bear facts dec11 09 - mahanoy area el school facts mahanoy area high school march 15, 2010...

Bear FactsMahanoy Area High School March 15, 2010

Contributing to this issue of Bear Facts: Brittany Davies, Robert Filiziani, Ana Granados, Stormie Lee Kapp, Jennifer Lawrence, Katie McCarthy, Sara Madiera, Jenna Michaels, Jessica Rago, Samantha Rudloff, Rebecca Williams

As a result of the bomb scare, which occurred during January of 2010, a new policy regarding the use of clear bookbags has been set forth by Mr. Crimaldi, the M.A.S.D. superintendent. Without any discussion or debate among the school board, staff, or students, he enforced the notion soon after the incident. Although the policy is familiar throughout the middle school, where it has been applied for several years, the deci-sion has left many school students and members sur-prised, shocked, and concerned. Given that the true intention of the policy is to prevent future threats and strengthen the safety of M.A.H.S., numerous ques-tions arise, such as its effectiveness, impact, bene-fits, and ultimate disadvantages. When asked whether or not they support the deci-sion, both Senior Stormie Lee Kapp and a student who wishes to remain anonymous, strongly dissent-ed. In response, Stormie Lee Kapp said, “The clear bookbag policy is pointless, as it doesn’t do what it is allegedly put in place to…” Anonymous noted that if someone wanted to bring a potentially dangerous object into school, a bookbag is not their only resort. Sure enough, a clear bookbag will not put a dead stop to such an act. Besides the question of safety, the pri-vacy violations, lack of expression and inconvenience were used to justify their answers, as well. Despite these claims, Mrs. Fegley, a chemistry teach-er, does support the policy. She said, “I feel it makes M.A.H.S. safer. It may not stop everyone from bring-ing something in but it may stop most.” She sees that the realization of ongoing changes that have to be

Clear Bookbags: An Illusional Sense of Security or a Wise Movement Towards Safety? BY: Ana Granados

made when circumstances arise will be beneficial to the school district.Also from a teacher’s perspective, Mr. Wade, who teaches government and current events classes, feels indifferent about the policy set in place. Although he does not think it will help, it cannot really hurt, either. He made the point that even though the school might “appear” to be safer, there is no evidence whatso-ever to support the reasoning behind the decision. It does, however, act as an inconvenience to students, especially since the policy is being enforced in the middle of the school year. Mr. Wade also mentioned that the students are at a disadvantage because they need to spend money on poorly made clear book-bags, which he finds to be “ridiculous.” What affect will this policy leave on local school dis-tricts? Stormie firmly believes that there is none at all, because “… the incident that brought on this idi-otic policy was an isolated one,” while Anonymous remains neutral. On the other hand, Mr. Wade made a comment on the potential movement towards ex-cessive safety measures, with little to no evidence of their effectiveness.There is no doubt that this policy has affected one or another on every level. Whether it is through mere inconvenience or a belief of protection, the policy has made a dramatic difference upon student life at M.A. And so, the true question still stands. Clear bookbags… are they really an illusional sense of se-curity or a step in the right direction to ensure safety of our school? You decide.

PSSA testing April 7-16 for math and reading

April 19-23 for writingApril 26-30 for science

Final exams Seniors: May 20-26

Underclassmen finals: May 28-June 3Senior Interviews will be scheduled on June 1st and 2nd. All graduating seniors will go through a mock

interview to complete their graduation project.

Graduation: Tuesday, June 8

Mahanoy Area High School March 15, 2010

See Ms. Scic for details. Deadline: April 16, 2010

Are you or a friend...... Having problems keeping your grades up?

...No longer feel like hanging out with friends or family?...Not enjoying your favorite activities like you used to?

...Being bullied or harrassed?...Feeling like you just can’t seem to get it together?

...Experimenting with or using alcohol or other drugs?...Adjusting to a new school?

...Close to someone or have a family member serving in the military?...Having thought of hurting yourself or someone else?

...Feeling emotionally overwhelmed?...Always worrying?

...Thinking about suicide?...Dealing with the breakup of a relationship?

...Being hurt physically or emotionally by someone?...Dealing with major changes in your family like your parents’ divorce?

...Dealing with the illness or death of someone close to you?

The Student Assistance Team is a group of school and community staff that is here to help you deal with problems that are stopping you from doing well in school or stressing you out. The staff will respect you and your parent’s/guardian’s privacy at all times. Members include Mrs. Blue, Mrs. Stone, Ms. Pollack, Ms. Scic, Mr. Vavra, Mrs. Bet, Ms. Wetzel, Mr. DiCasimirro, Mrs. Caufield, Mrs. Henninger, Mr. Wetzel, Mr. Cray, Mrs. Delia and Mrs. Orsulak.

Worried About a Friend?

There is an anonymous referral box in the hallway near Mrs. Blue’s office where students can refer a friend (or themselves) to the Student Assistance Program. Bro-chures are located by the box and students can use those to make their referral.


BY: Sara MadeiraWhat would you do if you were caught in an earth-quake? What would you do if you were stuck under the rubble from a building you once saw standing? On January 12th, the worst earthquake in two hun-dred years struck the Haiti region. Like most people, the Haitians experienced nothing like this before.

“The Scenic” Plays at MA

BY: Samantha RudloffIf you weren’t at the Mahanoy Area High School gym at three o’clock on January 31st, you missed out! A performance by the band, “The Scenic” was sponsored by the Ma-hanoy Area Band Boosters. “The Scenic” is a famous label band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You may ask why a band with a record label play a benefit show? Sophomore Leah Leahy was re-sponsible for the entire show. She thinks that the event greatly ben-efited the Mahanoy Area music program. There were other perfor-mances as well, by Our Battle Our War, Now! The City, Tessel, Mike Soxy, and Condition Oakland. It was a great deal - eight bands for twelve dollars. Leah Leahy stated, “The show had a good turnout and hopefully we can do something similar again next year!” Leah also added, “The Scenic sang Happy Birthday to me! I was so happy it brought me to tears.” Another ad-vantage to going to this show was being able to meet all the bands and buy their shirts and cds as souvenirs. The show was definite-ly worth the twelve dollar ticket!

WHAT HAPPENED TO

HAITI?

Their capital was washed out; most of the buildings are now in piec-es. Many people died under the rubble from these buildings and some weren’t rescued for days. When asked what his first thoughts were Mr. Wade replied, “Why Haiti? It hit the worst possible place in the Caribbean.” Mr. Wade explained that they were the most unfortunate at the time in the Caribbean. To help the Haitians, people have been donating their money and time. Time goes to helping rescue people who can’t help themselves, to rebuild, and to entertain and to keep the Haitians in good spirits. Money is needed for food, water, shelter, medicine, medical supplies, and so on. The news was filled with phenomenal stories. One involved a man who was trapped under six stories of a hotel. He believed he was going to die, and prayed to God that he would survive for his family. When he thought his chances were getting slim, he wrote messages to his two sons, just in case he didn’t see them again. Strangely enough, this man was pulled out from the rubble a week after the earthquake. What would you do if you were stuck in a situation like this? Mr. Wade said he would survive by trying to get water, staying calm and keeping busy, and stay-ing positive by thinking happy thoughts. Also, he’d try to get messages out somehow so he could be rescued. One of the most heartbreaking effects of this earthquake was the Haitian kids that lost their parents. “This is one of the worst things that could happen; there is no way of fixing it,” said Mr. Wade. It could take up to ten years or more to rebuild Haiti. Thankfully, the United States has sent troops to help them clean up the rubble and begin rebuilding. “Hope for Haiti” was held on January 22 to help raise money for the Haitians. Musicians helped raise the spirit of Haitians by singing songs. Pieces from a man’s journal were read to the world so we, as bystand-ers, could understand what it was like there when the earthquake struck. Celebrities answered phone calls for the few hours “Hope for Haiti” lasted, talking to people from all over the country about the earthquake. People donated what they could afford, but even giving something as small as five dollars helps the Haitian people. While some people agree with trying to get donations for Haiti, others disagree. When asked what his feelings were on the situation as a whole, Mr. Wade responded, “The United States will never go away now, eventually it’ll be bad for America and Haiti.”


On Tuesday, March 2, the Mahanoy Area Elementary students celebrated Read across America Week by reciting an oath and then signing it. The oath that they signed said that they would promise to read more of-ten. Read Across America Week celebrates the birth-day of Dr. Suess. A few high school Literary Society members read to the elementary students and some even wore Dr. Seuss hats. Books such as “My Goose Betty”, “Curious George”, and “Cinderella’s Rat”, as well as numerous books written by Dr. Seuss himself were read. The following Literary Society members participated, Stormie Lee Kapp, Ian Leahy, Sarah Ha-nock, Kassie Troxell, Ana Granados, Brittany Fliziani, Meghan Flaim, and Shana Noon. The elementary stu-dents enjoyed the high school readers and the liter-ary society members had a fun time doing it.

READ ACROSS AMERICA WEEK CELEBRATED

Literary Society members Shana Noon, Jess Rago and Andreah White prepare to read to elementary

students during Read Across America Week.Codie Bradbury (above), Shana Noon (right) and Meghan Flaim (below) read to elementary students to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Seuss during Read Across America Week.


MAHANOY AREA ANONYMOUS DRUG ACTIVITY TIP LINE

.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!Do you know someone who needs help with a drug problem?

Did you witness legal drug activities?Do you know of drug dealings taking place anywhere in the area?

Do you suspect of drug storage or processing in your neighborhood?Help us combat drug activity by letting us know it.

Working in partnership, we can make a difference!The Mahanoy City Police Department ANONYMOUS DRUG ACTIVITY TIP LINE

is for the confidential and anonymous reporting of information and non-emergency incidents to the Mahanoy City Police Department. The line has been set up so that members of the community and students of the Mahanoy Area School District can report information that they may otherwise be reluctant to report. The Tip Line is a voice mailbox with a recorded message. A caller can leave a message containing

the information that he or she wishes to share with the police department. There is no way to identify the caller or the line the caller is calling from. A caller is welcome

to identify themselves and leave contact information if they wish and are encour-aged to do so if the situation reguires follow-up contact. The information left on the Tip Line will be checked frequently, and investigated as necessary. The Tip Line is a non-emergency line. If an incident is an emergency or requires an immediate re-

sponse, call 911.

Help us take back our community by reporting illegal drug activity on the Tip Line!


Mahanoy Area high school students had the privilege of watching an extraordinary musical performance by “Phalanx” on January 13th. “Phalanx” is Elizabeth-town College’s all male a-capella group. The group currently consists of eleven vocalists, all of whom dazzled the audience with their unique talents that morning. The name of their group, “Phalanx”, means a group of men coming together for a common goal. The obvious goal of this group is to sing a-capella mu-sic, (singing without instrumental accompaniment), and they do it very well. Phalanx brought talents to Mahanoy’s stage that sparked a new appreciation for music in many students. Senior Kyle Kozie said, “Watching them made me want to be part of an a-ca-pella group too. They do a lot of modern songs and beat boxing which is really cool and different.” The majority of other students who viewed the program felt the same and continued to talk about the group as well as follow them on Facebook and YouTube.Following the program, students were given the op-portunity to meet the members of “Phalanx” and speak with them. However, I contacted the group di-rector, former Mahanoy Area student and participant in its music program, Nathan Shughart for more de-tails on their background. Nathan is presently a music education major at Elizabethtown College where he is extensively involved in the music program, includ-ing multiple choirs, bands, and the school’s dance program. He was kind enough to take time out of his busy rehearsal and performance schedule to answer the following questions about the group:

Bear Facts: “When performing, do you have each song down to a science or is there room to ad lib during numbers?”Phalanx: “After singing songs so many times we start to ad-lib on some lines. Some members of the group change their part almost every time we sing, however, we rehearse enough to feel the music to-gether.”

Bear Facts: “The group gives off a laid-back vibe that I think lends to the enjoyment of the performance. Is the majority of your rehearsal time spent in this same manner, or is the work of perfecting your parts stressful?”Phalanx: “We have a lot of fun in rehearsal and per-

Phalanx: A-Capella Group Performs at Mahanoy Area

By: Katie McCarthy

forming. Rehearsals tend to get stressful around concert weeks but once we are on stage we try to relax and entertain the audience, so they feel relaxed and are able to enjoy the concert.”

Bear Facts: “With a number of different members of varying opinions, is deciding exactly how a song should be arranged difficult or do your ideas tend to flow together smoothly?”Phalanx: “Every member of the group brings his ideas out in rehearsal, and we all are completely dif-ferent. We try to listen to everyone’s opinion but for musical decisions, the musical director has the most say.”

Bear Facts: “As a whole, is there a favorite song? If so, why is it the group favorite?”Phalanx: “We don’t have a favorite as a whole, but “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Good Ol’ A-cappella” are our two classics. They have been sung since Phalanx has started and have been passed down from year to year.”

Bear Facts: “What piece of advice would you give to young music lovers hoping to join a group like yours as they enter college?”Phalanx: “College a-cappella is a great experience for numerous reasons. If you do plan on auditioning for a group, be confident; you want to show that you are comfortable singing AND performing on stage.”

After interviewing Nathan concerning the group as a whole, I asked a few questions only he could answer that display his personal experience as a Mahanoy student continuing education in college.

Bear Facts: “As a former member of Mahanoy Area’s music program in many areas, how did it feel return-ing to its stage to perform once again?”Nathan: “I had a great time coming back to perform and seeing familiar faces in the crowd. Performing on that stage my whole life, I felt right at home, but personally I could tell how much I grew as a singer and performer since last being on the stage.”

Bear Facts: “Why do you think it is important to en-


courage music appreciation in students?”Nathan: “Music is such an important part of the cur-riculum and helps mold students into well-rounded individuals. Also many schools offer music scholar-ships to students even if they are NOT a music ma-jor.”

Bear Facts: “Seeing you do your part as a member (and leader) of this accomplished group has most likely inspired students to strive for their goals when they graduate from Mahanoy Area as well. What ad-vice can you give a student about to graduate from Mahanoy pertaining to goals within their area of in-terest?”Nathan: “Every time we perform as a group I am honored to be the music director and leader of the group in a performance. However, there is a lot of hard work that I do to prepare the group for perfor-mances. Whatever you decide to do after you leave Mahanoy it will definitely require hard work and dedi-cation, fortunately I felt very prepared to step into a leadership position because of the education I got at Mahanoy.”

Bear Facts: “Would you like to bring your group back to Mahanoy Area again?”Nathan: “I wasn’t sure how the audience would re-spond to our performance, but I was very pleased to hear all positive feedback. I’m not sure what the fu-ture holds in store for Phalanx, but I would love to bring them back to Mahanoy.”

“Phalanx” continued to perform at other high schools in the area following their visit to Mahanoy. The group continues to carry their love of music and message to other students. They are a joy to watch and I would encourage anyone and everyone to listen to their music and support their efforts. Anyone can do so by accessing their fanpage on Facebook, which can be found by logging on to Facebook.com and search-ing the group name “Phalanx”. All upcoming show times, the release of their new CD, and other news can be accessed on this site. Their spring show will be held on April 17th at 7:00 PM at Elizabethtown Col-lege. CDs can also be purchased in Mr. Shughart’s classroom in the high school and extra orders can be placed if necessary. On behalf of everyone at Maha-noy, we are extremely grateful to have had “Phalanx” in our auditorium, and wish all of its members the best in the future. All students, faculty, and citizens are encouraged to view the page, support the group with CD purchases, and commend Phalanx’s talents and success.

Phalanx...cont’d

As most people know, Mr. Bet has retired from the po-sition of high school baseball coach. A new baseball fan was needed to step up to the plate and take on the challenge. That brave baseball fanatic is Maha-noy Area High School teacher, Mr. Jason Gerber. Mr. Gerber describes how he fell in love with the game when he was about twelve years old as he played catch in his back yard with his uncle. He has been playing the game ever since. When the opportunity to be Mahanoy’s head coach was presented to him, it was not a difficult decision for him to make to apply. He is a little nervous about taking the place of some-one who has done well for so many years, but with the help of two new assistant coaches, Coach Spotts and Coach Davidson, he hopes to do just as well as good old Mr. Bet. Coach Spotts coached with Mr. Gerber at Tamaqua and Coach Davidson has a great

A New Ball GameBY: Jenna Michaels

baseball background. “I enjoy playing baseball be-cause I grew up with it in my family and also because it is more of a thinking game; you have to react to the opponent and to the game,” Mr. Gerber stated. With seven years of coaching already under his belt, six years at Tamaqua High School and one year at Cardi-nal Brennan High School, he is excited about work-ing with Mahanoy students this season and can’t wait to keep improving from year to year. The boys have been throwing the ball around at early morning practices and have been weight lifting in preparation of the season. Since the regular season has begun, practices are held everyday from 3:00 to 5:30. With the practice schedule getting even busier, Mr. Gerber hopes that this hard work and dedication from his boys will take them far in the 2010 baseball season.


Never Land Is Coming To Mahanoy Area!

Theatre Arts Spring Production to be “Peter Pan”By: Stormie Lee Kapp

Peter. Wendy. Captain Hook. Tink. They’re all coming to Mahanoy Area. The Theatre Arts spring production will open on March 19… the J.M. Barrie classic, Peter Pan. An all-star cast has been assembled, and following in the theatre tradi-tion of having a woman play the part of Peter Pan, Senior Jackie Roberts will be stepping into the spotlight in her first leading role as the guide of the Lost Boys himself. A reliable source (me!) has had several conver-sations with the blooming starlet about her role, including her initial fear that she would not be chosen for the part, her fervent research into the play’s roots to have a better understanding of the role, and of course, her earth-shattering exhilaration when parts when posted. With her flair for the dramatic and energetic nature, Miss Roberts only seems like the natural choice for the role of Pan. But one actress alone does not make a show, and Director Susan Scheeler has made sure to round out her production with only the best supporting actors our school has to offer: Katie McCarthy as the angelic-voiced Wendy; basketball phenom and theatre’s golden boy, Eric Moucheron as John Darling; sophomore dynamo Doug Wells as Michael Darling, the youngest of the Darling trio; spunky Allison Amershek as the feisty Tinkerbell (a role that was not performed in the original production, but has come to be common-place in modern theatre); the oh-so-good-at-being-bad Mike Wawrzynek as the dastardly Captain Hook; lovable Bryan Wagner as Smee, Hook’s right-hand man; Christina Scheeler as the lovely Indian princess, Tiger Lily; Senior comedians Crista DiCasimirro and Zach Broomell as Mrs. and Mr. Darling; Freshman Shana Noon makes her high school stage debut as Tootles, the leader of the Lost Boys. And let’s not forget the non-human characters that make Peter Pan such a hit with audiences of all ages. Katie Scheeler has the tail-wagging role of Nana, the Darlings’ faithful dog, and Yours-Truly will be reprising the role of the sinister and scaly Crocodile. With a cast this good and a storyline that has wowed audiences for the better part of one hundred years, this play stands to be one of the best that has come out of the Mahanoy Theatre Arts Com-pany.

Rhoades Foundation

FormedThe James J. and Mary Edith Rhoades Foundation was found-ed in October 2008 in memory of Senator James J. Rhoades who was unexpectantly killed in an au-tomobile acident on his way to a local high school football game where he was to be honored at halftime. Senator Rhoades’ wife, Mary Edith, and children chose to establish this foundation to carry on Senator Rhoades’ selfless spir-it, highlighting his lifelong dedica-tion toward education, giving, and community for years to come.The James J. and Mary Edith Rhoades Foundation is an inde-pendent non-profit foundation that promotes education, giving, and community as a whole. It will aim to fulfill its’ mission by pro-viding educational scholarships to our community’s youth and ad-ministering charitable funds to the ever-changing needs of our com-munity.The James J. and Mary Edith Rhoades Foundation encourages education and individual devel-opment of our youth. Education, participation in sports, recreation, arts, and community involvement provide the necessary values and tools for our area’s youth to learn, grow and succeed.The James J. and Mary Edith Rhoades Foundation encourages philanthropy, volunteerism, com-munity improvement and revi-talization. Charitable giving em-braces many different aspects, including arts and culture, edu-cation, environment, government and social service. It will raise and distribute funds to meet the ever changing charitable needs and

challenges of our community and its members.The James J. and Mary Edith Rhoades Foundation encourages you to “pay it forward.” You can pay it forward in such simple acts as holding the door for an elder-

ly individual at the grocery store or giving up your place in line to someone in a rush. Whether you can afford a monetary donation, or a moment of your time, even the smallest, free gestures can make a difference.


“FOR LASTING MEMORIES”

Daniel’s

PHOTOGRAPHY110 West Centre Street

Mahanoy City, PA 17948570-773-2972


Welcome, friends, to my annual Top 12 “American Idol” handicap column, where the following question is asked, and answered:Who’ll slog their way through this Nielsen-stoked meat market, run the gauntlet of four judges, a million blogs and 100 million votes to stand up next to Ryan Seacrest in May and know they were the best? (Or at least be assured that they have the most tech-savvy fan base, expert in block text voting?)As the competition gets into high gear Tuesday night at 8 EDT on Fox, we have before us 12 singers, and the race already feels reduced to just two. Will they be the ones at the end? To our handicapping:1. MICHAEL LYNCHE: The perfect package. Great look, story, voice, stage presence and a true showman’s sense of the possible — as well as of the impossible. He alone can make this season exciting.2. CRYSTAL BOWERSOX: With the vocal range of a Sarah McLachlan (well, almost — but then, who does?) mixed in with the rough, hard, bluesy edges of a Janis Joplin — and a lip stud to boot — here stands one of your most interesting “Idol” finalists in seasons. (Is her health, however, an issue?)3. SIOBHAN MAGNUS: Another finalist who seems to prove that maybe “American Idol” really does know what it’s doing. With a near-k.d. lang purity of tone and a great TV look, she could surprise everyone and win.4. LACEY BROWN: Sort of the old soul of our little group, she’s more

interesting than exciting; another beautiful voice, though one wonders where she’ll take it from here. It is Rolling Stone week — how about “Wild Horses”?5. CASEY JAMES: Got an unfair rap as Kara’s boy toy, but he’s also the sort of singer who can and likely will go far.6. LEE DEWYZE: I like DeWyze a lot (and James, too), and it should be fun to see him progress; his voice feels a little rough and undisciplined, however.7. DIDI BENAMI: Nice, clear vocal instrument but a presentation that lacks drama or commands attention.8. ANDREW GARCIA: One of the front-runners a few weeks ago, he now feels vulnerable.9. KATIE STEVENS: She has a lovely stage presence, but she’s out of her league here.10. AARON KELLY: The “cute factor” could mitigate the “nominal talent” factor. But it won’t carry him to the end.11. PAIGE MILES: A disaster last week (“Smile”?), she might be able to salvage something this week. She has to.12. TIM URBAN: Wouldn’t it be a delicious, told-you-so moment if Urban stands triumphant in May? No, it wouldn’t be.Verne Gay: [email protected] (c) 2010, Newsday.Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com/

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

EUROPE:A RARE

OPPORTUNITY FOR MAHANOY STUDENTS

BY: Rebecca Williams

Have you ever wanted to go to Eu-rope? That’s exactly what mem-bers of the French/German club have the opportunity to do. The advisor of the French/German club is Mrs. Rohart, who has taken the French/German club to Eu-rope eight other times. The club will be leaving on March 26th for nine days. The cost of the trip is around $2,000, but is well worth it. The first four days will be spent in Paris, next they will travel to Swit-zerland, and finally, will spend the last two days in Germany. While they’re in Europe, the club will visit places like The Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph, and Mt. Pila-tus. “I love Paris, and I’m really in-terested in places I haven’t been,” said Mrs. Rohart. There aren’t any teacher chaperones accom-panying her on this trip, but her daughter and a couple of parents will be going along. This trip gives students an opportunity they nor-mally wouldn’t have.

Top 12: We’ve got their numbers


Three high school teachers extended their summer break until the be-ginning of the third marking period. Those teachers are Mrs. Wells and Mrs. Stone, who had positive reasons for staying at home longer than the rest of us and Mr. Vavra, who had an unfortunate reason for re-turning to school in January instead of September. Both Mrs. Wells, school librarian, and Mrs. Stone, environmental science teacher, stayed at home with their newborns, while Mr. Vavra was home on sick leave. Their substitutes were Miss Lambert, Dr. Legutko, and Mrs. Fallon, re-spectively.What is it like coming back in the middle of the school year instead of in the beginning? Mr. Vavra said, “The only difference was half of the year was completed, half a year to complete what I need to complete, and half a year to get to know the kids.” When asked what it was like when she first met her students, Mrs. Wells replied, “I was happy to see the eighth and ninth graders, and I was eager to meet the seventh grad-ers.” Was it difficult to not be here for the first half of the year? Mr. Vavra said, “It was difficult because I had not taken a sick day since 1986. I really enjoy my job and not coming to it was very strange, but I was pleased that the school district hired a great substitute to take my place.” Mrs. Stone missed teaching but she knew that she was coming back. “I am happy to be back, it is refreshing,” she said. How did the substitute teachers do in keeping the students up to date with lessons? Mrs. Wells explained, “Miss Lambert did a great job. She was very thorough, and did great getting to know the teachers and the students. I would have liked to have worked with her.” Mr. Vavra said, “Mrs. Fallon asked for my advice regarding what she should cover, and she developed her own lessons plans.” Mrs. Wells was greeted with lots of hellos and requests to see pictures of her baby upon her return. Mrs. Stone hopes that students will adapt easily to a different teacher, “I hope they find it easy because I try to mo-tivate them with different styles of teaching.” Switching teachers during the school year can have an effect on student grades, but in Mrs. Wells situation, she explained how this is not a factor. “The second half stu-dents never had Miss Lambert, since i teach half year courses.” Mrs. Stone will get a student teacher in March. “I look forward to helping Mr. Eger. It is his second high school experience of teaching. I hope my students will adapt to him as well.” Mr. Vavra would like to add, “I am thankful for all of the support and well wishes I received from the administration, faculty, and the students at Mahanoy Area. When I went through the operation it was great for my spirits to get so many cards and letters from the students, faculty, etc., hoping that I would get better and soon. It was an eye opening experi-ence for someone who was healthy. Luckily, it wasn’t a whole a lot worse, and I am thankful to be back. I am in better shape than I have been in a long time. I have not been in this good of condition since I coached wrestling with Mr. Wartman in the 80’s.”

For Sale

2010 yearbooks

See Ms. Scic in the art room

Price of the book is $60.00

Payment must be made in full.

Books from the following years are

also available

2008 - $25.002006 - $15.002004 - $10.002003 - $10.002002 -$10.001993 - $10.001992 - $10.00

1989 - $10

Welcome BackMr. Vavra, Mrs. Stone and Mrs. Wells Return

By: Brittany Davies


americanidolyearbook.com


“LEARNING NEW THINGS”

New Student Teachers at Mahanoy AreaBY: Jennifer Lawrence

PIZZA= WINNINGIs it enough?

BY: Robert Filiziani

In November we had a pep rally to introduce members of the win-ter sports teams. Mr. Holmes announced at the event that if Mahanoy sports teams overall ac-complish one hundred wins during the ‘09-’10 school year, the entire student body would be treated to a pizza party. His goal in offering this is to motivate the students to get involved in our school. When asked if she thinks it will work, Olivia Hower replied, “I think that it will motivate us because every-body loves pizza. We also want the party because parties are a great place to have fun with your friends.” Winning in sports isn’t the easiest thing to do. But if more people get involved, and actually have some fun, we just might be able to pull it off. If Mahanoy ath-letes pull off this great feat, will it change people’s attitudes towards MA sports? Mark Swokel thinks it would do just that. He stated, “ It would boost our confidence, and when that happens, we have more fun and are more relaxed, which in turn helps us win more.” Joseph Swartz would like to see the ath-letes face the challenge again next year. He thinks that a video game day might be a good incentive in-stead of pizza. So is pizza the real motivator or are some students just tired of losing? It is now up to the spring sports teams to accom-plish the remainder of the wins for Mahanoy.

Student teachers from Blooms-burg University have been teach-ing in the the high school since the beginning of the third mark-ing period. The three new teach-ers are working in classrooms located in the English and history hallways. Mrs. Straub is teaching with Mr. Tobin, Mr. West with Mr. Smith and Miss Hite is teaching in Mrs. Yakubik’s classroom. Each student teacher will be with the high school until May. While Miss Hite and Mrs. Straub will be with us in the high school until the end of the year, Mr. West will move to the middle school to work with Mr. Wiscount on March 11th, where he

will stay until May 5th. After their experiences here at Mahanoy Area they will receive degrees in education.Each teacher has his/her own reasons for selecting teaching as a ca-reer. When asked why he chose history, Mr. West replied, “I have al-ways enjoyed history. My past teachers and interest in history are why I would like to become a history teacher”. With new teachers usually come new teaching strategies. Mr. Smith’s student teacher, Mr. West, is using more technology but is following the same basic structure as Mr. Smith. Mrs. Straub really isn’t changing much from Mr. Tobin’s teach-ing habits. She says, “I like to use powerpoints and video clips, as well as discussions and class activities.” Miss Hite has made some small changes from Mrs. Yakubik’s strategies in teaching Spanish. She has included new study habits by incorporating vocabulary review games and group activities to improve students understanding of the language. When asked why she chose Spanish rather than a different language, Ms. Hite simply stated, “Other languages can be boring or hard to learn, with Spanish you can have fun.”Overall, the student teachers seem to have a good grasp on what they hope to accomplish. Each would like to obtain a job in the state of Penn-sylvania. During student teaching, they hope to get a better understand-ing of the students and the daily life of a teacher, as well as experience to develop their own teaching styles. The best of luck to our student teachers Mr. West, Miss Hite, and Mrs. Straub at Mahanoy Area and be-yond. Hopefully this experience will better prepare you for your teach-ing future.


NEW YORK — No one was more sur-prised about ABBA being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame than the band’s co-founder Benny An-dersson.“We’re a pop band from the North Pole,” Andersson says, calling from his studio in Stockholm. “There’s no such thing as a (continental Euro-pean) band in the Rock Hall, so it is flattering. It feels good, but it’s very unexpected.”After all, ABBA — Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Ag-netha Faltskog — is best known for pop hits such as “Dancing Queen” and “Knowing Me, Knowing You” and disco anthems such as “Lay All Your Love on Me,” as well as the Broadway smash “Mamma Mia!” and the movie of the same name. Andersson’s latest album, “Story of the Heart” (Decca), gorgeously runs the gamut of classi-cal-inspired instrumentals, American Songbook-styled ballads and even a tinge of country. Big rock guitars and heavy drumbeats? Not so much.“Every year, there’s someone that attracts attention from people who aren’t happy about the choice,” says Terry Stewart, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s president and chief executive. “One of the problems this year is you have the extremes of ABBA getting inducted and KISS doesn’t. I’ve answered 5,000 to 10,000 e-mails and letters. This issue is a high point this year.”Of course, what could be more rock ‘n’ roll than a little bit of controversy?What gets lost in all the Internet hub-bub about this year’s incredibly di-verse induction class — which in-cludes punk pioneers the Stooges, reggae ambassador Jimmy Cliff, British Invasion stars the Hollies and British art rockers Genesis — is that ABBA is exactly the kind of artist the Rock Hall needs.“ABBA, for some people, skews the class in a direction that’s really weird, but what it does is get into the ques-tion of ‘What is rock and roll?”” Stew-art says. “Everybody defines it per-sonally, and nobody’s wrong. But few people really look at it with the same

Mama mia! ABBA enters the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

fully encompass-ing view that we do. ABBA doesn’t come out of the Gersh-win songbook, they come out of the Elvis Pre-sley songbook,

ABBA’s influence is more evident in today’s rock and pop stars. “ABBA in-fluenced Erasure, Pet Shop Boys and Culture Club,” Weier points out. “And they influenced Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert. No ABBA, there may be no Lady Gaga.”Perhaps more important to today’s music is the way ABBA influenced other Swedes to enter pop music. These days, Stockholm — thanks to producers and songwriters Max Mar-tin, Dr. Luke, Rami, Shellback and oth-ers — is a music industry hub that has built hits for everyone from Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys to Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Katy Perry and Ke$ha.“We may have inspired them by show-ing that it is possible to come from Sweden and be known throughout the world,” Andersson says. “There’s a lot of good recording producers here, making lots of good recordings.”That includes Andersson, who contin-ues to write in his studio every day, working on new music for the Benny Andersson Band, as well as bring-ing the musical “Kristina,” which was performed at Carnegie Hall last year, to Royal Albert Hall in London.Andersson is also looking forward to attending his first Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, along with Lyngs-tad, and meeting his fellow inductees, especially songwriting team Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and Jeff Bar-ry, who will be honored with his part-ner, the late Ellie Greenwich.“I very rarely get to speak to other songwriters,” says Andersson, who will be inducted with ABBA by Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees. “I’m a bit nervous about it, but I’m looking forward to it.”And for the Rock Hall, it’s another chance to celebrate the unpredict-able.

the Little Richard songbook. But it’s translated through people who don’t speak English as a first language, so it’s no surprise that it has a little dif-ferent feel. It’s all in there, it’s just a little different.”For David Weier, vice president of pro-gramming and talent for Fuse, which will broadcast this year’s induction live Monday night, it shouldn’t even be a question. “I don’t know why they wouldn’t be inducted,” Weier says. “These are artists that have a signifi-cant body of work. ... Rock is such a thin term these days. We should be looking at music in general — great music.”It’s an approach that Weier says fits with Fuse, as well as the Rock Hall. Though none of the year’s inductees, aside from maybe Genesis, would ever be considered a Fuse artist, Wei-er says celebrating their accomplish-ments on Fuse is a good fit.“We bring music to people in a broad fashion,” he says. “They may not be known to our audience, but we are there to make the connections. We bring the best of the old and new to-gether.”Actually, it’s those connections that should cement ABBA’s place in the Rock Hall. Obviously, the band has a massive following. It has sold more than 375 million albums worldwide, ranking ABBA among the world’s big-gest sellers, behind only the Beatles, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson.“We tried a little in the beginning (to be a rock band) because we sort of enjoyed that side of music,” Anders-son says. “But it never worked really because we were just a genuine pop band.”Sometimes, the rock influences shone through, such as the bit of rock gui-tar in “Does Your Mother Know.” But

Attention Students:Produce a 1 minute commercial on what is great about your Schuylkill

County community (town, school, church, local group). If you had to post one great message about your hometown on You Tube, what

would it be?Prizes: 1st place: $100, 2nd place: $75, 3rd place: $50 Honorable

mentions: $25Who is eligible? Any student in 9th - 12th grade in a Schuylkill County high school or any college student in a Schuylkill County

college or university is eligible to enter. (Send a copy of a valid school ID with your entry).

How do I enter? Send a 1 minute edited CD/DVD. See Mr. Babinsky for an entry form.cSubmissions may be hand delivered (Monday to

Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or mailed to:Schuylkill County’s VISION/ Commercial Contest

123 Mahantongo StreetPottsville, PA 17961

Details:*1 minute commercial *200 MB File Size Max

* Accepted formats are: .avi, .dv, .mov, .qt, .mp4, .mpeg, .3gp, .asf, .wmv, .mpg

*Rights and clearances of those appearing on camera are the responsibility of the Entrant

Deadline for entries: All entries must be submitted by: March 31, 2010

Voting Timeline: Entries will be posted on www.republicanherald.com during the week of April 13. The public will vote on entries. The winning commercials will be announced Monday, April 19. Winning

commercials will be shown at the Sovereign Majestic Theatre during the Block of Art on Sunday, April 25. Winning entries will also be

posted on the Schuylkill County’s VISION YouTube channel.Questions: Call or e-mail Schuylkill County’s VISION at 570-622-

6097 or [email protected] with your questions. Visit www.schuylkillvision.com to download this information.

*Schuylkill County’s VISION and The Republican-Herald reserve the right to reject any commercial that is inappropriate for family viewing.

GOOD LUCK!

Schuylkill County’s VISION & republicanherald.com

present………STARRING SCHUYLKILL COUNTY

Student Television Commercial Contest


Could You Use $50.00 Cash?

Like most things, the price of yearbooks keeps rising. In order to continue giving free yearbooks to seniors who have all of their class dues paid and owe no fines, the yearbook staff will kick off what it hopes to be a very profitable fundraiser after Easter. It will be open to every student in ninth through twelfth grades. As an incentive, every student who sells at least ten hoagies will be able to see a movie on the afternoon of May 6th in the auditorium. In addition, the student who sells the most hoagies will win a $50.00 cash prize. For students with a sibling in the high school, a total of fifteen hoagies will be required to see the movie. The staff is hoping to be able to sell snacks to students for during the movie as well. More details will be revealed before Easter.

INTERESTED IN

TOURING ITALY

AND GREECE?Members of the art club, advised by Ms. Scicchitano, are planning well in advance. The club is looking for individuals interested in travelling to Italy and possibly Greece in the Spring of 2012. The trip will be led by EF Tours, a reputable company used by French teacher, Mrs. Rohart, many times. Plans are being made early enough to provide as many fundraisers as possible to help with the cost. If you would like more information, see Ms. Scic in the art room or call the high school.

May 21, 20106:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Mahanoy Area High School Cafeteria

Everyone is invited to perform and or just enjoy the talent of Mahanoy students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members.

If you’re interested in performing, call 773-3443 ext 4074, see Ms. Scic in the h.s. or

just simply show up!

4th Annual

refreshments

available for

sale

$5.00 admission

Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society Relay for Life at Mahanoy

and The Rita Holman Memorial Scholarship

CoffeehouseMahanoy Area High School March 15, 2010

bear facts dec11 09 - mahanoy area el school facts mahanoy area high school march 15, 2010...

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