March 2014 Print Issue - The Spotlight

Southern Lehigh High School 5800 Main Street Center Valley, PA 18034

MARCH 2014 Volume 57 Issue 4

spotlight

In this

Issue:

The Return of Mr. Spartan

by Dana DiGiovanni

Thought the Olympics were over? Think again. Turn to page 2 to find out more about the “Solehi Selfie Olympics.”

Mr. Spartan himself, Brycen Holland. Photo Credit: Christine Figler Photography

It’s Shamrock Shake Season!

Flip to page 4 to get more details.

Do you want to build a snowman? The hit animated film “Frozen” warms the hearts of millions.

Read more on page 13.

Two Lehigh Valley athletes aspire to make it to the big league.

See who they are on page 14.

Want to see more?

On March 15th, nine of Southern Lehigh’s most talented male upperclassmen competed in the second annual Mr. Spartan pageant. The pageant is run by Varsity Club, which is led by social studies teacher Mr. Lee Zeisloft. The first Mr. Spartan was held two years ago, but failed to run last year due to scheduling conflicts.

“Getting all nine guys to work on the routine in practice was the most difficult part of running Mr. Spartan,” Mr. Zeisloft said.

Seniors Chase Asman and Collin Johnston as well as juniors Michael Figler, Mark Haverhill, Brycen Holland, Skyler Gilda, Cody Heffelfinger, Jason Renner, and Austin Piel were the contestants of this year’s pageant.

The contestants were judged by their dance routine, swimwear, formal wear, and talent. The faculty judges included Spanish teacher Ms. Jessica Swartz, French teacher Mrs. Kaytlyn Byers, and physical education teacher Ms. Megan Dellegrotti.

Mr. Spartan opened with contestants running through the aisles of the auditorium and jumping on stage. They then transitioned into a synchronized group dance to various songs including “I’m the Man” by Aloe Blacc and “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

“I was extremely surprised to be in the top three finalists since I butchered the end of the first dance,” finalist Mark Haverhill said.

After providing the audience and judges with laughs and entertainment, next up was beach wear. Each contestant dressed in school appropriate beach/swim attire and walked down the stage runway-style. While the boys strutted the catwalk, host and social studies teacher Mr. Matthew Cooper read fun facts about them.

Next came the nerve-wracking talent portion. Talents came in a wide variety of singing, dancing, and even some slam poetry. Austin Piel, Jason Renner, and Brycen Holland all sang for their talent portion. Collin Johnston, on the other hand, provided comedic relief when he lip synced to Backstreet Boys “I Want It That Way.” Cody Heffelfinger and Chase Asman both danced, but not nearly in the same way. Heffelfinger danced in the style of hip hop to Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body,” while

Asman performed the same ribbon dance that Will Ferrell did in the movie “Old School.”

Introduced by Richard Frable, Michael Figler displayed his guitar abilities by shredding the song “Maggot Brain” by Funkadelic.

“My favorite part about Mr. Spartan was the reward of playing the guitar in front of my peers,” Figler said.

Mark Haverhill took a different approach. He came out on the stage with an easel and paint supplies and appeared to be painting flowers. When he finished “painting,” he opened up the canvas to reveal a surprise: “Octavia, PROM?” Fortunately, she said yes.

“I was extremely nervous throughout my talent portion,” Haverhill said, “but I’m very happy my promposal went smoothly.”

Skyler Gilda’s talent included an array of acts from challenging Mr. Zeisloft to a round of table tennis, pretending to know how to play the guitar, and reciting a poem.

Once the talent came to a close, formal wear came next. The boys proved to the judges that they can clean up nicely.

After a closing dance to the famous song, “You’re the One that I Want,” from the musical “Grease,” featuring members of our very own Southern Lehigh Dance Team, the results were in.

The three finalists were Mark Haverhill, Jason Renner, and Brycen Holland. After each remaining contestant was asked one final question, Brycen Holland took the crown.

“It was an honor to win Mr. Spartan. My fellow competitors were great, they worked hard, and they made practices and rehearsals enjoyable,” he said.

As the winner of Mr. Spartan, Holland took home two free tickets to this year’s prom. Win or lose, the event was a true success and a whole lot of fun for the audience and contestants.

“I wasn’t expecting much from myself, but Gabi Uribe made our ‘Grease’ dance look good, and I just tried to have fun with a Frank Sinatra tune,” Holland said. “I really appreciate the opportunity, and I’m thankful for all who contributed to making the show happen. I especially want to thank Señorita [Swartz], the dance team for teaching us, and Mr. Zeisloft for organizing everything.”

With the hit return of Mr. Spartan after the cancellation of last year’s contest, students and teachers are excited to see what lies ahead for the pageant.

“I’ll be looking forward to the event next year to see what the upcoming juniors have to offer,” Mr. Zeisloft said.

Mark Haverhill surprises Octavia Fitzmaurice and audience with an unexpected “promposal”. Photo Credit: Christine Figler Photography

Want to see more Mr. Spartan pictures?

Go to slspotlight.com!

2

NEWS

Southern Lehigh High School 5800 Main Street Center Valley, PA 18034 (610) 282-1421 x7122 slsdspotlight@gmail.com http://slspotlight.com

The Spotlight is published in print and online by the student members of its staff. Its purpose is to present news concerning Southern Lehigh High School and the Southern Lehigh School District, as well as to provide a forum for student opinion. Editorial content of The Spotlight expresses the view of the paper and not necessarily that of the Board of Education, administration, or faculty of the Southern Lehigh School District. Bylined editorial content and letters to the editor represent the opinion of the writer only. All contents are copyrighted by The Spotlight. Sponsorship rates are furnished upon request.

Faculty Adviser Mrs. Marlo Spritzer

Editor-in-Chief Dana DiGiovanni

News Editor

Ashley Zamichieli

Features Editor McKenzie Browne

Entertainment Editor McKenzie Browne

Opinion Editor Katie Cole

Sports Editor

Cody Heffelfinger

Our World Editor Ashley Zamichieli

In-Depth Editor Kylie Schmitt

Photo Editor Anna Simoneau

Video Editor Jacob Boyer

Web Manager Abby Muth

SPOTLIGHT

Hometown Gymnast Wins More Gold

Elizabeth “Ebee” Price, a native of Coopersburg, continues making headlines as she wins gold at the AT&T American Cup

by McKenzie Browne

those two events definitely helped me secure the lead that I had been building.”

Price wasn’t the only American to come home with a gold; in the men’s competition, Sam Mikulak also beat out his competition by a little over a point. Both wins secured the US sweep at the American Cup, which has happened for the past four years of competition.

As the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio quickly approach, Price has a big decision on her hands.

“I don't think I'm going to try for another Olympics because I'll be attending college then, and it's almost impossible for a female college gymnast to keep up the training necessary to compete at the Olympic level,” she said.

Ebee Price performs her routine on the bars. Photo credit: Brian Freed “However I do plan on competing in college gymnastics while at school.”

Back in the summer of 2012, you may have heard the She still has time to compete internationally before name Elizabeth “Ebee” Price make headlines after she was heading off to college at Stanford University in the fall. The named an alternate for the USA Women’s Gymnastics team next World Cup event will be held in Tokyo in April, but for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Since then, Ebee Price will not attend, as she will be competing in Canada at has placed in five world cup competitions, taking home four the Pacific Rim Championships.

You can stay up to date with Ebee’s competitions and traingolds and one silver. ing by following her on Twitter (@elizabeth_ebee) and InstaOn March 1st, Price, a native of Coopersburg, PA and gram (@eberjeebers). former student at Southern Lehigh, won the 2014 AT&T American Cup in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The American Cup is an elite international gymnastics competition that is part of the International Gymnastics Federation’s all-around World Cup series. It has been held every year since it began in 1976, when it was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Eight girls from six countries including Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Canada, and the US competed in this year’s American Cup. “Winning the American Cup is a huge accomplishment for me,” Price said. “It's one of the most prestigious competitions in the country, and being able to go out and compete some of my best routines against some of the best gymnasts in the world is pretty cool.”

Price won the competition by scoring a total of 59.966 points, which was over two points more than her US teammate Brenna Dowell who placed second overall.

“Going in to the meet, I felt that I had a pretty good chance of winning, especially since I had already competed against five of the other girls before, and scored considerably higher than them,” she said. “However, I couldn't be completely sure I would win because it all depended on how well everyone performed their routines.”

Price scored a 15.7 on her vault, which was the highest score on any event out of all of the girls in the competition, although she does not think that was the best part of her meet.

“I think the strongest part of my competition was when I hit my bars and beam routines,” she said. “Those are the events that will either make or break you, so doing well on Price wins gold at the AT&T American Cup. Photo credit: Brian Freed

Think the Olympics are over? Think again!

The “Solehi Selfie Olympics” are here!

Tweet your most creative selfies @SLSDSpotlight with #SLselfieolympics or email your selfie to us at slsdspotlight@gmail.com Our favorite submissions will be featured in the center spread of our April issue!

MARCH 2014

NEWS

3

UNICEF Makes it Easy To Donate Clean Water

by Kaelee Rupell

The tap project is easily accessed through your iPod or iPhone. Photo credit: Spotlight Staff

Donating doesn’t always mean you have to spend money. Who thought by using your phone you could be doing something good?

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) wants to improve conditions for children in more than 190 countries. This includes immunizations, clean water, sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and much more. The organization is reaching out, with the help of technology, to spread the word and get more donations.

Their mission is to donate a day of water to a child in need. According to UNICEF, 1,400 children a day die from drinking unsafe water. With UNICEF’s new way to drive up awareness all you have to do is take out your smart phone or iPod touch and go to uniceftapproject.org. After you hit the start button, all you do is let your phone sit for at least ten minutes or as long as you wish.

For every ten minutes that you go without using your phone, you donate a day of water to a child in need.

Imagine how much water each person in our school could donate!

Some of our fellow students have taken part in this endowment already. “I just did ten minutes and it was so easy to do,” sophomore Jordan Muñoz said. “God has truly blessed those people to let us donate to them in such an easy way.”

For many people, ten minutes without your phone feels like a death sentence. Think about it this way. Ten minutes of your “death sentence” is actually saving another child’s life.

“We all here are so fortunate to have everything that we do like electronics,” senior Brittany Finkbeiner said. “It’s great to see that we can put our electronics to good use to help out other people.”

Health and physical education teacher Mr. Wayne Langsdorf uses his tablet at home to donate to multiple charities.

“I do not go for specific charities, but I choose the ones that are true non profits that donate the most money to the charity,” Mr. Langsdorf said. “I like the ones that will get more involved in the charity.”

With the blessing of Principal Christine Siegfried, plans are in motion to allow Southern Lehigh High School students, faculty and staff to contribute and make a difference in the world. On Friday March 28, students wishing to participate throughout the day may do so if the teacher allows.

Spartan School Store Is Ready For Business

by Jordan Burt, Kaelee Rupell, and Anna Simoneau

The school store offers a variety of apparel and is currently adding more inventory. Photo credit: Anna Simoneau

Whether you forgot a pencil, get really hungry, or just need some new apparel, now all those needs are met with the SL Spartan school store.

The Spartan school store is now open for business on days 3 and 6 of Spartan Block. The store is run by our own fellow classmates and business teachers who have all worked together to agree on products that they think the student body would like to purchase.

“The school had actually existed before but then had gone away,” business, computer, and information technology teacher Bonnie Organski said, “ We just decided to resurrect it and get it going again because we felt it was something we needed here.”

With any project you wonder if there is a willingness from others around.

Ms. Organski reassured us of that saying as long as you have a good core with any project you do, people will participate. Mrs. JoAnn Peralta who is also a business, computer and information technology teacher is also a part of the Spartan school store.

“We have been working the entire first semester to get the store running,” Ms. Organski said, “ We have had steady sales since we have opened; I think it will be very successful with Mrs. Peralta’s business skills.”

“Not having a place to go and get supplies in the middle of the day was really annoying,” junior Ana Burris said, “I’d usually have to mooch off someone and then go to Staples later.”

Some items that are for sale in the school store include clothing like tshirts, hoodies, and sweatpants. The store also carries basic school supplies like pencils, highlighters, glues sticks, water bottles, and lanyards. If you get hungry, you can always stop down for the popular meat sticks and bottled water.

Any food that is sold through the school store does have to be approved by the administration and Mr. Martin who is in charge of the cafeteria’s and food in the district. “We have to be compliant and make sure it meets all regulations,” Ms. Organski said.

“I think that the school store is useful,” senior Will Osowski, “Because students can get things that they need.”

For anyone out there wondering if the school store is in any way affiliated with FBLA, that is a good question. It is not. The school store is it’s own separate entity that students can sign up for to help run. In the future Ms. Organski and Mrs. Peralta hope to have the school store set up so that students will have to go through an application process to work at the store. So if you are interested in business and would like to see how one is run, join the Spartan school store.

Note: For video coverage of the school store, go to slspotlight.com.

Water bottles, lanyards, highlighters, and pencils are among the items sold at the new school store. Photo credit: Anna Simoneau

4

FEATURES

SPOTLIGHT

Shamrock Shakes Make Their Annual Appearance

by Anna Simoneau

Although the weather doesn’t show it, spring is nearly here, and along with it comes the return of McDonald’s famous Shamrock Shakes to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. Shamrock Shakes were invented and introduced in 1970. However, it wasn’t until 1975 that they took off due to a promotional partnership with the Philadelphia Eagles that ended in the creation of the first Ronald McDonald House.

Despite their massive following, Shamrock Shakes were discontinued in the early 90’s. The outrage that followed led them to be reintroduced in the late 2000’s. Now, Shamrock Shakes are available in the US, Ireland, and parts of Canada every February and March.

As with every fast food item, Shamrock Shakes do have a sizable nutritional drawback. Just one 22-ounce shake can have as much as 820 calories, 23 grams of fat, and 115 grams of sugar. On top of this, the list of ingredients contain many long, difficult-to-pronounce chemicals such as carrageenan, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer lists as a possible carcinogen.

While some people may see this as an insurmountable obstacle, others justify it as a special treat.

“Honestly, I don’t care.” senior Konnor Yurchek said. “I know they’re bad for you, I get it, but I’m gonna get it anyway. They’re just so good!”

For those who can’t overlook the unhealthy aspects, many imitation Shamrock Shake recipes have been created. Look no further than websites like Pinterest for mint shake recipes that are healthier and without the dye and unknown chemicals.

The bittersweet thing about Shamrock Shakes is they’re only available for a limited time, but what if they were available all year long?

Some people are more traditional and think the Shamrock Shake should stay how it is.

“No, [they shouldn’t be available year round] because if they stay for a limited time, they’re more popular and profitable,” senior Gemma Malone said. “Plus, it only makes sense this time of year.”

While this is true, vice principal Mr. Jason Lilly had a equally feasible solution.

“I would like to see them available year round,” Mr. Lilly said. “However, if they had a flavor of the month kind of thing, I think that would be just as interesting, if not more so.”

Regardless of your opinion, for now Shamrock Shakes are only available for a little longer.

Whether you like the original McDonald’s shake or a homemade version, go out and get your Shamrock Shakes before its too late!

McDonald’s famous Shamrock Shake. Photo credit: Simoneau

Anna

SATs Cause Stress Among Students

by Emily Kasarda

Earlier this month, juniors and some sophomores fought the urge to sleep in and gathered at Southern Lehigh High School at 7:30 in the morning to take the SATs. Taking this test is required by most colleges. It tests a student’s academic abilities and test-taking skills and is, therefore, supposed to predict how well a student will perform in college.

The importance of the SAT has always been controversial. Some see it as a suitable representation of someone’s work ethic and how he or she will perform in college. Others view it as an inadequate, pointless examination with uncommon words and misleading questions.

“I don’t feel like the SAT’s are an accurate testing of a student’s academic abilities,” junior Sydney Hall said, “I feel like your GPA and overall grades in school, volunteering, and extracurriculars should count more than one standardized test.”

One argument is that the SAT does not adequately test what a student has learned throughout his schooling career. For this reason, changes will be made by the time current high school freshmen will be expected to take

it. The new and improved SAT will include an evidence-based reading section, a writing section, a math section and an optional essay.

For many students the essay is the most stressful part of the SAT. It is required to be completed in twenty-five minutes, but all students just find that the entire SAT triggers a great deal of stress. Even though the SAT is supposed to test your work ethic, some find that they need to sign up for intense study courses to feel some sort of security.

“I took the SAT class with the school, in which I took both the Math and Critical Reading. I also took a ‘cram course’ five-hour class the week before the SAT, which helped a lot,” Hall said. To her, the test’s purpose is “to test a student’s overall knowledge base through asking tricky and oddly worded questions,” and she finds this to be an “unfair representation or our knowledge.”

There really is no way to fully be prepared for the SAT. The best you can do is try to understand the layout of the test and know what to expect in terms of the type of questions it asks. Hall also advises to “get a good night’s sleep the night before, eat a good breakfast, and bring water and snacks.”

Pick One: Good Grades or a Good Night’s Sleep

by Talia Trackim

Tick tock, eleven o’clock: that English essay is dying to be written. Tick tock, twelve o’clock: it’s time to study for history. Tick tock, one o’clock: when will you ever get sleep?

“Students are most definitely sleep deprived,” freshman Lexi Brown said. “If you just walk down the hall you can literally see the people who have just rolled out of bed because they are sleep deprived. Some of us physically can’t get enough sleep for weeks at a time just because we have so much of an overload.”

According to www.sleepfoundation.org, teenagers require about nine and a quarter hours of sleep each night. However, this isn’t always the case. In fact, the average amount of sleep that students get is only seven hours, falling two hours short of the recommended amount.

So why are students struggling to get to bed early? One of the most recurring reasons is homework, especially for students who are taking multiple honors or AP classes. Another reason is because many students are involved in sports, clubs, and other activities that take up their homework and, ultimately, sleeping time.

“I think high school students are involved in their academic classes, and then in a variety of extracurricular activities, and then they need to do their homework,” biology teacher Mrs. Adrienne Searfoss said. “Time management becomes an issue and the thing that goes is sleeping.”

When students don’t get enough sleep, there are consequences. According to www.sleepfoundation.org, lack of sleep can lead to lack of focus, increased acne, unhealthy eating habits, and ag-

gressive or moody behavior. “[When I don’t get enough sleep], I feel like someone is just constantly pushing on me in all directions and that my brain can’t ever focus,” sophomore David Rush said.

The best way for students to get more sleep is to try to manage their time better by avoiding procrastination and getting assignments done in a timely manner.

“I think students [need to] prioritize in terms of what needs to get done, by even splitting up projects on the weekends so that they can only have an hour of homework a night so they can get to bed,” Mrs. Searfoss said. “I think it’s better that they get to bed regularly instead of going to bed one night at 8:00 and the other night at 2:00. If they set a regular schedule they won’t feel as tired.”

MARCH 2014

FEATURES

5

Local Family Raises Puppies for The Seeing Eye

by Elizabeth Shalders

The Seeing Eye in Morristown, New Jersey, has been training dogs to aid the blind with the help of the greater community since 1929. A Seeing Eye dog helps a blind individual become more independent and feel more selfconfident throughout his or her life.

“I often saw the trainers working with the dogs in Morristown and found it interesting how these dogs could help people,” local Seeing Eye volunteer Dr. Debra Cressman said.

Dr. Cressman and her family have been raising Seeing Eye dogs for over 11 years. Families receive a puppy at eight weeks of age. Puppies are then trained and socialized in basic obedience with continuous love and affection. They expose the puppy to different situations such as stores, buses, and trains so that it will not be fearful of new places or noises when partnered with a blind person.

“We use certain consistent training commands. For example, ‘park time’ is used when the pup needs to pee or poop because when the pup is working as a Seeing Eye dog, he needs to go on command, not just any time,” the Cressman family said. “We teach the pup to sleep next to the bed on a bed chain in order that the blind owner will be able to locate the dog at night.”

Once the puppy has been raised with a family for 12 to 18 months, it will be assigned to a trainer at The Seeing Eye campus.

“The puppy- raiser family is invited to come watch the dog work with the trainer at this point,” Dr. Cressman said. “It is so rewarding to see a dog that you raised be able to work as a guide. It brings tears to your eyes.”

“I have been involved as a puppy-raiser since the age of seven and I can honestly say that this is the most worthwhile thing I have done in my life,” Dr. Cressman’s son, Tyler Hall, said. “For me, the hardest thing is giving them back.”

Dr. Cressman’s daughter Anna has also been working with her mom on training, and witnesses daily how a seeing eye dog can change a blind person’s life. Anna enjoys all of the puppies that her family has had, but she finds it most rewarding to see the dogs go on to The Seeing Eye and graduate to being paired with an appropriate blind owner.

While at The Seeing Eye campus, Anna finds it fascinating to see the dogs led around obstacles and how the dog can navigate through traffic in streets and parking lots. According to a trainer Anna spoke with, the dog is taught “Intelligent Disobedience.” This is when the dog is taught to disobey an order, such as crossing the street in traffic, if it is not safe for its blind owner.

Not all Seeing Eye dogs pass the extensive training. In the result of a failure, the dog is first offered for adoption to the puppy-raiser family. The Cressman family has adopted two dogs that failed for medical reasons.

“If the family is unable to adopt, the dog may go into police or other service or be offered for adoption to another family,” Anna said. “Although it’s sad to see them go, I am proud when I see them work.”

For more information, visit The Seeing Eye website at www.seeingeye. org.

Record Snowfall Results in a Gnarly Ski Season

by John Zamichieli, Casey Asman, and Sean Welsh With the snowfall that has accumulated this year in record amounts here in Pennsylvania, the students of Southern Lehigh have had the opportunity to hit the slopes frequently. Bear Creek and Blue Mountain have been the top destinations for skiing and snowboarding this season.

Many of the skiers and snowboarders agree that there is no feeling like going down the mountain and feeling free of everything.

“My favorite part is being free. No one can tell you what to do when you’re on the mountain and the possibilities and creativity of riding are endless. I could never get bored snowboarding,” freshman Brent Christman said.

“Snowboarding gets my mind away from things,” senior Jake Fizer said. “It lets me feel free.”

For most Southern Lehigh students, skiing and snowboarding is just a time to hang out with friends and have some fun, but for others, it is more than just a hobby.

Freshman Izzy Diaz is an alpine skier who competes for the Blue Mountain Race Team. She practices five days a week, which is just as many days required by coaches when playing a school

Photo credit: Aaron Watkins

sport.

“We go to other mountains in our region to race against other teams,” Diaz said.

Many of the students of Southern Lehigh look up to professional skiers and snowboarders such as Torstein Horgmo, Bobby Brown, and Shaun White. Going into the Olympics, all three were Sochi medal hopefuls.

Torstein Horgmo, who is a Norwegian snowboarder, broke his collarbone in a practice run and was unfortunately unable to snowboard for a medal in Sochi.

Shaun White, who is probably the most well known snowboarder to this date, was extremely hyped going into Sochi looking for his third straight gold medal. After two disappointing halfpipe runs in the Olympic final, he came away with nothing, not even a bronze medal, placing fourth in the final.

U.S. Olympic skier Bobby Brown was one of the four Americans to compete in the men’s ski slopestyle event, but was unable to medal. However, Team USA swept the podium in this event with Joss Christensen, Gus Kenworthy, and Nick Goepper placing top three in that order.

Photo credit: McKenzie Browne

With the winter season coming to an end, skiiers and snowboarders will have to wait nine months until the slopes are open again.

Photo credit: Julia Dunham

Photo credit: McKenzie Browne

6

OPINION

Letter to the Editor To the Editor: Being a proud libertarian myself, I'm glad too see that the party is actually recognized, We learned about It in civics, but It pretty much just ends up being lumped up in with the green party as one of those other guys that really have no voice in the government, which actually Is fairly true when It comes down to it. America realistically only does have a two party system when It comes down to It, Sure the other parties have their impact but since mainstream media only really covers Republican and Democratic... that's all people really think of unless they are really interested in politics.

I enjoyed the quote about bringing the power back to the people because really the only way that can be done is through informing people... If you would take a few minutes to read the news and think about what your stance is on different political issues many people might realize that they fall into a smaller party such as libertarian.

Perception vs. Reality

by Taylor Marouchoc

Makeup and diets: is that really what makes you pretty?

Magazine pictures of models are retouched to make them look like they have perfect skin and skinnier legs when that’s not what they really look like. Perception isn’t always reality.

Society struggles to find a balance between pretty and unhealthy. There is a lot more than being pretty that comes along with being a model, including drug abuse and eating disorders. Some models even go as far as eating cotton balls and tissues.

“I don’t know if there’s enough awareness, they just know about the models,” guidance counselor Mrs. Tamme Westbrooks said.

Many models only drink protein shakes for nine days before a photoshoot or runway show. They do everything they can possibly do to appear as skinny as they can.

They may look pretty to you, but is this really healthy?

“The media portrays what is the perfect body and girls try to emulate that,” school nurse Ms. Merrilyn Pysher said.

This affects a wide range of people not limited to girls; it affects some boys too. The majority of people affected are in their teens and are still trying to figure out who they are.

“They are trying to keep up with what they think is beautiful,” Ms. Pysher said.

Teens may think that this is what they are supposed to look like but it comes with consequences they don’t see at first. It all comes down to self esteem.

“Some people struggle with their self image by always comparing themselves to others. However, those with more self-confidence can accept their flaws,” junior Angie Rizzo said.

Eating disorders are often the result of lack of self confidence.

“One thing they can control is eating,” Pysher said.

Teenageres think their parents have control over everything else in their lives; the one thing that they can control is how much or how little they eat. This can be hard to treat because there are very rarely any self reports.

“Throughout the last 15 years I don’t think I’ve ever had a self report for an eating disorder; we often hear it from a friend or family member,” Mrs. Westbrooks said.

It is sometimes difficult to get help, but it is essential for friends and family to understand the seriousness of it.

Some companies seem to be doing something about it by only hiring models with a BMI of 18 or higher.

“The last 15 years have been better, they are using more plus sized models,” Pysher said.

There seems to be some improvement, but will it ever change completely?

Homework: Help or Hurt

by Emily Kasarda

-Derek McDonald Sophomore

The frustration of homework can cause many students stress. Photo Credit: Kaitlin Cole

Photo Credit: Michael Curry

SPOTLIGHT

There is a belief that if students are given too much homework, this could cause more harm than good. Why do teachers make homework seem so important? Where is the line drawn between homework being useful and being pointless busy work?

Homework is supposed to be given as extra practice of what was learned in class that day. However, some students, especially those with after school activities, come to find that it can be too much.

“I usually stay up late because I get home from dance late, and then I have an unreasonable amount of homework.” junior Jade Hennessy said.

Being deprived of sleep can have an impact on how much information is actually being absorbed. If students do not acquire the necessary eight hours of sleep, their ability to focus is reduced. This prevents them from be-

ing able to understand the information that the homework was meant to reinforce.

Lack of sleep can also hinder the student’s memory of information that was taught to them that day. While you are sleeping, your brain goes through sleep cycles.

Throughout the duration of these sleep cycles, information that you learned that day is processed. Staying up late to finish homework does not effectively help you understand it. Doing this only deprives you of sleep and prevents you from getting a zero on an assignment.

“I feel like [homework] benefits me to an extent,” senior Mikaela Koze said, “but when there’s too much of it I rush through it and don’t pay attention to what I’m learning because I just want to get it done.”

With an overwhelming amount of homework, it seems as though we are being taught in order to memorize, pass tests and get good grades and then move on to something new, forgetting what was previously learned.

Consequently, the idea of actually understanding, comprehending and learning information is slowly fading.

Don’t get me wrong; I recognize that homework is a key aspect of the learning process. So what is the best solution?

“I think homework is necessary as long as it’s being used to reinforce what [students are] learning in the classroom,” guidance counselor Mrs. Tamme Westbrooks said. “It has to be meaningful for there to be benefits.”

Many times teachers give busy work that begins to pile up and results in an unreasonable amount of homework for the student.

“For certain subjects I think the homework is beneficial,” Hennessy said, “but for other subjects, the homework is clearly just busy work that I rush to get done because I know that it is pointless.”

Unless the homework requires the students to use their brains, allowing them to comprehend the information, homework is pointless and provides no benefits.

MARCH 2014

OPINION

7

Simple Ways Teens Can Make it Better

by Julie Evans

Teens must find a balance between having fun and being kind to others.

Photo Credit: Fiona Bultonsheen.

Teens need to improve the way they treat the people around them. In our country, bullying has become a massive problem. There has been a significant increase in the number of teen suicides over the past few years. Adults say that unusual behavior is just a phase, but it typically is more serious than this.

We need to band together as one student body in order to fix this problem.

Our words and actions towards one another should create an atmosphere of unity and safety. No students in a school should feel that they are unwanted or unsafe while they are inside.

Words can often be misinterpreted and we unintentionally cause others stress or pain. It is so easy to hurt someone’s feelings, so we need to stop it before it happens.

“I was having a communication with a friend, and I answered her back, and she ended up taking it in a mean way and getting hurt,” junior Olivia Byrne said.

Sometimes our words can profoundly affect another person. Our own judgement has an effect on how we think and treat people.

“I judge people by how they, look but in the end I will try to get to know them and see that they are a cool person,” freshman Ireland Cobb said. “I would like to change how I judge them on their appearance and more on how they act, but sometimes my judgement turns out to be true.”

It is not that it’s impossible to treat people solely on how they act, but in order to do this, we need to improve our judgement.

Today, bullying has taken on many different forms. More and more kids are getting hurt from other people in their environment. People can be targeted and hurt from more than just “face to face” confrontations.

The internet has become a means for people to target and harass others, a form of bullying called cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is when the use of electronic communication is used to bully a person, typically by sending threatening or intimidating messages with the intent of causing the recipient emotional or reputational harm.

“It all depends on the age group and how they have connected throughout the years they have been together. It’s more of a social mentality,” learning support teacher Mr. Dougherty said.

It’s not that bullying hasn’t happened in the past, but lately it has been happening more frequently. Personally, I think that the environment around us might be the reason that we have been acting differently than earlier generations.

It would seem that teens act based on other teens’ behavior, because we want to be involved with our peers. When something happens, our behavior and actions change in response to said event. In our society, drugs, violence, and other destructive behaviors have been deemed “cool,” and as a result more and more teens are mirroring these behaviors without really thinking about what they are doing.

We are all part of the Southern Lehigh School District and we need to work to together to create an environment for the next set of teenagers that will be joining us. Do we want them to think that it is appropriate to bully someone for reasons that are unknown? We need to be setting the right example for the next class.

It doesn’t take much to change the atmosphere around our school. Just invite a new person to your lunch table, talk to someone during class, or do something as simple as picking someone you usually wouldn’t partner up with on a project, just so they feel welcome. Everyone just wants to feel like they have a place in the world, and we should show everyone that we all have a place here with each other.

Why Say No to Hats?

by Jordan Burt Students have raised questions about the school handbook over the course of...well...its entire existence. From the dress code to what you can bring into school, if a rule is in the handbook, it’s been questioned. One specific rule has many students scratching their heads and asking, “Why?” The rule can be summed up in one word: hats.

According to the school handbook, the hat rule states: “Coats, hats, caps, bandanas or other head coverings or any headgear that distracts from instruction are not to be worn or displayed at anytime in the building. They are to be removed upon entering the building. This applies to both males and females.”

What the point is of not wearing hats? They aren’t distracting for the most part, and they help you out on a bad hair days. Girls can sympathize with me on this point.

I understand the concern that some kids take other kids’ hats and toss them around the halls or in class. That’s just a few students being immature; they should know better, and that won’t be accepted in the real world.

Upon asking 100 students to take a survey on what they think about wearing hats in school, 38 students said they would love to wear hats in school stating, “Hats aren’t disrespectful or distracting, so why not?”

Only four students said they don’t want hats to be worn indoors, one of them writing, “I’m sure immature people would make a point of stealing other people’s hats, throwing them, etc. It’s an opportunity for distraction.”

Of the hundred surveyed, 49 students said they don’t care if hats can be worn inside or not. One said, “It doesn’t affect me, but if someone did, I wouldn’t mind.”

Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Mrs. Linda Gross has worked at the high school for many years. She remembers when the high school first made the hat rule ten years ago.

“They used to let the kids wear hats,” Mrs. Gross said, “and then what started happening was teachers would question when kids would put their brims down during testing periods, and [teachers] were wondering where they were looking.”

Mrs. Gross explained that it used to be socially acceptable for girls, but not guys, to wear hats inside.

“It was considered poor social skills [for guys to wear hats inside],” she said. “Then this whole thing with discrimination started happening, and they

Should students be ablet to wear hats in class? Photo Credit: McKenzie Browne.

started to say ‘well the girls can wear hats, why can’t the guys?’ So they thought it was in the best interest to say that this rule is for everybody.”

I interviewed one anonymous teacher who believes hats should not be worn in school. “Students aren’t willing to police themselves when issues arise,” they stated. When asked what students can do to help the cause, they replied with: “The first thing to do [to show students can handle the responsibility] is start making people be responsible for their hats in the hallway. Help them to make the right choice.”

The moral of the story is to act mature. Don’t throw your hats around or use them to cheat on a test, no matter how tempting it may be. If you want the privilege of wearing hats in school, start by acting your age and “policing” yourselves. It may not sound cool, but it’s what we need to do to show administration and the school board that we can handle it. The whole reason why teachers are so against wearing hats is because we haven’t shown them that we can handle wearing hats. In my opinion, I think the rule should be changed. It would open up a new door to self-expression and a new door to responsibility, which is exactly what we need.

8

IN-DEPTH

Photo Credit: Spotlight Staff

SPOTLIGHT

Humans of Sou

“The happiest moment in my life was when I made the Parkettes team.” ~ sophomore Katie Youngs

“My proudest moment was when I won the White Water Soccer tournament.” ~ freshman Joseph Minguillon

“I have a strong belief in our lord and savior, Eric Scott. I started the Eric Scott Cult in 2012 and since then we have gained 20 members.” ~ sophomore Ryan Probasco

“The second you lose sight of your goals, you lose everything.

It’s hard to not get distracted when you’re a teenager, I have a hard time not getting off track myself, but staying focused is key to success.” ~ junior Drew Schell

“What was the happiest moment of your life?”

“When I ate those Girl Scout cookies a minute ago.”

“What was the saddest?”

“Two minutes ago when I didn’t have those cookies.” ~ junior Gabi Urbie

MARCH 2014

uthern Lehigh

IN-DEPTH

Inspired by Humans of New York “Don’t be content. The world has too much in it to be content with where you are, and I always fall under this pit myself, but the worse parts of my life were always the moments where I was apathetic to them. If you’re ambitious, the world will open itself up to you in surprising ways.” ~ senior Eric Kinyon

“I’m so proud of the moment that I finished my first 5K. I believe that you should be physically active and always push yourself to do better. Which is something I’ve learned on my own along the way.” ~ freshmen Dylan Holscwander

“The happiest moment of my life was realizing it’s possible to be a good person” ~ learning support teacher Mr. David Dougherty

“We qualified for districts halfway through the season!

This gave us confidence and something to look forward to.”

~ senior Casey Krause

“If you live your life having regrets, you will waste time thinking about them.” ~ senior Brianna Prince

9

10

OUR WORLD

SPOTLIGHT

The 2016 Sochi Olympics Come to a Close

The United States Team departed Russia in second place, with 28 medals.

by McKenzie Browne

After the United States Men competed in the short track speed skating, their reactions were caught on camera. Photo creditL Chelsea Creveling

The 2014 Winter Olympic Games have come to a close after 16 days of intense competition in Sochi, Russia. Throughout the games, Team USA experienced inspiring comebacks, exciting wins, and some upsetting losses.

The team returned to the United States with a total of 28 medals, finishing second place in the overall medal count behind host country Russia. Norway finished close behind in third with 26, and Canada finished in fourth with 25.

Team USA had a total of nine gold medals, seven silver medals, and 12 bronze medals. The total number of medals won by each gender for the team was split at 14 each.

Of the 12 new events included in Sochi, the US won three. Sage Kotsenburg and Jamie Anderson became the first-ever gold medalists for snowboard slopestyle. Kotsenburg quickly became a star when he tweeted, “Ahh I wish the Sochi medals were made out of bacon thoooo..!!” after taking the classic gold medal biting picture. In his interview with Conan O’Brien, he was presented with a bacon medal, completing his Olympic dreams.

Joss Christensen became the first winner for men’s ski slopestyle, with his teammates Gus Kenworthy and Nick Goepper placing behind him in second and third, completing the third-ever American podium sweep in the Winter Olympics.

“I thought slopestyle made a really good impression for it being the first time, and I don't think anyone predicted the sweep,” senior skier Zach Cermack said.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White were also extremely successful at the Games, taking home a gold in ice dance as well as a silver in the team figure skating competition.

Not every Olympic story finished with a good ending, however. Snowboarder Shaun White and speed skater Shani Davis were both looking to make history for winning the same event in three consecutive Olympics, but both failed to even make the podium in their respective events.

"I expected that Shaun White was gonna win, but I-Pod (Iouri Podladtchikov) deserved the win,” junior snowboarder Mike Colon said. “Shaun’s just getting too old," The men’s hockey team also had an upsetting performance. After losing to Canada in in the 2010 gold medal game, the USA was looking for revenge,

but ended up facing Canada in the semi-finals where they lost 1-0. They then went on to lose to Finland 5-0 in the bronze medal game, coming home emptyhanded. They did, however, beat Russia in an eight round shootout in one of the preliminary games.

TJ Oshie became a hero by getting four of his shootout shots past the Russian goalie, giving Team USA the win and completing yet another “miracle on ice.” After being called an American hero, Oshie said, “The real heroes wear camo. I’m not one of them,” showing true pride in being an American.

“I thought it was very exciting,” senior Pete Long said about the USA v. Russia game. “Although the The United States fell short of medalling, that was the most exciting game of the tournament and they should be proud of what they did."

Back on a positive note, Chris Creveling, a local speed skater who graduated from Palisades High School, was a part of the men’s short track relay team that won a silver medal. The relay was the last event for speed skaters in Sochi, and US speedskating had not yet won any medal prior to the race. The US team of JR Celski, Eddy Alvarez, Chris Creveling and Jordan Malone finished just .271 behind the winning team of Russia, and both teams were under Olympic record time.

Creveling’s mom, dad, and sister were all able to make the trip to Sochi to watch him compete and win his first Olympic medal, thanks to fundraising and generous friends and family.

“Watching Chris win a silver medal was amazing. To have been a part of his journey from -- quite literally -- the very beginning and to see his dreams come true like that was very overwhelming and rewarding,” his sister Chelsea Creveling said. “I’ve been to a lot of different events, including five inline speed world championships, and the Olympics was much more than I had ever imagined. The Olympic Park and venues were larger than life, and it was nothing like what the media said it would be.”

Now that the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics have officially ended, we will have to wait two more years until the next Olympic event. The 2016 Summer Olympics will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 5-24. The Winter Olympics will return in February 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

If you have Olympic dreams of your own, you better start training!

Photo credit: Chelsea Creveling

The Reader’s Choice Who Do you think will win the NCAA March Madness Tournament?

Go to slspotlight.com to vote for your favorite!

MARCH 2014

OUR WORLD

11

The Movement to Increase Minimum Wage

Pennsylvania may see changes to the minimum wage as soon as 2015.

by Taylor Marouchoc

Imagine that you are a high school student working at The Inside Scoop and you are trying to save money to buy a car. You don’t feel you are being paid enough. Recently, many are taking a stand on raising minimum wage.

Currently the federal level minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Obama has encouraged states to take action on raising minimum wage before Congress does. Some state minimum wages are already higher than the federal minimum. A proposed federal bill, if passed into law, would raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.

Gap stores were among the first major companies to raise their employees’ salary to nine dollars per hour for this year and ten dollars per hour by next year.

Employees, specifically fast food and retail workers, are starting to take a stand on the situation too. They’ve done so by going on strike and protesting in the streets. Although they take a strong stand some think they may have taken it too far, wanting to raise their minimum wage to $15 an hour.

“The cost of labor would go up, costing everyone more money for the same products and services,” said senior Josh Hellerick.

The last time minimum wage was raised was in 2009 going from $6.55 per hour to the current minimum wage of $7.25.

This creates a lot of controversy because some people may be on board, some may want a higher minimum wage but not that high, and some don’t want a change at all.

Business owners have to consider what is best for their business and their employees.

“As a business owner I feel that an increase would put more people on unemployment,” Kathleen Johnston, owner of Dance Works, said. “In today’s economy we cannot afford higher prices.”

High school students are affected too. Most students are only working part time because of school, but may need the extra money.

“As of right now, the minimum wage is perfect for a teen who only needs the money for their cars,” said sophomore Daniela Silva.

In the state of Pennsylvania, a bill has been proposed to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $9 an hour by 2015.

While State Senator Christine Tartaglione seems to be in favor of the raise, experts in economics think that this could lead to consequences that we can’t afford right now.

A nonpartisan analysis for the U.S. Congress by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates a possible loss of 500,000 jobs $10.10, while a smaller raise to nine dollars an hour could result in the loss of 100,000 jobs.

Along with this problem, there are other downfalls to an increase in minimum wage like increasing the poverty rate which most seem to think is the bigger issue.

However, supporters of the minimum wage increase say that it would allow familie, especially those already in poverty, to gain financial security.

Though many states have taken President Obama’s advice by proposing bills to raise minimum wage, the question remains whether Congress will take action.

“I think that if the current liberals and unions who are in office stay there, they will defeat the House and raise minimum wage,” said Chris Smith.

“Obama has encouraged states to take action on raising minimum wage before Congress does.”

The Trend of Overhashtagging

by Jordan Burt

Hashtagging. It started on Twitter; now this trend has grown to other social media sites. The symbol has also made its way onto billboards, television, and even some articles of clothing. A common theme on social networking sites is that these trends tend to rise and then fall, so, is there such a thing as “over-hashtagging”?

The definition of a hashtag is: (on social media sites such as Twitter) a word or phrase preceded by a hash or pound sign (#) and used Twitter is the most common social media site that hashtagging, or over- to identify messages on a specific topic. hashtagging is used.

Some feel as though hashtags are only a trend.

“They are pointless and will die off sooner or later,” senior Anna Stackhouse said. “It’s like a trend and some trends never last.”

Yet, hashtags bring people to together on certain topics. If used as intended, hashtags can bring people together on popular topics or trends such as the March Madness, or general information such as breast cancer awareness.

Hashtags allow for people to become more informed about certain issues.

Hashtags also allow for a way of keeping up with the news without actually watching TV, as many of the popular and even local news stations have twitter accounts that post their stories and maybe even some articles.

A lot of Twitter and Instagram users post whatever is on their mind, and add hashtags wherever they see fit. An example would be “OMG I just dyed my hair #pretty #jk #superblonde #barbie”. Some of the old and gone hashtags that trended for a while were #swag and #yolo.

Sophomore Corey Janda doesn’t think too highly of hashtags, “I think if you are a twitter user then using hashtags is fun, but if you’re on Facebook or Instagram I think it’s just really annoying.”

So it seems like not many people like the idea of hashtags on other social media sites other than Twitter. Nevertheless, they are being used everywhere and will continue to be used until they die off.

12 12

ENTERTAINMENT

SPOTLIGHT

2014 Academy Awards

by Jacob Boyer

No, Leonardo DiCaprio did not win his very much deserved Oscar. Thanks, Matthew McConaughey. Looks like the sixth time’s the charm, Leo. Oh, and John Travolta can’t remember a person’s name to save his life. Don’t worry, Idina Menzel (or should I say Adele Dazeem?). Just “Let it Go.” Anyway, moving on.

The Academy Award Ceremony is always a special time of year. True effort is rewarded, and dreams come true when someone is handed a small, golden trophy, signifying hard work and devotion to one’s craft.

This year was no exception and although there seemed to be an abnormal number of critically acclaimed movies rather than publicly acclaimed, especially compared to recent years, each award was well-deserved, with one rather obvious exception, of course…

“I think there were really no surprises this year,” English and Mass Media teacher Mr. Jeffrey Hershey said. “All the predictions that I read seemed to hold true.”

If there were any sweeps at the ceremony, let’s just say that there was a high gravitational pull towards Alfonso Cuarón’s space thriller “Gravity” which took home Best Directing, Cinematography, Editing, Original Score, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects. “‘Gravity’ was definitely a movie I would take my class on a field trip to see,” learning support teacher Mr. David Dougherty said. “All of Newton’s laws were represented, and you also got George Clooney with jet pack.” “‘Gravity’ was incredible to look at and probably deserved the best director and other technical awards just for the sheer ‘wow’ factor,” Mr. Hershey said, “but the script had some major holes in my opinion.”

Some of the other big winners included “Dallas Buyers Club” (Best Makeup, Best Supporting Actor [Jared Leto], and Best Actor [Matthew McConaughey]), “The Great Gatsby” (Best Production Design and Best Costume Design), and “12 Years a Slave” (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress [Lupita Nyong’o], and the highlycoveted Best Picture Award).

“I’m glad Matthew McConaughey won,” Mr. Hershey said. “I think he and Jared Leto really deserved to win based on the clips I have seen of ‘Dallas Buyers Club.’”

The award for Best Animated Feature went to Disney’s “Frozen,” much to the happiness of critics and fans alike. The picture also took home the Best Original Song award for the very much adored and meme-ified hit, “Let It Go,” by the wickedly talented, one and only, Idina Menzel.

To wrap up the big awards, Cate Blanchett was given the Best Actress award for her role of a richsocialite-turned-homeless-woman in “Blue Jasmine,” and Spike Jonze earned a much-deserved Best Original Screenplay Oscar for his robot-human love story “Her.” The documentaries, short films, and foreign flicks are nothing to glance over, though. “Helium” and “Mr. Hublot” were given the trophies for Best Live Action and Best Animated Short, respectively.

The awards for Best Feature-Length Documentary and Best Short Documentary were given to “20 Feet from Stardom” and “The Lady 6: Music Saved my Life” (again, respectively).

And finally, the trophy for Best Foreign Film was given to “The Great Beauty”. It was a wellearned Academy Award.

“For next year’s show,” Mr. Hershey said, “I hope one of my former students gets an Oscar and then thanks me on National TV.”

Two new awards including “Most Retweets on a Tweet” and “Most Pizza Eaten by Celebrities at an Award Show” were added during the 2014 Oscars. Photo credit: @TheEllenShow

Ty Dolla $ign Cashes in on ‘Beach House EP’

by Preston Amato

Ty Dolla Sign has broken into the rap game with his new EP, “Beach House.” He has teamed up and signed with Taylor Gang Records and Atlantic Records to bring his unique style to the forefront. Signing with these labels gave Ty the opportunity to feature many other great rappers and artists on his debut extended play so he could release his music to larger fan bases.

Ty Dolla Sign, also known for his stylized name as Ty$, grew up in Los Angeles, California. He has been rapping since 2007, but has just recently become more popular.

Many mixtapes have been produced by Ty$, and the “Beach House EP” has jump-started his music career to the next level. His contemporary R&B and West Coast rap style make him very diverse and give his listeners a very smooth sounding beat that anybody can vibe to.

The “Beach House EP” was released in late January and climbed to the number 51 spot on the Billboard 200 and number 13 on the R&B Album chart. The EP was rated well by critics because of Ty’s confidence and great vocals.

One of the most popular tracks on the EP is “Paranoid,” as it peaked at number one on the Heatseekers Songs. With its catchy beat and

vocals, “Paranoid” has been a hit since being released. The song features B.o.B, and since its release, has been remixed by French Montana, Trey Songz, and DJ Mustard.

The most meaningful song on the EP is the opening song “Work,” which features the artists Twista and Casey Veggies. The song tells the story of how no one cared about Ty$, but now that he is getting famous, everyone wants to be his friend and everyone believes in him.

“Ain’t believing me then, but you see me now / Said you’d never trust me again, but you believe me now.”

Another hit song on the EP is “Or Nah” because of the catchiness of the tune. The repetition of the vocals provide for a song that can be listened to in any situation. The song features Wiz Khalifa and is becoming a huge hit across the nation.

Overall, the EP was a great show of what Ty Dolla Sign has to offer. The only downside is that it’s an EP, so there are only six songs on the debut.

If you like the similar albums of Wiz Khalifa’s “O.N.I.F.C” or August Alsina’s “Downtown: Life Under the Gun,” you should definitely give a

listen to the upcoming artist Ty Dolla Sign. With hit songs and features being produced, be sure to continue to check up on Ty$ in the future.

Ty$ will be releasing a new full album in the third quarter of 2014 entitled “Free TC”. Fans can follow Ty Dolla Sign on Twitter (@tydollasign) or visit his website (www.dollasignworld. com) to stay updated on his latest music.

Photo credit: Atlantic Recording Corporation

ENTERTAINMENT Page

MARCH 2014

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

by Lizzi Thom

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ newest musical, “Frozen,” has gained the approval of a wide range of demographics across America. Young or old, people are finding something to love about a Scandinavian princess’s heartwarming journey to find her sister, the queen.

Elsa (voiced by Idina Menzel), the older of the two sisters, possesses an ability to transform everything she touches into ice. After struggling to control the power and endangering those around her, she has no choice but to grow up in seclusion.

Anna (Kristen Bell), unaware of her older sister’s condition, aspires to venture out of the castle and find true love, but most importantly reclaim her once strong friendship with Elsa.

The movie also has an aspect of comedy. A wacky talking snowman named Olaf and a mountain hiker named Kristoff assist Anna along the way in tracking down her sister. Olaf is adorable and bright, while simultaneously being amusingly dim in wit, striking a soft spot in viewers.

Most have commended “Frozen” for the independence of the two royal sisters. The majority of classic Disney movies feature an attractive boy who saves the day, but this animated movie took a different approach with strong female lead roles who are capable of saving themselves.

In another turn from the status-quo, the villain is nothing like the typical one everyone loves to hate.

This villain is not a villain at all, but a heroine. The most significant catastrophe that fuels the plot is the kingdom being mistakenly cast into an everlasting ice age, by none other than a loyal princess.

“Frozen” is gliding along the slippery path to becoming a beloved memoir for young girls everywhere, breaking numerous records and being awarded an Oscar for best animated feature film. It is surely snowballing its way to being the most successful Disney movie in history.

“Frozen” topped a record previously set by “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” for the highest domestic box office grosses for the five-day Thanksgiving weekend. “Catching Fire” is currently number one, bringing in 110.2 million, while “Frozen” sits at number two, bringing in 93 million.

Not only that, the “Frozen” soundtrack even knocked Beyonce off the number one spot on the Billboard charts. It was the fourth animated film soundtrack to ever reach the number one spot in the history of the chart.

Sophomore Angela Falco disagrees with this achievement.

“I thought it was a great movie but to say it topped Beyonce is a little absurd,” she said.

Overall, however, this ice cold musical is warming hearts across America, proving you are never too old to build a snowman.

Photo credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios

The Maze Runner

by Jordan Burt

“The Maze Runner,” written by James Dashner, is a book that, sadly, is completely underrated. It’s gritty and horrifying and might bring some of your worst fears to the surface.

The book starts off with our main character.

He’s inside a dark, metal box. He knows nothing yet everything at the same time. He remembers airplanes and restaurants and family, but he doesn’t remember the details. He only knows his name, “Thomas.”

The box opens and Thomas finds himself surrounded by teenage boys who are trapped in a place called the Glade. They call themselves “Gladers.” Thomas is now joined, or rather trapped, with the Gladers, because outside of the Glade lies a maze. It’s no lab rat maze, but rather one built for giants. The walls constantly move, and there is no way out.

The day after Thomas is brought to the Glade, the Box sends up another person. This

13 13

time, its a girl, and she holds a cryptic note saying that she is the last person to be sent up.

Ever.

Things go awry after that; the Box doesn’t send up food, the “sun” disappears, and the walls that once kept them safe from Grievers (flesh eating monsters who live in the Maze) do not hold that responsibility anymore.

Thomas now has to help the Gladers find a way out by becoming a runner (Gladers who search the maze for an escape). He has this daunting feeling in his mind, like he has been in the Glade, the Maze, before. He also feels like he’s met the girl, Theresa, before. He knows there are things in his mind that he needs to figure out for them to escape.

Will Thomas ever escape the Maze? You’ll have to read it and find out! The movie adaptation is set to hit theatres September of 2014.

Photo credit: Random House LLC

Movies Now Playing in Theaters Need For Speed

Divergent

Muppets Most Wanted

Non-Stop

Photo credit: MGM and New Line Cinema

Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

Photo credit: Walt Disney Pictures

Photo credit: Silver Pictures

14

SPORTS

SPOTLIGHT

Seven Senior Athletes Announce Where They’ll Play at the Collegiate Level in This Year’s Media Day

by Cody Heffelfinger, Dana DiGiovanni, McKenzie Browne

In this year’s winter media day, Southern Lehigh was represented by seven athletes advancing to the college level.

“It’s an honor and pleasure to have such high level student athletes that continue to come through Southern Lehigh,” Director of Athletics Kate Miller said.

Volleyball player Melann Amory will be taking her talents to Stony Brook University, a Division I school in upstate New York. At Southern Lehigh, she was captain for three years, won three District XI championships, and one Colonial League Championship (the first possible one was this year). In her sophomore year, the volleyball team was state runner up. Amory has been named first team All-Area, District, and All-State the past three years, along with being named District MVP in 2013. She has also won three Colonial League championships in basketball and one in soccer.

“I just want to state that Melann only won one Colonial League Championship because this was the first year we had a league championship,” volleyball coach Don West said.

Matthew Dicker will be attending Lafayette College. He will major in economics and play for the men’s soccer team. Dicker was first team All-League as a senior, as well as second team All-Area. His most memorable athletic experience was beating Salisbury in the league finals in penalty kicks after tying the game with less than five seconds left.

Kaitlynn Kassel will be playing soccer at Shippensburg University. Going into her junior year, she had to make a big decision: choosing between volleyball and soccer when PIAA moved the girls’ soccer season from spring to fall.

Kassel’s ultimate decision to stick with soccer instead of volleyball was clearly the right one, since she is now taking her athletics to the next level. Her favorite soccer memory is beating Saucon Valley her freshman year to win the Colonial League championship. She also earned herself honorable mentions in the Colonial League and All-area team during her junior year.

Joining Kassel at Shippensburg University is swimmer Rhyan Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was captain of the girls’ swim team her senior year and named the Lehigh Valley Swimmer of the Year in 2013. She has also been a recipient of multiple All-State awards. She placed third in states in the medley relay in 2013, and in 2011 she placed seventh at states in the 200 IM. Overall in her district career, Rodriguez has 15 gold medals, with five in her senior year, two in relays, two individual, and one overall team. The girls’ swim team has won districts each of the past five years, and their best overall placement in states has been fifth.

Isamarie Ramos will play field hockey at Rider University where she will major in nursing. Since coming to Southern Lehigh in her sophomore year, she has won three District XI championships, one Colonial League championship and has made is to the state quarterfinals in 2011 and 2013. Ramos also runs track at Southern Lehigh where she placed second in leagues in the 4x800 meter relay, setting a personal best time, along with setting a personal best at the Penn Relays.

Madelene McDonald will play basketball at Loyola University. During her career here at SL, McDonald has scored over 1,000 points, and won three straight Colonial League titles. As part of the basketball team, she was first team AllArea and All-League. In field hockey, McDonald earned first team All-League and All-Area and honorable mention All-State. She also has won three District XI championships and one Colonial League championship as part of the field hockey team.

Baseball player Alex “Petey” Long will be pitching at Chestnut Hill College.

Pete has started all four years for the Spartans at first base and pitcher. He has started every game except two throughout his career. Long aspires to become the winningest pitcher in SL history when he tries for 20 wins this upcoming season. While this might not seem like a lot, 20 wins in baseball is equivalent to scoring 1,000 points in basketball.

“I’m thrilled to be attending Chestnut Hill,” Long said. “The coaches are so welcoming and I’ve already gotten to know some of the team members. It truly feels like the perfect fit for me.”

For more on this group of talented athletes, go to slspotlight.com or capture the QR code next to this article to see video coverage of the winter media day.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO WATCH OUR MEDIA DAY VIDEO COVERAGE! Don’t have a smartphone?

Go to slspotlight.com

Street and Williams Head for the NFL Draft

Lehigh Valley Locals Devin Street and Andre Williams are NFL Hopefuls

by Brandyn Berean You don’t hear about many people from the Lehigh Valley making it into the NFL. The chances of something like that happening are slim to none. But one football player from the valley is on the verge of making his dreams come true.

Devin Street, Liberty High School and University of Pittsburgh graduate, is a wide receiver who is taking his talents into the NFL to hopefully become a star.

In order for Street to become the player he is today, hard work had to be done. Street decided to train with Jason Brader, former running back for Muhlenburg College, at his training facility called FASST, off of Route 309 in Quakertown.

FASST stands for Functional Athletic Speed Strength Training. Brader lives in the community and is very proud to see one of FASST Alumni going into the NFL. “I feel great because I stress hard work, dedication, and discipline will help you reach your potential,” Jason Brader said.

“Devin is definitely living a dream and making the most out of himself.”

Brader and Street have been working out with each other since Street was ten years old. Brader says the first time he stepped in his gym that he was very athletic, hard working, and good at listening.

“He always was very diligent with his work,” Brader said. “I never had to get on him because he is very goal oriented and someone who is able to intrinsically motivate himself.”

In February, Street attended the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapo-

lis, Indiana, at Lucas Oil Stadium. He showed off his skills for NFL coaches and general managers as they prepare to draft players to their franchises on May 8th at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

“You don’t hear many people from the Lehigh Valley getting drafted into the NFL,” junior Teagan Buhosky said.

Buhosky just started training with Brader in October of 2013.

He says Brader is a great trainer, and he knows what he is doing. Buhosky said Street will “definitely” do well in the NFL since he has been doing Brader’s fast-paced workouts.

Street isn’t the only one representing the Lehigh Valley at the Scouting Combine. Andre Williams, a Parkland High School graduate and Boston College graduate, is a running back taking his talents into the NFL as well. With two people from the local area at the combine, this says something about football in the Lehigh Valley.

“I feel these two players give the Lehigh Valley a really good name and that the Lehigh Valley is a great place for football,” junior James Wieder said.

Both Street and Williams will have their NFL fates decided on May 8th at the 2014 NFL Draft. Brader hopes to see Street stay in the region and go to either the Philadelphia Eagles or New York Giants. He also said he could see him in a New England Patriot uniform.

Brader says that if hard work was easy, everyone would do it. Street will take that advice into his hopeful NFL career.

SPORTS

MARCH 2014

15

Boys’ Volleyball: A Rising Trend at Southern Lehigh

by Alex Miller

Southern Lehigh’s Boys’ Volleyball Club Team is back for a third season.

The team was created when interest from a group of seniors from the class of 2012 prompted the formation of the club. The core support for the formation of the club came from many members of the soccer team, and the club has gained players and popularity via soccer players at the high school.

“My goal is to build on the success we had in the first year of having a fun time and learning a game that many will play for the rest of their lives,” head coach Donald West said. “Beyond volleyball in our school club, many former players continue to play volleyball in college as a member of a club team or intramural team.”

“It’s great to see how much the program has grown,” former soccer and volleyball captain Griffin Koch (‘12) said. “We can’t thank Coach West enough for teaching us and getting us to love the game.”

The growing popularity of the team has had one negative consequence for prospective players. Due to the number of players trying out, cuts will have to be made in order to achieve the optimal number of players for efficient practices as well as more playing time for those on the team. The twenty five players trying out will be cut to around eighteen to twenty for the season.

“It’s a numbers thing,” West said when addressing the team. “I want the best for all of you, but it’s just a numbers thing.”

The club’s record is not as important to West as the development of each player and of the team as a whole. West also wants to foster promotion for the sport he has passionately played for many years.

Baseball Team Swings into Spring Season

by Cody Heffelfinger Like all spring sports, the harsh winter has set back the 2014 baseball team a tremendous amount.

On Saturday, March 8, the team spent the morning shoveling the field in hopes to be able to play on it sooner rather than later, setting a trend for the other spring sports.

“I didn’t actually believe we were doing it at first,” sophomore Jacob Cassel said. “But we have to get on the field as soon as possible, and once we got going it went by fast.”

Last May, the Spartans lost to Tamaqua 4-3 in the District XI championship game at Coca Cola Park.

Winning a silver medal is good to some people, but the team wishes to avenge it with a gold this year.

They plan to get back to the championship game this year and, of course, win it.

“I didn’t play much last year due to [an] injury,” said senior Tyler Mann, “so of course I want to contribute to the team and help win a championship.”

The team has seven starters returning from last year, which is good to have experience to make a championship run. Three of the seven returning starters will also have more than one year of starting under their belts.

“The team looks promising; we have a lot of veterans back, but we have some question marks,” assistant coach Mr. Matt Greenawald said. “On the whole, however, at this point I’m quite optimistic.”

One of the returning starters, senior pitcher and first-baseman Pete Long looks to earn his 20th career win this upcoming season, the equivalent to scoring 1000 points in basketball. He has currently won 18 games and is on track to be the winningest pitcher in Southern Lehigh history.

“Getting to my twentieth win would be quite an honor for me,” Long said, “but I’m more focused on bringing home a championship.”

Unknown to most students, the team plays their home games at Limeport Stadium instead of the high school. Their first game is scheduled for March 24th, but if the weather keeps up and the snow doesn’t melt, who knows when the season will start.

“It’s a great sport,” West has often said. “I’ve seen a lot of improvement out of everyone here.”

However, certain players feel that boys’ volleyball should be more widely advertised in the high school. If the club is to be successful, student and schoolwide support is vital.

“They don’t even put it on the morning news whenever we have a game,” Kopinski said.

“I would also hope to get some more recognition for our program and players in the media and in all-star voting in the district,” coach West said.

Another increase in the popularity of boys’ volleyball would provide an opportunity for the club to reach varsity sport status as early as next season. West feels that it would be a positive addition to the sports scene here at Southern Lehigh.

“We will have to apply for varsity status with the school board,” he said. “If that is passed, it would be great validation for all the hard work put in by players, coaches and parents over the last three years.”

And how will the team perform this year? After playing just four games in its inaugural season, the boys’ volleyball team will play around 15 games this year.

“I think we will win a few more games and hopefully continue to get better as a team,” junior Logan Koch said.

“It is definitely the most skilled and athletic group we have had for volleyball,” Coach West said. “My goal would be to win some matches and challenge to make districts.”

Girls’ Lacrosse Team Looks Toward New Leadership

by Dana DiGiovanni

Coach Jen Shields shovels off the field so her players can play on it soon. Photo credit: Audrey Clarke

The Southern Lehigh girls’ lacrosse team is gearing up for yet another successful season under the direction of new head coach Megan Lichtenwalner, co-coach Jen Shields, and junior varsity coach Kim Checkeye. The team is known for being a strong group of talented student athletes willing to do anything to beat out their competition.

Team captains for this year include senior Haley Risi, senior Sara Steirer, and junior Elise Ashford.

“I’m really pumped to be captain for my team this year,” Ashford said. “I also hope we all get super close and kick major butt, especially Parkland.”

Freshman are also excited to finally be able to contribute on a high school level.

“What excited me the most is getting to play at a higher level and learning new things because it’s

going to be a lot better than middle school,” freshman Hannah Checkeye said. “What scares me the most is having to prove myself to new coaches and the fear of messing up and looking bad as a freshman.”

Some teammates would be hesitant about starting a new season with a new head coach. Others are excited to see how the season will unfold.

“I feel like the new coaching staff just adds to the overall dynamic of this new group. Every one of the coaches brings their own spin or personal contributions, and I feel like we have all of our bases covered with this group of coaches,” co-coach Jen Shields said. “I feel that the girls recognize this and although it’s a big change for many of them, I think everyone is anxious to see the season unfold.”

A new head coach is not the only obstacle the team must overcome: snow has greatly affected the first week of practice.

Since there has been a seemingly neverending streak of snow storms here in the Lehigh Valley, there was still a foot of snow standing tall on the fields at the start of the season. Some of the coaches decided to shovel the field as a team on Sunday, March 9th.

“It was a lot of work but we ended up getting it all done with the help of the lacrosse boys,” junior lacrosse team member Audrey Clarke said.

The shoveling decision was initially made by the baseball team. Other teams, like boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, followed their lead.

With snow no longer a problem, the girls’ lacrosse team is ready to take down any team that stands in their way of victory.

“Not only do I feel that we’ve got great chemistry on the team, but we’ve got tremendous talent as well,” Shields said when asked about her expectations of the season. “It is obvious to me after only a couple of practices that a lot of these girls worked really hard during our off-season, and I believe we’re going to see it pay off.”

16

ODDS AND ENDS

SPOTLIGHT MARCH 2014

‘Shrek’ Hits the Stage at Southern Lehigh

by Elizabeth Ruth and Ashey Zamichieli

From February 26th - March 2nd the Southern Lehigh theater department performed “Shrek: The Musical.” Directed by music teacher Mr. Matthew Wehr, the spring play held captive audiences, and sold out a number of shows.

The premise of the show was adapted from the first “Shrek” movie, where Shrek, an ogre, attempts to regain control of his swamp. Along Shrek’s journey, he meets Donkey, and they exchange playful banter while traveling to Duloc. As the duo reaches Duloc, Lord Farquaad insists that Shrek rescues Princess Fiona, so Farquaad can take Fiona as his wife. Once that mission is complete Shrek will earn the rights to his swamp back.

The cast lineup featured students of varying grades, including seniors Alex Knapp and Phil Shaheen as Shrek and Donkey, sophomore Chris Smith as Lord Farquaad, and freshman Lexi Brown as Princess Fiona.

The show was unlike any show in the past, and featured songs and dances that appealed to all ages.

“Being the leading role, I thought the entire play as a whole was incredible and lots of fun,” Knapp said, “It was very endearing and I loved acting out the funny parts that Shrek had.”

In addition to the student cast, several teachers appeared in the play, including science teacher Mr. Colin Campbell who played Shrek’s father and French teacher, Mrs. Kaytlyn Byers, who portrayed Shrek’s mother. Science teacher Mr. Edward Sinkler and support teacher Mrs. Cherise Kocis also

shared the stage with the cast.

“We put teachers in because it is a great way to add fun and characters to the show,” director Mr. Wehr said. “Students really liked seeing teachers in the performance, and it’s not the first time we’ve done it.”

Behind the scenes, the show was able to run smoothly thanks to the work of the stage crew. Senior Samantha Phillips helped with the stage crew and designing the make-up for the characters.

“We lost two weeks because of the snow,” Phillips said. “Besides that, we spent over seven hours making the trees for the stage alone.”

As the cast and crew and prepared for a weekend of multiple performances, they prepared a special presentation for senior citizens in the area. Key Club helped serve the senior citizens a dinner followed by a performance by the theatre department.

One of the senior citizens, Hilda Batarick, was very pleased with the dinner and the accompanying performance of the play.

“I always go to the shows the students put on. They do a beautiful job,” Batarick said. “I loved it!”

As surrounding school districts continue to perform their respective plays, all will be evaluated and nominated for the Freddy Awards. With a performance of “Shrek: The Musical” Southern Lehigh is in contention for numerous awards.

Photo Credits: Alex Miller