond. We expect a tough group of guys so I don’t see why we can’t have a winning season to win every game we play and we are this year.”
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February 14, 2017
Swim team In this tradition, male swimmers cut their hair into mohawks for the SOL and dye it pink for districts, while female swimmers dip dye their hair red for both meets. “Hair is just hair, it grows back in a month, and I don’t really care what people say about me,” sophomore Chris Elliot said. “I love the team and I’ll be able to look back and laugh at all of us buzzing our hair off and dying it pink. Swimmers are weird, you can’t expect anything less from us.” Last season a number of Courtesy of John Stay members qualified for districts From left, current senior Josh Hartley and following prior senior David Kneiss prior seniors Luka Kezherashvili John Stay who made it into states breaking and Dave Kneiss at LaSalle University for the three school records: the 200 yard district one championships last year. freestyle, the 100 yard backstroke, By Maggie Aldrich and the 400 freestyle relay along Swimming may seem like an with Josh Hartley, Mike Kalika, individual sport when it comes down and John Stay. to specific relays, yet the Neshaminy “I think it’s a great tradition it’s swim team brings forth a bond that fun to represent the team,” senior makes it seem almost impossible for it captain Hartley said. “It kind of to not be a team sport. shows us as a brotherhood.” In 2011, a hair dying trend created Making it into districts isn’t as by Mike Joseph and Ryan Kaisinger easy as it sounds- 55 school discame into play for the team specificaltricts compete to fill about 45 spots ly in celebration of the Suburban One per event. Each one of these 55 disLeague championships and districts. tricts use four swimmers per event.
dyes hair preceding path to championships This totals out to over 200 athletes competing for just 45 spots. “Swimming is something that requires long hours of training and I think kids begin to feel more like family when they go to a big meet where there is an expectation of success in the end of the season,” Head Coach Brian Suter said. “They know they’re not swimming for themselves; they’re swimming for the better[ment] of the program.” With practice before school three times a week and after school six times a week, preparation for districts never comes easy. The team also faces the disadvantage of not having a swimming pool within the high school,
having to travel to Carl Sandburg to use the pool for practice. No other school within the area faces this conflict except Bensalem High School. Typical before-school practices consist of workouts at the hub, and after school is non-stop swimming. “That’s [another] tradition they do- the tradition of hard work is really embedded in the kids,” Suter said. “It’s really a deliberate hard effort that they put in everyday so I think our tradition of hard work is really evident.” The team is currently 3-9 and intends to continue their traditions as they swim their way to SOL’s and districts.
Graphic/ Grace Marion
Athlete of the Issue: Peter Strippoli By Amanda Kala
Everything changed for Neshaminy High School Junior Peter Strippoli on Jan 17, 2017. The bowling team was at a match against Norris-
town High School, and Strippoli did the seemingly impossible action of scoring a perfect game by striking on all 12 shots. “The moments leading up to the last ball were very nerve-wracking,
Poll data collected by Cristiana Amaro
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and I needed a bit of luck in that final shot,” Strippoli said. “When it struck, though, I immediately felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, and the congratulations I got from everyone in the bowling center was awesome.” For Strippoli, bowling has always been a part of his life. His grandfather owns a large bowling center in New York and shortly after he was born, his father bought the local bowling alley, Penndel Lanes. Born into a bowling family, he naturally learned bowling at a very young age from his father. Since he was introduced to the sport, it has always been a source of enjoyment and fun, and as a junior his love hasn’t stopped. “Bowling is fun for me just because of every little variable you have to pay attention to,” he said. “There’s a lot more to it than most people realize, like the best angle a ball should have when it hits the pins or the amount of oil on a lane and where it’s been placed.“ In seventh grade, Strippoli realized how much he truly enjoyed bowling, and how good at it he was. Immediately upon entering high school, he joined the bowling team. “I had to choose between the musical and the bowling team,” Stippoli said, “but I knew freshman year that I could be really successful on the team if I tried hard enough.” The coach of the Neshaminy bowling team is Mark Dunfee, a foriegn language teacher in the district. Dunfee has been the coach for four years now, and always motivates the team to work hard. “He always keeps us positive and organized and motivates us to do our best in every match,” Strippoli said. The team’s hard work and efforts have reflected in their past seasons,
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Photo/Nina Taranenko Junior Peter Strippoli bowled a perfect game on Jan 17, 2017. with the last three seasons with overall winning scores. “Our team this year has definitely become a lot closer and more competitive. We have contributors in every grade that often bowl for the varsity squad, which is very important so that someone can easily step up if another bowler isn’t having the best day,” Strippoli said. Strippoli himself has had a very striking record with the bowling team, with an average score 212 points per game this year. He was part of the 2015 state championship team, and as a sophomore, won the 2016 Boys Eastern Pennsylvania Championship. This success got him an invite to States, a competition where the best 24 high school bowlers compete, where he finished in 12th place. After all the hard work and sweat he has put into practices and matches, the junior achieved what every bowler hopes for, scoring a perfect game.
February 14, 2017