Resources are available in the Guidance Office to help alleviate stressful situations and to promote healthy solutions to issues students may be having.
Stress happens when the mind goes through a state of worry or tension.
Things like big changes, too many responsibilities, lack of control, trying to reach expectations, hate or abuse can be some of the leading causes of stress.
“There’s going to be stressors, things that stress us out in life, but being able to deal with them in healthy ways is important,” Guidance Counselor Mr. John Manley said.
Deep breathing, counting back from a number or simply just finding something that can ease the mind are great ways of releasing stress.
“I try to remove myself from the stressful environment that I’m in,” Manley added.
When people are stressed, they tend to fidget around or become emotional as well. This is because stress can be too much emotion for one’s body to handle and needs to be released in some manner.
“When I’m stressed, I tend to get angry or frustrated,” sophomore Cora Gray said.
Trying to understand what is causing the stress is the first step to take. From there one can start talking about it and find ways to help ease the stress.
“I like to find three things to focus on because then I’m not thinking about what is stressing me,” Gray added.
Stress can also cause stiffness to parts of the body, so exercising or stretching when stressed can be an effective way to deal with it as well.
“Make sure that you have time to balance some sort of healthy distraction, so that you’re not constantly in a stressful situation,” health teacher Mr. Patrick Hutchinson said.
Stress happens to everyone, and preventing it isn’t necessarily possible. Staying organized, having a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, exercising and taking care of one’s mental and physical health are great ways to help minimize how much stress a person has.
Stress may also lead many teens to addiction because they don’t understand how to cope properly. To prevent stress-caused addiction, find the triggers and find a solution when triggered.
“Try to find yourself a distraction to help yourself, not drugs, not alcohol, not compulsively eating but something healthy like exercise, music or whatever it may be,” Mr. Hutchinson added.
Positive self-talk about stress management is a healthy form of coping with day-to-day stressors.
On Wednesday, January 17th, GS Superintendent Dr. Ken Bissell held a presentation revealing the district’s “laundry list” of potential construction projects.
The listed projects consisted of refreshing the interiors of the district’s buildings, plumbing and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) repairs, landscaping and better accessibility for people with disabilities.
GS is forming a steering committee to decide what upgrades should be prioritized across the board, based on urgency and specific school buildings.
“My first priority is to look at the current state of all of the buildings,” Dr. Bissell said. “Number one is looking at what’s going to be here in the long term and what we need to do to bring them up to speed. There are three big topics we’re looking at: Safety and security … ADA, accessibility for everybody … and the last one is community engagement.”
Bissell said the district will take the concerns and recommendations from students and staff into consideration once the steering committee is formed.
Teachers are anticipating the completion of the district’s future plans, but have expressed worries of their own.
“There are things that have been left going for long periods of time, which is causing all of these issues to come together at once,” Social Studies teacher and Track and Field Coach Mr. Robert Lehman said. “Had the problems been addressed, it may not have gotten to this point.”
A number of teachers at the high school have experience teaching in the middle school as well, giving them a broader view of what the district might need.
“I believe the middle school needs the most updating,” Math teacher Mr. Al Toret said. “It has the most glaring needs. … My opinion is that the classrooms are too small; they were very tight. It was tough to do anything different because of the little amount of space.”
Mr. Toret and Mr. Lehman both agree that the biggest factor regarding the problems with the district’s middle school is age. Lehman considers problems harder to solve when caused by age. The High School, while still having issues of its own, could require less of an overhaul.
On top of the school buildings themselves, other areas on school grounds require acknowledgment for repairs, such as the High School’s tennis courts, fields and the athletic facilities.
“As a coach, I of course would want them to focus on the athletic facilities,” Lehman said. “One of the biggest problems is the locker rooms. That’s what I see the most as being in disrepair. You have lockers with no doors and some that can’t lock because the doors they have are bent so badly. The way the locker rooms are set up creates a lot of blind spots where you can’t see what is happening. It was a relatively poor setup to begin with.”
There is a lot to be done, but teachers have no doubt about Bissell’s ability to accomplish it all. Lehman said, having been friends with him throughout his career at the High School, that he “understands” what any problems are and trusts that he has the right plans to solve them.
Money is also a factor that needs to be greatly considered during the planning, which is why the steering committee being formed for determining what the top priorities are is essential.
“I believe when we got new roofs that was in the millions of dollars,” Toret said. “When you’re considering structural changes, there are architects that need paid, engineers that need paid, there’s construction costs – materials aren’t cheap, labor costs aren’t cheap. There’s a lot that goes into those numbers and it adds up quickly. It is a big deal.”
Students have also expressed opinions of their own. Their experiences in each building are much broader than the majority of the staffs’, as many students had, and have, classes on all floors every day.
“I think the high school needs a lot,” senior Lucy McChesney said. “Air conditioning and heating need worked on; there’s often problems with those. It definitely needs renovations, like in the bathrooms. … Comfortability is the most important thing.”
Bissell also believes comfort is necessary for the students. He spoke on upcoming HVAC repairs set to begin this April, funded by ESSER, which is a program, started in 2020, that focuses on supplying educational learning aids for classrooms and improvements within the schools.
He’s confident in the district’s capability of completing each project, but acknowledged that they will not be done in a day. There’s currently no way of determining an exact timeline. “If we as a district think it’s important to invest into the education of the youth in our community, it isn’t necessarily just a teacher standing in front of the room,” Toret said. “The environment we have our students in is almost just as important.”
It is that time of year. Matchomatics forms have been sent for students to fill out.
The forms will be open to students from December 4th to January 5th.
Matchomatics is a fundraiser through NHS. Students fill out the form of questions and then it is submitted. They calculate the answers by how similar people did them.
This is the first year for forms to be online instead of being on paper that advisory teachers handed out.
Last years Matchomatics example form.
Photo by: Emma Helmick
Students will be able to purchase their results February 5th-9th for the price of $2.
“Going online was a big decision to us,” NHS advisor Mrs. Cheryl Harper said. “It’s easier to get students to fill out forms when you’re physically putting it in front of them, but it does save so much paper. So we are really hoping that it works out for us.”
Since it is online, there is no way to make sure every student submits their answers. There have been posters put up in the hallway with the QR code to the form.
“Last year they sold so little and the shipping to bring the forms here and then get them back was a lot,” senior Paige Gaughan said.
Out of everyone who filled out the questions last year, there was only a total of 161 copies sold last year.
“It ate up all our profits,” Mrs. Harper said. “So we will print them out as people want them. We are actually going to go around and take orders from people and pass them out.”
The papers will show students who are most compatible and then birthday trivia on the back. Results will still be available to buy until February 15th.
“It’s always interesting to see who I match up with and see if I closely matched with any of my friends,” junior Cecilia Ecklund said. “It made it a lot easier to complete compared to previous years because it is online.”
Matchomatics has been a tradition at GS for over 20 years.
“It’s just supposed to be fun,” Harper said. “I think sometimes people think that it’s silly, but that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be.”
The feminine hygiene products were removed from the bathroom dispensers.
“I wish they wouldn’t have taken the products out of the bathrooms, but I can understand the problems with it,” sophomore Izabella Caruso said.
The removal all comes down to one factor.
High School Principal Mr. Adam Jones said that they were removed for “misuse and vandalism.”
Due to students overflowing toilets with the products, throwing them at the mirrors and ceilings and sticking them to walls, all products were moved to the Nurse’s Office.
A now empty feminine hygiene dispenser.
Photo by: Rubee Stillwagon
“I completely understand why they put them in the Nurse’s Office, but it can be hard for girls to go in and ask for that stuff,” Caruso said.
It can be difficult and sometimes embarrassing for students to go in and ask for these products. These items being wasted, and bathrooms being vandalized, is something that the school district is trying to prevent.
Mr. Jones explained how unfortunate it is that a student’s senior project, that they worked hard for, isn’t being respected.
GS graduate Emily Campbell had feminine hygiene products installed into the bathrooms for her senior project. These dispensers were filled early in the semester and have already been taken out.
“I don’t understand why students can’t just respect products that were there to help them,” sophomore Delilah Bevan said. “It’s sad that people don’t think about the consequences of their actions.”
Due to a select group of students, helpful products are now harder to get for those who find them useful.
“I just think it’s sad because some students don’t have these things at home,” Bevan said.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have these products provided to them. This was an opportunity to help those people. These products are still available, but the goal was for students to respect them.
“Our hope is that students report incidents that impact their educational experience,” Jones said. “This includes resources provided to all students by the School District. We are a family at GSHS and when that family is negatively impacted, we must all work to fix it.”
As the college football season comes to an end, playoffs have begun, and the bowl games have been set. From the Potato Bowl to the Citrus Bowl, 84 teams will continue their seasons and play one more game.
There are 42 total bowl games set for the end of the 2023 season, including the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, which are the College Football Playoff Semifinal games. Four teams will face off to determine the College Football Playoff National Champion.
On December 3rd, the college football committee came together to decide on the four teams that will face off in the playoffs. Alabama, Michigan, Texas and Washington were selected as the semifinalists for the playoffs. There was much debate that these four teams should have been the teams in the playoffs.
Results of an Instagram poll.
30 people voted.
Photo courtesy: gslionsden on Instagram (give it a follow)
With undefeated Florida State not being selected in the playoff bracket, many fans, players and coaches were upset with the decision of the committee. High school gym teacher Mr. Nathan Snider and senior Mikey Kingerski have watched much of the college football games leading up to the playoffs and have an opinion on the teams.
“I don’t agree with the teams that are in the playoffs,” Mr. Snider said. “I believe Florida State should be in, even though I don’t believe they are one of the top four teams in the country. I feel like if you are in a big five conference and you go undefeated you should be in, especially when there are teams in who lost one game and FSU didn’t.”
Although the Florida State Seminoles did not make the playoffs while having an unbeaten record, they will get the chance to play the Georgia Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl on December 30th. Georgia was another team that had a strong record but wasn’t good enough to be in the postseason.
Many people have chosen their team to root for in the college football playoffs. As Michigan seems to be the top-runner for the playoff championship winner, other teams have received love, or hate, for their placement in the championship games.
“My favorite team in the playoffs is Washington,” Kingerski said. “I would have liked to see an ACC team in the playoffs over Alabama, as it is my favorite conference. But it should be a very interesting and cool group of playoff matchups.”
Other top college teams like Missouri, Ole Miss, Oregon and Penn State didn’t make the playoffs, but did receive a bowl game.
“Besides the playoff matchups, I plan on watching Florida State vs Georgia and Ole Miss vs Penn State,” Kingerski said. “I would like to see Florida State win to prove the committee wrong. I want to watch the second game because I like Penn State.”
While others prefer watching the bowl games, some do not. When not placing in the top four spots, teams are not given a chance to play in the playoffs. For the next college football season, the committee has decided to expand the playoffs to a 12-team playoff bracket.
“I enjoy and will watch the college football playoffs,” Snider said. “I don’t care for the bowl games at all, but I’m really looking forward to next year when they have 12 teams in the playoffs.”
As the college football season is slowly ending, the NFL season still has a few more weeks left. Fans of football -college or professional- have their preferences regarding what they would rather watch. The NFL gets more love than college football from many fans, but others enjoy watching college students play than professionals.
“I enjoy both the NFL and College football,” Snider said. “I would say I enjoy the NFL more, mostly because of fantasy football and the Steelers. It keeps me more invested in every game. College, I enjoy watching the big rivalry games and conference championship games, but I don’t watch every game like I do the NFL.”
It’s officially basketball season and the 2023-2024 players are excited about upcoming games.
“I have high expectations for this season,” junior Blessing Gantt said. “At our tip off tournament we went 1-1; we wiped out Ringgold 71-12, but lost to Blackhawk 40-35.”
Gantt is a member of the girls’ varsity basketball team. Both the boys’ and girls’ regular season started on the first of December and will continue all the way into February.
“We do a lot of preseason work,” Gantt said. “This year we have been putting in a lot of work to hopefully help us get further than last year.”
Players on both the girls’ and boys’ teams talked highly of their coaches. Freshman AJ Tarpley claimed he quite liked his coach and said, “he knows what he’s talking about.”
The GS boys’ basketball team plays against Derry Area.
Photo by: Adison Poole
“Our players are truly amazing,” girls’ varsity basketball Head Coach Mr. Rick Klimchock said.
Klimchock explained how excited he is for this year’s season.
“We have high expectations for this season,” he said. “I’m looking forward to a lot of exciting games.”
Klimchock has had years of experience with the sport. He’s coached basketball since 1978 and has coached at GS since 2017.
Boys’ varsity basketball Head Coach Mr. Cameron Auld has coached for two years at GS. He was also assistant coach for a year at Waynesburg University, his former college, and another year as Head Coach of the freshman boys at Norwin.
“I am always looking forward to this time of year,” Auld said. “We have a good group of guys, a group I have really started to form relationships with.”
Basketball season tends to bring out fans at each of the games. The students and coaches have said they enjoy seeing people there and are excited to see the turnout for future games.
“I encourage our guys to go watch all their classmates compete,” Auld said. “My hope is that if we participate in making other teams’ home environment a fun place to be, then those kids will come make ours one as well.”
The girls’ team hopes their turnout will increase as the season goes on.
“We’ve had decent turnout with parents,” Gantt said. “We’ve only had two games at home at pretty random times, so we never expected a crowd.”
Players of both teams are just glad to be back out on the court playing their sport.
“I think the team could make it to playoffs this year,” Tarpley said. “I am looking forward to making it far this season.”
Auld expressed that the practice the team put in wasn’t just physical practice.
“Being only on year two, for as much time as we have been together, we are still learning about one another,” Auld explained. “That’s the thing about sports that I think gets overlooked, the relationship piece.”
As a Coach, Auld hopes that all his players can form some sort of bond and hopes that whatever bond they form shows out on the court.
“If you don’t have good relationships, you don’t have trust,” he said. “If you don’t have trust you struggle to win.”
Many players have been able to form close bonds with many of their teammates and are excited to be back on the court with one another.
“I’m looking forward to playing with the seniors one last time,” Gantt said.
Coaches are just as involved with the players and have spoken highly of the entire team.
“Our players are truly amazing,” Klimchock said. “We have seniors and juniors who show our underclassmen the culture that is GS Lady Lion Basketball.”
Both the boys’ and girls’ teams have set different goals for themselves this year. The teams have expectations they hope to meet by the end of the season.
“I think our main goal is to improve,” Gantt said. “We want to finish higher in our section and possibly even be section champs.”
Throughout the off-season coaches and students have put work into improving to play better this season. Practices will continue throughout the season to hopefully improve gameplay as the year goes on.
This year the girls’ basketball team kicked off their regular season with a trip to Disney World to participate in a tournament.
“Disney is really fun,” Gantt said. “We got to see the parks before the tournament.”
The players left for the trip on the 16th of December for a tournament that will take place over the course of three days.
While the season has already started, there is much more to come, and players and coaches hope that students at GS will come out and support the teams this year.
“I think a student section would be great,” Gantt said. “But our main goal is winning.”
As the holiday season approaches, many families become excited, but sometimes forget about those who are less fortunate than them.
Holidays can be a stressful time for some families who are struggling. GS attempts to help them through The Giving Tree. According to Guidance Counselor Mrs. Laura Klipa, about 46% of families from the High School currently do not have enough financial support to spend their extra money buying their children Christmas presents.
In an effort to help, the District donates money and supplies to families in need.
Some of the gifts that were donated by the community so far.
Photo by: Emma Helmick
The Giving Tree began at the school in 2007 by Mrs. Klipa when she started at the High School.
“All of the Elementary schools and Middle School had one and I noticed the need for older siblings to get help,” Klipa said.
One of their main events is shopping for individual kids. Advisory classes can go to the library and take a tag off the tree, but students and teachers can also do it on their own.
“I think it’s one of the nicest things that we do in the building, I’m a big fan, I support it and I’m happy to sell things here in the library,” Librarian Mrs. Carrie Vottero said.
On the tag there is a kid from the school and the person who has that tag will get a list of things and the student’s size and age that way they can shop for them.
“The people who come down to take the tags are a big deal because those are specific kids who need things and their families have called to say that they have a need,” Mrs. Vottero said. “It’s nice for kids to take them on because it becomes much more personal choosing things for an actual person.”
Interested families can call the schools to request help for their children. The Giving Tree wants to provide families with things like presents and holiday meals.
“I think it’s a really great thing that helps the community,” junior Emily Ruggieri said. “That helps everyone become a bit more connected because when you feel like you’ve done a good thing for someone else, you know you become a more open person. I think that’s good for us as a whole as a society.”
Examples of the families in need were listed in the letter sent out to the GS community. That consists of homeless families living in shelters, sick and disabled parents unable to work to provide for their families, families who have had financial hardship due to needs of handicap or special needs children, students with parents working two or more jobs still unable to meet the financial demands of their family, students who work daily to contribute to their family basics like food, shelter, clothing and students with parents who are seriously mentally ill and unable to maintain employment.
That’s not the only way GS helps with The Giving Tree, though, people can also donate to it in many ways from just going to events or buying a sweet treat.
The Giving Tree located in the library with tags still available.
Photo by: Rubee Stillwagon
The library sells chocolate covered pretzels that Mrs. Kelley Audia and her advisory class make. All of the profits go to The Giving Tree. There have also been events that donate to The Giving Tree such as the Powderpuff Game.
“I think kids are happy to support it because it can make them feel better about what they’re buying, knowing it is going to their own people and it helps our community,” Vottero said.
Chocolate covered pretzels will most likely continue to be sold in the library for the rest of the year. After covering the ingredients it takes to make them, all of the profit goes to the families in need.
“Any time someone has spare change in their pocket, I don’t care if it’s a dime, I think it’s a great thing to support,” Vottero said.
Donations can be sent to the Greensburg Salem HS Guidance Office-65 Mennel Dr. Greensburg, PA 15601. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. Contact us at: 724-832-2970 or laura.klipa@gslions.net
Thanksgiving has ended, and the shopping season has arrived. Sales and discounts from all stores started on the biggest shopping day, Black Friday.
When going shopping during the holidays, stores are constantly busy. There are lines headed out the doors because so many people are out getting their gifts for others or themselves. Many stores like Target, Bath & Body Works, Hollister, American Eagle and other stores in the Westmoreland Mall offered deals for Black Friday.
Sophomore Anna Shevchik was out shopping on the biggest shopping day of the year. She got her day started early with a 6am door opening.
“I enjoy shopping during the holidays,” Shevchik said. “I think it’s an enjoyable time, especially if I go with family or friends.”
Many people go out early every year to go shopping. Long lines start to form, but with many employees working, people are quickly out of line and on their way to their next store of choice.
“I had to wait in long lines to check out,” she said. “But I didn’t have to wait to get into any stores.”
After Thanksgiving, shopping for the holiday season truly starts. One of the biggest forms of shopping is online shopping. This has continued to grow through the years but is mainly larger around this time of year.
A photo of a Target ad that was sent out to customers via emailshows off Black Friday deals.
Photo courtesy: Ava Hardaway
According to BBC News, from 2006-2020, online shopping sales shot up 30%, becoming the easiest and most convenient form of shopping. Many parents enjoy this feature because they don’t have to worry about the rush of shopping with many other parents who are out for the same thing.
High school French teacher Stephanie Grace is a mother of two younger children. She enjoys staying at home and shopping, rather than going out and facing the crowds during the holidays.
“You know, I have to say, I have really never been a huge shopper,” Mrs. Grace said. “That’s not how I spend my weekends and it’s not my favorite thing. I would say, I prefer online shopping. I like the convenience of it and I like that I can compare my options comfortably from my home.”
Everyone has a different opinion about their form of shopping. Many people dislike it very much, while others enjoy it.
“I don’t love going out, personally,” Grace said. “There are so many people, and everyone is stressed with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, but I do enjoy being able to see my product before I bring it home. So, I am up in the air with that one.”
As the holiday season is in full swing, more people are out and get to enjoy the sights of the holidays. Stores, restaurants and towns decorate for the holidays. Many cities and towns have had light up nights to get a start on Christmas and the other holidays that are followed by it.
Christmas traditions are different from family to family. Mrs. Grace and her family have a holiday tradition that has continued throughout the years.
“When my daughter was little, and when she started to understand Christmas, I kept asking her questions,” Grace said. “Who comes to the house? Santa. What does Santa bring? Presents. Where does Santa put them? In the bathtub. And I kept asking her over, and over again, where does Santa put the presents? In the bathtub. So, our family tradition is that there is always a present left in the bathtub. Every morning, they get up bright and early to go and see what is left in the bathtub.”
Making sure our schools are safe should be a number one priority, especially in today’s society. With the number of school shooting rates increasing every year, it’s important to take the proper steps in order to keep everyone safe.
“I think fire drills should be done maybe one in the fall one in the spring and lockdown drills should be done every month,” School Police Officer Mr. Kerry Dieter said. “On a state level, I think they should flip those around.”
According to Education Week, as of November of this year, there have been 36 school shootings that resulted in injuries or death. Since 2018 there have been 180 school shootings. On average, in these shootings, two people are killed and one is injured. Although these numbers may not seem that big, they are still too high. Students should be taught to be prepared for these situations so there are less injuries and deaths.
The door jamb that was provided to all classrooms to use in the event of a lockdown.
Photo by: Rubee Stillwagon
“I know school shootings are a big fear for many students and that’s sad to me,” sophomore Maggie Alcorn said.
School shootings are a fear for kids all over the world and it’s unfortunate that this is something they worry about. According to Sandy Hook Promise, more than 43,000 were exposed to gun fire at school in 2022. Schools take certain measures to make the buildings safer but some of them aren’t always as beneficial as they believe.
“I feel like the door jambs can be beneficial,” Alcorn said. “But I also think they can be dangerous.”
All teachers were provided with jam block safety systems to use in case of an emergency. The problem with these safety systems is not their reliability, but rather how safe they are actually keeping people. While these do block the door and keep them shut, they can also tell an intruder that someone is in the room. This is because they can only be used from the inside.
“I think we need all new interior doors and new door locks,” Officer Dieter said. “A locked door is the number one life saver.”
Even if an intruder does get into the school, a door and lock protecting students and teachers in classrooms can be a saving factor.
“We are the only schools within the county that don’t have mousetrap entrances,” Dieter said.
Mousetrap entrances are becoming very common within schools. These entrances are set up so that anyone coming into the school must pace through a secure vestibule before entering the actual school building. This would stop people from having access to the rest of the building before making sure they are not a threat. Unfortunately, this is a very expensive remodel for schools.
“When it comes to protecting people, I feel like more money should be used,” Alcorn said.
Although schools have money put aside for safety measures, some people would argue that it should be a larger amount. But that doesn’t necessarily come from the school level but more from state and federal levels.
“I think because this is clearly a problem in our nation, that there should be some funding provided by the state and federal government,” Math Teacher Mr. Al Toret said.
The burden of protecting schools from a school shooting is too big to fall on local schools. This goes beyond the school and to higher authorities. With this being said, there is another thing as well that falls into the hands of those beyond school level.
“There should be some school focused training that officers are required to go through, and I would say on a regular basis,” Mr. Toret said.
After the shooting on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, many people questioned the way law enforcement handled the situation. Although there were 376 law enforcement officers on scene, they were reported to have handled things in a “chaotic, uncoordinated way that lasted for over an hour,” according to The Texas Tribune.
“A building like a school does offer a different thing because you’re dealing with children,” he said.
Schools filled with learning children should be protected. After all, children are one day going to be future leaders. That is why it is so important to raise awareness about this problem that our world is facing and take all the proper steps in order to keep people safe.
“If you see something, say something,” Officer Dieter said. “Everyone knows something at some point. It’s a matter of whether they want to say it.”
On November 17th a Taylor Swift fan passed away at her night one show in Rio de Janeiro.
“I know a lot about the fan passing away at Swift’s Brazil show,” junior Lauryn Swierczynski said. “The fan actually passed before Swift even took the stage.”
The 23 year old fan, Ana Clara Benevides Machado, became ill at the show due to the heat wave, with temperatures that felt over 100° Fahrenheit inside the stadium.
With the heat wave going on outside the stadium and the number of fans inside the stadium, water was a necessity for fans in attendance.
Fans who prepared for the night two concert in Pittsburgh.As can be seen, everybody had water on hand.
Pictured from left to Alexis Strouse, Lauryn Swierczynski, GS Graduate Katlyn Swierczynski, GS Graduate Josie Beckerleg and Sophie Beckerleg.
Photo courtesy of: Lauryn Swierczynski
“Unlike how it was for U.S. shows like mine, the international shows don’t have a seating plan,” Swierczynski explained. “In Brazil, it was basically like a mosh pit of people.”
After the events that took place on night one, Swift decided to postpone Saturday night’s show until Monday to make changes in the stadium to prioritize fans’ safety.
“I don’t understand why she didn’t take precautions the first night,” junior Alice Wilkinson said. “If she knew it was going to be so hot, she should’ve done something about it.”
Due to Swift’s decision to postpone the show, she was faced with backlash from fans all over the world.
“I saw lots of fans that took their concerns to social media mostly on TikTok,” Swierczynski said.
Fans from all over the world were quick to give their take on the situation through posting videos or comments on social media. Sites such as X (Twitter) and TikTok were flooded with fans defending Swift or blaming her for the fan’s death and the postponed show.
“I absolutely love and look up to Taylor Swift,” Swierczynski said. “I don’t think Taylor should be blamed for this at all.”
Swift is not a singer known to cancel shows. Throughout her Eras Tour, Swift has played no matter the temperature, rain or shine.
“You have to give Taylor props because every time you cancel a show everyone involved loses money,” building substitute Mrs. Carmen Cherrington said.
During her first night in Brazil, Swift was able to push through her over three hour long show even with the heat wave in full swing.
“Clips surfaced of Taylor profusely sweating and her skin being visibly red,” Swierczynski said.
Many fans were quick to point the finger at Swift and claimed she should be held accountable for the situation. However, Swift wasn’t responsible for setting the stadium’s rules.
“I don’t think it was just her fault, but I feel like she could’ve played a bigger role in preventing the situation,” Wilkinson said. “The stadium shouldn’t have had those rules, but Taylor also shouldn’t have played there knowing the rules.”
Fans were told the night of the show that they were not permitted to bring their own water in the stadium.
“At the Pittsburgh Eras Tour show I went to this summer, I was allowed to take 2-3 clear sealed water bottles,” Swierczynski explained. “I went through all my water and my show was nowhere near as hot as the Brazil (show).”
The venue of the show was the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium. This Stadium can hold 44,661 people at a time with the ability to expand to 60,000 people for certain events. On the night of the show Swift had 60,000 fans in attendance.
“I used to work venues, and this should have never happened,” Mrs. Cherrington said. “This absolutely cannot be blamed on Taylor.”
The night of the show the venue’s management decided to shut the air vents inside the stadium to “improve vocals.”
“I think the venue closing parts of the stadium affected the airflow,” Swierczynski said. “I know they were open at the Sunday night show two days later.”
Swift was set to play November 17th, 18th and 19th in Rio; instead she made the ultimate decision to postpone Saturdays show to that upcoming Monday.
She took to Instagram to announce the decision to her fans only hours before the show.
“I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium,” Swift wrote on her Instagram story. “The decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio. The safety and well being of my fans, and fellow performers and crew has to and always will come first.”
The stadium full of Taylor’s fans began to boo the artist and chant against her minutes after the post went up.
“This tragic situation upsets me, not only because of the loss of a young bright person, but also the toll it has taken on Taylor,” Swierczynski said. “There were several sources saying Taylor was crying at her hotel.”
Fan or not, everyone is entitled to their own opinion on the situation; however, everything that played a role in the situation needs to be taken into consideration.
“Taylor is such a big artist and with the amount of power she has, I just don’t understand why she didn’t take action sooner,” Wilkinson said.
Swift made her attempt to resolve the situation not only by making changes to make the next two nights of the Brazil shows safer, but also by reaching out to the fan’s family and dedicating the acoustic set of the show to Machado.
“Taylor is one of the only artists that seems like she really does care about her fans,” Cherrington said. “People need to realize that when talking about this situation.”
The Lions' Den 