February

Freshmen express opinions on swimming in gym class

By Charley Riley

Swimming is an activity that almost everyone enjoys, but swimming for P.E. is entirely different. Many students are worried about being in a bathing suit around their peers, or how cold the water is. However, many found their fears were nothing to be worried about. Freshman Eliana Inch said, “It’s better than I thought it would be. It’s fun, and I learned more about the pool.”

Freshman Carlee Erikson, who is on the Swim Team and Water Polo Team, says, “It’s pretty good. I feel like more people should be supporting it, as it's a valuable life skill. It’s not even that strenuous.” At the end of the day, she’s right in that knowing how to swim is an important life skill, and this class can help people who may not know how to swim.

The positivity continues, as Freshman Gavin Parsons explained, said “Swim class feels awkward when you’re in the changing rooms, but when you get in the pool it's lots of fun.”

Finally, Freshman Jacob Lamason expressed, that “There are some problems. For example, there is only one stall to change in, at least for the boys locker room, and that makes it awkward. However, swimming is a great activity for P.E., and we’re lucky to have a pool at our school.”

It is important to recognize that we are very fortunate to go to a school that can have a pool and give us this experience, no matter how awkward it can be. We take it for granted. I agree with my peers in that the swimming unit isn’t nearly as bad as I imagined, and can even be fun, no matter how awkward. Swimming is a valuable life skill, and practicing it in P.E. for a few cycles really isn't that bad.

Should field trips be left in the past or continue on into high school?

By Eliana Inch

Do you miss school field trips? Throughout elementary and middle school we experienced several informational and entertaining field trips. My favorite field trip to date was definitely Philly in the 5th grade, and a lucky few may remember it as DC. many of us have so many fun memories built on these trips, and it shows how experience and learning truly go hand and hand. This has led me to wonder what field trips our teachers would take us on, given the choice.

After speaking with Mrs. Ray Budman, a World Cultures teacher here at MASH, and inquiring about what field trip she would like to take her class on, she said given the choice she would like to take her students to New York City to tour Ellis Island, see the Statue of Liberty, and the 9/11 museum.

Mr. Rose, a government teacher, would take his class to the capital to speak with the State Senate and House to get first hand experience in the way Pennsylvania government is run.

One of our physical education teachers, Miss West, said she would like to take students to tour sports facilities, so they could speak with trainers and coaches at the collegiate level in order to give students a chance to see how a college athlete's day might go.

Frau Clinton, the German teacher, said she would take German students to the German Christmas Market in Philly, so students could get a taste of German cultulre and experience an amazing German tradition.

Mr. Shoemaker is a Physics teacher and is one of a few classes here that has previously gone on field trips to Hershey Park to study roller coasters. He said he would like to take them to Six Flags this year for Physics Day.

Mr. WIlliams, from the art department, explained he would take his classes to New York City to experience the different art styles and niches within the art community.

Clearly, there are vast amounts of places we could visit and learn from out of school, but are trips like this truly feasible?

When we were in middle school we all took the same classes at relatively the same level and speed, but now between block scheduling and the majority of students interested in completely different job fields, it just isn’t possible.

Mr. Shoemaker said what might aid one class will take away from the other, meaning you can’t just leave for an amusement park for a day and only learn about physics when you are also taking art and history.

Although field trips are extremely beneficial to our learning, there is no clear way to plan a trip without interfering with other classes. One option may be to offer optional field trips for specific classes over the weekend. This would require interest from the student body, and a show of support for wanting field trips reintroduced to our curriculum.

I am sure most teachers would love to take students on field trips over the weekend, but they are already working extremely hard and going over their allotted responsibilities in their job titles. Teachers don’t have the ability to take more time to schedule elaborate trips like these when they are already being spread too thin. If you truly want to try and organize and lobby for field trips in highschool, I would truly recommend speaking to board members or principles about possible options. What are your thoughts? Do you believe field trips should continue on in highschool?

Mini Thon was almost canceled?!?

By Mady Ontavia

This year's Mini Thon at MASH is a bit different. The Student Council has made Mini Thon a three-hour event on Saturday, March 25th, 7pm-10pm.

They decided to do it this why due to a few different reasons, one of them being a lack of participation. Student council saw little interest generated in the 12-hour event. A few general council members also said it was too difficult for them to attend due to sports, work, and other issues. Many were for changing the time and date or canceling Mini Thon altogether. However, instead of cancelling it, cabinet members came to an agreement to shorten the event. Despite the changes, this doesn't mean there won't be food, games, and fun. The Student Council still wanted to make Mini Thon fun while making it easier for more people to attend.

Thon, held at Penn State University, is a student-led organization that helps raise money for childhood cancer. The traditional Thon is a 46-hour-long dance marathon that allows kids and their families to forget about their cancer diagnosis. While at the event. many families talk about their stories and how cancer has affected them. This past Thon raised over 15 million dollars. That money will be used to fuel critical research and cover the entire cost of treatment for those Four Diamonds kids at the Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey.

We, as a student body, aim to help with that! If you want to learn more about being involved, please see Mrs. Williams or Ms. Clever for more information. If you can donate to help the cause, here is the link: THON.

Project LIT strengthens the reading community one book at a time

By Kelsea Harshbarger

Project LIT is one of the many extracurricular clubs that MASH students are able to join. It is a book club that is dedicated to reading a wide variety of books about topics that are culturally relevant in our society. Not only is Project LIT a club at MASH, but it is a nationwide literary movement made up of students who are interested in diving deeper into the world of literature and all that it has to offer.

Every month, members of Project LIT choose a book to read. So far this year, the titles chosen include Orpheus Girl by Brynne Rebele-Henry, Blackout by Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, and Nicola Yoon, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. Jr. Sybella Demaio shares that after reading each book, members of the club will get together to “discuss what [they] thought about the book overall and the ideas that it was trying to convey.” These discussions occur in a relaxing environment that even includes snacks!

Many of the available book options for Project LIT have been chosen by MASH students. In fact, this year, club members shared book ideas that they thought would be a good fit for Project LIT, and with the help of an incredibly generous grant from the Wildcat Foundation, new books will be purchased for club members to read next school year.

Furthermore, one of the main goals of Project LIT is to go beyond the books that are read in our English classes. Mrs. Donley, the staff advisor for Project LIT, believes that “Project LIT allows students to experience diverse literature and read [books by] authors of color,” allowing students to expose themselves to new experiences, cultures, and lifestyles. Mrs. Donely thinks that students should be a part of Project LIT because it is “beneficial to hear everyone’s voices and experiences,” and “Project LIT allows a lot of people to be seen and heard and recognized no matter…who they are.”

Over the past few years, participation in Project LIT has steadily increased. Mrs. Donley shares that she “love[s] that more students are joining and finding out about the club.” She says “it’s very exciting to be building the community and hopefully making a difference.”

Within Project LIT, many students hold a variety of leadership positions, from president and vice president to secretary and social media managers. Students who take on these leadership roles are responsible for essentially running the club. This includes conducting the monthly discussions, posting on social media, and sending out communications to fellow members. By working together, the students do a great job of ensuring that everything is taken care of in order for each meeting to run smoothly.

As mentioned previously, Project LIT has its own social media account on Instagram (@projectlitclub.mash). Using this platform, students are able to post updates about what books they have read as a club. Having a presence on social media has even allowed members of the club to interact with a few of the authors whose books the club has read. This is just one of the many exciting aspects of being involved in Project LIT.

Overall, Project LIT is a wonderful club that helps to expose students to new pieces of literature and broaden their perspectives on society as a whole. By encouraging students to explore new genres and books by new authors, Project LIT is undoubtedly enhancing the reading community within MASH.

MASH winter sports in the spotlight

By Evelyn Hambright

This winter season, there have been many showstopping sports games, competitions, and matches and many picture-perfect player moments.

On the court, both Mechanicsburg Boys and Girls Varsity Basketball teams have made it to playoffs. The boys team kicked off their playoff journey this past Monday, earning the win against Greencastle. The final score was Wildcats 52, Greencastle 44. So. Josh Smith carried the team to victory with 19 points. With this win, the team qualified for States, and will be facing off against Warwick in the second round of playoffs. To get the boys into the playoffs, aside from Smith, So. Chance Yanoski has been crucial in the success of the team.

As for Girls Basketball, with Sr. Jayden Eager out for the majority of the season, the team has heavily relied on Sr. Gracen Nutt and Sr. Priya Loren to lead them to victory, and they have done just that. The girls will play their first playoff game on Tuesday, February 21, playing against Hershey. Fr. Lauren Lebo has also stepped up this season and has played a big role in the team's victories.

In the pool, Mechanicsburg Girls Swimming has yet again clinched the Keystone Division for the fourth consecutive year. Sr. Bella Rudy and Jr. Annabelle Hoover were both large contributors to winning the division title. On the boys side, Sr. Lance Ginter and brother So. Daryn Ginter has each chipped in to the team’s successes in the water. Sr. Declan Raniowski has also been a key swimmer this season.

For the wrestling team, Sr. Tyler Budman has seen the most success this season. Budman placed second in the PIAA Division 3 Sectional 3 championship round this past weekend, being one out of the twelve Mechanicsburg boys competing to be a top finisher. Off the mat, the varsity wrestling team has been giving back to the community. In January, the team helped pack water bottles for cancer patients through an event held by Radiant Hope.

Getting ready for college athletics, five more Mechanicsburg athletes signed their official offers to play a collegiate sport at the beginning of February. Athletes include Sr. Julia Mayernick (Girls Soccer), Sr. Ariel Fry (Girls Soccer), Sr. Lucy Stevens (Girls Cross Country and Track), Sr. Lauren Mark (Girls Field Hockey), and Sr. Evan Davis (Boys Tennis).

As the winter sports seasons come to a close, the Wildcats continue to wow everyone with their determination, teamwork, and skill.

Photo credit: Patrick Gill

Students and teachers express opinions on MASH’s new wing

By Chelsea Guan

It’s been nearly a month since semester 2 started and there have been many changes with the addition of the new wing as well as new classes. So far though, many students have positive things to say about this new part of the MASH building.

Starting off, So. Andrew Simpkins says, “I think it’s nice.” You can see a majority of the students who have classes in the new wing agree, all thinking it’s a rather nice new addition to the high school. Not only is this new wing big, but some students also really love the atmosphere and design as well.

When asked about what she thought about the new addition, Fr. Alexis Stout comments, “I think it’s beneficial.” Another student also expresses that she has many “positive feelings for this new semester” and hopes that she would have more classes in this new wing next year.

Adding on, Profesora Stokes thinks, “It’s nice and open and has a good space for students to work out. I like the way it looks too,” mentioning how “..it looks very clean and fresh and there’s also lots of lighting.”

Though we can see many people being pleased with the new wing, many of the complaints and negative remarks seem to be focused on the problem of the time that it takes to get to the old building and possibly back again. Many people have stated that their semester 2 schedules include classes that are far from the new wing which takes a long time with only 5 minutes in between classes, which makes it inconvenient at times.

Sr. Katra Abbille talks about her own opinions regarding this saying, “I think that it’s kind of a hard transition for the people that have to go from the old wing to the new wing, but [for] students who have classes mostly in the new wing, it’s easier.” She also mentions that “it’s kind of weird to be in classes [with] no doors,” referring to some classes that are located in the new wing’s hallways, out in the open space.

In short, this new wing is a rather nice addition to the building as many students and teachers have stated, with only the time in between new and old wing classes as a negative aspect.

Reflections on the First Semester

By Bekka Kreitman

We made it through the first semester! Now that we’re over halfway through the year, it’s good to take some time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, what we can improve on, and what we are looking forward to for the remainder of the year.

For many students, there was a unified sense of pride, joy, and accomplishment that half of the year was over. Many students share a similar feeling of “thank God” that the first semester is over. Another student remarks that they enjoyed what the first semester gave them, stating, “I know more people and I know the building better.” Still other students are saddened by the end of the first semester, stating that they “liked the first semester better”. Finally, some students are rejoicing the end of the first semester for entirely different reasons. As one student offers, “I feel great because I have much easier classes and a better social life this semester.”

Numerous students also stated that they enjoyed the classes they had in the first semester, most notably elective classes, such as child development, foods, and art. Students expressed that they enjoyed these classes the most because the content was interesting, they had friends in their class, and they liked the teacher. One student mentions,“I still like to bother my teachers from the first semester,” while another student explains, “I made a lot of friends during classes that I had in the first semester, and I’m grateful that I had a chance to meet them.”

Other students made goals for themselves for the second semester. “I want to stop procrastinating and study more,” one student comments. The majority of students had similar, academic-related goals: studying more, turning in work on time, and asking more questions. However, some students had more social-based goals for the second semester. One student elaborates, “I want to talk to my friends more and work to maintain friendships with people that I don’t see every day anymore”.

In terms of what students are looking forward to, while some students have specific classes in mind, the overwhelming answer is the same across the board: summer! As one student points out, “the weather already feels like it’s spring, I’m looking forward to when it actually is.”

As we start to get into the thick of the second semester, take some time to reflect on your first semester. Think about what you’ve already accomplished, and set some goals for yourself for the remainder of the school year. How will you choose to spend the rest of the year?

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