December/January Articles

Advisory opinions

By Chelsea Guan

Advisory has been part of MASH for quite some time with the sole purpose of “creating student and student, as well as teacher and student relationships,” one teacher had put it, as well as for students to get help or clarification on the graduation project and also other questions they might have. 

When asked about opinions on advisory, a teacher comments, “I don’t think that the lessons that are provided are meaningful for the students and I don’t think they really promote relationship building.” They also further expressed that “advisory feels very stressful, it just feels like one more thing to get off our plate.” Many students also seem to agree with this. One student says, “I don’t really see a point in it.” While another student, Fr. Crystal Cuello, adds that “it’s meaningful if they reinforce the important lessons but not too often because we hear it too much and it loses its value over time.” Although there seem to be thoughts that advisory is a drag or hassle, there are also students who have more positive feelings about it. 

One student mentions that they think, “...it’s good because it’s nice to take a break from classes.” Another student also suggests, “It’s nice when you have friends in the same advisory as you because it feels like we’ve been given more time to talk and stuff and it also makes it more enjoyable.” Fr. Mindy Liu also says how she thinks advisory at MASH is just as important as homerooms at MMS and describes how “not only is it a resting point, but it also bookmarks many experiences that we can accumulate along our journey from 9th to 12th grade.” 

Not only do people a part of the MASH community have their own opinions on advisory, but there are also suggestions for possible improvements as well. Many students suggested that they would like it to be more “fun.” While a teacher brings up how they “would like to see more things that improve relationships and more opportunities for time to work for the graduation project.” Lastly, one other student would like to see perhaps “...other advisories [being allowed] to have time to interact with other classes.” They further build on that by stating, “Although this might instigate many factors such as noises and [a] large number of students in a single space, it would allow more shared ideas between advisories.”

These were merely a few opinions some people at MASH had on advisory. Several felt like it was unnecessary and a waste of time while others may have enjoyed their time there. Many people, including students and teachers, would like to see improvements that would change the current advisories for the better to help students as we all continue to grow. Your opinion matters, so how do you feel about advisory? 

MASH winter sports dominating the competition

By Evelyn Hambright

Here at MASH, we have many winter sports teams, who have all started their 2022-2023 seasons off strong. The winter teams include Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Swimming, and Wrestling. 

The Boys JV and Varsity Basketball teams both had their first matchup against Spring Grove Area High School. It was a tough game, but Mechanicsburg came out on top, with Varsity winning 58-38. The team then followed with winning 45-32 against Red Lion High just 4 days later. The Varsity boys team is made up of 22 boys, ranging from 10 to 12 grade. The seniors on the team include Spencer Nolan, Luke McCorkel, Nathan Bardo, Seth Brubaker, and Gabe Pinsker.

In addition to winning their first two games, So. Josh Smith and So. Chance Yanoski have been put into the pool of contestants to win Mid-Penn’s Top Player of Opening Weekend. 

Girls Basketball is following a similar path as the boys teams, winning their first two games. The varsity girls won their first game 52-28, against Spring Grove Area High School, and their second game 53-36 against Shippensburg. The girls Varsity team is made up of 19 girls, with 5 of them being freshmen. Jayden Eager, Gracen Nutt, and Priya Loran are the seniors on this year's team. 

The Girls Basketball team was one of many that played in the Cedar Crest Booster Club Girls Basketball Tournament on December 10. The girls came in strong and placed first in the championship. Sr. Jayden Eager was named Tournament MVP and Sr. Gracen Nutt was named to the All Tournament Team. 

In the water, the MASH Swim team has been diving into success. The girls team has only lost one meet so far this season, with 3 more to go. The highlight of their season has been beating McDevitt 88-82. As for the boys, they have lost 3 meets. The team is led by Head Coach Mike Glumac. 

On the mat, the MASH Wrestling team has welcomed many changes. Dave Heckard has stepped up as head coach and So. Kallie Bower has joined the team. Bower is the only girl on the team this year, making it the first time the team is not boys-only. More girls are encouraged to join the team, and help grow the sport of girls wrestling. There are also 5 seniors leading the team this year.

All of the winter sports teams here at MASH are off to a good start and are prepared for a strong finish. 

Student Council works hard behind the scenes

By Kelsea Harshbarger

Over the past two months, Student Council has put a great deal of effort into creating fun and exciting school spirit opportunities for students. From putting events together for the student body to getting involved in the local community, Student Council has been hard at work this winter season.

Right before winter break, during the week of December 12-16, Student Council led a winter-themed spirit week for the student body to participate in. Inspired by the Grinch, the week started off with Mean Monday when students wore green. The next day was Ugly Sweater Tuesday, and students rocked their ugliest holiday sweaters. Winter Hibernation Wednesday was a classic, as students were able to wear their pajamas for a day. Sr. Anna Sheely, a member of Student Council, believes that “pajama day was the most popular among students…because it was comfortable and easy to do.” Thursday happened to be the first snow day of the school year, but if school would have been in session, everyone would have worn their favorite holiday hats. To finish off the week, we had a Ghost of Holiday’s Past day, during which students were able to wear an outfit from their favorite decade.

While spirit week was taking place, members of the Student Council cabinet took the time to help those in the local community by purchasing gifts for a Project Legacy family. Cabinet members spent an evening shopping for gifts and later wrapping them before sending them off to Operation Wildcat. Ms. Clever, one of the Student Council advisors, admits that “this is one of [her] favorite traditions.”

Also before winter break, Student Council released all of the information about Mini-THON on their Instagram account: @mash_stuco. This year, Mini-THON will be a 12 hour event held on February 25 and February 26. Teams of six to eight students can register for the event, during which there will be plenty of time for dancing and fun games, and each team will have to raise at least $300.00 in order to participate. The school’s overall fundraising goal is $10,000, and members of Student Council are optimistic that this goal will be reached. All of the money raised will go to the Four Diamonds Fund to support the families of children suffering from childhood cancer.

In fact, Student Council has already started raising money for the Four Diamonds Fund by canning at winter sports competitions. Student Council members raised money during a wrestling match and will be canning at the boys basketball game on Friday, January 27. 

Not only that, but over the past couple of months, members of Student Council have been working hard to make sure that this year’s Mini-THON event is the best one yet. Within Student Council, there are different Mini-THON committees, including the event planning, treasury, hospitality, spirit, and marketing committees. Each committee is in charge of overseeing a particular aspect of the Mini-THON event. For instance, the event planning committee is in charge of planning all of the relays and games for the event, and the treasury committee is in charge of reaching out to local businesses to bring in corporate sponsorships. 

It’s clear that Student Council is committed to putting together a great event for the student body. Ms. Clever shares that she is “really proud of the work Student Council members are doing this year to ensure MASH students have opportunities like homecoming, spirit weeks, Mini-THON, etc.” As a whole, the work put in so far during these winter months has been nothing less than a strong team effort to create a fantastic, fun-filled evening while also supporting kids throughout the community.

Teachers with the best classroom atmosphere: Opinions from students

By Bekka Kreitman

Since MASH is changing next semester, I wanted to take a moment to remember the current building and the teachers that made it an amazing first semester.

When I set out to ask students which teacher they felt had the best classroom atmosphere, I realized that almost every answer I got had a few things in common. First, the most common answers I got were that the teacher with the best classroom atmosphere was a teacher who taught a core class (Math, Science, History, English). Secondly, almost every answer had to deal with a few key features: seating, lighting, and connecting. The teachers who were voted to have had the best classroom atmosphere had flexible seating, didn’t use overhead lights, and created a strong connection with their students.

First, let’s start with some honorable mentions. In the History category, Mrs. Ray-Budman was nominated to have the best classroom atmosphere. According to Junior Aidan Drahn, Mrs. Ray-Budman “has flexible seating besides just desks and has nice decorations.” Mrs. Hykes was also nominated, and Sophomore Pidge Jones comments that “I love her decorations and I always feel calm coming to her room.” Mr. Luttermoser is an honorable mention in the English category. Junior Jace Littlejohn states that “Mr. Luttermoser has cool lights and seats.” In the Math category, Mr. Edwards is an honorable mention. Junior Chase Hobaugh shares that “Mr. Edwards is very inviting as well as his classroom.” Art was the most common category of nominated teachers not in a core subject. Ms. Klos was nominated as an honorable mention in this category, and Junior Victoria Gardjulis describes her room as “very calming” and “perfectly chaotic”.

There was actually a tie between the teachers with the best classroom atmosphere. Both Mr. Berry (Math teacher) and Mrs. Bohrer (English teacher) tied for first place. Mr. Berry is said to make class enjoyable and create good connections with his students, according to an anonymous source. Mrs. Bohrer is said to have the best room because there is a good seating arrangement, there is nice lighting that isn't too bright, and her room always smells good. She is also said to “make learning more comfortable and fun,” according to Junior Makayla Schlosser.

So, there you have it. While a lot is changing next semester, MASH students were quick to recognize the amazing teachers that created a great learning environment for their students during semester 1. Thank you to all the teachers who made it an incredible first semester.