NEWSPAPER II/III
1870-2017 Wadsworth City Schools: “Celebrating 147 years of Excellence in Education” VOLUME XLIII VOLUME XLIII NO.NO. 2 1
The
NOVEMBER 2017
WADSWORTH HIGH SCHOOL
BRUIN 625 BROAD STREET, WADSWORTH, OHIO 44281
Grizz ly a the S thletics d ubur omin --- P ban Leag ate age 1 u 0 --- e
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Community rallies around athletic success BY COLIN WRIGHT
soccer, and football). As was evidenced two years ago with our girls’ basketball state title, community support and pride were very strong. I would anticipate nothing but the same if our football program was able to achieve the same goal.” “A rallying point in any community is usually high school athletics. Our community goes above and beyond to support our student athletes and teams,” says Mr. Berg. “Look around town. Everything has the Grizzly logo, or uses the Grizzly name. It’s something everyone can be a part of, and take pride in.”
With the recent success of the Wadsworth Grizzlies football team, soccer teams, cross country team and volleyball team, the Wadsworth community has seen an outpouring of support for the Grizzlies. The people of Wadsworth have always been major supporters of the Wadsworth students. This is apparent to anyone who attends athletic events or fine arts performances. Strong support is not only beneficial to the community, it is also enjoyed by the students. Knowing that they have such strong support is hugely beneficial. “The bigger the event, “The Wadsworth community is an avid the more Grizzly fans supporter of our schools, in attendance. You including our athletic can count on it.” programs, fine arts, etc. Any time one of -Mr. Musgrave our programs has a high If you visit any local level of success, there is a great sense of community pride,” businesses around town during writes Superintendent Andy the fall, you will notice a Hill. “We’ve been fortunate this proudly-displayed poster with fall to have a number of our a Wadsworth football player or athletic teams win Suburban cheerleader on the windows and League titles (boys’ and girls’ doors. Those are all provided
PHOTO BY GREG MCILROY
A shot of the stands from the Wadsworth vs. Stow game. The Grizzlies won 41-28 in this exciting matchup and had a packed house to root them on.
by the Wadsworth All-Sports Booster Club, and it serves as another way the community comes together to support our teams. Wadsworth community members always bring an impressive showing to away events. The visitor stands of our opponents are always packed with red and white, rain or shine. “We are very blessed to have such a loyal following for our
Wadsworth adopts new state absence policy
BY ANNA BOWLING
With the turn of the new year, students can expect a new policy on how their hours of absence are determined. Instead of working with half days and full days, there is now more leniency with how they miss school. The former attendance policy only allowed for ten days of school to be missed by a student. This could be used by doctors appointments, illness, and field trips. This policy has recently changed and students will soon able to miss sixty-five hours of instructional time based on different statistics. Instead of being marked absent for a half or full day, kids will now be marked with missed instructional time by period. The biggest changes that kids and their parents will see with the attendance in progress book is the definitions of absences. The five descriptions that could be seen would be excused absence, unexcused absence, non-absence, excused truancy
and unexcused truancy. These changes have not been put into effect yet, but the school system hopes to have the plans implemented by the days following Christmas Break. While administration hopes to have a seamless transition, there are some kinks that still need to be worked out. The attendance and main offices have left some aspects out of the conversation. “The school sees this as an intervention plan to see kids in schools, and keep seeing these kids in school,” says Mr. Kresowaty, the attendance officer
of the school. School officials will have to submit a monthly report that includes truancies, absences, suspensions and field trips. These reports will be submitted for Wadsworth through Mr. Kresowaty. He has to calculate all the periods into hours, and the system has not yet been finalized by the code writers at the state of Ohio. With the system being implemented around Christmas, kids still have time to learn how this is going to affect them, and if it will, how to make the job of the attendance office a little easier.
Wadsworth Grizzlies. Opposing schools enjoy it when they host the Grizzlies because they know that they will make more money than usual at the gate since our community will travel to represent the red & white. The bigger the event, the more Grizzly fans in attendance. You can count on it,” says WHS Athletic Director Brad Musgrave. Community support is not just
limited to athletic events. High school musicals repeatedly have packed audience. Choir concerts also see strong attendance. Perhaps the peak event is the annual Fine Arts Festival, held at Wadsworth Middle School. No matter the season, no matter the sport or event, you can count on the loyal supporters of the Wadsworth Grizzlies to show up to athletic events and art performances in large numbers.
This month inside The Bruin Blood drive
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Grizzlies Dominate Page 10
Charlotte’s web
page 8 Twins
HOCO PHOTO BY ANNA BOWLING
Alexis Wyatt, 11, is being issued a tardy pass by Mrs. Wallet after being late.
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WadsworthBruin.com
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Wadsworth Bruin
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E ditorial
THE BRUIN
N ovember 2017
Letter to the editor BY JONATHON FERRY
The definition of a school is an institution for educating children. How to educate these children is up for grabs, but giving students the widest base of knowledge possible is the best course of action to prepare students for the real world. Public schools are one of the greatest achievements of the modern world, and thinking that they don’t want us to succeed in life is an excuse not to try. Blaming the system for personal inadequacies or lack of effort isn’t smart or new, it’s a cop-out because one doesn’t want to learn. There is no way to know what every student will specialize in, and kids who pretend to know what they want to do with their lives early in high school are dreamers. Also, memorization is only present in some courses, and isn’t the
best way to learn for everyone, which is why other fields exist. Application of knowledge cannot happen without memorization and memorization can’t happen without an understanding of knowledge. Kids who memorize blind facts are simply memorizing wrong, and taking the easy way out of doing the necessary work. Wadsworth High School is extremely adept at putting kids in the classes they need to succeed. By giving us the option of CCP, Four Cities Compact classes, and AP classes, there are almost unlimited options and paths to choose. A new computer science class shows the evolution the school is taking in response to student’s demands for relevant education. More practically, personal finance classes and business classes help kids learn practical, everyday life skills. All of these options are there to help
customize each kid’s experience, and let each kid do what will be most useful to them. Saying that nothing is applicable later in life isn’t just wrong, it’s an insult to the opportunities our school has given us but you, as students, were too lazy to utilize. Students have no clue what they want to do in life, so letting kids choose too much specialization would be a risky move for administrators. “Forcing” every kid to take government, economics, math, science, and English isn’t pigeonholing kids into classes they won’t need, but rather it exposes them to other ways to test their minds and become diverse thinkers. In today’s world, no employer is going to hire someone who cannot speak effectively and who doesn’t have the knowledge to form an opinion on politics. More importantly than learning
any subject, high school teaches you how to think in varying situations. No real situation in a job is a direct use of knowledge from one class, rather it is a combination of using knowledge gained throughout schooling and also the knowledge of how to think diversely. Memorizing everything for every class may not be the most effective way to prepare for the future, but learning how to memorize is. Memorization is a soft spot for many students, and rightly so. It is hard to memorize facts without understanding. However, there almost always is a reason. Few times in school do tests have questions that are direct memorization. Comprehension questions focus on information that should be picked up on from studying, and application questions use the memorized knowledge to find
the answer to complex questions not specifically reviewed. The quadratic formula isn’t memorized just to spit it out on a test, but becomes a cornerstone for information learned in Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, and Physics. For knowledge on how to apply information to be useful, memorization is essential, and for memorization to be useful, application skills are needed. So while school isn’t always about things that are directly useful to every student’s future, long term, every class makes sense and is helpful. Knowing how to learn is the most important thing a school can teach, and that requires some knowledge in every subject. With a better ability to memorize comes a better ability to learn, which in turn allows for easier future success. Anyone who says otherwise, fails at doing so.
Academics. Fine Arts. Athletics. Supposedly, they should be equally important to our district and our community. They are not, however, equally supported and do not always receive equal attendance. Athletic events have drawn the community in. They have entertained thousands and garnered much support for the district, and the athletes and coaches appreciate this greatly. However, athletics are not the only programs that have the ability to draw such large crowds. Our fine arts programs are top notch. The Wadsworth Drama Department has time and time again worked their ways into the hearts of their audiences. Their works range from hilarious comedies, dramatic tragedies, and anything in between. Our drama department consistently displays its talent and extreme dedication to their works. For example, the recent performance of the Aida musical won the drama department a Nancy and A.J. Stokes Best Student Orchestra
Award at the 2017 Dazzle Awards. The Wadsworth High School Band consistently earns recognition for their exceptional performances at competitions all around the state, and even beyond. We rely on them to set the tone at our football games, pep assemblies, and represent our school to the community. Our band has even earned the prestigious honor of performing at halftime at the 2018 Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. How many other high school bands can say this? These programs all receive strong support, but the attendance does not always match their contributions to our school. With the upcoming showings of The Lion King and It’s a Wonderful Life, along with the upcoming band and choir concerts, we urge the community to continue their support in their upcoming plays in a much stronger fashion. The dedication our fine arts demonstrate to their craft is worthy of our attendance.
Unpopular Opinions Staff Editorial “I hate when people go in and out of the wrong doors in the grocery store.” -Hailey Montgomery, 12
“I hate cheese.” -Leah McNutt, 11
“I think Subway is overrated.” -Zoey Farson, 9
“I hate Jimmy Johns.” -Gabe Szalay, 12
Bruin Staff
Editor-in-Chief: Quentin Griffin Front Page: Editor: Ahmed Darwich, Jackie Toth Reporters: Colin Wright, Anna Bowling Editorial: Page Editor: Jackie Toth Reporter: Colin Wright, Ahmed Darwich News: Page Editor: Ahmed Darwich, Jackie Toth Reporters: T.J. Lockwood, Anna Bowling, Kaitlyn Setera Opinion 1: Page Editor: Ahmed Darwich, Jackie Toth Reporters: Adam Darwich, Richie Dietrich Opinion 2: Page Editor: Ahmed Darwich, Jackie Toth Reporters: Jonathan Ball, Marraya Youngblood Picture Pages: Editors: Alyssa Laikos Reporters: Jessica Herman Sports 1: Page Editor: Josh Hagans Reporters: Jake Loguidice, Christian Szalay Sports 2: Page Editor: Josh Hagans Reporters: Kai Wagner, Jacob McDermitt Entertainment: Editor: Tori Baker Reporters: Kylee Baranek, Jacob Brown, Anna Bowling Features: Page Editor: Tori Baker Reporters: Olivia Porpora, Anna Bowling Of The Month: Editor: Alyssa Laikos Reporters: Joey Baughman Speakout: Page Editor: Alyssa Laikos Reporters: Joey Baughman Online Editor: Nate Barnett Ads/Business Manager: Josh Hagans Adviser: Eric Heffinger
Editorial Policy The Bruin is a monthly publication produced by the Newspaper II and Newspaper III students at Wadsworth High School. The Newspaper I class produces the April/May issue. The staff will do its best to inform the student body and the community of intra-school, community or national events that affect the student body. This paper provides on-the-job training for the staff members. All decisions are made by the staff members with the advice and suggestions of the adviser. The school administration works closely with the staff to ensure accuracy. We, as the students of journalism, hold the same rights and the same responsibilities as professional journalists as we strive for professional standards. These rights include the right to print any material that is not libelous, obscene or excessively disruptive to the school process. The Bruin will not discriminate against anyone on the basis of religion, color, creed or sex. The staff members accept full responsibility for everything appearing in this publication. The staff strongly encourages students to express their opinions through the letters to the editor column, which is printed every month. The staff also encourages the members of the community to express their opinion as well. Space permitting, all letters will be printed. We reserve the right to edit or omit any portion of any letter because the staff accepts the responsibility for the contents of the paper. All letters must be signed, but the name will be withheld upon request.
N ews
THE BRUIN
Halloween in review
BY TJ LOCKWOOD
Halloween is one of the most widely observed holidays in the United States. In the neighborhoods of Wadsworth, trick or treating took place on Halloween, October 31. Scare On the Square took place on October 26. Here, children dress up in their Halloween costumes and gather together with their families in downtown Wadsworth. This event included trick or treating at over 30 local businesses around the square. The fifth annual Thriller
performance also took place, where over 200 citizens dressed as zombies and “took over” the square. In this performance, the zombies reenact the world famous music video for “Thriller,” by Michael Jackson. This is one of the many events hosted by Main Street Wadsworth that brings the people and the city together. Matthew Moore, 11, said “I think Scare On the Square along with other community events are what make Wadsworth a great place to live.”
Annual Blood Drive has great turnout BY ANNA BOWLING
With a high turnout, the National Honors Society successfully hosted the blood drive. Almost 150 people donated blood. Considering the fact that one pint of blood can help between two and three people, this means that the blood donations could help between 300 and 450. There are a couple different ways that blood can be donated. There is whole blood donation, and apheresis, taking just parts of the blood. A normal pint of blood takes between seven and twelve minutes to fill. To donate blood, one must be at least seventeen, or sixteen
with a parent’s permission. Seniors can earn volunteer hours for donating, though they were not the only class at the school who decided to give a charitable donation. Many juniors and some sophomores also chose to donate. While there are certain measurements and rules a student must meet to be a donor, many students still donate to The Red Cross, as it is service work that they can perform easily. “I decided to donate my blood after I saw how the need for blood increased after the Las Vegas shooting. Being in the nursing program also sparked my interest in the
N ovember 2017
Board Members take the polls this November BY ANNA BOWLING
The Board of Education is a vital part of our school system, and the members are soon up for reelection. There are five members on the Board of Education, and three of those seats are up for reelection. Mrs. Julie Batey is one of the members up for reelection, and while she hopes to see herself reelected, that is not her main goal for Election Night. “I would love to see voters of all ages and all demographics come out and
vote on November Seventh, and I hope that I’ve formed solid relationships with students and parents in the community,” Batey says. She encourages those who can vote to come out and do so. “I just hope everyone comes out and votes because the school board is important,” she continues. To see in-depth interviews with all the candidates, go to WadsworthBruin.com and see Colin Wright’s story with full video interviews.
process of blood donation. It was a way to do charitable work that relates to my career trade and the program I am in,” says Megan Neff, 11. The Red Cross is scheduled to appear at the school in February for another drive. They are encouraging people to donate once again.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF AHMED DARWICH
1. Zach Tubbert, 12, holds the bandage to his arm after the draw is complete. 2. Henry Hundley, 11, smiles for a photo while in the middle of the blood drive. 3. Ariel Benya, 12, and Sophie Boulter, 12, comfort Emily Heckler, 12, during her donation.
Grizzlies prepare to honor veterans BY KAITLYN SETERA
Every November, the staff and students of Wadsworth High do their best to ensure that both the retired and current members of the armed forces are honored in a respectful manner. It is a simple way to celebrate Veterans Day; and this year, as the community prepares
to welcome individuals, various clubs have come together to pay their respects. These groups include the Student Council members and the Interact Club. Abby Adams, secretary and treasurer of Student Council, explained that the organization
PHOTO BY ERIC HEFFINGER
The annual Veterans Day preparations were successful in last year’s assembly and the clubs participating this year are hoping for the same results.
New York City terrorist attack BY TJ LOCKWOOD
In New York City on October 31, a rental pickup truck was driven down a riverfront bike path, killing eight citizens from Belgium and Argentina, as well as leaving over a dozen injured. This is the largest New York City attack since September 11th, 2001, when the World trade center was brought down, killing over 2,600 people. The attack was less than a mile from the World Trade Center. The suspected attacker is Sayfullo Saipov, a 29 year old immigrant from Uzbekistan who has been in the United States since 2010. Records also
show he lived in Cuyahoga Falls at one point but never had any prior contact with the police. According to the New York Police Department, it seems that he has been planning this attack for weeks and did it in the name of ISIS. “I have never seen so many acts of terrorism in such a short amount of time. Something definitely needs to change,” said William Virgin, 11. In the years of 2015 and 2016, there have been a total of 125 total cases of terrorism related attacks in America and the numbers continue to grow. This is also the third assault using vehicles in this manner since 2015.
she is involved in hosts a breakfast for the guests. The meal is prepared by the school’s cafeteria. In years’ past, the business classes have even created thank you cards for them. “It’s an annual tradition for the school, but to me it’s so much more,” says Adams. “I know many people who have been in the U.S. Armed Forces. I am thankful for their sacrifice and am reminded to never take them for granted.” Henning Elsass, co-leader of the Interact Club, admitted to doing similar volunteer work to welcome the honorable guests. He explained the Interact Club alone sets up flags outside the
high school, and chairs inside the gymnasium. They escort the veterans into the cafeteria for their breakfast, and later back outside. Even after the school holds its assembly, they proceed with their work and clean up the area. “It is something small in comparison to what these men and women do for us, but there will never be enough ways to say ‘thank you for your service.’ This is the best we can do inside these school walls, but outside so much more can be done for the community. Show them that you care, because a little can go a long way.”
NBA rules out kneeling BY TJ LOCKWOOD
After the kneeling of many teams and individuals of the NFL during the National Anthem, the start of the NBA season has brought up the question of what the players will do. The majority of the players who kneel are doing it to bring attention to the unequal social justice they believe exists in the American society. However, this is seen as disrespectful and a disturbance to many people who watch these games. “Kneeling for the national anthem is an annoying distraction from the game. I just want to watch some basketball
without being reminded of these political issues,” said Stanley Bingham, 10. The NBA has an official rule that requires each team, coach, and player to stand during the Anthem. So far the rule has kept them on their feet, despite many current and former players posing opposition to the rule. Former player Kobe Bryant claims that if he was still in the league, the rule would not stop him from kneeling. Other players have brought awareness through different ways. LeBron James, who has been open about fighting this injustice, wore his signature shoes with the word “equality” written on them on opening night.
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A Word from our Principal
Students, We wrapped up the first grading period with a bang. I hope to see the academic success continue into the next grading period. We had some fun with our All-In days, Spirit Week, and Homecoming. I want to be able to continue to have fun throughout the rest of the school year, but this can only happen if we continue to show good behavior and meet the expectations. Seniors, Please continue to stay up to date with your counselors, as deadlines are approaching quickly. They can continue to help you plan for your future and stay focused on it. Once we reach winter break, the end of the year will come quicker than you think. Juniors, Remember that this year is the year that most colleges look at on your transcript, so every quarter matters. You are upperclassmen now, remember to be the leaders that younger students can look up to. Let that transcript show how hard you all are working. Sophomores, Continue the hard work that you have been doing; this is a good year for you. As much as colleges look at your junior year, they also look at your sophomore year. Keep working hard and preparing for next year. Prepare yourself best for college applications. Freshmen, I hope that by this point in the year, you have been welcomed into the school, and have become familiar with what is expected from you. We have big expectations for our students at WHS, ones that those before you have easily filled, and we have no doubt that you will do the same. As Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks approach, I know the excitement will increase throughout the school. We still need to be focused on our academics, athletics, and activities. The end of the semester is coming up - make sure that your grades are where you want them by communicating with your teachers. Don’t wait until the last minute to hammer these things out. Keep up the good work students and staff, and I look forward to the months to come. We want to continue to be “ALL IN FOR THE WORTH” in everything we do here at Wadsworth, keep up the good work students and staff, and I can’t wait to continue this amazing year. GO GRIZZLIES! -Mr. Moore
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O pinion 1 College Credit Plus is overweighted, unchallenging N ovember 2017
OPINION BY ADAM DARWICH
There comes a time, in every high school students academic career where he or she must choose to either challenge themselves and work hard to succeed in an Advance Placement (AP) course, or whimper in fear of the AP classes and take the easy way out in the form of College Credit Plus (CCP) courses. It is clear through a thorough analysis of time spent in class, work assigned, and general difficulty of tests that AP courses are significantly more difficult than CCP and our weighting scale should reflect that contrary to what the state mandates. Wadsworth just recently switched from the unweighted GPA to the weighted which has made AP equal to CCP due to state law. While initially happy with the changes, some students have begun to notice problems in the new system. The fact of the matter is that AP classes are unjustly weighted the same as the much less difficult, less prestigious, and less time consuming College Credit Plus classes.
The reasons are as obvious and simple as tests are in CCP courses. One of the more interesting things the state does is continually request that CCP classes rank on the same level as the much more challenging AP courses as Shawn Tittle, a senior who has taken many CCP courses, stated that “CCP just is not on the same level.” AP classes are much more difficult. Not only do these classes give students the opportunity to gain college credit, but they also meet every day, have extensive summer work, and multiple hours of homework each night. A quick comparison between AP English Literature and Composition and English Composition 1, two equivalent classes according to our current policy, can illuminate the extreme differences between AP and CCP courses. AP English Literature students had four summer reading books, the dreaded and feared MultiGenre Project, an average of an hour-and-half of homework a night, and face an AP exam at the start of May to determine if they receive college credit. English Composition 1, on the other hand, does not face any extreme obstacle. English Comp has a weekly assignment on Monday’s that is 250-300 words. English Comp reads from an English textbook, respond to questions, and discuss their answers
THE BRUIN
throughout their week. Without a doubt, the discussions held in Mrs. Zagar’s AP class are much more torturous. A much less known reason that this change should occur is the simple fact that AkronWayne is Akron-Wayne. The continued insinuation that classes from Akron-Wayne are equal to the classes taken, accepted, and encouraged by colleges like UPenn, Rice, and Harvard is absurd. Akron is a commuters’ college and simply does not provide the same education or challenge to students. These AP classes do not give the students this effortless chance, as Andrew Jariga said, “AP sets me up for top schools across the country, I can’t say the same about CCP.” The solution to this issue, Reweigh the grade point average scale where College Credit Plus classes are of equal value as the much more similar Honors courses. This would allow CCP students the benefits of taking college courses while still ensuring the difference between AP and CCP. The schedules, required work ethic, and how college credit is earned is all different. Their weight should reflect this. The GPA scale should be weighted in terms of difficulty of class, curriculum, and work not by the “*AU” attached at the end of the course name.
Are AP courses more difficult than CCP courses? “Yes. Without a doubt.” - Jonathon Ferry, 12
“AP has class more so yes.” - Mitchell Blackburn, 12
“Is that even a question?” - Ricky Papay, 12
Media and its negative impacts on public politics
things that are: the amount of information we’re given and how we’re given it. While it was no stranger in the past to make dragging headlines in order to make readers be more attracted to what a columnist has OPINION BY RICHIE DIETRICH to say, over the past two decades, the amount of clickbait in media Media: the forefront of (newspapers, television, etc.) modern-day life. People wake has risen by a massive 70%. up to the sounds of their devices, Reasoning is mostly contributed the rings of their notifications to the fact that in the age of and the sounds of friends. Media technology, our attention spans is everywhere: in our phones, have been shrunk to the size of on our televisions, through our goldfish. newspapers, and many other “Give us facts, inform us, “I feel like many places; but here’s the question: is that media actually affecting us in make us want to vote.” different stories that are on the forefront a positive way? - Anthony Bartiromo, 9 of news sources like While media may be a ABC, NBC, and CNN are really important part of our everyday the years, the younger generation grabby,” says Evan Dryer, 11. lives, there are many different has decreased massively in voter “But, personally, there’s nothing impacts it can and will make on participation; why could that be? interesting about them. There In order to reach out to younger us, even if we’re unaware of this. are people who are attracted to Some may be positive, some may generations, media has blended bright things and controversial be negative, and some may be into modern-day life; through straight-up concerning. A great apps like Snapchat, of it being the headlines, but these tactics won’t example of this is today’s politics. forefront of your phones, and even last for long.” With such media involvement, Statistically, around 40% being all across television - while especially in negative ways, many of Americans aged 18-25 are not much of this is new, there are young voters are discontent about voting; some feel like they’re “Does media have a negative influence on the forced, like they have no choice public’s opinion on politics?” -No but to believe everything at face value. Everything in politics -Yes Polls taken in 3rd, 4th, 6th and is shoved down the throats of 7th period study halls showed that young voters through the many more people voted yes in the fact social outlet platforms that we that media has a strong influence use every single day, and the 28% on others. While some of the pressure bestowed upon us makes sampled still voted no, it is obvious us nervous to voice our opinion. that the majority of students here 72% While the media wants to give at Wadsworth believe that we are not making educated, unbiased us information, they twist it in decisions. every single way they can; they want it to be attention-grabbing, Poll taken by Richie Dietrich registered to vote, but only around 27% of them vote, according to the U.S. government website. Senior citizens, people aged above 65, have a 71% voter registration and a 68% voter turnout. While this may seem normal, you also have to be reminded of the fact that an entire amendment was passed to lower the voting age, that way younger people could vote. Being so, many more older individuals religiously use their right to vote and participate in many elections, however, over
PHOTO BY RICHIE DIETRICH
News sources that most individuals would regard as trustworthy have recently become more and more unpredictable and have a possible negative impact on how the public views politics and their opinions on them.
they want their headlines to get readers, and while it may work for them, it’s giving us improper information. Most of the things that the media says is false in one way or another. “Media is hard to truly trust,” says Joshua Larddock, 10. “Because all that it showcases are the fact that the parties show the flaws of one another. If things were more civil, they’d be more interesting.” With all the ways that the media could get us to vote, many people hold the belief that they’re doing it in all the wrong ways. Controversy, falsehood, bent truths, and all the other asinine things that the news feeds us isn’t the right way to encourage young voters to participate in elections. An honest, open, truthful article that supplies us with correct information would be the place to start. Despite the fact that media can be slandered, misleading, and used for business (e.g. uninformative headlines, attention-grabers, and occasionally false information), it is one of the only things that
we, as a whole, have to take in massive amounts of information in a small amount of time. “Media can get inside of your head easily,” says Evan Dryer, 11. “But in the end, you have to know what you can and cannot trust, how to check your information, and where it comes from.” Media is and will continue to be an important part of our everyday lives, and through it there will always be falsehood and immature ways to share information. Being so, media is a great tool but should be used with caution. No matter how tempting it may be, a second source check should always be made before you concrete any kind of opinion in your opinion in your mind. “It makes it worse than it already is, causing people to not want to get into it [voting]. When people don’t participate, there is a massive decrease in voters; which, overall, makes results less accurate; people need to stop twisting the facts and what political heads are saying. Give us facts, inform us, make us want to vote,” says Anthony Bartiromo, 9.
A ds
THE BRUIN
November 2017
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PHOTO BY JAKE LOGUIDICE
THE BRUIN O pinion 2 6 Social restrictions affecting our future N ovember 2017
OPINION BY MARRAYA YOUNGBLOOD
Through your four years of high school, you should learn and gain all the skills you need to be an adult. But instead, you spend your four years learning irrelevant facts on subjects that will never come in handy. Subjects like algebra and chemistry will very seldom come up in your years following high school. This becomes an issue when kids are placed in social situations, but lack the ability to interact with others. With all the competition and academic pressure, an increasing
number of students are beginning to lose focus of other activities such as extracurriculars and volunteer groups outside of school. They are too busy loading up their schedules with weighted courses rather than the ones they actually want to take. As teenagers, we seem to be losing the ability to properly socialize. Instead of going out, we opt for nights in, too exhausted from 7 hour days at school. This exhaustion carries on through the weekends as teachers see our two day break as a way to fit in extra hours of schoolwork. Instead of using their hours outside of school to socialize, high school students decide to work; filling our extra hours with jobs to pick up work experience and cash to save. However, instead of gaining valuable work experience and communicating
PHOTO BY MARRAYA YOUNGBLOOD
Instead of having the opportunity to work together and work through problems, students have to work on their own in study hall.
with others, we become less social. “I feel like school stresses my grades more than anything. I feel prepared for my career because of the classes I am taking, but other than that, I don’t feel ready to be an adult,” said Emily Cingle, 11. No matter what career path you take, you are expected to be PHOTO BY MARRAYA YOUNGBLOOD able to function among others. Classes like practical living teach basic life skills that parents don’t always teach Employers look for people us. with communication skills and for the responsibilities of adult not 100% confident, but I have flexibility. Yet, our generation life, responsibilities that go a general idea of what to do. I will be unprepared. beyond personality and basic wish they would have been more During our school days, we socialization. encouraging for students to be in are not given the opportunity to You often hear many young those classes.” socialize. We sit in 48 minute adults talk about how they do not A solution to this could classes, listening to a single know how to do menial tasks, be a greater emphasis on the teacher, trying to absorb every such as pay taxes. This is because importance of classes like ounce of information given to we are not taught how to. It is personal finance at the very us. While we have lunch to talk a common misconception that beginning of our high school to others and take a career. Instead of seeing “I feel prepared for my career these classes as a way to break, 30 minutes out of a 7 hour day is not just fill up the spaces in because of the classes I am enough. our schedule, they should taking, but other than that “School sometimes be valued more. Classes I don’t feel ready to be an makes me feel less like practical living and adult.” -Emily Cingle, 11 prepared for social child development are situations because other courses that have the way our schedule is set up; parents will teach us everything the potential to be beneficial to it reduces my ability to talk to we need to know. Rather, it is up students as we move past high others,” says Jordyn Stuber, 11. to the semester long classes that school and into the world. These In study hall, we are forced are often overlooked to teach us are the classes that will prepare to stay quiet rather than these important skills. us for our future. collaborating with other students Michael Lallathin, a The fact of the matter is that as who may be able to help. It is Wadsworth High School alumnus, high schoolers, we spend 4 years frowned upon to work together says,“I feel like I’m more ready working towards adulthood and and we grow up with little to do taxes [among other adult we are still unprepared. We do group experience. Among being responsibilities] because I not know how to socialize or unprepared to work with others, took both personal finance and how to complete important tasks teenagers today are less prepared business entrepreneurship. I’m on our own.
Employment in high school is invaluable OPINION BY JONATHAN BALL
Get a job. High school is one of the most stressful times in our lives. A number of important decisions we have to make, especially when we are unprepared for them, are staggering. So you may find it odd that I plan on advocating for work, which is even more stress and effort on top of everything else. Trust me when I say that the benefits of managing a job in-between all the other things we have to do outweigh the taxes and the mental and physical strain. The primary benefit is an experience. There is a wealth of things we learn in the workplace, ranging from interpersonal relationships to proper food handling. Not every little thing is worth remembering, same as school, but a lot of it is liable to be important. I mean, would you rather know how to mop a floor or
understand molecular structure for your everyday life? It is anything but glamorous, but the knowledge is actually useful for most people. That itself is neglecting the fact that most of the basics you learn in a job now will still be relevant to jobs you hold throughout the rest of your life. “Customer service is the best thing to learn in my opinion. It makes getting along with coworkers, classmates, and other people in your life easier, ” said Severine Ford, 12. Her experience has helped her easily understand and interact with people, something many people our age are in desperate need to learn. Conflict resolution, contending with superiors, managing time and everything that comes from being on payroll never stop being handy. There is also a specific lesson that I feel everyone should learn at some point: work ethic. There is next to no incentive for the bulk of students in subjects they don’t enjoy, but a job always pays. Personally, I have found myself much more willing to work, even when there’s little incentive in itself. Papers and projects are a lot easier now that I have indoctrinated myself to the
effort. So, in my opinion, if you want to figure out how to get work done painlessly, get a job and get paid. Working easier, prepping for a future of work, it all sounds like a treadmill, right? You work so you can learn to work effortlessly in the future, which is filled with work. That is just one way of looking at it. The way I see it, work and experience now are just freeing yourself up in the future. If you learn now when you have markedly more free time than you will in college, you’ll be better set for post-college, which will almost assuredly be, you guessed it, work. It can seem repetitive, but learning now will expedite the process in your future. You will know most of the basics, have a more robust employment history, and be more aware of what jobs you do and do not enjoy. Working
now can be like an investment, really. “I just want to feel like a productive member of society, and not waste time I otherwise would,” said Zachary Tubbert, 12. Tubbert is on the hunt for a job right now, and he feels like
his time can be better spent making money. His time in whatever job he lands will no doubt prepare him for his future careers, and for many challenges he will face down the line. He, like anybody with the time to work, is setting himself up for success.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS
McDonalds and many other fast food chains are usually one of the first places where students can and should find a job.
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Diana & Bill Aey The Anderson Family Dawn Bailey John & Karen Baker Katie Baker John Sr. & Michele Baker The Ball Family Tom & Lynn Bardar Michael and Jennifer Barnes Dave Bartiromo Mary Beth Baxley Doug & Cindy Beeman Rich & Dana Berlin Allen and Corina Bingham Mark & Melinda Black Charlene Blevins Eric Bowling Beth Bowling Chuck & Maureen Brigham Denise Brown Heidi Burkey Nana Callow The Capenter Family Debbie and Mark Carr Lisa Chapman Danielle Cheff Vickie Conley Judy Conner The Cornacchione Family Paul Coward Dawn & Robert Crawford Carol Crawford Bill & Lisa Dallas The Debon Family Erwin & Sally Diener
Rebecca Dills Debbie and Steve Dishauzi The Dishong Family Jamie Doucie Don & Vicki Dreher Ed Dryer The Earnest Family Melisssa Eaton Betsy Emery Heather Errante Falkenstein Family Michelle Farr The Felix Family Susannah Forreman Dr. and Mrs. Fortner Cindy Gabler Steve and Kelly Gibson Ray and Betty Gill Evelyn Griffin Jenny & John Griffin Cheryl & Steve Griffin The Hagans Family Joe & Lisa Hanna The Haprian Family Harig Family Ron Hart The Hillegass Family Dana Hire Tim and Jodie Hughes Analiseth Huskins John, Sandy, and Kassie Hutchinson Brian & Kristie Ihrig Bill & Amy Jariga Lauvence & Nancy Jennings
John Johnson Jason Jurey Andrea Kline The Kurt Family Angel Kusmits George and Hannah Laikos Laikos Family Ms. Laikos Janet Lindhe Mary Linn Joe & Laura Lockwood The LoGuidice Family Rich and Cheri Long Shawn and Laura McDermitt Jake and Debbie McDermitt Steve and Sarah McIlvaine Donald and Melinda McMillan Liz Mendel Scott Merhar Don & Tanya Miksch Heidi Miller Wendie Montgomery Steve Moore Mike Moser Amy & Frank Muhl Mike Nemeth Dave Nicholas Greg & Dana North Roger & Leslie North Miss Allison Pallija Angel Pappas Kathie Parke Allison Parsons Connor Pletcher The Recupero Family
John and Norma Renner Tom and Renee Riggenbach The Schoonover Family The Semancik Family The Setera Family The Shaeffer Family Scott and Shannon Shope Jim & Laurie Sickels Simpson Family The Singleton Family Angel Snowball Kris Storad Dave & Trish Swanson The Szalay Family Margaret Tate Sarah Trausch Amy & Bill Tuck Clarke and Shawn Van Dyke Melisa & Adam Virgei Kirt & Leanne Virgin Allyson Wagner John and Nancy Wagner Mike Wagner Stephanie Warner Webb Family The Wichterman Family Jim & Pam Williams Ted & Felicity Wilson Stephanie Wise Bridget Witschey Kaye Wolfinger Rita Youngblood Kathy Zagar
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P icture P age 1
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The making of
All of the third graders in the Wadsworth City School District came to the high school on Oct. 27 for a special day-time performance of the play Charlotte’s Web.
ALL PHOTOS BY HALEY BURROWS AND BELLA THOMPSON
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Below, Carlee Northup, who plays the lamb, puts on her stage makeup before the show started. Bottom, the cast of Charlotte’s Web hang out in the green room backstage before the show.
Above, Joel Wichterman brought belly laughs to the kids in the audience with performance as the Gander.
Above, Wilber the pig and Charlotte the spider, played by Carter Fraser and Tia Walters-Leone, teach the kids about what it means to be a true friend.
P icture P age 2
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“Arabian Nights”Homecoming 2017 B
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PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNA BOWLING
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A. Aly Brugh, 10, smiles as she helps Joey Baughman, 12, fix his boutonniere.
PHOTO COURTESY OF KAITLYN SETERA
B. Olivia Porpora, 11, laughs with Lindsey Leatherman,12. C. Charlotte Lewis, 11, Erin Lynn, 11, Anna Bowling, 11, and Kylee Baranek,11 walk away from the camera. D. DJ Petit, 12, adjusts Tori Baker’s, 12, corsage. E. Lindsay Carr, 12, laughs with Alyssa Laikos, 12, while Brock Snowball, 11, wraps his arms around them.
F. Casey O’ Connor, 9, poses with Alexis Berentz, 9, and Allie Hibinger, 9. PHOTO COURTESY OF TAYLOR NAGY
G. Owen Porpora, 11, watches as Alexandra Zuder, 11, adjusts his boutonniere. H. Katie Cox, 10, poses with Taylor Nagy, 11. I. Benji House, 11, helps Secilia Ho, 11, put on her corsage.
S ports 1 THE BRUIN 10 Grizzly athletics dominate the Suburban League N ovember 2017
BY CHRISTIAN SZALAY
Winning the Suburban League is a huge deal at Wadsworth. With the Fall season of sports concluded, three grizzly programs have already brought back a Suburban League title. Boys and girls soccer teams, along with the football team, are the three programs to show pure dominance throughout the Suburban League. Football: The drought is over. It’s been eight long years since the Wadsworth football program has brought home a league title. Going into the season, the Grizzlies were predicted to place fourth in the league. This did not sit well with the players. “It was basically like them spitting in our face saying we would be mediocre in the league,” said starting running back Brock Snowball, 11. Sweeping the Suburban League at 7-0, the Grizzlies did something only five other teams in the past 68 years have done, that is win the league. Boys Soccer: To start off the fall season, the boys soccer team were one of high praise. Coming into the
season, the team was expected to do very well and were the favorite to win the Suburban League Title. Dominating all year in the Suburban League except for a slip up against North Royalton, the Grizzlies concluded league play with a 6-1 record. The Wadsworth boys soccer program has not won the Suburban League since the 2006 season. “The feeling was great. I am glad we did something that has been very rare in Wadsworth Soccer history,” said Connor Mendel, 12. Girls Soccer: It has been six years since the Varsity Girls Soccer team has won the league. The very experienced Lady Grizzlies showed their unity as they endured injuries throughout the season. With Senior captain Emily Arellano out due to a torn ACL, it was unknown how they would respond. “It was very cool to be apart of something special with some special seniors,” said Teddi Farson, 11. Going into the Winter season, Wadsworth looks to continue their dominance in the Suburban League.
New sports technology helps prevent concussions BY JAKE LOGUIDICE
Concussions are something that should not be taken lightly. Protecting your head is extremely important and will prevent many problems later on in life. Sports such as football, soccer, and wrestling are known for having high concussion rates. The reality is that concussions can happen in any sport at any time. In recent years, many steps have been taken to help lower the risk of concussions in sports. Sports safety has truly evolved in recent years. The amount of programs that have been adopted by high schools all over the country are very high. Concussion testing before and during sports seasons has reached an all time high. Ron Burdette, an athletic trainer at WHS, is very pleased with the steps that have been taken towards concussion safety. “Concussion management strategies have advanced significantly over the past five years,” said Burdette. “Here at the high school we’ve implemented a proactive approach to preventing concussions. New advanced helmet technology has been reached with Riddell’s Speedflex helmets and their InSite
monitoring system. This monitors helmet contact during the game.” The new helmets have sensors inside that set off a device telling the athletic trainer or coach the name and number of the player and how hard they got hit in the head. The WHS Varsity football team has a good number of these new Speedflex helmets, all of which are equipped with this technology. But improvements to safety have not only been made in football. According to US Club Soccer, soccer players at ages 12 and under are no longer allowed to “head” the ball. This has significantly reduced the possibility of a concussion at younger levels. “We have also taken measures to educate all students, parents, coaches, and administrators on recognition of symptoms and proper management,” said Burdette. Wadsworth utilizes Impact’s neurocognitive testing and a graduated, stepwise return to play protocol with student athletes. The school has also implemented a “return to learn” program which helps guide the concussed students back into the classroom. The amount of awareness that coaches and players alike
PHOTO BY JAKE LOGUIDICE
This is the sensor that detects hard contact on the new football helmets. The athletic trainers carry these at every game.
now have for concussions is much greater than it has ever been. A major reason for this is the increasing appearance of the disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). According to the Concussion Foundation, CTE is a degenerative
brain disease found in athletes, military veterans, and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma. Wadsworth High School is taking many steps to try and prevent lifelong effects from concussions in their student athletes.
PHOTO BY JAKE LOGUIDICE
Ryan Salzgeber, 11, dives to tackle his opponent, creating head contact.
WADSWORTH FOOTBALL GOES UNDEFEATED BY JAKE LOGUIDICE
On Friday October 27, 2017, the high school varsity football team made history by becoming one of the four teams in school history to have an undefeated (10-0) season. This accomplishment allowed the team to win the Suburban League National Title uncontested. Also, this perfect season guaranteed them a home playoff game, something few teams get to experience. “It all started after our week 10 loss last year,” says Joey Baughman, 12. “The very next day a bunch of dudes were in the weight room getting after it, I could hear from the wrestling room next door.” The 2017 team hopes to become the first team in school history to win a Division 2 State Title. “Our seniors understand they are playing for their football lives, so the mentality becomes we will push our chips to the middle of the table and go all in every Friday night,” says head coach Justin Todd. “The approach to the playoffs does not change. It is business as usual as far as preparation, practice and the mental and physical aspect of the game. What does change is the heightened urgency that comes with a win or go home atmosphere,” says Todd.
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Winter sports preview BOYS’ BASKETBALL
GIRLS BASKETBALL
WRESTLING
N ovember 2017
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BY JACOB MCDERMITT AND KAI WAGNER
BOYS SWIM
GIRLS SWIM
Last season, boys’ basketball finished second overall in the Suburban League. The team only had one graduating member. This season, the team will consist of six seniors and nine returning letter winners. These boys will look to improve upon the success they managed a season ago. “I think we have a very special team this year,” said starter Jacob Justice, 12, “We have a lot of people that worked very hard the entire offseason. I have high expectations for us and I am confident in what our team can achieve.” The first game is November 9.
A year ago, the girls’ basketball team managed a district final title despite fighting off multiple injuries and the targets on their backs. This year they hope to continue to grow off of that success with senior Sophia Fortner hoping for a big year after missing her entire junior season. “We all have really good chemistry on and off the floor. Although we have had minor setbacks, we are looking forward to using our hard work and experience to take us far in the tournament,” said Fortner. The first game was at home on November 4.
Last winter the wrestling team sent eight individuals to states, the most since 2011, with six of them set to return this year, there are big expectations. Michael North, 11, a key member of the team, spoke about the upcoming season, “I am expecting to keep the streak of Suburban League champs alive. This would be our 26th year, and it is looking like it could happen,” North proclaims. The wrestling team has displayed its dominance, especially in the past few years. Many of the core men from last year are returning another promising season.
In the 2016-17 season, the boys’ swimming team dominated. However, they lost Joe Pavlak, a key member of the team, after he graduated last year. One of the strongest returning swimmers, Andrew Jariga, is ready to jump back into the season. “I am excited to get back to the grind. Due to the rigors of having practice twice a day, everyday presents a challenge like no other and forms a bond like no other,” Jariga affirms. The team’s rebuilding process will be undertaken with numerous freshman and highly honored underclassmen.
In the previous year, the girls swim team sent 10 girls to districts. Hannah Berlin, 11, was the only girl swimmer who qualified for the state meet and she will return this season. The girls swim team lost many of their key senior members. One of the few returning seniors, Abby Zembas, has great belief in the teams work ethic and potential going forward. “I am excited to train with some of the new freshman and exchange students who have a lot of potential,” Zembas concludes. The girls swim team is working towards restoring the prestigious team they once had.
2016-2017 Record: 17-6 Accomplishments: Made it to the quarter-finals of the district tournament losing to Brunswick
2016-2017 Record: 12-13 Accomplishments: Made and conquered the district final
2016-2017 Record: 14-1 Accomplishments: Took first at districts finished 4th at states
2016-2017 Record: 3-5 Accomplishments: Placed 13th in the district sending 1 to states
2016-2017 Record: 3-5 Accomplishments: Sent one girl to states after taking 16th at Districts.
Fall sports stats Football
Boys soccer
Joey Baughman
Ben Arnold - 15 Kai Wagner - 7 Matt Studenic - 5 Connor Mendel - 4 David Chirumbole - 4 Andrew Robinson - 3 Aidan Rooks - 3 Max Lenc - 2
Passing
184-274, 2608 yds 30TDs/2 INTs
Rushing Joey Baughman
120 rushes for 1219 Yds 17 TDs
Brock Snowball 530 Rushing Yds 15 TDs
Receiving Christian Szalay
67 catches for 945 Yds 11 TDs
Mitchell Blackburn 58 catches for 885 Yds 11 TDs (regular season)
Goals
Assists Kai Wagner - 7 Ben Arnold - 4 Andrew Robinson - 4 Connor Mendel - 2 Max Lenc - 2 Josiah Sovine - 2
Shutouts
Volleyball Blocks
Stacy Witschey - 74 Kenzie Grice - 74 Kacie Evans - 74 Rebecca Dunkle- 74 Evelyn Haydu - 74 Erika Palidar - 73 Alaina Coote - 73 Lauren Zufra - 71 Lauren Conley- 71
Kills
Kacie Evans- 431 Evelyn Haydu - 197 Kenzie Grice - 115 Rebecca Dunkle - 73 Erika Palidar- 55 Lauren Conley - 24 Sylvia Reynolds - 8 Lindsay Carr - 6
Tyler Randolph - 12 STATS COURTESY OF MAXPREP
Boys soccer losing nine starters BY KAI WAGNER AND JACOB MCDERMITT
The boys soccer team showed out for the community, finishing the season with a very impressive 14-2-2 and 6-1 in the Suburban League. They fell just short of making it to the Ohio State Tournament, getting knocked out 2-1 in overtime by the Copley Indians. Of the 21 boys on the team, 12 of them were seniors, playing in what ended up being their high school career’s final game at Art Wright Stadium. Many of them broke down into tears as the team went back into the locker room. The 12 seniors, consisting of nine starters, include Josiah Sovine, Ben Arnold, Matt Studenic, Connor Mendel, Nathan Coard, Ryan Larj, Nate Reed, Andrew Robinson, and starting keeper Tyler Randolph. The team finished the season with a very impressive record, and expect to win a multitude of awards. The Grizzlies fought Medina, the team that ended up advancing out of their district, to
a hard fought 0-0 tie game earlier in the season. The loss of the 12 seniors will hurt next season, as the Grizzlies will be forced to try and replace not only the keeper position, but the entire midfield and defense. The Grizzlies boys’ soccer team will have a lot of new faces next year, but they are still confident in their chances. Chase Rodgers, 10, will have big shoes to fill next season as he returns for his junior year. “We will have to work extra hard to find the success we did this year,” Rodgers says. “Losing all these seniors is really going to hurt.” The Grizzly boys found lots of success this year, mostly due to the large amount of experienced players they had. Coach Sandor Jakab of Revere was very impressed with the boys abilities. “Their style of play was how the game was supposed to be played. They were composed and they were hard to defend. They were the most technical team I’ve seen in a long time,” Jakab says.
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Nine yearly issues circulated around Wadsworth City Schools and the greater Wadsworth community
13 Band captivates town with senior show E ntertainment BY KYLEE BARANEK
As marching season comes to a close, and concert season starts, the band takes the time to celebrate the seniors with the production of the senior show. The senior show is different from the band’s regular half time performance, including a new Disney theme this year. This show celebrates the seniors last marching season with the rest of the band. Getting this show together was no challenge for the band director, Dana Hire, and the assistant band director, Sam Piehl. Mrs. Hire knew that Disney would be an easy theme. They had picked out some music already that would be put into the show, but they were not sure how to tie it all together. When they sat down to think about how make the show flow and come together, Mr. Piehl thought that it sounded like a trip to Disneyland. That’s when Mr. Piehl came up with a family that he dubbed the Grizzel family. This year’s senior show followed the Grizzel family on their vacation to Disney Hollywood Studios. There, they meet various band members that are dressed as Disney characters through the four songs that the band plays. First, the Grizzel family was taken out to another
galaxy as the band played the Star Wars theme song. Many famous characters such as Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker appeared on the field along with an exciting surprise visit from the infamous Darth Vader. The next song brought the audience back to a time of fairy tales filled with princesses as Fantasmic, a princess medley brought a giant castle onto the field where Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Ariel from The Little Mermaid made an appearance and even gave the youngest Grizzel family member a balloon, releasing the rest into the night sky as the band continues to play on. After cadencing to their next spot, the drumline was featured with a drum break for the song “Trashin’ the camp” from the classic Disney movie Tarzan. Not only did this tune include the drum break, but it gave the members of the band a chance to let loose and have fun with the senior night tradition of a band dance. There was even more going on during this song though. While the band was dancing, the trombone section got to show off some of their own special skills when they performed the act of trombone suicides. Trombone suicides are where the players
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The Grizzel family enjoying their amazing trip to “Disneyland” while watching the band perform.
stand closer together and alternate horn angles. When in action, players will bend down so their instruments and upper body are closer to the ground, while the others will move their instruments to the side, over the bent down players head. “It took a little while to perfect, but with time and diligence, a nearly flawless show was given,” said Andy Bressler, 11. The band decided to close with “Pirates of the Caribbean.” This tune sent the Grizzel family to the uncharted territory of the high sea. There, the family and audience was captivated as the golf cart was transformed into a spin on the infamous “Black Pearl” renamed “The Black
Grizzly,” captained not by Jack Sparrow, but by Mr. Moore. Captain Moore was not alone though, he was accompanied by the color guard pirates. The color guard was featured in this song by getting to sword fight with sabres, something else that took a lot of practice to get right. After the bad pirates were finally defeated, the band directors had a special announcement for the entire band, they are going to perform at the 2018 Citrus Bowl Parade. This invitation for a once in a life time opportunity has been extended to the graduating seniors. While the night may have been over, it will not be final as the seniors get to march with their band family one last time during the event.
PHOTO BY QUENTIN GRIFFIN
While senior night may be a sad night filled with good byes for some, Drum major Hannah Sieber, 12 said, “Senior night makes me feel sad because I have to leave the band next year, but also happy because I’m so proud to have been apart of this amazing program during my high school career.” Others, such as Mr. Piehl, do not get very sad about senior night. “Somebody asked me at the senior show ‘Why aren’t you crying?’ And I said if I cried every year it would just be buckets of tears all the time.” Many seniors felt that the show was very successful, and even though it may have been sad, they all keep in mind that they still have the Citrus bowl coming very soon.
Happy Death Day hits theaters REVIEW BY JACOB BROWN
worthwhile to go to; however, they would be wrong. Happy Death Day was filled with poorly written scenes and
Happy Death Day was by far the worst movie I have seen in awhile. This plot has “I personally thought been used in films such it wasn’t predictable, as Groundhog Day and Before I Fall, and it was a which always left me on cheap and poorly crafted the edge of my seat.” spin-off. -Laney Corell, 9 The movie had been advertised for a month leading up to the release, which eye-rolling moments. Between was on Friday the thirteenth, the large amount of unknown superstitiously an unlucky day, actors and loads of cliches, it is and was hyped for the prep of no wonder that this movie was a Halloween. After seeing all flop. these commercials, one would The best part about the entire think that the movie would be movie was the variety of ways
that the director, Christopher B. Landon, found to kill the main character, Tree Gelbman. The killings got as diverse as stabbing and car crashes, but were still not enough to salvage the pit-fall of the movie. Between the subpar acting and the below average plot, this movie was a disaster. “I personally thought it wasn’t predictable, which always left me on the edge of my seat,” said Laney Corell, 9. The main reason this movie was so underwhelming to me was that I could see what was going to happen five steps ahead of Tree and Carter and I predicted who the killer was
right when they were presented to the viewers. Through the whole 96 minutes of this movie, the best part about it was when it finally ended. The movie was predictable and boring. In my opinion, the
horror movie industry needs to step up its game. Others, such as Corell, may share a different opinion, but in order to get a true gauge of how you feel, go watch and see for yourself.
due to the spooky nature of the show. According to Rotten
a very eighties feel and is a lot like The Goonies.” Last season, the
Tomatoes, the new episodes have a ninety-three percent success rating, with millions of people already streaming it. “I like the show because it has
plot line followed the disappearance of Will Byers, the meeting of Eleven, and the attempt to find Will. Throughout their journey, the group learns truths about their world, and the truth about other worlds. With
the season finale of the show finding Will Byers, it leaves questions about how the series will continue and what the plot line will be. “I can’t wait to see the new season of Stranger Things. The last season of the show ending on a creepy cliff hanger, I’m excited to see where the show will go this next season,” said Sarah Cain, 11. In the season two trailer, we are given a glance into the new world of Hawkins. There is something mysterious still happening. The upside-down is looking for revenge, and Will is still feeling the effects of his stay there.
PHOTO BY JACOB BROWN
Happy Death Day was very boring and not worth the watch, but if you insist on going, it is currently showing at the Cinema in Wadsworth.
Stranger Things 2 premiers on Netflix REVIEW BY ANNA BOWLING
I think this season is so much better than season one, as there is more depth included to it. Instead of just dealing with the physical problems at hand, they also have to deal with the mental issues left behind by the monster. The characters are more evolved and the pain feels even more realistic. This show is definitely worth watching, it gives the perfect story of a small town gone bad. It shows the real stresses of being a kid in a grown up world. If you are looking for a good binge-worthy show, this is the best one out there at the moment. The show is also set to be
renewed for a third season. That being said, plan on hearing Joyce
call out “Will?” for a few more years, as the show is here to stay. The second season of Netflix original Stranger Things recently hit the streaming service. The show was released specifically around Halloween
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N ovember 2017
Inside the life of a twin BY OLIVIA PORPORA AND ANNA BOWLING
Only one in 67 pregnancies result in multiple births and here at Wadsworth there are 35 sets of twins. There are twelve sets in the senior class, nine sets in the junior class, nine sets in the sophomore class and five sets in the freshman class. So with all of these twins walking around in our school, it is time to get an idea about what being a twin is actually like. Here are a few thoughts from pairs of twins that will help shine a light on the life of twins. Ashley and Colin Quinn are seniors and fraternal twins. Colin was born one minute before Ashley, but their mother had to have a C-section because they came early. When asked who is the better twin, both Colin and Ashley said that they were better than the other. They are both well rounded students who are involved in multiple activities at the school. They are constantly asking their friends who the better twin is, and why they are better. While they enjoy being twins, there is always some sort of animosity between them, because they are always competing to be the better twin. “I love being a twin because you always have someone to talk to and if you need help with your
PHOTO BY OLIVIA PORPORA
Ashley and Colin Quinn, 12, argue in the band hallway at lunch.
homework or studying they can help you,” said Ashley Quinn. The Sboray’s are a set of fraternal twins who are in the junior class. They are sixteen years old. Matt and Summer take most of the same classes and they do most of the same school activities. Matt was born an hour and a half before Summer and their mom did not have a C-section because they were only four weeks early. “I don’t think that I am the superior twin in all aspects. I think there are certain things that I am better at than him, but there are also certain things that he is better at than me,” said Summer Sboray.
PHOTO BY OLIVIA PORPORA
Allie Kidd, 10, gets stressed at twin brother Zack for not agreeing with her.
“I am superior in some ways but not all. There are certain things that she excels at the I do not. We’ve grown to used to these areas for the most part,” said Matt Sboray. What they do share in common is hate for comparing twins. They see it as something that degrades the other sibling and sets them out to hate each other. “Every single thing is a competition and it can be very aggravating being compared to my twin. Whether I do well in something or not, I always consider how Summer does first,” said Matt. Third on the list are the fraternal twins, Allie and Zack Kidd. The Kidd’s are in tenth grade and are sixteen, like the Sborays. Zack was born two minutes before Allie and they were born ten weeks early so their mom had to have a C-section. “I love being a twin because I love having someone in the same grade as me and it gives me a person to gossip to. It is also really nice because they can help with my homework or they can help me study for my tests,” said Allie Kidd. The Kidd twins make anything that can be turned into a competition, a competition.
Whether it is getting a better score on their drivers test or who can get their homework done first, everything becomes a competition between them. Last on the list are identical twins, Jenny and Julie Wellert. The Wellert twins are fourteen and are in ninth grade. These sisters take the most of the same classes and for the most part have the same teachers. They were born three months early, but their mom did not need to have a C-section. Their least favorite part about being a twin is the fact that they always have to share everything “I hate that my parents and everyone else think that it is
okay for us to share everything because we are twins. I have my stuff and she has her stuff, so we don’t always have to share them. But I also love always having a friend to talk to. Because we are in the same grade, we can both relate to each other really well,” said Julie Wellert. “People always compare us but I don’t see it that way. We both have different things we thrive in and I think that she is smarter than me in some subjects while I am smarter in other subjects. I also love that I always have someone to rely on,” said Jenny Wellert. While being a twin can be difficult and tedious, these siblings somehow find a balance to make it work. The key thing all of these twins have in common is that they love to have someone to always talk to. They enjoy having that constant best friend that will be there throughout their whole life. Yes, there can be animosity, judgement, extreme comparisons and a constant pressure between the siblings. But even with all of that, these twins still have figured out away to find joy in the match that they were given, especially when they remember all of the beauties that come with being a twin. A constant companion is something that can never be replaced.
PHOTO BY OLIVIA PORPORA
Jenny and Julie Wellert, 9, show thier close bond when asked to pose for a picture.
What is your favorite part about being a twin? “She gives me money when I need it, sometimes.” Connor Hallas, 11 “Wombmate.” Josiah Sovine, 12
“Having a best friend for life.” Sami Shaffer, 10
“Nothing, my brother always takes my money.” Colleen Hallas, 11 “I always have someone to hang out with.” Noah Falanga, 10
“Not having to do all the chores.” Gabe Szalay, 12
Of
the month
THE BRUIN
Junk of the Month
N ovember 2017
15
Puppies of the Month
PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMERON RIGGENBACH
PHOTO BY JOEY BAUGHMAN
Senior Stacy Witschey’s 2000 Honda Civic, nicknamed “Mama Emerald”, wins junk of the month by a long shot. This junk takes 3 minutes to start, if it does start. The car will usually not run if it is under 32 degrees outside. The hood does not shut all the way and there are dents all over. The underneath of the car is also completely rusted out.
Students of the Month
This Golden Retriever puppy, named Zeke, belongs to senior Cameron Riggenbach. He is four months old and enjoys being given treats and seeing his owners when they get home.
Channing is a six year old pitbull and Izzie is a four month old blue-nosed pitbull who both belong to the Griffin family. They enjoy cuddling and playing tug of war with each other. PHOTO COURTESY OF HUNTER GRIFFIN
Art of the Month
Lindsey Leatherman, 12
PHOTO BY JOEY BAUGHMAN
This scene was created by sophomore Cassidy Farnsworth during Mr. Shiarla’s 2D design class.
Adam Darwich, 12 PHOTOS BY JOEY BAUGHMAN
Pro athlete of the Month
Song of the Month
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS
Deshaun Watson lit up the scoreboard for the Houston Texans as a rookie quarterback in the NFL last month.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS
Havana by Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug
16
S peakout
THE BRUIN
N ovember 2017
What deal are you hunting for this Black Friday?
“A new pair of rollerblades.” -Vinnie Lobello, 11
“A Joey Baughman football jersey.” Mason McMillen, 11
“I’m going out to find a new futon.” -Devin Orr, 10
“I could use growing a few inches.” -Bella Giampietro, 10
“A 3D pen.” -Mrs. McIlvaine
“A new flat screen television.” Mr. Recupero
“The new Call of Duty.” -Emily Looser, 9
“A new trumpet.” -Jonathon Hutchinson, 9
“New Vans shoes.” -Emily Maslanka, 9