FEBRUARY 2009 VOLUME 78 - ISSUE 2

Northampton Area Senior High School1619 Laubach Ave. Northampton, PA 18067

nasdcourier@northampton.k12.pa.us

New Teacher Contracts Approved After more than a year of delib-eration between the Northampton Area Educators’ Association (NAEA) and the Northampton Area School District (NASD) board of directors, a contract agreement was reached on Dec. 8, 2008. This new contract includes an approxi-mate four percent increase in salaries, contribution towards health care, where the payments with increase each year, and work days extended by an extra 10 min-utes beginning in the 2009-2010 school year. The new contract will govern the teachers for five years. The NAEA’s pre-vious contract expired on Aug. 31, 2008, but the school board and teachers union began compromising in early 2008. The school board and the teachers’ union reached a tentative agreement be-fore Thanksgiving, and followed through on the agreement with its approval on Dec. 8. The fact-finder reviewer, Jane Rigler, working for the Labor Rela-tions Board, was designated to handle Northampton’s case in October, where the report was due in early December. The main disputes in the new contract involved health coverage and salary. It is a rare occurrence that a school contract dispute would end before a fact-finder was reported, but in Northampton’s case, the school successfully and amicably found a solution. Mr. Gene Thrash became the vice-president of the NAEA, on top of his normal classes, after being elected by

his fellow NASD teachers. This is his first year as vice-president under Thomas Laputka, the NAEA president. As a union representative for years prior to his elec-tion as vice-president, Thrash had some experience with the responsibilities that come with a higher position. The role of a vice-president of a union is very involved. The vice-president is in charge of coordinating the strike if one ensues. This situation can become complicated by a large number of union members, where mass communication is necessary to keep wondering minds at bay. One has to provide information to the members as soon as possible to ensure that they are constantly on the same track as everyone else involved, since everyone has their own role in the process. With a lack of communication comes rumors, but Thrash believes the NAEA did an ad-equate job of preventing gossip with their communication. “We did have communication. Every time we had a meeting, we were able to get the information out to people so that everyone knew what was going on. You always have rumors flying around and rumors don’t help either side. We tried to avoid it as much as possible, and I think we did a very good job doing that,” said Thrash. Negotiations are seldom simple to sort

through, as there are meetings with the union, union officers, and most notably, the board of directors. Stress ensues in these situations when there is a struggle to balance control on both sides. “It provides the stress that you don’t necessarily have control of the situation; you can only control what you have the ability to control in a very small area. You’re not sure what other people are thinking,” said Thrash. Both parties in the negotiation process were under stress, but managed nonethe-less to find an agreement after nearly four months of negotiating. Thrash understands that both sides have their own opinions and responsibilities. “[The school board] did what they needed to do, what their responsibilities are. They met with us and we negotiated. It’s never easy. You have two sides that sometimes disagree in any case where they sit down and have to work out their differences,” said Thrash. Thrash is satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations as a wave of relief passes throughout the school district as a whole. “If you ask anyone in the faculty, I think we are all relieved that it is over. Overall, I think it is a fair contract, some-thing that we’re happy with and we’re just glad that it’s done. We didn’t want to have any animosity and I think, for the most

part, the negotiations went pretty well,” said Thrash. The NAEA vice-president is well prepared from this harrowing experience for the next run of negotiating when the NAEA’s current contract expires in five years. “I’ve certainly grown. I’m much stron-ger in terms of experience, my knowledge of how [the negotiating process] works, and my expectations of what collective bargaining really is. It was a very chal-lenging experience and I learned a lot from it,” said Thrash. Thrash does his best to remind students that the negotiation process is not exclu-sive to just teachers, but all jobs in the world. “This is life, you deal with this. This isn’t about teachers versus school board members, or anything like that. There are a lot of jobs where unions are in place, where this type of thing might happen,” said Thrash. “I always tell our students that this isn’t something exceptional only to teachers. It’s something that a lot of people deal with, and there are a lot of stu-dents here who may have to deal with it in their lives.” With a new contract residing over the NASD teachers, the Northampton com-munity can once again be at ease with the education of our students’ future.

Strike information courtesy of: www.mcall.com.

There are many changes happening in the world today. A new president has taken office and many things are set to change. These things can range from the prices of goods to the price of gas and the sale of oil, as well as a lot of other things here in the US. If we take a look back to the beginning of 2008, we can see a lot of changes. Who remembers paying $4.00 and higher a gal-lon for gas? Many drivers needed to find different means of transportation, which ranged from car-pooling to buses and subways. This decreased the number of drivers on the road and made it a lot easier to move from place to place. Now if you look at the prices of gas it can range anywhere from $1.80-$1.90 and even lower if you know the right places. If you take a look now compared to when the gas prices were higher, you see a lot of drivers back on the roads. Since people have started driving again there has been a decrease in the need for mass transit. However, many people still feel that taking the bus is the way to go until the prices drop a little lower. You may have trouble getting from one place to the next unlike before. My sug-gestion: leave ahead of time so you can either make it to your destination early or on time. Right now many companies are asking for the government for a bailout. These would include the three major automak-

ers Ford, GM, and Chrysler. All three automakers asked for a combined $35 bil-lion in aid. The house granted them a $14 billion bailout with mandatory changes to their businesses. The senate rejected this plan later that same week. As of now the auto industry hasn’t gotten a bailout, but they seem to be doing fine. Instead of giving financial aid to big companies who really have no need for

A Rock And A Hard Place Angel 34mal Is On Its Way Organized by Janel Paukovits and Alexandra MacLean, the second annual Angel 34mal dance will be held at The Northampton Community Center on Feb. 13th from 7 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Tickets will be sold until Feb. 12th for $10. Hope to see you there in your formal wear!

Courier Staff

Mike EngelhardtTechnology Editor

Morgan KeschlEditor-in-Chief

Advisor: Mr. John Blick

Editors-in-Chief &

Co-News Editors:Morgan Keschl Cory Stevens

Opinion & Advertising Editor:Abby Gestl

Feature & Copy Editor:Melissa Jacobson

Entertainment Editor:Katlyn Carl

Sport & Photography Editor:Andrea Hetrick

Photography Editor:Lisa Toolan

Staff Writers:Jake Adams

Manny AgueroKristen Danek

Michael EngelhardtShelby FabianBecca Haran

Kaitlyn LeblancNicole Leo

Sarah PalittaSarah SkvoretzErin Stevens

John VeiszlemleinSend all comments, concerns, or rants to:

nasdcourier@northampton.k12.pa.us

“This is life, you deal with this, . . . . I always tell our stu-dents that this isn’t something exceptional only to teachers.

It’s something that a lot of people deal with.”- Mr. Gene Thrash, NAEA Vice-President -

Photo Courtesy of: www.2012predictions.netthe money, the middle and lower class citizens should receive financial aid be-fore any of the high class and rich people. President Obama has said in press confer-ences that he will try to help the middle and lower class people of this country. He is going to provide more jobs for the unemployed, as well as giving another stimulus check to families and people over the age of 18. 2008 has been a rough year, as many people can see. There are a lot of prob-lems both domestic and foreign. Time will tell if 2009 will have the same problem or if the new president of the country can save us from going into another depres-sion.

2 News

Renovations Coming to an End

The renovations have been going on for quite some time ad the question on the community’s mind is when will it all be done? While the process seems to be taking a long time, it is ahead of schedule as planned, which is pretty good despite the snow days we have had and the many other delays. Assistant principal Mr. Curt Dimmick says there are not any real problems, just some small nuisances. The estimated completion time for the second floor was before Christmas break, which has been completed and is now in use. The estimated completion time for the first floor was during break, which took a little longer than expected, but is now open for use. Most teachers are still moving in their belongings for the second semester. The students have been very patient in waiting for the new completed school, as well as the teachers. “The teachers are just anxious to get into their new rooms,” says Dimmick. The library and nurse’s office will not be open right away for the second semes-ter. In the library, the permanent tables, shelves, and bookcases need to be installed and they still need to move in the books and computers. “I am extremely happy with the process. I can not wait to see the people in the rooms and walking in the hallways,” says Dimmick. Dimmick also wants to add a few things about keeping the school clean so it can stay nice when everything is completed. “I and administrators want everybody to treat the building with respect, meaning by not ruining the building with graffiti, trash and other things and we should take pride in what has become the “flagship” of the Northampton Area School District,” says Dimmick.

Plagiarism: A Crime Just Like Any Other

Plagiarism occurs in high schools, colleges, and even in professional settings. Whether one changes the words around slightly or copies a sentence, it is wrong on every account. Look at it this way; you would not steal from a store because it is against the law. This applies with plagia-rism as well. It goes along with any other despicable crime one commits. The quick firing of Boston Globe col-umnist Patricia Smith and New Republic reporter Stephen Glass a couple of years ago only lends credence to why plagiarism is wrong. They made up stories and fic-tional quotes as well as people to promote their stories. Such actions in a business like the Boston Globe are not acceptable. At many universities, students are expelled for plagiarism. The very thing students find alluring is the very thing that gets them caught: the internet. Teachers and professors can often find the source a student used in their plagiarism within a matter of minutes. The website turnitin.com, which our school uses, is exceptional at catching plagiarism. In the world we live in today, as well as with the many ad-vancements in technology, the act is not only dishonest, but foolish as well. A much more recent case in the profes-

sional world involved well-known British author J. K. Rowling, whose Harry Potter series captured the imaginations of chil-dren and adults alike. The case was held in New York and stayed open for six weeks. Rowling said that the planned Harry Pot-ter Lexicon authored by Stephen Vander Ark was a clear case of plagiarism, be-cause all of the information in the Lexicon could have been gleaned by simply read-ing the Harry Potter books themselves. Rowling was quoted as saying “that the Lexicon only ripped-off 20 long years of her hard work and dedication.” She also said, while crying that Stephen Vander Ark, being a Harry Potter fan and having his own website devoted to Harry, caused her more heartache than discovering the Lexicon. Rowling eventually won the case and Vander Ark is on probation for an indefinite amount of time from publishing any works he might have planned. There are always consequences when you plagiarize, as I learned first hand. It is important that we all understand plagia-rism and the reasons not to do something like this. I hope that my actions can be a lesson for all students that plagiarism only hurts you. You are left with an overwhelming sense of guilt, shame, and regret, but most of all you feel no satisfac-tion for your work, or lack thereof. I’m speaking from experience , so take my advice to heart.

Northampton Grad Aids a ‘True Champion’ With Wrestling Career

Kekoa Wong, an aspiring professional wrestler and Northampton graduate, is anticipating his latest wrestling event, which will benefit Tomorrow’s Children’s Institute in Hackensack, Nj. Wong grew up in Danielsville, Pa, but lived in Hawaii for a summer when he was seven years old. He returned from Hawaii and graduated from Northampton Area High School during the 2005-2006 school year. Wong’s nickname has been “The Flyin’ Hawaiian” since he played basketball in high school, which carried over to his wrestling career. Wong became interested in wrestling during his senior year of high school after sitting out for five straight games at the beginning of the basketball season.“It was really weird, because the year before that, I was a starter for most of the season. Then coming back and not starting for the first five games was a real eye-opener that I was in the wrong place. I always knew I loved basketball, I played it my entire life, but I got a taste of wrestling my senior year before basketball started,” said Wong. Since graduating high school, Wong has had quite a lucrative wrestling career thus far, as he has been a Tag Team Cham-pion, a United States Champion, and won a Liberty Cup match, which is an eight-man tournament where wrestlers face each other until there is one winner left. Wong is also being scouted out by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and is involved with three companies spanning from Japan and the UK to get his name across internationally. He believes that he is blessed since he has accomplished more in his two professional years than some accomplish in a lifetime. “There are guys that wrestle their entire lives and never hold a title, or they

Kekoa Wong holds his Bodyslam Wrestling Organization (BWO) United States Heavyweight Wrestling Champion belt.

never get to do what I’ve done so far. I’m pretty fortunate,” said Wong. Wong owes his three titles to the intense training he went through after high school. Practices were two to three times a week for four hours in the evening, where nonstop activity prevailed over rest. Wong even suffered from heat exhaustion from lack of water breaks and temperatures that

reached 120 degrees in summer inside the facility. Since the training sessions ran on cooperation, one mistake affected every-one, as Wong soon realized. “I think two guys got in a fight and at the end of the day, [the trainers] were

like ‘We’re a team here, we train together, and if one guy makes a mistake, we all make the mistake.’ So, we had to do these things called chair squats and it’s when you take a chair and you sit down, and we had to do that 400 times. I’m getting to 350, and I can barely keep my eyes open, I can barely feel anything. I’m just numb. Then I get to 400 and when I’m about to

hit 400, he goes ‘Ok, do 100 more.’ I hit 400 and I passed out and laid on the ground,” said Wong. As Wong grew up, his influence would be Shawn Michaels, for his skill, and Ric Flair. “I always looked up to Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair. Shawn Michaels I used to look up to grow-ing up and the only reason I started looking up to him was because I found out we had the same birthday. I found out when I was, like, seven,” said Wong. “I started watching him and he was always a great inspira-tion with how good he was and what kind of matches he had. He was always exciting to watch.” Wong’s aspirations for the future include break-ing into the WWE by the time he is 26. If he does not make it into the orga-nization by that age, he is considering moving down to Florida to their training facility so he can be recog-

nized for his drive. The fundraising event will be held on Fri. Feb. 27, 2009 at the East Side Youth Center in Allentown, Pa, and ticket pro-ceeds will benefit Tomorrow’s Children’s Institute in Hackensack, Nj. Doors open

at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7:00 p.m. Front row tickets, which are selling quickly, cost $15 and regular seating is $10. Fellow Northampton graduates, Eric Hiller and J.C. Wesler, will also be wres-tling at the event with Wong. The event is anticipated to end before 11 o’clock, so fans with a junior license will make it home in time. Wong also put together an event in Apr. 2008 in honor of a fan, Harold Wright-ington, who suffered with cancer and an aggressive brain tumor. Wrightington’s family was friends of the owner, as well as a fan of the Bodyslam Wrestling Organization (BWO), which is one of the companies Wong wrestles for in New Jer-sey. Since Wrightington’s strength helped Wong realize his fortune, he decided to create a fundraiser event in his honor. “We did the show and they brought him out and it really hit to be able to look at this kid, who was only 12-years-old. I was lucky enough to be blessed with the ability to wrestle and entertain people and be able to accomplish my dreams,” said Wong. “This kid is 12-years-old and didn’t even have the opportunity to do that..” Though Wrightington passed away on Jul. 4, 2008, no one can deny the joy Wong gave him from putting together the event. “We did a replica heavyweight title and we gave it to him. Instead of saying ‘Heavyweight Champion.’ it said ‘True Champion’ on it. We gave that to him and I was like ‘Hey man, are you going to put that in the case you got?’ and he was like ‘No, I’m sleeping with the belt.’ So that was cool, he was really cool to meet,” said Wong. In honor of the kids who are currently going through treatment and Wong’s com-passion, come out and support the event! To find out more about Kekoa Wong, you may visit www.myspace.com/lvwflyin-hawaiian.

Photo By: Morgan Keschl.

Manny AgueroStaff Writer

Becca HaranStaff Writer

Morgan KeschlEditor-in-Chief

New Teachers 3Welcome To Northampton

Mr. Ryan Brobst Mr. Ryan Brobst is a new Guidance counselor. Brobst originally wanted to pursue a career in physical therapy, but ended up changing his mind and becom-ing a guidance counselor. “I enjoy working with kids and help-ing them with problems they have,” says Brobst. Brobst had gone to high school here at Northampton and graduated in 1998. He attended Northampton Community college, then went to East Stroudsburg University. He finished his post secondary education at Kutztown University for his Master’s Degree, for a total of seven years of college. Brobst is available to help students. If you need assistance choosing a career, he will help you by using the Coin Three program. If you have an idea, he will help with the steps to get to your desired goal. Brobst will also help with classes you are struggling in by showing you what you need to work on, or finding you a tutor. “I love seeing kids succeed from small things like passing a course to graduating and moving on to bigger careers,” said Brobst. Outside of school, Brobst enjoys spending time with his family and his twenty-one month old son. He also enjoys a lot of different sports, such as football.

Mrs. Christine Fischer Mrs. Christine Fischer is teaching Geometry, Alg/Geo 1 and Alg/Geo 3. Dur-ing her high school years, she always had a knack for math; math homework was always the first thing she had done. Fischer decided to become a math teacher because she liked working with kids and most of her family are teachers. “Math seems to be the thing to do,” says Fischer. Fischer went to Kutztown University for three and a half years. This is her third year teaching, after also teaching at Indian Hills High School in New Jersey. “For my first year teaching here, every-one is friendly and willing to help out when I have a question or any problems,” says Fischer. Fischer likes sports as an extracurricu-lar activity and is currently looking for a sport to play or coach.

Mrs. Megan Mielczarek

Mrs. Megan Mielczarek is teaching 10th and 11th grade English. Mielczarek thinks writing is an important skill so she wanted to teach students to enjoy writing. “I like helping kids succeed in their own goals,” says Mielczarek. Mielczarek went to college for 4 years at Wilkes University, and 2 years at Le-high University for her Master’s degree. “For my first year teaching here, the staff is very nice; they all want to see their students succeed,” says Mielczarek. Mielczarek enjoys spending time with her family, skiing, and shopping.

Ms. Laura McHugh

Ms. Laura McHugh is teaching Fam-ily Consumer Science, Real World, and Culinary Arts. “I enjoy baking and working with kids,” says McHugh. McHugh went to Kutztown Univer-sity for four years. This is her first year teaching as a full time teacher, after she had substituted for two years here at Northampton. McHugh is enjoying a brand new room as a result of the renovations and is excited that the construction is finished. “For my first year teaching here, every-one is very friendly and very helpful, and I am looking forward to meeting new students,” says McHugh. McHugh enjoys hiking, along with walking her dogs. She likes writing and listening to music in her free time.

Mr. Terry Miller

Mr. Terry Miller is teaching Social Studies, History, and runs the AVOPP program. “I enjoy history a lot and I wanted to show students that history is fun,” says Miller. Miller went to East Stroudsburg Uni-versity for four years. Before teaching at Northampton, Miller taught for twenty six years at CLiu-21 in Corrections Ed. “For my first year teaching here, every-one has made it easy for me,” says Miller Even though this is Miller’s first year, he believes that the renovations at Northampton are even better, now that they are finished.

Miss Nicole Stopay Miss Nicole Stopay is teaching Health Emergencies and Physical Education. “I have always enjoyed physical activ-ity, and I like to show people how exercise can be fun,” says Stopay. Stopay attended East Stroudsburg University for four years, and was a long term substitute teacher for over a year at Trexler Middle School. She has been teaching for a total of three years. Stopay spends her free time attending sporting events, spending time with her family and friends, and being a cheerlead-er for her two stepsons that are involved in sports.

Mrs. Christina Thrash Mrs. Christina Thrash is a new guid-ance counselor in the High School. Thrash attended Georgetown University for two years for her graduate degree and also went to Pennsylvania University for four years for her Master’s degree. “I enjoy working in school with kids and any family problems they may have,” says Thrash. Thrash is available to help any student. If you need help choosing a career, there is the Coin Three program. The Coin Three program helps you find your strengths in a career you might like. Thrash also helps with family problems in the home. She can aid you in a class that you may not be passing or have trouble in by getting you a

Miss Danielle Voth Miss Danielle Voth is teaching Physical Science. She has always had an interest in science and had great teachers in school to influence her decision in becoming a teacher. Voth went to Bloomsburg University for four years, and was a long term substi-tute teacher before coming to Northamp-ton. “I like working with kids and helping people,” Voth says. “For my first year teaching here, besides as a long term sub, everyone is friendly and helps out a lot,” said Voth. Voth also likes reading, shopping, and playing sports outside of school.

Mrs. Theresa Wenck

Mrs. Theresa Wenck is teaching Ger-man. Wenck became interested in the German language when she heard stories about her father who was a Prisoner of War during WWII. Another influence was Kurt Vonnegunt, a writer that spoke a lot of German. “I like working with teenagers who want to learn German,” said Wenck. Wenck went to college for four years at Millersville University and attended Moravian university for two years to get her Masters degree. She also lived in Germany for three years before coming to Northampton. She had also taught at Al-lentown Central Catholic High School. She thinks the renovations are going to be beautiful when done. “For my first year teaching here, every-one works together and shares ideas to help the kids learn more,” said Wenck. Wenck likes to go walking, read Ger-man novels and playing with her kids and pets.

tutor or changing your class. “I love seeing growth in students from 9th to 12th, from high school to college, and seeing them succeed,” says Thrash. Thrash loves spending time with her family, and also enjoys camping and out-door activities.

Happy to be at Northampton!Photo Courtesy of: http://eslpod.com

Barack Obama became our nation’s 44th president at 12:00 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2009. Obama’s inauguration speech re-kindled the nation’s pride as well as addressing the current issues at hand, which ranged from loss of homes and jobs to relationships with other nations. Despite our current hardships, Obama established his drive to carefully heal our prob-lems. He asserted that the government needs to gain trust back from its people and should spend money wisely. In his speech, Obama revived the history of our nation, explaining that our power has come from “the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things.” Because of the tireless work earlier generations put into our nation, Obama stood up for America when he said “We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to ad-vance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.” At the same time, Obama expressed that “America is a friend of each nation” and will work with other countries to establish peace and structure. After verifying America’s intentions in the world, he humbly acknowledged that anything is possible when he stated “why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.” After being sworn in on Abraham Lincoln’s own Bible, we can expect many great things from President Obama.

Obama Gets Sworn In

Kaitlyn LeblancStaff Writer

4 Opinion

There’s a lot of hype about “going green” these days. However, in the past few years, our school has been taking steps that have actually been hurtful to our environment. Our high school is perhaps one of the most wasteful places in our area. Think about how much garbage our school cre-ates on any given day. This is not a small figure. Then think about how much of it could be recycled. There is a family I know that actually generates no trash- everything they need to discard of is placed in their compost pile or is recycled. The Allentown School District recycles

“One makes mistakes; that is life. But it is never a mistake to have loved.”—Ro-main Rolland Do you hear that? It’s the sound of couples crooning over one another; the sound of flowers being cut for Valentine’s Day; the sound of pecking kisses in the halls when teachers aren’t looking. It’s that time of year again—good old Cupid’s day, even though I haven’t seen much of him myself. It’s always fun to sit back and listen to the banter of over-excited girls; not exactly sure what they should be excited about. “Ohhhhh! Look what he got me!” Yet over the sound of frivolous cawing of the packs of girls proclaiming to the world how ‘totally AWESOME’ their boy-friends are, how can one hear the sound of my—and allow me time to dodge your swing at me for saying this—‘achy, breaky’ heart? “Oh gosh,” you think, “here he goes again, talking about himself.” And to that I answer: “Yes, I am.” Lots of people can talk about themselves for hours on end around the lunch table, so why not let me have my spot in the paper to do so? Getting back on track, however, I feel it’s fair to say that my idea of love is far more warped than yours may be. What is love to me? Love, I feel, is the partner-ship of two people who would die for each other, go to the ends of the earth for each other, and care about each other for who they are. I think that love is not something you say after saying “yes” to the initial proposal to going out, but rather something that is brought up af-ter the third date (not to be confused with the other assumption of the third date, which unless instant chemistry is shared by both, I do not totally agree with). My idea of love is something that was crafted in my mind after years of study with such things as the movies Hitch, Defi-nitely Maybe, and Serendipity; along with stories such as the sub-plot of Buck of Chloe in the Left Behind books, and the romantic twists and turns of Harry Potter. The rest comes from my own opinions on the subject. I may not seem like it, but I’m a rather mushy, wish-washy guy (almost cried at Wall-E, I admit it) and it shows in my views on the subject of love. Call me an inexperienced ‘puppy love’ seeking idiot, but that’s how I feel. And if you don’t agree with me, what are your views then? You think that love is a make-out session at the boyfriend’s house? Or maybe it’s the time when you cheated on your girlfriend? When I look at the way love is treated in today’s world,

als and manufacturing them into new products. Recycling generates four jobs for every job created in the disposal and waste management industries. Millions of dollars have been saved by thousands of United States companies through their voluntary recycling programs. These com-panies would not recycle if it didn’t make economic sense for them to do so. There is a girl at my lunch table who collects everyone else’s bottles and takes them home so they can be recycled. I admire her for this, and I wish that there was a bin that we could easily place our bottles in at lunch. There may be a problem with the fact that there would be extra work involved, such as separating the bottles and mak-ing sure they are empty. However, Alyce Daubenspeck, president of the Green

Thoughts From The Quiet Kid

Going Green With Envy

I think that an inexperienced idiot such as me is just what is needed. I’m not a tough, strong fellow; I am not the most attractive hunk of flesh on the eastern seaboard (just look at my picture in the last issue! Ghastly…); I’m also not the sharpest tool in the shed, nor am I the wittiest conversationalist among crowds. So, as is the natural order of high school, Cupid’s not exactly aiming his arrow for me. But don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to turn this into a classified ad for love. (If you like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain…) I’m just trying to breech the subject of why this is so frustrating in today’s world. I should be able to express feelings for a girl without having to worry about repercussions. I mean, just look at half the guys in this place that have girls crawling all over them. Do they really deserve it? And yet, I express the fact that “Hey, I might actually like this girl,” and then all of a sudden I’m Quasimodo up in the Notre Dame bell tower. “Sanctuary!” I have to stop quoting pop culture. But in all seriousness, I feel that it is ridiculous that love is in the state that is in. Granted,

I realize that we are in high school, and that we’re only teenagers. I’m not saying you should go out and get married with the first person you fall in love with. I’m not even saying that you should go out and fall in love at all. I’m just saying that we need to give love a fighting chance. If I’m rejected every time I make an attempt, what does that say

about the world? How should I think of myself at that point? A wise person once told me I was only in high school, and that I should just try to have fun. But what fun is it if I haven’t even experienced everything high school has to offer, such as a meaningful relation-ship with a nice girl? I suppose I’m just moaning and groan-ing. I just hate that I have no one to love. The world is a lonely place these days, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t exactly want to wait until college to become a boyfriend. I don’t think it’s fair that I, and other people in the same situa-tion as me (which there are plenty), should have to endure such a constant state of loneliness. So, please, enjoy your Valentine’s Day. Enjoy it for all of the people who can’t enjoy it, and let the sound of your croon-ing waft through the halls as always. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go exercise my bell-ringing arm…

all of their paper, aluminum cans, card-board, yard waste, steel cans, #1 and #2 plastic bottles, and glass bottles and jars. Why can’t our school take the simple steps needed to reduce our output of trash, just as the Allentown School District has done? Perhaps the leaders in our school don’t understand how incredibly valuable recy-cling can be. Recycling costs less than what waste management and landfills cost, and, the more individuals who recycle, the cheaper it becomes. Recycling generates 1.1 mil-lion U.S. jobs, $236 billion in gross sales a year and $37 billion in yearly payrolls. Publicly, investing in local recycling programs creates great surpluses by form-ing private jobs. For every job in the recy-cling industry, there are 26 jobs created in the field of processing recycled materi-

Team group at our school, says that there are many students who would volunteer their time to separate the bottles. It seems to me that, to get the recy-cling program started at our school, all we need are bins to be placed in the cafeteria. What is the administration at our school waiting for? I remember when there used to be a bin for plastic bottles in our cafeteria, before the renovations occurred. I almost feel like, over time, our school should become smarter and more environmentally friend-ly, but, with our progress in the construc-tion, it has become just the opposite. We should have more options and more ways to be able to recycle after renova-tions, not less. Facts and picture obtained from http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-benefits.html.

Cory StevensEditor-in-Chief

Andrea HetrickSports Editor

Picture courtesy of http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/valentines_day.jpg

Opinion 5 As the daughter of a renal-failure patient, I couldn’t stress enough that I believe every person should choose to be an organ donor. It scares me how many people take precious tools of life to rot in burial or burn in cremation because of senseless myths. You can save a life. Do you know how much that means? Right now people are waiting in line, a line that takes years to move through. In this line 6,500 people died waiting for their gift of life. That translates to 19 people dying each day. We can change it. Someone will show me their new driver’s license picture and if I don’t see “Organ Donor” underneath their picture, I question them why. “My doctor will let me die! He’ll know I’m an organ donor and want get my organs as soon as pos-sible!” “Are you serious?” I say. And they are. Not only would your doctor be breaking the law (yeah, um…homicide) but the doctor in charge of saving your life at the moment has nothing to do with organ transplantation. The people who are in charge of organ transplantation don’t begin considering donation until death has been declared. “Yeah, but what if I’m not really dead when they declare death? I could have otherwise recovered had I not donated my organs!” In reality people don’t magically spring to life in the morgue. In fact, for organ donors there are more procedures to ensure you are truly dead than there are for non-donors. Trust me; you won’t be alive when they use your organs to save a life. Very few religions are against organ donation. Catholicism, Christianity, Prot-estantism, most branches of Judaism, Hin-duism, Baptist, and the African Methodist Church all approve of organ donation. Go to http://www.organtransplants.org/under-standing/religion/ for a complete state-ment from many religious groups. “Well, I’m under 18! I’m too young to make this decision by law.” Nope. You can still decide to be an organ donor, with a parent’s consent. At the DMV there is a single, simple form for your parent or guardian to sign and you will then be able to give the gift of life.

Become a Donor, Save a Life “I want an open casket funeral! If I donate organs, they have to destroy my body to get them!” Donat-ing does not interfere with open-casket funeral plans. You are clothed for burial, so there are no visible signs of organ or tissue donation. Same goes for eye dona-tion, your eyes are closed during a funeral. (I hope. Because nobody wants to see scary dead people’s eyes…). Other myths to shoot down before even being mentioned: •Your family will not be charged because you are an organ donor. •Just because you are unhealthy doesn’t mean you can’t donate, medical professionals will determine that at the time. •You can do living donation (Donat-ing a kidney while still alive). •Rich and famous people do not move to the front of the wait list. •Someone will not buy your organ, and it is illegal to pay someone to donate an organ to you. So, why do I choose to be an organ donor? Well, not only am I aware of the fact that by simply choosing to be an or-gan donor I can save up to 50 lives, but I also know how it feels to have a loved one waiting for their chance at life because of an organ donation shortage. My dad has many medical problems. Because he’s diabetic he’s suffered from foot infections. Because of these infections, he’s had to take numerous anti-biotics so his kidneys had to work extra hard to clean his blood. Now, he has no kidney function at all. A machine has to do what his kidneys would do for him. “Well, I thought he’s dying,” you say, “If there’s a machine to do it, why does he need someone’s kidney?” A kidney does its job much more efficient than a dialyzer (the machine) does. Be-cause of this, my dad’s health is steadily deteriorating. Plus, the quality of life a patient has while on dialysis is very low. You see, one thing that a kidney does is remove fluid from your body. Intake of fluid has to be very controlled. My dad can only intake a few ounces of fluid a day. This includes food. If your body has too much fluid in it, it becomes swollen

Fantasy Football: Fan Favorite or Team Betrayal

We all know who they are, those kids in school who spend maybe an hour a week looking at football stats and setting their fantasy rosters for victory on Sunday, and hopefully a league championship at the end of the season. They spend their Sunday’s watching all the games they can to see how their guys are doing on the field. But while they watch all these play-ers, all these games, are they becoming less of a football fan or more? The question has been posed often during the football season. Rather than cheer solely and wholeheartedly for their Patriots, Eagles or Giants, fantasy football gamers cheer for individual athletes, as well as their team. But when does this passion for a player overstep the passion a fan has for their team? Before you get too lost in this fantasy

Picture courtesy of: http://www.uchsc.edu/news/bridge/2005/April/images/or-gan_donor_logo.gif

“world”, let’s go over the basics of fantasy football. In the game, the goal is to win matches during the NFL season. Some-time during the summer, the league that you are in, whether online or not, holds a draft. In the draft, broken up into rounds like all sports drafts, your goal is to cre-ate a team from all current NFL players consisting of a certain number of quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, etc. depending on the league’s rules. From there your team will compete against other teams, run by other owners just like you, and the goal is to win the championship at the end of the season. I am one of those football “geeks.” I

almost religiously follow the Eagles, and have three teams in three fantasy leagues. But does that make me less of an Eagles fan? My answer is no. Do not get me wrong, though, fan-tasy football is not hated by the football

population; in fact it could be considered the biggest sub-culture in the sport. NFL stars accept it, the NFL itself is fully aware of it, and the Internet is teeming with leagues from yahoo.com, to espn.com. But some football fans believe that if a person plays fantasy football, and is a Steel-ers fan, well then he cannot be that great of a Steelers fan because

he cheers on other players on other teams.

That is totally false. Fantasy football did not make me less of an Eagles fan. It just made me a better NFL fan. Think of it this way. If I were to only follow the Eagles, I would be extremely biased towards Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Brian Dawkins, etc. I would be bias towards one team, despite the stats and records of other players and teams. The scope of the NFL is completely altered with fantasy football gamers. As much as Eagles fans love McNabb (maybe, maybe not), Eagles fans playing fantasy football also realize that he is not the greatest quarterback in the league. The awareness a fantasy football gamer gets from playing the game is all the more reason why they are not less of a fan. It is what sets us apart from the casual Eagles fans, Giants fans, and Steelers fans out there, our love for the whole game, not just our team.

and bloated (for my dad mainly in his stomach and legs) and nauseous. Some-times he can even feel fluid

in his lungs, and his breathing becomes difficult, especially when it comes to sleeping. If my dad would drink or eat too much fluid his body would in a sense drown itself and die. Your diet is heavily restricted. Kidneys clean excess amounts of things that food puts into your blood, like phosphorus and potassium. Many things that my dad enjoys like tomatoes, soda, soup, and bananas he can only have on very few occasions. Dialysis takes a really long time. A lot of people can’t be on the machine for extended periods of time, their muscles begin to cramp up and they feel very sick. My dad goes on dialysis for at least 8 hours every other day. Because of how long his treatment is’ he goes on what they call the nocturnal shift. He has to go to the treatment at about 8:00 p.m. and usually gets home at about 5:30 in the morning. Can you sleep sitting up? He has to every other night. Hate needles? My dad’s arm is all bumpy, because he gets an 15 gauge ¾ inch long needle stuck in it every other night. And when you’re getting your arm jabbed that many times with something that size, your arm begins to look like it’s been butchered. It feels butchered too. But my dad has to go through this pain, because without this machine he would die within days. It keeps him alive. Because people have a fear of donating organs af-ter they die, my dad waits with thousands of others. The low number of organs available makes it difficult to even get on the trans-plant list. My dad was on dialysis for three years before he was even added to the transplant wait list. They want you to be in good health, have nothing else wrong with you, because with something so rare and precious, they can’t take a chance

giving a kidney to someone that has the slightest possibility of it not working out. I know it’s harsh to think about. No one wants to think about dying, let alone giv-ing organs for someone else to use. But think about the difference you can make. The power you have. By choosing to be an organ donor you could possibly be the one to give someone like my dad a life that isn’t full of pain. Keep mothers with their children, children with their moth-ers, grandpas, dads, sisters, brothers, keep families together. Don’t let your death just be the end of your presence on earth. Live on, by saving a life. Still decided against it? You think being an organ donor is weird or danger-ous? If one of your organs goes, you’ll be expecting a donation or death. You’ll be counting on other people to know the myths versus truths, to not find it weird and choose to be an organ donor. Tell me how you’d feel about it if you were dying, and waiting. I’m pretty sure you’ll be hoping someone else out there had decided differently than you.

Picture courtsey of: www.espn.com

Katlyn CarlEntertainment Editor

Jake AdamsStaff Writer

FEBRUARY 2009 PAGE 6

Politicians Show Signs of Stress

The campaign trail of the past two years has been long and hard, and most candidates have been worn out by the stress. Obama may need some hair dye, Biden will have to get another hair trans-plant, and hopefully McCain won’t need a defibrillator. The most dramatic change in any of the candidates has been that of Barack Obama. He started out as a youthful black-haired senator from Illinois. Now the president of the United States, his face is starting to show signs of aging, and his black hair is beginning to turn gray. He has even developed a slight tic under his right eye, a problem caused by lack of sleep and stress. And the campaign was the easy part. Now he actually has to go about solving the problems that our country faces—certainly no easy task. Obama says he will try to stay as healthy as possible by eating right and exercising, but it’s needless to say he will come out of the White House significantly older than when he announced his campaign. Joe Biden has been showing signs of aging and stress for the past several years, understandable for a sixty-six year-old senator. In a medical report released in October, there is information about Biden having an irregular heartbeat, a common sign of aging and stress. It is also thought that Biden has had a hair transplant, where hair is taken from the back of the head and surgically moved to the front. This is the outcome of being a senator for over a decade. Let’s face it, John McCain didn’t look especially youthful even before the cam-paign. That being the case, it’s difficult to say how much he has been affected by the campaign. In fact, this race may be one of the least stressful parts of his life. McCain spent five years in a Vietnamese POW camp where, he says, he was tortured to the point of attempted suicide. There is a question as to whether this resulted in PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), symptoms of which are a violent temper, impulsiveness, paranoia, and insecurity. McCain has been tested for the disorder but refuses to release the results. All in all,

while the presidential race must have been stressful and tiring for the 72 year-old Republican, it’s nothing compared to what he has already gone through. Hillary Clinton’s campaign was proba-bly one of the most stressful. Even though she never made it to the general election, the primary in itself was exhausting. In the democratic primary, Clinton was the clear front-runner in the first several months of her campaign, but fell into the posi-tion of the underdog during the primaries. The stress of the primaries culminated after Clinton’s third place finish in Iowa, and she began to tear up. Whether it was genuine or merely a political move is difficult to say, but there is no question that Clinton was put under a lot of stress during the primary. Sarah Palin probably had the least to do with the presidential race out of all of these people, and likewise the stress factor was pretty low. That’s not to say she didn’t have a lot that would cause her to be stressed out, as the media dove much more into her personal life than she wanted or expected, not to mention she was pretty much tossed out into the national public world unprepared. She did seem to remain fairly composed, her most noticeable stress sign being after the election, when a reporter asked for her thoughts about being the main cause for John McCain’s defeat. Needless to say, she had some strong words, but that was really the apex of her campaign stress. For McCain and Palin, now is a time of relative relaxation. The campaign is over, and they can get back to their everyday lives of being a senator, and running the country’s largest state. For Obama, Clinton, and Biden, however, the work and the stress has only just begun. Obama, of course, has to deal with running, well, everything. Biden will be the second in command, which, while not as stressful as being president, is definitely not an easy job. Clinton will be the secretary of state, and will have to represent the US to the rest of the world. For all three of them, the largest problem will be that the rest of the world isn’t too happy with us right now.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

The Power of the Press

While past generations relied on their morning paper to collect information, new technology is adding to the decline in newspapers being read. If you ask your parents or grandparents what an important part of their daily life is, most would say reading the paper. If you ask your friends the same question, many wouldn’t give the same answer. Our generation has grown up on technol-ogy, mainly computers, and as the new generations continue to use the computer more and more, the power of the printed newspaper shrinks. The percentage of people that read the newspaper on a regular basis has gone down tremendously in the last decade. In 1999, 67 percent of Americans read the newspaper every Sunday, according to Scarborough Research Center. In addi-tion, 57 percent of Americans read the newspaper every day. In 2005, the same survey showed that only 60 percent read the paper on Sundays, and barely half of the nearly 306,000,000 people living in the United States read the newspaper on a daily basis. Why has readership gone down so dramatically in the last few years? Years ago, the newspaper was the only way to release information to the gen-eral public. When you watch those old comedies on TV Land, many times you see the parents of the family sitting down while reading the newspaper. Back when TV was just coming onto the market, not many families could afford a television set, but they could usually afford to spend

a few cents on the local newspaper. This gave them local as well as national news. As soon as more people could afford televisions, the newspaper readership wavered a bit. Although the news on television was now able to be watched by many, it was at a specific time of day, and many families were not able to watch it at the exact time it was on. Because of this, hard copies of the newspaper were still in high demand. The Internet is a different story. It started out in the early 1990’s just like the television, very expensive and not very common. However, as people began to afford computers more easily around 1995, readership of the newspaper greatly dropped. The Internet offered up-to-date news throughout the entire day and the newspaper had finally met its match. The major reason that many people no longer read the newspaper is because the Internet has become much more reasonable, easier to use, and it is able to be used in many places. However, there are still reasons to read the paper. Copies of the paper are still relatively cheap compared to many other things in today’s society. If you do not have a computer, Internet service is not right at your fingertips and you may have to travel to find a place to use it. News-papers solve this problem with delivery. When you are on the computer, you normally search only for the articles you are interested in. In the paper, sometimes you might stumble across something you wouldn’t normally see and find it quite in-teresting. And the biggest reason? Some-times it’s just nice to not use technology for once in today’s world.

What’s the wildest thing you’ve done as a dare?

What is the weirdest thing you have in your locker?

Lisa Toolan, Katlyn Carl

John VeiszlemleinStaff Writer

Kristen Danek Staff Writer

“I ran through town naked!”

“Probably a picture of my brother...three water bottles and scotch tape.”

-John Saeger

-Katie Nickles

FEBRUARY 2009 PAGE 7

Finding the Perfect Perfume for You

Beat Box

National Honors Society- Planning a car wash and electronic recycling day

DECA- Selling Joe Corbi’s to raise money for state competition in February

Outdoor Club- Going rock climbing in February, trip to Pocono Plateau in April

Debate- Semifinals in February against Parkland

Kids for Christ- Swim party in middle school pool in February

PEACE- Getting ready for Earth Day

Yearbook- Students can buy their yearbooks at Jostensyearbook.com

Perfume has been around since Egyp-tian times. Some people can’t go out of their house without it, while some don’t even have a bottle of the good-smelling liquid. However, when you do wear it, are you wearing the right kind? There are perfumes that could easily fit your personality. To find one’s personality fragrance, one must discover their personality. Per-sonality is a very wide scope of who you are. So how do you find something that could fit you? Figure out your favorite things: color, music, food, drink, weather, anything. For those who have trouble finding the right perfume for you, I would suggest go-ing on Google and looking it up. Take a quiz and find out your results. But for me, I went to Sephora, one of the latest stores at the Lehigh Valley Mall, to get a bet-ter knowledge of scents. One of the most popular scents today is vanilla. Lavanila recreates the smell with a variety of perfumes mainly smelling like vanilla, with some extra scents. Vanilla Spice, for example, was vanilla with a hint of mint. Vanilla Blossom was vanilla with lavender, one of my favorite candle scents. Good for people with a bubbly and cheery personality or those who just like the smell of vanilla. Another good set of perfumes was Marc Jacobs Rain and Fig, for those with an easygoing and laid back personal-ity. They’re natural scents that are for everyday use. They are both subtle, for those who don’t like perfumes that smell too flowery, but for those of you who enjoy that frou-frou smell, I would sug-gest Ralph Lauren’s Romance, which is appealing and pleasant, as well as Jean Paul Gaultier’s Madame. These would fit into more of a girly personality. The

fragrances would make great gifts for your girlfriends. For those who like the smell of fruit, DKNY has some good tangy scents called Be Delicious, and Red Delicious. The crisp, modern scent would also make a good perfume for a natural girl. Be Delicious and Red Delicious celebrate individuality with refreshing spirit. For the evening, DKNY also had Delicious Nights: that is the fragrance of the night, which has more feel to the smell than day-time, more hinting at the fun and secrets of the night. DKNY targets more of the rebellious type of person, someone who stands out in the crowd and the Delicious perfumes will definitely make you stand out. Though perfume targets mostly

women, there are fragrances for men, of course. Just like Madame, Jean Paul Gaultier has a scent for males, La Male. This is a scent that every girl should buy for her boy-friend or husband. The subtle, minty smell reminded me of a barbershop. Gucci is cologne

for all male ages. This cologne isn’t for the guys who

like their cologne to be overpowering. It’s so clean and light that all the girls will love it! Another cologne is Prada Amber Pour Homme from Prada. The scent isn’t musky and woody, like most cologne. It has a unique, clean and sophisticated smell that everyone will like. These three colognes are for the easygoing guys. It says that you’re grown up and mature, while smelling really good. There is such a wide variety of per-fumes; it would be hard to choose just one for yourself. In my opinion, there isn’t just one perfume that will match your person-ality. So look around until you find your absolute favorite or favorites. Sephora supplies more than enough perfumes for you to try. There are all kinds of perfumes and cologne that could fit any personality. Your personality does have a scent, you just have to go out and find it.

Teacher Fun Facts The teachers at Northampton don’t just know how to educate their students: many of them have hidden talents, as well!

Mrs. Neali Miller used to play soccer and volleyball, winning titles for both.

Mrs. Natalie Kroope can decorate cakes, and even put herself through college decorating cakes for Wegmans.

Mrs. Maureen Sproul once won a foul-shooting competition.

Mrs. Debra Ward was the hopscotch champion of East Allentown when she was in fourth grade.

Mrs. LeeAnn Hildebrand loves singing...just not in public.

Both Mr. Ryan Brobst and Mr. William Gillespie can touch their tongue to their nose.

Mrs. Andrea Wasilko was once top ten in Miss Teen USA, and used to cheer for the Eagles.

More fun facts to come next issue...

Photo courtesy of: http://www.featurepics.com

The Newest Northampton Club: Gay-Straight Alliance

To promote acceptance of everyone, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. This is the mission of the newly formed Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), which was recently created here at Northampton High School. Its three advisors—Mrs. Steidinger, Mrs. Snyder, and Mrs. Stoudt— all help students to feel welcome and comfortable when at the club, and make sure that it is a place for students to feel secure about all aspects of themselves. All three of the advisors became involved at different times when it came to the planning for the club, its creation, and its start in October. Aubrey Baker, the club secretary, has been involved since the very beginning, when the club was just an idea and a plan to raise awareness of tolerance through the positive actions of its members. The club has already done a food and clothing drive for needy students, and the members are planning on fundraising and finding ways to spread the

message of tolerance. The road to the club’s creation has been a smooth one, thankfully, and ac-cording to Baker, “The biggest hurdle has been…trying to find the club’s direction.” To all involved with the club, though, the fact that this club was created is a good sign for the school. Even though not all students are part of it, it still shows that our school is accepting and progressive. An ideal result for this club would be to see a school with more respect for fellow students, and for there to be no bullying regarding personal preference. The idea may seem very far away, but the meeting room is a place where students can go to feel like it has already happened. “It’s a group of diverse people coming together in a supportive atmosphere,” ex-plains Snyder, who wants students to view the club as a place where all students can feel accepted and respected by their peers. As the year continues, the club will continue to be a caring environment, help people and spread positive messages, such as Baker’s final words to remember: “Our GSA is small, but mighty, and as we grow, so will acceptance.”

Photo courtesy of http://herokids.files.wordpress.com

Erin StevensStaff Writer

Melissa JacobsonFeature Editor

Arguably two of the most popular video games ever played came out this past fall, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2. Since there has been time to play, enjoy, and digest the gam-ing experience of one or both of these games, it is time to compare. Guitar Hero: World Tour is the fourth installment of the Guitar Hero franchise. For the first time in the series, Activision and Neversoft introduced drums and vocals, mak-ing it a true band experience.

8 Entertainment

In the world today there are many video games to choose from. Some range from shooters and role-playing games. To puzzle games and sports games. But my favorite game would have to be Rock Band 2. Rock Band 2 developed by Harmonix Music Systems, is the second game in the Rock Band series. While many things have not changed with the release of the second game. There have been a lot of songs added to the new game. Besides the songs that are included, players may buy extra songs from system downloads as well as purchase the license from the first Rock Band to import the songs to the second. The reason I like Rock Band is because it’s a very entertaining game; there are a lot of things to do, whether you start your own band with friends, or even play in a band by yourself. You can also play on quick play, which is when you choose a song and then go straight into the game in-stead of waiting around in the menus. It’s also entertaining to play with friends. You can have up to 4 friends play aloud with you on a variety of instruments including, Drums, Bass, Guitar and Vocals. While this game maybe fun to a lot of people, there are some downfalls to the

game. One of these would be the drum controller. The new drums that were originally released with Rock Band 2 are low quality. They have a tendency to stop

Attention all gamers! What sites take you to an arena filled with action and ad-venture? Come surf the ‘net and find out! All across the Internet there’s tons of sites that can fill your craving to play a great game. From classics such as Tetris to new releases like Parking Lot 2 and CSI, the internet is filled with opportunities to “get your game on”. Online games could be anything from television show based, to cartoons and strat-egy. Whether you play five minutes or five hours, your gaming experi-ence will be nothing but action. I’m sure you’ve heard of sites such as addictinggames.com, maxgames.com, and bored.com. Not only does bored.com offer games, but also quizzes, videos, and pure entertainment. Bored.com gives

you gaming range, including games in sports and racing, as well as the arcade and the casino. A site such as addicting-games.com provides selections in humorous variations such as “The Big Green Thumbbuddy” and “Pencil Racer XL”. As the site title implies, you will become addicted! The more you play, the more you’ll love being connected to the computer. There are loads of sites out there to “burn” your boredom and gain some

hand-eye coordination. While you may be interested in classic arcade games such as Asteroids, Centipede, and Brick, you can look at the opposite end of the spectrum, with games such as Parking Lot, Replay Racer, or the N Game. Your ability to

Internet Games Grab Attention

The online game play is much more complex, even though most of that is from different variations of band play. You can play the band career online, just play a few songs, or compete against other bands from around the world. The only prob-

lem- it is tough to find band vs. band matches online since it takes four people already in a band to compete against another four. The problem tends to be a

lack of vocalists. The quality of the instruments has improved since the third game. The guitar is bigger and more robust compared to previous models, and the touch pad adds another dimension to the game play. The pad has the same five colors as the upper frets, but it does not require strumming, and can be used as an alternative to strum-ming. The bass now features an open “E” note, which requires no frets to press as you strum. The grand newcomer, the drum set, is almost comparable to the real thing. Unlike Rock Band, the set features two cymbals above the rest of the set, just like a real one. The set is also very quiet and durable. You can keep the volume down a bit while wailing away on the pads and still hear the game, although it is much more fun to crank up the volume. The other new feature is the ability to create custom songs and upload them to Xbox Live. You can just jam as one, a group, or use preset mixes to create songs. The only instrument excluded is the mi-crophone due to copyright. Once you are done creating your new hit single, you can upload it to GHTunes, the only library of Guitar Hero’s custom songs, and you can even download songs from other bands. All in all, Guitar Hero World Tour is the next step in the music video game industry. Along with the fun created by the band experience, the audio and visual upgrades provide a surreal experience unmatched in the previous games. The added song creator feature is a big bonus and makes this game a must have over Rock Band 2.

Picture courtesy of:http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engad-get.com/media/2008/07/7-16-08-rock-band.jpg

World Tour features a more compre-hensive career, including individual and full band play, upgraded instruments, and more diverse online game play. The big feature to hit this game was the “Create a Song” mode. But, more on that later. World Tour introduces 80 songs, all of which are master tracks. Master tracks are the original recordings of the song that allow full access to each instrument and note. Unlike the previous Guitar Hero’s, this one allows the gamer to create their own gigs, or complete the preset gigs in career mode. Career mode can be played as each individual instrument, or as a band with up to all four instruments, on or offline. The game does not focus as much on defeating legends as in previous games. There are still guitar battles, but the emphasis lies in the overall band play and unlocking new legends.

working and shut off completely while in the middle of songs. The drum pedal can snap if you tap it too hard during certain songs. I’m currently on my sec-ond pedal since I’ve gotten the game. In my experience with the game, I have not seen any glitches or bugs while playing. The only thing that I can say was a bad experience would be the online play. Depending on your inter-net connection while playing this game online, you can experience a great deal of lag in the game. This is common to a

lot of online multiplayer games and not just Rock Band. In my opinion, Rock Band 2 is the better game all around. From its extended library of songs, to its enter-taining game play the game attracts a variety of people of different ages and beats Guitar Hero any day.

choose which game interests you most makes Internet gaming the best way to go. As you blast the asteroids and concentrate on managing a perfect park, you will be engulfed into the world of the mainframe. So apart from the popular websites, I have discovered some of my own sites

that some of you may have heard of. One of my per-

sonal favorites is coffeebreakarcade .com. Equipped with a full description of each game and how to play, Coffeebreakarcade.com provides the gamer with everything from puzzle games, to card and word games. This site basically gathers various

games from other websites and puts them in a huge collection for your convenience. Another site, ninjakiwi.com, is compiled with assorted games such as Bloons and Meeblings. Bloons is a game in which you take over a monkey and, with the help of some darts, pop the balloons throughout all 50 levels. Once you start, it’s near impossible to stop! Challenge yourself to the levels, where you encounter different arrangements of the balloons as well as barricades and special objects. To bring this journey to a near end, I leave the door wide open to all gaming possibilities. Explore and travel to sites unknown, and get your game on!

Rock Band 2 Guitar Hero: World TourCrowned

Best?

RulesGaming

Mike EngelhardtStaff Writer

Jake AdamsStaff Writer

Shelby FabianStaff Writer

World?OR

Entertainment 9

Anybody remember Duncan Sheik? He’s the guy that sang the pop hit “Barely Breathing” back in the 90s. It was a catchy little ditty that I still have in my own playlists from time to time. Sheik’s most recent album, “Whisper House”, was released on January 27th, and in reality isn’t much of an album at all. It’s more of a soundtrack for the upcoming stage production of the same name that Sheik is working on. “Whisper House” is a CD that holds ten quiet, somber songs that are almost boring to listen to. Awhile back in the early 2000s, Duncan Sheik, already a Grammy-win-ning songwriter, collaborated with Steven Sater, a well-known playwright. The two of them sat down to discuss working on a musical that would be called “Spring Awakening”, based off of the controver-sial play of the same name. Their racy musical went on to win eight Tony awards in 2007, including Best Musical. The New York Times stated in their review of “Spring Awakening”: “Broadway may never be the same.” Sheik enjoyed the process; possibly even more than what he had been doing back in the 90s. “The truth is, I really like narra-tive,” Sheik told Henry Freedland of Paste Magazine in an interview this past

Fanboys and girls rejoice-your time has come. Lately movie writers have decided that instead of writing their own material, they will bring the comic books most have grown up with to the big screen. X-Men, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, and other big name comic books have made or are making, their big debuts to reintroduce themselves to a new audience. Everyone knows that there have been enough Superman and Batman remakes, so now other comics are getting a chance to shine. Ironman for example, was a box office smash but before it came out, who could say that they actually read the comic or saw the cartoon series? If someone were to ask around, it would be a safe bet that person would find many more people familiar with the movie Constantine then the comic Hellblazer on which it was based. The X-Men were battling in both car-toons and comics for years before finally making it to the big screen. Due to the money the movies have been raking in, it seems more comics brought to life are on the horizon. Now, instead of the group, a movie revolving around the character Wolverine is coming to theaters soon. Of course, once a movie becomes popular, everyone starts to try to make money off of it. This has led to the car-toons of these movies coming back to the small screen. Whether this is a good or bad thing is yet to be seen. The X-Men cartoon I know from my childhood is nice to see again for comparing it to the recent movies. Ironman cartoons have also begun appearing on television. This trend of mer-chandising movies has also been followed by Ironman Halloween costumes, and

Sheik’s “Whisper” Gets Lost in the TranslationNovember, “and I like the relationship of music to narrative. Whether it’s in a theat-rical context, or a filmic context. It could be a CD with a book for all I care. It’s just I like the idea of songs helping to tell a story, and having the story really helping the songs to become more emotionally resonant.” So Sheik’s enjoyment of the musical enterprise caused him to pursue another project. The result: “Whisper House”. Apparently, Sheik had only recorded the ten songs as demos for the musical, but Sony Music Entertainment sat him down and said that these songs would be his next record. That’s all well and good, of course, except for the fact that someone who didn’t know about the musical would be completely in the dark about what he was singing. If it weren’t for the sticker on the plastic covering of the case that stated: “Music from the forthcoming stage production,” I would have been writing a much more negative review. It doesn’t make sense to me how Sony thought making these songs Sheik’s new album was a good idea. Musical songs, by definition, are musical scores used to tell or help to tell a story. This album featured ten songs from the musical “Whisper House”, but we have no story to accom-pany the music. Therefore, these songs are like empty shells that have all these details, but no origin. Only after doing a little bit of digging on the internet did I find the necessary information that helped

Photo courtesy of: http://www.duncansheik.com

Watching “The Unborn” is like see-ing double. Double the twins, double the creepy children, and double the disap-pointment. The Unborn is a dreary flick, filled with demonic children and tons of dis-gusting bugs. It was a predictable horror movie that produced unplanned laughter at moments. There were numerous scenes where heads were being turned upside down, kids were being stuffed into medi-cine cabinets, and long periods of jogging that were taking place in this not so thrill-ing movie. The movie shows sporadic nightmares that Casey is having, which includes a pasty white kid and a phrase, “Jumby wants to be born.” Although the movie seemed to be filled with only disturbing images and little else, it had its fair share of “jumpy scares” also. The movie opens with our main character Casey Beldon, played by Odette Yustman, babysitting the neighbor’s kids. While babysitting she was hit in the eye by one of the kids, after going to the doctor, she found that it began to change color. The doctor concluded that this can occur in twins, and Casey, thinking she was an only child, needed to unearth the truth. Her father, played by James Remar, admitted that Casey would’ve had a twin brother, but he died in the womb. As Casey connected the dots, she discovered that her father had nicknamed her twin brother “Jumby,” and he is now haunting her dreams. Casey tracks down her lost grandmoth-er Sofi Kozma, played by Jane Alexander, who fills in the missing information. The movie also intertwines with background from the Holocaust. We experienced it

me to at least grasp the idea of what Sheik was getting at. Some songs, such as “Play Your Part” and “Take a Bow” could work by them-selves, but still feel empty because of how closely related they are to the story of “Whisper House”. For years, musicians have used songs to tell stories, but the sto-

of the songs were acoustic and, therefore, were rather slow. The songs that stuck out for me were “The Tale of Solomon Snell,” which uses a hypnotizing guitar and brass instru-ment laden melody to tell the story of a man who was too trusting and was buried alive. Then there was “Play Your Part,” as previously mentioned. I wasn’t sure how this song fit into the story, but it’s one of the more upbeat songs that you won’t find yourself bored with. The last song on the album, “Take a Bow” was also more up-beat, and provided a nice end after sitting through two sluggish ballads. After all is said and done, Whisper House provides an excellent preview for those who are waiting for the musical to come out. Although, everything surround-ing this music and the musical itself was indeed ‘whispers,’ because I never even heard any of this until I saw Sheik’s name on a list of upcoming album releases. And after you give this album a listen, you may have second thoughts. Nonetheless, Sheik provides us with some interest-ing sounds with the help of fellow singer Holly Brook, and this a good album only if you need some music to sit and relax to. Whisper House is an album filled the brim with ambient sounds and a deep story, but it doesn’t have much else.

Information Courtesy of: http://www.pastemagazine.com/, http://www.playbill.com/, and http://www.sprin-gawakening.com/

ries were told within the songs—whereas Sheik’s songs are only pieces of the “Whisper” puzzle. Many of the songs are also, unfortu-nately, forgettable. It’s a shame, because Sheik knows how to make a catchy song, and the story is also very good, but these songs were just too slow and too quiet for me to even be able to pay attention to them. The quality of the songs is great—the music will be very powerful in the mu-sical. However, some of these songs don’t seem to have a place on an album. Most

other such items relating to the character. The comic book industry has actually had the most to monetarily gain from the recent movies, especially after Marvel Entertainment, the publishers of such comics as The Fantastic Four, Spiderman, and The X-Men, had to file for bankruptcy twice in the 1990s. As of October 2008 the industry is doing much better by mak-ing a 40 percent profit. This profit gain and the survival of comic book stores, such as Dreamscape Comics located in Bethlehem, PA, remind us that comic books are still much a part of our culture. (http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/10/news/companies/siklos_marvel.fortune/) When comics hit the big screen as well as other fictional adaptations, the storyline changes a bit, perhaps to shorten the mov-ie or keep the viewer interested. These alterations can be seen when comparing all auperheros out there from numer-ous movies. A common theme in comics books is also the ability of the comics to have crossovers between them, such as Spiderman teaming up with the X-Men, which may be hard to recreate in mov-ies with the challenge of having all the actors and directors working together on a film. This may be proven wrong due to rumors of an Avengers movie in the works that would combine the Ironman and The Incredible Hulk movies in June. So, comic fans out there can continue to enjoy their ongoing stories in the comic and then be able to see them turned into movies on the big screen.

Abby GestlOpinion Editor

vicariously through Sofi, as she shared with us her time in Auschwitz. Ultimately, her grandmother was the backbone of the movie. Without Sofi explaining the plot and leading Casey to more clues, the movie wouldn’t have made any sense, let alone ended. The co-stars in this movie included Cam Gigandet playing Mark Hardigan as Casey’s hunky boyfriend. He is also known for his role in the vampire love story, Twilight. In my opinion, his charac-ter was a little too understanding about his girlfriend being possessed. Since he didn’t have much of a reaction, it made me think this was an everyday thing for him. Now her best friend Romy, played by Meagan Good, provides no assistance during the movie whatsoever, with the exception of some negative remarks here and there. If her character hadn’t been included, it wouldn’t have made a difference in the movie. Casey’s father is barely present at all. He steps in for about two scenes to link parts of the plot in order to get the ball rolling, then disappears from the rest of the movie. David S. Goyer was the director of this flop, which is disappointing after his having worked on hit projects such as, Batman Begins, and The Dark Night. Produced by Michael Bay (Transformers), this movie had all the right people behind it, but the story line never stood a chance. The movie ends with an ultrasound of Casey’s stomach which shows, you guessed it, twins. Could this be leading to a possible “The Unborn 2: Jumby’s Return?” I cannot imagine a sequel to a movie that was so dry to begin with. The Unborn is one of those movies where you wait for it to come out on DVD, and rent it at 48 Hours for three bucks.

Photo Courtesy of: www.filmofilia.comPictures courtesy of: http://blog.wired.com/photos

Sarah PallittaStaff Writer

New Movies of Old Comics Gaining Popularity

“Unborn” Should have Remained in the Womb

Cory StevensEditor-in-Chief

10 Sports

Jake AdamsStaff Writer

After another successful season on the court, the girls’ basketball team is headed straight for a long postseason run, though getting into the playoffs is not enough for the team. “[We will] hopefully win at least

Girls Basketball Shoots ForSolid Season

Swimming Prepares for Districts As the regular season comes to a close, districts for swimming are not too far ahead in the future. The swimming team has a new coach this year, Matt Rumfield. He graduated from Kutztown, swam for Northampton

when he went to school here and was an assistant coach for the team last year. The boys team, which consists of seven swimmers, two being seniors, did not win any of their eleven meets. “This was a rebuilding year for the guys,” said senior Bryan Greto. “The lack of swimmers made it a difficult season.” Both the boys and girls team worked very hard on days they did not have

meets. There were usu-ally two meets a week, which meant there were four practices a week. After-school practices ran until 5:30 p.m., and on Saturdays they ran from 9-11 a.m. These practices consisted of many drills, turns, sprints, and distance swims. The girls team won two of their meets. These meets consisted of four relays, two 200 yard swims, four 100 yard swims, a 50 yard swim, and one 500 yard swim. Each of these events happened twice, once each for the boys and girls. After swim-ming came diving. Senior Todd Lerch is highly ranked for diving in and will be compet-ing in the districts. For swimming, senior Matt Fiorvanti qualified for eight

events this year. However, he will only be swimming

Daniel Talian cheers on his teammate during the boys relay event against Dieruff.Photo By: Kristen Danek

the 200 yard individual medley and the 100 yard breast stroke, since each swimmer is allowed to only swim in two events at districts. Last year he placed tenth in the 100 yard breast stroke, and his goal this year is to make the top eight. “Overall I enjoyed swimming. It was a good year and a lot of fun,” said Greto.

Members of the girls swim team prepare to start in their race versus Dieruff.

Photo By: Kristen DanekSenior Todd Lerch is ranked high in the district for diving.

Photo By: Kristen Danek

Emily Shultz searches for an open player, trying to get the ball into play.

Photo By: Jake Adams

Kristen DanekStaff Writer

Cara Bonenberger shoots for three points as Megan Bowen anticipates a rebound.

Photo By: Jake Adams

leagues or districts, or both,” said senior Megan Bowen. The K-Kids have a strong core consisting of a solid mix of seniors and underclassmen. Alyssa and Kara Bonenberger, along with seniors Em-ily Schultz and Bowen, are key con-tributors on a team that has averaged around 45 points a game, including a blowout win against Stroudsburg, 52-17. Bowen is the leading scorer, aver-aging 11 points per game, including a dominating 26 points against Univer-sity City, and is one of the team’s best free throw shooters. The Bonenberger sisters have provided a solid 20 points a game combined, and each have two games with at least 17 points. Schultz provided 12 points against Emmaus earlier in the year, and remains one of the team’s leaders in assists per game. Offense is not the only driving force behind the K-Kids. Team chem-istry and defense have kept opponents at bay. “On and off the court we became very close,” said Bowen. The Kids also have a new point guard this season, senior Abby Silfies. “We lost our starting point guard last year. She graduated,” said Bowen, “So it was just hard for the girls who played last year to adjust to

These fourteen senior athletes will be at-tending Division I colleges to pursue their

athletic and academic careers.

FootballWilliam BoykoGalen Clemons

Field HockeyJanel PaukovitsAshley Yanek

WrestlingShane Fenningham

Phillip MaranoJosh YurasitsJoseph Piro

James Sheptock

Girls BasketballMegan Bowen

SoftballAlex MacLean

Shannon KramerKayla Trinkle

Track and FieldAshley Hunter

Congratulations!

a new point guard…but we obviously did adjust.” The defense has held opponents to an average of 33 points a game, including a few teams that they held under 25 points. If the team can continue to play at a consistently high level, Northampton may be bringing home another trophy or two.

These Seniors Will Dominate in Division I

Athletics

The loss of seniors has opened up posi-tions for fresh underclassmen who have been key parts of the team. “Underclassmen are the core of the team. We rely heavily on sophomores Nate Salukas, Joey Molfetta and freshman Zach Michaels as underclassmen to get the job done,” said Kokolus. The focus of this year’s team is clear. “Since week one, the team has been focused on the ultimate goal: winning the LVSHL [Lehigh Valley Scholastic Hockey Leauge] title that we didn’t get last year. We know we have the tools to do it, and, as long as we keep taking things one game at a time and play every game from start to finish, we should have no problem win-ning the title,” said McGeary. The team has the benefit of having the league’s top goal scorer, Molfetta, who has scored 50 points in 11 games for the Kids. The Kids also have, with Salukas,

Sports 11

With an 13-0 season, things couldn’t get much better for the Kids. Although the team lost a lot of talented seniors who graduated last year, the Kids were able to keep it together and stay strong. “Coming into the season I think every-one knew we were an extremely talented team, but we were all a little skeptical because of losing a lot of experienced players to graduation and didn’t exactly know what the team chemistry would be like,” said senior Steve McGeary. “We tried to stay as positive as pos-sible. We lost a lot of good role models, but we had a handful of skilled younger players coming back this season,” said senior Mike Kokolus.

Ice Hockey Freezes the Competition

As the season came to a close, the K-Kids can look back at a solid season, despite the record. The season has seen it all from lopsided games to nail-biting finales. Led by seniors Andre McDermott and Alek Farkas, the Kids have played strong

Boys Basketball Shoots and Scores Solid Season

The K-Kids play defense in the first few minutes in their game against Dieruff.Photo By: Jake Adams

Andre McDermott takes a foul shot during the team’s game versus Dieruff.

Photo By: Jake Adams

Senior Mike Kokolus chases the puck up the ice in a game against Bechai that the team won on a goal in the last :40 seconds. The players felt the game was a turning point in the season.

The undefeated K-Kids have a pep talk before their game against Becahi.Photo By: Andrea Hetrick

Jake AdamsStaff Writer

the league’s third-highest goal scorer as well as one of the best goaltenders in the league, junior Austin Misko, who has a near-perfect save percentage of 90 percent. These individual players all contribute to the success of the team, but ultimately the Kids’ outstanding ability to work to-gether as a team is where their wins come from. “This year we have a team that’s full of guys that really aren’t selfish. We aren’t worried about scoring as much as we are about the overall team aspect of winning. I really think that that’s the best support any teammate could give to his team,” said McGeary. “We encourage each other to play to our fullest potential and give it 100 percent in practices and in games. We compete with each other in practice to push our teammates so that we can get better,” said Kokolus. What has also made the team so suc-cessful is the fact that the Kids started practicing in August. “The practices make us all better and keep us in shape. Putting in the effort and playing as a team allows us to work better together in games and is one of the reasons why we are currently 13-0,” said Kokolus. In their interviews, McGeary, Kokolus

and Misko all mentioned that the Kids’ match-up against Becahi as a game that is truly memorable, as the team was able to score in the last 40 seconds to defeat Becahi. “Although we didn’t have our best game and things constantly didn’t go our way, we played hard until the last whistle and just squeaked by with a 4-3 win. That game really brought the team together and has been a defining moment in the season,” said McGeary. The ice hockey team’s win over Naza-reth is also a game that stands out in the mind of Kokolus. “Our victory over Nazareth this season was a notable game. Both of us were undefeated going into the game, but we emerged as the victor, proving that we are the team to beat in the league,” said Kokolus. If the Kids keep it up, the possibilities are endless. “We’re just looking to take one game at a time. We know that we have the talent to beat anyone if we play our best, but there’s no sense in looking too far ahead,” said McGeary. Only time will tell if the team will clench the LVSHL title, but, with the way things are looking now, the Kids’ dream could become a reality very soon.

throughout the season, including the tough times. McDermott has been a force in the paint through most of the season, including a season high of 20 points against Dieruff in mid-January. Farkas has been a huge threat from beyond the arc, including a 19-point performance against Nazareth where he made three shots from three-point land. The team also boasts a strong core of underclassmen led by junior Brian Stevko. Stevko is the team’s leading scorer with 15 points per game, and is a threat from anywhere on the court. He was the team leader for points in a game this season with his two best games being a 24-point out-ing against Freedom in January and 20 points against Emmaus, two days before Christmas. Despite a challenging four-game losing streak in December, the K-Kids rallied to close out the month with wins in three of the final four games. Hopefully the team will be able to carry some of that success into next season.

Photo By: Andrea Hetrick

Andrea HetrickSports Editor

FEBRUARY2009 PAGE12

Nicole LeoStaff Writer

The 2008-2009 Northampton wrestling team currently has a flawless season after winning their first 16 matches. With Mr. Daubert as head coach and eight seniors leading the team, the chances of victory at states are looking better each day. In an in-depth interview with senior Seth Csaszar, he explained the team’s preparations for the season. “We practiced for about two and a half hours each day, including running, lifting, and wrestling,” says Csaszar. The majority of the wins that the boys acquired came pretty easy. When it came time to face Easton on January 14th at home, the gym was filled top to bottom

with dedicated fans anticipating a close and exciting match. Despite the pressure, Northampton came out on top with the score of 32-21. “Easton is our rival, so beating them felt great,” said Csaszar. The boys’ senior festivities took place on Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m.. As tradition follows, the seniors were praised and the win they claimed that night against Emmaus was the icing on the cake. The Kids recently participated in team districts, where they once again proved to be unstoppable. The K-Kids defeated every team and finished off with a win against Blue Mountain in the district finals, bring-ing home the District X1 title. States will once again be held this year in Hershey for both the team and individual competitions. The state

competition for the team is Feb. 6-7. The individual competition is from Mar. 5-7, and with plenty of time to continue practicing until then, the team has high hopes. “Our goal is to take first in states. It always has been our goal,” Csaszar states. Though the majority of the season is over, the hard work is not. The most anticipated part of their season is just ahead and, hopefully, their dedication in practices and matches will prove to pay off once again.

Wrestling Earns Another Perfect Season

Move Over Commercials, The Steelers are Super Bowl Champions

The game started out as the Cinderella-Not-Supposed-To-Be-Here Cardinals against the Obama-Nation Steelers, and ended with argu-ably the greatest finish in Super Bowl history. The first half saw clutch defense, sporadic offensive performanc-es, and culminated with the biggest defensive play the Super Bowl has ever seen- a 100 yard interception by Defensive MVP James Harrison. Then something clicked in the fourth quarter. The Steelers’ lead slippped away as the Cardinals lit them up for two touchdowns cour-tesy of Larry Fitzgerald, who two-handedly owned this postseason. What followed was a testament to Steelers Nation. What followed was the finale that the Steelers are built for, performing in the clutch, backs against the wall, with a collective confidence that was built when the franchise was born. The Steelers offense marched on the field with barely enough time to blink, with all of America on the edge of their seats, and stuck a dagger in the heart of the Cardinals with four clutch completions to Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes. The Cardinals’ final heartbeat was crushed with Holmes’s toe-tapping sideline grab; better than the “Catch,” the “Immaculate Reception,” or David Tyree’s “Helmet Catch.” That play woke up America, as screams of “Incomplete!” and “No Way!” reverberated around the world. When the shockwave passed, though, the Steelers became Destiny’s child, becoming the winningest franchise in NFL history, clinching a ring…for the toe.

Photo By: Mr. BlickSenior Joe Piro is just able to stay in bounds to gain a two point take down.

Senior Nick Richetta and junior Zach Szoke display their Steelers Spirit on Monday after the game.

Photo By: Andrea Hetrick

Senior Jimmy Sheptock shows no mercy against Easton. Photo By: Mr. Blick

Photo Courtesy of: Sportsil-lustrated.com

Santonio Holmes just gets his toes in bounds for the game-winning catch.

Jake AdamsStaff Writer

Districts:1st: Shane Fenningham Joe Piro Jimmy Sheptock2nd: Phil Marano Greg Rinker3rd: Josh Yurasits Austin Sommer Jordan Glykas4th: Chamberlain5th: Seth Csaszar Eric Shaffer

Regionals:1st: Shane Fenningham2nd: Josh Yurasits Jimmy Sheptock3rd: Greg Rinker Phil Marano Joe Piro Austin SommerStates:3rd: Jimmy Sheptock5th: Shane Fenningham7th: Joe Piro

Last Year’sIndividual Results