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What do you want to read about? Yes, you!
By Elina Inch
The most difficult part of writing for the newspaper, for me, is choosing a topic to write about. If the audience has no interest in what we write about then no one will read it. We work hard as a newspaper team to create these pieces and want people to enjoy our work as much as we do. The newspaper was created to allow students and faculty to remain informed about what is going on with our school. We want our readers to be more involved in the paper, and hopefully encourage more of the student body to read the newspaper.
I have included a link below to a google form, this will allow you to submit your newspaper topic ideas to the newspaper team. If you would like to be interviewed when we are asking the MASH student body questions, you can let us know on the google form. It is important to the writers of the paper to involve our audience in our work and fully expand our writing to more of the school!
If you have any ideas for the paper to write, or want to have your voice included on the next paper please consider filling out the form linked below!
Google Form Link:
The MASH Student Council prepares for next school year
By Evelyn Hambright
Disclaimer: The due date for applications has already passed.
Are you interested in joining the MASH Student Council, but do not know where to start? Getting involved is simple, and here’s how to do it.
First, what is the Student Council? Student Council is a student-organization that makes decisions about our school and the events taking place within it. Here at MASH, our Student Council meets once a month before school for meetings that consist of event-planning, discussion, and reflection. The meetings are mainly run by the President, but other members -- Vice President, Treasurer, miniThon chair, Homecoming Chair -- do have to give reports on their work as well. All meetings are held in room 231 and are monitored by teachers Ms. Clever and Mrs. Williams.
The Student Council gets to plan our annual homecoming dance and miniThon event. The group also runs all of the pep rallies held throughout the school year. Outside of school, the Student Council holds fundraisers at local restaurants to raise money for these events to help lighten the cost our school has to pay.
When you join the organization, you must decide whether you want to be a General Council Member or a Cabinet Member. General Council Members have less responsibilities than Cabinet Members do, as their main job is to attend monthly meetings before school. General Council Members have a say in decisions made during meetings and get to help plan events. As a Cabinet Member, you will be responsible for different tasks depending on what position you are filling. Some positions are President, Vice President, Treasurer, miniThon Chair, Homecoming Chair, and Marketing and Communications Director. All of the cabinet positions are responsible for completing tasks outside of monthly meetings and should be reliable in completing their work well.
Now for how to apply. For both General Council Members and Cabinet Members, you will need to fill out the Google Forms posted on posters around the school and on the MASH Student Council Instagram -- mash_stuco. For General Council Members, you can nominate yourself or a friend that you think would be good for the position. If more than ten applications are submitted, a form will be sent out to the student body and applicants will be voted on. There will be ten General Council Members per grade level. For Cabinet Members, you will need to answer a few short questions about leadership, the position you want, and why you are interested. You will be contacted by Ms. Clever about a Cabinet interview at a later date. (Please note that interviews for next year have already taken place.)
Whether you are involved in the MASH Student Council as a General Council Member or a Cabinet Member, Student Council is a lot of fun and will teach you valuable leadership and cooperation skills.
The MASH softball team has a stellar start to the season
By Kelsea Harshbarger
The start of the spring sports season also means the start of softball season, and the softball team was fully prepared to compete from the beginning. This year, the MASH varsity softball team consists of 13 players, and each player has made positive contributions that have helped lead to the success of the team.
The season started in March, and the first game was played at Northeastern Senior High School on March 21st. Now, the softball team is just over halfway done with their regular season schedule and has maintained an undefeated record, going 12-0 so far. The team has already played each of its fellow Mid Penn Keystone Division teams at least once, beating each team and currently putting the Wildcats in the top spot in the division. The team hopes to continue the winning streak and looks forward to continuing to compete for a Keystone Division championship for the second year in a row.
Throughout the season so far, the team has played in many exciting games and accomplished a lot. Perhaps the biggest matchup was during the game played against Palmyra’s softball team at home. Going into the season, the Wildcats knew that Palmyra would be a tough competitor, but the team ultimately came out on top. A thrilling triple play and a homerun hit by Jr. Bella DeMaio definitely helped to contribute to the win. Jr. Sarah Meyers shares that “[her] favorite game of the season was [the game against] Palmyra because it was close and [the team] had to push through and work really hard to come out with the win.”
Though the team hasn’t lost a game yet, there have definitely been a few obstacles that the team has been able to effectively overcome in order to maintain its undefeated record. Jr. Emma Rizzutto believes that “[the] team is very resilient,” sharing that the Wildcats “have overcome a lot of challenges throughout games.” Even in the face of adversity, the softball team has never given up.
During the second half of the season, the Wildcats will continue to face well-rounded competitors. There is no doubt that the team will remain focused on all aspects of the game as the players do their best to come out victorious. Keeping a positive and determined mindset will be key as the Wildcats continue through their regular season.
In addition to game play, there are also many exciting events that the softball team is looking forward to. Friday, April 28th will be the team’s annual Wildcat Night where the team invites youth softball players from the local area to join the high school players out on the field. This is one of the many ways that the softball team is able to get involved with the community throughout the season. Moving forward to May 8th, it will be a bittersweet night for the team, as three seniors will participate in their senior night ceremony before playing against the team from Bishop McDevitt High School.
Overall, the MASH softball team has done a fantastic job both defensively and offensively so far this season. When asked to describe this year’s softball team, Meyers chose the word “consistent,” which has definitely been one of the defining characteristics of the Wildcats this year. With such a fantastic run during the first half of the season, it will definitely be exciting to see what else the softball team will be able to accomplish in the future.
Student Survey: Lunch
By Bekka Kreitman
This year, MASH has undergone a change to lunches due to the rising class sizes, introducing a lunch C. Lunch A now occurs before period 3, lunch B occurs in the middle of period 3, and lunch C occurs after period 3. I asked students what their thoughts were on the current lunch system, and, unsurprisingly, there were many mixed opinions. Read on to find out for yourself what the MASH student body thinks about this year’s lunches.
Let’s start with lunch A. Many students, especially the freshman, seem to enjoy lunch A the most. One freshman shares that “lunch A is great because it is the perfect split in the middle of your day.” Many students share the belief that lunch A allows them to reflect on their day so far and plan for the second half of their day to go even better. As one junior explains, “I feel like lunch A allows me to start fresh. If the first half of my day went bad, I know I still have another half to go that can go better.”
Lunch B had the most mixed reviews of all the lunches. Many students expressed that while they were initially resistant to lunch B, it has since grown on them. One sophomore shares, “it was annoying” having to leave then go back to the same class again; however, now she feels “a breath of fresh air” when lunch comes because she gets a break. Other students explain that they are very unmotivated to finish the second forty minutes after lunch, and one freshman shares that “it’s stupid to split it up because as soon as I get going, I have to stop for lunch, then as soon as I get going again it’s time to switch classes. I can never get ‘in the zone’ without getting interrupted”. Some students, however, love lunch B. One sophomore shares that lunch B “is good because it allows me to think about what I’m doing during lunch and have better ideas when I get back”.
Finally, lunch C seems to be very hit or miss. Many students feel that lunch C is just too late in the day, and they are hungry long before 12:45. “I feel like I can’t focus”, one junior shares, “I’m too busy thinking about lunch that I can’t concentrate on what I’m doing and am way more unproductive than if I had lunch A”. However, other students have a different perspective. “I love lunch C,” one freshman elaborates, “it’s great because while the mornings are long, I know I only have one class after lunch which makes the day go by really fast!”
One fact that everyone agrees on though: the bells are annoying! I didn’t initially think to ask this question during my interviews, but it was brought to my attention by numerous students. One freshman shares that “the bells during period 3 are confusing, because I feel like I should be going somewhere when I’m not”. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors share their exasperation, and one senior explains that “I miss when there was one bell that interrupted the period. Now that there’s 3 lunches, it seems like bells are constantly ringing that don’t apply to you and it’s really frustrating to focus through those distractions.” During period 3, there is the 11:20 bell, the 11:50 bell, the 12:00 bell, the 12:30 bell, the 12:45 bell, and the 1:20 bell. Adding it up, 6 bells ring each day all within one period, of which only ½ to ⅔ of them would apply to a single individual. That’s a lot of bells!
As you can see, MASH students realize the pros and cons to the many lunches offered. While they recognize it’s necessary to have 3 lunches to allow space for the growing class sizes, they also note that it’s sometimes a confusing 3rd period filled with many distracting bells. Which lunch is your favorite?
Current Events: Catch up on the latest news stories from April 2023
Current Events: Catch up on the latest news stories from April 2023
By Charley Riley
There are so many stories in the news, from small local stories to large, worldwide stories. It has become hard to keep up with it all, and that’s why I’m writing this article. As you read further, there will be most, if not all, large, notable stories from April 1, 2023, to April 21, 2023, that are worth reading.
On March 31st and April 1st, multiple violent tornadoes touched down in Indiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas. At least 32 people were killed, and many buildings were destroyed. Among them was my own grandparents' house, who thankfully survived, however, the entire house is gone.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is under fire for not reporting trips and gifts from conservative billionaire Harlan Crow. Thomas said the trips were “personal hospitality,” but they still had to be disclosed. This situation has made people call for the Supreme Court justices to adopt an ethics code of their own, as right now they use the one made for lower courts.
For the first time ever, a former president has been indicted and charged. Donald Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsification of business records. These are charges from an investigation of hush money he paid to a woman after having an affair with her. Trump has pleaded not guilty, and the trial is hoping to happen in early 2024.
For over a year, classified Pentagon documents were leaked online, until just this month when U.S. officials became aware of the leak. It has secrets regarding Ukraine, the Middle East, Russia, Asia, and details on U.S. espionage and spying. This is one of the largest breaches of U.S. intelligence in decades. The documents were suspected to be leaked by 21 year old Jack Teixeira on a 600 person Discord server.
Colorado has become the first state where teens can travel to for puberty blockers and other hormone treatments. Essentially, it is a safe haven for transgender people under 18 years old, even if their home state has bans.
Washington is set to become the tenth state to ban the sale of assault weapons, which have been linked to some of the deadliest shootings in America in recent memory. It is important to note that this does not stop people from owning assault weapons they already have, but rather banning the selling, distribution, importing, and manufacturing of them. There are exceptions for police and military.
SpaceX’s Starship, one of the most powerful rockets ever made, was launched in Texas on April 20th. It exploded midair after about four minutes in the air, and luckily there was no one on board, and no one was injured. The explosion happened because of multiple failed engines. Despite the destruction, the launch still provided SpaceX with significant data.
A man in Oregon went around the highway and threw around $200,000 in hundred dollar bills on the street from his family’s bank account. The police stopped and questioned him, and found he simply felt like giving this money to people. He had lawful access to the money and wasn’t charged.
On four separate occasions, a simple mistake led to people getting shot. A young woman was shot and killed after pulling into the wrong driveway, a teenage boy was shot when he rang the wrong doorbell, two highschool cheerleaders were shot when they accidentally got in the wrong car, and a man fully unloaded his gun on a little girl and her parents when they went in his yard to get a basketball.
Chris Tyson (who goes by any pronoun), known for appearing in MrBeast videos, recently revealed he has begun hormone replacement therapy. People have been talking about him, and specifically how this will affect his two year old child. MrBeast has replied to comments about Chris, stating “Chris isn’t my nightmare he's my friend.” It’s disgusting how people are talking about him.
Moderna, known for their Covid-19 vaccine, believes they could develop a vaccine to prevent and help treat multiple conditions, including cancer, by the end of the decade. They have already begun tests, which show promising results. The success of the Covid-19 vaccine has helped propel the science and creation of vaccines significantly. I highly recommend you read how it will work, as my explanation wouldn’t do it justice.
Many notable movies came out this month, including but not limited to Air (April 5th), The Super Mario Bros. Movie (April 5th), Paint (April 7th), The Pope’s Exorcist (April 14th), Renfield (April 14th), Beau is Afraid (April 21st), The Covenant (April 21st) and Evil Dead Rise (April 21st). Peter Pan & Wendy has yet to release at the time of writing, but will release on April 28th.
Freshman share thoughts about Frosh Academy changes
By Chelsea Guan
The start of the fourth marking period brings on many new changes, including modifications to freshman academy. Many students in MASH (mostly freshmen) have positive comments about this new arrangement.
Fr. Mindy Liu mentions, “It’s a positive thing how we’re able to go home sooner now and not spend more time at school.” She also says, “It’s nice how the students have a choice on whether they want to spend that time at school or home since most people would probably want to go home earlier if they could.” Another freshman, Karissa Curley adds on expressing that she also “likes this new freshman academy better” and further explains how she doesn’t “think many students take any of the lessons into mind so it was rather pointless.” Freshman Academy, which started only this year, definitely frustrated many students when they could’ve used that time to work more on their assignments, seek help from teachers, or just take a break after a long day.
Fr. Karla Garcia builds on this as well, stating, “I don’t think the lessons help you think more about things so I don’t think they were helpful.” Any student who’s been in freshman academy for any of the lessons would agree. From topics ranging from identifying emotions to how to reach out to teachers, many of which may be helpful but to many students, these are already common knowledge. She also comments that she too “likes the new changes” and how she thinks “study hall or the option of leaving early is better.”
Adding on, though not many students mentioned this point, this new change also benefits those with older siblings that can drive as this way they can leave school together without having to face the inconvenience of having to drive back and forth because of dismissal time differences. Lastly, one student who wished to remain anonymous mentions, “It’s frustrating how I meet all the requirements that allow me the privilege of leaving but can’t because I ride the bus. I guess it’s not that bad anymore though since I/E will be study halls from now on.” It’s definitely a let down to the many freshmen who ride the buses home to not be able to use that privilege, however even so at least they now have the option to use that time as they wish.
All in all, no one could really argue that this new change in freshman academy for the fourth marking period was not a good choice after hearing many freshmen students’ opinions on the matter. Though it does make many curious as to whether the administration will choose to continue this for freshmen coming to MASH next year.
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