may 2010

Mr. FHS strikes out for the final inning

Mr. FHS was a fundraiser originally planned to stimulate the senior class ac-count. Production began right after Christmas break and has been drawn out until May. Due to several scheduling conflicts, the fundraiser was cancelled on May 17, and will not be rescheduled.

Originally, according to Ms. Ross, the hope was to put on the show mid-March, but this year‘s production of Beauty and the Beast did not allow for stage usage.

The date was then set for the end of April, but a track meet prevented that from happening.

The final straw for this fundraiser was when it was scheduled for May 19,

but a playoff game for the boys‘ baseball team turned the lights off for the assem-bly.

According to Ms. Ross, this is the only reason Mr. FHS won‘t be taking the stage. ―Everyone was very cooperative. They came in on senior project day to rehearse, that‘s how cooperative they were.‖

The money raised was to go toward

the senior banquet and the senior trip; also, a portion of the proceeds was to be donated to the winner‘s charity of choice.

―My recommendation would be that they do it really early in the year next year,‖ said Ms. Ross, who decided against using Mr. FHS as an assembly in hopes that it may be used next year as a fundraiser.

Meagen Finnerty

Editor-in-Chief

Emily Francis, Copy Editor

Prom 2010 was a night of fun and friends, with Shane Quinn and Becca Fleming as king and queen.

FHS Press 27 May, 2010 2

Courtesy of Cami Bibby

One of Freedom's very own staff members is heading to the big house. That's right, at the beginning of this summer, Ellen Hill will be detained and taken to "jail" for, what can definitely be called, good.

What did our high school career center worker do to be apprehended by the law? Ac-cording to sources, she is guilty of being "heavily armed with kindness," which is said to be highly contagious.

Authorities said she can most likely be found wearing a smile and has prior convictions of thoughtfulness and generos-ity.

In support of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Hill has agreed to take part in the MDA's "Most Wanted" pro-gram to raise money for Jerry's Kids.

Hill, along with members of other districts who have vol-unteered to take part in the an-nual MDA Rochester Commu-nity Lock-Up, will be appre-hended on Thursday, June 3.

She will be taken to the Texas Roadhouse and will not be released until the posted bail

is paid off by generous dona-tions of community members.

Bail has been set at $1,600, but Hill has the oppor-tunity for immediate release for good behavior if the bail money is raised before the scheduled court date.

If the money is not raised before, Hill and other partici-pants will spend their one hour sentence contacting friends, family, and associates to raise the bail money.

All proceeds will go straight to the MDA to help patients with day-to-day care and aiding research on the dis-ease to provide hope for the future.

Any form of donation can help: $800 sends one child to summer camp for a week; $500 pays for medical equipment repairs, adjustments, and train-ing; $100 funds one support group session; $85 funds one minute of research; $30 pro-vides one annual flu shot.

Every community member can donate to the charity event by donating to the MDA via check or credit card.

More information on the event can be obtained by con-tacting Mrs. Hill in the career center.

This year an abnormally low number of seniors will qualify for entrance into the Circle of Scholars.

Only four to five stu-dents are likely to be admit-ted, but the ultimate number will not be known until final grades come out. Typically, 13 to 21 students qualify.

To make it into the Cir-cle, students must be either Magna Cum Laude (93-95.99 percent) or Summa Cum Laude (96-100 percent) with their weighted average.

Even though the require-ment for National Honor So-ciety is a 93 percent average, not all NHS students will make it.

Falling grades in the jun-ior and senior year keep sev-eral students out. Ms. Ross partially attributes this to the fact that the current seniors‘ ―test scores are not as strong.‖

At graduation, members of the Circle will be wearing special cords to distinguish themselves. They will also be invited to a special dinner on June 9 hosted by the Freedom Area Education Association.

The FAEA will be awarding $2,000 in scholar-ships to one or several of the students.

The keynote address will be given by the valedictorian from 1996, Joyce Visnansky-Harrell. The few who did make it will be joining the ranks of notable Freedom alumni.

Joe Linta, valedictorian from 1978, went on to play defensive tackle for Yale University. He is now an NFLPA licensed agent who owns his own company, JL Sports, which has represented more than 60 NFL players.

The 2006 valedictorian, James Harrell, just received a 2010 Fulbright Scholarship to teach political science, focus-ing on the American Civil Rights movement in Hungary.

Shannon Schimmer

News Editor

Rosalyn Nye

Staff Writer

Project Graduation

Project Graduation takes place on June 10 from 11 p.m. until 4 a.m. here at FHS. Students will have a blast as they participate in countless activities that will really get their juices going, includ-ing bull-riding, jousting, and even a money-machine! This is the last time all of our seniors will be able to spend some time together before they go their separate ways. If you're a senior, be sure to come on out; you'll have a rip-roarin' good time as you make memories that will last a lifetime.

Our very own Mrs. Hill has generously handed over her freedom in return for victims of muscular dystrophy. Her only request? At least $1,600 in bail money that would benefit said vic-tims. Her efforts are evidence that one person can certainly make a difference.

Karla Knauff, Staff Writer


How are you going to spend your summer? There is somewhat of a dis-agreement between some of the stu-dents.

There are some students who are going to start college classes or classes that will prepare them for their desired future career choice as soon as they are done with school.

Then there are other students who are working, some with two or more jobs at once, to save up for college or other miscellaneous ex-penses. So the question is: how do you want to get

ready for college? Would you prefer working? extra classes? For college, you should research which option is better for you. Take a look at some of the re-quirements for the degree that you plan on going for and see if it is go-

ing to be beneficial for you to take some of these classes in high school, or if it is better to at least take a lower form of it in order to see if you like it or not.

Taking these classes while in high school will ulti-mately bring down the total price of college for you because our school covers the dual enrollment fees. Look at several schools that you would like to attend and try to see what the price comparisons are.

If you plan on getting a job, realize that this is go-ing to interfere with your personal life, but that you will also have money to do more activities with your friends. Most places do have a schedule that will let you have fun with friends and still have a job to supply the money to let you have these fun times.

If you have any questions regarding which option is better for you, Mr. Bennett or Ms. Kaplin are more than willing to guide you in the right direction.

Cole Leonberg Staff Writer

How do you want to get ready for college: by working or by taking classes?

Where did you go to college? I went to Carlow College for an undergraduate in

education with a minor in English and a minor in

theater. Then I did graduate work, first at Edin-

boro and then at Pitt.

What made you decide to go to college for

English? When I was in high school, I really had no inten-

tions of going to college at all. This was during

the 60s when everybody was on a mission or had

a cause, and my cause, I thought, was going to be

the peace corps, until my parents told me my

cause was going to be college instead. So I ma-

jored in English by default because it was the one

thing I was good at. Then I decided I needed a

plan, and my mother had always told me that

women could either be teachers or nurses, and I

knew I couldn‘t be a nurse, so I said it would be

teaching. And then theater is just something that I

fell into because I was working for the theater

department as their secretary all through college.

Was Freedom the first school

you’ve ever taught at? The only school I‘ve ever taught

at.

Did you have any choice in

that? At first, when I came out of

college, I had a job op-

portunity at a Catho-

lic school in Sew-

ickley, St. James, 7th

and 8th grade. As it

was the only job that

I had been offered, I

had agreed to take

that. And then, in

August, the Free-

dom opening came

and so I called St.

James and told them

I had an opportunity

to teach Sr. High,

which is what I

wanted.

Do you have

any significant

memories that

stick out for

you in your

time work-

ing at

Freedom? There are so many memories that it‘s really hard

to isolate. When I began teaching it was very

rough. It was a different era of kids and it was

truly the 70s; it was a very rebellious time. I was

fortunate in that I usually had very nice classes.

And then in the 80s is when we started to really

work with the curriculum and make some

changes and, as a result, we actually started with

the theme writing course, and in the 90s we

started with the theater courses, so I felt that my

position became much more defined, refined, and,

at the same time, much more challenging. By the

time I got into the mid- to late-90s, I had a dream

schedule because I was teaching the writing, I

was teaching the theater, and I was teaching the

honors juniors. It was the ideal situation.

Speaking of changes, was it difficult to han-

dle the changes in technology during your

time as a teacher? We first got computers probably in the

mid 1980s, just a few in the building.

I was always pretty inept, although I

did like them for the word process-

ing, and it meant a world of differ-

ence. We started out with just a

computer lab and we would all

have to go up there and use it

whenever we wanted to get any-

thing done. Then we started with

some home computers and one

computer per classroom, and

then with the influx of the

grant came the influx of all

of this new technology.

This, to me, is still a vast,

unexplored frontier that I

will probably never ex-

plore.

Are you going to miss

anything in particular? I‘m going to miss all of my

students, especially the cur-

rent junior class, because I

feel like I made a really

strong bond with them.

Working with my kids,

though, is what I‘ll miss most.

Do you have a final good-

bye to Freedom? I enjoyed the ride, but I think it‘s

time to go. I‘ll be okay; I think

you all will be okay.


Interview with Shannon Schimmer, News Editor

In 1973 In 2010

The average

cost of a new

house

$32,500 $216,000

Cost of a gal-

lon of gas

$.40 $2.85

World popu-

lation

3.93

billion

6.8

billion

Unemploy-

ment rate

4.9

percent

9.9

percent

President of

the United

States

Richard

Nixon

Barack

Obama

Most-watched

TV program

All in the

Family

NCIS

Latest inven-

tion

The Bar

Code

The iPad

Cost of a

first-class

U.S. Stamp

$.08 $.44

Notable death Pablo

Picasso

J.D. Salinger

Average U.S.

household

income

$12,051 $55,680

FHS Superin-

tendant

Don

Bradow

Ron Sofo

FHS

Principal

Robert

Cercone

Robert Staub

Gym Teacher Mr.

Guandolo

Mr.

Summers/

Mrs. Wood

Classes a day Eight Four

Time between

classes

Three

minutes

Ten minutes

End of the

period came

when...

The bell

rang

The digital

clocks say

right time

Sources: Factmonter.com, thepeoplehistory.com,

hths73.com, census.gov, bls.gov, tvbythenumbers.com, Ms.

Ross


Name: Julia Kubica Future plans: Going to Cal-U on a par-tial athletic scholarship Senior will: I leave my hatred for the lazy people on the track team to Mariah. Favorite quote: ―Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I‘m not perfect and I don‘t live to be…but before you start pointing fingers…make sure your hands are clean.‖ –Bob Marley Best high school memory: Anything to do with Christine Herzog/track Name: Shane Quinn Future plans: To become an athletic trainer Favorite teacher: Shepdawg (Shep), because he tells the best jokes Senior will: I leave my high jump abilities to Mr. Delp. Best high school memory: Cookie Queen!!! Name: Nolan Rider Favorite teacher: Ms. Ross–she‘s Auntie Ross Senior will: I leave Colton Costello the right to rock a leather jacket. Best high school memory: Mr. Sa-ludis spitting water on the class be-cause of Marissa Name: Rebekah Law Favorite teacher: Mr. Atkison, because he is awesome!! Senior will: I leave all my hugs to Jenna Moore and Matt Matscherz. Favorite quote: ―The truth shall set you free.‖ –John 8:32 Name: Scott Freeman Advice to underclassmen: Take care of yo bidness, and try not to fall behind. Senior will: I leave my lifting abilities to Kyeem. Best high school memory: Lifting with the football team everyday

Name: Christine Herzog Future plans: Possibly the Air Force, or fashion design/fashion merchandise Favorite quote: ―You just have to go after what you want, and if it don‘t want you back so be it. It doesn‘t deserve you anyway.‖ –Nicole Richie Best high school memory: Entire 10th grade year, and anything to do with Julia Kubica

Name: Ethan Brown Favorite class: Statistics with Shep Favorite quote: ―You have to give to receive.‖ Best high school memory: Getting to leave school at 10:50 every day for my senior year Name: Charles King Future plans: To make lots of money Advice to underclassmen: Don‘t mess around. Favorite quote: ―It‘s history that gives us hope.‖

Name: Lindsay August Favorite teacher: Tink, because he‘s easy going and a good teacher, and be-cause he‘s fun and gives you room to make unique projects Favorite quote: ―Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice.‖ Best high school memories: Helping with project graduation in ‗09 AND all the fun and totally school-related conver-sations we had (and have) in Art 4 Name: Melanie Collins Future plans: Going to Bradford in Sta-tion Square for dental Favorite teacher: Tink, because he al-ways made class interesting Senior will: I leave my knowledge to Allie Petroff and Jon Cleek. Best high school memory: Art class in 9th and 10th grade with Julia, Christine, Heather, and Alana Name: Katie Norman Favorite class: Human Anatomy Favorite teacher: Mrs. Shroads—wouldn‘t have made it without her Favorite quote: ―Life ain‘t about how many breaths you take. It‘s what you do with those breaths. ‖ –John Challis Name: Suzanne Hasenflu Future plans: College for English and creative writing teaching degree Favorite teacher: Ms. Ross; she‘s al-ways supportive and helps out a lot. Advice to underclassmen: Stay out of drama, do your homework, find out who you are and what you want out of life, and most importantly: have fun. Name: Danny O‘Leary Future plans: Play college baseball and work at Toys 'R Us Favorite teacher: Mr. Majors. He is the man Senior will: I leave half of my body mass to Tink. Favorite quote: ―Kites fly highest against the wind.‖ Name: Jessica Roman Future plans: Attending Shippensburg for a business degree Favorite class: Stats, because Ms. McNary loves us :) Senior will: I leave all my love to Brit-tany Mavrich; I leave my humor to Erika Woelper. Best high school memory: Freshman year when we charged the field at the girls‘ soccer game at Beaver Name: Ben Caler Future plans: Join the US Army Infan-try Advice to underclassmen: Do better in your class than I did. IT‘S IMPOR-

TANT. Trust me. Senior will: I leave my love to Catelyn Huddy; I also leave my luck to all my friends. Name: Sam Glies Favorite teacher: Big ―A‖ (Mr. Atki-son), because he likes to hunt and stuff like that Advice to underclassmen: Don‘t be in a hurry to live your life; stay young and have as much fun as you can. Best high school memory: The tractor parade at the end of the year Name: Rachel Ward Future plans: CCBC for radiologic technology Favorite teacher: Gia because she al-ways made class fun Advice to underclassmen: Get involved in activities Favorite quote: ―One day your life will flash before your eyes, make sure it‘s worth watching.‖ Name: Katie Pope

Future plans: Attending Vet Tech Insti-

tute

Advice to underclassmen: Don‘t let

drama get to you or ruin things for you

Best high school memory: Gar Gar Gar!

Florida ‗09 Name: Tyler Helch Favorite teacher: Mr. Pickard, because I said so, buddy Best high school memory: The day after my birthday, riding quads in the mud

Name: Jessica Jankowski Future plans: College; move (Cali); job Advice to underclassmen: Don‘t slack off, getting work done early makes school a breeze. Senior will: I leave my strength to my little sister. Name: Cole Lentz


Future plans: Go to college for sports and recreational management Advice to underclassmen: Work hard now because it definitely will pay off later Favorite quote: ―It‘s all about who you know.‖ Best high school memory: Winning two games in one day to win the section championship

Name: Zack Burns Future plans: Attend-ing Penn State Beaver Advice to underclass-men: Don‘t take any-thing too seriously Senior will: I leave my linebacker position to Shawger. Best high school memories: Tattoo night, Pertile and Clayton

Name: Theresa Otrhalik Future plans: CCBC for early childhood development Advice to underclassmen: Don‘t back talk to teachers and always to go to class. Best high school memory: Being in all of the school plays and being in band Name: Trever Polaski

Future plans: Attending Devry Institute for game/

simulation design

Favorite teacher: Mr. Wargo—he is down-to-earth

and doesn‘t treat you like a child

Senior will: I leave my ability to frustrate KK to An-

thony Lang and Mason Fischer.

Favorite quote: ―What have you done for the show

today?‖ –KK

Name: Zach Boring Favorite teacher: Mr. Hernandez, because he was al-ways there for me throughout high school Senior will: I leave all of the crazy things that I have done. Favorite quote: ―Don‘t think about what‘s gunna hap-pen, just think about how much fun you‘re gunna have.‖ Name: Becca Fleming

Future plans: Attending Slip-pery Rock Univer-sity to dual major in elementary and special education Favorite teacher: Ms. Ross, because she taught me so much Senior will: I leave my Fleming

reputation to Nathan Fleming. I leave the drill team to Sam Baker. I leave the drama club to Jordan Cinderich and Christian Beck. Best high school memory: My senior year doing Beauty and the Beast and getting to play Belle Name: Brandon Vargo Future plans: Go into natural gas drilling Advice to underclassmen: You can do anything in your life that you want, you just have to try. Senior will: I leave my welding skills to Chris Wright and Shane States. Best high school memory: The last day of school when people drive their tractors to school Name: Brad Prinkey Future plans: Engineering at Penn State Favorite teacher: Ms. Ross- she‘s the best Favorite quote: ―You‘ll miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.‖ –Wayne Gretzkey Best high school memory: Telling Dr. Staub we were leaving for Sheetz Name: Jeremy Herzog

Future plans: Attending Geneva College

Advice to underclassmen: Don‘t do more than you

have to

Senior will: I leave my ability to drive to Derek Le-

hocky.

Name: Chris Rooney Future plans: Edinboro for psychology Favorite teacher: Ms. Ross- she has taught me the most and she got me into theatre Senior will: I leave my legacy to Veronica Rooney. I leave my love for music to Christian Beck. I leave my musical talent to Jordan Cinderich. Best high school memory: Every high school musical

I have been in Name: Ben Bates Favorite class: Physics, because I sit next to Emily Francis Favorite teacher: Bossman Wargo, because he has a good perspective of everything Advice to underclass-men: Don‘t go tanning; skin cancer is no joking matter. Senior will: I leave my way of prioritizing to any-one who doesn‘t aspire for great things. Name: Brittany Sturm Favorite teacher: Mr. Saludis- he pushes me to do my best and is up front

about college and future plans Advice to underclassmen: Don‘t get senior-itis your last year; colleges check your grades usually at mid-term time and sometimes at or around Easter. You‘ve gotten this far don‘t; give up now. Best high school memory: Laughing so hard I fell out of my chair because Katy Ross and Jessica Parson tried to skip school to buy glitter, but ran out of gas in the school parking lot Name: Adam Teets

Future plans: Attending Geneva College and playing

baseball

Favorite teacher: Tink, because he is smart and funny

at the same time

Senior will: I leave my hair to Coach Short. Favorite quote: ―When the pimps in the crib drop it like it‘s hot.‖ –Snoop Dogg

Name: Julie Scheller Future plans: Attending Kent State for theater and English Favorite teacher: Ms. Ross, because she‘s pretty Senior will: I leave my care-free attitude to Sami Jo Smith. Favorite quote: ―Do you want to know who you are? Don‘t ask, act! Acting will delineate and define you.‖ –Thomas Jefferson Name: Matt Piccinini Favorite teacher: Mr. Short teaching me to use my head, literally Advice to underclassmen: Don‘t do drugs and always stay cool, calm and collected. Senior will: I leave my wit, charm and my luscious, full head of hair to Coach Short Best high school memory: Demolishing Ellwood City in football Name: Sara Murphy Future plans: Attending Devry University for game design Advice to underclassmen: Don‘t let anybody change you. Be how you want to be, and never forget your friends. Best high school memory: Having tea parties with Ms. Ross! Name: Tom Paraniuk Future plans: Go to college to become a history teacher Favorite teacher: Mr. Hernandez, because he is a tank Advice to underclassmen: Enjoy life and don‘t slack; you‘re only in high school once. Best high school memory: Carrying Nolan from Ross‘s room to Tink‘s room for $5



Name: Brittany Stehle

Future plans: 4-year

college at Edinboro for

psychology

Favorite teacher: Miss

Sosko; she‘s funny and

friendly and there‘s

never a dull moment

with her.

Advice to underclass-

men: Figure out your

senior project now and

start your paper!

Senior will: My merit

pins go to Tyler M.

because he will never

get any. :)

Name: Clint Jenny Future plans: Attending Penn Tech for welding tech-nology Favorite teacher: Mr. Hernandez because he has helped me out a lot Senior will: I leave my parking spot to Poof, that way he has a close spot to the school and won‘t take anyone else‘s. Name: Cassie Javens

Future plans: Kent State for psychology

Favorite teacher: Ms. Sosko, because she makes class

fun and interesting

Senior will: Britt Mavrich gets everything

Best high school memory: Experimenting with

Holly‘s lunches and making her eat them freshman

year Name: Lauren Szpak Future plans: Attending Robert Morris to major in English education Advice to underclassmen: Don‘t get caught up in drama- it‘s pointless; and realize who your true friends are. Best high school memory: Lauran Macon and I trying on crazy dresses and the fire alarm going off then hav-ing to go outside in the ridiculous dresses Name: Sarah Hasenflu Future plans: Chemistry/pre-pharmacy at Edinboro University Favorite class: English with Ms. Ross- she makes it interesting Advice to underclassmen: Don‘t procrastinate on pa-pers or projects. Do your senior project early- then you aren‘t scrambling around at the end. Don‘t be trashy in the hall! It‘s gross! Name: Holly Donaldson Favorite teacher: Mr. Wilson (because he always lets me borrow a laptop) Advice to underclassmen: Enjoy spending time with friends throughout high school, because it‘s hard to keep in touch after graduation. Senior will: I wish the best of luck to my girls on the soccer team.

Name: Emily Hilliard Future plans: Major in music education at Westmin-ster Advice to underclassmen: No matter how frivolous an assignment or class seems, just get through it and try your best in everything you do Best high school memory: Being involved with the musicals

Name: Stephanie

Dinello

Future plans: At-

tending Edinboro for

geology

Favorite teacher:

Mr. Wargo, because

his class is interest-

ing and doesn‘t

make me want to fall

asleep

Advice to under-

classmen: Don‘t

argue with the teach-

ers, because you‘ll

always be wrong.

Senior will: I leave my awesome dance moves to Caro-

lyn Jenny.

Name: Jordyn Disanzo

Future plans: Kent State University for architecture

Favorite teacher: Mr. Saludis, because he treats his

students like college students

Favorite quote: ―Anybody who says they are a good

liar obviously is not, because any legitimately savvy

liar would always insist they‘re honest about every-

thing.‖ –Chuck Klosterman

Name: Alysa Schell

Future plans: Bethany College for elementary educa-

tion

Favorite teacher: Ms. Rigotti, because she had good

advice

Advice to underclassmen: Have fun while you‘re in

school because it will end before you know it.

Name: Rachel Shouse Future plans: Go to college, get a job, etc, etc. Favorite teacher: Ms. Ross, because she‘s awesome Favorite quote: ―Every second is of infinite value.‖ –Johann Von Goethe Best high school memory: All of the many study hall conversations this year :) Name: Emily Teny

Future plans: Get a degree in nursing

Senior will: I leave my positive attitude to my younger

brother, Andrew

Favorite quote: "Live life to the fullest."

Best high school memory: 10th grade, chasing Toph in

the halls and Elaine running into me and knocking me

out

Name: Liz Kennedy Future plans: College for graphic design Advice to underclassmen: Go to class. Don‘t skip. It‘s not fun. Senior will: I leave my baritone section in Joey Brun-ner‘s hands. Don‘t blow it. Favorite quote: ―If it was easy it wouldn‘t be good.‖ –KK

Name: McCartney Leopardi

Favorite teacher: Mrs. Milanovich- she rocks!

Advice to underclassmen: Get involved in something

Best high school memory: Prom

Name: Joe Ermi

Future plans: Slippery Rock with Quinn

Favorite teacher: Tink- he‘s not afraid to stick it to the

man

Senior will: I leave my lifting know-how to Dr. Diesel

Staub.

Favorite quote: ―Why wait for the storm to pass, go

play in the rain.‖

Name: Katie Lambert

Future plans: University of Pittsburgh for nutrition

Advice to underclassmen: Be your own person, don‘t

get into drama

Senior will: I leave my awesome breaststroke ability to

Emily Francis.

Favorite quote: ―Duct tape is the force. It has a light

side, a dark side, and it holds the world together.‖

Name: Alana Birner

Future plans: Robert Morris for nursing

Favorite teacher: Mr. Atkison, because I had fun in

his class

Senior will: I leave my capability to keep peace to all

the underclassmen in flags

Favorite quote: ―All that we see or seen is but a dream

within a dream.‖ –Edgar Allan Poe

Name: Matt Marangone

Favorite class: Multimedia, because I like computers

and making new projects

Favorite quote: ―Go see if I‘m outside.‖

Best high school memory: Becoming a senior

Name: Carl Vickinovac

Future plans: Marine Corps

Favorite teacher: Ms. Sosko- she is awesome

Senior will: I leave my locker to Avery Creegan.

Best high school memory: Having bonfires with my

friends

Name: Jeremy Steder Future plans: Go to CCBC for accounting Favorite teacher: Mr. Saludis- he made chemistry hard but fun Advice to underclassmen: Don‘t slack off; try your best Best high school memory: My junior year of play do-ing Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat

Name: Marissa Ritorto

Future plans: Attend Duquesne University and major

in chemistry

Favorite teacher: Mr. Saludis: he challenges me

Favorite quote: ―For I know the plans I have for you,

says the Lord. Plans for good and not for disaster. Plans

to give you hope and a future.‖ –Jeremiah 29:11

Cancer in a box. Sounds like fun, doesn‘t it? That‘s basically what you‘re paying for when you hit those tanning beds, especially when done as often as necessary to get that stun-ning orange glow.

What's the point? To get some extra color before prom? To look good in that summer bikini? Laying outside for a few hours on a sunny day has the same effect and is far healthier than those blaring tanning bed bulbs.

Sure, UV rays play into each, but look at it realistically: why fake bake when you can have the real thing?

Look at the out-ward effects. Take a look at someone who has laid outside in the sun for two hours six times versus someone who has laid in a tanning bed for fif-teen minutes six different times.

The former will have a nice, dark brown, gleaming quality; the latter, however, will more than likely possess a sickly orange tint to their highly damaged skin. The more at-tractive choice is quite plain: the sun trumps a box any day.

If that's still not enough, think about the expenses. Why pay nearly $30-$40 a month when you can lay outside for free? Ten percent of Americans spend, on average, $300 a year on indoor tanning. Please tell us

where the sense is in that. The sun is free; sure, it's a little

difficult during the winter, but who's seeing your body during those months anyway? Rainy days are an-other complication, but that just means that you need to take advan-tage of the sunny ones.

You can make a million and one excuses, but when it comes down to it, outdoor tanning is simply the bet-ter choice.

If you're still uncon-vinced, there is an alter-native. Tanning products are an appropriate and efficient substitute for tanning beds. It might still be fake, but at least

you're not risking cancer. Unless you have some kind of

freakish allergy issue, they come highly recommended.

Spray-on tans are definitely a thumbs-down unless you're looking for a particularly carrot-like appear-ance, but tanning lotions are an abso-lute thumbs-up. They gradually darken the skin without casting an orange glow, allowing you to deter-mine when your color has reached its desired shade.

So next time you're feeling a lit-tle pale, skip the tanning salon and hit up a Wal-Mart; when you're 60 years old and cancer-free, you'll know you made the right decision.

STAFF EDITORIAL:

Editor-in-Chief:

News Editor:

Opinions Editor:

A&E Editor:

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Editorial Policies: FHS Press is the official student newspaper serving Freedom Area High School, in Freedom,

Pennsylvania. The views presented herein are not representative of the school, faculty, or administration; they are

solely the views of individual student writers. The newspaper accepts and strives to publish signed letters to the editor

under 250 words. To submit comments, press releases, or letters to the editor, or to purchase advertising space

in the paper, e-mail [email protected], or contact Mr. Hartman in Room 114.

Meagen Finnerty

Shannon Schimmer

Jordan Kusich

Nolan Rider

Bryan McSorley

Jessica Rosenkranz

Emily Francis, Jordan Kusich

Mr. David Hartman

FHS Press — Editorial Board

Reporters & Photographers: Alyssa Applequist, Liz Brunner, Jake Cruise,

Rob Deane, Rosalyn Nye, Ashlynd Robb, & Marques Muron

I’ll do it tomorrow It‘s that time of year again when

the students and teachers are just about ready for summer to arrive.

It‘s Friday night, and you have a big project due Monday; normally you might stay home to do it, but now you‘ve just gotten to the point where you want to go out and have fun.

I know how you feel: only three weeks left of school, and most classes aren‘t doing much currently anyway, so why do the work? The an-swer to that question is simple: it‘s still important.

Procrastination ends up hurting you and your grade in the long run, and it is rather an-noying when people blow stuff off, and then have the nerve to complain about their grade. I understand where all of those procrastinators are coming from because, I hate to ad-mit it, but I do it too.

Here are some helpful tips to avoid procrastination and to make sure your grades are good.

Don’t put it off. When a paper, project, or piece of homework is as-

signed, make sure you do it as soon as you get home to assure comple-tion.

Ask questions. If you don‘t un-derstand something and that‘s why you wait until the last minute, try to either find a friend who does under-stand or e-mail your teacher for fur-

ther explanation. Keep your eye on the prize. If you‘re college-bound, try doing your home-work while wearing your college hoodie, or keeping the school on your mind to get you through. Don’t get distracted. Do your homework

away from all distractions, away from computer, phones, television, and gaming systems to assure no distractions.

Personally, when I procrasti-nate, I either go out with my friends or go on Facebook. Many people do different things when they procrasti-nate. All in all, you really shouldn't, especially if you want to succeed in life. So good luck to you and your final days at FHS and good luck for many years to come.

“The sun trumps a box

any day.”

The college search: a phrase that once drove pangs of guilt into the hearts of procrastinating seniors and apathy from underclassmen who believe they still have ―loads of time."

The truth is, it‘s never too soon to begin looking at colleges. You don‘t want to be that senior who, come Janu-ary, has yet to fill out a single applica-tion.

Start Now Even if you don‘t know what you

want to major in, don‘t put off thinking about college. There are a lot of factors that come with selecting a school. Things like location, cost, and size will all be important to you.

If it comes to be late in your search and you still don‘t know what you want to do, you can always decide on a col-lege that offers a broad range of majors.

When looking at a school, I like to see what kind of reputation they have and what my chances of being admitted are. I have found that US News and World Report is a great resource for this. Once you pay a $20 fee, you have access

to all of their school rankings and de-tailed college information.

Also, cappex.com is a great free website. It offers statistics about colleges and lets you create a profile that helps you to search for scholarships and calcu-late your chances of being admitted to a certain college.

College Visits Go the summer after your junior

year, or even your sophomore year. You don‘t want to save all of your college visits for your senior year, especially if you want to apply early. Try to go on a day where there is a planned admissions event.

If you are interested in engineering, go on the college‘s engineering day. There will be more specific information for you and more students and teachers available to answer questions.

Before you go, think about what questions you want to ask. When I went on one of my first visits I prepared zero questions, and whenever someone asked me what questions I had, I froze. Then, as soon as I got in the car, a million questions came to me.

I suggest getting a general list of questions off the internet (there is one

on the guidance counselor page of the school website) and adding some spe-cific ones of your own. You can take it with you on visits and cross questions off as you go, or you could just read over them during the car ride there.

Piles of College Mail After taking the PSAT in 10th grade,

many students will begin to receive mail from colleges. When I first began to get this seemingly endless string of college mail, I made the mistake of letting it pile up unopened for months. To me it was all the same information, regurgitated by dozens of colleges.

Now when I get mail from a col-lege, I first look at its state location, then I look at the majors available. If both of those factors look promising I will look at the college in more detail online. Any college that is too far away – like Alaska – or doesn‘t have the type of major I want, gets trashed right away.

Don‘t let the college search stress you out. Start looking into it early enough so that you aren‘t waiting until your senior year.

I try to make the entire process ex-citing, like it‘s a hunt to find that one, perfect school.

Everything you need to know about the college search FHS Press 27 May, 2010 9

Prioritize: how often is that preached to us? If you ask a parent, school should be your top priority, while your best friend may say that getting to the mall by four is, by far, more impor-tant. Priorities are listed in order based on a personal preference.

How badly you need a scholarship may determine whether you study for that Vietnam test on Friday night. For the first two and a half years of high school, school was my one and only priority. I eventually realized, though, that there is way too much to experience before I was out of high school; I didn‘t want to miss out.

While your studies are certainly worthy of being your top priority, they should not be your only priority. Some-times, staying up late and munching on chips while laughing with your friends is exactly what you need to keep the stress at bay. Eventually, the ever-dreaded part-time job will begin climbing the list as your money supplies begin dwindling. It shouldn‘t cast a shadow over school, but it will, no doubt, take up a large portion of what would be your social life.

Relationships in high school are unavoidable, be it yours or your friends or the girl‘s whose locker is next to yours. How much do you put into your

new hubby? Sisters before misters, I al-ways say. Your friends will always be around. They may not be pressed up against your locker with overly excessive PDA, but they certainly provide some chuckles. Boys, as harsh as it is, are re-placeable. They haven‘t earned top prior-ity, and they won‘t for many years to come.

Deciding on what takes top-spot on your list is your decision only; whether you stay home and spend time with the parental figures or go to a party this weekend is your choice. Each aspect of your academic and social lives needs love and attention at times so it can pros-

per. How much you give it is up to you. Don‘t lose sight of the future though; over-dosing on late nights can hurt you in the end. Have a goal: if you want to get into a cer-tain college, make sure you know what you need to do. Keep your grades up, because

that‘s what will carry you the farthest. Your job is going to start piling on the responsibility, so be prepared and try not to buckle under it. Only you can decide how much time you need for each por-tion of your life, so make your own list of priorities; this is one of the few lists you cannot copy.

Heath Nye, Contributing Photographer

The college search can be

stressful, but there are ways to

lessen the crazy load.

Too cool for school According to dictionary.com, the

word ―cool‖ has nothing to do with de-scribing someone that everyone likes, or something that everyone should be.

Too many people try way too hard to fit in with everyone else in high school, and also in life. Who is it that sets this ―cool‖ standard that everyone is trying to be or live up to? Is it that charming, witty, senior boy that every-one seems to know and love? Or is it the prettiest girl at the prom, the one with the most expensive dress and the cutest date? Isn‘t it obvious that these people, while they may be adored by their peers, should have nothing to do with the standards that you set for yourself? I think it is, but a lot of other people don‘t seem to think there is a prob-lem with altering their style, personality, ap-pearance, or even some of their basic beliefs in order to be ―cool.‖

Obviously, not eve-ryone in high school is that cliché, insecure teen who is willing to change anything and everything about their life in order to gain and maintain friends or social status. This isn‘t The Secret Life.

Whether or not you‘ll admit it, eve-ryone has gone through the problems of fitting in at some point in their life; two words: middle school.

Now that we‘re in high school and

have at least passed the test of puberty, it‘s time to figure out who you are as a person. It sounds cheesy, but without any sort of goals or guidelines for your-self, what‘s stopping you from getting swept up with the wrong crowd? Who is the wrong crowd?

Speaking of the ―wrong crowd,‖ this comes down to people judging other people. I‘m not going to say that I‘ve never done that before, because that would be a lie, but it‘s something that I try to avoid doing. Just like there is no such thing as ―cool‖ or ―normal,‖ there are also no specifications for who is ―lame‖ or a ―loser,‖

All of these adjectives are based on what soci-ety tells us to think. Why is it that we‘re almost programmed to like the skinny, fashion-forward girls or the jocky, funny guys? Alright, that‘s not ex-actly everyone‘s cup of tea, but it‘s a fact that every girl has wished they could change some-

thing about their appearance, and that every guy has wished they could be bet-ter than their friend at least one time.

The point: in and out of high school, people are insecure, and they look to others for guidance. Much like this article, it‘s all about opinion; the ultimate labeling of your peers is up to you and your personal beliefs alone.

By Rosalyn Nye,

Staff Writer

I remember back when I was six-years-old and one of the biggest thrills my young heart had was sitting next to the window and watching attentively as the raindrops raced down.

I‘d pick my favorite one as it landed and I‘d mentally push it to slide down faster, wanting it to surpass all of the other droplets and reach the finish line. Soon, though, it‘d reach the bottom of the window and disappear forever.

Newspaper was the high school version of my rain-drop. As soon as I walked through the doors of FHS for the first time, I knew this was my race. I‘d selected my raindrop, and I planned on seeing it through. It took four years, a lot of hard work, and plenty of tears for me to reach the bottom of the win-dowsill.

Throughout college, I‘m sure I‘ll look back with bit-tersweet memories of the Bulldog Express and FHS Press. I‘ll never forget the days of staying after for hours with Kelly, or sitting in the back of Mr. Hartman‘s room all day trying to get every-thing right.

The good always comes hand-in-hand with the bad, and slammed doors and hurt feelings gave way to a sense of accomplish-ment when things worked out.

I want to thank Mr. Hartman for the opportunities he presented me with, the faith he had in me to take the paper to the

next level, and all of his time that went into this paper. My very best friends have done more for me than anyone, besides maybe my mommy, on the paper and in everyday life, as they listened to my ideas, edited my stories, brought a smile to my face with goat jokes, and helped me through the mo-ments where I just wanted to give up.

I hope that everyone who contributed to the paper in the last four years knows

that every little effort has an impact. Every deadline met (or missed) and every idea brought to the table influ-enced the paper, and my ex-perience with it. Next year, I‘ll find the same raindrop I found four years ago and set in for another ride with a different paper. Nothing will ever replace the sense of familiarity that I‘d found in working for this pa-per, and I hope that the skills and experience that I‘ve built over the years provide a

strong foundation for college. I hope the new Editor-in-Chief next

year can continue the undeniable progress that the paper has been making. As much work as the paper takes, I don‘t regret a minute of it; the sense of pride and accom-plishment is more than worth it, and I hope that mindset is taken on next year.

Good luck to each of you on staff, and thank you for a wonderful, and truly memo-rable experience. I hope you each take your raindrops all the way to the finish.

A penny a day... Love and happiness makes

the world go 'round. However, money brings the bacon to the table. Money is probably the single most important thing to any thriving household in America.

The only problem is that it's extremely difficult to save any of it. Unless you‘re a huge cheapskate, I guarantee you have at one point burned a gi-gantic hole right through your pocket.

Don‘t fret though, because I am here to tell you how to save your cash.

First of all, you need to make money to save money, so obviously the smartest thing is to get a job. In high school this may be slightly difficult, but with enough perseverance any-one can find a job somewhere, even if it‘s at a fast food joint. Personally, I have had a job since I started high school, so spending and saving money is no stranger to me.

The easiest way to save money is to open a bank ac-count. Having your entire pay-check in cash form in your back pocket makes it very easy, and tempting, to spend.

I have found that not physically seeing my money actually helps me save it. Plus, opening that bank account when you have a few hundred dollars in it is one of the coolest feel-ings in the world.

Another handy trick to re-member when trying to save money is to not waste it on triv-ial things. This means the things you don‘t absolutely

need, the things that will end up forgotten underneath your bed in less than a month, and things you can get cheaper or even free at other places.

My personal weakness is fast food. After a long day of work, it‘s so much easier to just stop somewhere and buy some-thing than it is to wait until I get all the way home.

So five bucks and two dou-ble bacon cheeseburgers later, I‘m happy; however, I‘m out

five dollars. It‘s the little things like that that will slowly but surely dwindle your bank ac-count down to nothing. Now don‘t get me wrong, money is made to spend. Not using it com-

pletely defeats the purpose of its existence.

There are a few times when splurging is acceptable. For example, special moments like Christmas and someone‘s birthday is a fine time to go a bit crazy with your cash.

Back-to-school shopping and summer-clothes shopping is also okay to spend more than usual; you‘re going to be buy-ing things that will last a while, so it balances out in the end.

Saving money is great: the more you have, the happier you usually are. It‘s also nice for those times when you actually need a large amount of money.

An occasional splurge is acceptable; just remember not to get carried away. Don‘t let a hole burn through your pocket, but don‘t hide it away in an im-penetrable vault either. Be smart.

My life as Liz Have you ever been walking by a cute guy,

trying to act cool, when you suddenly realize your fly is down? Or hung out a window with nothing but your curtains holding you up?

Well welcome to my life, where it‘s one, big, never-ending ―blonde moment.‖ I‘m not afraid to admit it; you take a stroll with me down the hall and you will be laughing your pants off.

Many things happen to me on a daily basis that would turn any frown upside-down. So, out of the goodness of my heart, I‘ve decided to share some of these occurrences with you. Feel free to laugh!

The most recent one hap-pened in a hospital a few weeks ago. While I was visit-ing my sister, I was informed that there was a cute boy in the room next to hers, room 907. Mr. 907, as I called him, was adorable; I could-n‘t stop walking by. After a few takes down the hall, Mr. 907 started to notice me.

A few more walks by and I got a wave, and then he even laughed at me! Why, I burst into my sister‘s room telling her to come out with me.

It was then that I realized that the reason he was laughing wasn‘t because of my charm...it was because my fly was down! I had

been routinely exposing my undergarments to what was more than likely one of the cutest boys in that hospital. Welcome to my life.

Get ready for my next embarrassment. About a month ago, I had a really bad day. It was a non-stop ―hate-on-Liz‖ fest.

So when I got home, I tried to make my-self feel better. You know when you were little and you would look into the mirror with a comb

and sing your favorite Spice Girls song? Well, I still do that. It helps me relieve some stress. Don‘t judge. While I was jumping off of my mom‘s bed in my favorite pair of skinny jeans, I started to notice a rather...unusual sensa-tion. Once I hit the floor, I heard a ripping noise from my back side. I stood up and my pant leg fell completely off...I had ripped my pants. Goodbye,

size five. Sure, some pretty embarrassing things

have happened to me, but I‘ve realized that stuff happens, and you need to learn to laugh a little. So remember that next time you have a less-than-pleasant experience.

One last piece of advice from a fortune cookie I recently received: THAT WASN‘T CHICKEN.

I‘m Liz Brunner, and welcome to my life.

Courtesy of Lisa Gaillas


finals - not seeing Iron Man II HOT: school’s over - animal gummies NOT:

Someone‘s going to be mad with this one. Just bringing up the best show of our childhood started arguments. Lis-tening to these debates, I decided I would give you a voice.

After a couple of hours of research on shows that just ranged from about 1996-1999 that were popular when we were all kids, I weeded most of my op-tions out until the list was down to 10. This list made me think of watching these very shows everyday.

We all have memories of sitting in front of the TV laughing our heads off at the most stupid cartoons. Some of us may even do it today. Just looking back, I‘m sure you all remember your favorite episodes. Maybe you had a favorite kid TV movie. Either way, each of these old shows had an impact on some of our

childhoods. This is my list of the greatest TV

shows for the kids of our generation. Be prepared to recall memories you haven‘t thought about for years, maybe even close to a decade. (I know; I can‘t be-lieve we‘re that old either.) Here it goes:

1. Doug 2. The Angry Beavers 3. Hey Arnold! 4. Keenan and Kel 5. CatDog 6. Ed, Edd n Eddy 7. All That 8. Rugrats 9. Pinky and The Brain 10. Rocko‘s Modern Life

I‘m sure many of you are nodding

in agreement and an equal number of you are ready to fight me because your favorite show wasn‘t number one, or may not have even made the list. I will

be fair though. As I‘m sure many of you have scoured that list and have not come across one of your all-time favorites, I am going to be generous and give you my honorable mentions. These are in no specific order:

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters The Wild Thornberrys The Ren and Stimpy Show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Digimon: Digital Monsters Pokemon As Told By Ginger The Amanda Show KaBlam Rocket Power

It was really cool to see the names

of shows that I had forgotten years ago. It made me recall many Saturday morn-ings of sitting on the couch with a bowl of cereal the size of my head watching cartoons for hours, or waiting for my

favorite show to come on that night, and counting down the days to the release of a new episode.

I‘m sure all of you used to watch the commercials for the new releases in anticipation. We all looked forward to the new episodes, although I don‘t re-member ever getting sick of reruns.

If your favorite show didn‘t make the cut, I‘m sorry. It‘s nothing personal, really. This is just one writer‘s reminis-cent view of TV from his childhood. However, if you do have a suggestion, comment, or argument, I would love to hear it. Write a letter to the editor; we writers and editors love hearing what you all have to say.

I hope this little article jarred a few memories in your head. I know it did for me. We upperclassmen will be spending the next month or so looking back, espe-cially us seniors. It‘s cool to look back at a time when things were a little sim-pler, and life was innocent.

Showing off their artistic side

Freedom is transforming into its very own mu-seum. Everybody who has ever walked through that hallway between the gym and the auditorium has seen the black, gray, and white wall. At first glance it may seem as if the art league just started a project and for-got it, but Mr. Short has big plans for this hallway. He‘s going to turn it into an art gallery, Freedom style.

Anyone who has walked around the school has seen all the artwork hanging on the walls. The hallway is soon going to take the place of all of this. The art league is planning on touching up all the black and white paint, then either late this year, or starting early next year, all the artwork created by the students in both the art classes and Art League will be hung up. In order to give the art gallery a more museum-like at-mosphere, some light fixtures and red frames may be put up; of course, all of this is in the planning stage as of now, and nothing is set in stone.

The idea to transform the hallway into an art gal-lery was thought of by none other than Mr. Campos. The art gallery will give the students who worked so hard on their art a chance to have a place to officially show it off.

The art gallery will be available to any student who is in an art class or Art League, but it was all Art League students who helped paint the black, gray, and white mural. The wall was personally painted with the help from Kayla Sandala, Tyler Davidson, Sylvia Blake, David Kiefer, Tony Dambach, Alana Alderette, Lauren Barrett, Jeremy Herzog, and a few others. Mr. Short helped with it too, of course. So anyone who has a passion for art, or just a passion for looking at art, should keep their eyes open for the art gallery next year.

For anyone who is interested in seeing another one of Mr. Short‘s murals, he is creating one for Pro-ject Graduation. It will be 40 feet long, and will fea-ture a calming boat scene. Make sure to check out the explosion of new artwork in the coming months.

Staff Writer

Jake Cruise

A&E Editor

Nolan Rider


Mr. Short and the Art League are

currently working on a Mural (above).

Everyone has already had a taste of the heat that is summer in this area. We all know that it isn‘t going to be getting any better either. Those last few months of summer can be unbearable. Not everyone has a pool, so if you‘re looking for a way to beat the summer heat, a great way to cool off this summer is to go out for ice cream.

In a world dominated by chain restaurants, it is refreshing to know that in this area, we support locally owned businesses more than the chains such as Bruster‘s and Dairy Queen. Depending on where you live, you may have a local favorite. Although location isn‘t everything, there appears to be trend as to which customers go to which ice cream places, depending on what town they live in. Young’s Frozen Custard Stand

Young‘s Frozen Custard Stand, right on the edge of New Sewickley and Zelienople, has been a local favorite for a very long time. From the first day it‘s open, you can find an assortment of the self proclaimed ―hicks‖ either sitting at the picnic tables or standing next to their pickup trucks, which are usually lined up at the back of the parking lot. This stand has phenome-nal burgers and fries, but they are famous for their fro-zen custard.

Bret Karns‘ favorite treat there is a chocolate ba-nana milkshake, which he described as ―amazing.‖ ―It‘s something fun to do during the summer days when life is boring in New Sewickley,‖ he joked. With original flavors such as banana, pistachio, tangerine, and raspberry, that are changed weekly, it is impossible to get bored with their variety. Hank’s Frozen Custard

Hank‘s Frozen Custard has gone through renova-tions in recent years. When I was a child, I remember

going to a little stand in the middle of a huge parking lot that had lines that lasted forever. The wait was al-ways worth the sweet treat at the end.

Nowadays, Hank‘s has expanded and has its own building. They have one of the largest selections of flavors around, and on top of that, flavors of the day; anything you can think of is available. Gourmet flavors and a variety of cones make Hank‘s ice cream unique.

Also, the numerous types of milkshakes make this place an ice-cream heaven. By the way, the cookie dough is the best. Did I mention they have Mexican food, burgers, and salads to die for? Putri Mesing describes this summer hot spot as ―yumalicious.‖ She says she goes there all the time during the summer to hang out and grab a bite to eat. Although the food is great, my favorite part of this local gathering place is seeing all the different classic and muscle cars that are shown off every night.

Punk’s Ice Cream Shop Last and certainly not least is

the unique little stand that sits off to the side of Ohio River Boule-vard. Punk‘s Ice Cream tends to be a favorite spot to grab a cool treat for the people of Conway.

It‘s just a short drive a couple minutes down the highway to ex-perience sweet relief from the summer heat. As an employee of Bruster‘s, Lexie Javens knows a thing or two about the business.

She says Punk‘s ―has great customer service.‖ Her favorite thing to get is a Pepsi Float. ―They have by far the best Pepsi float around,‖ she claims. She also likes

that fact that a local business is thriving, and finds this fact refreshing.

Depending on where you live, or maybe just what kind of treat you‘re looking for, your loyalties may lie with one of these ice cream spots. But maybe you don‘t like any of these and are partial to Dairy Queen or Bruster‘s.

Either way, when the boredom of living in Beaver County sets in, it‘s always a nice break to just go out and have fun with friends while eating something cold in the summer heat.


Warped Tour This gathering of bands coming to

the First Niagara Pavilion in Burgetts-town on July 7 is something to see; tick-ets are on sale now. To see the full list of all the bands participating this year, visit www.vanswarpedtour.com. Some of them include Bring me the Horizon, Mayday Parade, and Sum 41. Fairs: Hookstown, Canfield & Butler

Get the gang together and go to one of the fairs in the area. Demo cars, good food, truck pulls, and scary rides; does it get any better? Kennywood

Kennywood‘s the perfect place to make a new memory. There is also a new ride this year called the Sky Rocket;

this is a 0 to 50 in less than three sec-onds, adrenaline junkie‘s dream! The Sky Rocket is taking the King Kahuna‘s place at Kennywood. Road trips

You can make any summer day a little more enjoyable when you‘re with friends. You have many different places to go: Pittsburgh, Erie, or you could pick somewhere local if you want to.

Food and movies

There are many dining choices both in Cranberry and Monaca, so why not take advantage of the area and grab a bite to eat and see the newest movies? Also, you could go to your favorite place to eat and go to the drive-in instead of the theaters.

Young’s Frozen Custard Stand

Young‘s is open almost every day,

except Tuesdays, and its convenient lo-cation makes it a prime place to meet up with your friends. Also it is one of the better custard stands around! Wal-Mart

Always a fun place to go to, with its vast assortment of toys, electronics, and all of the other random ideas that can be sparked. Just try to control yourself, so you don‘t get kicked out. Concerts

Many are coming to Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas, so why not go see one of your favorite bands live? Plus, having your friends or family with you is always a memorable experience.

Boating or Tubing

Either one is always a great time either with your family or your friends. Also there are quite a few places you can

go: the river being one of the closest and easiest choices, but there are a couple lakes that offer a great place to enjoy those summer days on the water. Ra-coon, and Morain are just a couple that are a short drive away.

Local pools

Cranberry, Beaver, and Econeomy are some of the more common pools in the area. Each has something special about it, like how Cranberry has water-slides and diving boards, while Economy is more quiet and there are less people there. The Beaver pool is one you should arrive early to, to ensure you have a spot to lay out or sit.

Take a vacation

If all else fails, why not travel to somewhere enjoyable? Some of the more common selections are Myrtle Beach, Ocean City and the Outer Banks.

An epic battle of frozen treats

A&E Editor

Nolan Rider

Combating summer boredom in Beaver County

Staff Writer

Cole Leonberg

Jessica Rosenkranz. Staff Writer


Summer concerts

Okay, if you haven‘t already noticed, maybe you will now! Freedom is filled with teens all tatted up! Last month, FHS Press ran an article written by yours truly all about artwork on the bodies of our peers. Other students, such as Jessica Roman and Tyla Piehler do not have tattoos yet but plan on get-ting one someday. ―They express peo-ple‘s style,‖ said Roman. Piehler agrees, but adds ―some people don't think about what the tattoos will look like when they‘re 80 years old.‖ There are so

many students here with tattoos that I couldn‘t possibly have only written one article! So here are a few people I missed, and I apologize for any others I may have forgotten! Joey Fubio has a red dragon on his top left shoulder. Courtney Valko recently added orange and yellow flowers to her left foot; it was drawn by Mr. Short. Putri Mesing has the phrase ―gods will‖ on the right side of her hip, and Senior Joe Ermi has a rather interesting image located on his backside. Ashley Throne helped in the making of this second story. She would also like a tattoo...of a blender.

Staff Writer

Karla Knauff

Tattoos: the second installment

Staff Writer

Jessica Rosenkranz Picture this: A sleek, black

Lamborghini cruising down the high-way right beside a cherry red Camaro; and then there‘s you, bor-rowing your mom‘s old red van that should have been introduced to the junkyard two years ago.

The thought of that is all the fuel I need to put in 30 hours a week selling popcorn and movie tickets for a decent ride of my own. I‘ve been saving the money I get from working since I was 14, just to experience the freedom of not having to share a ve-hicle.

However, the cons to that idea have postponed my dream quite a bit. With the added expenses of in-surance, gas, and any possible re-pairs or additions it may need – it‘s been adding up to a hefty purchase that requires more money than I‘d bargained for.

A decent vehicle with less than 100,000 miles can be as low as $5,000. On average, car insurance for a teenage driver per six months is $700 to $1,100, depending on state of residence, type of vehicle, and

type of insurance company. Gas patterns are a constant

roller coaster going as high as $4.04 in June of 2008 and as low as $1.72 the following January. Depending on where the gas prices are in the roller coaster, one may spend about $80 to $110 a month on gas alone.

All together, without adding in any repairs or maintenance, that adds up to one pretty penny; in my eyes, that‘s a whole lot of hours working just to get some wheels of my own.

In the end, the hassle and hard work put into saving anywhere from $3,000 to $8,000 for this new kind of freedom is all going to be worth it.

Who wouldn‘t love to just leave and visit a friend instead of waiting for mom or dad to come home and hoping they‘ll take the risk and hand over the keys? Or being able to drive to school instead of having to take the smelly bus with a handful of seemingly loud, obnoxious kids? I‘d save for another year or so

just to not have to deal with incon-

veniences such as that anymore. The

money for a vehicle may not come

easily, but there is always a chance

that mom or dad may throw a couple

hundred my way to help out.

Lil Kim & Busta Rymes May 28 Station Square

Daughtry June 02 Peterson Events Center

Brad Paisley June 12 First Niagara Pavilion

The Heroes of Woodstock June 13 Station Square

The Clarks June 19 Station Square

311 June 22 Station Square

Bamboozle June 23 Station Square

Styx June 24 First Niagara Pavilion

Scorpions July 05 Station Square

Vans Warped Tour July 07 First Niagara Pavilion

Tim McGraw July 08 First Niagara Pavilion

Lynyrd Skynyrd July 11 First Niagara Pavilion

Iron Maiden July 14 First Niagara Pavilion

Limp Bizkit & Ice Cube July 20 First Niagara Pavilion

Tom Petty July 24 First Niagara Pavilion

Brooks and Dunn July 30 First Niagara Pavilion

John Mayer August 01 First Niagara Pavilion

Willie Nelson August 14 Meadows Race Track

Maroon 5 August 29 Station Square


You can kiss it goodbye! The 2009-2010 scholastic sports season is already over. It seems like just yesterday that the boys soccer team was on their way to a section championship, or the Freedom faith-ful were spending every Friday night at the football stadium. Let‘s take a look back at a year that will al-ways be remembered in FHS sports history.

We will start in fall with the much anticipated football season. Expectations were high with a new coach and system in place. However, the season did not live up to those expectations, as only two wins were recorded.

On the cross-country team, senior Julia Kubica and freshman DeeDee Adams ran their way to states. The golf team played well above their expectations, posting a winning record, but were unfortunately un-able to clinch a playoff spot.

Soccer was the sport this year that gave fans the most excitement, primarily on the boys‘ end. The girls played well, but showed a lack of experience. The boys soccer team won its first section title in over a decade and made a far run into the WPIAL playoffs. Led by Luke Mesing, Tanner Mesing, and Erik Gab-rich, the soccer team was able to send fans into a

frenzy. It was as if the school had caught playoff fe-ver for two weeks.

Winter proved to be a season of growth in the sports world at Freedom. A young wrestling team posted a great record, but it was unable to clinch a playoff birth in their tough section. The girls basketball team ex-perienced a high amount of growing pains as it failed to record a win the en-tire season. The boys fared better than the girls, racking up three wins. How-ever, the boys' record did not reflect how well they played this past season, as they suffered many close defeats. The swim team endured the most hardships of any team at Freedom this past sports season, with fewer than five home meets and 25 practice cancellations, as the pool continued to have problems the entire season.

Following suit with the preceding year, the spring turned out to be the most successful sports sea-son at FHS. Both the girls and boys track teams rode undefeated section records to the WPIAL playoffs.

The girls were bounced from them in the playoffs, but the boys made it to the WPIAL Championship finals, where they ultimately came in 4th place. Five wins were recorded by the softball team, but none were

more important than the last one, as the seniors were able to leave on a high note. At first, things looked dim for the baseball team, as it struggled to squeeze out victories early in the season. How-ever, they redeemed themselves as they went on a tear at the end, picking up nine straight victories on their way to the WPIAL playoffs where they ultimately lost to Laurel in an 11 inning classic. It has been quite the year here for sports at Freedom. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears were lost fighting for victory. Many players laced up their cleats for the last time wearing their red

and white, and will either trade it in for a jersey of a different color in college, or never play competitively again. Either way, whether you were a freshmen or a senior, the memories that you made this year will last forever, and you shouldn‘t want it any other way.

Created by Jessica Rosenkranz


This season was one full of growth for the softball team. They had a hard time establishing themselves as a con-tender in a tough section that included perennial powers Seton-LaSalle, Bishop Canevin, and Sto-Rox.

It wasn‘t what the softball team had expected, but it was not a lost season. The bulldogs were never outhustled and can hang their visors on playing hard every pitch. Even with the hustle and hard work, the softball team was plagued with a lack of timely hitting and errors.

They scored five or less runs in all but four of their games this season. Free-dom was down in every game that it played this season; it just had a hard time pulling out victories.

The last game of the season against Quaker Valley showed the Bulldogs‘ true potential. They shut out the Quakers and came alive with nine runs. The game was a good way in which the five seniors finished their careers. They all will be able to say that they finished their ath-letic careers at Freedom with a win.

Although Freedom is graduating

four team leaders, the future looks bright for Coach Brandi Burger and the softball team.

It will return four starters from the 2010 season and has a plentiful amount of underclassmen waiting to enter the starting lineup and prove themselves. It should be interesting and exciting to see what these girls will be able to do next year in 2011.

Bryan McSorley

Sports Editor

Boys Track season is over, and it can cer-

tainly be said that it went out with a bang. The boys went out with a perfect 6-0 regu-lar season record, winning section and making it to the WPIAL championships. They placed 4th there, which was more than satisfying for this team.

WPIAL individual finals were an-other milestone for these boys; attending seniors included Seth Shidemantle, Devin Sauers, Shane Quinn, and Joe Ermi, who competed on a 4x1 relay team.

Overall, the year was a success, and all of their efforts and continuous training definitely paid off in the end. These boys have ultimate bragging rights until next year‘s team does their best to beat this solid record.

Girls The girls' track team accomplished

another successful season. The girls will remember this year as it was another year they went undefeated, with a season re-cord of 6-0.

They also made it to the WPIAL playoffs, but they lost the first round, or were "bounced out," according to track coach, Mr. Tinker.

For four years now they've had the title of "Section Champs," and will con-

tinue to keep their heads held high. With-out their head senior, Julia Kubica, the girls will face the hardship of being sec-tion champs once again next year.

Boys go to playoffs again and win section title, Girls win fourth

Liz Brunner and Jordan Kusich Staff Writer/Copy & Opinions Editor

Bryan McSorley, Sports Editor

Savannah Grossetti pitches as

Kristi Tibolet and Katy Ross

prepare for a play against

Seton La-Salle.

Emily Francis, Copy Editor Left: Freshman Jerek Melvin, one of the boys track team’s promising underclassmen, runs

hurdles. Right: Junior Sierra Boggs prepares for liftoff as she attempts a long jump.


Jessica Rosenkranz, Photo Editor

Left: Senior Jesse Johnston catches a pop fly. Right: The infield meets on the mound before the beginning of an inning.

Adversity: how the baseball team dealt with this

little nine-letter word is what defined its season. It

started the 2010 season with a lackluster 5-5 record

after only losing four games the entire 2009 sea-

son. With that kind of record, playoffs seemed like a

hopeless goal.

This resilient bunch of young men knew exactly

how to deal with such adversity. All seven seniors were

poised to not let their baseball careers at Freedom end

in such a manner.

After their fifth loss of the season on April 20, the

previously silent Bulldog bats came alive. Suddenly the

timely hitting that had plagued them earlier in the sea-

son had now become one of their biggest strengths. The

Bulldogs went on to win their next eight games and

clinch the second seed in section-1 AA.

They shocked the eventual section champion, the

Center Trojans, behind the bat of Danny O‘Leary and

right arm of relief pitcher Bryan McSorley. Cole Lentz

continued to dominate on the mound and at the plate.

He shut down section rivals Beaver and New Brighton

and contributed key hits to the victories.

―We never gave up,‖ Coach Steve Wetzel said, ―I

believe this team is better than last year‘s team because

they came through when their backs were against the

wall.‖

The Bulldogs rode this hot streak into the playoffs

where they met Laurel in the first round. Freedom took

the lead early as Cole Lentz knocked in Derek Le-

hocky, who ripped a triple deep into the left center gap

in the first inning. Unfortunately that would be the

only run that the Bulldogs would score in the game.

Although the Bulldogs did not score after the first in-

ning, it was not as if the team did not have its chances.

The team left 12 runners in scoring position in the last

five innings alone.

Pitching was not the problem in the loss to Laurel.

Lentz was practically unhittable giving up only two hits

in nine innings.

Bryan McSorley gave up two hits in his two in-

nings pitched, but it was his consecutive wild pitches

that proved the difference. A Laurel base runner was

able to score from second on a curveball that passed

catcher Adam Teets. It was a close call, but in the end

Freedom was sent home from the playoffs.

It was a sad end to the long and successful careers

of the seven seniors who will be missed next season.

Freedom will bring back two starters for next season

and a handful of experienced underclassmen who ex-

pect to make the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

Bryan McSorley Sports Editor

may 2010

Documents

bail money

ellen hill

fhs wont

fhs press

senior trip

community members

senior banquet

posted bail