Electronics company Apple has announced a new line of products that will debut in the United States this spring.

The one product that has the tech community buzzing? The Apple Watch.

The Apple Watch is a small computer and monitor worn around the wrist. It comes in three styles: the Standard, Sport, and Edition.

Each style is available in 38mm and 42mm sizes.

The standard is made of steel and costs $549-$1,049. The Sport is made of an aluminum alloy and is$349-$399. The Edition is made of 14- carat gold and costs $10,000-$17,000.

The Watch is expected to function similarly to an iPod. However, its applications are designed to be quicker and more con-venient for use on a wristwatch.

An incoming call can be denied by lowering your arm, or accepted by raising it to your mouth.

An incoming text gains your attention through a tap on the wrist.

Surprisingly, the smaller size of the Watch does not limit the amount of control you have in its apps.

The music app allows you to pause, skip, and adjust volume while still giving you the ability to see what is playing and who the song is from.

The Watch also specializes as a fitness helper. It keeps track of your fitness stats, such as how long you have exercised, how many calories you’ve burned, and how many times throughout the day you stood up. Based on that data, it then sets goals to help improve your lifestyle.

APPLE WATCHAdam Fellenbaum | Reporter

4/6/15

Apple.

Apple.com

New York City public schools will formally observe two additional holidays for the 2015-2016 school year.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that city schools will close for the Islamic holy days of Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, and Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan.

The decision will affect over one million students in the public school system. Approximately 10% of New York’s public school students are practicing Muslims.

NYC is not the first school district to observe Muslim holidays. Districts in states such as New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Vermont already observe Muslim holidays.

New York City students already have off school for Christian holidays such as Good Friday and Christmas, as well as the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

NYC schools to observe Muslim holidays in 2015-2016Kristin Sprecher | Staff Reporter

NATIONALU.S. military veterans commit suicide at double—and some-times triple—the rates of civilians, with the rates varying from state to state. The suicide rate of military veterans has grown annually at more than double the percentage of the civilian rate, according to a new study published in the Feb-ruary issue of the Annals of Epidemiology.

Between the years 1999 and 2010, the estimated suicide fre-quency was 22 veterans per day, or one every 65 minutes. In 2012 alone, however, nearly 6,500 former military personnel killed themselves.

Experts agree, though, that the actual number of veteran suicides could be much higher, because of the difference in the way each state reports suicides.

Part of the problem: there is no uniform national reporting system for deaths--including death by suicide--according to Luana Ritch.

Ritch—the Service Members, Veterans and Military Families Coordinator for the Nevada Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services—says that reporting veteran deaths, especially those by suicide, requires a coroner or funeral director to explicitly label the deceased’s status as “military veteran.”

According to national studies, some 30% of all veterans have considered suicide, and about 69% of those veterans were age 50 or older.

A study published in the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medi-cine found that, “Combat veterans are not only more likely to have suicidal ideation, often associated with posttraumatic stress disorder and depression, but they are more likely to act on a suicidal plan. Especially since veterans may be less likely to seek help from a mental health professional.”

In 2009, the Veterans Crisis Line added an anonymous online chat service, and in 2011 a text messaging service was added to provide another way for Veterans to connect with confidentiality.

Veterans and suicide ratesMorgan Keretzman| Staff Reporter

School NewsGS prom previewMorgan Keretzman | Staff Reporter

Prom season is just around the corner and—wordis—not everyone is ready.

Most Garden Spot students are wondering, whenis prom? Where is the prom being held? How canI get tickets? And, what is the theme?

Prom—a formal evening of dinner and dancing—is an annual tradition for juniors and seniors.

The prom, hosted by the graduating Class of2016, will be held on May 2 from 5-10pm at theEden Resort and Suites, Lancaster. Tickets are$60 per person.

To reserve tickets, students first must log on towww.gshsprom2015.weebly.com.

There, students will be asked to provide theirname, their guest (if applicable), and their schoolemail address for verification purposes.

Once students have signed up on-line to reservetheir tickets, they then must see Mr. Becket inroom 515 to pay for their tickets.

Checks should be made payable to: Garden SpotHigh School. The memo line on the check shouldread: Class of 2016.

At the time of purchase, students also will havethe opportunity to choose their meals and seatinglocations.

Any junior or senior who is bringing a guest whois not currently enrolled at Garden Spot must seeMrs. Montagna in the high school office forpaperwork.

The last day to register a guest is April 24. It isimperative that students meet this deadline.

The theme of this year’s prom is a masquerade,and the Class of 2016 will provide each attendeewith a mask as a souvenir.

According to the prom website, however,students also are allowed to bring their ownmasks, as long as the masks do not “adhere” tostudents’ faces. In other words, students must beable to easily remove the mask for identificationpurposes.

The prom is a school-sanctioned extra-curricularevent, therefore students must be in goodstanding in order to attend, and all school rulesapply.

Features at this year’s prom include Mixed-UpProductions—a team of DJs based out ofHarrisburg—as well as a photo booth, dinner anddancing.

The Eden Resort and Suites is located at 222 EdenRd., Lancaster, just off route 272.

Photo: edenresort.com

School NewsReview: Garden Spot winter band concertBy Amanda Kings | Staff Reporter

On Feb. 24 the high school band, under thedirection of Richard Fitz, performed its annualwinter concert.

Despite the challenge of having seven two-hourdelays that took away critical practice time, theystaged a marvelous performance, featuringtwelve musical selections.

The band kicked off their concert with the “StarSpangled Banner,” followed by “Entrance of theGladiators,” a Czech military march morecommonly known to American audiences as “thecircus song.”

From there, the show took a somber turn withselections from American composer Robert W.Smith’s “The Divine Comedy Symphony.”

The selections—“Inferno,” “Purgatorio,” “TheAscension” and “Paradiso”—are based onDante’s epic poem “The Devine Comedy.”

These songs depicted in music form what Dantetried to express in his poem: his visions of Hadesand the punishment received there; his journeythrough the purifying trials of purgatory; and hisascension into heaven, where he finally wasaccepted into Paradise.

There was a short break while band memberschanged instruments, and Fitz introduced the nextpiece, “On a Hymnsong,” by Phillip Bliss.

Alex Hershey, grade 12, performed an originalcomposition for piano entitled “Oranges.”

“Love’s Enchantment” came next, featuring atrombone solo played by John Redding, grade 12,followed by “Lux Arumique” and “Ari Varie,”which featured a euphonium solo by AdamFellenbaum, grade 12.

The closing composition was a medley of sixsongs from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadwaymusical “Phantom of the Opera,” a chilling andmoving collection that tied the evening together.

This medley incorporated the musical numbers“The Angel of Music,” “Think of Me,” “ThePoint of No Return,” “All I ask of You” and, ofcourse, “The Phantom of the Opera.”

The concert was a terrific experience and the highschool band did a fantastic job of performing eachsong.

Richard Fitz, conductor

In the SpotlightJuliana Wardle—NYC boundMegan Hopper | Staff Reporter

If you’ve attended a Garden Spot Performing Art’sshow or a chorus concert anytime in the past six years,chances are you’ve seen and heard the talented JulianaWardle. Wardle, grade 12, is an accomplished singer,actress, and youth pageant competitor.

Last year, she had audiences laughing at her antics andher (deliberately) awful-sounding voice in GSPA’sproduction of “Singin’ In the Rain”—and audiencescan catch her in her GSPA swan song, April 16-19,when she brings to life the role of Rosie Alvarez in theschool’s musical “Bye Bye Birdie.”

And now, this talented actress and vocalist has earnedherself a coveted spot at the American Musical andDramatic Academy in New York City.

Wardle knows the competition in NYC will befierce—and that she’s going to have to work harderthan she’s ever worked for anything in her entire life.But after so many years of practicing and rehearsing,she’s ready to chase her dreams of one day performingon Broadway.

She has fond memories of growing up, listening to hermom sing songs by Elvis Presley. By the age of four,she herself was singing along to those songs, anddreaming of the day when she could perform forothers.

By age six, she was cast in her first musical,“Christmas Shoes,” at New Holland Church of theNazarene. As a direct result of that experience, shedeveloped a passion for theater—especiallymusical theater—and performing in front of a liveaudience.

Wardle came up through the ranks of GSPA as amiddle schooler, freshman, and sophomore—andafter faithfully serving in supporting roles anddeveloping her craft, she earned a lead role inGSPA’s “The Lottery” during the fall of her junioryear.

The show—based on the creepy and wonderfulshort narrative by Shirley Jackson—is about aprotagonist named Tessie, played by Wardle, whogets stoned to death as part of her community’sannual ritual.

For those who caught her performance as Tessie in“The Lottery”—you know that her blood-curdlingscream at the end of the show was worth the priceof the ticket.

One of Wardle’s favorite things aboutparticipating with GSPA is their pre-performancerituals, especially on opening and closing nights.In those meetings, the directors—Josh Martin andStan Deen—give the cast a pep talk, then everyonegets flowers, and—right before taking the stage—the cast has an energetic shake down and danceparty.

Her memories of these traditions on opening andclosing night will always be a highlight of her timeat Garden Spot.

Her least favorite thing about performing is all ofthe rehearsing and practicing and preparing. Therehearsal season, especially for a musical, is longand exhausting, and it can get tedious to memorizeall of the songs, dialogue, blocking, and danceroutines.

Outside of GSPA, Wardle is also involved in bandand cheerleading, and served as cheerleadingcaptain this year. She also has performed withEphrata Performing Arts Center and CavodAcademy, New Holland.

BEN MYERS:Q & A

Ben Myers, grade 12, produces electronic music for the internet. His style is best described as a combination of “electronic, house, dubstep, and a little bit of vaporwave.”

Myers works solo, but also founded a group called “Afterparty,” along with Stephen Zelenak, who graduated from Garden Spot in 2014.

Myers started out playing the drums at age eight, and from there he fell in love with music and continued to pick-up new instru-ments, including the guitar, bass guitar, piano, ukulele, mandolin, and the saxophone.

Even though he started playing drums at eight, he didn’t start creating original music until 11. He was fascinated by all of the intricate details and fine-tuning that goes into producing a song.

What are your music influences?Dillon Francis, Diplo, Skrillex, Deadmau5, Eric Prydz, Tristan, Haywire, Pegboard nerds, My Little Notice, Wolfgang Gartner, Cashmere Cat, S A I N T P E P S I , Yung Lean, Yung Gud, Drake, Watsky, and Coldplay.

What other genres do you listen to?Jazz, rock, alterative, and pop.

What other equipment do you use?Computer, microphone, keyboard, guitar, bass.

How long on average does it take to make one song?Anywhere between two weeks to two months, because you have to find what sounds good, and have to combine instruments to find something that is pleasing to the ear.

Why should people listen to you?I work hard on all my songs, and people’s feedback helps me make better music.

What are some of your songs that people should listen to right now?“Masters of the Dark” by Afterparty“Atlas” by Ben Myers“Revolution Remix” by Afterparty

Nik Cramer | Staff Reporter

Any iconic made-in-PA food: “Heinz Ketchup. If you can’t acknowledge the sanctity of Heinz Ketchup, I will have toquestion not only your taste, but your patriotism. Martin’s potato rolls. No chip can compete with a Herr’s potato chip. Whatelse? A-Treat cream soda and root beer. Aaahhh—Tastykakes!! I wouldn’t eat a Little Debbie if I were on the brink ofstarvation! Give me Tastykakes or give me death! Isn’t that what Patrick Henry said?” – Ms. Martin, English

Beefaroni: “Nothing says fine Italian cuisine like pasta from a can!” – Mr. Schneider, history

BUSINESS NEWSKraft & Heinz to mergeSpartaNews Staff | with attribution to Reuters andAssociated Press

A mega-merger is underway between Kraft Foods—themaker of Velveeta cheese and Oscar Mayer meats—and theiconic American ketchup maker Heinz. The merger willcreate North America's third-largest food and beveragecompany.

The combined company will have eight brands worth morethan $1 billion each.

Kraft Food owns and distributes a wide range of products,from their signature Kraft EasyMac and Kraft Singles tocountless products not bearing the Kraft label, such as A-1Steak Sauce, Jello-O, Kool-Aid, Lunchables, Miracle Whip,Philadelphia Cream Cheese and the Planters line of nuts.

Kraft is also the North American grocery distributor formajor retail chains such as Starbucks and Taco Bell.

Heinz—founded in Pittsburgh, Penn., in 1888 by Henry J.Heinz—owns and distributes a vast web of products from Ore-Ida frozen potatoes and Bagel Bites to the freezer-sectiondinners and appetizers bearing the TGI Friday’s and WeightWatchers labels.

The combined company will have annual revenue of about $28billion.

The foods we love—that you just don’t mess with | SpartaNews Staff

On the heels of the news about a merger between US food giants Kraft and Heinz, analysts in the foodindustry have started to wonder: what are the chances that some of our favorite foods could see theirrecipes altered as the result of this merger or—worse—could be eliminated altogether?

The fact is: there are certain foods that you just don’t mess with. And we mean not one bit: don’t alter therecipe, don’t buy generic brands that claim to be “as good as” the original, and definitely do not try makingyour own homemade versions.

We were curious about the foods that fall under the “Do Not Mess With A Good Thing” category, so weasked our GS staff what store-bought foods they’d keep unchanged until the end of time.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: “Nothing else can put such a ginormous smile on my face and a tear of happiness in the cornerof my eye. This sweet perfection is not to be messed with.” – Mr. Falvey, math

Double Stuf Oreos: “Why mess with perfection? No other “sandwich” cookie mixes the perfect amount of chocolate andcream with supreme dunkability. Imitators need not apply! You won’t find any “Hydrox,” “Chocolate Twist n Shouts,” or“Newmano’s” in my pantry.” – Mrs. Schneider, history

Fiesta Dogs (The Jumbo Version): “If you’ve never had the chance to experience the 11th tee snack shack at Galen Hall, youneed to give it a go. Quite possibly the best frankfurter you’ll ever taste. Jalapenos, Cheese, and meaty delight…an absoluteparty in your mouth!” – Mr. Stern, health

Oreos: “They are America’s favorite cookie for a reason. I’ll admit, when I was a child and they1 took the trans fat out ofthem, I was pretty upset. They shouldn’t be messed with at all – all of those fancy flavors they’ve come out with should betrashed. They should go back to only selling plain Oreos or Double Stuf (and maybe the Triple Double Oreo). No genericbrand can come close.” Mr. Brandt, math

Achenbach’s Longjohn: “Often imitated, never duplicated. Yes, it has a few empty calories in it, but no doughnut, muffin,or cupcake comes close to such perfection.” Mr. Leister, science & technology

Photo: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Photo: heinz.com

TECHNOLOGYFacebook’s new app: nostalgicor intrusive?Nik Cramer | Staff Reporter

Facebook is unveiling a new service called “OnThis Day.”

As its name suggests, this free app does what itsays: It will show you old posts that you made onthis exact day, either one, two, or several yearsago.

For example, if you posted pictures from afriend’s wedding on June 8, 2013, then on June 82015, Facebook’s new app will bring up thosephotos and ask if you want to re-post thosememories to your current timeline.Facebook says these posts will not be madepublic unless you explicitly choose to share them.

Some people, however, are complaining that theyhave been automatically subscribed to the freeservice without their consent.

Some of those users said that Facebook hasresurrected some horrible and painful memoriesfor them, as the app randomly selected pictures ofdead relatives or former significant others.

LOCAL BUSINESSGuitar shop set to open in downtown LancasterSpartaNews Staff

A new guitar shop, Tone Tailors, is slated to openMarch 26th at 213 West King Street in the heartof downtown Lancaster City.

The shop will carry a “boutique” selection ofguitars—most of which are probably “dream”purchases for the average guitar player. The storewill stock some guitars that start at roughly $500,while many others will run the price gamut intothe $5,000-range.

Tone Tailors will stock Nash Guitars, as well asAmerican-made Reverend Guitars, which areknown for their retro designs and unorthodoxconstruction. The shop will also carry guitaraccessories.

Owners Jon Paul Painton and John LeClair planto host workshops and performances in their newretail space.

Photo: cnn.com

Shop owners Jon Paul Painton and John LeClairPhoto: Lancaster Newspapers

healthToo good to be true? Could our coffee actually be “healthy”?Megan Olson | Staff Reporter

Have you ever wondered if your coffee addictioncould actually be good for you?

New statistics suggest that the antioxidants foundin coffee can offer prevention from severaldiseases, including Type 2 Diabetes, Parkinson’sdisease, liver disease, prostate cancer,Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis, skin cancer andmore.

Korean researchers studied twenty-five thousandmen and women who drink at least four cups ofcoffee per day on a regular basis, and found thatthose people were at a significantly lower risk ofdeveloping heart disease.

Drinking about four cups of coffee each day wasalso found to decrease the risk of developingmelanoma, a highly dangerous form of skincancer.

In other recent studies, coffee has been linked toreducing the risk of multiple sclerosis; these samestudies suggest that coffee could be neuro-protective, meaning that it can suppressinflammation in the brain.

For coffee lovers, all of this is great news,especially in light of other surveys which have

suggested that there are health benefits to giving-up your daily cup ‘o Joe.

GS English teacher Mrs. Custer said she thinksthat most foods—even things like coffee—havebenefits, as long as we eat and drink inmoderation. She herself thinks there are sometremendous benefits to drinking coffee.

Miranda Eckert, senior, says, “I like coffee, so Ichoose to believe that it’s healthy for me, andtherefore it may create a placebo effect in mymind which causes my body to reap some actualhealth benefits.”

Some students, on the other hand, were skepticalabout the benefits of coffee.

Senior Alyssa Waite says, “I’m skeptical, but I’mnot totally against it.”

It is important to keep in one thing mind: all ofthis research defines a “cup” of coffee as being 5to 8 ounces, roughly 100mg of caffeine, eitherblack or with a little bit of cream.

Unfortunately, studies about the benefits ofcoffee do not apply to your favorite syrup-sweetened, whipped cream-covered drink atStarbucks.

Photo: huffingtonpost.com

HOW MUCH CAFFEINE IS TOO MUCH?

Up to 400mg of caffeine a day appears to besafe for most healthy adults. That's roughly theamount of caffeine in four cups of brewedcoffee. Although caffeine use may be safe foradults, caffeine (in any form, i.e. soda, etc.) isnot recommended for children under age 12.

– The Mayo Clinic

SPORTSNHL playoff previewNik Cramer | Staff Reporter

The NHL playoffs are only a few games away—and thechase for the cup is shaping up to be a great contest. Onething you can bank on: There will be upsets, loads ofcompetitive play, and players giving all they’ve got tohave a shot at being number one.

The San Jose Sharks may be out of a playoff spot. TheSharks, who have been to the playoffs every season forthe past twelve years, may actually miss their playoffchance this year.

It is possible for the Sharks to get a playoff spot—it’spossible, but it’s gonna be really hard. They are trailingby ten points (at the time I am writing this, Fri. Feb. 27)to the Winnipeg Jets. Now the Sharks have nine moregames ahead of them, if they can at least get six or sevenwins I can see them advancing to the playoffs.

The former Stanley Cup champs, the Los Angeles Kings,also may not be in the playoffs this year. The Kings arefour points behind, and both Calgary and Dallas are righton their tail.

The problem for the Kings is that they’re losing easygames—and losing against teams that don’t have a chanceof making the playoffs is proving detrimental to theirpost-season prospects.

Now, let’s talk about the home team: the PhiladelphiaFlyers. Right now the Flyers have seven gamesremaining, with six of them against eastern teams. TheFlyers are trailing the Ottawa Senators and the BostonBruins by nine points. I predict the Flyers will miss—ormake—the playoffs by a slim point or two. Time will tell.

The madness behind March MadnessCaitlin Nelson | Reporter

NCAA Men’s Division I basketball tournament, alsoknown as March Madness, is a huge event that collegiatebasketball fans all over the nation go crazy about eachspring, thus creating the name March Madness.

The tournament, featuring 68 teams, runs from the secondweek in March until the first week of April.

Fans can get in on the action by completing a bracket thatlists their predictions for which team will win whichgame, and which team will ultimately win the title ofNCAA National Champions.

In the 79 years that March Madness has been in existencethere has never been a documented perfect bracket.

The NCAA D-I tourney was first played in 1939, thebrainchild of Harold Olsen, Ohio State’s head basketballcoach from 1922 to 1946.

The tournament has been nationally televised since 1969and it’s become one of the single most popular sportingevents—professional, collegiate or amateur—in theUnited States.

There are two different ways to get into the tournament.

The 32 teams that win their conference championshipgain automatic entry.

The teams that don’t win their conference are put beforethe selection committee in the hopes of getting an “at-large bid,” a bid granted by invitation, not by right.

Photo: turnaround.org

YouTube Life Hacks1. Go to www.youtube.com/disco and enter an artist’s name—YouTube will auto-arrange a playlist

based on that artist’s music.2. Go to www.youtuberepeat.com and enter a song or video title—YouTube will keep your video on

auto repeat.

Pop CultureYouTube: An OverviewRachael Whitehouse | Staff Report

In the past nine years YouTube has substantially grownin popularity, both in the US and abroad. YouTube,founded in February 2005, didn’t actually hit the mapsuntil 2006.

On May 21, 2011 YouTube’s daily views hit over threebillon per day. Now, in 2015, it is estimated to be overseven billion views a day.

In terms of websites with the most hits per day,YouTube ranks second, just behind Google and one-step ahead of third-place contender Facebook.

The three YouTube channels with the most subscribersare “Smosh,” in third place, which specializes incomedy and has over 19 million subscribers.

In second place is “HolaSoyGerman,” which featureslots of random uploads and viewer questions, and has21 million subscribers.

The channel with the most subscribers? “PewDiePie,”which features mostly video games, and has over 35million subscribers.

Only those with a YouTube account can subscribe totheir favorite channels, but you don’t need an accountto watch YouTube videos, which is what most peopledo.

Something that makes YouTube special is its diversity.YouTube tries to categorize all of its content into eightbasic categories: Popular on YouTube, Music, Sports,Gaming, Education, News, Live and Spotlight.

Here, in no special order, are some YouTube videos Ithink you should check out.

Popular on YouTube: One of the funniest videoscirculating right now is Will Ferrell’s appearance on“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Search forit under the title “Will Ferrell is Little Debbie.” It ispretty funny. You’ll probably laugh out loud a fewtimes, so it’s probably best to not watch it while you’rein a quiet iSpartan room.

Music: Maroon 5’s new video for their smash hit“Sugar” is a really cute video, featuring the guys ofMaroon 5 racing across the city of Los Angeles to crasha bunch of weddings and perform for unsuspectingbrides and grooms. It’s heartwarming and energizing allat the same time.

Photo: NBC | The Tonight Show

Photo: news.instyle.com

Garden Spot

FacultyNew teacher: Ms. Chvotzkin, math departmentCaitlin Nelson | Staff Reporter

This year, Garden Spot has a new mathteacher: Katherine Chvotzkin.

Ms. Chvotzkin earned a Bachelor of Sciencein culinary arts from Drexel University inPhiladelphia, and her teaching degree fromKing University.

Before becoming a teacher she was arestaurant manager and many of her staffwere high school students. Whenever theywould come into work she would ask themwhat they had learned that day at school.Their usual response was “nothing,” butwhen the students did have homework shewas always eager to help them.

After going back to college to become a mathteacher, Chvotzkin soon got a job here atGarden Spot.

At first she was scared about moving to a newplace where she didn’t know anyone, but itwasn’t long until she made friends.

“The people here are ridiculously nice,” shesays.

By her own admission, Chvotzkin has alwayshad an interest in math, saying “it’s like apuzzle,” and that she loves trying to figureout how to put the pieces together.

She understands that not all students aregoing to love math as much as she does, butshe hopes that her students will not dreadcoming to her class every day.

Photo: digitwhiz.com

Ms. Chvotzkin (center) with students in her fourth block class.Photo: Lindsey Mann