Kick off your Sunday shoes

The rumors are true: ―We are changing the show- ‗Guys and Dolls‘ is out,‖ Band Director Mr. Keith Kovalic (KK) said to his drama club in a meeting during first block last Friday, Nov. 12. As of that date, ―Grease‖ was the chosen replacement for the club‘s spring per-formance, but pending a staff meeting with all three of the musical‘s advisers, KK, Mr. Dale Kline, and Ms. Patricia Ross, there may be another last-minute switch.

―It‘s always about the team, it‘s not about individuals,‖ KK said. In the meet-ing with the Drama Club KK informed the future cast that their play of choice would be ―Grease,‖ but deliberation with his team of advisers brought them to the decision that ―Footloose‖ would better

suit the cast. ―Footloose,‖ is the new number one

choice for the spring musical. Right now directors are waiting to receive word that they are granted the right to use the script. ―They can reject it,‖ KK said, so they are keeping ―Grease‖ as an option in case approval is not given.

Dance auditions were held Nov. 3, and vocal auditions were held Nov. 8 and 9 for what everyone thought would be the spring musical this year, ―Guys and Dolls.‖

There were 120 students who audi-tioned – an unheard of number in the 10 years that KK has been directing the Drama Club. This was another one of the reasons he supported a change to a big-ger production.

Performing ―Guys and Dolls‖ would require a cast of about 40 people, and ―Footloose‖ needs about 100. Keep-ing the former show would have required many cuts, and no one wanted to oust that many talented people from some-thing that everyone wants to be a part of. ―I definitely want to involve as many students as possible,‖ KK said.

One of the biggest problems with ―Guys and Dolls,‖ was that it required a lot more guys than it did ―dolls.‖ With Freedom having such a large number of talented girls to choose from, it became increasingly difficult to cut so many girls, especially seniors. ―Everybody wants a piece of the pie,‖ KK said.

―Footloose‖ is the better option, according to KK, because it is a more modern show, people know the music and it is a more desirable fit for the pos-sible leads, which is the key to a good show.

Although the show has changed twice now, the auditions will not be completely re-done because the former auditions provided enough information for the directors to make their final deci-

sions. There will be callbacks for spe-cific parts, and the callbacks will present the opportunity for anyone who may not have wanted to audition before to do so. Everything else, like the date of the pro-duction, will remain the same.

KK said this decision was a very tough one to make, and that there is bound to be opposition to the numerous last-minute changes. ―I sure hope my car isn‘t egged or keyed later,‖ he said.

Senior Drama Club member Purti Mesing is content with the switch. ―KK knows what he‘s doing, he knows what‘s best for [the club].‖

Many students didn‘t know about the potential change on Monday. ―I‘m kind of shocked,‖ said Megan Szat-kiewicz.

―I think it could be different,‖ Sophomore Margaret Herzog said.

―The bottom line,‖ KK said, ―is op-portunity and participation.‖

Emily Francis & Sarah Choflet Editor-in-Chief and News Editor

Last Friday, Nov. 12 was a ―senior skip day,‖ for the class of 2011. Approximately 57 seniors didn‘t show up for classes – 37 percent of the entire class.

According to Dr. Staub, there is generally one well-known senior skip day every year. ―It‘s not something I encourage,‖ he said,

―especially with our block scheduling.‖

What some seniors might not know is that their day off is not technically a legal absence; they still need an excuse for missing the day from their parents.

According to the student handbook, only 10 parent notes can be used throughout a year, and only five unexcused absences are allowed. Any more and the student in question will be sent to the magistrate for truancy.

Written under the ―definition of an unex-cused/illegal absence,‖ our handbook states that skip days are not approved by this school, and as a result all parties involved will receive in-school suspension.

This consequence will not apply to stu-dents who bring in a signed note from their parents excusing them for their absence, as long as they have not already done that 10 times this year.

Emily Francis Editor-in-Chief

Photos by Sarah Choflet, News Editor

Freshman Desiree Davis has fun twirling around with part-

ner Tony Dambach at the Nov. 3 dance auditions.

The Drama Club makes a show-stopping switch regarding the musical

Jesse Sturm and Sami Jo Smith

partner up.

Samantha Baker and Justin

Baumiller at the dance auditions.

Flickering candlelight, twinkling piano, and dignified voices; no, this isn‘t a romantic evening out with your significant other, or the creepy cult scene in some movie. This event is none other than the National Honor Society induction.

Each year, new students are inducted to become a member of this prestigious group, comprised 27 of the highest achieving students in the junior and sen-ior classes.

―National Honor Society is a national organiza-tion that showcases the… cream of the crop kids,‖ Mrs. Rebecca Russell, National Honor Society repre-sentative, said.

There are four different components that all candidates must have in order to be selected for NHS: scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Scholarship is not only doing well in academics, but the effort and willingness to learn are also a major component.

―You can‘t just be a really good student; you also have to do service projects and be a leader, and be a generally good person,‖ Mrs. Russell said.

Service is the willingness to put others first and accomplish something for them. This doesn‘t mean participation in a performance or being a part of an-other club.

Things like volunteering in a soup kitchen or visiting a retirement home is what is looked at in order to be a candidate of National Honor Society.

Being one who puts aside their personal interest in order to better the group is what leadership entails. Being a captain on a sports‘ team, an officer of a club, or someone in high esteem in other school ac-tivities is an important aspect of the organization.

Lastly, inductees need to have moral character. This means making ethical decisions with wisdom and knowledge. Being caring, trustworthy, and re-spectful are all the correct type of image a member must have. With all of these four major components, one can become a candidate acceptance into for Na-tional Honor Society.

―I think that overall, if you have good academ-ics… it might get you in, but it‘s not going to guar-antee you in. You need to have volunteer hours or community outreach or church programs or anything like that,‖ Junior Keith Braun said.

FHS Press 18 November, 2010 2

Sarah Choflet News Editor

Emily Francis, Editor-in-Chief Old members practice for the Nov. 16 induction.

Some may believe that the students are the ones who try to raise school spirit around here. But sometimes, it is quite the opposite, as there is a team of devoted teachers, parents, and school board mem-bers who have made it their mission to do just that.

They are fittingly called the Spirit Committee, and they do quite a lot to pro-mote school activity. This group consists of a few teachers you may know: Mrs. Milanovich, Mr. Her-nandez, Mrs. Burger, Ms. Giammaria, Ms. Sosko, and a few others.

Parents, such as the Lehockeys and the DeWeeses, who have worked hard to keep the group running, are also part of the team. Mrs. Ziegler, a middle school teacher, and even the school board Presi-dent herself, Mrs. Kathy Schlegel, are members of the group as well. In total, there are nearly 30 members.

So what do they do? ―We want to not only build up school spirit in the high school, but bridge it to the middle school and elementary schools,‖ Mrs. Milanovich said.

They have been doing this since last year, where they organized all of the ―Dogs

for Dawgs‖ days, as well as the live broad-cast for the baseball game last year. This year, they‘re really getting into the game—literally.

They plan to have a ―Dogs for Dawgs‖ day for every single winter and spring sport, as well as setting up live broadcasts for every game, match, or meet of every sport. So if you‘re just not able to make it to that swim meet or basketball game, you will be able to watch it all online.

They also plan to have fun challenges at a few of the sporting events, such as a half-time shooting contests at basket-ball games, and a swimming relay race at swim meets. The winners of these con-tests will also win some sort of prize, whether it be a gift card or something else. If you have ever wondered who was behind the curtains pulling all the strings for

these fun events, wonder no more. The Spirit Committee plans to have a

lot of fun events this year, so show your school spirit and come to them. They will be having a ―Dogs for Dawgs‖ day Jan.19 for the wrestling team, Jan. 21 for the boys‘ basketball team and Jan. 24 for the girls‘ basketball team.

Come out, eat a hot dog, and show your FHS pride.

Jake Cruise Managing Editor

“We want to not only

build up school spirit

in the high school,

but bridge it to the

middle school and

elementary schools.”

-Mrs. Milanovich

Jake Cruise, Managing Editor

In November, Freedom administrators began requiring

students to keep combination locks on their lockers.

Mrs. Baker helps A’mondai Alexander operate her lock.

2010 Inductees

Brock Adams

Collin Allego

Costa Barlamas

Keith Braun

Emily Croll

Lyndsy Gazda

James Kappas

Madeline Kubica

Jacob Potts

Amber Radzicki

Melanie Socash

Nick Turner

FHS Press 18, November, 2010 3

What is Fallingwater? A) a house in Southwest Pennsylvania built over a waterfall, B) an amazing architectural creation by Frank Lloyd Wright, or C) an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a small Freedom club. The correct answer: all of the above. The Art Club is trying to raise money to fund a trip to the architectural phenomenon that is Falling-water.

How do they intend on doing this? By doing what they do best: art. They are creating laminated signs to sell to stu-dents.

For the extremely reasonable price of $1, students can request these ―name tags‖ for their lockers. Name tags is a loose term, however, as these signs can literally say or look like almost anything the student wants, within reason.

The signs will be roughly 4 inches by 5 inches, and, depending on demand, will be ready in less than a week from time that they have been applied for.

―They‘re cheap, and they‘re really nice,‖ Art Club member Ashley Throne said.

The rest of the club agrees; they plan on putting a lot of time and effort into these signs, and sufficient participa-tion mixed with a healthy dose of sup-port from the school is a necessity for success.

These signs are being sold now, and all a student must do to purchase one is fill out the sign-up sheet they received in their first block and return it to the teacher in that class.

This is the Art Club‘s way of asking for the school‘s help to fund their field trip to Fallingwater. So be supportive: go buy a sign!

Jordan Kusich Copy Editor

FHS Press 18 November, 2010 4

Who ever said math can‘t be fun? There are at least 16 students in Freedom alone who would say other-wise. These 16n make up our school‘s Math League, a group of kids who actually enjoy doing math problems.

―Math League challenges [the students],‖ said Mr. Ed Majors, who has sponsored the group for almost five years, ―It gives them a chance to compete with students from other schools.‖

Which is true: Freedom com-petes with Montour, Sewickley Acad-emy, and Quaker Valley. ―I just like to give students an opportunity to challenge themselves,‖ Mr. Majors said. There are only six competitions per year, two of which are held at Freedom. Each competition consists of two individual rounds where the students must complete problems alone within a specified time limit.

Following these rounds is one team round in which students com-bine into groups of four or five and collaborate to finish a sheet of math

problems within a specified time limit. ―It‘s hard, but it‘s a lot of fun,‖ Sophomore Joey Brunner said. Compared to previous years, Free-dom‘s Math League is seeing a lot more participation.

Junior Kayla Hickey, who is new to the group, said she joined ―to meet new people and learn a lot more.‖ She also added it ―looks really good on a college application.‖

Some students are wary of the difficulty levels of the problems, however. Junior Kaylin Vickinovac fears it will be ―really challenging,‖ but is looking forward to it nonethe-

less. There are many veterans who have returned to Math League for another year. Sophomore Margaret Herzog said she came back for the people that participate in it. ―The bus ride is probably my favorite part,‖ she said. So if you happen to have a passion for mathematics, need another extra-curricular to put on your college ap-plication or are just in search of some good company, see Mr. Majors in Room 212 to sign up.

To put it simply, ―it‘s amazing,‖ Brunner said.

Jordan Kusich Copy Editor

You may think you know everything about your best friend, but this game show is out to prove you don‘t. On Wednesday, Nov. 24, both laughter and tension may arise as the school takes on this year‘s highly anticipated game show.

Organized by Mr. Stephen Tinker‘s (Tink) sociology classes, this year‘s as-sembly is based off of GSN‘s The Newly-wed Game. However, it has been trans-formed into the ―BFF and Couples Game‖ to better suit our Freedom contestants.

So how will it work? The general objective of the game is to put teams against each other in a series of revealing question rounds to determine how well the pairs know, or don't know each other. Whether answering questions pertaining to the pair‘s history as a couple or as friends, or simply questions on prefer-ences and favorites, the contestants will be put to the test to see if their relation-ship is as strong as they previously thought.

One member of each team will be sent away to the cafeteria where they‘ll be incapable of hearing their partner‘s an-swers; meanwhile, each remaining team member will do their best to give reliable, well-fitting responses based upon their friend or significant other. Partners will soon be reunited, and those who were ab-sent will then answer the same questions about themselves; the more matching an-swers the teams have, the more points they will receive. The questions are not revealed beforehand and only students in Tink‘s classes know the content.

Many pairs signed up to play, but only eight will actually get to participate in the show. The pairs were chosen live on DTV as Tink starred as guest anchor for the day.

There will be both a couples round

and a best friends round, each consisting of four competing teams.

The winners of each round will go head-to-head in a final round to see who wins not only the game, but Pittsburgh Penguins tickets as well.

Students who signed up are looking forward to the challenge.

―We will definitely win [if we get to play],‖ said hopeful participating juniors Kenny McClain and Francis O‘Connor. ―We‘ve known each other since the third grade, and we might even record the ac-tual show on T.V. to practice questions.‖

Lauren Barrett, who has helped with advertising for the show, said she is look-ing forward to it as well.

―I think it‘s going to be fun to see which groups get to play and to see every-one take on everything we have created.‖

This past month has consisted of problem solving and creative thinking for those in Tink‘s classes, while juggling both class work and game show prepara-tions.

Coming up with questions, review-ing group entries, and laying out the stage is only half of what they‘ve done to pre-pare. Their goal is to pack as much enter-tainment into an 85-minute assembly as possible, drama-free or not.

Melanie Socash Photo Editor

Chosen Couples

Lauren Reese and Colton Costello

Megan Alicandro and Adam Errett

Natalie Snow and Matthew Leasure

Kaylin Vickinovac and Kyeem Moon

Chosen BFFs

Joanne Barlamas and Sydney Kaercher

Jake Cruise and Chris Yeager

Forrest Petcovic and Matt McCracken

Tyla Piehler and Samantha Baker

Marissa Marroni, Kelsie Ralston and Courtney Busse draw from a hat the

chosen couples and best friends for the game show.

Photos by Emily Francis, Editor-in-Chief

Tink made an appearance on DTV on Nov. 16 to state the rules of his game

show and to help announce the new competitors.

FHS Press 18, November, 2010 5

Giving thanks is undoubtedly a great thing to practice regularly, but clearly our country didn‘t think we did it enough, so now we have Thanksgiving. Most people can pic-ture in their head the long picnic ta-ble with Pilgrims and Native Ameri-cans all sitting down together, smil-ing, laughing and sharing their hunted-and-gathered meal. But how is that the reason that we sit down at our family table and cherish the peo-ple and things in our life? And more importantly, how is this holiday rele-vant in our teenage lives?

Being the insatiable teens we all are, we relate to this holiday by the food. Whether you‘re into the starches- the mashed potatoes, stuff-ing, sweet potatoes, and corn- or you‘d prefer to go straight to the deli-cious spread of autumn-inspired des-serts, the meal, especially if it‘s home-cooked, is something to look for-ward to all year.

We may only be thinking with our stomachs on this day, but we all know what Thanksgiving is really about: bringing family together and enjoying the things we have and the people we cherish.

As well as the traditions, there are a few charitable causes that occur every year throughout the month of November in anticipation of the last Thursday of the month; there is something about this holiday that draws people to giving back to those

who may be less fortunate. A local charity that attracts more

and more volunteers every year is the KDKA Turkey Fund. This 29-year-old fundraising effort works with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to provide turkeys for over 45,000 families every year. With the PNC Bank matching donations of $50 or more, this is truly an honor-able and city-wide effort.

This Thanksgiving, we ask that you think about more than the delec-table spread of food that will be at your table. The Pilgrims and the Na-tive Americans certainly had the right idea- some things that come along in life we are just plain lucky to have, and we should take time out of our busy schedule to give thanks for them. Although the Native Ameri-cans ended up with the short end of the stick when our European ances-tors ended up killing off a majority of their culture, we did take time out before all of that to thank them for saving our Plymouth colony and teaching us how to grow corn by hav-ing dinner with them.

In any case, it‘s important to be thankful for the people that have made you who you are today: your family and friends. Think about the things in your life that you are fortu-nate to have, and realize that there are others who don‘t have the same opportunities. Give thanks, and give back this Thanksgiving.

STAFF EDITORIAL:

Editor-in-Chief:

Managing Editor

News Editor:

Features Editor:

Sports Editor:

Copy Editor:

Photo & Design:

Web Editor:

Faculty Adviser:

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 newspaper@freedomarea.org, or contact Mr. Hartman in Room 114.

Emily Francis

Jake Cruise

Sarah Choflet

Emily Bittner

Taylar McCoy

Jordan Kusich

Melanie Socash

Amanda Hryckowian

Mr. David Hartman

FHS Press — Editorial Board

Assistant Editors: Karla Knauff, Aubrey Sprecker

Contributing Writers: Liz Brunner, Rosalyn Nye, Brianna Haglan, Zac Wilson

My Life as Liz: Christmas clumsy As a famous Christmas song

says, ―I want to wash my hands, my face, my hair with snow.‖ No, I‘m just kidding – I don‘t like snow, and snow doesn‘t like me. Every time it snows, I want to curl up in a ball with my zebra-print Snuggie and ignore the fact that it‘s snowing. However, knowing my mom, I must get up and do a ton of things…in the snow. I‘m normally just a clumsy girl; add slip-pery ice into the mix and my accidents are more frequent… and more embarrassing.

So let‘s face it: we‘ve all had our shares of falling down because of a patch ice. But have you ever fallen down because you were run-ning on that patch of ice, in slip-pers, without the knowledge that the ice patch is nearly 20 feet long? If so, you‘re not alone! A few winters ago, I was running from the Chinese Dynasty in Cran-berry – Chinese food, what‘s not to love!? I had no idea the slippery shining substance below my feet

was an ice patch. I was calling shotgun when I noticed my feet start to slip – well I suppose slip is the wrong term, falling out from under me is much more appropri-ate. My slippers weren‘t doing

anything for my trac-tion…I now under-stand why they are called SLIPpers. I went down faster than Pat-rick Star could eat a Krabby Patty. Next thing I knew, I was laying on the ground, a good five feet from my mom‘s car. Oh, don‘t worry, I had plenty of help getting up once

my mom stopped laughing and started breathing again. Not only did my family see it, but so did the group of families walking to their cars. Their laughs still ring in my ears when I picture myself falling. That was the last time I ever de-cided to run in the winter, or trust my family to assist me in getting off the ground.

Welcome to my life, where clumsy is my middle name. Eliza-beth Clumsy Brunner; I think it‘s got a pretty nice ring to it.

―All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy‖: a famous quote from The Shin-ing. If this quote de-scribes you, rest as-sured that you are not alone. The life of the aver-age teenager is actu-ally a lot more stress-ful than most parents and teachers think.

My life is a perfect example. In an average week, we all go to school

for five days, and about seven hours each of those days. So let‘s do the math, and we go to school roughly 35 hours each and every week.

This is almost as much as the 40 hours a week that most full time employees work; so what happens when we add a job onto those 35 hours a week?

To put it plainly, we go a little bit crazy. I personally work five days a week almost every single week; typically I work five to six hours every shift.

So on top of seven hours a day at school, five hours at work, throw in some time for homework, and I pretty much lose my entire day. I‘m not the only per-son who lives this style of life, either.

Many businesses are notorious for hiring young teens to work their busi-nesses; a perfect example of this be-

ing the Northern Lights Giant Eagle. Stop in there any day of the week in the

evening and I guarantee you will see a fellow student working there.

These peers of ours work, go to school, do homework, probably quite a few do a sport or club, and on top of everything try to have some kind of social life.

The point I‘m trying to get across here is that the life of a student, especially a working student, is not as easy and laid back that a lot of

parents and teachers might think. Life can eas-ily get very stressful, and it‘s easy to crash and burn.

So if you‘re a student, just remember to take a Saturday night and have fun with some friends, go to a movie, or even my favorite ac-tivity, take a nap.

If you‘re a parent, think about it next time you say ―Do the dishes, you never do anything around here,‖ and teachers, a little less home-work would always be appreciated.

What‘s the hardest thing I‘ve had to deal with in high school so far? It‘s not a five-page essay or a video that I gave up a night‘s worth of sleep to work on. The hardest thing for me is having to deal with the complex-ity of teenage friend-

ships. Some people go through

life with a very close relationship to either one or two friends, but others have a large group. Then there are people who have friends within a few groups that aren‘t all friends with each other.

―I have my real close friends that I tell every-thing to, and I have other friends that I can trust, but I wouldn‘t tell them my deepest, darkest se-crets,‖ Junior Morgan Guy said.

One thing that baffles me is the common be-lief that there is one person in every group of friends that no one likes- ―The Karen,‖ if you will.

According to Dictionary.com, the definition of a friend is a person attached to another by feel-ings of affection or personal regard. If that‘s true, then why are people still calling each other

friends when in fact they can‘t stand the sight of the other?

―Most likely because they don't want to have to deal with the drama [of starting a fight],‖ said Crystal Hilton, junior.

Sure, this is an easy, temporary route to avoid unnecessary trouble, but pretending to be someone's friend for so long seems like it would be even more stressful.

Friends are bound to get into fights and there is nothing wrong with that, but when every other day people go from being ―besties‖ to worst ene-mies, that is not a healthy relationship.

Everyone always says that the most impor-tant things in a relationship are honesty and trust. But then no one will be honest with each other because they fear what could happen.

―It‘s stupid and everyone needs to grow up. If they don‘t truly like the person they are friends with then they shouldn‘t be friends with them,‖ said Freshman Desiree Davis, ―But don‘t say any-thing to their face, obviously, because when you say stuff to girls faces it causes a big fight.‖

None of us realize how much of a hypocrite

we really are. I don‘t mean this in a bad way but just think about it; we complain about friends not ―saying stuff to our face‖ and then when they ac-tually do they‘re considered a bad friend.

Like I said before, I‘m completely and utterly confused about friendships. With a paradox like that, you would think that there was a constant war between friends going on. But somehow, there isn‘t.

I don‘t think I will ever actually understand how friendships are supposed to work, or how the general public tells us they should.

The only advice I can give is to not worry about it. You‘re going to fight with your friends; people change and everyone needs something dif-ferent out of a friendship. If you really are in an unhealthy relationship with a friend, ending it does not make you a bad person.

Friendships are not marriages, you didn‘t sign any pre-nuptial agreements or make any vows saying no matter what you will be friends with that person forever. When it‘s worth saving, you‘ll know it and when it‘s not, you‘ll know that too.

FHS Press 18 November, 2010 7

Emily Bittner Features Editor

Jake Cruise Managing Editor

The main thing you want is to be happy. Yes, everybody wants money and love and success, but all that stuff goes back to wanting happi-ness. Essentially, you have a limited amount of resources, and it‘s up to you how to divide those resources to get the biggest happiness bang for your buck. So what makes you happy? Buy-

ing a lot of expensive gadgets? Nope. Multiple studies have proven that a greater dose of happi-

ness comes from memories than from material possessions. When you purchase something, you get a rush of happiness.

But that feeling is short-lived; pretty soon that new iPod or cell phone or Xbox game becomes just another thing you own. It isn‘t special anymore, and you certainly don‘t get any surge of happiness when you pull it out for the 57th time.

With a trip or some sort of adventure with friends, you get that happy feeling for the duration of the excursion, but also when you get back home. Every time you reminisce about your trip, you get that warm-fuzzy feeling.

University of Colorado at Boulder social psychologist Dr. Leaf Van Boven says that it‘s easier to mentally improve past experiences than to improve our opinion of material purchases. So if it turns out your new $200 phone is a disappointment, there‘s not much to reinterpret. You either spend more money on a new one or live with an unsatisfying cell phone. But with nearly any experience, you can put a positive spin on some-thing that may have seemed to be a negative incident.

Personally, I can recall what - at the time - was a horrible experience that I now look at with some fondness. It was the last night in Paris of my 9th grade trip to France; a few people from the tour group went on a separate night excursion to the Eiffel Tower. By the time we finished the climb and watched the light-show, it was past midnight.

The only way of getting back to the hotel was by taxi. My friend and I got into a yellow cab and handed the driver our hotel address, carefully written out by the French teacher. At first we were excited; we had just been 905 feet above Paris and were now on our very first taxi ride.

Then we were gripping the seats as we sped along the streets of Paris being rocked side-to-side on impossibly sharp turns. The driver was blasting unfamiliar foreign music and talking angrily on his cell phone.

After about 25 minutes, he tried to drop us off at a strange

hotel and didn‘t believe that it was the wrong one. Our scary driver started yelling in incomprehensible French. After a good bit of persuasion, he drove us off in a dif-ferent direction. That was when we noticed the meter.

Before leaving for La Tour Eiffel, my friend and I had asked our teacher and tour guide how much money we would need for a cab ride, and we brought more than enough.

However, with the incorrect direction our driver had taken, we were quickly surpassing our expected fare. We watched in horror as the meter clicked up and up and up, pleading for it to stop.

Imagine being a 15 year old girl in a foreign country with no cell phone service, not enough money and stuck with a creepy, balding, middle-aged cab driver. Scary.

When we finally reached our hotel, he held out his hand and we ended up giving him all the money we had, including the small Euro coins we were saving as souvenirs.

While hugely scary and stressful at the time, I now look back and laugh at the inci-dent, looking at it as a sort of adven-ture. Most memorable experiences are fun, but even the ones that aren‘t can be looked at positively, maybe as a character-building experience or a lesson learned.

You don‘t even have to spend huge amounts of money on trips to make lasting memories. Just spending time with friends and doing something new will be rewarding.

For instance, instead of going out to the movies- spending money on gas, tickets, and over-priced junk food- watch a movie at home with friends and make a big deal about it.

There are so many adventures you can make for yourself that will make you a whole lot happier than that [insert expen-sive and unnecessary thing].

Rosalyn Nye Contributing

Writer

FHS Press 18 November, 2010 8

… in a foreign country with no cell phone service,

not enough money and stuck with a creepy,

balding, middle-aged cab driver.

You just beat Black Ops! ...and your grades show it.

What are you thinking about right now? What‘s for lunch? Getting on Xbox LIVE after school? Chances are,

you aren‘t ex-actly thinking about your education.

Education no longer seems to be a priority among students in America, or even Freedom, anymore.

Whether it is leaving early for a sports competition, a field trip, or even skipping a night of homework to go see ―Saw‖ in 3D, you‘re still miss-ing out on this opportunity.

Let‘s take sports, for example. Throughout the school year, numer-ous students leave school early to go to competitions, invitationals, or just leave early enough to get to their away game in time.

Your teachers are fine with let-ting you leave for these things, but how would your coach react if you said you were missing a big game to go study for a test? He probably wouldn‘t take that too kindly.

Putting other things in front of education doesn‘t just happen in Freedom, but is happening all over

the country. For example, Seneca Valley School District wants to spend $1 million to upgrade their press box, even though they are in debt.

Instead of bettering the education of their students – $1 million is enough for roughly 650 smart boards – they choose to build a new press box.

Perhaps this is why America is falling behind the rest of the world with education. Sure, we use more modern and imaginative styles of teaching while China has always stuck to traditional styles, but their culture values education more than ours does. They think their education is one of the most valuable things in life. That is what American students need to think like.

Now, I‘m not saying life should be all work and no play, I just think that students should contribute more to their education so they can receive more from it. I personally think that you should come to school to learn, not come just to leave on work re-lease, or come to leave for a sports event later in the day, but to get an education.

Your education is free, after all, and it is something you will use for the rest of your life. So, use it, appre-ciate it, and make it one of your No. 1 priorities; it will all pay off in the end.

Imagine this: it‘s the end of the nine weeks, you‘re struggling to get the best grade you can get. You‘re turning in work, taking tests, and it‘s all to get that perfect grade. What is the one thing you need the most during that

time? Yes, I‘m talking about MMS. As we neared the end of the first quarter, many students

started to think about the dreaded question: ―What did I get on my report card?‖ For most students, good grades are a way to make sure they stay on their parents‘ good side for the next nine weeks. But for juniors and seniors, grades can mean get-ting into the college of their choice.

So what is a worried student to do? Of course the answer is to check MMS. But to their surprise, some subjects may not have been updated for over a month! The only alternative is to wait until the grades are updated, and by then it may be too late.

MMS can be a great tool for students and par-ents alike to keep track of progress, not just at the end of the marking period, but all year long. It is a

great way to check when assignments are due, and even when tests are scheduled. Alas, it is only beneficial when students use it. In this same way, it only works when teachers keep it current and up-to-date, which seems to be a slight problem here in the high school.

Being a student, I tend to only see one side of the dilemma. Maybe the system is not user-friendly for teachers, making it hard to make sure all assignments and grades are entered promptly and correctly. But teachers are not the only ones to blame; some students don't use MMS at all, so teachers who enter grades consistently still have students who have no clue about their grade in that class.

I encountered my first problem with MMS just this year. While looking at one of my grades, I noticed that there was a big fat zero for one assign-ment. Knowing I turned it in but still worried about my grade, I emailed the teacher in panic. I later found out that there was a problem with the MMS program.

Just as students are expected to have their as-signments handed in on time, it would be nice for teachers to meet those same expectations concern-ing grading. How can a student bring up a low grade if the grades are only updated after the quar-

ter ends? It makes the system seem useless. Don‘t get me wrong, most teachers do a great

job at keeping MMS current, and because of this, I will continue to use it. But more students need to use this program. I personally think MMS is a good tool, but I feel that it could be a great tool when used properly by students and teachers alike.

FHS Press 18 November, 2010 9

We all remember the reigning queen of long-est employed teacher here at the high school: Ms. Patricia Ross. With her recent retirement, however, we have a new champion. Who could be it be? Ms. Ionta? Mrs. Marburger per-haps? It’s probably good old Saludis, right? If any of these were your guess, you’re close,

but not close enough. So who’s the teacher that’s been here the long-est? None other than Mr. Pickard, who started his 31st consecutive term at FHS this year. As for the others, well they’re in the top five, with Mr. Saludis snatching up second place

Fact of the month:

Zac Wilson

Contributing

Writer

Brianna Haglan Contributing

Writer

~Jake Cruise, Managing Editor

FHS Press 18 November, 2010 10

A new season and a new head coach means new and improved aspira-tions for the boys‘ basketball team in the upcoming months.

With soccer and other fall sports just finishing up, early conditioning practices in late October and early No-vember had a shaky start, but official

practices have started, and there won‘t be any time wasted in getting down to business.

First-year Head Coach Mr. John Lapic is a Freedom alumnus himself; graduating in the class of 1999, he played four years for the Bulldogs and helped to bring his team to playoffs, but they were a few wins shy of winning their section.

The last section title the boys‘ bas-

ketball team has brought to Freedom was in 1985 - this season they are hop-ing to change that.

Every team has certain goals, and this year the team is aiming high. ―We‘re going to do the work necessary to get these boys to make playoffs,‖ Coach Lapic said.

While their communication may already be good from being friends, they still need communication on the court,

the coach said. That‘s just one of the things he hopes to improve for the team this season.

Under new direction and under the leadership of seniors Matt Willis, Colby Arbes, Franzee Barlamas, and Brandon Prest, the team will be working on step-ping up their game for the 2010-2011 season.

Coach Lapic said, ―there is so much work to be done on the hardwood.‖

Harder, better, faster, stronger

While you were at the beach and

sleeping until noon this summer, some

members of the girls‘ basketball team

were participating in games and practic-

ing to keep their skills in focus for the

winter season.

Now that the season is fast ap-

proaching, Coach Ron Kelm started

practice just a couple of weeks ago. To

improve themselves as a team Coach

Kelm has the girls do a lot of running,

along with quickness and agility drills.

This is sure to show in the upcoming

games against rivals such as Avonworth

and New Brighton.

Like every year, veteran seniors

leave and are replaced by a new group

of freshmen who are ready to play and

show their support for the team.

―We‘re not that affected [about the

seniors leaving], but we‘re going to

push to work harder,‖ said Sophomore

Maddi Lewis.

This season the only seniors are

Caitlin Frain and Kristi Tibolet. Aside

from being the only two seniors, they

are also the team‘s fearless leaders. The

new freshmen that were added to the

team this year are Salena Ritorto, Syd-

ney Kaercher, Joanne ―JoJo‖ Barlamas,

and Kayla Angeline. ―The freshmen…I

love them. They work hard,‖ said

Lewis.

Every team has its strengths and

weaknesses. This team is able to get

along and there aren‘t any arguments

amongst players. They also work hard

so they can be the best they can be.

Their only weakness is nervousness on

the court.

Students and faculty of Freedom,

make sure to come out and support the

girls‘ basketball team on Nov. 19 be-

cause they have been working hard.

Amanda Hryckowian Web Editor

Photos by Taylar McCoy, Sports Editor

Emily Francis Editor-in-Chief

With Maddie Lewis’s shooting

ability (Above), Sara Allego and

Kristi Tibolet’s ball battling skills

(Top right), and Joanne Barla-

mas’s defending skills (Right), the

girls basket team is sure to have a

winning season. Maddie Lewis, Alexis Challis, and Kristi Tibolet show off their

well toned muscles.

FHS Press 18 November, 2010 11

Taylar McCoy Sports Editor

Photos by Taylar McCoy, Sports Editor

Clockwise From Top Left: Senior Scott Merkel does mountain climbers. Wres-

tlers do the superman drill. Lane Ward helicopter twists and jumps as high as

he can during conditioning.

―It‘s a great day to be alive,‖ is

the wrestling team‘s motto. Every day, whether it‘s at conditioning, practice, or a match, they always say it and joke around.

―My expectations are very high. I feel that we‘ll have a good season with many wins. I feel that we have a very experienced team with a lot of starters returning,‖ said the team cap-tain Zeke Stroupe.

He is optimistic about how the team‘s record will turn out this sea-son.

Stroupe isn‘t the only person who believes that the team will go far. Coach Jim Covert is very suppor-tive of his team, and does his best to get them to WPIALs where they can show how hard they‘ve worked. ―All of our practices are pretty intense, they have to work,‖ Coach Covert said.

While in conditioning the team ―trains like Rocky Balboa,‖ said Sophomore Boe Bonzo. The wres-tling team conditions hard so that they can do well this season.

―We push ourselves to the limit

as much as we can just about every day, and we have a few kids that are looking to make it to regionals and possibly states,‖ Stroupe said.

Even though the team lost graduate Tyler Helch, they also re-ceived some new members.

―Starters and a few freshmen are coming up. I hope the freshmen will step up in key moments. We know that they will try hard, and that‘s all we can ask for,‖ Stroupe said.

The teams‘ expectations are high, and the boys plan on meeting them. ―We‘ve got some good guys. I think we‘re going to do pretty well,‖ said Sophomore Kurt Kitzman.

There is also a junior high team and it is looking to ―get as many kids as possible and win,‖ said their coach, John Patterson.

On the junior high team, there are not only boys, but there are also two girls, Taryn Rider and Sam Ruckert, who have been wrestling since last year.

The first match is Dec. 15, and the team needs all of the support they can get from the crowd. Instead of sitting around and doing nothing, go out support the wrestling team during some of their key matches.

FHS Press 18 November, 2010 12

The No. 1 punishment for sports is one that few people enjoy: running. As for the partici-pants who participate in cross country or who are planning to compete in the running aspect of in-door track, running is their life.

Freedom, as well as most high schools, doesn‘t officially have an indoor track team. The students are dedicated to the sport even though they have to travel to colleges, such as Robert Morris, to do what they love.

―We don‘t see running as a punishment; we see it as a challenge. We are always pushing hard every day to go beyond what we‘ve done be-fore,‖ said Sophomore DeeDee Adams. Indoor track isn‘t just about running, though.

When people think of the word track, they picture someone sprinting and hurdling. There are people that throw, and jump as well. Anyone who doesn‘t mind hard work and a little perspira-tion can talk to Mr. Tinker about competing.

―I‘m looking forward to indoor. I use it as training for outdoor track, and as a runner I love training. Since ninth grade, running has become a way of life,‖ said Sophomore Jake DeWeese. The team trains for outdoor so that they can better themselves and their team as a whole.

Even though the athletes go to the meets together, and are friends, they are on their own. They compete by themselves, not with their friends. ―This is truly an individual sport,‖ said the coach, Tink.

―I can‘t explain the feeling I get from run-ning, it just happens. It hurts, but when you get a personal best, or finish a workout that you thought you couldn‘t, the pain just goes away. Once that happens, you want to go the extra step further,‖ said Adams.

Taylar McCoy Sports Editor

Green, milky, and opaque water does not sound enticing, especially when you are forced to swim in it.

―You could‘ve had someone jump into the pool and you wouldn‘t be able to see them,‖ former swimmer Senior Matt McKinney said referring to the pool‘s condition last year.

―Everything was broken,‖ Junior Stephanie Stewart said.

There was a scare for a couple of days this year that the heater was broken because of the freezing cold water. Ac-cording to swim coach Bill Layton ―It‘s doing A-okay.‖

―Sometimes it was freezing and one day it was hot,‖ Kubica said. For Free-dom‘s 2010-2011 swim team, these di-lemmas are just obstacles to overcome.

The swim team underwent a few changes this year. First, the pool is in top shape; the water is just a wee bit colder than usual. ―The pool right now is beauti-ful. We haven‘t had any problems with it since March; hopefully it stays that way,‖ Senior Cole Leon-berg said.

They also have ac-quired two new coaches, Mike Kozlina and Bill Layton. Coach Layton previ-ously worked at the Rosie Synder YMCA as an active head lifeguard and

swimming instructor. ―I‘ve been in the water swimming competitively since

1968,‖ Layton said. Since their first prac-

tice, everyone has connected with

the coaches and has a

pretty good outlook for the upcom-ing season. The coaches

provided one motto for this

year‘s swim team: believe.

―The whole team is very pumped...and I think we‘ll be able to make it to MAC‘s and WPIAL‘s,‖ Sophomore Avery Creegan said.

This year‘s swim team consists of roughly 16 students so far, two of which are freshman. During conditioning, the new members have ―shown up and tried their best.‖

Newcomer Tippin Harkins, a sopho-more, is looking forward to the upcom-ing season.

―I just hope to keep up with every-one else my first year,‖ Harkins said. ―It‘s intense, but people help you out and encourage you.‖

Winning is not something the swim team is used to with a losing record for the past several years, but with all these new changes they are hoping to break that cycle.

Their first meet is at home on Nov. 29. Come out and support your swim team this season, because Coach Layton‘s goal is to ―bring a champion-ship to this school.‖

Brianna Haglan Contributing Writer

Photos by Brianna Haglan, Contributing Writer

Clockwise from top left: Tippin Harkins rest after laps. Experienced swimmer Cole Leonberg

swims the intense butterfly stroke. Dedicated sophomore Lexie Potts is always ready to work

hard at practice, and do another lap.