March2018 final

Southern Lehigh High School 5800 Main Street, Center Valley, PA 18034 Volume 61 Issue 4

Dive Under the Sea With Southern Lehigh’s Production of ‘The Little Mermaid’

Explore the mysterious fathoms below with the behind-the-scenes staff on pages 4-5.

Photo credit: Lexi Brown In this

Issue: Explore the flora and fauna of portfolio’s recent art show on pages 4-5.

How has Southern Lehigh changed over the years? A 1973 alumnus answers on pages 1213.

Does “Black Panther” live up to the hype? Read more on pages 14-15.

Page 2

The Spotlight

News

Southern Lehigh High School 5800 Main Street Center Valley, PA 18034 (610) 282-1421 x7122 slsdspotlight@gmail.com Twitter: @SLSDspotlight Instagram: @slsdspotlight Facebook: Southern Lehigh Spotlight

Class of 2019 Preps for Prom

by Bridgette Lang

Faculty Adviser

Mrs. Marlo Spritzer

Editor-in-Chief Sarah Trebicka

News Editor

Danielle Alpert

Features Editor Bridgette Lang

Opinion Editor Izza Choudhry

Our World Editor Sarah Jacobson

Entertainment Editor Quinn Schmidt

Sports Editor

Townsend Colley

Staff Reporters Ben Baca Jakob Bloss Erin Noneman Kennah Salvo Griffin Schmoyer Amanda Simko Saskia Van’t Hof

Photographers Nicole Karol Karin Naktin

Pennsylvania School Press Association 2017 Gold Rating 2016 Gold Rating 2015 Gold Rating 2014 Gold Rating 2013 Silver Rating National School Press Association 2016 First Class Rating 2015 First Class Rating

Southern Lehigh’s Class of 2019 is prepping for prom which will be located at Bear Creek Mountain Resort on May 12, 2018. Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The 2018 prom will be held on May 12, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie. The Class of 2019 officers and prom committee have been hard at work with planning fundraisers and prom day itself.

Every day six, during Spartan Period, the prom committee and the class officers meet in Class of 2019 advisor Mrs. Stephanie Donald’s room to prepare.

“So far, we have been plotting out food, the theme, and decorations,” junior McKenzie Hagenbuch said. “Fundraisers have also played a really big role in making this event possible and lowering ticket prices.”

In February, the prom committee ran a Valentine’s

Day fundraiser selling stuffed bears during lunch.

Other fundraisers are in the works, with ideas ranging from a puppy room to a basketball game, and percentage nights at local restaurants.

“Pay attention to fundraising stuff going on and get your class dues in because that’s what will lower the prices,” junior class treasurer Sawyer Sargent said. “Tickets will most likely be less than last year.”

In 2016 and 2017, Southern Lehigh’s prom was held at the SteelStacks in Bethlehem. In the years prior, including 2014 and 2015, prom was hosted at Bear Creek. In 2014, tickets started at $65, which is a very similar range to what

class officers reported this year.

In some ways, Bear Creek has opened up more opportunities for the class officers and the prom committee. There is more room to experiment with the dinner, decorations, and the overall atmosphere.

“We almost have a theme picked out,” junior Natalie Miller said. “This year it will revolve around what Bear Creek looks like.”

One of the challenges that the class officers are currently facing are misconceptions about the size of Bear Creek. Many students believe that the location will be unable to fit all the students, but contrary to popular belief, this actually is not a concern.

“Bear Creek isn’t as small as some people may think it is,” junior class secretary Chloe Scozzafava said. “It’s actually pretty similar in size to SteelStacks.”

Prom will be held in the Lodge, which is 9,675 square feet. In fact, the Lodge is more than 2,000 square feet larger than the old SteelStacks room. Bear Creek also has outside facilities available for use.

“We’re planning to use the Bear Creek catering,” junior class president Taso Rubino said. “It will probably be set up as a buffet.”

Keep an eye out for morning and afternoon announcements regarding updates on prom and the latest fundraisers.

Help raise money for the 2018 Prom by supporting the upcoming fundraisers. Photo Credit: Bear Creek Mountain Resort

March 2018

Opinion Page 3

DACA and Dreamers Help Drive the Economy

by Bridgette Lang and Saskia Van’t Hof

The future of almost 800,000 people is at stake with a single Congressional bill, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). With the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program uncertain, undocumented immigrants who came here as children and teenagers do not know how much longer they will be protected by the United States government.

DACA was first introduced by President Obama in 2012 with the intention of giving undocumented immigrants who entered the country as children temporary protection from deportation, as well as access to a work permit.

The policy is in no way a permanent solution for non-citizens, but it does provide a renewable two year window of deferred action from deportation. The USCIS reports that since DACA’s implementation, 787,580 people have been supported by the program.

The DACA program applies to those who were brought over to the United States before the age of 16, also known as “Dreamers.” Dreamers are undocumented immigrants and often DACA recipients. This group of young people has been consistently advocating over the past decade for DACA and another similar bill called the DREAM Act. According to a poll by Tom K. Wong, an associate professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, the average age of children brought to the United States illegally is just six and half years old. These children grow up as Americans, but without DACA, they face deportation to a country that they do not remember. In many cases, they have no idea that they are undocumented until they apply for college, a job, or a driver’s license.

“The Dreamers are American in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one -- on paper,” former President Barack Obama said in his statement on DACA. “They may not know a country besides ours. They may not even know a language besides English.”

In the Trump administration, the future of DACA seems bleak. Since September 2017, President Donald Trump has begun to follow through on his campaign promise to try and repeal DACA. The Department of Homeland Security proposed

to phase out the program by allowing the permits to expire after March 5. For those with permits that expired before March 5, they would be able to renew them one last time, which would last for only another two years.

“I just think that we need a better system in general. Whether or not we keep or leave DACA, it can’t be the end all be all,” ESL teacher Mrs. Megan Markwich said. “If we’re going to repeal the program, we need to put something strong in its place.”

Because DACA was originally an executive order and not a bill, a new legislation would need to be written from scratch. If Congress fails to sustain or replace DACA with another program, Dreamers will not be the only ones who suffer the consequences. The Center for American Progress estimates that the U.S. would lose about $460 billion in GDP over the next decade without DACA. Ending DACA would also remove an estimated 685,000 workers from the nation’s economy.

There’s a reason why both parties have been fighting on this issue for years: it’s complicated in every way. Even though DACA encourages undocumented immigrants in our country to step forward and get working papers legally, the same opportunity could lead other foreigners to immigrate illegally.

But for the undocumented immigrants already in the U.S., DACA has made huge strides for their lives. It gives them rights to obtain a normal job with benefits, legally drive, and pursue higher levels of education. In a survey done by the Center for American Progress of roughly 3,000 DACA recipients, their average hourly wage was $17.46 an hour, up from $10.29 before receiving DACA protection.

“I think they definitely should renew [DACA] because it’s benefiting people who are productive members of society, not criminals or people who are lazy,” junior Hannah Grim said.

A main argument for the repealing of DACA is its cost. And it is true: DACA is not cheap.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the program would increase the federal budget deficit by $26 billion over the next decade. On the other hand, Dreamers pay as much as $2 billion every year in taxes, according to the Institute of

Dreamers take to the streets in protest. Photo Credit: Flickr

Taxation and Economic Policy.

Repealing DACA would also have immediate economic downfalls. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reports that the arrest and removal of an undocumented individual costs an average of $12,500. Deporting the approximately 800,000 DACA recipients would cost the U.S. government nearly $10 billion.

Not renewing DACA would also have detrimental impacts on the workforce. Currently, 90 percent of DACA recipients are employed. As of January 29, 2018, the Migration Policy Institute reports that there are currently 8,800 teachers who are DACA recipients. There are also about 1,000 Dreamers in the military.

Immigrants give the United States its admired reputation of a cultural melting pot. DACA recipients have valuable assets that the United States needs right now: unique perspectives and skills valuable to the workforce.

“Immigrants bring customs, beliefs, food, their way of life, a rich oral history, style clothing, everything. They bring themselves and their country,” Spanish teacher Mrs. Jennifer Jaen said. “I think that living with other people and learning about their customs is valuable. It’s important to be aware of other people’s customs, habits, and lives in other countries.”

But even DACA kids don’t fit the mold of an “immigrant.” They never had a say in where they were born or when they moved to the U.S. They share more similarities with natural born kids than differences.

“I think in most ways I’m just like any other kid in this school: I talk with my friends during lunch, run track, and hang out on the weekends,” said freshman Suhmeda Pol, who moved to the U.S. from India two years ago. “I guess there’s some culture difference, but besides that we’re all pretty much the same.”

At the end of the day, DACA is not a permanent solution that will solve every problem of illegal immigration, but for now, it is a temporary, valuable program that should remain in place until we can devise a better solution. Instead of threatening to repeal a program that supports hundreds of thousands of people, the conversation should shift to how we can make the program better and more practical.

Page 4

Opinion

The Spotlight

Studies Show That Technology Negatively Impacts Students’ Social Abilties

by Danielle Alpert and Amanda Simko

Photo credit: Visual Content on Flickr

When there is down time in class, the seemingly automatic student response is to pick up some type of electronic device, whether it is a phone, laptop, or a different type of technology, even when groups of friends are sitting right next to each other. In every desk, only a head buried in a screen is visible. What is that saying about our society? That we are a bunch of anti-social human beings with nothing better to do than to play games or scroll mindlessly through our social media feeds? Yes, technology is great, but at what cost?

According to a 2015 Common Sense Media study, most teenagers spend more than a third of their day, or about nine hours, using technology, and six hours come from time spent outside of school. With the many uses of the Internet, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, research purposes, and countless others, it is difficult to limit the screen time.

“We do not know how to turn ourselves off from technology,” social studies teacher Mr. Troy Ruch said. “We need time [when] we don’t look at electronics.”

It is no secret that we need technology in order to communicate with people around the world and collaborate with others, and to be able to do these things more easily and quickly than before. But what happens when we spend too much time on our electronics?

A group of researchers from University of Amsterdam and Ohio State University found that certain types of technology use, like video games, may cause attention deficit hyperactive disorders (ADHD). Furthermore, in a literature review published by the U.S. Library of Medicine called “Online Social Networking and Mental Health,” psychiatric specialist Dr. Igor Pantic

argues that the cause of technology has developed more cases of mental illnesses like anxiety and depression.

The allure of technology also provides a constant need for stimulation in our lives. According to a 2010 Kaiser Foundation study, 70 percent of children have televisions in their bedroom. While this ever-present entertainment is nice while it lasts, once we step into face-to-face discussions, the stimulation is gone and so is the conversation.

“Most [kids] will choose to use the iPads during indoor recess the whole time, so sometimes we have ‘no electronics’ during indoor recess. This ‘forces’ them to play Twister [or] Headbandz, do puzzles, build with Legos and blocks, draw,” third-grade teacher Mr. David LeBourgeois said. “When they play on the computers, they don’t need to talk about the ‘rules’ and how to get along nearly as much.”

Despite its drawbacks, the use of technology has become necessary in today’s society, especially in education. When used correctly and responsibly, it enables students to collaborate with others across the globe and develop their digital citizenship skills. But while technology keeps students engaged within the classroom, we cannot rely on it to pay attention outside the classroom.

“Technology allows students to work together and share information much easier. The access to Google Classroom or Canvas has benefitted that part of education, but the way kids don’t interact with one another is detrimental,” Mr. Ruch said. “People don’t talk to one another. They look at their phones during class when I’m trying to teach.”

As new generations grow up with more advanced technology, kids end up relying on electronic devices as entertainment and learn from a young age that the stimulation of having face-to-face social interactions is less appealing than the stimulation that comes from interacting with a screen.

“If a teacher asks us to put our phones away or in a bin in the front of the

“We do not know how to turn ourselves off from technology,” social studies teacher Mr. Troy Ruch said.

class, like CTA, it is a huge deal,” sophomore Sofia Lindsay said. “I guess it is hard for some people to be separated from their devices.”

Technology is great and useful, but there are issues with people spending too much time on their devices. The solution is not about discarding your devices for life, but about learning how to put down the phone and talk to people, face to face.

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The Spotlight is published six times annually 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. Advertising and subscription rates are furnished upon request.

March 2018

Opinion Page 5

Staff Editorial: Addressing the Issues of School Safety, Mental Health, and Gun Violence

Following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, student survivors and their allies have come together to demand gun reform and engage the entire nation in a serious discussion about gun violence and school safety. Because the politics of the gun matter are heated and heavily debated, and concrete changes are not likely to be passed very soon, the important task of maximizing school safety is left entirely up to teachers, administrators, and students.

For starters, it is essential for students to feel comfortable speaking up. If you ever see something suspicious, or you notice changes in your friends’ behavior that may be unsettling, do not ignore it. It is our responsibility to report the issues that we see online and hear in school.

By doing so, we can exponentially limit the potential of incidents like the one that happened in Parkland. Though many of the threats may seem like “jokes,” they may often be potential indicators of violence, and they should never be taken lightly, for we can never know what’s really going through someone’s head. You should always voice your concerns to staff, because we the students are the most powerful force in ensuring that something like the violence in Parkland never happens again.

In addition, students can utilize social media responsibly to maximize safety during drills and actual incidents. For example, during the February 14 evacuation to DeSales University, students could have used social media to forward correct and accurate information to members of the community and parents in order to dispel rumors and prevent panic. We should also be conscious to make sure that we do not push out revealing information that the district has chosen not to disclose; for instance, students should not have been tweeting out our location to the public.

Furthermore, we should use any opportunity we can to provide feedback to teachers and staff regarding emergency procedures and drills.

The administration heavily relies on the response and criticism of staff and students while practicing or performing emergency plans. By constantly trying to complete drills to the best of our ability and always taking emergency situations seriously, we can ensure that these plans only improve and become more foolproof in the event of a real emergency.

Perhaps the administration could consider designing specific scenarios for active shooter drills during which students can practice more proactively handling the threat of an aggressive intruder. Since federal regulations regarding school safety are unlikely to be passed in the near future, it may be a wise idea to simply be prepared how to act in a dire situation.

At a high school in Anchorage, Alaska, a school resource officer fired blanks in the hallway in order to simulate a realistic active shooter drill as

the principal provided a description of the shooter’s appearance and location over the intercom. While students were made aware that it was just a drill in order to prevent panic, the drill was intended to teach students and staff what actual gunfire sounds like and allow them to practice effective ways to protect themselves based on their location in relation to the shooter. Students near the “shooter” were encouraged to pile furniture against doors to silently barricade themselves in dark classrooms, while those farther away simply evacuated. Plus, students could be heard and seen from the hallways, so it allowed administrators to give their own feedback and adjust procedures as needed.

Of course, this is just one example and there are still questions about whether active shooter drills do more harm than good, but a serious drill once in a while could be a helpful supplement to regular lockdown drills and help to dispel fear by making students feel like they would be able to take charge and protect themselves and their classmates in the event of an actual emergency.

Additionally, schools cannot ignore the factors of isolation, marginalization, anger, aggression, and sometimes mental illness in cases of violent students. A 2002 U.S. Secret Service and Department of Education Safe School Initiative final report found that 78 percent of school shooters had a history of suicide attempts or suicidal thoughts prior to their attack, and 61 percent had a documented history of experiencing symptoms of extreme depression or desperation. Furthermore, 71 percent of attackers were victims of bullying, with 87 percent leaving behind evidence that they were victims of severe bullying.

That being said, schools should be actually enforcing their so-called “zero-tolerance policies” for bullying, and ingraining in students from a young age ideas of empathy and kindness. Kids should grow up with a tendency to treat others, including kids who are quiet or “different,” with compassion and respect, and to never judge someone before knowing their story.

Similarly, schools should also place more emphasis on mental health support, and both teachers and students alike should be encouraged to look out for each other. School counselors, psychologists, or teachers could check in with students once a month to build a bond so that students feel like they can comfortably speak up about their problems, or so that changes in behavior can be recognized and struggling pupils can receive the resources and attention they need as soon as possible.

In general, creating a close-knit, welcoming, friendly school environment and teaching students to take threats seriously and be prepared is just one small step that administrators, students, and teachers can take in making everyone feel a little safer and more respected at school.

SL Students Push for Mobile Wifi Access

by Sarah Trebicka and Jacob Bloss

Last year, all Southern Lehigh High School students were kicked off the Spartan-Wifi on their personal devices for reasons that remain unknown.

Since then, many have continued to expressed discontent for being forced to use data in order to use their phones during school, even during free periods. Not only is this recent change unnecessary, but it is ineffective in preventing students from using their phones during class, which may have been the intended goal.

The main issue with this change is the fact that it causes students’ parents to pay for increased cellular data usage. In fact, some students have switched to unlimited data plans just because of this lost privilege. This becomes even more of a problem when students forget their laptops due to certain sites being blocked. Instead of easily accessing the school wifi on their phones as an alternative to complete their work during class, students must now be forced to just deal with it and potentially fall behind. This type of filtering, whether it’s intentional or not, is completely counterproductive in ensuring that we advance our digital literacy while in school.

The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) specifically mandates that schools block or filter Internet access to pictures and materials that are “obscene, pornographic, or harmful to minors” on computers that are used by students less than 17 years of age. However, no law requires schools to block students from using school wifi on our phones.

“I have unlimited data so it doesn’t really bother me, but it must be frustrating for people who don’t,” junior Jacob Dyche said. “Especially if you don’t have your computer for work and your data is out.”

Forcing students to decide whether or not they can use data prevents them from accessing blocked websites on their phones that can be used beneficially, such as YouTube or Twitter, to effectively complete some kind of school assignment or project. Keeping students from getting around these restrictions on their phones is even more problematic, because even educational videos like Crash Course U.S. History that are inaccessible on the school computers cannot be accessed with phone data, either.

“It irritates me, especially for the kids who don’t have data and you have to iMessage your parents or otherwise communicate with somebody, but you can’t, so that’s a problem,” senior Hannah Corrado said.

Instead of blocking the school wifi completely, the school could set back their restrictions by allowing students back on, but by blocking certain sites that can be distracting on our phones. This way students can still use their phones in case of an emergency or for in class educational purposes without having to waste data.

“It’s frustrating for the people who have to go on their data just to be able to go on social media outside of class, like during Spartan Period,” senior Kara DeWeese said.

Regardless of the reasons why this change was put into place, should access to the wifi be restored, teachers can simply strictly enforce classroom cell phone rules to ensure that students are remaining on task at all times, preventing the issue of students misusing their phones during class. That way, the school is still able to regulate cell phone use by censoring harmful material on the wifi, but also accommodate students who need to use their phones for educational purposes, or even just cut students some slack and letting them check Instagram every now and again during free periods like lunch and study hall.

Photo credit: Sarah Trebicka

Page 6

Sports

The Spotlight

The NBA’s Outdated ‘One and Done’ Rule Is a Detriment to the Collegiate Basketball

by Quinn Schmidt and Griffin Schmoyer

Photo Credit: National Basketball Association

Legendary college basketball programs have been churning out professional athletes for ages -- the Duke Blue Devils placed nearly 100 players in the NBA, and just under 90 Kansas Jayhawks have played or are currently playing in the NBA -- but the Kentucky Wildcats, flipping 135 college athletes into dynamic professional athletes, are for sure the top-dog in college basketball when it comes to preparation for the pros. All of these dynasties have one common trait to thank for their success: their utilization of “oneand-done” prospects, or players who attend the school for one year and then depart to pursue their athletic career professionally.

Almost every player on the current NBA all-star rosters has been a product of the one-and-done system. Big names such as Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony are the most popular. Anthony Davis and John Wall stick out as the most prized players from Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari’s perfection of one-and-done athletes, but the list goes on. Kansas delivered Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins to the NBA using the same process. In fact, there are few college basketball programs that have not boasted their fair share of one-and-dones.

But what about the players that aren’t getting paid the eight figure salary that the average NBA all-star earns? As much as they wish they could, not every athlete can entertain the idea of skipping out on a college degree to play basketball.

These one-and-done athletes caused the NBA to create the “one-anddone rule,” which states that no player may sign a contract for an NBA team unless they are one year removed from high school or at least 19 years of age. When it was enacted in the 2006 draft, the main purpose of this regulation was to end the onslaught of young and immature basketball players from joining the pros straight out of high school.

The perfect example of this type of hot-headed teenager with too much money would be Darius Miles, the third overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft.

Miles entered the NBA straight from high school and had more potential than any all-star that came before him. Unfortunately for him, Miles played just 446 games in the NBA, averaging a mere 10.1 points per game. His nine-year career earned him a whopping $66 million salary, enough to keep a financially responsible person stable for a lifetime. But at just 27 years old, Miles had thrown out his money by 2016, when he filed for bankruptcy.

Now that players like Miles coming straight out of high school have been eliminated, the one-and-done college basketball player has emerged.

The rule never fixed the problem of immature athletes in the NBA; it just prolonged these undeveloped players from joining the NBA for a year.

A 19-year-old player is just as likely to make negligent decisions as an 18-year-old.

“I think [the player] needs to be not just physically ready, like good enough, but mentally prepared,” freshman Matt Reichley said. “It’s a lot different than college.”

It would be beneficial on both ends of the court if the rule is amended.

Not only would it keep college basketball more interesting, but the players would be better prepared for their shot at the big time.

The NBA breeds an entirely different playing field. Unbelievably tal-

ented athletes are running full speed up and down the court in the bodies of grown men. If a one-and-done player isn’t physically capable of competing with these players towering over them, they won’t be able to perform adequately on the court. Even worse, they could sustain an injury.

Imagine the Lakers’ 190-pound rookie sensation Lonzo Ball being switched into the post and having to battle against 270-pound all-star veteran Demarcus Cousins. Granted, Ball is a fantastic basketball player, but he is only 20 years old, and anyone with a high basketball IQ could see that Ball would be outmatched in that situation. Overall, staying in college for more time yields players more time to fine-tune their basketball skills mentally and physically, and if Ball found himself in such a situation after a few more years in college, he would be able to learn from the experience.

College basketball could quite possibly be the most electric sport in all of the athletic world; the atmosphere in the gym of a closely contested college basketball game is unmatched. But with players moving in and out of college so quickly, the talent leaves with them. The best part of sports for any fan is being able to cheer for the team led by the players we all know and love, and fans who pack the stadiums of teams like Kentucky or Duke find themselves cheering for different athletes each year. It’s tough to attach yourself to a team that hosts an unfamiliar starting five every season.

Imagine if players would stay at college for two, three, even four years; the games we see would merit a level of greatness similar to an NBA game.

“In some aspects of college sports, the fundamental mission of higher education has been distorted,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a letter on their official website.

It is evident that these one-and-dones aren’t taking full advantage of a college education. Their view of college is “distorted” to focus on basketball rather than on the act of obtaining practical knowledge to help them survive in a world without basketball. When an athlete stays in college for only a year, they are discarding their chance at earning a college degree. For people like Miles, a college education would have been of extreme value.

“Well, in sports, there’s a lot of people who go Division I, then leave college, but having the degree to fall back on is the biggest thing because most people suffer from injuries or they turn out to not be as good as they think they are in the NBA,” junior basketball player Connor Dougherty said.

There have been many players across the sports lexicon who stayed all four years in college, like Jimmy Butler of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors. More recently, two top football prospects from Clemson University, defensive linemen Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins, stayed back another year instead of entering the 2018 NFL Draft, when they were both easily first round draft picks.

The rule is currently under scrutiny with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver debating on whether or not to abolish it altogether. Raising the age requirement to join the NBA would produce a more polished athlete capable of handling himself mentally and physically.

However, while the one-and-done rule should clearly go, it shouldn’t leave without a replacement. The superior motive for the NCAA is to protect the futures of these young players, and by altering the one-and-done rule to keep players in school for an extra few years, the student athletes will surely be able to handle their lives on and off the court.

Photo Credit: National Collegiate Athletic Association

Congratulations to the 2017-18 Southern Lehigh Girls Basketball Team on their fantastic season and for making it to the state semifinals!

March 2018

Sports

Page 7

The Spartan Rifle Team Rises to Top Rankings

by Townsend Colley

Jeanne Haverhill

lines up her shot.

Photo Credit: Kyra Lycett and Emily Mackin

Throughout the winter on the morning announcements, students are informed of the scores of the previous days matches from each of the Southern Lehigh sports teams:“Boy’s basketball won 40-32.” “Girls basketball won 64-32” “Southern Lehigh won 400 to 398.”

Students sit and think to themselves, “what kind of sport has a score that high?” Well, that would be the Southern Lehigh Rifle Team, which competes in the Northeast Pennsylvania Rifle League during the winter season.

The team is arguably one of the Spartans’ most successful teams, yet almost certainly the most under-recognized.

Anybody is welcome to try out in the fall. After signing up, members have to be fitted for equipment. Once the winter season rolls around, the team hosts a three-day tryout period when they determine who makes the team. Once the team logistics are settled, the season begins.

Matches consist of five relays with two shooters per team, meaning there will be a total of four shooters competing at a time. Each shooter will shoot one target over the course of a match. Once all the relays are complete, all the targets are gathered to be scored. The scores from the top five targets of each team are taken and compared against each other. At the end, whoever has the highest score wins.

“I think most of our matches we won this year, we won by like one point because the scoring is just that close,” junior Jake Chemnitz said.

Despite each shooter competing on their own, they are all striving for the same goal: a team win. The rifle team is a close-knit unit and many members can often be seen hanging out with each other in head coach Mr. Robert Gaugler’s room in their free time during the school day. This close bond has led the team to become very open and welcoming to first-time members.

Freshman Elizabeth Cacace, who joined the team simply because she

thought it would be an interesting activity, having never shot a gun in her life, is a prime example of this. Over the summer, she watched YouTube videos to help hone her craft and once the season came she hit the ground running and became one of the top shooters on the team. Over the course of the season Cacace would consistently shoot 100s and became an integral part of the team’s success.

“My favorite part of the season was the whole thing. It was all a good experience and I had a lot of fun; my teammates are really nice to be around,” Cacace said. “We take our shooting very seriously, and we’re always trying to improve and do better; our coaches really help us out.”

Over the winter the 25 members of the rifle team completed an undefeated 2018 season in league play, finishing at 9-0, a record that included handing league power house, Emmaus, their lone loss of the season in a 500 to 499 victory. This is a stark contrast to the results of the previous two seasons, where the team finished with a 5-4 record.

The success of the Spartans continued in the post season, despite the disappointing result of the North East Pennsylvania Rifle League Tournament, where the Spartans made it to the final round, suffering their first loss of the season in a 998-1000 defeat to Emmaus.

Putting that loss behind them, the team mustered a seventh-place finish in the PA State Scholastic Rifle Championships, including a 22nd place finish from Chemnitz, a 23rd place appearance from senior Jeanne Haverhill, and a 35th place finish by senior Isabelle Sanchez. A select few members of the team including Haverhill, Chemnitz, Sanchez, and sophomore Rachel Kressler went on to compete in the PA Interscholastic Air Rifle state competition, where they finished in 8th place.

Chemnitz has been named as a 2018-19 captain for one of Southern Lehigh’s most up and coming sports. Through a solid core of shooters spanning multiple grades, the rifle team is hopeful that they can maintain their success in the seasons to come.

“It's kind of a lot of pressure because I’m supposed to lead them … I have to try to lead them to victory again seeing how we went undefeated this year, it’s going to be a lot to match up to,” Chemnitz said, “But, it's going to be a fun time because I like my teammates and they trust me to lead them.”

Haverhill will continue her shooting career at the University of Akron.

Eagles Parade Becomes a Memorable Affair for SL Students

by Griffin Schmoyer

It would seem that only in Philadelphia can destroying a city bring people together.

After the Eagles defeated the New England Patriots, 41-33 in Super Bowl LII, the stories of fans rioting in the streets, tearing down lamp posts, eating horse waste, and much more were all over social media. The Eagles had been starved of a championship since they won the NFL Championship all the way back in 1960, and fans were excited to see the Lombardi Trophy finally come home to the “City of Brotherly Love” for the traditional parade.

The parade itself started at 11 a.m. on Thursday, February 8. The route started on Broad St. and Pattison Avenue, near the sports complex that houses all of the major teams’ stadiums, and ended at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the Eagles came out for a ceremony with the trophy.

During this ceremony the fans were all greeted to an inspirational speech by the team’s center, Jason Kelce.

People flooded the streets to see the confetti fall like it did just a few nights prior at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, and to see head coach Doug Pederson and crew hoist the trophy. Among these people were many members of the Southern Lehigh community.

“I could absolutely see everything,” Spanish teacher Mrs. Joan ImmsGeiser said. “When the first two buses went by, that’s when they dropped the confetti. When the bus with [Eagles quarterback Carson] Wentz and the trophy went by, It was literally snowing confetti. And I know a lot of players by face, so I was able to see a lot of the different players as the busses went by.”

“It was very crazy,” junior Rianna Aucker said. “There were people climbing trees, there were people dancing to the music, it was all fun.”

Along the route, the buses would stop, so that players and coaches could get off and interact with the fans, and at other times fans would throw beers up to the players as the buses went by.

Offensive tackle, and one of the men behind the Eagles “underdog mask,” Lane Johnson said before the season, that if the Eagles won the Super Bowl, he would buy everyone a beer. Bud Light hopped on board with Johnson, and along the route, representatives gave every fan over 21 a free Bud Light at local bars and taverns, to honor his promise. Fans during the playoffs also took the beer company’s slogan “Dilly Dilly,” and turned it into “Philly Philly.”

Bringing home the championship has been a long time coming for the city of Philadelphia. The last time the Eagles won a championship was in 1960, before the Super Bowl was created. The Eagles made it to the Super Bowl two times prior to their win this season. The first was in 1981, facing the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV. Their second chance at the big game came against the New England Patriots in 2004 at Super Bowl XXXIX.

“I can tell you as a long time fan of the Eagles, that it was really exciting for this to happen for the first time,” Sra. Imms said. “I remember when we lost in ‘81, and 2004, those losses were crushing because in both cases the teams were so good. Things always seem to be stacked against the Eagles.

Either there’s injuries on the team, or there’s drama on the team, or there’s something that’s like, ‘We’re almost there, but not quite there.’ But this year, just had a different feeling.”

The Eagles ended the regular season with a record of 13 wins and three losses, the best record in the NFL, despite losing starting quarterback Carson Wentz to a torn ACL in week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams. Nick Foles, who was the teams’ starter in 2013, stepped in to fill the role, including winning not only the Super Bowl, but the honor of Super Bowl MVP. The city of Philadelphia has a history with die-hard fans of their sports.

Eagles fans are notorious for being very rowdy, and very mean. Most people associate the Eagles fanbase for throwing snowballs at Santa Claus during a game in December of 1968 as they were fed up with how terrible the team was at the time.

But, finally bringing a title home is more than just for the team; it is something that has connected these fans, and something they have yearned for for so long, has finally come home.

“It means a lot to especially our fans, and know people who went to the parade who aren’t fans, but they knew it meant a lot to the fanbase and to the organization,” senior Emmett Noone said, “It means a lot to finally get our first Super Bowl win, and show everyone else who we are. And that we like to party.”

The scene at the Eagle’s parade outside of City Hall.

Photo Credit: Rianna Auker

Page 8

Center Spread

The Spotlight

Explore the pristine playlists of sout

Psychology Teacher Mr. Mat

Social studies teacher Mr. Matthew Cooper is notorious fo class. As a psychology teacher, he sometimes uses certain m ment on his students. Some of the music he plays has somet are learning or to set the mood of the class, and no one know ing except for him. Mr. Cooper defines his taste in music as “ students react to his music, he agrees that his song choices i “I’ve seen people laugh, I’ve seen people cry,” he said.

Anyone who has taken AP Psychology with Mr. Cooper kn playing when you walk in, it’s definitely not a good sign.

All in all, Mr. Cooper believes that playing music for his st vironment creates “stress, more stress, and sometimes fun.”

Photo credit: A&M Octone Records

Science Teacher Mr. Edward Sinkler

With over 6,700 songs in his playlist, science teacher Mr. Edward Sinkler certainly has an all-embracing taste in music, with a variety of genres including electronic, jazz, show tunes, rock and roll, disco, and even a little hip hop and heavy metal. Students themselves have also contributed to his impressively extensive playlist.

Mr. Sinkler plays music to lighten the atmosphere of his classroom. Some of his favorite artists are Dire Straits, Carbon Leaf, A.J. Swearingen, and John Butler Trio, but overall, what he plays depends on his mood.

He does think that playing music positively affects the environment of his classroom, since he believes that students often need music to relax, and it is a nice opportunity to expose kids to new music.

Mr. Sinkler also likes to play songs which receive positive reactions from students, such as bops from High School Musical and Camp Rock, and those by artists such as Selena Gomez, Hannah Montana, and The Jonas Brothers.

Photo credit: Walt Disney Records

Photo credit: Walt Disney Records

Photo credit: Walt Disney Records

Photo credit: Interscope Records

March 2018

Center Spread

Page 9

thern lehigh’s avant garde educators

tthew Cooper

or playing music during music to perform an experithing to do with what kids ws what the music is hint“eclectic.” As for how his impact the environment.

nows that if Maroon 5 is

tudents in a classroom en”

Photo credit: Walt Disney Records

Photo credit: RCA Records

Photo credit: LaFace Records

Social Studies Teacher Mr. Troy Ruch Social studies teacher Mr. Troy Ruch would describe his music taste as “good music.”

More specifically, his playlist mostly consists of alternative tunes. He defines himself as a music enthusiast, and believes playing music for his students can lighten the mood of a classroom environment.

For his classes, Mr. Ruch even has a game where students can guess songs, and whichever class receives the most points for correctly guessing songs and artists receives bonus points at the end of the quarter. This game is called “Mr. Ruch’s iPod,” but he admits that this name is very outdated since no one owns an iPod anymore.

Some of Mr. Ruch’s favorite bands are Foo Fighters, Rise Against, and Social Distortion. He also likes Kelly Clarkson and Pink because “they just don’t care.”

Mr. Ruch feels that playing songs in class creates a special connection with students, and since his music taste is not mainstream, it introduces students to new genres of music (although it also makes him feel older since kids never recognize his music).

Students almost always have a positive reaction to the music that Mr. Ruch plays, and guessing a song correctly can be very exciting.

He also tries to play songs that he knows will make students happy, such as musical masterpieces by pop legend Hannah Montana. Overall, Mr. Ruch enjoys turning a normally serious classroom environment in something a little more lighthearted.

Interviews and photo credits: Izza Choudhry

Page 10

Features

The Spotlight

Portfolio Students Display Images of Spring at Gallery

by Saskia Van’t Hof

Floral paintings created by 13 Southern Lehigh art students decorated the walls of the community gallery at Allentown Art Museum from January 30 to February 25 in an exhibition titled “Spring Awaits.”

“I thought it was pretty cool being able to be recognized for my art,” junior Alyssa Lyon said.

“Most of my family knows me as more of a ‘school and sports’ person who just does art on the side.

But having them be able to see my art like this was very encouraging.”

Each year, art teacher Mrs. Courtney Bathgate gives the students in her Portfolio Preparation class an opportunity to showcase their paintings in a gallery. Last year, the portfolio students displayed portraits of African-American poets at the gallery to celebrate Black History Month.

This year, a botanical theme was decided upon by Mrs. Bathgate and the gallery coordinator. Mrs. Bathgate wanted to use flowers to symbolize the end of winter and the beginning of spring, and also to compliment a floral photography exhibit already installed in the museum.

Each painting made by the students illustrates a brightly colored flower with a contrasting pastel background. A typewritten scientific name painted on the bottom right corner of the canvas unifies the unique styles of each artist as one display.

“We were all given a choice of a bunch of different flowers from a stack of pictures, but then we all kinda took our own liberties with the colors and textures,” senior Jamie Kish said.

“I picked the lilac because I wanted a challenge and to push myself with new techniques,” Lyon said. “While looking at the other flowers, I thought the lilac looked the most unique because it didn’t have the traditional

Lyons painted lilac for the display. Photo credit: Saskia Van’t Hof

smooth petal of a daisy or a rose.”

Mrs. Bathgate first booked the gallery space in August. Once the theme was established, students were given from October to January to create their paintings. For some artists in the portfolio class, it was their first acrylic painting in years.

“I’m definitely most proud of how I painted my flowers,” junior Eme Sargent said. “It’s the first acrylic piece that I’ve done in a while, which is kind of ironic since it’s hanging in a museum now.”

Several students were invited to help set up the exhibit, where they learned the behind-thescenes work involved in opening up a gallery. The

opening reception was held on Sunday, February 11, and students showcased their work to friends, family, and other visitors.

“My students learned a lot from this art show.

They definitely improved their painting skills and learned how to work on a larger scale. They also learned about figuring out the whole process of operating a gallery,” Mrs. Bathgate said. “I had a few girls come with me to hang the show, and we talked about different background colors and how to balance out the bright colored flowers with the less than bright colors. And I think they learned a lot just from the experience of having a gallery space and being known as an artist, which is what I want from this experience.”

Who’s Who Behind the Scenes of ‘The Little Mermaid’

by Sarah Jacobson

Southern Lehigh High School’s spring musical, “The Little Mermaid,” premiered on March 14 and ran through 18 after several months of hard work. While the cast was singing, dancing, and learning their lines, the crew was building the production from the ground up. Of course, none of that would be possible without some help from director Mr. Matthew Wehr.

“I think [the program] has grown not just in students participating, but also in how many different ways students can get involved. There’s so many other ways to be involved with [the musical],” Mr. Wehr said. “I think it’s a very demanding creative process. I think it’s very different than anything else around here and I think it appeals to students. It’s certainly a lot of hard work that you can’t get around.”

A musical wouldn’t be a musical without the beautiful vocals of the actors, and sound technicians juniors Dalton Rupel and Brandon Myung were hard at work to ensure that all sounds and mics were ready to go for show days. They met from 2:30 to 5:30 Monday through Thursday after school to rehearse with the rest of the cast and crew.

“I make sure the actors can be heard, adjust volumes if they’re a little too loud, mute and unmute people, the like,” Rupel said. “Honestly, I knew nothing about sounds before this. Lizzy Kanzler was just like, ‘Do you want to do [sound for the show]?’ and I said yes.”

Deep under the sea it can get a little dark, but spotlight technician junior Chloe Scozzafava makes sure to brighten up the place for all to see.

Her job is to shine the spotlight on the main actors when necessary.

“My favorite part is working with everyone and just having fun,” Scozzafava said.

Another important part of the show is the set design, and student painters worked diligently under the direction of art teacher Mrs. Courtney Bathgate. Volunteer adults built the sets, and then the painters came up with creative designs for them. Long hours are often put in to make the sets as ornate as they are.

“I would recommend painting sets to future students because it’s fun, [and] it looks good for colleges if that’s something you need,” set painter senior Jill Schmell said. “And if you’re not doing anything after school it’s a good activity to meet new people.”

After Mrs. Bathgate’s student paint the beautiful sets, stage hands are there to ensure that everything is in its proper place throughout the show. Before the curtains go up on each and every scene, students are working hard to ensure that every prop is perfectly situated.

“I love being part of the play, but I can’t sing, so I might as well just help out in anyway I can,” junior Alexa Spinosa said.

These volunteers and many others helped make the magic of the play happen in just a few short weeks, and their work successfully supported the entire cast and crew in another of Southern Lehigh’s prized productions.

Student painters designed coral and seaweed backgrounds. Photo credit: Sarah Jacobson

Features

March 2018

Page 11

Solehi Students React to the March 14 National Walkout

by Bridgette Lang and Erin Noneman

Senior Zack Campbell

Freshman Kayla Howie “I think the walkout was important because it showed that we care about the people who died in Parkland and want something to be done about it. To me the walkout had nothing to do with the solution, more to do with acknowledging the problem. I don’t think it mattered what you think about gun laws, it was more just acknowledging the problem not the solution. Sure some people will think it is about gun laws, but I think it’s all in how you treat the experience. Me and my friends went out there to remember the kids who died and hope for a better future. I the walkout got people talking and taught people about what is really going on. And I think it was a lesson to see that the school would actually stand with us even if we were to go “against them”. I think the walkout didn’t change much, but it got people talking and made people more Photo credit: Bridgette Lang aware.”

Junior Dyani Hernandez

“Personally, I think at its finest it was a very political get together that was misinterpreted and used the wrong way. It should have been used to honor the victims of the shooting at Parkland when instead it was used to promote legislation and for political gain.”

Photo credit: Erin Noneman

Freshman Joy Fan “I personally thought [the walkout] was a great idea, I felt it could bring together our community and really realize the fact that we need change in our country. I feel like this is one of the steps that could help to lead to action. I think this did help us be better as a school, we unified as a whole to show what we truly believed in as a community of people.”

“The walkout had so many stigmas around it which made the idea of opening an important conversation about gun violence almost impossible for me. When people knew I walked out, an automatic response was to judge or battle me, but I did not participate because I believe all guns should be banned from the world or even the country. I think standing in solidarity with victims of gun Photo credit: Bridgette Lang violence is important and discussing it is extremely crucial in our highly charged political environment. I hope that one day all people are treated the same and are given equal respect when voicing their opinions. I wish instead of shutting down others, we worked to find a solution because at the end of the day, whether you support gun control legislation or not, we all want the best for the country and the people within it. The walkout had both negative and positive connotations for me because instead of feeling heard, I felt as if it tore us all apart more.”

Photo credit: Bridgette Lang

Senior Damian Szlachta

Photo credit: Erin Noneman

“Originally, I thought it was to honor the students, but it turned into a protest against guns in general, which I don’t side with. I feel that people should be able to own what they want and keep that private.”

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Page 12

Our World

The Spotlight

How the Shooting Survivors of Parkland, Florida Sparked a Nationwide Student Revolution

by Sarah Trebicka

Photo Credit Emily Simmons. Organizers of SLHS’s walkout stand together with a banner for Stoneman Douglas High School signed by the students and staff of SLHS.

On February 14, 2018, at 2:21 p.m., 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, armed with an AR-15, fired 100 rounds at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing three staff members and 17 students and injuring 16 others. By February 18, 2018, the student survivors had started a revolution: the #NeverAgain movement, which petitions for more thorough background checks for potential gun buyers and a ban on “military grade weapons,” as well as a plan for a nationwide protest on March 24 in Washington, D.C., the “March For Our Lives.”

“School safety is not a political issue. There cannot be two sides to doing everything in our power to ensure the lives and futures of children who are at risk of dying when they should be learning, playing, and growing,” the March For Our Lives mission statement said. “The mission and focus of March For Our Lives is to demand that a comprehensive and effective bill be immediately brought before Congress to address these gun issues. No special interest group, no political agenda is more critical than timely passage of legislation to effectively address the gun violence issues that are rampant in our country.”

“I think [school shootings] are definitely a problem, and students shouldn’t have to fear for their safety when coming to school,” Spanish teacher Ms. Jessica Swartz said. “We just haven’t really taken any course of action to solve the problem, and in other countries they have had school shootings and have made changes that worked for them.”

“Students come to school everyday with the expectation that they’re safe.

Where students don’t feel safe or have concerns, I fully support students getting involved, and advocating, and being change agents,” Southern Lehigh superintendent Mrs. Kathleen Evison said. “Our students are going to deal with these issues long after the adults are, and they need to be part of shaping that direction, and they’re the future voters and the next wave.”

Stoneman Douglas student co-founders of the Never Again movement and the March For Our Lives went viral in the aftermath of the shooting as they independently contributed to the conversation around gun violence in American schools.

“When it comes to the movement being led by students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, I support their First Amendment right to protest and to move forward with what they are trying to accomplish,” senior Alex Milios said. “With that being said, they should respect my Second Amendment rights since both are enumerated in the Bill of Rights and both should be weighted the same in the public sphere.”

Stoneman Douglas student journalist David Hogg, 17, huddled quietly in a dark closet with fellow students as the active shooter roamed the hallways of their school and people whispered goodbyes to their parents on emotional phone calls. Eventually, recognizing the need to document such a moment, which could have been their last, he pulled out his phone, interviewing students who expressed the sense of sheer terror they felt, begging for the implementation of reforms to prevent another mass shooting.

“I call on the legislators of this country to take action and stop this from happening. Thousands have died from gun violence and it’s time to take a stand,” Hogg said during the video. “Take a stance for human lives, children’s lives.”

Students from all over the country listened to these passionate calls for action and expressed their own ideas.

“Guns need to be regulated. No change is going to be made until guns are not able to be bought almost effortlessly,” junior Christine Reichard said. “All assault-style weapons should be illegal in the hands of the public because an average citizen has no need for them, and there are absolutely no instances in which they are helpful.”

“It is important to enforce the current [gun regulations] we have on the books before we talk about enacting new laws. Creating new laws does noth-

ing to stop criminals if the laws are not enforced,” Milios said. “The federal background check system is flawed and needs to be modernized and made more efficient. [This is] something the vast majority of Americans agree on and [that is] totally in-line with the second amendment.”

Students and teachers nationwide have been similarly mobilizing, organizing, and taking action in response to Parkland pleas and protests.

“These movements being led by students is a pretty big social experiment, but we have seen in the past that it’s been young people that push for change, and that those movements, although hard and long, have eventually worked out,” social studies teacher Mrs. Katie Quartuch said. “I’m a civics teacher, so this is kind of a dream come true for me because I’ve always thought that young people need to take the reins more. I’m also glad that adults are seeing how smart and interesting kids are. I don’t think people outside of teaching understand how capable you actually are, so I think this is a huge moment for you guys.”

“Students are finally realizing that they have the power. When we speak out together and put our foot down, people listen. We’re getting harder to ignore,” senior Emma Duane said. “We need to continue to get involved. For the first time in a while, I see the possibility of change happening down the road, and that’s because our generation is driving the car.”

Another school walkout set for March 14 organized by Women’s March Youth EMPOWER called for students, teachers, and school administrators to walk out for 17 minutes at 10 am in each time zone: one minute for each victim killed in the Parkland shooting. Thousands of students in schools across the nation in places like New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, and Santa Monica participated in what many consider to be a historic display of coordinated action of the student-led movement for gun control and school safety. Activities ranged from reading the names of each Stoneman Douglas victim to spelling out messages like “ENOUGH” and peace signs on football fields.

At Southern Lehigh High School alone, in a bipartisan walkout organized by class officers and several student activists, students gathered in the bus loading area for 17 minutes to sign petitions and letters to both U.S. and Pennsylvania congressmen, register to vote, and collect flyers with information on Pennsylvania gun laws. Students and teachers alike also signed a banner to be sent to Stoneman Douglas with the words, “Southern Lehigh Stands With Parkland. #neveragain” Near the end of the walkout, participants stood in silence for 10 seconds in remembrance of gun violence victims.

“I walked out because progress to protect American lives needs to be made, and there is absolutely no better way than using your voice as a United States citizen,” Reichard said. “Each individual has the power to make a difference.”

Stoneman Douglas student activists have also sparked a seemingly longneeded, although heated, conversation about school safety and gun violence in the United States.

“Schools need to be as secure as possible. Metal detectors, ID-access cards … armed police officers or competent, trained, and armed teachers. It is inane and wishful thinking to believe that a federal ban on assault weapons would stop crazed people from going into schools and shooting children,” Milios said.

“I honestly think the most effective course of action to maximize safety from gun violence in American schools is offering a lot more emotional and social support for kids. I’d even support a mentorship system,” Mrs. Quartuch said. “Maybe one teacher takes 25 students, and they check in with them once a week to make sure that everyone’s okay, and then get them the resources they need if they’re not. And it might be naive, but I think that is the number one issue in terms of all types of gun violence with young people.”

And while students have been fervently demanding that politicians and school administrators take action to maximize safety, the whole nation has been listening intently.

“We have plans in place for a whole range of emergencies that are reviewed, at minimum, annually, and every time there’s an incident, or we have a drill, or there’s something as happened in Parkland, we go in and do another review. We also have an excellent relationship with the Upper Saucon Police Department, so we work closely with them and get their input on student safety matters,” Mrs. Evison said. “Another big piece of school safety is social, emotional safety. We’re constantly working with our counselors, getting feedback from our students, and trying to identify students who may need extra supports and provide additional counseling to those students who may be struggling. If students feel a part of a community, then I think we create a much safer place for all of us.”

If you notice suspicious changes in one of your friends or disquieting behavior in another student, do not hesitate to communicate your concerns to a teacher or administrator.

“We really need our students and our staff to be comfortable speaking up. Let staff know what’s going on. If you have concerns about other students or something comes to your attention, or you hear something, report those things to staff,” Mrs. Evison said. “We can make sure those situations are investigated and every student is given the support they need.”

March 2018

Our World Page 13

Where Are They Now? John Marquette

by Danielle Alpert

Pretty much everyone agrees that Southern Lehigh is a small school district. Everyone knows everyone, and in high school you spend everyday with the same people you’ve known since the fourth grade. However, 1973 alumni John Marquette recalls it was once very different. There was once a time when students were grouped into classes of 35 to 40 based on similar abilities, talents, and likeliness to attend college. For Marquette, college was not a priority.

In high school, Marquette starred as Otis Skinner in the junior class production of “Our Hearts Were Young and Gay.” He had no desire to go to college and did not even take the SATs. However, someone told him to apply to Temple University, so he did and got accepted, an event that changed his future.

“My junior year at Temple took place at its Rome, Italy, campus. My academic year abroad was without a doubt the most exciting experience of my life because it taught me to act and think independently and to do so while speaking a different language,” Marquette said. “Those memories continue to guide my life and [allow me] to show compassion for people who are different, as Italians did for me.”

He finished his undergraduate education at the University of San Fran- Photo credit: John Marquette. Marquette in his senior year in high school (left) and Marquette now (right). cico in 1985 while working at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

“My major, originally in journalism at Temple, morphed into a bachmade a wise decision by moving “somewhere he vowed he would never elor’s degree in information sciences,” Marquette said. “It was during those visit again: the Lehigh Valley.” Since then, he dedicated his time to social years that I met Henry, the man I would eventually marry.” and industrial history, focusing on the first mayor, Archibald Johnston of He graduated with his master’s degree in library and information sciBethlehem, and the mansion that Johnston built, which became Housenick ences from San José State University, leading him to become a public librar- Park. Along with his studying came two books that he wrote and co-wrote. ian in the small city of Commerce, only six miles from Los Angeles.

Regardless of these unique opportunities for success, Marquette be“Being a librarian is a cross between being a therapist and a detective. lieves that the best piece of advice to allow him to experience life the way My work with the public required me to establish and maintain trust with he did was given to him by a librarian at our very own Southern Lehigh the people who came to the reference desk with questions,” Marquette Public Library: said. “In any relationship, trust must be earned and is so difficult to rebuild “She listened to a story I told her, then looked me in the eye and said, if violated. I earned and retained their trust through my career serving the ‘John, sometimes you just have to let other people be wrong.’ I wasn’t really city.” sure what she meant,” Marquette said. “Now, almost 50 years later, I do. I After retiring in 2010, Marquette believes he don’t believe in giving advice, because you own part of the outcome.”

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Flu Season Poses Deadly Threat to Youth

by Kennah Salvo

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collects extensive data on flu statistics every season and as of March 5, 114 children from infancy to 17 years old died from flu related causes in the 2017 to 2018 season.

That’s more than the previous two seasons, which topped out at 93 and 110 deaths respectively.

These deaths often affect children with pre-existing conditions whose immune systems are already spent. Most of the time, the major complication is a bacterial infection of the lungs known as bacterial pneumonia.

“Right now, one of the biggest health threats we are facing is influenza,” the CDC said in a press release. “Flu is incredibly complex and difficult to predict.”

There are many strains of the flu virus, such as the H1N1 or the H3N2, which is what makes it so hard to combat. This season, H3N2 is the most dominant strain.

“The best way to combat [the flu] is to get a flu shot, to get vaccinated against it,” Southern Lehigh High School nurse Ms. Barbara Bracalente said.

A flu vaccine is a weak version of the virus injected in order to teach the body how to properly combat the virus. Before the vaccine is distributed, the World Health Organization (WHO) examines data from clinical studies, surveillance, and laboratories in order to determine the best composition for the vaccine.

If you catch the flu despite having gotten the vaccine, or as a result of having not gotten the vaccine, there are ways to fight against the illness itself and prevent contaminating others.

In a press release the CDC recommends, “you frequently wash your hands, and, to reduce spreading infections, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Antiviral medications are another tool in the fight

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons. The flu shot is the best way to prevent getting the flu.

against the flu.”

One such antiviral medicine is Tamiflu, which must be taken within 48 hours of first noticing symptoms in order to most effectively battle the virus.

Tamiflu can also be used as a preventative measure.

“The best thing to do is not come to school or to work, stay home, and see your physician,” Nurse Bracalente said. “What you will be told is treat your symptoms, [and] if you are feverish, [use] tylenol and ibuprofen. If you are achy, same thing: get fluids and rest.”

Page 14 Arts and Entertainment

Buying Time to Release New Album

The Spotlight

By Quinn Schmidt

events, the largest crowds being last year’s Mini-Thon and Jamalot for Camelot.

Although Buying Time is musically above where the average high school band tends to fall, it’s the togetherness that has made them the successful band that they are today.

“My favorite part of this is just hanging with the boys and jammin’. I love music: I love playing music, listening to music, so there’s nothing like getting to play some of your favorite covers and writing songs,” Strauss said. “It’s definitely a passion of mine, so I love that I can share that passion with a bunch of my friends.”

It is this cohesive relationship that has led Buying Time to achieve success in the musical sphere and verify themselves as legitimate musicians, something only one other Southern Lehigh band has done. They don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. With an album and a performance on the horizon, we could be hearing about Buying Time for years to come.

In Southern Lehigh history, many attempts have been made to claim the title of best high school music group. Bands such as The Droogs have produced some questionable music, and we have also seen countless Soundcloud rappers try to make it big. While most of these groups encounter the typical problem that most high school bands face -- the peculiar bonds (or lack thereof) the groups form -- three current seniors, Nate Morris, Luke Strauss, and Ben Forster, have joined musical talents with former students Noah Crowley and Mitch DeCasere, and the outcome has been exceptional.

The group is called Buying Time, one of the most premier bands to ever roam the halls of Southern Lehigh High School. Buying Time’s roots are interesting, as the group’s original founder is no longer in the band. The ensemble began as the trio of Morris, Strauss and fellow senior Ben Muth who proposed the idea of starting a band back in sophomore year. The entire idea was based off of Muth purchasing and learning how to play the bass guitar. However, he never got around to buying the guitar originally intended. Luckily enough, another Ben stepped up to take his spot. With Forster on bass, Strauss on the drums, and Morris as the lead singer and guitarist, they were all playing in their secondary positions.

“We decided it would be a lot of work because I would have to sing and play guitar, and Luke is better at piano than he is drums,” Morris said.

“So, we found Mitch and Noah because we knew they were both really good at what they do.”

After recruiting DeCasere to play drums and Crowley to play guitar, they bonded together for two years, they are currently in the process of perfecting their new album to be released by the start of summer 2018.

They have already entertained the audiences of multiple Southern Lehigh

Nate Morris sings at the 2017 Mini-Thon at Southern Lehigh High School. Photo Credit: Ashley Lee.

Upcoming Movies...

“A Quiet Place” comes out on April 6. The film depicts a family living in horror while mysterious creatures hunt them by sound. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

“The Miracle Season” comes out on April 13. The film is about a star volleyball players tragic death, and her teams quest for a state championship. Photo Credit: LD Entertainment

“Chappaquiddick” releases on April 6. This movie recollects Senetor Ted Kennedy’s car crash resulting in the death of one of his campaign workers. Photo Credit: Apex Entertainment

March 2018

Arts and Entertainment

‘Black Panther’: The Latest Hit in the Marvel Universe

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By Jakob Bloss

In 2016, fans were delighted to a catch a glimpse of the new Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) superhero, the “Black Panther,” in the highly anticipated film, “Captain America: Civil War.” Since then, fans have been patiently waiting to see a solo “Black Panther” film: a big deal to many considering how he is essentially Marvel’s most prominent black superhero.

After witnessing his father’s death in “Captain America: Civil War,” T’Challa, also known as the Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), returns to his home in Wakanda to take his father’s place as king. He struggles to get used to the new rituals as king, as he is tasked with the duties of protecting his people and Wakanda’s special secret resource, vibranium.

During his reign as king, T’Challa is challenged by an “outsider,” Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan). Killmonger holds a grudge against Wakanda and their king over something that makes him angry enough to take their land’s resources and distribute them to the rest of the world, exposing their secrets.

During this process, the people of Wakanda are split apart due to a newfound willingness to follow through with Killmonger’s plan to share vibranium. T’Challa eventually teams up with a CIA agent to try and take down Killmonger and anyone else who tries to threaten Wakanda.

Not only does “Black Panther” manage to tie its storyline into the MCU, but it also introduces Wakanda to the audience in the best way possible. Watching this movie in theaters, I felt like I was actually in Wakanda: their culture and customs were very present. For example, the actors dress in their traditional clothes and use their native tongue in a variety of scenes.

Also, going into this movie I knew that some songs from the “Black Panther” soundtrack, released a week before the film, were made by the rap group TDE (Top Dawg Entertainment). This was a great thing to do because if you weren’t that optimistic heading into the movie, you could listen to some of the songs on the soundtrack to get more excited.

Some songs that stand out on the soundtrack are “Paramedic!” by SOB x RBE and “X” by ScHoolboy Q, 2 Chainz, and Saudi, because both include lines that related to the movie somehow. The only complaint I have is that the soundtrack wasn’t featured enough in the actual film, because for some rap fans the music was hyped up almost as much as the film.

Besides giving Marvel fans something we have never seen before, “Black Panther” manages to open the gates for more black superheroes. It gives us something unique, funny, and entertaining at the same time, while never losing the focus of the main storyline. Hopefully this movie encourages studios and directors to make more movies with different elements that audiences aren’t necessarily used to.

“Black Panther” was a nationwide hit its upon release this month. Photo Credit: Marvel Studios.

‘The Disaster Artist’ Remakes an Old Flop

By Ben Baca

Almost fifteen years after its release, the disastrous blockbuster cultclassic, “The Room,” has been recently reincarnated in theaters as “The Disaster Artist,” which came out with a limited screening on December 1, 2017, before being officially released one week later. The film is based on the nonfiction book by the same name.

The premise tells the story of a man named Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), who befriends someone with an unknown accent, age, source of money, and past. His name is Tommy Wiseau (James Franco). As they struggle to fulfill their dreams of being Hollywood stars, the two of them decide to make their own film titled, “The Room.” Once the filming starts, many obstacles arise during production that make Tommy and Greg’s project a surprise hit for what many consider to be one of those films that’s “so bad, it’s good.”

For what it’s worth, “The Disaster Artist” is a dramedy that succeeds in being a humorous and moving film with a memory trip to the original film. It takes some of the scenes from “The Room” and does somewhat of a remake with James Franco and the other cast members replacing the actors from the original movie. Also, it has James Franco filling in as the star, producer, and director, similar to Wiseau being the main cast member, writer, producer, and director of his own project.

Seeing how this film recreates the events of an unexpected hit, the fantastic sense of humor comes from all of the issues “The Room” had during its creation. Examples are Wiseau forgetting his lines, being a terrible actor, and poorly directing the movie.

Additionally, much like “The Room,” the problems of “The Disaster Artist” are easily noticeable, but, thankfully, not too major. One example would be how James Franco harbors no physical resemblance towards the real Tommy Wiseau. James’ face looks younger, whereas Wiseau has a slightly older appearance on-screen.

Overall, for a film that makes fun of another movie and its creation, “The Disaster Artist” is actually a spot-on adaptation of “The Room.” It manages to provide great comedy, nostalgia, acting, and a touching story for longtime fans of a weird person with a history that is still kept private to the world.

I’d rate this movie an 8/10.

“The Disaster Artist” is a wildly successful remake of a terrible classic “The Room.”

Photo Credit: New Line Cinema.

Page 16 Odds and Ends

The Spotlight

March 2018

Pep Rally Heroes Put Their Skills to the Test for Pennies for Patients At the start of the relay race, senior Maddy Vingom tests her poise as she walks carefully across a balance beam.

Together, Southern Lehigh hero squads raised a grand total of $13,004.43, smashing their initial goal of $10,000.

The Hero Squad activities of this year’s pep rally and fundraising campaign were planned by the National Honor Society’s Pennies for Patients campaign officers.

From left to right: Juniors Sydney Stine, Eme Sargent, Genessa Sirard, Rachel Cusick, and Mariama Sohna; guidance secretary Mrs. Mandi Mowrey, and NHS adviser Mrs. Lynne Kelly.

For a flying finish to a successful relay race, students were to propel themselves over a towering stack of gymnastics mats and sit down on the other side with their squad.

Photo credits: Karin Naktin

$13,004.43 Is it hardboiled or raw? Students found out after smashing the eggs over their heads.

Only some people were relieved.