The Wooster City School Dis trict is on the brink of a transfor mation with the phased imple mentation of a facilities plan for Wooster’s schools.
Since the frst formal presen tation at the School Board An nual Retreat in July 2019, the community has been discuss ing the Facilities Master Plan, a multi-phase plan that will demolish old buildings within the Wooster City School District and construct a new middle school and two new elementary schools.
At its August 23 public meet ing, the school board afrmed to move forward with the plan, voting to hold informational nights and send letters home to solicit public feedback.
Ted Hill, one community mem ber, wrote in a letter to the editor to The Daily Record, “I trusted the board to use the adoption of the master plan only to save their spot in line for state fund ing, not to end community dis cussion.”
Superintendent of Wooster City Schools Gabe Tudor clari fed the necessity of the Master Plan. He described multiple rea sons behind the plan, stating: “We have aging buildings: all of the buildings outside of the high school are 60 to 70 years old and, as buildings age, there are going to need to be more signifcant repairs needed...The reality is that a school shooter and intruder wasn't really in the vocabulary of education or architecture back in the ‘50s or ‘60s,'' Tudor said.
Tudor explained the impor tance of equity in the Master Plan. He clarifed, “Cornerstone is about a 75 percent poverty [rate], while Kean is about 30 percent poverty. Poverty itself does not create a barrier to ed ucation. It's all the things that poverty creates. We feel that all our students should have the same opportunity and the same experience so putting all our stu dents together at a kindergarten or pre-k level will be better than in ffth grade," Tudor said.
Another issue with the state of the school system was the com munication among the teachers. Tudor explains, “Right now if we want to get our frst grade teachers to talk about something with early literacy, that's chal lenging because we have four buildings.”
Tudor said he hopes the Mas ter Plan will reduce confusion among staf.
The fnal point Tudor expressed over the need for a Master Plan related to the population growth of the community. With the recent addition of housing developments around Wooster, Tudor said he wants to be ready to accommodate more students.
The Facilities Master Plan is still far from complete, but well on the way to showing the full scale of the project. As Tudor summarized, “We are going to try hard to honor the past,” but the district needs to address fve issues: “aging buildings, meet ing student needs, teacher col laboration, equity and growth.”
With the master facilities plan approved the School Board is still waiting on an architectural frm, a decision over a bond levy, and building designs.
With the retirement of Dr. Mi chael Knapic from the Wooster City School Board efective on Aug. 24, the board recently ap pointed Cody Austin to fll the position.
According to Austin, he is a f nancial advisor at Austin Wealth Solutions.
He graduated from the Uni versity of Akron with a bach elor’s in fnance and an MBA in Leadership and Organizational Change.
Austin said he joined the school board as he wanted to help WCS
students.
“I was interested in joining the board as a way to be involved in the growth of the next gen eration of Wooster residents. My hope is to do everything I can to help students grow and be suc cessful,” Austin said.
Austin notes that board mem bers have the obligation to help improve the district and work with other board members in order to do so.
In joining the board, Austin has many aspirations.
“My hope is that I can be a re source in any and all areas that help the board make strategic and wise decisions for the fu
Ethan KeatingCody Austin was approved at the Sept. 19 board meeting.
ture of our school district,” Aus tin said.
Austin was appointed Sept. 19 and he expressed that he is eager to help the students and families of the district.
staf writer
Over the last three years, the Wooster City School District has had diferent methods of addressing the COVID-19 pan demic, and the 2022-2023 school year is no diferent.
Concerning the district policy entering this school year, Gabe Tudor, WCS superintendent, said most recently, Wooster’s COVID-19 policy, “was updated this summer after the CDC and subsequently the ODH revised their recommendations.”
One part of the district that has
Boys Soccer is the 2022 outright OCC champion
Volleyball are the 2022 outright OCC champions
Girls Tennis wins third OCC title in a row.
been heavily afected by COV ID-19 in the last few years is the athletics department.
Alex Mallue, WHS athletic di rector, described how positive cases of student-athletes are ad dressed.
“If you test positive, you must stay home for fve days. On the sixth day, if you are fever-free and your symptoms are improv ing, the student-athlete can re turn to school and to their sport, but must wear a mask through day 10,” Mallue said.
Despite the spike in COVID-19 cases across Wayne County in early September, Tudor said
there have been no localized outbreaks in any school build ing, team or group in the school district, but explained how a situation like this may be ad dressed.
“Since the January 2022 board meeting resolution, the district has used a 3% threshold of ac tive cases to prompt alteration. When a school building within the district has 3% or more of their students with an active [COVID-19] case the individual school building will be required to mask for two weeks and until active cases are reduced below 3%,” Tudor said.
Hiner said: “Our primary objec tive is to immerse students in the theatrical arts. They have the ability to take advantage of/learn all aspects of theater (performance and tech). Our best club members work of stage and on stage. If a kid joins us in eighth grade, they'll likely have 10 opportunities to perform and/or work tech. We hope they learn all.”
Meetings: As they are working on their musical production, meetings have quieted down a bit. Most of our gatherings are tied to ELF.
Adviser: Chelsey PorterPorter said: “Meetings will include practices for the Power of the Pen and the JustWrite teams. Anyone is welcome to come to any meeting, regard less of the team participating or not. We will be working on improving our creative writ ing skills with a focus on short story writing.”
Natalie Gibson (11) member of club said FCA is, “A group of student athletes who talk about ways to be living for God, play ing their sports for God, and spreading His word. We usu ally read a verse and talk about a certain topic each time. Run through WHS and not afliated with a specifc church.”
Meetings: Tuesdays after school from 3 p.m.-4 p.m. starting on Sept. 27
Meetings: Every other Friday at 7:20 a.m. in the library
Advisers: Oliver Warren and Brian Questel
Warren said: “Our mission is making WHS a more inclusive and well-informed community; a place where each student is secure and welcome enough to learn & grow--especially focused in the areas of race, sexuality, gender identity, and economic justice.”
Jarrett said: “Key Club is an internationally recognized, student-led, service organiza tion for high school students. We work with groups around Wooster and Wayne County to fnd volunteer opportunities to help people around our com munity.”
Adviser: Erin PetruzziPetruzzi said: “The club's focus is to inspire students in grades 8-12 to educate themselves on the medical industry to cre ate the future generation of medical professionals. The club highlights the diferent medical professions and provides details of these professions through tours and invited speakers from the various parts of the medical feld.”
Meetings: Every other Tuesday morning (7:20 a.m.) in the LGIR.
Meetings: Every other Friday after school in the High School Meeting room (next to the Guidance Ofce) and usually only last 15-30 minutes.
Meetings: Monthly, Wednes days before school (7:20 a.m.) in Erin Petruzzi’s room, C131.
Petruzzi said: “The Green Club is a student organization that focuses on creating environ mental awareness and activism within the study body of WHS . The purpose of the Green Club is:
To inspire students in grades 8-12 to be active stewards of their community. To educate students on the ways humans can mitigate harm to the environment.
To provide solutions to actively combat environmental prob lems.
To advocate for better environmental policies around Wooster.”
Meetings: Wednesdays at 7:20 a.m. in Ms. Petruzzi’s room
Adviser: Holly CusterCuster said: “Speech and De bate is a unique extracurricular activity. We ofer 13 distinct categories of debate, public ad dress, and interpretation. Our goals are to improve oral and written communication skillsand we compete weekly from November through March. Through weekly practices and tournaments, we focus on ef fective communication skills to help students improve their research, writing, and speaking skills.”
How to Join: If students are interested and were unable to make the category placement sessions,they can still join. They would just need to come see me - they can email Custer at wstr_hcuster@wooster cityschools.org to set up a time to meet.
At WHS, students have a number of options in which to get involved. In addition to the clubs listed WHS also ofers Esports club, Student Council, One club, National Honor Society and OCC leadership.
To help ease the stress of the college admissions experience, a roadmap highlighting all of the major pitstops for students was created to simplify the experience.
Graphic by Ben Stavnezer
College admissions can be a stressful process. Ask any senior: the college search is something that most high school students dread, but once applications are in and students know which school they are going to, most stress is relieved.
Most schools in Ohio are partnered with the Common Application, which is a website where students can fill out an all-encompassing application to multiple colleges.
Some colleges require an essay on which students are able to choose between multiple prompts when they write their essay.
Not every school has partnered with the Common Application, and there are multiple ways to apply. Schools have an online application that students can fill out if they choose not to apply with the Common Application and only want to apply to one or two schools. The first step students should take when applying to colleges is figure out the colleges they would like to attend.
Many colleges have daily visits where students can go
and tour campus. According to an Aug. 22 article in US News, Cole Claybourn, “Visiting a college can help prospective students get a sense of the culture and community and understand how they may or may not fit in. While it’s not part of the formal application process, exploring a college can help students determine which schools to apply to.”
Schools also have days for specific majors that students are interested in order to get more information about that specific major. Schools regularly visit WHS on campus: students are able to register for these visits on the Naviance website.
After visiting the school and finding more information online, including school websites and college admissions websites, it is a good idea to apply if students think they could see themselves there.
Usually, deadlines for application are posted on each school’s website or within the Common Application or Naviance. A quick fact about college applications from College Board states, “A college application—the package your child sends to colleges—usually includes many different elements; it’s not just a form.”
Once students apply to schools, they should fill out the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid.
It is important that students keep a variety of schools in mind to which they apply and keep their options open. According to the College Board, “There is no magic number, but five to eight applications are usually enough to ensure that a student is accepted into a suitable institution ... This number should be made up of a combination of ‘safety,’ ‘match,’ and ‘reach’ colleges.” By doing so, if their other choices fall through, they are able to have a fall-back option.
According to collegeboard. com “This term [match] refers to colleges whose requirements mean little chance of rejection for that applicant. Most students apply to just one safety, but a student may opt for an academic safety and a financial safety.” Match colleges are colleges where the student matches the average statistic, and reach colleges are colleges that are less likely to accept the student.
The last step to the college admissions process is to enjoy the ride and do not stress. It can be a stressful time, but colleges are constantly looking for people to go to their school.
For any high school drama club, selecting and licensing a show can be as hard as producing the show.
”After selecting a show, you have to apply for the rights to the show. There are many licensing companies and the application process, depending on the show, can take anywhere from a week to many months,” Brett Hiner, director of the WHS Drama Club, commented.
“The contract might just be a page or two or, in the case of Grease, 20 pages. It can get pretty insane,” Hiner said.
There are plenty of reasons a show can be rejected as well.
If a theater close to an area has already licensed the show, the licensing company may refuse so the shows and theaters do not have to compete. Sometimes there are also professional touring productions happening, so companies may refuse certain
productions for that reason, as well.
In Columbus, a touring group is performing Elf around the same time as the Drama Club, leading to some restrictions.
Hiner said he is thankful that “Music Theatre International ultimately said ‘yes’ to our production of Elf, but some restrictions have been placed on what we’re able to do because of the touring production hitting Columbus in December.”
Musicals can be as expensive as $3,000 to 4,000 just for the license while plays cost around between $500 to $1,000.
Hiner said the WHS Drama Club’s most expensive show to produce to date was the musical Grease in 2019.
“When it was all said and done, which included licensing songs written for the movie, we paid close to $10,000,” Hiner said.
The Drama Club is producing Elf: The Musical to perform this fall. Tickets will go on sale Oct. 14.
Sororities and fraternities, also known as Greek life, have been a staple of college life since the late 18th century.
During September and October, most Greek life organizations start their recruitment process. Currently, Greek life exists at over 800 universities in the United States, according to an article written in January of 2018 by Katherine Weaver for Freely Magazine.
Recently, Greek life has surged in popularity with the help of social media sites such as Tik Tok. Sororities and fraternities
post about their recruitment process, known as rush week. During rush week, prospective members attend gatherings organized by different sororities and fraternities where they meet current members and discuss Greek life.
Tyler Keating, 2020 WHS alum, and current member of Alpha Sigma Phi at the Illinois Institute of Technology, encourages people to join Greek life, saying, “Joining a fraternity was one of the best decisions I’ve made... It has given me a more active social life, a network of future connections, has opened up opportunities for me while in school, and most importantly, given me a group of guys that treat me like family...”
For voters, the deadline to register is Oct. 11. Nov. voting is for congressional elections.
REBEKAH LAY
staf writer
Midterm elections are important for decisions that are made financially and environmentally and therefore affect day to day lives, through environmental laws, gas prices, war and taxes.
Midterm elections include elections outside of the Presidential election. In midterms, voters select
Congressional representatives.
According to the U.S. Census, in the last midterm election in 2018, 36 percent of people, between the ages of 18 and 29 years old, voted.
Having 36% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 years old means that 64% of people between those ages are not being represented in financial decisions that are made during these elections, and also for the representation of political figures.
Through the midterm elections, taxes are affected along with other financial issues.
Brian Questel, Social Studies Dept. member, , said, “I make it a point to always vote. The midterm voting cycle always has levy and financial issues to vote on, and those are critical for many of our local agencies. As a result, I can impact our communities’ quality of life.”
Citizens of the United States are able to take away power
from officials that are not doing their job how the citizens see fit.
Nathanial Byrne (10) stated the midterm elections are important, “for office positions that are gubernatorial, insinuate that they should be evaluated and reviewed for their overall ability to govern.”
Voting is a responsibility and liberty that is granted by the government to the citizens of the United States.
The liberty/right to vote was not guaranteed when Britain
Graphic by Brittany Wachtelwas in rule over the United States and therefore is a civic duty.
Daniel Proano (11), stated that “People should vote because it is an important civic duty and responsibility, one that affects our daily lives.”
Midterm elections for this year, 2022, will take place Nov. 8 .
Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., you have to be 18 to vote. The deadline for registering to vote is Oct. 11.
co-editor in chief
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24, all eyes have turned toward state governments to make individual decisions regarding women’s rights.
When the Roe decision was announced, the initiative was placed on state governments to determine abortion laws within each state. Since June, many states have made individual decisions, with most Republican states choosing to either ban abortion or create more strict laws.
According to an article published September 15 by PBS NewsHour, there are now 14 states where various types of bans are in effect.
The severity of these rulings have varied state to state, with
West Virginia pushing to enact a nearly full ban that is waiting for signing by the governor. Ohio was set to implement a bill that would ban abortion after six weeks, but Democrat Judge Jenkins of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas has blocked the bill from coming to effect, saying that the state Constitution protects abortion.
Since individual state laws have gone into effect, there has been an increase in news articles reporting women who had to travel outside of their home state to get an abortion.
As reported by Abigail Abrams from Time Magazine on August 22, a 34-year-old Ohio woman was forced to travel to Michigan in order to get an abortion that would save her life.
Another story that sparked debate was that of a 10-year-old
States where abortion is
banned: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Mis souri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
In Ohio: A judge temporarily blocked the state’s ban on abor tion after 6 weeks of pregnancy.
(Information courtesy of The New York Times)
Ohio girl who had been raped and then refused an abortion in Ohio just two weeks after the overturning of Roe, also reported in Time Magazine
The overturning of Roe v. Wade has not lessened any controversies, but has instead changed the way that women across America obtain abortions as seen by an increase in media attention.
In relation to cosmic and space travel updates, NASA is still working diligently on the Artemis Project where they plan to reach the Moon for the first time since 1972.
According to NASA’s website, the Artemis Project is a mission whose goal is to reach the Moon for a second time and to obtain more knowledge about the lunar surface.
NASA has also stated that the Artemis rocket will have a cryogenic demonstration launch in order to test whether or not a large hydrogen leak in the rocket has been repaired.
Matt Balsinger, WHS Science Dept. member, said that the hydrogen leak was a pretty major issue for NASA by mentioning that: “The
hydrogen molecule is the smallest molecule in the universe, which makes it a pesky little thing to keep contained. Liquid hydrogen is pumped into the rocket under cold temperatures and high pressures to keep it as a liquid for rocket fuel. Any leak is detected with a change in pressure in the tanks and thus triggers the potential ‘no launch’ for the rocket.”
Balsinger is still optimistic about the launch. “I do believe that it will be successful. There are always unknowns in any scientific endeavor, however, NASA works tirelessly to control every variable they can in a launch so it can be successful,” Balsinger said. NASA will likely be prepared to perform the cryogenic demonstration by Oct. 2. It will launch no later than mid November.
Three female athletes who have made immeasurable contributions to their sport and to the growth of women’s sports have announced their retirements this year. Sue Bird, Serena Williams and Allyson Felix are all stepping away from their respective sports after long and illustrious careers.
Star WNBA point guard, Sue Bird was drafted in 2002 by the Seattle Storm and spent her whole career in Seattle. While in Seattle, Bird won four WNBA championships and was selected as an All-Star 13 times during her 18 years playing.
Bird also retires as the WNBA’s all time assists leader according to a Sept. 8, 2022, article by The Seattle Times. On the international stage, Bird has five Olympic gold medals and four FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Championships according to the same Sept. 8, 2022 article by The Seattle Times
Bird’s impact goes well beyond her on court performance. Brooke Ritchie (9), an athlete and basketball player at WHS explained that Bird had an impact by showing her what was possible. Ritchie
explained, “Seeing a woman succeed in a male dominated sport definitely inspired [me] to work harder.”
Bird’s impact is felt far and wide within the basketball community and sports world. Tennis queen Serena Williams is, in her own words, going to, “evolve away from tennis.” Williams won her first major title 23 years ago in the U.S. Open; she would end her career there, according to D’Arcy Maine in an ESPN article published Sept. 2. The same article cites Serena having 858 tour victories, 73 singles titles, 14 doubles titles and a record 23 major titles — the most by any tennis player in the Open era, woman or man.
Serena’s dominance on the tennis court has impacted young tennis players throughout the world. Wooster tennis athlete, Minnie Pozefsky (12), said she has been inspired by Serena’s advocacy off the tennis court. Pozefsky explained that “Serena has done so much to improve gender equality not only in tennis, but in professional sports as a whole.”
Serena has had an incredible impact on the opportunities that are available to female athletes.
Track star Allyson Felix,
retires as a five time Olympian with 11 Olympic medals, including seven gold medals and 19 medals at the World Championships according to Allyson Felix’s Team USA bio. Felix primarily ran 400meters toward the end of her career, however, she was also a very accomplished 200- meter runner. She was an integral member of many relay teams representing the United States of America as evidenced by her resume on Team USA’s website.
Felix has impacted Norwayne Track athlete Jaylee Wingate (12) during her time as a runner.
Wingate said she, “loved seeing Allyson compete at the World Championships with her young daughter watching.” Wingate explained that by Felix running in front of her daughter, “it shows that she could be doing anything other than running, but she chooses to continue what she loves.”
Felix’s love for her sport continues to inspire the next generation.
These three women have impacted not only their sports, but the culture of women’s sports as a whole. Their impact can even be felt within local schools, especially by the female athletes who look up to them.
staf writer
On Sept. 8, Queen Elizabeth the Second died. The Queen’s death sent shockwaves throughout the globe, starting a rise in antimonarchist sentiment.
This sentiment was further highlighted by the coronation of King Charles the Third, on Sept. 20, who is far less popular than the late queen. The question left resounding throughout the globe is now of what comes next.
Queen Elizabeth was one of the more popular monarchs in the world during her reign, with ratings of 75% of approval from a poll on YouGov.com, a British international market and research analysis frm.
Much of the queen’s popularity is attributed to her efort to improve relations with members of the Commonwealth, having taken over 200 trips to Commonwealth nations throughout her reign.
In contrast, King Charles the Third only has a rating of 42% from the same poll. Furthermore, Queen Elizabeth devoted much of her reign toward increasing the British relationship to its Commonwealth.
The British Commonwealth is a
voluntary coalition of 56 nations, a signifcant number of which were under British rule prior to the collapse of the British empire. Most of the countries within the Commonwealth had a love for the late Queen.
In 2021, Barbados chose to leave the British Commonwealth and become a republic. Since the collapse of the British Empire, there has been a growing trend of nations declaring themselves independent from the British empire, including Ireland, which also left the Commonwealth in 1949, and Australia whose prime minister, Anthony Albanese, recently announced the possibility for a separation from British rule with the rise of King Charles.
Indeed, some British citizens are even pushing for the dissolution of the British monarchy entirely, with a poll from Statista stating that 22% of British citizens want an elected position in replacement of the monarch.
With so much change within the monarchy at this time England is in a state of much turmoil, from nations wanting independence to abolitionist movements.
Only time can tell what will happen to the British monarchy and its commonwealth.
For this issue, The Wooster Blade staf focused on the theme of female legacies. Inspired by Queen Elizabeth, we felt as though now would be an appropriate time to highlight female athletes, politicians and business owners.
Carly Styer woke up one day this summer and decided that she would like to become a baker.
With almost no baking experience prior to this year, Standard Measure was created and her products have been sold at Local Roots since July 12.
Styer is a WHS graduate who obtained a degree in marketing from OSU. After working in marketing for 12 years, she moved back to Wooster to
help her parents and realized that she did not want to be in marketing anymore. She said that she, “got into woodworking and all these things and was like ‘you know what’s kind of fun? Baking.’”
After experimenting with recipes and a lot of trial and error, Styer began to work on her recipes. She uses all natural ingredients and color, making her products as organic as possible. The mint macarons, for example, are made with mint fresh from her garden.
Currently at Local Roots, she sells macarons, Japanese cheesecakes, and has just
introduced a chocolate caramel mousse dome.
When asked how her business began, Styer said it started as, “something to do… I needed something I could be around, that wasn’t necessarily freelance marketing.”
Although she spends almost all day, everyday, baking, Styer said “It doesn’t feel like work as much… It’s different from having to be somewhere from 10-6 or 9-5… It doesn’t seem as daunting.” She’s enjoying learning about different desserts that are becoming her own niche.
For now, Styer works on her
Ketanji Brown Jackson took a huge step for women in politics.
Jackson was elected as the frst African American woman as a Supreme Court justice.
After going to Harvard, earning and earning a bachelor’s in government, she worked for one year at Time magazine as a journalist and researcher.
That was not enough for her, so she entered Harvard law school, one of the 33 black women in the program.
After her graduation and multiple internships, Jackson worked for the United States Sentencing Commission for
two years. She took a break to become a federal public defender in Washington, D.C., for two more years and then rejoined the United States Sentencing Commission. This information was found from the website, Biography.
In 2012, Obama nominated Jackson to the federal district court of Washington; then in 2013, renominated Jackson. She was afrmed in March.
After staying in that position until 2021, Joe Biden nominated her into the court of appeals.
In 2022, Justice Bryer announced his retirement from the Supreme Court, and Biden nominated Jackson for the role. After a 41 day process, reported by NPR reporters, Leila Fadel
and Nina Totenburg, on April 7, she was nominated in February 2022 and got her confrmation, to be the 116th justice of the Supreme Court on April 7.
After the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 18 2020, there has been a lack of women representation in the government, showing only three females since Ginsburg’s death. This can be seen by a chart formed by the ofcial Supreme Court website.
Growing up, Jackson made a statement in her yearbook that she was determined to receive a judicial appointment.
Not only has she conquered this goal, but she has also become a role model for young girls of color.
own. When looking at next steps for her business, Styer stated “By next summer, I should be prepared for the market circuit and am looking into a food truck/trailer.”
She also said that she would like to work on, “growing product offerings.” She is currently working on more festive recipes
and building her website, standardmeasurebakery.com.
With her business, Styer said she has the hope of, “exposing people to desserts they might not have known about, and keeping it fun.” She sees herself continuing to do this for the foreseeable future, and has really been enjoying the process.
Female nominees had major successes at the 2022 Emmy Awards, with many winners making history within their categories.
Some notable female wins are those of Zendaya, Quinta Brunson and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Following her Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series win for her role in Euphoria, Zendaya made history as the first Black woman to win twice in that category.
“I just wanted to say my greatest wish for Euphoria was that it could help heal people,” shared Zendaya in her acceptance speech. “I just want to say thank you to everyone who has shared their story with me.”
Quinta Brunson took home the award for Outstanding Writing
For a Comedy Series, becoming the first Black woman to receive this Emmy. She was awarded this for her work on the hit ABC series, Abbott Elementary.
Though her speech was cut short by Jimmy Kimmel, Brunson made an appearance on his show the following Wednesday to address the incident and finish her speech.
“I honestly was in such a moment of just having a good time,” shared Brunson on Jimmy Kimmel Live! “I won my first Emmy.”
History was also made by Sheryl Lee Ralph, being the first Black woman in 35 years to receive the Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series award. Ralph also won for her work on Abbott Elementary.
“Anyone who has ever, ever had a dream and thought your dream wasn’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t come true, I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like” said Ralph in her Emmy acceptance speech. “This is what striving looks like.”
Many other women including Jennifer Coolidge, Amanda Seyfried, Lizzo and more were also recognized by the TV academy at the 2022 Emmy Awards.
lawyer whose life is flipped upside down when she gains the ability to become The Hulk.
Nearly every aspect of the show, whether it’s plot, writing, or storytelling falls short of viewers’ expectations and makes for a very boring viewing experience.
her with the same superhero abilities as him.
After this accident, she loses her job as a DA and must navigate being a lawyer for the superhuman law division of a large legal firm.
Not a single episode of SheHulk will make someone fall over laughing or put them on the edge of their seat in excitement.
other productions. The writing is almost identical to any other Marvel production and it’s very boring at this point.
TRISTAN MILLER staff writerShe-Hulk is a Marvel show that can be viewed on the Disney Plus about an aspiring
She-Hulk centers around Jennifer Walters, played by Tatiana Maslany, a DA in New York. While on a road trip with her cousin Bruce Banner, played by Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk) a car accident leaves
Overall, the plot comes off as uninspired for many reasons, including recycled writing, and a terrible plot.
She-Hulk could have been an enjoyable viewing experience, but it’s muddled by horrible writing and a complete lack of interesting events.
The show’s story has very little meaningful events, and no serious conflicts until the fourth episode. Even when conflict is presented its not interesting or exciting in any meaningful way.
The show creator Jessica Gao, who also worked as executive producer on the show, brings little other than reused Marvel material from
It seems as if there is no direction outside of Jennifer Walters becoming Hulk and the show seems padded for runtime with meaningless side plots and boring events.
Overall, it appears like SheHulk was abandoned creatively by its producers and writers, dooming what could have been a fun show with a nice cast, and turning it into a boring mess.
Movies, shows and theater often like to use their lead actors as a main focal point of their advertising.
Sometimes a very well known singer, model or internet celebrity may be cast in a role for something which can get people excited for the movie, but when the production comes out, the performance can be lackluster, this is often called stunt casting.
In the past, we, as viewers, have seen this done in the musical Mean Girls. The production cast Cameron Dallas, an internet personality, as Aaron Samuels. Fans of the musical criticized the choice after watching Dallas, saying that he was unable to sing well and could not dance well either.
This topic is being addressed lately due to Harry Styles starring in the movie Don’t Worry Darling. People were looking forward to seeing this movie because of Styles, but after the release day, the reviews are not as high as expected. Getting a 38 rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as reviews saying not just Harry, but the movie in general, wasn’t the greatest do the acting being subpar.
Stunt casting is often done purely to make extra money, as in the case with Harry Styles, but the producers of the movie obviously knew they would be gaining a new demographic of people to watch the movie.
Occasionally there is times where a person is stunt casted but still does a phenomenal job, but the bad work done outweighs it.
CALEB KOSTOHRYZ staff writer
The controversy of pop stars starring in movies has recently been brought back to life with the release of Don’t Worry Darling and the casting of Harry Styles in one of the lead roles, which seems ridiculous because audiences do not seem to mind his acting nor his role in the film.
However, it is not a new thing for people in the music industry to star in movies as Styles, who also had a cameo in Marvel’s The Eternals, is just one of many musicians to be in movies.
Lenny Kravitz (who appeared as Cinna The Hunger Games), Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard), Jennifer Hudson (Respect) and Lady Gaga have also starred in movies.
Drake started out as an actor in Degrassi: The Next Generation
As an interesting note, there seems to be more pushback about musicians moving into the movie scene than actors moving into the music scene.
Scarlett Johansson, who is known for her role as Black Widow in the Marvel franchise started her career as a singer in 2008 with the release of her album Anywhere I Lay My Head She has also contributed vocals to both Sing movies as Ash.
Having a well known person can greatly increase the movie’s chances of success because they already have a built-in fanbase. According to americanfilmmarket.com, “Having a well-known star dramatically increases the chances of getting some sort of theatrical release.”
Don’t Worry Darling is a great example of how one artist can encourage people to see a film.
When you take into consideration that there are multiple artists who have been successful on stage, screen, and on the music charts, it seems ridiculous that talent is even debated. Look at multitalented artist Jennifer Hudson. She has had a successful career
Les Misérables
Oct. 7-30, 2022
KeyBank State Theatre
All Quiet on the Western Front
Oct. 7, 2022
Amsterdam Oct. 7, 2022
White Bird: A Wonder Story Oct. 14, 2022
Black Adam Oct. 21, 2022
both on and off screen. She has two Grammys, she has won an Oscar, earned a Tony and also earned a Daytime Emmy; in fact, she is the youngest EGOT winner, according to billboard. com.
Pop stars can bring a lot of publicity and viewers to movies. Some people believe that the only reason pop stars are in movies is for publicity, and not their acting ability. They should be welcomed into movies.
On Sept. 6, following a 2-1 victory over Nigeria, the U.S. women’s national soccer team made history by signing a collective bargaining agreement that guarantees equal pay for the women’s and men’s national teams.
According to ussoccer.com, both the men and women’s teams signed identical economic agreements that run through 2028 ensuring equal pay, equal quality of facilities and improvements to player health and safety.
This historic event occurred after a hard fought battle by the USWNST. On March 8, 2019, the members of the national team filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer.
The lawsuit outlined the disparities in pay and facility conditions between the Men’s and Women’s teams.
According to an ESPN article written by Jeff Carlisle, if a men’s player made the World Cup roster, they would get $67,000, while a female player would get $37,500. The women’s team has won four World Cups while the men have failed to reach a championship game.
A win by the men’s team against a team outside the top 25 in the FIFA rankings earned players a bonus of $9,375, while if the women’s team won against a team ranked outside the top eight, each player would receive a bonus of $5,250.
If the men’s national team were to win a World Cup, they would earn $407,608, and if the women were to win a World Cup, which they have four times, they would receive $110,000.
The collective bargaining agreement is the first of its kind, and ensures equality in pay, facilities, accommodations, work environments and more.
Photo by Laynee Eslichstaf writer
The Team Feature was chosen based on General’s Trophy Partcipation, Team Success, Individual Success and Impact of Senior Captains.
The WHS boys soccer team has had a tremendous season so far, with 11 wins, three losses and a tie.
They are undefeated in conference play and are OCC champions. The team is led on and off the field by captains Simon Schonfeld (12), Brendan French (12) and Tommy Hansen (11).
Coach JP Lytle, who has been the head coach for six years, explained the changes the team has gone through since last season and how they have recovered from those changes.
“We lost 16 seniors from last [year’s] team. Anytime you do that, you have a lot of new guys step into positions on both JV and varsity. Every year, you regroup and find where guys fit best into the system we will play.”
Schonfeld, who plays for WHS, Ohio Strikers United and Evolution FC, said that the high school team has much better camaraderie and feels like a
family.
“We are all one big family on and off the field on my high school team, and I don’t really feel as connected as a group on my club team,” Schonfeld said.
This year, the team has been putting emphasis on creating a positive relationship between teams at WHS.
French, who is a member of the Student Athlete Leadership Team, commented about how SALT has impacted the team.
“I think SALT has had a positive impact on our team because as a captain I have been able to bring in important themes like character and humility into our program,” French said.
Schonfeld also commented on how SALT has impacted the relationship between teams.
“[SALT] allows students from all different sports to share ideas with each other and find common ground on how and what we need to improve in our school and in our sports,” Schonfeld said
The team achieved its goal to win OCCs and aims to make it farther into the playoffs than last year’s team.
Their final regular season home game is Oct. 13 against Strongsville. JV plays at 5 p.m. and varsity plays at 7 p.m..
As the summer season turns into fall, tank tops and shorts turn into sweaters and pants. 2022 introduces new trends like bright hues, casual hair accessories and twists on classic articles of clothing. The products listed below are the projected fashion trends for the 2022 fall season.
Colors to wear for the fall season include the classic autumnal shades of red, brown, and orange. Also, according to Laura Jackson of vogue.com on Aug. 25, pacific ocean blue has been taking over the runways and hot pink is “showing up on some of fashion’s chicest insiders.”
Grandpa sweaters, or chunky, knit sweaters, can keep one warm and stylish in the cooling weather. Most grandpa sweaters can be thrifted online or at a local store, or, as pictured above, can be found by homemade sellers on Etsy for around $55. These sweaters are paired best with baggy jeans and boots or Converse.
Hair accessories are one of the ways to add a little something extra to one’s look for the fall. These ribbons can be tied in a bow or a knot in the hair and can be coordinated with the colors of one’s outfit. A variety pack of ribbons can be found at amazon.com for $9.99
A simple button down shirt is the perfect way to add layering to an outfit. The button down shirt can be worn under a sweater or sweater vest or on their own with a pair of fun colored pants. A plain button down shirt can be found at target for $24.99.
According to Clementina Jackson of elle.com on June 9, 2022, cargo pants are trending right now due to their popularity with celebrities like Zendaya and Rihanna. Cargo pants can be worn with anything from a baggy t-shirt to comfy sneakers to complete the fall look. Cargo pants can be found at h&m.com for $24.99.
Although commonly expensive, a leather jacket is a staple fall piece for anyone’s wardrobe and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Leather can also be worn as pants or a shirt. A leather blazer can be purchased at nordstrom.com for $99.
A simple button down shirt is the perfect way to add layering to an outfit. The button down shirt can be worn under a sweater or sweater vest or on their own with a pair of fun colored pants. A plain button down shirt can be found at Target for $24.99.
additional ideas, Julia Guerra, from InStyle Magazine, ofers more fashion tips.
On Sept 1, the Curry Pot Restaurant, which is owned by Renoy Barua and Tania Bayer, opened their doors for takeout and delivery.
After moving to Wooster from India, Barua said , they, “missed Indian restaurants and Indian food,” noting that all of the cities they have lived in prior to Wooster had many Indian restaurants.
At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, the two began looking for commercial kitchens through which they could prepare and sell Indian food. They came across Local
Roots Market & Cafe. After that, they, “took the Saturday lunch spot and have offered a huge variety of Indian foods from their kitchen.” After an overwhelming response, Barua said the opportunities coming their way were, “pointing towards the need for an Indian restaurant in Wooster.”
In Dec. 2021, they purchased the building previously occupied by Biscuit Uprising and have been working on it since. They hope to open their restaurant for dining within the next few months.
Starting a business has proven to bring challenges. Barua stated that “Staffing issues have always been a challenge…Our
For this issue, The Wooster Blade staf chose to utilize our Feature section to spotlight new businesses within our community. Featured are The Curry Pot, The Ivory Room, Boho Nails and Oma Gourd.
cooking involves a lot of prep work as all our food and even the spice mixes are made from scratch. This was more effort than what our candidates who worked in American kitchens or fast food restaurants were used to.” Along with this, they have faced supply chain issues.
Despite the challenges, Barua said that they have enjoyed giving, “many local people an opportunity to try Indian food for the first time and fall in love with it with our offerings.” They are “excited to bring healthy and delicious Indian food to Wayne County. “
For job applications or to place orders, visit https://www. thecurrypot.org/
On Oct. 15, Ivory Room will be opening a storefront on Liberty St. in downtown Wooster.
Ivory Room is owned by Carrolyn Salazar, who says she has always thought a bridal shop business would go well downtown.
Salazar says Ivory Room will focus on wedding apparel, but will also sell clothing for other occasions.
“I will also be selling cocktail dresses; little black dresses. And, I would like to do Prom and Homecoming too. I’ll also have some cute accessories to go along with the gowns and formal wear,” Salazar said.
Salazar additionally mentions that she wants Ivory Room to be more than just an ordinary shop.
“We want to make it [Ivory Room] a destination location. I really want it to be an experience when people come into the shop. I want them to really feel transported to a bigger city. When people walk in, they’re gonna be treated like royalty,” Salazar said.
Jenny Skala, long-time friend of Salazar and head buyer of Ivory Room, furthers Salazar’s point of Ivory Room being a unique and different bridal shop.
“If a bride, for instance, goes into the store and sees a dress that might be vintage or one of a kind, she can leave with it the same day, kind of like a cash and carry concept. That’s not
something that you see a lot in bridal salons. She’s [Salazar] carrying custom, off the rack, and vintage,” Skala said.
Skala calls Ivory Room an, “eclectic merchandise mix” and a place brides will travel to.
Shannon Waller, executive director of Main Street Wooster, admires Salazar’s aspirations.
“[Salazar] is going to make any bride feel very wonderful about the experience and she has great ideas about partnering with businesses that are in town, so I think it [Ivory Room] is going to bring new energy to downtown Wooster. I look forward to seeing her grow and really thrive downtown. It’s gonna be a fun place to go to make that special day just perfect,” Waller said. More information can be found at ivoryroomwooster.com.
Owners of Boho Nails and Oma Gourd pose in front of their storefronts. The couple has taken over Wooster since opening their unique businesses. The Mullis‘ are alums of WHS and were high school sweethearts.
Photos by Caleb KostoryhzOma Gourd is a food truck run by WHS alum Justin Mullis. Mullis said, “I opened Oma Gourd as a solution to the food diversity problem in Wooster. My goal was to create an experience that allows people from all different lifestyles to come together and eat without worrying whether there will be an option for them.”
Oma Gourd has many different dish options making it more accessible for people who are picky eaters. The most popular options are the chicken bowl and the sweet potato.
According to Mullis, “Running a food truck is ‘round the clock’ work. It’s much more than simply cooking good food. There are hours before and after shifts that I spend preparing and planning. But it’s very rewarding, especially because I have such an incredible team and wonderful support from
the community.”
Boho Nails is owned and operated by Sara Mullis and they are located at 165 N. Bever St.
One of their specialties at Boho Nails is luminary structured gel manicures. Mullis stated, “I chose to specialize in luminary during quarantine in 2020. I tried it on myself and fell in love. It allows your natural nails to grow out beautifully with added strength, which gives the look of acrylics… without the weight and bulk.” Luminary nails are strong and last for a long time. According to an employee at Boho Nails, Olivia Salyers, “I chose luminary because I was looking for a product that lasts! It’s a gel that doesn’t lift, chip or peel. And unlike other nail products it doesn’t need to be removed each nail appointment. It’s truly such a strong and amazing product that clients love!.”
Boho Nails also specializes in hand painted nail art.
Head Photographers Nora Levy, Ben Stavnezer
A & E Editor Laura Rapport
Cover Editors Mattie Dunlap, Molly Byrne
Feature Editor Ben Stavenzer
Focus Editor Grace Kostohryz
On Campus Editor Hannah LoGiudice
Sports Editor Nora Levy
Trends Editor Stella Powers
Views Editor Brittany Wachtel, Olivia Hiner
Staff Writers Lily Campbell-Lehtinen, Laynee Eslich, Rhys Florence-Smith, Jaleyn Frederick, Ethan Keating, Caleb Kostohryz, Rebekah Lay, Tristan Miller, Jamie Ogle, Caleb Singer-Holden, Jackson Stansifer Graphics Nora Levy, Olivia Hiner
Photographers Brittany Wachtel, Ben Stavenezer, Nora Levy, Lily CampbellLehtinen, Hannah LoGiudice, Ethan Keating, Molly Byrne, Caleb Kostohryz, Rebekah Lay, Laynee Eslich, Caleb Singer-Holden Adviser Kristi Hiner
The Wooster Blade is a biweekly student publication printed every other Friday by the Newspaper Production classes at Wooster High School. The Wooster Blade is designated as an open forum and follows publishing guidelines as established by district-wide publications policy protecting students’ freedom of expression. All copy, art and photography are property of The Wooster Blade and cannot be reproduced without permission. Letters to the editor are limited to 300 words and The Wooster Blade reserves the rights to print and edit as per length and content. The Wooster Blade is a member of Quill and Scroll, National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Letters and inquiries should be addressed to The Wooster Blade, 515 Oldman Road Wooster, Ohio 44691. The Wooster Blade can be contacted at 330-345-4000 ext. 3210. The newspaper can also be found at thewoosterblade.com
If you use a web browser regularly, then you’ve probably picked up a few cookies along the way.
Cookies are used to remember things about websites like your login information, what you have in your shopping cart, what pages you visit on the website, and what language you prefer. They are created by websites and sit in your browser until they expire.
Some cookies are harmless, but others remain active even on websites that they did not come from, gathering information about your behavior and what you click on. They can track IP addresses to determine a user’s location, information about browsers, the device the user access the site with and browsing activity across different sites.
Cookies gives those with access to the information insight about the individual user’s interests, shopping habits, problems they are facing, and more. This can lead to targeted advertising and leaks of user data.
Tracking cookies can be so invasive that many antivirus programs classify them as spyware. Despite their bad
reputation, they have become so widespread that it is nearly impossible to avoid them.
Dusty Johnson, a senator from South Dakota, has introduced a bill that aims to investigate Tiktok to determine if TikTok has engaged in unfair or deceptive acts or practices within the Federal Trade Commission Act.
The act will then prohibit the use of TikTok on federal government devices and especially military installations. The Trump administration, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, expressed national security concerns over the popular social media app’s Chinese ownership, with Pompeo saying in an interview with The New York Times at one point that TikTok might be, “feeding data directly to the Chinese Communist Party.”
Its goal is to reduce the possibility of U.S. user’s data being taken and used for any nefarious purpose as access to a camera and microphone is something that is extremely valuable in a wartime or preparatory scenario.
“ByteDance, the owner company of TikTok, is a Chinese company, and they’re subject to Chinese national
law, which says that whenever the government asks for the data a company is holding for whatever reason, the company must turn it over. They have no right to appeal,” said Jim Lewis, senior vice president and director, strategic technologies program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
If the Chinese government wants to look at the data that ByteDance is collecting, they can do so, and no one can object to it or blow the whistle about it.
The Chinese government’s track record when it comes to human rights and widespread surveillance is certainly reason for concern.
The 2015 data breach of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management showed that governmental records are at risk, as 22.1 million records were leaked with information that was obtained and exfiltrated in the breach including information such as Social Security numbers, names, dates and places of birth, and addresses.
State-sponsored hackers working on behalf of the Chinese government carried out the attack.
The WHS student parking lot is the designated place for student drivers to park during the school day; however, the traffic has made it a bit of a safety hazard during drop off and pickup times, with frequent accidents occurring.
Many students have expressed concerns regarding the potentially dangerous aspects of the student parking lot. Some of these worries include lack of supervision, protocols and parent pick-up patterns.
To avoid getting in the way of the buses, parents often pick up students at the Gault entrance, which leads into the student parking lot. This sometimes forms lines that go all the way up the rows of parked cars, making it incredibly difficult for student drivers to exit the parking lot.
Expressing her concerns, Emily James (12) says, “I am concerned that the current system that is in place for pickup is not safe for students. Parents will pick up their kids all through the parking lot by lining up and down the aisles and along the curb of the school. Not only do they block drivers, but they create a dangerous parking lot where I have a hard time seeing them as I reverse out of a spot, but also when I round the corner of a new lane.”
April Teichmer, WHS police officer, shares that the size of WHS makes organizing traffic difficult. “In a perfect world, we would have designated entrances and exits for the parking lot so traffic flow would be uniform,” says Teichmer. “Since we are a large school it will take a lot of reorganization in order for that to happen.”
A way the school has tried to control the student parking lot is the implementation of parking passes. According to Teichmer, “The purpose of the pass is to identify which cars belong to students, as opposed to patrons using the Gault or the Natatorium. They also help to identify specific students’ vehicles.” The requirement of parking passes has been mentioned on morning announcements, and can be obtained in the main office.
While the intent is good, passes only work if students actually utilize them, something which has been an issue in the past. The Wooster BLADE Editorial staff would like to advocate for repercussions if students are not using them in order to create a safer parking lot for everyone.