Bringing Pine-Richland High School Weekly News…One Page at a Time

Issue #30

Thursday May 7th

2020

R A M P A G E

CELEBRATING SENIORS

Teachers and staff members surprised seniors with signs this past week. Photos from Mrs. Bowman.

Why Pringles are Overrated Dissecting the Average Taste of these Chips

ETHAN SILIPO STAFF REPORTER In many regards, Pringles are a classic.

Their unique shape and packaging have

earned them a reputation amongst all

snack eaters. For so long, I too adored

Pringles, but recently I realized that for

years and years, I had been brainwashed

into thinking these chips were anything

special. Let me start off by saying this, I do not

think Pringles taste terrible, I just think

they are ranked too highly on the snack

tier list. The packaging of Pringles is

great. The design is efficient, it can fit in

a cup holder and it can hold more chips

than an average bag that is filled halfway

with air. Furthermore, the shape of the

chips is genius. Thin, crunchy and easy to

eat. Everything about Pringles is well

designed apart from the flavor itself. Even though there are several flavors

of Pringles, none of them are special or

unique. Yes, they taste good, but any

other chip could taste twice as good and

people would still pick Pringles. Why?

Well, it’s because of a reputation they

have earned. Pringles are heavily

advertised and well known, so they

become an automatic fan favorite despite

the average taste. They just taste so

artificial. I know that potato chips are not

exactly the most real tasting food, but at

least other brands incorporate a bit of that

potato taste. As for Pringles, their chips

just taste like a salty piece of paper.

You do not

have to agree

with me, and I

do not expect

you to. I just felt

that mediocrity

of Pringles

should be

recognized as

people tend to

look over the

taste for other

factors, like

packaging.

The Time I Lived Through a Pandemic What Will You Share with Future Generations?

LIZZI MONTANTI STAFF REPORTER

We are currently living through a

historical event. This is difficult to

comprehend for many reasons. First, no

one ever thought anything like this would

happen again. With modern medicine,

vaccines, and technology, who would

have thought a virus could have the

impact that it has. On a separate note, it is

hard to believe that we are living through

a historical event because, at times, it

doesn’t feel like we are. When I think of

something historic, sitting at home with

nothing to do is not the first thing that

comes to mind. That being said, there is

still so much to remember about what has

happened since the coronavirus outbreak.

It is important to remember what your life

was like during these times. Have you

considered what you will remember from

this experience? What will you tell future

generations? It is interesting to note that the primary

sources we have from past historical

events are mainly from people who wrote

letters, journals, or newspapers.

However, now there are videos, countless

articles, tweets, social media posts, news

broadcasters, and other ways that

document this time for us. Your own documentation of this time

period is just as important as a news

broadcast or article. Everyone has had a

unique experience in some way. Future

generations that did not live through this

pandemic will not be able to fully

comprehend it. In other words, it is

important that you remember what your

life was like during this time. What will you tell future generations?

Did you miss a sports season? What was

a typical day of online school like for

you? What did you miss about school?

How did this impact your mental health?

What did you do to keep busy? How did

this impact your family? Did something

important to you get cancelled? The answers to those questions will be

unique to everyone and are the part of this

historic event that is entirely up to you to

document. One day, you will want to

remember what life was like during this

time, as boring as it may seem.

Ultimately, even if the days blend

together, try to keep a sense of what your

day to day life is like; this time will be

remembered and studied forever.

OPINION

Image from Walgreens.

Lizzi Montanti (far right) and teammates this past field hockey season before school closure.

Wish You Were Here Anniversary Pink Floyd’s Album Celebrates 45 Years JOSH PALKO SENIOR STAFF REPORTER

Wish You Were Here was released on

September 12th, 1975 and was Pink

Floyd’s ninth studio album. I honestly

don’t know much about the history of

Pink Floyd, especially up to this point, so

I won’t go much into it. The album

features Roger Waters on bass and vocals,

David Gilmour on guitar and vocals, Nick

Mason on drums, and Richard Wright on

piano.

Even though this album only has five

tracks, even though track 1 and 5 can be

considered the same song, it doesn’t mean

the album lacks in value. All five tracks

are great with no dull ones. If I had to pick

a personal favorite out of the five, I would

go with the title track since I feel like I

listen to it the most in my spare time. That

doesn’t mean I don’t like all the other

ones. Have a Cigar is a great bluesy tune

and Shiny On Like a Crazy Diamond is

long and melodic, this album really has a

lot going for it.

The album received mixed reviews

when it first came out, saying it was

uninspired and inferior to their previous

work, that being Dark Side of the

Moon. On retrospective, though, the

album has garnered a lot more positive

reviews and is considered one of the

greatest albums of all time. Even

though this is the only Pink Floyd

album I’ve listened to as of writing this

article, I really enjoy this album. It truly

feels like a musical journey listening to

this album. It rewards the listener for

listening through the whole album by

giving you flawless transitions one

after another.

I highly recommend this album for

anyone. If you don’t like listening to

longer songs and more instrumental

sections than vocals, I would still

recommend this album. It may even

change your perspective on music. I

don’t promise that will happen though

but try to keep an open mind while

giving this album a listen. It truly feels

like a perfect album to listen during a

time like now.

British Steel and Painkiller Anniversaries Albums Celebrate Milestones JOSH PALKO SENIOR STAFF REPORTER

I’ve been waiting to talk about Priest

for a while now, and now is the perfect

time. Judas Priest celebrates two album

anniversaries this year, British Steel and

Painkiller. British Steel celebrates 40

years and Painkiller celebrates 30 years.

Both albums are important albums in the

Priest discography and metal in general.

British Steel was released on April

14th, 1980 and was the sixth studio album

by the band. It boasts classics like

Breaking the Law and Living After

Midnight while also supplying Priest

classics like Metal Gods, Rapid Fire, and

Steeler. This was the album that helped

Priest become more mainstream and more

of a household name. This album

also helped spark the sudden

boom that is The New Wave of

British Heavy Metal and the metal

scene in general in the early 80’s.

This is a great album and a great

place for beginner Judas Priest

listeners to start since it’s not as

aggressive as their later albums.

Speaking of which….

Painkiller was released on

September 3rd, 1990 and was the

twelfth studio album by the band.

Whereas British Steel had popular

hits in mainstream radio,

Painkiller didn’t have those types

of track, though. That didn’t hold

the album's power back. The

album has heavy hitting Priest

classics like All Guns Blazing, Between

the Hammer and the Anvil, Nightcrawler,

A Touch of Evil, Metal Meltdown, and,

of course, the soaring title track. This is

also the first album with new drummer

Scott Travis. This is also the last studio

album until 2005 with famous lead singer

Rob Halford. This may be the perfect

Priest album. It starts with the pedal to the

floor and never let’s go. It’s Priest’s most

aggressive and fastest album up to that

point. This may be a harder album to

suggest to newer fans and the average

music listener, but you won’t regret

listening to it. Both albums received

positive reviews both from when they

were released to today. Out of the two

albums, I much prefer Painkiller but that

doesn’t mean I completely despise British

Steel. I can put on Painkiller any day and

have a blast with it. Both albums have

everything you want out of Priest. You’ve

got great drum work, great guitar playing

and harmonies, and, of course, Rob

Halford’s screaming vocals. If you’ve got

nothing else to listen to during the

quarantine, give these albums a shot.

ENTERTAINMENT

Wish You Were Here Album Cover

from Ultimate Classic Rock.

British Steel and Painkiller album covers

from Azintex Music.

My Five Most-Missed Memories What I Miss at School LIZZI MONTANTI STAFF REPORTER

As my sophomore year has come to an

end, I’ve begun to realize that there’s

quite a bit that I miss the most about being

in school. I didn’t expect to miss some of

these things as much as I do. Looking

back, I took so many simple day-to-day

interactions and happenings for granite.

Here are my top five most missed

memories from school. Giving my chemistry teacher

memes. By far what sophomores Clare

O’Connor, Caroline Vidic, and I miss

most. It would brighten everyone’s day,

especially Mr. Simko’s. Lunch. It was so nice to take a break

from my classes and see my friends at

lunch. Now, I just watch Youtube or TV

while I eat lunch, then I get back to work. Doing hands-on activities in school.

It was always fun to get up from my desk

and learn in other ways through different

activities. I really can’t do that through

my online classes, which takes away

some of the fun from learning.

Playing my instrument every day. I

liked having orchestra class because it

was almost like a break in my day. I didn’t

realize how much I miss being able to

play along with other instruments in

class. Seeing my friends in the hallway. I

miss seeing my friends every day,

especially because I don’t have any

siblings to hang out with at home. It

would be different if it was Summer, of

course, because then I could still see my

friends

Virtual Team Meetings Baseball team collaborates over zoom

NICK GUIDAS STAFF REPORTER

Due to this spring sports season being

canceled, the baseball team has been

getting together virtually. On these calls

we have been talking about what we are

doing during this time, how we are getting

better, and much more.

Last week we had a special guest on the

call with us to talk. It was Neil Walker

(former PR graduate who plays in the

MLB). On the call he was open to

questions from the team. We asked him

about various things such as what it is like

to be in the MLB, what he does in the

offseason, and many other things. He also

gave us some great advice on listening to

coaches and taking every piece of advice

from them to mind. It was a great

experience to listen to him talk to us and

discuss these things.

Today, we have another call and there

will be another MLB player discussing

things with us. His name is Blake Lalli.

He also played at PR in high school. The

team is looking forward to hearing what

he has to say and learning from him as

well.

Springtime Go and Smell the Roses

LAUREN SCHWAB FREELANCE SUBMISSION The season that comes after winter is

the least noticed, just as the obstacle we

have to get through in order to reach

summer. People complain about the

weather with the rain and the chilliness.

There are also no big holidays in the

spring for us to look forward to. Now that

we have a virus going around, we are no

longer busy with our daily lives. The

plans we may have had are canceled or

held back. Now we have time to focus on

nature and how it shows itself off in the

spring. What can a person do when you’re

not allowed to go anywhere? The answer

is simply outdoors. As long as you're

distancing yourself and not going where

you not supposed to of course. Go for a

bike ride in your neighborhood in order to

rid of that extra energy stored inside you.

I go on little explorations with my sister

every day on our bikes. We were able to

try new routes we usually would not go

along. Maybe a good idea is to get the

lawn work or upgrades around your house

that you wanted. With all

the chaos going around,

we still need to make

time to stop and enjoy

the beauties that spring

shows. Take a walk

outside and exercise to

stay healthy and bright-

minded. Spring is when

the Earth goes into full

bloom and new life

sprouts. The trees gain

flowers and the air gains

the sweet smell of

flowers. It’s easy to not

appreciate what has

happened every year. This once a year

occasion still needs to be admired for the

sights and the importance it has to the

other seasons.

JUST FOR FUN

Spring bear drawing by Illustrator Maggie English.

Facing Failure Why Accepting Defeat is Beneficial ETHAN SILIPO & MADDIE JEWART STAFF REPORTERS

Failure is often perceived as a

negative occurrence. This is one of

society's most common misconceptions.

Nobody aims to fail, but defeat and

unsuccessfulness are unavoidable when

striving for success. Failing can leave a

sour taste in your mouth, but recovering

from failure to achieve success is usually

more beneficial than succeeding on a

first attempt. Everyone experiences

defeat, but the greatest part about failing

is the opportunity it provides to learn.

Failure may not always seem positive,

yet failing almost always leads to future

success, but in order to bounce back

from defeat, you must know how to react

to failure. In today's world failing is

inevitable. Everybody experiences

failure countless times throughout their

life and failure is common in any

journey to success. Failure creates a

chance to improve and succeed in the

future. Facing a defeat puts you at a

point where the only place you can go is

up, so you are essentially forced to grow

and learn.

Steven Horwitz, author of the article,

“The Importance of Failure,” uses the

analogy that says success accelerates us

towards goals, but failure steers us in the

right direction. By failing at something

important, you are forced to try again,

but with new knowledge and experience.

With this newfound knowledge you can

redirect your efforts in order to alter

your results. After experiencing defeat,

you can usually understand what you did

wrong. Because you know what it takes

to do poorly, you can essentially use that

knowledge to flip your results toward

success.

Take school example: a place where

we go every week for around 12 years.

Students experience defeat every day,

whether it is an unsuccessful friendship

or the inability to get an A on a test.

Horwitz explains that the slogan “never

give up” is actually tremendously useful

in times of failure where one must

persevere and find the light at the end of

the tunnel.

Michael Jordan once said, “I've

missed more than 9,000 shots in my

career. I've lost almost 300 games.

Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to

take the game winning shot and missed.

I've failed over and over and over again

in my life. And that is why I succeed."

Today, Michael Jordan is recognized

as one of the greatest basketball players

of all time, but before he was able to

succeed, he had to fail, just like me and

you. By losing games and missing shots,

Michael Jordan was able to win six NBA

championships simply because he

overcame defeat and did not allow

failure to define him. Every celebrity

and icon of today has failed at some

point when working towards their goals.

Thomas Alva Edison made hundreds

of different models of the lightbulb

before it worked.

Walt Disney failed countless times

before creating successful movies and

theme parks.

Even Bill Gates, one of the world's

richest men, experienced difficult times

before becoming a billionaire.

All of these people did not give up

and strived towards their goals even

when they were at rock bottom, and

because of this perseverance through

hard times, they found success. Although failure can have a direct

correlation with future success, the only

way to achieve this correlation is with

proper responses to failure. If you react

irrationally, the steps involved in

growing towards success could be

dismantled, inevitably causing no

success to be found in the long run.

In the article, “Succeeding at

Failure,” Benjamin K. Sanchez explains

that average people and achieving

people are set apart by their response to

failure. This essentially means that

those who strive to succeed, respond

with open arms to failure whereas

standard people may get frustrated by

failure. It is critical to respond positively

to defeat, because moping around and

being frustrated creates a mindset that

says, “I give up” and “I cannot do this.”

This mindset eliminates any chance of

growth and does not allow for any

progress to be made. Although you often

cannot control whether or not you fail,

you can always control how you react.

In this situation, failing is like falling

down. When you fall, your natural

instinct is to get back up and keep

moving, just like when you fail you are

forced to get up and give it another shot.

So when you fail a math test or lose a

basketball game, do not get angry or sad,

instead treat the defeat as a learning

opportunity, and you will surely see

improvement.

This brings us to the next point, which

is reacting to a failure by adjusting your

process. If your process stays constant

after a defeat your results will also stay

constant, so you are just going to fail

again and again until some part of your

process changes. The only thing worse

than not changing your process is

stopping completely after a failure.

Sanchez writes, “Too many people

let failure stop them in their tracks. This

is the worst thing you can do because the

effect of failure multiplies the longer

you stay still.”

FEATURES

Failure steers us in the

right direction. By failing

at something important,

you are forced to try

again, but with new

knowledge and

experience. With this

newfound knowledge

you can redirect your

efforts in order to alter

your results.

So by not reacting to failure at all, not

only will that failure weigh on you more,

but you will be less likely to succeed

simply because you did not take

immediate action.

Next we have to consider the ways

we assess and review failure. You need

to take a moment to think about why you

failed, or how you failed. Once you

understand where you went wrong, you

can fix that mistake much quicker than

just trying the same exact process that

failed you over and over again. If you

take time to think about your failure, you

can find a quick and easy solution rather

than just rushing back into where you

failed with the same understanding of

the situation. For example, let's say you

trip on your shoelace. Instead of getting

up and continuing walking with an

untied shoelace, you assess the problem,

the shoelace. Then once you tie it, you

have found a simple solution to a simple

problem just because you took 5 seconds

to think “why did I trip?” Although this

example is small, it just goes to show

how vital assessing failure is to finding

success. Failure is vastly present in the

current day, but knowledge of how to

succeed from failure is often

scarce. You have to remember to

always try again and to be open to

failure. You have to change how you

view failure and begin to enjoy failure.

The ultimate goal is to succeed after a

failure. Learn from those failures until

you have enough knowledge to

succeed.

School’s Out: What I Miss About PRHS

JOSH PALKO SENIOR STAFF REPORTER

Let’s be honest, most students are glad to be out of school.

We would all rather be home than at school. It’s just human

nature for teenagers. There are some aspects, though, that we

will miss, especially during these times. As a senior, March

13th was the last regular school day I ever had at Pine Richland

High School, and I never knew that until the end of the day

when the announcement came on. Now the big question comes

out, what do I miss about PRHS? Well, surprisingly, there is

quite a lot.

The first and biggest thing I miss about going to school

everyday was seeing my friends. I’m pretty sure most people

would agree with me that the best thing about school was seeing

friends. For all seniors, this may have been the last time we will

ever see some of our classmates, besides google meets. It sort

of makes me stop and think that I may never see some of those

people again.

Another thing I miss were some of my teachers. For the most

part, I’ve enjoyed the teachers I had for the past 4 years. It’s

kinda sad that I may never say a last goodbye to some of my

favorites before I graduate. I could email them but it kinda ruins

the emotion of seeing them for the last time and saying your last

goodbye.

The last thing I can think of that I miss is the classroom

experience. I feel like most classes benefit more from classroom

interaction and being in the same room as the teacher. Some

classes are harder for people to learn on their own, like math

and some sciences, and they learn better by lectures and seeing

the teachers do it in front of them. I know some teachers are

making videos on how to do certain lessons, but it doesn’t have

the same feel as it would in a classroom for 45 minutes.

There could be more I can mention, but I’ll leave it at

that. As a senior, I may never get to see the inside of the

school again. There are definitely benefits from this

quarantine I have experienced, but if I could go back and

choose from home school or going to an actual school, I

would choose the latter. If I was in a grade below or further,

I would’ve probably chosen the former, but being a senior

changes my perspective a little. Maybe other seniors will

disagree on my decision, I don’t know, but all I know is that

I enjoyed my high school experience and I hope most of you

did too. Stay Safe.

FEATURES

I may never say a last goodbye to some

of my favorite teachers before I

graduate. I could email them but it ruins

the emotion of seeing them for the last

time and saying your last goodbye.

What I Miss Most About School Quarantine in the eyes of a senior

TOM FREY SENIOR STAFF REPORTER At first, quarantine didn’t seem so bad. At home all day, naps,

video games, Netflix you name it. It didn’t start to really hit me as

to what is going on until prom was cancelled, which is weird

because before this I didn’t care about prom at all, but many of my

friends do. It’s weird to think about what I’ll miss most about

school. It started to hit me even harder when the Governor

announced the closing of all Pennsylvania public schools. I

remember the last conversation I had with some of my friends,

which is weird to think about, because the conversations I had were

not ones you have for your last one. We all thought we were going

back, obviously we didn’t. So yeah I guess that’s what I miss, that

there are people I’ve known since elementary school that my last

conversation would have been about, nothing of real value.

WHAT do YOU miss, PR? Email a

Rampage Staff Reporter to give us

the scoop.

The Latest Covid-19 Craze: Create Your Own Garden

ABBY LANE COPY EDITOR If it’s not buying chickens for fresh eggs or ducks for their cuteness, then you may be considering gardening as the latest craze

during Covid-19. Gardening has always been a wonderful spring/summer hobby. Now may be a good time to give it a try. You will

find satisfaction in tending to seedlings and plants, getting your hands dirty, and being outside in nature. Outlined below are the steps

you can take to establish your own garden. It’s time to start growing…. Step one for gardening: Take the time to research what you want to plant and what kind of attention that plant/vegetable needs.

Is it around the clock work or daily? Does it need plenty of sunlight or only a little? The same goes for the amount of water you

need. Step two: Determine if you will have an in ground garden or use planter boxes. Find a spot for your desired plant or vegetable

and make sure that you rake the dirt at least three to four inches deep. Make sure the dirt is extremely loose. If you have trouble

sifting through it add a bit of water or use a shovel to loosen up the dirt. Step three: Add some topsoil (only about half an inch on top of your entire garden) and mix in through the dirt with a rake. Step four: Go to the store (Home Depot/Lowes) and pick out your desired

plant/vegetable. You can buy seeds or seedlings. Make sure to buy fencing too if you do

not already have it at home. (Only buy fencing if you have an in-ground garden). If you

are doing seeds, plant them now. If you are doing seedlings or flowers wait until mid/late

May to plant them. It’s too cold and too early to plant them now. They will most likely

die. Step five: Once you have all necessary materials for your garden (fencing, gloves,

topsoil, seedlings, etc), get a shovel and make rows for your vegetables/plants. Have the

rows be about 2 inches deep for a planter or 3-4 inches for solid ground and have them

run the entire length of your garden. You can find planters at stores like Lowe’s and Home

Depot. Step six: Take out your packets of seeds or seedlings. Figure out what species of

plant/vegetable will go where. Once that is figured out take about 2-3 seeds and put them

in the trough. Separate each pile by about 2-3 inches depending on how long your garden

is. If seedlings, space out per directions provided. Step seven: Once all seeds are in the ground use your hands (you can wear gloves for

this if you do not like to touch the dirt with bare hands) to cover the troughs with dirt. If

you have any leftover topsoil, pack that on top too but only about an inch or so. Step eight: Check the daily forecast. See when it will rain next. If not for a while, give

your seeds some water. If it's going to rain the same day or the next do not water. You do

not want your seeds to die or be flooded. Step nine: This part is optional; add worms! You can find worms in your own backyard

but if you do not want to mess up your landscaping go to a tackle store and buy some

fresh out of the dirt nightcrawlers. Worms are great for your garden because they provide

fresh compost by eating dirt and then pooping it back out. If worms are not your thing

that’s okay. Maybe add some Jobes. These are healthy for your plants/vegetables as well.

But if you do decide to use worms, make sure to evenly spread them out around your

garden. Step ten: Measure your garden and then measure your wire fencing. (This is only if

you have an in-ground garden.) Cut your fencing to a measured length and put it into the

ground. Make sure it is installed deep enough so no animal can dig under your garden. Step eleven: Last but not least, put a smile on your face. You completed something

amazing! Watch it grow and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

FEATURES

RAMPAGE STAFF Design Editors:

Brooke Gray

Maddie Jewart

Cameron Perkins

Staff Reporters:

Ava Boyd

Jordan Burns,

Danielle Bursick

Ethan Crowell,

Maggie English

Tom Frey, Mikayla Goff,

Nick Guidas, Mara Hopf,

Ella Kasperowicz

Abby Lane

Steven Lemchak, Elizabeth Montanti,

Arnoldo Olsson,

Amitva Pal, Josh Palko, Ethan Silipo,

Emma Van Meter

Copy Editor:

Abby Lane

Teacher:

Mrs. Harshman

The RAMPAGE is a student-created

publication of Pine-Richland High

School, 700 Warrendale Road,

Gibsonia, PA 15044. The newsroom

is room 217. The RAMPAGE is

available in print and online every

Thursday. It is written by students,

for students, and will make every

attempt to report all school-related

news. We welcome freelance

submissions, suggestions, comments,

and story ideas from students and

staff. Since this is a student-

publication, we realize we may make

mistakes; we encourage readers to

report mistakes to the Copy Editor.

You may win a prize if you can

locate any/all mistakes.

PICTURES OF THE WEEK!

FEATURES

SIDEWALK ART: Chalk art in Abby Lane’s neighborhood: Art and Photos by Abby Lane.

RAMPAGE

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Thanks for Reading,

Rampage Fans!

See you next Thursday!

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