Viking Views - New Kensington

Volume 9
Viking Views
Valley High School 703 Stevenson Blvd. New Kensington, PA January 2014
VHS Sweetheart Dance
Friday, February 14, 2014
l
Clarion Hote
.m.
6 p.m. to 10 p
Remembered
for a Life of
Service
By Ally Isbell,
Co-Editor-In-Chief
Beverly
Meyer
was a member of the community who devoted a lifetime to bettering our area.
She was born September
4, 1944 and resided in New
Kensington until her passing on December 29, 2013.
Ms. Meyer was
a Ken High graduate, attended college at Indiana
University of Pennsylvania
and received a Master’s
Degree from University
of Pittsburgh. She went
on to become an English
Teacher and Guidance
Counselor for our district.
She was also president of
the local teachers’ union.
Upon retirement,
she was president of the
school board and taught
at Westmoreland County Community College.
Ms. Schank says
that Ms. Meyer inspired
her to become an English
Teacher. “I believe I had her
her first year teaching. She
taught me 8th grade English at Ridge Avenue Junior
High. She would let me
teach the class sometimes,
and I realized I liked doing it. She told me maybe I should become
an
English
Teacher.”
The bonds she
made with faculty members
have lasted her lifetime.
“One of her best qualities
was her commitment to
her friends and our town”,
says Ms. Schank. She
will be missed by many.
Ticket sales end
February 7, 2014
$25 per Ticket
Girls ask
the Guy
s!
It’s a
SWITCH
Player of the Week
By Ashely Johnson, Staff Writer
VHS se- teams’ leading scorer. She scored 24
nior
LaShay points against Highlands in Valley’s
Madison was first win of the season. She feels that
picked to be it was great they all worked together,
the girls’ bas- but they are trying to push and pass
ketball player the ball more. of the week of To improve herself as a
January 12th- player, she is trying to be a leader
January 18th. and help the younger and newer girls.
Madison Madison
plans
to
attend
is the point Duquesne University and conguard and the tinue
her
basketball
career.
Children of Eden Cast List
By Madison Pastrick, Staff Writer
The Drama Club is rehearsing for the spring musical. Below is the list of students in the show.
Father: Quentin Gatto; Adam:
Nathan Traini; Eve: Madison Pastrick; Snake: Austin Grau; Cain:
Victor Vujevich; Abel: Aaron Sluka;
Noah: Brandon Farneth; Mama:
Ryane Corwin; Ham: Adam Hines;
Shem: Thomas Lennex; Japeth: Eli
Coutch; Seth: Brent Carnes; Aphra:
Dawn Dilliot; Aysha: Brittany Dilliot;
Yonah:
Isabella
Bordonaro.
Dance 1: Melissa Camp-
bell; Skye Clayton; Kelsea Enriquez; Hope Matyas; Kaleigh
Mauroni; and Neala Shawfield.
Dance 2: Sofia Bordonaro; Megan Ortego; Gianna Regoli; Elizabeth Salzman; Alexis Tatusko; and Abbe Ward.
Story Tellers: Gianni Emricko;
Gillian Zana; Megan McGorty; Erica
Schaeffer; Nathan Murray-Sinicki;
Myah Zana; Domenica Kupas; Kiyanna Montgomery; Lauren Ortego;
Paola Villegas; Nicole Garvey; Jamilya McBean; McKayla Ellis; Sanae
Kennedy; Rachel Strapple; Gabriella Hernandez; and Kiauna Oliver.
Citizens Celebrate the Dream
By Sierra Storrs, Staff Writer
January 20th was a day learn about Martin Luther King.
to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Bloomfield Bridge Tavern held a
in your own way. There were many benefit concert. Profits helped local
things locally that Westmoreland homeless shelters. The Children’s
County did to honor King. Also, lo- Museum hosted activities and percal Pittsburgh kids in Highland Park formances for MLK. More than
used art to honor and help others 1,600 people attended this event.
Issue 5
VHS Holds Youth
Advisory
Committee
Meeting
By Laura Pollino,
Editor-In-Chief
Seven students
participated in Valley’s
Youth Advisory Committee
(YAC) meeting on Friday,
January 24, 2014. YAC is
a committee made up of
seven students from the
junior and senior classes. This committee addresses the VHS cafeteria lunches, snack shack,
menu and refreshments.
The students included Terrell Fields, Brittany Daniels, Ben Carlisle,
Laura Pollino, Caleb Davis, Marcus Davenport and
Jolene Barry. Teachers Ms.
Link and Mrs. Tudor helped
supervise this meeting.
Teens for Jeans
Campaign
Begins
By Brittany Daniels,
Staff Writer
The VHS Leo’s
Club will be running a
Teens for Jeans campaign from February 3rd
to February 16th, collecting used women’s and
men’s jeans for charity.
You can place
your jeans in the boxes
in front of the dinosaur
statue outside of the front
office. All jeans are accepted and appreciated.
Band Attends
Festival
By Ally Isbell,
Co-Editor-In- Chief
Selected band students
accompanied by Mr. Nicholas Smith attended the
Alle-Kiski Honors Band
Festival during school
hours on Thursday, January 30, 2014 and Friday, January 31, 2014.
Students in attendance included Rose
Barone, Alex Bia, Justin
Concoly, Dawn Dilliot,
Elijah Falkowsky, Katelin Omecinski, Liz Salzman, and Jon Schaeffer.
Page 2 Banko’s
Business
Two-hour delays and
weather cancellations might
be two of winter’s best surprises when it comes to school.
Who doesn’t like a couple extra hours to sleep? Even better is that sudden realization
that the busy day of intellectual engagement you expected
is now a day to sit around the
house in sweats surfing the
internet, watching television,
or doing any number of things
that do not involve school.
Of course, a free day
is far from free. We still operate on a 180-day school year,
which means we will be making up these days when the
weather is warmer. Certainly,
student safety is the most important factor when cancelling
school due to snowy roads
or arctic temperatures, but I
think everyone benefits from
these breaks during this time
of year. The third quarter is
typically the toughest for a
few reasons. It has the fewest
days off, nearly all of the instructional content is new, and
it is the grading period that solidifies or initiates a turn (good
or bad) in student grades.
I like the excitement
in the building when students
are arriving at 9 AM instead of
7 AM, and following a day off;
nearly everyone has a little
more focus. I can’t say I’m a
big fan of cold weather in general, but I’ll take the impromptu
breaks, they seem to be beneficial to me and they sure make
students and teachers happy.
Archives
1980
Back in the Day
1989
Compiled by staff; written by Ally Isbell
“Back in the Day” is a series of articles detailing the events of Valley High School through the eyes of current staff members that attended
the school and also how students were affected by the historical events of
their time. This issue features Mrs. Valarie Daniels and Mrs. Michelle Smith.
The 80’s was a decade of radical evolution. It was a time when Presidents Reagan
and Bush Sr. took office… A time of the popular “Vogue” pose dance… A time of the tragic
Challenger space shuttle explosion… A time
when the CD revolutionized the music industry... A time of Nintendo and Rubiks Cubes…
M*A*S*H was a popular show at the
beginning of the decade, but was replaced by
Roseanne. While Diana Ross and John Lennon both topped the Billboard charts in 1980,
Madonna and Milli Vanilli ranked number one
hits in 1989. The Goonies and Beetlejuice were
among the most popular movies of the decade.
At the beginning of the decade, Mrs.
Valarie Daniels attended school from 7 to
3:10 as a scholar before graduating with her
Class of ’80. She recollects the school’s appearance being mostly the same, aside from
rooms being renovated or having different
uses. For example, Ms. Barr’s classroom was
formerly the student bank, which Mrs. Daniels
was the president of. She looked forward to
the class “Office Procedures” and was fond of
the teacher Ms. Cecchi. The correctable typewriter was the latest technology of the time.
Mrs. Daniels played volleyball and
supported other Viking sports by attending
their events. She remembers Friday night Valley games. In her junior year, the boys’ basketball team won states. She also remembers
occasional “activities nights”, which the school
would be open to the student body. Students
could come dance, play sports, hang out,
and even go swimming. Activities nights provided great fundraising revenue for clubs.
Mrs. Daniels has fond memories with her
high school best friend, Odette Houston. Fashion was important to the girls, who strutted VHS
halls in their gauchos, clogs, and Jordache jeans.
She enjoyed listening to R&B group
“Average White Band”. She reminisces “Stairway to Heaven” being the prom theme one year.
Back in high school, Mrs. Daniels dreamed of becoming a flight attendant.
She never thought she would return to her
former high school as an employee. However, she enjoys working at her alma mater.
The 1989 VHS football team was crowned the
Allegheny Football Conference Champions.
Towards the end of the decade, Mrs.
Smith prepared to graduate with her Class of
’89. She remembers more course options such
as business and typing. Her favorite teacher
was Mr. Alcibiade although Mr. Barbiaux was
the coolest. She also had Mr. Streitman who
is currently employed at the middle school.
She participated in French Club
and sang with the choir for 4 years. She also
played on the volleyball and softball teams.
The two best sports teams at the
time were football and basketball. She remembers the student body being present in large
numbers at all sporting events. Since then,
she’s seen the level of school spirit decrease.
One similarity between 2014 and 1989
VHS is the clothing styles. “The styles today are
very similar to those of the late 80’s and 90’s,
however, with slight modifications,” Mrs. Smith
stated. For example, oversized sweaters and
leggings were “in”, but they wore shoulder pads.
The music of her time differs from today. They liked Bon Jovi and Poison. Rap music
was also becoming popular. She reminisces on
“Egyptian” being the prom theme her senior year.
Mrs. Smith believes our school
has progressed in acceptance to diversity
in the past 24 years. “We have a great population of students here with unique attributes that are accepted by most,” she says.
It was coincidental that Mrs. Smith
became employed at her alma mater. She
sees herself teaching here for years to come.
The 1979 Valley Viking State Champ Basketball Team
Staff Box
Editor-In-Chief..................................................................................................................................Laura Pollino
Co-Editor-In-Chief..................................................................................................................................Ally Isbell
Associate Editor..............................................................................................................................Megan Hooks
Sports Editor/ Assist...........................................................................................Colten Buzard and Ben Carlisle
Staff..............................................................Rory Baker, Brittany Daniels, Caleb Davis, Vincent DiCarolis, Jaezhaun Garland, Skylar Houck, Alexander Huffman, Ashely Johnson, Savannah LaLiberte, Andrew Macura,
Mikey McNabb, Madison Pastrick, Parker Shearon, Sierra Storrs, Brenda Varela-Santiesteban, and Gerardo
Varela-Santiesteban.
Sponsor..............................................................................................................................................Ms. Schank
Principal................................................................................................................................................Mr. Banko
Disclaimer
The Viking Views is a publication of the Journalism one, two, and three
students of Valley High School. Views and opinions are those of the students and do
not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the administrations, faculty, or staff.
1.H; 2.Q; 3.P; 4.N; 5.O; 6.J;
7.E; 8.C; 9.B; 10.I; 11.L;
12.K;
13.G;
14.F;
15.D;
16.A; 17.R; 18.S; 19.T; 20.M
Answers to Quiz on page 4
Sports
Colten’s
Corner
By Colten Buzard,
Sports Editor
For as long as there
was an NFL, there was trashtalk. One of the greatest
trash-talk lines I’ve ever heard
was; “Tell your wife and kids to
stop cheering for me.” A simple
yet personal statement often
said by Keyshawn Johnson.
The art of trash talk
(yes, it’s an art) has recently
stood out to me after watching
the Seahawks-49ers game during the last round of playoffs.
The Seahawks defense is not only fueled off of
rage, adrenaline, and heads
up athleticism, but an entire
repertoire of trash talk to diminish the morale of an offense. Especially from the now
famous Richard Sherman.
The elite cornerback
made the game-winning play
against the 49ers by swatting a
pass away from Michael Crabtree in the back of the end zone.
At the end of the play Crabtree
got into Sherman’s face, causing a hailstorm of curse words,
threats, and personal attacks.
After the 17-23 win against the
49ers, Sherman was so pumped
up that he literally trash-talked
and threatened Crabtree to
the cameras. This caused a
dispute everywhere whether
trash-talk can be taken too far.
It seems that the Seahawks game-winning defense
can be linked to its rage-filled
demeanor and ability to get into
the head of an offense. Sherman, actually intelligent and
respectful, seems to change
during the course of a game.
Maybe it’s the flip of the switch
that gives the Seahawks defense their winnings. Perhaps
trash-talk really does provide
the competitive edge a team
needs to win games. Whatever they’re doing is working, and hopefully gives them
some help against the Denver
Broncos at the Super Bowl.
Hitting the Court
By Rory Baker, Staff Writer
Senior ath- in the team’s victory over Burlete attacks rell on December 10th, 2013.
basketball The roughest game
for the first for the team this year was
time
on against Mars at home on Dea
varsity cember 13th, 2013. The Vilevel. Dom kings lost, but it made the
Guzzi par- team stronger as a whole.
ticipates To have success this
in his first year, the Vikings will have to
year playing adapt to the strengths and weakhigh school basketball; howev- nesses of each team they face.
er, he has played at the YMCA In order to overcome
since he was a kid. During his these obstacles, the team
high school career he has also works very hard, they put in
played soccer and baseball. two and a half hour practices
Guzzi’s position on daily, working on plays. the court is a forward. Other High school has ofplayers he identified as major fered Guzzi the opportunity
contributors to the Valley’s bas- to play a variety of sports.
ketball team are Caleb Davis, However, he has decided
Michael McNabb and Tyson Hill. to only pursue his favorite
Just like in all sports sport, baseball, in college.
at VHS, the team’s biggest Guzzi will attend Otrival is Burrell HS. However, terbein University in Ohio
Guzzi had been given the in the fall, as a member of
chance to play against his life- the Cardinal Baseball Team.
long best friend, Joey Cox,
Reese Shoots for the Stars
By Michael McNabb, Sports Writer
With five years of basketball team
playing experience, junior guard, Jamé
Reese, is a starter this season on Valley High School’s Girls’ Basketball team.
Her personal focus will be scoring more
points and improving her stats. The goal for the
team is to improve fundamentally and win games!
As a returning starter from last year,
she defines her role as a teacher-teammate.
“I teach them what I know. If I see something wrong, I correct them,” says Reese.
This is a role she shares with returning teammates Kaylyn Iacopino, and LaShay Madison.
The team is working hard to overcome
the obstacles they faced this year. First, the team lost valuable
time waiting for a new coach to be hired. Second, the first year
staff and the players “had to work out some kinks” but, Reese
says, they are “starting to get the wheels moving. We’re adapting to them (coaches), as well as, they’re adapting to us.”
Reese’s message to the students of Valley High School:
“Don’t doubt us. Everyone is working hard and improving.”
AWRCS Racing
By Alex Huffman, Staff Writer
AWRCS Racing is a program of ATV,
UTV, and dirt bike racing. AWRCS stands for
American Woods Racing Championship Series. AWRCS is a program that brings people
together and everyone treats it like a big family.
Quad and UTV races are on Saturdays
and dirt bike races are on Sundays. You are
allowed to camp out at the races if you want
to, that starts Friday you can go and set up
and ends Sunday after the last dirt bike race.
AWRCS is having a banquet on February 22 at the Clarion Hotel in New Kensington, PA. The banquet is for all racers
who participated in the 2013 race season. Also, the first race
of the 2014 season is on Saturday, April 5th in Templeton, PA.
Since it’s the off-season, some riders will park their
quads and will redo them for the next race season. They redo their
quads, so they look good, and mostly so they know their quads
are going to run and function just the way they want them to.
To redo a quad it takes a lot of patience, money, and time.
Two racers are redoing their quads. Thomas Konesky and myself. We
plan on having our quads done by the beginning of March. When they
are all rebuilt we are going to start practicing and making ourselves
better
for
the
next
race
season.
Page 3
Coach’s
Corner
By Vincent DiCarolis,
Sports Writer
Valley alumnus Madalyn Zalewski is the new varsity
swimming coach, and although
this is her first year at Valley,
she has experience in the sport.
Zalewski
has
18
years experience in swimming,
but has only been coaching
for three years. Her former
coaching positions include
Bouquet Park in Springdale,
Valley Points YMCA, and Fox
Chapel Golf Club. Zalewski
commented saying,“The reason I came back to Valley is
for my love of this school. I
wanted to bring the sport I
love back to the school I love.”
Zalewski went on to
say that the team needs more
dedication and needs to show
up for practice more often. She
then said that the former coach
did not enforce this enough
and the only way to solve this
is for the players to “get in the
water.” Zalewski expects star
senior Cody Schrecongost,
who has already been invited
to the WPIAL tournaments,
and some of the other seniors
to help solve this problem.
Zalewski also went on
to comment “There is not one
single team that I can single
out as our biggest opponent.
They are all very talented.”
She then said that the schools
are different from when she
went here saying, “The small
schools are now bigger than
they were before, and the
big schools are even bigger.”
Zalewski does not
expect this season to be an
easy one. It will have its challenges, but as those challenges are taken on, she anticipates it to be a successful one.
Page 4
Sports Around
the World
By Andrew Macura, Staff Writer
Sports are important
throughout the world. They
define cultures and influence
the community. With the
Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics
approaching, let us take a
look at the different sports that
are played all over the world.
In Asia, many different forms of martial arts
are practiced. T’ai Chi originated in China. It is used to
improve one’s health and
as personal defense. It has
spread worldwide, but is still
very infulential in China. Karate is a Japanese martial
art. There are two parts to
karate, one side is strength
and the other sided is grace.
Rugby is a cultural
keystone in Africa. In brief,
rugby is a game played by
two teams of 15 players each
on a rectangular field 110
yards long with goal lines and
goal post at either end. The
object is to run with an oval
ball across the opponent’s
goal line or kick it through
the upper portion of the goal
post with forward passing.
Timeouts are not permitted.
In 1995, South Africa hosted
the Rugby World Cup. Led
by former president, Nelson
Mandela, the country and
continent were able to come
together and end the ‘“apartheid”, or racial segregation.
The Confederation of African Rugby is the governing
body of rugby throughout
Africa. The Confederation
has 37 nations and is responsible for running and
organizing
tournaments
and competitions in Africa.
Football, or soccer, as we know it, was created in England and is played
throughout Europe and the
world. Although many different forms of football were
played in different areas of
the world, the sport was organized and rules were created in Cambridge, England.
The sport of football is governed by FIFA with regional
confederations in each of
the seven continents besides
Antarctica. FIFA and the six
other branches are responsible for regulating and organizing competitions in their
respective region. The major international competition
is the World Cup. It occurs
every four years and will be
held in Rio De Janerio, Brazil in the summer of 2014.
Cricket is known as
the national sport of Australia.
The goal of cricket is for the
bowler , or pitcher , to bowl
the ball down the lane and
break the wicket. A member
of the other team defends the
wicket and acts as a batter. If
the batter gets a hit, he must
attempt to run from his end
of the lane to the other and
back as many times as possible, scoring a point as he
reaches each end. There are
ten outs per inning with most
competitions only having one
inning. In some international
matches there can be two
or three innings causing the
match to last multiple days.
Sports
Scholarships
By Michael McNabb,Sports Writer
A scholarship is a grant or payment
made to support a student’s education, awarded
on the basis of academic or other achievement.
Scholarships vary, but the most broad ones
are; Athletic Scholarships, Academic Scholarships, and Community Service Scholarships.
Many colleges in Western Pennsylvania
give out athletic scholarships to students in the
WPIAL. Division III schools cannot give out athletic
scholarships, but they can give academic scholarships to student-athletes that they would like to play
sports at their schools. Valley High School students
have gotten scholarships in many sports from colleges like Allegheny College, Slippery Rock University,
IUP, St. Vincent College and Edinboro University.
Many of the seniors of 2015 will be
playing fall sports such as baseball, track and
field, and tennis. Some may even be receiving athletic scholarships from the local colleges.
The chart
shows each fall sport
and
scholarships
involved
with
each:
Around the World
Sports Quiz
By Ben Carlisle, Assistant Sports Editor
A. Upshot
B. Cue Ball
C. Bunker
D. Hurdle
E. Nutmeg
F. Freeze
G. Projapoti
H. Touchdown
I. Ignition
J. Libero
K. Berm
L. Bonk
M. Shuttlecock
N. Penalty Box
O. Match Point
P. Homerun
Q. Free throw
R. Hammer-fist
S. Bollard
T. Hospital Pass
Winter Sports Scores
Varsity Wrestling
Date
Opp.
Score
12/10/13
West. Sham.
51-21
12/18/13
Kittanning
30-29
01/08/14
Summit
50-18
01/15/14
Burrell
52-20
01/22/14
Keystone Oaks
54-21
Boys Basketball
Date
Opp.
Score
12/20/13
Kittanning
53-51
12/17/13
12/21/13
01/03/14
01/10/14
01/11/14
@ Freeport
Plum
@Indiana
@ Knoch
Highlands
47-30
45-23
70-41
59-48
52-41
01/17/14
@ Mars
74-47
01/21/14
@ Freeport
65-62
Girls Basketball
Date
12/17/13
Opp.
@ Burrell
Score
67-25
12/28/13
@Highlands
45-43
01/02/14
01/09/14
01/11/14
01/16/14
@ Hampton
@Knoch
Highlands
Mars
61-14
40-39
56-29
65-17
12/19/13
12/27/13
01/20/14
Kittanning
Shady Side
@Freeport
# of Div. 1 Scholar B/G
# of Div. 2 Scholar B/G
Baseball
12/N/A
9/N/A
Tennis
5/9
5/6
Track/Field
13/18
13/13
Athletic scholarships also branch off into
sub-categories. A full ride covers all expenses in
college, including tuition, living expenses, and
other college costs. Most scholarships, though,
are specific and smaller. A full scholarship is
split up into multiple smaller scholarships that
only cover all expenses and aren’t four years.
Ways to earn a scholarship differ, academically and athletically, and these scholarships are very beneficial for finances in the
long run. For more information on scholarships,
visit:https://www.scholarships.com/main.
aspx,http://www.schoolguides.com/types_of_
scholarships.html,http://studentaid.ed.gov/
types/grants-scholarships/finding-scholarships.
Terrorist Threats in Sochi
Most students think they know everything about
sports. Let’s test that theory! Match the term
to the appropriate sport.
Answers on page 2
_______1. Football
_______2. Basketball
_______3. Baseball
_______4. Hockey
_______5. Tennis
_______6. Volleyball
_______7. Soccer
_______8. Golf
_______9. Billiards
_______10. NASCAR
_______11. Snowboarding
_______12. Skiing
_______13. Cricket
_______14. Curling
_______15. Track
_______16. Archery
_______17. Taekwondo
_______18. Rock-Climb
_______19. Rugby
_______20. Badminton
Sport
49-22
51-35
67-51
Varsity Swimming
Date
Opp.
Score
12/19/13
@ Kiski
L
1/02/14
@ Derry
L
01/14/14
Knoch
L
01/16/14
Mt. Pleas.
L
By Ben Carlisle, Assistant Sports Editor
The idea of humanity coming together is
a splendid sight, a great concept mankind has devised. Every four years the countries come together without fighting to enjoy a friendly competition of
sports. The Olympics are defined as being a time
of peace and coming together for every nation.
But with every good thing, there is a bad
counterpart and in the time of peace and harmony are the terrorists who believe that warring
nations is necessary. They believe that because
a person is of different race, ethnic group, or
heritage that you cannot be accepted.
Friday, February 7, 2014 marks
the twenty-second Winter Olympics, a time
where the world comes together to watch athletes from their country compete for medals.
However, terrorists have warned of
attacks and bombings upon the arrival of the
Olympic athletes or during the events. In my
opinion, as soon as the Olympics begin Russian authorities should be on their highest watch.
The Russian government has been
searching the region for potential terrorists. Recently, two women, known as the black widows, have surfaced and have been put on top
of the Russian wanted list. In July a terrorist
group called the Chechen threatened the Russian government, saying they will use “maximum force” to disrupt the games at Sochi.
Recently, Russian troops mounted security sweeps in Dagestan on January 21st
as new Pre-Olympic threats surface. Antiterror security has been established to promote the safety of Russia for the Olympics.
Sochi should be the most secure place
on the entire planet during the Olympics. But the
final question remains to be: Would you still attend
the Olympics as a spectator or athlete? Is your life
worth the glory of your country? Personally, I would
attend the biggest world stage there is and would
put my full effort into making sure the United States
remained the biggest superpower in the world.