January 2013 Issue - the Montrose Area School District

Mete r Chronicle
Produced by the students of the Montrose Area Junior/Senior High School
Volume 29, Issue 2
INSIDE
January 2013
Montrose Area School District
Teachers Who Really Rock
By Meghan Spellman
News and Features Co-Editor
and Arts and Entertainment CoEditor
Turn to Page 12 to see how
the Wizard of Oz play went for
MAHS Drama Club.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LONNIE GRIFFITHS
Turn to Page 8 to see how the
community donated stuffed animals to the families of the Connecticut shooting.
Many high school students
are very passionate about music.
Whether they are involved in
choir, marching band, or a band
outside of school, teenagers are
usually directly connected with
music. However, MASD holds
some musicians that perhaps
you didn’t even know about.
Physical education teacher
Ellen Mulligan and chorus teacher Scott Zimmerman are in a
band, along with Lonnie Griffiths,
called the Lonnie Griffiths Band.
Miss Mulligan plays the drums,
Mr. Zimmerman plays the bass,
and Lonnie plays the guitar and
sings. The band plays at several
gigs every year, including the
Chocolate and Wine Festival, private parties, at the Montrose Inn,
and others. They have also done
gigs like opening for Dana Fuchs
and playing with Ryan Leckey,
a broadcast reporter for WNEP.
Miss Mulligan has been playing the drums since she was 10.
She joined the Lonnie Griffiths
Band about eight years ago.
“Lonnie had a group
and was looking for a drum-
Miss Mulligan (left) plays the drums as Mr. Zimmerman
(right) plays the bass at the Chocolate and Wine Festival .
mer, so he asked me to try out.
After the first night of playing, we all clicked. It was a
good fit,” Miss Mulligan said.
Mr. Zimmerman joined
Miss Mulligan and Lonnie
about four years ago because
he “hadn’t done much gigging
and was looking forward to it.
“I played bass for about a
year in eighth grade, but didn’t
have time to keep up with it,
due to other activities, like band,
choir, swim team, yearbook staff,
scholastic bowl, and academics
during high school,” Mr. Zimmerman said. “About six years
ago, my wife got me a bass for
Christmas after I picked up her
acoustic guitar and started playing
along to the bass lines on Fleetwood Mac’s DVD “The Dance”
while watching it with her.”
The band doesn’t have a
particular style of music, it depends on their audience. The
crowd they are playing for is
really what gauges their music
style. Mostly though, the Lonnie
Griffiths Band plays a combination of classic rock, funk and jazz.
But, according to Miss Mulligan,
they pretty much “play it all.”
Each member of the band
has a different view or personal
favorite part of being in the band.
“I really like that I am able
to have an outlet to express
myself musically. It is also an
See Teachers Page 2
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Dates to Remember
..................................
No School- Martin Luther
King Day
January 21
No School-Presidents Day
February 18
Junior High and Senior High
Band Concert
March 1
Class of 2014 Fun Fair
March 8
Scholastic Bowl Team Still Going Strong
By Courtney Kimmel
Editor in Chief
Despite losing three fourths
of their starting line-up, the
MAHS scholastic bowl team is
going strong. The four graduating
seniors were succeeded by new
members, some with previous
experience on the team and others who are playing for the first
time. Seniors Jacob Kerbaugh,
Courtney Kimmell, David Koloski, Alex Woodward, and Adam
Wurth comprise the main team.
Their season began as
usual with the WVIA Scholastic Scrimmage. While the results cannot be published until
the footage of the competition
airs in spring, one could ask
any student currently attend-
ing MAHS and learn the results.
Following the WVIA Scholastic Scrimmage is the NEIU
Scholastic Bowl. In this competition, teams that had previously
participated in the Scrimmage
faced each other once again.
This tournament differs significantly from others the team attends. In most competitions the
team attends, toss-up questions
are asked and any individual
member from either team may
answer, and a correct question
earns the team a bonus question.
In the NEIU Scholastic Bowl,
three teams compete at once but a
question is directed towards only
one team at a time, and there is
an opportunity for the other two
teams to earn bonus points if the
first team answers incorrectly.
This format has traditionally
been challenging for the team.
“That format does not favor us. We do better in the
buzzer competitions. I’m not
sure if it’s the pressure or something else,” scholastic bowl
club advisor John Koloski said.
The team played two initial games, but was not able
to advance to the semifinals.
With David Koloski the
only remaining scholastic bowl
participant who saw significant
game play last year, the team
has had to start from scratch.
Seniors Sean Regan and Courtney Kimmell played in a single
match last year and seniors Jacob
Kerbaugh, Alex Woodward and
Adam Wurth had never competed before joining the team.
For Adam Wurth especially there
was little time to adjust and learn
the ropes. While most new members learn the basics at a small,
low pressure event, Adam began
his scholastic bowl career at the
televised WVIA Scrimmage.
The team will be participating in The WATS/WAVR Radio
Tournament and the Mountain
View Tournament this January.
The WATS/WAVR tournament
will be a live radio event featuring competition between
teams from schools from as far
away as New York. Expectations are high for that event.
“We are the defending champions. We have to take the trophy back with us because it’s a
traveling trophy. We have to defend our win,” Mr. Koloski said.
JANUARY 2013
PAGE 2
(Teachers continued from page 1)
drummer,” Miss Mulligan said.
Mr. Zimmerman, being a
chorus teacher, is a little more expected to be involved in musical
activities outside of school. But,
students still are taken by surprise
to hear he is in a band.
“The students who have me
in class or don’t know me at all
tend to be a bit surprised, wondering, ‘he doesn’t just do chorus?’” Mr. Zimmerman said.
At a first glance, Montrose
Area has a chorus, band, and student bands, typically what you
would expect of a high school.
But with a little bit of exploring
and word of mouth, bands like
the Lonnie Griffiths Band can
be discovered, and can show different sides of the teachers at the
school. Both Miss Mulligan and
Mr. Zimmerman share the unique
characteristic of breaking the typical status quo of student bands,
marching to the beat of their own
drum, and perhaps to their very
own band.
.............................................................................................
Opera-tunity of a Lifetime
By Angela Russell
Elementary Co-Editor
M.SPELLMAN/METEOR CHRONICLE
Spot lights, dancers and
professional singers are all the
pieces that bring the Tri- City’s
opera in Binghamton together.
“Being able to be around the
dancers and singers during the
production of the show was my
favorite
part,”
eighth
grader
Kyra Ricci said.
With Kyra
auditioning for
the part in the
children’s choir
and
receiving
the part, she
was practicing
two, three, and
on occasion four
times a week.
Practices
were located at
the Forum and
the Opera House
where Kyra was practicing and
rehearsing for her part in the show
La Boheme. The show was put on
in October after a lot of rehearsing.
“Lots of singers and dancers were always around me and
I met lots of people while being in the show,” Kyra said.
With the Opera House
performing two more shows,
there is still a question if one
of the shows will have a part
for Kyra to participate in.
“Being in the opera production helped a lot and gave me
more experience with being Glinda the good witch in the school
play the Wizard of Oz,” Kyra said.
It’s not a flash mob, but Kyra
was part of a flash mop-era. The
flash mop-era consisted of the
cast of the opera going to a local
restaurant where they sat down at
tables with a piano in the room to
play. When
the
pianists started
playing, the
cast started
singing
one of the
songs that
was going
to be in the
opera. This
was
just
one of the
ways that
the
crew
found very
effective
to advertise for the event.
Although Kyra played Glinda the good witch in the high
school play, dressed in a big
pink dress, a tiara, and a sparkly wand, this was very different to the role that Kyra played
in the show La Boheme, a boy.
“Yes I was a boy, but not
having all of the sparkles and
glamour of that in the wizard of
Oz was nice to be able to dress
down for a change,” Kyra said.
Operas,
school
plays
and juggling school work are
just a few of the many things
that Kyra is involved in.
Junior High Students Play a Key Role in
the Drama Club’s Wizard of Oz
By Maddy Pasteka
News and Features Co-Editor
“Quite a bit of time and work
As most people know, the
was put into set and costume
students at MAHS recently put
making,” Bethany said.
on a musical, The Wizard of Oz.
All the shows costumes and
One fact many people don’t know
sets were hand built by
though is that many
the cast and crew.
of the students in“It was pretty hard
volved were junior
work. We actually starthigh students. Seved working on the set in
enth and eighth grade
July,” Kyra said.
students played roles
When it was time for
as Munchkins, Lullaroles to be cast before the
by League and other
play started, Kyra didn’t
various small roles.
want the role of Glinda.
One of these out“Originally I didn’t
standing
students
want to play Glinda, but I
even landed one of
ended up really enjoying
the big roles as Glinthe part,” Kyra said.
da, the good witch
Many of the junior
of the east. Eighth
high cast involved really
grader Kyra Ricci
enjoyed the experience
took the honor of
and hope to be in more
playing the part.
plays again.
“It was a real
High Students play parts in the Lullaby League
“I really wanted to join
honor to be in junior Junior
and Lollipop Guild in the Wizard of Oz.
the play because at my
high and get such a big
Montrose Players Club by particiother schools they did a
role in the play,” Kyra
pating in The Wizard of Oz.
lot of plays and I was nervous to
said.
“It was really cool to be a part try out, but it was really fun and
While Kyra casted into the
play as one of the big roles, oth- of the cast, and it gave me experi- inspired me to audition for more
plays,” Katelyn said.
er students were just as happy ence,” Katelyn said.
While playing a Munchkin
With this play a success, the
to consume smaller roles, such
as Munchkins. Seventh graders was one thing these girls got out junior high students at MAHS
Bethany Wayman and Katelyn of the play, set building and cos- hope many more plays come
their way in the future.
Henry got their first dose of the tume making was another.
M.FREETHY/METEOR CHRONICLE
amazing experience to collaborate with other musicians. It provides great stress relief too,” Miss
Mulligan said. “One of the great
advantages of being a local band
is being able to give back to the
community, like the library and
local businesses.”
“The advantages of being in
this band are that it is fun, and
helps me to keep my chops up on
the bass. I also enjoy seeing people have a good time while we’re
playing,” Mr. Zimmerman said.
When students hear about the
fact that two of our teachers are
in a band, reactions vary. But, being in a band is a great way for
students and these teachers to
connect. Music is a passion that
almost anyone can have, and anyone can connect with someone
through music on every level.
This can be a strong connection,
especially for teenagers.
“When students hear that
I’m in a band, they are pretty surprised. They think it’s pretty cool
though when they find out I’m a
METEOR CHRONICLE
..............................................................................................................................................
MAHS Holds First Annual Buddy
Walk
By Maddy Pasteka
News and Features Co-Editor
The Montrose Area Junior/
Senior High School held its first
annual Buddy Walk on October
25 to help benefit the National
Downs Syndrome Society as well
as its very own life skills students.
“For the first year I thought
the turnout was very good; there
was about 300 students involved,”
Principal Jim Tallarico said.
The event helped raise over
1,000 dollars to divide between
the National Downs Syndrome
Society and our very own life
skills students, two of which are
affected by Downs Syndrome.
The money raised for the life
skills classroom is used by the
students to take field trips around
the community and area places.
Every Thursday the students
get together and decide where
they’d like to go. Whether it’s
Sam’s Club or a coal mine tour,
every week is a new adventure.
“The money raised goes into
the classroom and helps with different community activities. We
take a field trip every week. It was
five dollars to register for the walk
which helps the National Downs
Syndrome Society and our students Gregory and Desiree,” life
skills teacher Dave Shank said.
“My favorite part was walking; it made me really happy,” life
skills student Gregory Kerner said.
Gregory is one of the two
students in the class affected
by Downs Syndrome, and he
very much enjoyed a day outside walking with friends and
classmates to support his cause.
Another big hit at the walk
besides, well, walking, was senior
Kayla O’Brien’s concession stand.
Kayla sold all healthy snacks
while students had fun walking and supporting our school.
“A lot of people showed up,
and I sold fruit snacks, water and
all healthy snacks,” Kayla said.
Along with running the stand
at the walk, Kayla also manages
her own “store” right in the life
skills classroom selling healthy
food and snack items to MAHS
students. The store is even complete with a working cash register!
“The walk was an important
event to our school because it
helps our kids to always remember that there are kids with great
challenges in our school and
we must always help and support them,” Mr. Tallarico said.
The school hopes to participate in the fundraiser next
year and keep the tradition going to help benefit the life
skills students and the National Downs Syndrome Society.
METEOR CHRONICLE
JANUARY 2013
Principal’s Perspective
Remembering Doc Golden
Our district recently suffered
a very big loss with the passing of
Dr. Don “Doc” Golden. Dr. Golden was the Director of Special
Education for the Montrose Area
School District. This has left a
tremendous void in our district,
most especially the countless students that Doc helped educate in
all three of our schools.
I miss him forever moving
through our halls on his way to
so many meetings. Doc Golden's
signature, without question, was
the stacks and stacks of folders
and papers he carried with him to
each and every meeting. Doc was
a friendly fixture in the halls and
always ready to tell a story ( usually about the Pittsburgh Pirates
or a local high school sports team
) or to give an update on one of
his kids. For they were, his kids.
In education we, as teachers, hope that we will in some
way have an impact on each of
our students. Doc Golden had a
profound impact on each and every one of his kids. I have been
in this business for a very long
time and I don't know if I have
ever worked with anyone who
cared more about his students. He
worried dearly about his students’
progress and their success both in
and out of the classroom. He was
kind, compassionate and trusting.
All of his students and their families are truly blessed to have had
him in their educational lives.
Doc came to work each day
with one goal and that was to
make sure every one of his students were given the opportunity
to succeed. He will be forever
remembered for his tireless work
and dedication to his profession.
It was an honor to have been his
colleague and friend. We will
miss you Doc!
Have a Merry Christmas and
Good New Year!
Mr. Tallarico
...............................................................................................................................
Life
As We Know It...
“Life As We Know It” is a year-long series devoted to informing teens and the community
about some of the issues teens face.
By Courtney Kimmel
Editor and Chief
Many students can claim that
they have experienced juvenile
taunts such as “shrimp,” “fatty”
or “bean pole.” While this sort of
behavior seems something that
would be out grown along with
notion that girls have cooties,
it persists in some individuals,
throughout adulthood, as sizeism.
Sizeism is discrimination
against an individual because of
their physical appearance, most
commonly associated with weight
but it can also be because of height.
Sizeism can take many different forms. The most visible
form would be insults and taunting, but stereotypes associated
with various body types can be
just as harmful. There are those
who believe obese individuals
are just lazy and lack will power
or that thin individuals are health
nuts or anorexic. Males can be
discriminated against if they are
viewed as too large or not large
enough; the former condition
leading to some of the labels
Teacher of the Issue:
Mrs. Miller
PAGE 3
By Ashlea Wilson
Staff Reporter
There’s no better way for a
teacher to find out that they are
being noticed than to be crowned
teacher of the issue. At least,
that’s what algebra teacher Janeen
Miller said when
she found out
she was teacher
of the issue.
“I feel flattered and honored,”
Mrs.
Miller
said.
Since Mrs.
Miller was very
good at math
in high school,
she had always
wanted to be a
math
teacher,
and she was able
to achieve that goal
once she earned
her Mathematics Secondary
Education degree at the University of Scranton. Other degrees
she has is a Master’s degree
in 21st Century Teaching and
Learning from Wilkes University and a Bachelors of Science.
Having worked hard for 19
years, Mrs. Miller is very excited for getting this title. Being
teacher of the issue can be easy
to achieve when you are teaching a subject you know, love
and were good at in high school.
Freshmen
and
sophomores
are easy to teach because Mrs.
Miller believes they are willing to learn and are fun to teach.
“She always comes to class
with a plan. She
always does problems on the board
if you have any issues,” sophomore
Joe Vaccaro said.
Mrs.
Miller
makes the students
feel
welcomed.
“I like teaching because I
want to share
my
knowledge
with the younger
generation,”
Mrs. Miller said.
Being teacher
of the issue means
that a teacher is not only recognized, but they get a little spot in
the newspaper. Mrs. Miller does
believe she deserves this title,
thanks to her hard work with
students and helping them to
understand what she’s teaching.
Other students believe so, too.
“Her
smile
everyday
[makes her stand out].She’s always in a good mood and happy
and ready to teach us something new. “[She’s] amazing,”
freshman Bently Shmidt said.
....................................................................................
“Sizeism” is the New Sexism
listed above, the later leading to
beliefs that they are weak or feminine. Those stereotypes benefit no
one and just allow an individual
to be judged on appearance alone.
A Montrose Area High
School student claims that she
has been a victim of this type of
sizeism. Sue* says she has encountered everything from snide
comments to snap judgments.
“You’re
judged
more
harshly
when
someone
first meets you,” Sue said.
These stereotypes can be
about height also. Just because an
individual is tall does not mean
they are a great basketball player
or have any interest in the sport.
These sorts of assumptions and
abuses directed towards tall individuals have been encountered
by students at MAHS. Petunia*,
a high school senior, says she has
experienced sizeism first hand.
“My
nickname
is
‘Too Tall’,” Petunia said.
Sizeism can also occur when
an individual receives discrimination because of their physical size.
This is most often encountered
when a qualified person is denied
a job because the employer does
not like their physical size or associates various derogatory stereotypes with it. Sizeist discrimination can also come from those
that feel an individual who has
proven themselves capable in the
past cannot do their job because
of their size. An example of this
would be Jennifer Livingston, a
morning news anchor from a local
station in Wisconsin who made
headlines recently for defending
herself against a letter written by
a viewer regarding her weight.
Sizeism can be unintentional.
When a door frame is too low so
a tall individual has to duck entering a room or a seat is too small to
comfortably seat a large person,
this is unintentional sizeism. This
can be deadly if medical equipment cannot be adapted to suit the
needs of a larger or smaller person.
Living in a world that does not
make accommodations for individuals’ needs can be challenging.
One of the most harmful
manifestations of sizeism would
be physical abuse and bullying. Most often encountered in
a school setting, a student may
be beaten and abused for no reason other than their physical size
differs from that of their peers.
As one can imagine, sizeism
can have serious consequences.
It can lead to poor body image and self-esteem, cause eating disorders, depression, and
suicidal thoughts. Sometimes
these criticisms and stereotypes
can become internalized by the
victim, causing them to isolate
themselves and blame themselves for the cruelty of others.
For those who are suffering
from sizeism, it may seem like
the only thing they can change
is their own body but that is not
true. If one is experiencing this
type of discrimination, talk-
ing to a parent, close friend or a
teacher can help one address the
issue and find comfort. Increased
self-esteem and self-acceptance
can go a long way towards countering the harmful comments.
The best way to reduce
sizeism seems to be increasing awareness of how harmful
it is. Calling someone a ‘smelly
whale’ seems to be more socially acceptable than telling a female she should ‘get back in the
kitchen,’ but both comments are
unacceptable and spread harmful
stereotypes. Compassion and a
change in attitudes towards those
who are different than yourself
can make significant changes.
Those who are treated differently because of
their physical size are not so
sure any changes can occur.
“I think it’s just a mindset; you
can’t change that,” Petunia said..
*
Names
have
been
changed
for
privacy.
PAGE 4
METEOR CHRONICLE
JANUARY 2013
Education in the ‘Real World’
By Maria Ingaglio
Opinion co-editor
On October 9, Malala
Yousafzai, a fifteen-year-old girl
from the Swat Valley of Pakistan, was shot twice by a Taliban gunman while on her way
to school. News reports stated
that Yousafzai had been a target
on the Taliban’s hit list for years
because she publicly supported
girls’ rights to education. Taliban
officials say that she deserved to
die; however, I say that someone as courageous, acquisitive
and daring as she deserves to
live in a better, more just world.
What strikes me the most
about Yousafzai’s story is the fact
that the voice of a single person
can make a profound difference
on the world. Instead of living everyday of her life in tremendous
fear, Yousafzai chose to speak
out not only for herself, but for
the rights of all girls and women
in her country. Now, in the aftermath of her attack, political leaders and celebrities led by former
British Prime Minister Gordon
Brown are rallying together to
create a petition entitled “I am
Malala.” The petition supports
better educational opportunities
for girls in Pakistan, and will be
presented to the United Nations
and Pakistan. Nations such as
India and Afghanistan are also
pledging to support Yousafzai.
We are incredibly lucky to
receive an unparalleled academic
experience here within the United
States. None of us face the possibility that our school might be
shut down at a moment’s notice
by terrorists; none of us are denied access to education and
books because of our genders;
none of us might encounter gunmen seeking to harm us as we
ride the bus to school. We all
should be profoundly grateful that
we are not among the 61 million
children, especially girls, who
do not have access to education.
Most girls in the developing
world are not shot on a school
bus. Yet they continue to face
high barriers that keep them from
school and make education an
uphill struggle. Women still comprise two thirds of the world's
illiterate. But over the last few
decades, research has shown that
girls and their families accrue
significant benefits when they
are educated. Just one extra year
of schooling beyond the average
boosts a girl's eventual wages
by 10 percent to 20 percent, and
women who are educated are
more likely to have healthy children. Low- and middle-income
countries where women are under-educated compared with men
pay a significant price: about $92
billion a year in economic loss,
according to Plan International.
Education is liberating. If
a generation of Pakistani girls
were educated, perhaps they
might grow up to challenge the
Taliban. I implore the school
community to find ways to extend our aid to girls beyond our
borders and into the global community. We will need to do more
than merely collect funds to build
new schools in Pakistan; unfortunately, history has proven that
buildings are all too easy to destroy. We must raise awareness
of Malala’s story within our own
community and endeavor to solve
the educational and social issues
these girls face in their lives, if
there is to be any hope of change.
Yousafzai survived the attack
and is expected to recover as she
receives treatment at a hospital in London. No one will ever
be able to take back the evil that
the Taliban has done to Malala
Yousafzai. If we support her and
help spread what she so passionately believed in to Pakistan and to
other countries, then perhaps we
may do something far more powerful than the Taliban ever could.
MAHS Students Speak Out
Poll: Do you believe education is a
right or a privilege?
*Roughly 150 students participated in this poll.
Meteor Chronicle
What do you think?
Montrose Area Junior/Senior High School
Editor in chief............................ Courtney Kimmell
News/Features editors................ Meghan Spellman
Callie Curley
Maddy Pasteka
The Chronicle is a student publication researched, written and
Opinion editors...........................Callie Curley
produced by members of the staff named here and printed by
Maria Ingaglio
Lindsay Darrow
the Mulligan Printing Corporation. All unsigned editori-
Arts & Entertainment editors....Meghan Spellman
Samanntha Poole
Elementary editors......................Erica Reeves
Angela Russell
als within this publication were written to reflect solely the
opinion of the entire newspaper staff. Letters to the editor
are welcomed and will be published as space allows but must
be signed and include contact information. Names will be
Junior high editor........................Kayleah Trecoske
withheld upon request. The Chronicle reserves the right to
edit letters for grammar and clarity, and all letters are subject
Tatiana Sangadzhieva
Ashlea Wilson
Sports editor............ ..................Nicki Lewis
Meghan Gilhool
Editorial cartoonist.....................Frank Fruehan
to laws governing obscenity, libel, privacy, and disruption of
the school process as are all contents of the newspaper. The
Chronicle’s editorial policy is available upon request.
Staff
Briana Johnson, Taylor Teed, Katelyn Breslin, Laura Brink, Holly
Andre, Morgan Updyke, Michaela Pike, Taylor Boswith, Samantha
Santora, Dan Zapolski
75 Meteor Way Montrose, PA 18801
Letters to the editor are
always welcome!
[email protected]
(570) 278-3731
“I believe education from K-12
is a right and college is a privilege.”
“It’s being treated as a privilege,
but it needs to be a right.”
“A right..especially with the taxes we pay.”
“Its a fair, inclusive privilege.”
“It would be a privilege if it was
handed to us. We pay to earn our
education, so it’s a right.”
METEOR CHRONICLE
PAGE 5
JANUARY 2013
HE SAID
She Said
Students explore life’s issues through the eyes of the opposite gender.
How does gender affect a person’s
role in modern society?
By Sean Regan
MAHS Senior
Gender roles, like most
things in this world, are unbalanced. There is always one
side favored for every situation. The world views women
on a lesser level, that men are
superior in almost every way. I
for one, disagree entirely. Men
think that they are stronger and
more intelligent than women.
They believe we are meant to
be kept in the kitchen ‘where we
belong.’ I say no more, that all
these blasphemous ideas must be
eradicated from modern society.
Anyone who thinks that
women aren’t important should
get taught a lesson. First off, we
are the ones who birth the babies
of the world; therefore, we directly create the future of the entire
planet. We also make up more
than 50 percent of the population
in America, so since we live in a
democracy, our vote is extremely
important! Our importance is just
as significant, if not more important than the men of the world.
Our capacity for intelligence
is just as good as any male’s.
We attend higher education in
waves more than men today. We
have the education and the intel-
ligence, but get paid less for what
we were taught to do. This topic
is inexplicably wrongful, because
we are just as entitled to the same
pay due to the fact we were taught
the same skills, and have retained
such information just as well as
males. We should have the same
pay as males, and have equal
opportunities to obtain any job
that we are entitled to achieve.
Any male who believes women are not strong or cannot be
strong should ask the Women’s
National Soccer Team. They are
the #1 team on the planet and do
not lose very often. They won
the Gold at the Olympics this
previous summer. Their speed,
strength, teamwork and dedication win them their games. Another example of greatness from
women is our superior Gymnast
team. Their work ethic and spirit
simply cannot be compared to.
They also won the Gold Medal,
and they certainly deserved it.
Also, at the Olympics, our women’s beach volleyball teams were
in the finals. Yes, the finals of
the Olympics had TWO American teams in it. So, where were
the ‘strong’ men? They were nowhere to be found, at least, in the
finals, that is. These three cases
show that American women are
dominating forces in the entire
world and they are nearly unstoppable, so who’s to say we can’t
do anything worthwhile as far
as strength and athleticism goes?
Another topic that deems importance: the sandwich ‘jokes.’
No, they are not jokes; they are
slanderous to every single woman
who hears it. Yes, we may be able
to cook, but that’d be because
we are not lazy like the average
male. So just because we can
make a sandwich, it doesn’t mean
we should have to listen to your
demands for nourishment and act
them out. Men, I say go get your
own darn sandwich. I will guarantee it won’t taste as nearly as good.
By Alex Woodward
MAHS Senior
Montrose
Area
students
look at
gender
roles
through
each
other’s
eyes.
Gender roles are assigned for
a reason. Men have usually been
the breadwinner and protector while a woman’s duty as the
weaker sex is to cook, clean and
take care of the children. Most
people, in my opinion, are quite
happy with the paths assigned to
them. Feminists, however, are not
complacent with their statuses as
homemakers. Women should be
grateful that they are treated as
well as they are. As men, we have
to keep up the appearance of being
masculine. Were a man to show
any signs of weakness, it would
immediately be attacked. Women,
on the other hand, are taken care
of and can show whatever emotions they please even though a
happy woman is more attractive.
When it comes to attractiveness,
women look better physically
when in their proper role. To me,
they are better when femininely
dressed. The trend of runway
models looking like prepubescent
boys is not appealing to most men
that I know. I think that I am most
appealing to women when dressed
in jeans. I do not think about my
appearance much when I am interested in a woman. I think
that as long as I am confident, I
can attract any lady that I want.
Men are physically
stronger than women; there is no
denying this fact. Another thing
that I believe that I, as a man, am
better at is overall comprehension
of mathematics and the sciences.
I accept this as a truth due to the
fact that women tend to do worse
than men in the math and science
fields. Women rarely go onto
a math or science-based career
path. They tend to do better in
nurturing roles such as teaching
or childcare. These careers also
allow for more time off which is
good for most women. Women
are unable to cope with long hours
of work. Emotionally speaking,
men are stronger. Whether this is
due to genetics or how each gender is raised is unknown to me.
Women are better at
multitasking. Taking care of
children, finding food and cleaning over the centuries have enlarged the corpus callosum in
women. This allows the two
hemispheres of the brain to
communicate more effectively.
While this skill is beneficial, it is
not necessary to succeed in life.
In a working environment, men earn more money
annually than women. Men are
more capable of handling stress
and have a more commanding presence than most women.
Over time, women can indeed
go up the career ladder, but it is
more difficult. They are expected
to be submissive which sets a
precedence of being underappreciated. Although it is unfair,
I would not change it because
currently men have the upper
hand in most work environments. Were women to receive
fair wages and be treated equally
in work, it would be considered
a threat to me and other men.
Gender Roles continued on
page 6
METEOR CHRONICLE
JANUARY 2013
PAGE 6
Main Editorial: An Epidemic Affecting Us All
There’s an epidemic fac- small, red ‘1’ on your priing today’s youth. It has vate message inbox. You
the power to demolish, feel a flutter in your stomcorrode, debilitate, and de- ach. Is it Mike, that boy
stroy. Much like gangrene from third period Spanish?
left untreated, it spreads Maybe he’s finally matched
quickly and has the un- your face with the name you
nerving ability to overturn were given on the first day
anything and everything in to ‘enrich your cultural exits path. You won’t see it perience.’ However sadly,
on the six o’clock news or this is no time for budding
featured in the New York romance. The message isn’t
Times, but believe it or not, from Mike, but from your
you are probably more fa- best friend’s brother’s cousmiliar with this than with in’s sister who you haven’t
your own daily schedule. seen since the homecoming
Some will say it’s harmless, dance of last year. She has
while those affected call it a bit of a reputation at her
poison. One thing to be sure own school for being less
of is that there is no escap- than honest with her ‘flavor
ing it. For those found in of the month,’ but strangely
the path of this destructive enough, this fact slips to the
agent, humiliation, howev- back of your mind as you
er unfounded, is a most cer- read the message on the
tain and disparaging fate. screen in front of you.
The evil I’m referring to is
“Erin’s mom found
none other than gossip.
text messages between her
Picture this: it’s around and Mr. Jackson, the Eng8:30 on Sunday night and lish teacher at West High?
you decide to log into They’re running off to get
Facebook to get caught up married after graduation?
on all the big news of the Oh, I just knew she couldn’t
weekend. There, almost be going all the way over
lost between the picture of there for ‘extra help’!” And
what that kid who starred with one quick click of the
in last year’s play had for forward button, you’ve
lunch, your mother post- sealed the fate of your classing about how her kids do mate and teacher without so
nothing around the house, much as a second thought.
and the vague and mildly
It doesn’t end when you
worrisome quote posted by shut down the computer.
a junior high girl about how Let’s fast forward to the
hard it is to be in love is a week after you decide to
.............................................................................................
tell not the superintendent
or the principal about what
you heard, but the kids at the
table next to you in the cafeteria. Who wouldn’t want
to be the one in the know
about something as juicy as
this? It seemed like the right
thing to do at the time, but
things spread quickly until
they were out of your control. Now, rumor has it that
Mr. Jackson will be asked
to resign in the spring and
Erin’s family, humiliated by
the lies, have moved out of
state for a fresh start.
This habit isn’t one that
only applies to students.
Adults too are guilty of disassociating things done and
said on social media sites
such as Facebook, Twitter,
and the archaic Myspace
with the person they consider themselves to be in ‘real
life.’ Because there is no immediate accountability for
the things we post online, it
is sometimes not until much
later that we recognize the
severity of our words and
actions. Studies from several recent national surveys
show that almost 30 percent
of teens in the United States
(that’s about 5.7 million)
are estimated to be involved
er
port
e
R
g
n
i
v
Ro
“I learned to be a better
leader and to treat
everyone fairly.”
Brett Shelp
11th Grade
“Live life to the fullest.”
Brianna Thompson
11th Grade
in school bullying as either
a bully, a target of teen bullying, or both. This number
includes those who spread
gossip and other hateful
rumors like the completely
fallacious one you’ve just
read and forwarded to everyone on your friends list.
Long story short, rumors
ruin lives. Teen bullying can
lead those targeted to feel
tense, anxious,and afraid. It
can affect concentration in
school, and sometimes lead
to the avoidance of school
altogether. If teen bullying
continues for any extended
period of time, it can begin
to affect teens' self-esteem
and feeling of self-worth, as
well as increase their social
isolation, leading them to
become withdrawn and depressed, anxious and insecure. In extreme cases, bullying can be devastating for
teens and carry with it longterm consequences. Some
teens feel compelled to take
drastic measures, such as
carrying weapons for protection or seeking violent
revenge on their attackers.
Others, in desperation, even
consider suicide. Researchers have found that years
later, long after the bully-
ing has stopped, adults who
were bullied as teens have
higher levels of depression
and poorer self-esteem than
other adults and are four
times more likely than nonbullies to be convicted of
crimes by age 24, with 60
percent of bullies having at
least one criminal conviction by that age.
(Gender Roles continued
from page 5)
Many people are content with
their roles in life because it is
easy. When people are forced
to accept new ideas or do new
things, they are often scared.
Gender roles are there because
that is how each gender stereotypically acts. Men are stronger
physically, emotionally and are
more successful in a workplace
environment. Women, while being able to multitask well, are
weaker physically and sometimes emotionally. They require
protecting and enjoy being protected. While some people have
trouble accepting them, gender
roles are in place because of just
that; they are roles that people
unconsciously decide to stick to.
When forced to accept new
ideas or do new things, they are
often scared. Therefore, we all
must just stick to what we know
and keep the roles in place.
.................................................................................
“ALWAYS be brutally
honest.”
Ceara Hartman
12th Grade
What is one thing
you learned in
2012?
“When you think you’re in
a bad situation, it can always
go downhill from there.”
Kosta Konstas
10th Grade
JANUARY 2013
METEOR CHRONICLE
PAGE 7
Teacher of the Issue: Mrs.
Blaney
By Kayleah Trecoske
Junior High co-editor
For most students it’s an alien
experience to see their teachers
outside of school at the grocery
store or a public gathering of
any sort. Imagine then, seeing
your teacher at a concert, rocking out to The Zac Brown Band
or Taylor Swift. Then, imagine
what runs through a student’s
mind when they’re at a concert
with anywhere between 10,000
and 30,000 crazy screaming fans
all singing the songs and dancing and having a great time and
they see a teacher. Anyone who
has ever had Choconut Valley’s
first grade teacher Mrs. Blaney
as a teacher knows she is notorious for being seen at concerts,
upon concerts, near and far.
Through telling stories, bringing in pictures and memorabilia,
Mrs. Blaney involves her students in a passion of hers that
she is involved with outside of
the classroom. Along with being backstage, meeting the band
members and traveling crazy
places with her husband to hear
and see her favorite singers, Mrs.
Blaney has also won numerous
contests through concerts, earning her too many things to mention them all. [To name a few,
she has received a guitar signed
by The Band Perry and a Bison leather guitar strap by Zac
Brown’s personal strap maker.]
“I have too many autographs
to list them. I also have many
picks and drum sticks from the
artists too,” Mrs. Blaney said.
Her attempts at winning
aren’t just limited to personal
prizes though. At the beginning of the school year, Mrs.
Blaney entered a contest to
get Taylor Swift to perform a
concert for the Montrose Area
School District. Through posting on Facebook and telling
close friends, Mrs. Blaney tried
to get the word around to get
members of the community
to vote for MASD to win. Although this was an unsuccess-
ful attempt, this isn’t the only
contest she has entered and she
plans on entering many more.
“I enter every contest I
see! I have won many con-
point in the next two years.
The camp will be a place
for children of diverse abilities, socio-economic backgrounds, races, and religions
Photo courtesy of J. Blaney
Mrs. Blaney with her autographed guitar.
Photo courtesy of J. Blaney
Mr. and Mrs. Blaney having photo taken with Trace Adkins.
cert tickets, had multiple meet
and greet opportunities, and
even received an autographed
guitar,” Mrs. Blaney said.
The objects Mrs. Blaney has
come across may be a great memory for her, but nothing compares to the bond she has created
with a group of Zac Brown Band
loving members know as her
“Zamily.” Through her “Zamily,” she has created friendships
and bonds that are irreplaceable.
“The Zac Brown Fan Club
is an amazing group of people.
They call themselves the “Zamily” and we have Zamily
gatherings before each show to
raise money for Camp Southern Ground,” Mrs. Blaney said.
CSG is a camp that Zac
Brown is going to open in Fayette County, Georgia at some
to come together to learn life
skills and encourage personal
growth in a positive, healthy
and organic environment.
“You can learn more about
the camp at www.campsouthernground.org and if
you would like to donate to
the camp you can text CSG
to 50555,” Mrs. Blaney said.
She continued by saying,
“We also save our loose change
in “dream jars” to donate to the
camp. The camp has always
been a dream of Zac Brown’s,
and the idea of the jar is to save
money for our own dreams, but
most of the time the jar of money just gets donated to CSG.”
Mrs Blaney also plans to
place some jars around town
so that anyone who would
like to contribute can do so.
It is easy to see Mrs. Blaney
supports the Zac Brown Band
and her Zamily quite a bit. She
says that any Zac Brown concert
with the other Southern Ground
label artist opening is fantastic, in her opinion. Zac, from
the Zac Brown Band has his
own label and the artists travel
around with him as the opening act or acts. They include
Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan, Levi
Lowrey, Blackberry Smoke,
The Wood Brothers, and The
Wheeler Boys, who are all other
singers and bands she enjoys.
“In October I was able to attend the SGMFF in Charleston,
SC where I again helped to raise
money for CSG. The organizers
sent home a big bag full of pins,
tattoos, and other treasures for
my students,” Mrs. Blaney said.
Surprisingly enough South
Carolina wasn’t the furthest
Mrs. Blaney has even traveled.
“We have traveled to Cheyenne, Wyoming to Frontier
Days to attend shows, which
is the furthest I think we have
gone to date,” Mrs. Blaney said.
Distance
has
nothing to do with crazy experiences though! Mrs. Blaney
said the craziest travel they
did was an unplanned one.
“My husband called me
at alumni band practice telling me that I needed to come
home because he had just purchased tickets to attend the
Nashville Rising benefit con-
cert the following day in Nashville, TN,” Mrs. Blaney said.
She said they left that
night and drove 15 hours
straight to attend the show.
“It was an incredible show
featuring many country stars and
all proceeds went to the flood
victims,” Mrs. Blaney added.
Then after it was all over, they
slept for two hours and headed
back the other way all 15 hours
until they had reached home.
Sometimes it’s hard to think
about or assume teachers may
do things or appreciate hobbies
similar to their students when
they’re making rules and handing
out homework, but Mrs. Blaney
is a perfect example of a teacher
with a passion outside of school
that she is not afraid to share
with her first grade students.
“I love to hear the kids sing
the songs with the artists. We
even made a music video for
“No Hurry” when ZBB had
a contest,” Mrs. Blaney said.
So not only do the kids
love to hear about the concerts
she has attended but they also
often listen to country music in
the classroom, listen to the song
“Chicken Fried” by the Zac
Brown Band on the days they
eat chicken nuggets for lunch,
and have an active role in the
contest she takes place in. It’s
safe to say that by doing this
Mrs. Blaney has shared a big
part of her life with her students.
PAGE 8
METEOR CHRONICLE
JANUARY 2013
Buck Fever
Teddy Bears Help
Console Connecticut
By Kayleah Trecoske
Junior High co-editor
It’s safe to say that, for most,
Black Friday is not the only postThanksgiving outing that people
look forward to in northeastern
Pennsylvania. On Monday, November 26, students at Montrose
Area do not have to be in the
classroom bright and early to
learn something. Instead many
feel a day in the woods can teach
them just as well. This isn’t a
new concept for members in the
Montrose community though. For
years students, along with teachers, are shimming into their camouflage attire, slipping on an orange hat and heading for the great
outdoors from before sun up all
the way until the sun goes down,
hopefully with a deer or two as a
product of a hard day’s work. A
newer concept for many students
of Montrose though is the Mentored Youth Hunting Program.
It was in 2006, that the Pennsylvania Game Commission
launched the Mentored Youth
Hunting Program. The objective
behind this program is to create
expanded youth hunting opportunities while maintaining safety
in the woods. This gives younger
students, even at the elementary
level, a more active role in those
developmental trips out hunting
with mentoring adults. These outings are the ones that will influence the rest of the child’s hunting career and how they handle
themselves in the woods, clearly
making it important to imprint
a good influence. This program
helps to increase the hands-on
use of handling guns and can
also promote a better understanding and interest in hunting
and conservation of wildlife in a
way that will help assure hunting's successful and safe future.
Most importantly, this program
will work to reinforce the principles of hunting safety through
the close supervision provided
by devoted mentors, such as parents and other family members.
According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission web page,
a mentor is defined as a properly licensed individual 21 years
of age or older, who serves as a
guide to a mentored youth while
engaged in hunting or related activities, such as scouting, learning firearm or hunter safety and
wildlife identification. Also, the
mentor must have a permit. Any
child age 12 and under is eligible
for the mentor program and it is
encouraged. The child, aged 12
or under, does not need to take
and pass the Game Commission's
mandatory Hunter-Trapper Education, which is required for all
first-time license buyers. However, it is the responsibility of the
mentor to ensure that each youth
is trained in firearm and hunter
safety before heading afield.
Choconut Valley’s principal Christopher McComb, who
has been hunting for 30 years
now, is thankful for a program
such as this to have come about.
“It puts the decision as
to when a parent can hunt
with their child where it belongs,” Mr. McComb said.
Although he believes it is
up to the parent and child to
choose when he/she is ready to
hunt, because nobody knows
their children better than a parent does, he whole heartedly
encourages the participation in
the program if the parent feels
the child is ready. He does say
though, as with most things, it is
not a wise idea to push your child
into something such as hunting
just because you want them to.
“I think the new mentor program is a great idea; when children
grow up and want to hunt on their
own, they have the knowledge
and understanding of the safety
behind gun care and handling,”
sixth grader Liam Mead said.
Mr. McComb used to hunt at
his uncle’s cabin with his father
as a boy. Now, starting off just as
his father did, Patrick McComb,
Mr. McComb’s son who is currently six years old, got a six
point buck during archery season.
“My son has been interested
in hunting as long as I can remember. He has always picked
up the Cabella’s catalog around
Christmas time and put hunting
toys on his list for Santa. As he
grew up, he has spent countless
hours playing “hunting” with
those toys on the living room
floor. Now we are now “playing” for real, thanks to the Mentor Program,” Mr. McComb said.
To
Mr.
McComb,
it
is not just about the killing and trophy of a big buck.
“I always tell my son that
a successful day in the woods
does not always end with getting an animal. If it did, the sport
would be called “killing” and
not hunting,” Mr. McComb said.
Hunting isn’t always an on the
edge of your seat activity and any
elementary school student explain
how difficult it really is to sit quietly and still while up in the stand.
“This year I was so jittery and
impatient my dad had to give me
a hand warmer to keep me occupied while I sat and waited for a
deer,” sixth grader Ben Hoal said.
The safety behind a responsibility of handling a gun is a serious
matter to any parent who is ready
to send their child into the woods.
Ben, along with the rest of his
family, had to be at least 12 years
of age and taking the hunting safety course before stepping foot in
the woods during hunting season.
“In my opinion, the most
important thing for any hunter
to know is how to handle the
gun. If you fall with the gun,
make sure you toss it off to
the side out of your range in
case a shot is fired,” Ben said.
With the responsibility of
being safe while hunting also
comes the need for sensibility.
Although there are many important tips to remember and rules
to follow, Mr. McComb feels it
is vital to always be 100 percent
absolutely sure of everything
you do while hunting. If there is
even a one percent chance that
something could go wrong, then
don’t do it. It is just not worth it.
By Kayleah Trecoske
Junior High co-editor
On December 14, 2012 in with first grade teacher Mrs.
Newtown Connecticut, 26 people Blaney and stressed that even
lost their lives, 20 of them be- though she and her family and
ing student’s fourth grade and friends are from a different part
under. It’s safe to say everyone of the world, it affects them.
“We all care and share the
felt the effect of the heartbreak
and devastation that no one ever grief; we also send our love.
wants to feel when it comes to Any child is so innocent and to
the loss of a loved one; after all, see this happen, really makes
nothing can compare to the loss you love and appreciate what
of a child. It is in these times of you have. But also feel for the
crisis that brings not only a com- victims and want to offer any
munity together, but sometimes a kind of support,” Smith said.
nation, or even the whole globe.
This is not the only collection
After seeing President Barack being placed for the teddy bears.
Obama wipe away a tear as he As a whole the Choconut Valley
School
stood bet o o k
hind the
collecpodium
tions
feeling
d u r just as eving the
ery Amerschool
ican did at
d a y .
home, it’s
“ I
safe to say
think
he wasn’t
a presiof the
dent at the
s a y moment,
ing ‘it
he
was
takes
a father
a vilwhen he
lage’.”
addressed
I bethe situalieve
tion, just
that - in
as
evhelping
ery other
o t h American
ers and
sitting at Photo courtesy of J. Blaney
helphome was as they listened. Now, ing children. It also means helpit’s not only parents who are feel- ing others through grief and
ing the need to do anything they letting them know we as a nacan to honor and commemorate tion are grieving with them,”
the students and teachers affected Julie Grady, another member of
by the catastrophe, various mem- the Zac Brown “zamily,” said.
bers of the community are supAt the end of the day, some
porting the children and family may call it humanitarianism
members, including country sing- or human nature; others may
er/song writer Zac Brown and just feel the distress of the famhis Band, along with their “Zam- ily and friends and are reachily” that first grade teacher, Mrs. ing out to do what they can.
Blaney is a part of. With the help
“It's not really something
of the “zamily” and members of that we have to think about,
the community who believe “you it's just something we do. If
get what you give” 160 plus ted- the roles were reversed, I am
dy bears and other stuffed animals sure others would be reaching
have already been collected. Each out to us,” Loretta Sword said.
bear will soon be in the hands
No matter the rhyme, reason
of a boy or girl at Sandy Hook. or the cause sometimes someStacy Smith, who is a Zac thing as small as a new teddy
Brown Band fan club member bear may go a long way in showfrom England, got in contact ing how much someone cares.
METEOR CHRONICLE
JANUARY 2013
Elementary Athletes Shine in GBSA
By Maddy Pasteka
Elementary and Junior High co-editors
By Erica Reeves
Elementary co-editor
the candidates as much as it was
the voting process. The students
had the opportunity to count and
recount ballots,” Mrs. Fruehan
said. “A Romney supporter and an
Obama supporter would work together counting ballots to ensure
the integrity of the count. A third
and then a fourth person would
recount the votes, and then initial
them to "certify" the count.”
For some students they enjoyed counting the votes just as
much as the voting itself.
“I liked counting the votes,”
fourth grader Devin Sanguinito
said. “It was neat to learn how
much counting went into it. I ended up counting them three times.”
After a lot of hard work went
into counting the votes, Mrs.
Fruehan’s class found out who
won the election. Mitt Romney
ended up winning this election
with a final count of 149 to 108.
Through this experience,
students got to not only put in
their opinion on who would be
a good president, but also the
full experience that goes along
with having an election such as
this one. Although the students
might not be politically savvy,
they still are taught and know
what a good leader should be
like.
“A good president would be
one that is nice, but gives good
rules that aren’t too harsh,”
fourth grader Abby Rebello
said.
This wasn’t the first mock
election that Mrs. Fruehan’s
class has put on, but for many
students this was their first.
Even though some students
might not have been happy with
the outcome of the election, the
process of it was still a valuable
learning experience.
“I think it went great and almost everybody seemed pleased
with the process,” Mrs. Fruehan
said.
“Mrs. Bistocchi because she is
a great teacher and I think she
would make a great president.
She is really nice and takes care
of us.”
Elisha West and Mallory Thompson
ChoconutValley
3rd grade
“Myself because I have plans of
how I can lower gas prices and
help the earth.”
Destinee Thompson
Lathrop Street
5th grade
PHOTO COURTESY OF ERICA REEVES
“The Pink Panther because he is
very sly.”
Matthew Williams
Choconut Valley
4th grade
PHOTO COURTESY OF ERICA REEVES
Choconut Valley Casts Their Vote
If You Could Choose Anyone
to be President, Who Would You
Choose and Why?
PHOTO COURTESY OF ERICA REEVES
teams around, the girls also enjoy
a little down time and being able
to explore the places they visit.
“One of the best parts about
traveling is when we aren’t playing we get to go sightseeing and
eat some place new,” Davis said.
Whether its eating someplace new or sightseeing,
these girls always think of
creative ways to have fun.
“One of the best memories
so far is when we had a birthday
party for one of the girls and we
all had icing on our faces. Also
we were supposed to be in bed at
a tournament and we were all in
one room partying,” Spence said.
GBSA not only teaches
these girls how to play soccer and the love they share for
it, but it teaches them the importance of teamwork and that
there is always fun times no matter where you travel.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ERICA REEVES
“The best part about playing
GBSA is getting to see my friends
while doing something I love at
such a high level,” Davis said.
To be on a select team, the
girls have to work hard not only
in games, but also practices. The
girls practice three nights a week,
with two normal practices and
one foot-skills practice as well.
On one note, all three girls
agree that their coach is one of a
kind and is the best of the best!
“I love my coach; he is fun
and caring and the best coach
I’ve ever had,” Spence said.
Spence and Gilhool started this
team about a year ago, as Davis has
been playing for about two years.
“I love my coach. Our team
is like a big family; we’d do
anything for him, and he’d do
anything for us,” Davis said.
Among traveling the country
to play soccer on one of the best
...........................................................................................................................................................................
It isn’t always about who
wins or loses, but sometimes it’s
about the experience that comes
from what you do. That was what
fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Fruehan had in mind when she set up
a mock election at Choconut Valley Elementary school.
Mrs. Fruehan’s class had
direct control over the election
with each student being given
a certain job that must be completed in order for the election
to run smoothly. The main jobs
were delivering the ballots and
ballot box to different parts of
the school to collect votes from
anyone wishing to vote. Every
student and teacher was given the
opportunity to cast their vote for
who they thought was the best
candidate. But since not many
elementary students know many
facts about the candidates, it that
wasn’t really the main purpose of
holding the election.
“Our focus wasn't really on
Little Voices
By Erica Reeves and Kayleah Trecoske
News and Features co-editor
Three local elementary athletes Madison Gilhool and Brianna Spence, sixth graders at Lathrop Street, and Gabrielle Davis,
sixth grader at Choconut, are all
part of a local select soccer team.
The team is called GBSA which
has games held every Saturday
up at the Binghamton Dome.
The team is 19th in the nation
and gets to travel the country
for tournaments and games.
“I like playing GBSA; I am
making a lot of new friends and
learning new skills,” Gilhool said.
Some of the places the girls
have traveled to are Lancaster, Baltimore and New Jersey.
“I like traveling the country because there is better
competition and you get to
see new things,” Spence said.
Since it is a select team, the
girls were chosen due to their athletic abilities and love of soccer.
PAGE 9
“My sister because she is awesome. She is smart, intelligent,
and funny.
Allison Roses
Lathrop Street
5th grade
PAGE 10
JANUARY 2013
Junior High Students Join
FBLA
By Lindsay Darrow
Staff Reporter
Most people wouldn’t think
of joining a club like FBLA, also
known as Future Business Leaders of America, while in junior
high because they are still getting
their bearings of the high school.
However, there are four junior
high students that have decided to
join, Lauren Andre, Lizzie Bennici, Ashley Miller, and Kyra Ricci.
Their reasons for wishing to participate may differ,
but they all agree that joining FBLA will be beneficial.
“I
plan
to
run
my
dad’s business [Andre and
Son],” Lauren Andre said.
“I want to be more educated
in business. That’s what I want to
do when I’m older. Be an accountant maybe,” Lizzie Bennici said.
According
to
junior
Myra Lattimore, one of the
FBLA officers, the junior
high students are doing well.
“The junior high members
participate in all the meetings
and activities so we interact
with them a lot,” Myra said.
Mr. Benedict runs FBLA
and has for six years now. He
started out with 12 students and
now has between 35 and 40. He
has hope for the club to continue to grow as time progresses.
For the middle (junior high)
level, there are about 24 competitions the students can compete in.
Some examples of possible areas
they can compete in are American Enterprise Project, Business
Spelling, Computer Concepts,
Desktop Publishing Application,
Internet Concepts, Outstanding Middle Level Member, and
Web Page Creation. Those are
only a few of the contests offered and there are so many more
offered at the senior high level.
The four students are excited to
be in FBLA in senior high because
of the opportunities to do more
advance and competitive things.
While FBLA is composed of
different people starting at different ages and joining for multiple reasons, they all join for
one main thing… opportunities.
“I joined FBLA because of the
opportunities to compete, to learn
more about business and to build
my leadership skills,” Myra said.
..............................................................................................................................................
‘Pay it Forward’ Project
Assists Troops
By Briana Johnson
Every year, seventh grade
reading teacher Mrs. Charlene
Kempa challenges her seventh
grade students to complete a project called “Pay it Forward,” The
Pay it Forward project focuses on
doing something nice for someone and asking them, in return,
only to pass another good deed to
someone else. This system, called
‘Pay it Forward’ would end in
a chain of giving and service
to others without self-benefit.
This year seventh graders Searra Muller and Katelyn Henry
are working together on their
project and they are collecting
items to donate to the troops.
“My cousin and I wanted to
do something no one has done
before and Christmas for troops
was our best idea,” Katelyn said.
Searra’s uncle is a commander, so it was a good opportunity for her and Katelyn
to help their uncle’s troops.
Photo Courtesy of Brianna Johnson
Staff Reporter
Seventh graders Searra Muller (left) and Katelyn Henry took on this
project as a way of helping our troops during the holiday season.
“I
feel
that
ily comes first,” Searra
They currently have
large box full of items.
are hoping to have two
famsaid.
one
They
box-
es filled with items to donate.
They are planning on presenting these items to the troops
around the first week of January.
METEOR CHRONICLE
In the Spotlight:
Louise Thompson
By Briana Johnson
Staff Reporter
While many students enjoy
music, and some learn to play
an instrument or join choir, very
few can say they write and perform their own works. Eighth
grader Louise Thompson is an
exception. She has been writing
and singing her own songs since
sixth grade. Lousie is not shy
about sharing her voice with the
world and regularly posts performances of her songs on YouTube.
She started composing and
performing the songs because
of things happening in her life.
Her
everyday
life and conflicts provided
material
for
the songs just
as much as the
songs provided
a release and an
outlet for her.
“I
started
writing and singing songs because of things
happening in my
life. Every time
something happened, I wrote
them down and
then later turned
them into music,” Louise said.
At the beginning
of
this year, her
seventh grade reading teacher,
Mrs. Charlene Kempa, had her
classes give a speech about
themselves so that the class had
a better idea of who they are.
When Louise found this out, she
asked if she could sing for them.
In shock, Mrs. Kempa agreed
and received a surprise when
Louise began singing for them.
“My first reaction was her
voice was beautiful and unique.
Her songs were filled with
feelings and emotion. When
she started to sing, she sure
grabbed the attention of her
audience,” Mrs. Kempa said.
Mrs. Kempa stated that she
wasn’t expecting Louise to be a
singer and writer. She was surprised by the confidence she has.
“Usually seventh graders
are good at poetry and singing and to find someone who
can sing and write is very
unique,” Mrs. Kempa said.
Two of Louise’s classmates
had the opportunity to hear her
sing; eighth grader Randi Sperry
was one of those lucky classmates.
“When I first heard her sing,
I was a little bit shocked and a
little bit glad. When a person has
the talent to sing the way she did,
they should be heard,” Randi said.
Randi also said that she expected to sing and write songs
because Louise is in chorus and
“Keep your head held
high and your voice
out loud.
Now think to yourself,
who are you helping?
Not yourself, you just
keep moving on,
Not your friends or
family, they just keep
suffering too.”
-Louise Thompson
she is always writing her songs.
The second classmate that had
the opportunity to hear her sing
was eighth grader Brianna Baker.
“I was really surprised
when she started singing. Her
voice was amazing and her
songs, had a lot of meaning. If
in the future she continues to
sing and write songs there is a
possibility of her becoming a
writer or singer,” Brianna said.
Her school work does not affect her singing or writing. She
makes sure she does her school
work before she writes anything.
Singing is not only a past
time, but something Louise
genuinely loves to do. It is no
surprise that with all her interest and talent is singing she
wishes to pursue it in the future.
METEOR CHRONICLE
PAGE 11
JANUARY 2013
Arts & Entertainment
Commentary by Courtney
The Year in
Review
By Courtney Kimmell
Editor-in-chief
When any decade from the
past hundred or so years is mentioned a single definite image
comes to mind. Whether this image is jazz and flappers for the ‘20s
or hippies and hallucinogens in
the ‘60s, these images are a pitiful
and inaccurate attempt to distill
ten years of history into a Halloween costume. Looking back, thirty years from now, I sometimes
wonder how the 2000-2010 decade will be remembered. Will it
be Brittney Spears and Kim Kardashian or Facebook and internet
memes? Then I realize it doesn’t
really matter how future generations interpret the decade, what
I do care about is how our literary contributions will be judged.
I do not want to be the generation remembered for Twilight.
My only hope is that these sort
of books having success is not a
new phenomenon and it will pass
with time. Take penny dreadfuls, for example, the cheap sensational books of the 1800’s are
very much comparable to the
young adult (YA) literature of today. They were marketed primarily towards teenagers, with slight
crossover among adults. They
also helped establish the gothic
genre, just as a certain YA book
helped establish the paranormal
romance genre of today. Highway
men were a popular protagonist,
comparable to the anti-heroes
in many modern novels. Penny
dreadfuls were often cheap, formulamatic books about vampires; does that sound familiar?
Not only may we be the generation remembered for Twilight,
think of the literary movements
and genres we will be remembered
for creating. Instead of symbolism, we have steampunk. While
we still have worth-while literary movements progressing and
perfecting, they are not as visible
as recent literary trends. One successful book can spawn not only
some poorly veiled copies, but
its own genre. While these sorts
of trends have always existed,
they seem much more prevalent.
Young adult literature in particular seems to magnify any passing
trend. While literature marketed
towards adults will certainly bend
and sway with passing fads, authors will still feel comfortable
enough to publish innovative and
unconventional books. I don’t
want to see, years from now, that
one of the largest literary movements of the 2010-2020 decade
was one I can’t even mention in a
school newspaper (hint: think of a
certain color and 50 shades of it).
With that said, I cannot help
but remember that many well
respected genres today had less
than respectable origins. One of
the best examples of this would
be science fiction. For the longest
time it was just easy on the brain
entertainment, for twelve year old
boys or the pre-computer equivalent of computer nerds. Even
when serious works of great literary value were being produced,
they would not receive the consideration they deserved because
someone decided they belonged
to that particular genre. Please let
this be the case for books today.
Book Reviews:
Top Books of 2012
Reviews By Mrs. Fischer, Librarian
The best books of 2012, chosen by YALSA(Young Adult Library Services Association), are
here! Come check out one of the
year’s hottest books to read during these cold months. All books
on the following list can be found
in the Montrose Area Junior Senior High School library. COME
CHECK THEM OUT!
EVERYBODY SEES THE
ANTS by A.S. King - Overburdened by his parents’ bickering
and a bully’s attacks, fifteen-yearold Lucky Linderman begins
dreaming of being with his grandfather, who went missing during
the Vietnam War. During a visit
to Arizona, his aunt and uncle and
their beautiful neighbor, Ginny,
help him find a new perspective
on life.
STUPID FAST by Geoff Herbach - Just before his sixteenth
birthday, Felton Reinstein has a
sudden growth spurt that turns
him from a small, jumpy, pickedon boy with the nickname of
"Squirrel Nut" to a powerful athlete, leading to new friends, his
first love, and the courage to confront his family's past and current
problems.
LEGEND by Marie Lu - In a
dark future, when North America
has split into two warring nations,
fifteen-year-olds Day, a famous
criminal, and prodigy June, the
brilliant soldier hired to capture
him, discover that they have a
common enemy.
WHY WE BROKE UP by
Daniel Handler - Sixteen-yearold Min Green writes a letter to
Ed Slaterton in which she breaks
up with him, documenting their
relationship and how items in the
accompanying box, from bottle
caps to a cookbook, foretell the
end.
STAY by Deb Caletti – Clara
and her father travel to a remote
region of Washington State when
she notices that her boyfriend,
Christian, is developing obsessive
behaviors. After arriving, Clara
meets two brothers who captain a
sailboat, a lighthouse keeper who
is hiding something, and a friend
of her father who knows the lighthouse keeper’s secret.
BETWEEN SHADES OF
GRAY by Ruta Sepetys – In 1941,
fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from
their Lithuanian home by Soviet
guards and sent to Siberia, where
her father is sentenced to death
in a prison camp while she fights
for her life. Lina vows to honor
her family and the thousands like
hers by burying her story in a jar
on Lithuanian soil. Based on the
author's family, includes a historical note.
HOW TO SAVE A LIFE by
Sara Zarr - Told from their own
viewpoints, seventeen-year-old
Jill, in grief over the loss of her father, and Mandy, nearly nineteen,
are thrown together when Jill’s
mother agrees to adopt Mandy’s
unborn child but nothing turns
out as they had anticipated.
THE BEGINNING OF AFTER by Jennifer Castle - In the
aftermath of a car accident that
killed her family, sixteen-year-old
Laurel must face a new world of
guilt, painful memories, and the
possibility of new relationships.
BRONXWOOD by Coe
Booth - Sixteen-year-old Tyrell,
accustomed to being the man of
the family, has mixed feelings
when his father comes home from
jail. He knows he cannot just go
back to being a little boy, especially after losing his younger
brother to foster care, getting involved with drug dealers, learning about his mother's infidelity, and developing a relationship
with Jasmine.
QUEEN OF HEARTS by
Martha Brooks - Shortly after her
first kiss but before her sixteenth
birthday in December, 1941, Marie Claire and her younger brother
and sister are sent to a tuberculosis sanatorium near their Manitoba farm.
PAGE 12
JANUARY 2013
METEOR CHRONICLE
Arts & Entertainment
The End of the Yellow Brick Road
By Sam Poole
Arts & Entertainment Co-editor
“My favorite part
is curtain call because everyone hears
the applause and the
audience can react
to what they have
seen,” Mrs. Winn said.
As
individuals,
each person had to
face and overcome the
challenge of memorizing lines and delivering them on time. As a
group, they struggled
because it was hard
to have a full rehersal
with those who also
participate in fall
sports having practice
and rehearsal at the
same time. As a group,
they also suffered a
very specific challenge: sets.
“This
play
was
very difficult. There Here, students dance the Jitterbug, a musical number that was not
were many included in the original movie and was cut from the play adaptad i f f e r e n t tion in most showings. This dance number required careful chosets to move reography and timing from every dancer. In addition to the dance
behind
the moves, actors also had to sing a song as they performed the moves.
scenes
and
a lot of opportunities
for mistakes to happen respond to commands using the ard and Professor Marvel said.
The cast and crew were also
though everything was name Toto, giving the perfordone right and no mis- mance an even stronger effect. congratulated individually on
Many people who attended their performance and many were
takes had happened,”
Mrs.
Winn
said. the play or those who have per- told that it was a magnificent show.
When asked if the plays per“Though we had a formed in it rated the plays overfew pieces I was still all success about a 9 out of 10. formance lived up to the expecta“I would rate the plays suc- tions, many people had felt that
nervous about, I think
we overcame it. We cess a 9.8. Mrs. Winn picked an it exceeded their expectations.
“It passed my expectahad a spinning house amazing cast and we all acted
after all!” eight grad- perfectly together and it was a lot tions in all honesty. The play
er Kira Karpov said. of fun. There wasn’t really that was really good and the charThe play cast and much that could have perfected acters were portrayed very
crew had also faced our performance. Overall, we did well,” junior Jennifer Reed said.
“It was better than my expecanother difficult chal- amazing!” senior Ryan Brown
lenge of adding a who played the role of Uncle tations. Some scenes showed a
live dog to their per- Henry and an Oz doorman said. lot of hardware and lots of time
“As a group we succeeded be- that was put into it. The set was
formance. The dog
yond what we thought we could also amazing,” Donnie said.
was
originally
named
Dorthy (Marisa Vanness) and Toto (Eli the dog) encounter the
possibly do! I rate it a 10 out
Scarecrow (played by ninth grader Kira Karpov) . The Scare- Eli, but was trained of 10,” junior Evan McNaught (See Play, Page 13)
crow is singing the well-known “If I Only Had A Brain”, just by sophomore Marisa
one of many musical numbers performed throughout the play. Vanness since June to who played the part of the Wiz-
The cast and crew of The
Wizard of Oz have finally
reached their destination at the
end of the yellow brick road,
with a wonderful performance
and nearly 1,100 people total
following them on their journey.
The fall play, The Wizard of
Oz took place Friday November 16 and Saturday November
17. They performed both Friday and Saturday to the best of
their ability, earning a standing ovation from the pleased
audience when it was all over.
“I would rate it a 9. I
was very impressed,” senior Miranda Dunne said.
The performance of the play
was based off of the movie, but
each character added their own
interpretation with the way they
had chosen to act their part, and
each individual added a type
of energy that was just radiating making certain parts exceptionally well liked. Improv
was also a very well-liked aspect to the play’s performance.
“My favorite part was the
land of Oz. It was very well put
together and magical. It was
happy and just fun for all ages,”
junior Megan Geisler said.
“My favorite part of the
play was the part referencing
The Lion King. It was delivered completely unexpected and
funny. It was perfectly delivered
also,” junior Donnie Arnold said.
“My favorite part was when the
cowardly lion jumped out of the
trees and said “ROAR.” I couldn’t
stop laughing,” Miranda said.
As director, Mrs. Winn favored a different part of the play.
METEOR CHRONICLE
JANUARY 2013
PAGE 13
Arts & Entertainment
Album Review: Two Door Cinema
Clubs’s Beacon
By Maria Ingaglio
Opinion Co-editor
Following the overwhelming success of 2010’s Tourist
History, it’s hard to imagine
the amount of pressure Two
Door Cinema Club had been
under to create an album worthy of its predecessor. It’s
unfortunately not uncommon
for any band with a wildly
successful debut album to fizzle and fade with the release
of the dreaded sophomore
album, a curse that’s arguably
titled the “sophomore slump.”
Anxiously awaiting the release
of Beacon, my only hope was
that the album not just fades into
the pile of countless other onealbum-wonder alternative bands.
Sept. 4, Beacon was released,
and shortly after, I had the opportunity to give the entire album
a listen. Forty minutes later, I
was more than pleasantly surprised that Two Door Cinema
Club wasn’t just fitting the mold.
Beacon is everything a sophomore album should be. The
Irish trio, consisting of Alex
Trimble, Kevin Baird and Sam
Halliday, has seen the world
since their last album so naturally, fans are looking for a little heavier and a little deeper.
The album opens with the
line, “I don’t know where I’m
going to rest my head tonight”
(“Next Year”) and closes with
frontman Trimble repeating during the title track, “I’m coming
home.” Homesick lyrics flow into
lovesick ones, like on “Spring,”
which gives us, “If I follow you
then/ I will need you closer/ One
more day is not enough.” The
emotion in Beacon is kicked up,
although the music is still dancefriendly overflowing with energy.
Try sitting still through the tracks
“Sleep Alone” or “Handshake.”
The Irishmen have clearly let a
little Los Angeles into their blood,
as Beacon then grooves through a
number of curiously sunny tunes.
“Wake Up” and “Sun” languish
in their own generic beachiness
before “Someday” rides in on a
wave of arena influences. The
second half of Beacon maintains
its predominantly one-note nature
with two memorable exceptions.
On “Settle,” Beacon
stops beating you over
the head with proven
pop formulas for four
brilliant and controlled
minutes. Here, Trimble
draws listeners into his
own isolation: “This
isn’t home / this isn’t
home / I couldn’t feel
more alone.” The last
standout is “Pyramid,”
a low, creeping song
that features TDCC at
their most ominous,
which is admittedly
still pretty peppy. It’s reflective,
somber and a certain departure
from the rest of the album. Lastly,
the ethereal title track banishes,
closing the record on a bright
and hopeful note: “the beacon is
calling me / the light that never
dies / reflections thrown above
the sea / cast shadows in the sky.”
In one sense, Beacon is not
entirely dissimilar to its predecessor, and in another, it feels
like the work of a completely
different band; although still undeniably Two Door Cinema Club
with a more mature sound and a
greater attention to detail. Beacon
proves TDCC’s success in creating the trio’s effortlessly catchy
and engaging melodies. How
Beacon may age has still yet to be
determined, but at the very least,
the dreaded sophomore slump
has been successful averted.
Sean Regan, 12th grade
Emily Guinane, 9th grade
Roaming the Halls:
Fashion at MAHS
With the winter season upon us, the school uniform for many
students has become jeans and a sweatshirt. But there are always some who defy convention, for one reason or another,
and show up for school in some very fashion forward outfits.
..............................................................................................................................................
(Play continued from Page 12)
(From left to right) Senior
Ryan Brown in the role of
Uncle Henry,
sophomore
Alysa Cutri in the roll of Aunt
Em, Eli in the role of Toto
and sophomore Marisa Vanness in the role of Dorthy.
The set, requiring such complex items as a house, was
built almost entirely by MAHS
students. The house, seen on
the left side of the picture,
could be rotated 180 degrees
as the scene change required.
The majority of the costumes
were also created by a student, senior Amanda Rucker,
as part of her senior project.
Kyla Ross-Riely, 12th grade
Michael Vanness, 10th grade
PAGE 14
JANUARY 2013
METEOR CHRONICLE
Meteor Sports
Bad Luck Broken
SPORTLIGHT
Commentary
By Nicki Lewis
Blood, sweat and tears are
the cliché components to victory. Although this is not always
the case for the Montrose Area
High School varsity football
team, the road to victory included all of those things and many
more. No matter how hard the
boys worked, how often they
worked, and how much they prepared for each and every game,
the Meteors just could not seem
to pull off a win for the past
three and a half years of football.
This season changed everything.
35 games were each the
same. Go out positive, only to
have the game end in the other
team’s favor. But this season saw
a new light for the MAHS varsity
football team. Their hard work finally started paying off when the
Meteors claimed their first victory
in more than three years against
Holy Cross on October 20, 2012.
“We go into every game preparing to win, so we believe that
we can win each and every week,”
head football coach Russell Canevari said after the team’s first win.
“We realized early in the
season that we had a competitive team with games against
Tunkhannock
and
Susquehanna,” Coach Castellani said.
Although
the
game
against Holy Cross was not
played at their home field,
the team had many supporters that got to witness the win.
As anyone would be, after
so many games of heartbreak,
the team was ecstatic for the win.
“Everyone was so incredibly
excited,”
senior
football player John Lawson said after their first win.
“Initially, their reaction was
outstanding,” Coach Canevari
said of the team. “They were very
excited about the win. As time
passed the team began to realize their ability and potential and
got the confidence they needed.”
As a coach, seeing the team
win would give some personal
satisfaction. The MAHS football coaches more than anything
were just happy for their team.
“I was very happy for our
players; they worked very hard for
each and every game and it was
great to see their hard work pay
off,” Coach Canevari said.
“It felt great to see the kids’improvements show up on the score-
board,” Coach Castellani said.
Although winning their
first of the last 35 games was
great, the Meteors weren’t satisfied with that one and didn’t
just stop there. For their last
home game and also their Senior
Night, the football team hosted
Northwest at their home stadium. With the confidence gained
from the win just weeks before,
the team pulled another win
against Northwest, kicking them
out of their chance at play-offs.
“We thought we could run
the ball effectively against them
and we did that,” Coach Canevari said when it came to pulling
off the second win of the season.
When asked how the second win felt, senior Will Ely
said it felt like they had been
there before, which they had!
“It was even better than
the first one because it was
senior night,” Lawson said.
Unfortunately for Ely and
Lawson, the two wins of this
season will be their last of their
high school football careers.
As with any team for
any sport at any school,
memories
were
shared.
“My favorite memory of
the season was breaking the
losing streak,” Lawson said.
When it comes to graduating and moving on, many things
will be missed by each of the
seniors. Both Lawson and Ely
agree spending time with their
team and creating the memories
will be missed most, along with
playing under the lights every
Friday night “with the boys.”
“This season was one of
the most enjoyable with this
group of players,” Coach Castellani said. “They committed themselves to improving
and their hard work paid off.”
“[This season] we as
coaches began to see the players develop like we knew they
could,” Coach Canevari said.
When asked if his senior
season was all he had hoped it
to be, Lawson answered yes.
“I couldn’t have hoped
for a better bunch of guys.”
After so much hard work,
dedication and yes, blood,
sweat and tears, the Meteors
broke the losing streak, improved as a team and as players, and had fun while doing it.
MEGHAN SPELLMAN/METEOR CHRONICLE
Sports co-editor
By Nicki Lewis
Sports co-editor
The dictionary defines a sport
as “a physical activity engaged
in for pleasure.” A game is defined as “an activity engaged in
for diversion or amusement.” So
what about the game of golf? It
has been a very controversial
subject from day one, whether
or not golf is considered a sport
has been an argument fought
over for who knows how long.
Well, this is the sports section, so obviously the topics that
we discuss within are considered
sports. We write stories on the golf
team. That settles it then, right?
Although many would settle
for that argument, many may
still not be convinced. Some argue golf is just a hobby older
men in retirement play for something to do while at their Florida
houses. True, many kids today
may in fact have grandparents
who do something similar to
what I just described, but what
about everyone else who plays?
Many kids ranging from
about seven or eight to seventeen
or eighteen take part in the junior
golf program at the Montrose
Golf: Sport or
Hobby?
Club each summer. Tournaments
are held for certain age groups and
awards are won based on performance. That sounds like any other
kind of athletic competition to me.
The members of the Montrose
Area High School golf team face
this controversy on a daily basis.
When sophomore golfer Kory
Morrison was asked if his sport
was very unappreciated and ignored, he agreed completely.
“Golf
is
a
boring
sport,” Morrison said. “Nobody wants to watch it.”
Those words being spoken
by a member of the sport himself
may surprise people. But when
it comes to other sports besides
golf, other athletes may think
they are also boring to watch.
After joining the team for the
love of the sport, Morrison says
the only bad thing about playing is
getting frustrated after a bad shot.
This is certainly an emotion that
all other athletes feel at one time
or another. Given that, one may
be more convinced as to the game
of golf being considered a sport.
When it comes to sports, there
are many different types as we
can all agree. Let’s focus on the
main two: contact sports and nocontact sports. Many times people who play contact sports feel
inferior to those who don’t because of well, the name. Although
each type takes just as much work
and dedication, many can assume athletes of contact sports
sustain more injuries than athletes of non-contact sports. This,
however, is not necessarily true.
You would think a football
player who is hit, bumped and
tackled continuously would
have overall perhaps a larger
injury record, but many swimmers, runners, baseball players, and yes, golfers, would
argue that that is not true.
Many non-contact sport athletes are hurt from not stretching
right or well enough, over working and things of the sort. Although most of these injuries can
be prevented, just like any sport,
unexpected things can happen.
According to studies, about
88 percent of professional golfers suffer injuries each year.
Now I am assuming that the
injuries
are
sport-related.
Many people argue that golf
is not a sport because of the fact
that it can be played while one
is injured in a certain way. In
the 2008 United States Open,
famous golfer Tiger Woods
played with a broken leg, if that
tells you anything about the capability of playing while hurt.
But golf is not the only sport
that can be played with an injury.
Broken, fractured, and bruised
arms do not hold back soccer
players from playing. I personally have never heard of anyone
questioning whether soccer was
a sport or not. Obviously, when
it comes to sports such as basketball and field hockey that require
all four limbs, playing with an
injury is just about impossible.
The fact of the matter is that
golf relates to many other sports,
whether one wants to admit it or not.
“I say that golf is the same
as any other sport,” Morrison said. “We practice like any
other sports team would.Just
because golf isn’t a sport that
you have to run five miles for
does not make it not a sport.”
METEOR CHRONICLE
JANUARY 2013
A Team’s Journey to States
By Angela Russell
Girls’ Tennis Vollies
to Districts
By Erica Reeves
Elementary co-editor
“With the nerves being all
bottled inside of me waiting
for the release of the gun. I just
wanted to be going through the
finish line with the crowd going
crazy,” junior Allison Lewis said.
The Montrose Girls Cross
Country Team made their
way through the mucky district course placing second
as a team, and moving forward to race at the state course.
The varsity team consisting
of senior Emily Blachek, juniors
Samantha Bennici and Allison
Lewis, sophomores Angela Russell and Emma Washo, and lastly
freshmen Taylor Warner were
all heading to the state course.
With having the Foundation Race as a little sneak peak
of what was to come at the
state race, the team was most
certainly ready for what the
course was going to give them.
“The state race along with
districts was a little different than
previous years,” Bennici said.
The girls were now racing in
the single “A” race, meant for
smaller schools, compared to previous years where the girls were
PAGE 15
Elementary co-editor
classified as a double “AA” school.
The state race held on November 3, 2012 at Hershey, PA in
one of the largest spectator events
in the state with about 10,000 parents, runners, watchers, and many
more people out for the event.
With the girls performing their
regular warm up to prepare for
the race and a little pep talk given
by the coaches, all that was left
was the official to shoot the starting gun. The spectators got quiet
and the coaches vanished into the
crowd with only the feeling of
eagerness and nervousness going through the runner’s bodies.
As the runners stepped onto
the line and saw all the other
runners to the right and left of
them, it looked like thousands.
Five, four, three, two, one, the
gun was shot and the runners
were off; the quietness had suddenly turned to screaming fans,
teammates and excited coaches.
“The environment [was]
quite nerve racking; I tried to
stay as calm and relaxed as possible so I could run my best,”
junior Courtney Harding said.
“The conditions of the
course have been the best that
I have seen in the last three
years,” Coach Dean Brewer said.
As girls started coming
through the finish line and the
Montrose team was heading
back to the tent, results were being thrown out to the coaches.
“The girls were predicted to
come in eighth place as a team,
and they didn’t let the coaches
down. Receiving eighth as a team
and the top five runners in the
top 110 was much of an accomplishment,” Coach Brewer said.
Elk Lake received first place
as a team and Kennedy Weisner
received first place as an individual in the Single “A” race.
“With the Montrose girls
team recruiting some of their
junior high team that is moving up to the varsity level, the
girls team will be even stronger
and even more ready to race at
the state course,” Bennici said.
For the junior high girls
moving up to the varsity level next season a lot of advice was given by the runners.
“Work as hard as a team
as you can because going to
states as a team is much of an
accomplishment,” Lewis said.
N. LEWIS/METEOR CHRONICLE
..............................................................................................................................................
The Montrose boys’ basketball team played against the Tunkhannock Tigers on Dec. 14 winning the
game in overtime. The team is playing this year under a new coach Sean Madden, who is a substitute teacher at MASD. The boys are working hard towards a successful season under the leadership of Coach Madden.
It has been about seven years
since the girls’ varsity tennis team
has made it to team districts,
but this year’s team broke that
streak. The one through seventh
seed participated in team districts
where singles player senior Megan Hinds, juniors Jennifer Reed
and Anna Ruseski competed, and
the first doubles team of senior
Ceara Hartman and freshman
Victoria Hinds and the second
doubles team of senior Lizzy
Escobar, junior Erica Reeves,
competed against Valley View
for the first round of districts.
This match was played at
Birchwood, which is an indoor
tennis area that had enough courts
for all of the matches to begin at
the same time. Every doubles
team closely lost their first set and
went back out with determination. The girls needed to win three
of the five matches to advance
into the next round of districts.
The girls were not able to pull
through with the win. Both Hinds
and Reed were coming back in
their matches, but had to stop
because Valley View had gained
the other three wins necessary
to advance into the next round.
“We had to fight our way
into the tournament, so it was
(See Tennis, page 16)
.............................................................................................
Great Things
Expected from
Lady Meteors
By Meghan Gilhool
Sports co-editor
“Offense wins games, but
defense wins championship.” –
Becky Novacek. These are the
words that are pounded into the
girls’ varsity basketball team
every day at practice. After last
year’s playoff season, both district and states, everyone has high
expectations for this year’s team.
“It was an amazing season.
The best part was seeing the team
work together and accomplishing great things,” varsity Coach
Al Smith says about last season.
“Last year’s season was a
huge success for our program
and an amazing experience that
I’m happy to have been a part of.
I think that last year’s play-off
run has given our returning players the experience to do well this
year,” junior Myra Lattimore says.
The team lost four seniors last year two of which
were in the starting line-up.
Sophomore Morgan Groover
says, “This year won’t be the same
because we will miss the girls that
graduated. We loved having them
on the court and just as friends.”
The team’s first official
practice was November 16 and
they are working hard. Coach
Smith says this team is going to be different because
they have a lot of experience.
Lattimore says that there
will probably be new offensive sets to adjust to the players the team has added this year.
The pre-season for the Lady
Meteors has also changed. They
have a very difficult exhibition
schedule consisting of Valley
View, Wallenpaupack, Honesdale, Scranton Prep, Abington
Heights, and North Pocono. The
pre-season will help the team get
ready for the league and playoffs.
After the teams undefeated
regular season last year, they
have high goals for this year.
“This season would be
great to win league and to
also take the District Title,” senior Sam Dixon says.
Coach Smith wants to
compete for the league title
and also get the district title.
Not only does the team
have goals, but every player
has their own individual goals
whether it’s scoring a certain
amount of points per game or
trying to get a starting position.
“I would like to start. I
would also like to improve my
personal play,” Groover says.
“My goals this season is
to have a memorable, non-regrettable season with a group
of girls that I love to play basketball with,” Dixon says.
The Lady Meteors are
ready to begin another successful season and are not going to let their guard down and
listen to what people have to
say. They are going to improve
with each practice and game!
JANUARY 2013
PAGE 16
METEOR CHRONICLE
Girls’ and Boys’ Varsity Soccer Fall Just Short
By Meghan Gilhool
Sports co-editor
Playoffs have been key to
sports programs at MASD. Over
the years, sports teams have had
tremendous success, and this
past year’s soccer season for the
girls’ and boys’ varsity team was
no different. The team ended the
regular season with a finally record of 7-3-1 and made it to the
district semi-finals before their
season ended. The boys finished
with a 9-3 regular season record.
The first round of playoffs the
girls’ faced Dunmore who they
faced earlier in the season and
won 1-0. The team knew they
needed to come out ready to play
and they did just that posting a
win over the Lady Bucks, 6-1.
Varsity coach John Cherundolo’s
comments
about
the game were all positive.
“We
probably
played
some of the finest soccer of
the year that game. Our passing and overall team play
was our best of the season.”
Senior captain Sarah Lundy adds, “It was probably our
best game of the season and it
was the first time every position connected with each other.”
After the win against Dunmore, the team worked hard at
practice to face Lakeland a team
they also played earlier in the season. This was one of their three
losses, and they were looking
forward to facing them again.
The team traveled all the
way to Western Wayne to face
Lakeland on Nov. 1. Sophomore
Hannah Dieck scored within the
first two minutes of the game.
The team let one ball by in the
first half and it was tied 1-1 at
half time. In the second half,
Lakeland scored two and the
Lady Meteors were defeated 3-1.
“I thought we played well,
but we had a lot we could’ve
improved on and it just showed
up that game,” sophomore
goalie Anna Churco said.
Senior captain Sammie Porier said, “We scored in the first
two minutes, which was awesome, but then we just couldn’t
seem to get back in that groove.”
The boys’ varsity team had a
different playoff schedule. They
had to play in order to claim a
spot in the playoffs; therefore,
they had to play a series of games
before they got to the district
quarterfinals and semi-finals.
Their first play off game was
against Western Wayne at home.
Western Wayne scored first
and Montrose came back with
two goals to win. They scored
their second goal with 12 minutes left in the game. The Meteor defense kept the ball out
of their end to post the win 2-1.
“I was very proud of our
boys! They never quit and fought
back to win the game in the final
12 minutes. That tells you a lot
about their character and desire
to succeed. Without a doubt, the
game was one of the most exciting games I have been a part
of,” Coach Dan Cherney said.
The team then traveled to
Valley View for their next play
in game.
The boys played
hard, but fell short losing 3-0.
................................................................................................. “Again we played outstanding
and never gave up. If one or two
things went our way, we would
have won the game as well. But
improvements we made as a
team throughout the year were
evident when we played against
The Cheerleading
Hero
By Tatiana Sangadzhieva
Staff Reporter
After searching for weeks,
the wrestling cheerleaders were
getting nervous about the possibility of not having a team this
year. Fortunately, Rebecca Rose
stepped up and agreed to coach.
Rebecca, who is a stay-at
home mom, heard about the
need of a coach and agreed.
“[I agreed] in support of the
wrestling team and all the young
ladies that love to cheer and show
school spirit,” Rebecca said.
The cheerleaders are relieved
and excited about the next season.
“I’m really happy that we
have wrestling cheerleading
this year because it is my senior year and it’s the only thing
I enjoy during the winter,” senior Mary Kate Robinson said.
A lack of wrestling cheerleading would have been a great
disappointment to seniors who
have been with it for years.
“It would have been disappointing because I have done wrestling cheerleading for three years
and I was looking forward to this
season,” senior Caitlyn Daly said.
The girls were afraid that
they wouldn’t be able to have
a team this year after their former coach Kelly Robinson left.
“She would love to come
back, but she had many
prior engagements to attend to,” Caitlyn Daly said.
Rebecca, as she has never coached before, looks
forward to being a coach.
“I expect a safe and awesome cheer season, with lots
of school pride,” Rebecca said.
Though she doesn’t know
yet what changes are going to
happen this season, Rebecca
hopes to bring a lot of positive energy and prior cheering
experience to the cheer squad.
The most important aspect of the squad is teamwork,
trust
and
respect.
“Trust and respect [are
the most important.] The two
easiest things in life for someone to lose and the hardest
to get back,” Rebecca said.
a high caliber team like Valley View,” Coach Cherney said.
Lundy was sad to see the
season end. She says the team
was always fun to be around
and it brightens up your day.
Coach
Cherundolo
agrees
and has nothing but positive
things to say about the team.
“In my 32 years of coaching
soccer, I can honestly say this had
to be the most fun I ever had with
one of my teams. These were the
nicest, hardest working group I’ve
ever been associated with. The
upper classmen leadership was
unbelievable. The team camaraderie and the lasting friendships
they made will be in their hearts
and memories for a lifetime. I
was sad to see this season come to
an end,” Coach Cherundolo said.
Although the season ended differently than what the players had
expected; members of the team are
already thinking about next year.
Freshman Emma Griffiths
is playing club soccer on the
off-season. As for Churco, she
is doing indoor soccer as well.
She’s going to a Penn State
camp in the summer, and has a
private trainer she works with.
Although the season has
ended, everyone is looking forward to next season
and waiting to see what it will
bring for the Lady Meteors!
The boys were sad to see
their season end as well. It
was hard for all of the boys to
say good-bye to their seniors.
“We were an unbelievable
team, and that is how we played,
as a team. The boys became a
family and that was because of
the leadership of our captains and
seniors. I was very saddened that
the season ended with a loss, but
overall just sad that the season
had to end. This is a special group
of boys with a lot of talent, heart
and a love for the game that is
unrivaled,” Coach Cherney said.
The boys will not being missing soccer as many of the members of the team are playing indoor
soccer up at the Dome in Binghamton, New York. Freshman
Todd Lattimore is playing on the
team and has goals for next year.
Lattimore wants to work on
advancing his skills so he can go
further in the next soccer season.
Both teams are working
hard to improve for next season by playing indoor soccer
or playing another sport to stay
in shape. Everyone was sad to
see both the boys and girls season end, but everyone is excited to see what will happen for
the girls and boys next season.
..............................................................................................................................................
(Tennis continued from page 13)
great to make it,” Coach Anne
Hoopingarner said. “We had to
play a tough team, but I thought
everyone played very well.”
Even though the girls didn’t
continue further in districts, they
still took advantage of their opportunity and made the most of it.
“Team districts was amazing!
It was the first time since any of
us have been on the team that
we got to go,” Reed said. “I only
got to play one set of my match,
but it was one of the best matches that I had played all season.”
Team districts wasn’t the only
opportunity that some members
of the team got. Each school can
enter two players into the singles tournament, and for MAHS
they were Hinds and Reed.
“I think that singles districts
went really well. First round went
great; I was on and off the court
really quick with a nice win,”
Hinds said. “Second round was
great too. Even though I lost, I
felt that it helped me improve
so much because I played an
excellent tennis player. Singles
districts was a lot of fun and
a great learning experience.”
Two doubles teams also made
it to doubles districts. The first
team consisted of seniors Hinds
and Hartman, while the other was
juniors Reed and Ruseski. In the
first round of doubles districts,
Hinds and Hartman lost a three
set match that was played against
the seventh seed. Reed and Ruseski won their first match, but
after advancing, lost their second match to the fourth seed.
“I think that [doubles] districts went well,” Hartman said.
“We tried our hardest and I don't
regret a minute of playtime.”
During practices and matches this team didn’t just play together, they grew closer to one
another and, according to players, that really affected how
they performed at a match,
in a positive way, of course.
“Playing alongside friends
made
me
feel
comfortable and confident,” Escobar said. “There are too many
great memories to count.”
“Playing right next to your
friends is awesome,” Reed said.
“They’ll cheer and encourage you right in the middle of
yours and their match, which really keeps your confidence up.”
The entire team felt that
they had worked hard and accomplished as much as they
could during their season.
“It feels great to go as far
as we did, both as an individual and as a team,” Ruseski said. “I am definitely
looking forward to next year.”
“I am amazed at how far
we went this year,” Victoria Hinds said. “I am going to
miss all of our seniors who are
leaving and miss our team.”
“It [the season] went
very well,” Coach Hoopingarner said. “I inherited
a talented group of girls.”