Many new staff members have been welcomed by the community for joining team GS to teach in the 2023-2024 school year.
There have been several new teachers added to the GS staff in almost every department including Spanish, history, business, English and math.
After many years of running the language department, Señor and Señora Lyons are no longer teaching at GS. Mr. Dylan Rinehart and Miss Miranda Filak have been hired in their places.
“My classes so far have been really good, I have no complaints there,” Miss Filak said. “I love getting to speak Spanish with my students every day as a part of my job. It’s very rewarding to communicate with them in that way.”
Miss Filak teaches her AP Spanish class.
Photo by: Emma Helmick
Though the Spanish department may have been a tough area to find replacements for, the two new teachers seem to be settling in just fine.
“I have two blocks of Spanish II and one block of Spanish III,” Mr. Rinehart said. “From day one, I’ve been extremely impressed by how well the students speak and their willingness to learn. It’s really a testament to the skills of Señor and Señora Lyons and Señora Aragon.”
The new teachers are not the only ones who have to adapt to this; the students also have to get used to the previous teacher’s departure.
“It is definitely different,” junior Abegail Spaugy said. “It’s hard going from someone who has been doing their job for so long and did such a good job at it to someone who is newer at teaching. The new teachers are trying to replicate as much as they can, like carrying over the ‘leones’ money system.”
This may be a difficult adjustment for some students, but the upper-class students, Señora Aragon and even the new teachers are continuing to carry on the old classroom traditions.
There have been two new history teachers added to fill in the empty spots. Mr. Nick DeMary is now filling the role of Ms. Iapalucci as an American history teacher as well as teaching freshmen seminar, and Miss Sierra Aires has replaced Mr. Diehl as the new U.S. Government and Politics teacher.
“Being in Ms. Iapalucci’s room is awesome,” Mr. DeMary said. “It is crazy to be teaching students in a classroom I was once a student in myself.”
DeMary is a GS graduate who taught as a substitute at the middle school before moving up to a full-time teaching position at the high school.
Mr. DeMary teaches his freshman seminar class.
Photo by: Emma Helmick
“I have faced one challenge since stepping into the Social Studies position and it was starting after the first three weeks of school had passed,” Miss Aires said. “It is hard to start late on anything, but it was a challenge to get adjusted and settled so quickly.”
The business wing has also welcomed some new faces into its department.
Mr. Alan Gray has been introduced to GS, as he teaches tech and engineering, the maker class and robotics.
“My classes are a work in progress, but they are going smoothly,” Mr. Gray said. “I am working on the fly to adapt and make things best for the students. The students work hard and I’m excited to see their projects come to life.”
Gray was not the only newcomer to the business department, as Mrs. Rachael Pozik has also been added to the roster. She took over teaching financial literacy, life in the digital age and will be teaching entrepreneurship and marketing in the Spring semester.
“I’m most excited about being in a smaller school district,” Mrs. Pozik said. “The students here seem to have grown up how I did and it’s nice to really relate to my students again.”
The last two teachers to have joined the GS faculty are in the English and math departments. Ms. Alyssa Bewszka, who has filled the shoes of Mr. Hoffer, is teaching 9th and 12th grade English and will be teaching creative writing in the Spring semester.
“The administration has been very helpful so far and my coworkers have been super nice and helpful as well,” Ms. Bewszka said. “Throughout the entire district, I have made many friends already and they definitely make the transition much easier. It can be very nerve wracking as a first-year teacher, but having a positive work environment really helps.”
While most of these teachers are new to the district, math teacher Mrs. Lindsey Swartz is familiar to the brown and gold. She teaches algebra A and B and geometry.
“I taught at the middle school for 11 years and now that I have returned, I have seen so many familiar faces,” Mrs. Swartz said.
The absence of the previous teachers may be sad, but the latest addition to the faculty has already earned their place with the Golden Lions.
“The best part has been how friendly and polite everyone is here at GS,” Miss Filak said. “It’s hard coming in as the ‘new kid’ or ‘new teacher’ and it’s been a really welcoming and supportive experience so far.”
For several years students at GS have run a preschool for younger children through a class called child development; for the first time, students are responsible for teaching without the help of a teacher.
This year child development teacher Dr. Tiffany Smietana-Lysell is out of her classroom due to maternity leave. Therefore, she is missing all of Cubs’ Den during the first semester’s time with the kids.
A painting above the door in the Cubs’ Den room. Photo by: Adison Poole
“As much as I love being home with my newborn,” Dr. Smietana-Lysell said. “I definitely miss being at GS with the high schoolers and preschoolers.”
Cubs’ Den is a preschool at GS that is almost entirely run by high school students. Mrs. Smietana-Lysell helps students prior to Cubs’ Den’s first day prepare lesson plans and teaches students ways to interact with their kid.
“I have 1000% confidence in all my students this semester,” Smietana-Lysell said. “The high schoolers enrolled in the course this year are awesome.”
With Smietana-Lysell being gone, GS graduate Sejah Franklin was offered an opportunity to come back and help students this year with preschoolers. She is there to be more of a supervisor rather than a teacher but is willing to help high school students with lessons and help if there are any situations involving the younger children.
“Mrs. Smietana-Lysell was worried things wouldn’t go as smoothly,” Franklin explained. “We discussed that if it fit in my schedule, I would come down and help out.”
In child development students are in charge of creating their own lessons and are responsible for preparing the preschoolers for kindergarten. The students are graded on lessons based on how well the lesson goes and if it reached the specific learning target the lesson was aimed toward.
“While I’m not there to witness them teaching and interacting with the little ones directly, it was a joy to watch them prepare for their lessons before my leave,” Smietana-Lysell said.
Students are given the choice to teach one main lesson that falls under math, health, English or science along with one special lesson such as art, music, library or gym. Smietana-Lysell has emphasized the lessons “shouldn’t be complicated” and instead encourages fun activities to get the preschoolers thinking a bit.
“I was one of the first groups to teach,” junior Rachel Kuhn said. “I think the kids had a lot of fun with our lesson.”
Mrs. Susan Houser is currently the permanent substitute for child development until Smietana-Lysell is back from her maternity leave. That being said, Mrs. Houser will be the only adult in the room for the entirety of the first semester’s Cubs’ Den experience.
“The thing I did in preschool was to work with kids going into kindergarten and get them ready for it,” Houser said. “I did that for three years.”
Houser herself has not taught child development before, but, because of her prior experience working with younger kids as well as the time she’s spent as a substitute, she feels that she’s doing a good job filling in for Smietana-Lysell for the time being.
“I was a little worried going into the first day of preschool,” Kuhn explained. “I’ve never taken this class before, so I didn’t know what to expect especially with Mrs. S being gone.”
The first official day of Cubs’ Den was October 3rd and students such as Kuhn have expressed that they think things are going very well with the kids. The kids will be in Cubs’ Den every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this semester from now until December 5th.
“I think Cubs’ Den is going very well so far,” Franklin said. “There is so much progress being made with the kids and the way the high schoolers are with the kids this year is amazing.”
All students in the class have prepped and prepared everything they needed to before time with the preschoolers actually started so the students should be able to get through all of Cubs’ Den without worrying about lesson plans or work.
Smietana-Lysell expressed her worries with the classes before she left for her leave but since the beginning of Cubs’ Den, she feels confident in all of her students to do great work in the class and teach the kids well.
“I have the best job,” Smietana-Lysell explained. “There is such a wonderful group of high schoolers and faculty this semester that makes me feel completely at ease not being present in Cubs’ Den.”
High school helpers Grace Shrum and Marissa Denezza teach the letter of the week.
With Fall sports in full swing, there is a lot that can be touched on. Student-athletes work hard to obtain good grades while also staying involved in their sport, and most of them keep a healthy balance.
Fall sports include girls’ soccer, girls’ cross-country, football, volleyball, golf, girls’ tennis, boys’ soccer and boys’ cross-country.
Girls’ Soccer
“Our team has been stuck in a tough section for the past year,” junior Lauryn Swierczynski said. “For our in-section games, the scores were the majority not in our favor and some game’s scores looked like 0-5. But for non-section games, we have had more success; we’re able to win most of those games.”
As Swierczynski said, the in-section games have been tough for the girls’ soccer team. They are in a section with bigger schools that have a larger student body to make up their teams. With the out-of-section games, it can be more fair due to the schools being the same size or even smaller. Although the girls have been working hard and things have been tough, they continue to show good team morale and build each other up.
“The Carr sisters, Olivia Smith, Kayla Ramer and Alice Wilkinson, they all communicate and work well together,” Swierczynski said. “They never give up when we are losing.”
Taylor Carr, Brianna Carr, Olivia Smith, Kayla Ramer and Alice Wilkinson are leaders on the field and guide the team to success. Sometimes all a team needs is people to bring up the team’s energy and make sure everyone is in good spirits. Just that can show improvement on the field.
“Our team has shown improvement even if our scores don’t show it,” Swierczynski said. Next year we have hope that we’re going to have more success.”
Girls’ Cross Country
Many of the girls on thecross-country team have set new personal records and have improved from their previous times.
“I think personal PRs motivate the team or if we need to pass a certain person to win,” senior Alaina Blend said.
On September 9th at an invitational at White Oak Park with about 50 other schools, members of the team had great results. The team placed 8th out of 25 and senior Ashlan Price placed 25th out of 181 individuals.
“People like Ashlan and Ella are motivators on the team and us seniors in general like to stay positive and keep [our] energy up,” Blend said.
Price and Henry show true leadership due to their constant effort to motivate their teammates. With a sport that is as physically and mentally demanding as cross-country, even the smallest things can get athletes back in the right mindset.
“Overall, XC can be very mentally and physically challenging, but it’s super rewarding and I’d recommend it to anyone,” Blend said. “Our team has made so much improvement throughout the years.”
Football
The GSfootball team along with Head Coach Mr. Tyler George, have been working to get the results they hope for.
Golden Lions’ getting ready to play the Ligonier Valley Rams.
Photo by: Ava Hardaway
“When our leaders are encouraging everyone to work harder and be excited to be at practice, that’s when we get the most work done,” junior Azreal Franklin said. “When we’re all excited and the energy is there, our chemistry is unmatched.”
This football season, Coach George decided that having 4 “team leaders” from each grade level would be beneficial to the team. These players come in to help with things coaches can’t see. Sometimes a player needs their teammate to talk to so they can get an answer from someone with a similar viewpoint. These select players show leadership skills, especially when it comes to boosting their teammates’ morale.
“I think we have trouble keeping each other motivated and staying positive when it matters most,” Franklin said.
The team is looking more confident and ready for the rest of the season. With their first win against Ligonier Valley, these players continue to show more improvement. Although scores from the game against Deer Lakes, East Alleghany and Mt. Pleasant games were not what the team wanted, they still showed immense skill.
“In my opinion, Julian, Keegan, Ayden, Adam, Brady and I are leaders who take specific roles that no one else does better,” Franklin said.
Not only do these players lead their team off the field, but they have also been recognized for having good skills on the field. Senior Julian Stevens was named player of the game for the Hempfield game, with 3 receptions, 66 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. Junior Brady Smith was a player in the running for Pennsylvania’s High School Football Player of the Week after the Ligonier Valley game. Smith rushed for 164 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.
“The scores aren’t what we want them to be, but I think when we get some momentum and start playing how we are really capable, we’ll start to see some good results,” Franklin said.
Volleyball
The volleyball team has faced its fair share of challenges, but varsity player Julie Elias has no doubt in her mind that they will make a comeback.
“So far, our season hasn’t been the exact way I pictured it,” Elias said. “We all walked in confident and ready to go at the start, anticipating a great season. However, we have all had some setbacks. But I have no doubt we will come back better than ever.”
Although the scores haven’t been what they wanted, the team has been showing improvement on the court. The team’s blocks and hitters have been showing impressive skill. With spikes and blocks at the net, these individuals have gotten their team’s scores up on many occasions.
“Grace Hayden, Anna Shevchik, Katie Shea and I all try our best to be the leaders of our team,” she said. “Teammates and coaches having high and positive energy on the court is great motivation too.”
According to Elias, these players show leadership on and off the court, which can benefit a team more than anything else. Head Coach Mrs. Rachel Brannigan also incorporates team bonding exercises into their season to help the team grow closer and motivate each other.
“I plan on coming back ready and prepared for the second half of our in-section games and putting forth all my effort,” Elias said. “My teammates and I have nothing but the highest hopes and expectations for each other throughout the entire year, in and out of season.”
The varsity volleyball team faces the Latrobe Wildcats.
Photo by: Emma Helmick
Golf
The golf season has come to an end for the year, but not without the team showing improvement.
“Facing teams that could score much lower than us was sort of demoralizing,” sophomore Ian Smith said. “There was also the challenge of 5 out of 6 of the varsity guys playing hockey, so sometimes schedules conflicted.”
Although the team faced these challenges, they were still able to come out of the season with decent scores. One of the best scores of the season was 48, from Ian, which is 13 over par for the course the team was on.
“Team leaders included Mike Kingerski, Noah Outly, Hunter Webb and Grant Smith,” Ian said.
These senior leaders show skill on the golf course but also when trying to balance other sports and activities. Outly, Webb and Kingerski all play hockey and are in the middle of preseason games right now. With the golf and hockey schedules overlapping, these athletes put the hard work in to contribute to both teams.
“Overall, our team faces challenges and needs consistency, but we are doing our best,” Ian said.
Girls’ Tennis
Thegirls’ tennis team has had a strong season so far. Their results on the court truly show their hard work and determination.
“I think the entire team would agree that in terms of both what the score looks like, and the quality of play that was exhibited, our match against Armstrong was one of our best,” senior Aryana Galdo said. “I think at the end of it, everyone felt like it was a truly earned win.”
Although there are a lot of returning players, there is also a group of new faces who are working just as hard to improve and help their team. Seniors Jade Mazzoni and Juliana Stabile advanced to the quarterfinals of the section singles tournament. Stabile was the No. 6 seed and Mazzoni had a 10-3 upset win over the 8 seed in the 8-9 matchup.
“Technically, we don’t have any assigned team captains, but I think at different points everyone has a place whenever it comes to leadership,” Galdo said. “Whether that comes in the form of encouraging the team or assisting other players, or anything else.”
For a sport like tennis that is so individualized, at certain points, it’s important for the whole team to lead. Although there isn’t much they can do to help each other in the moment of being stuck on the court, they can step up and encourage and help each other at times like practice and before and after matches.
“We’re in a good spot to end our season, and I’m really hopeful for next year and how these girls form the team from this point forward,” she said.
Boys’ Soccer
The boys’ soccer team has been working hard to improve their scores and move their team in the right direction.
“Any team will always need improvement,” sophomore Tobyn Anderson said. “Some more so than others, but our biggest problems are selfish plays and communication. It messes up how we can truly play, but once we fix that, it will be better for all of us.”
Soccer is very much a team sport. Communicating and working together is the key to the best results. As this team continues to put in the hard work and improve, it’s important to keep these key fundamentals in mind.
“Some things we are good at are moving the ball up field for a chance to attack, set pieces, which include corner kicks, free kicks and goal kicks,” Anderson said.
Being able to get out of tough places and get the ball back to where they want is a skill that could help this team. This can truly help the team in situations where players are crowding their goal. Diverting everyone’s attention to the other side of the field can give the players and the goalie time to recover.
“As for scores, they could always be better,” he said. “We let in more than I think we should’ve, but the score doesn’t always reflect how we play.”
Boys’ Cross Country
Last, but not least, the boys’ cross-country team is showing improvement this season. Through impressive times and much more, this team continues to amaze.
“Our team is definitely good at pursuing a goal,” junior Nick Reinhart said. “If we go into a meet with the mindset that we are going to win, every runner will push to their hardest extent to accomplish what we are there to do.”
Setting a goal can often help people push themselves to do better. With a sport like cross country, a goal can be beneficial. These boys continue to show that they are pushing themselves to achieve these goals and their times support that.
“I personally think Owen Noel has taken a leadership position on the team and continues to strive hard in practice,” Reinhart said. “With the amount he has improved from last season, there is no doubt that he will continue to work hard to accomplish success.”
Noel has truly stuck out this season. His best time is 17:07 at the Red White and Blue Invitational at White Oak Park, where he got 18th out of 196 individuals. Overall, he continues to show great leadership and skill and is someone his team can look up to.
“We can see our team improving, especially the younger runners and it seems like we could possibly have some more success in the future,” Reinhart said.
Overall, the fall sports teams are looking great this season. Some scores may not show what teams want them to, but it will help prepare these student-athletes and help them improve.
“Overall, we have had a pretty good fall season,” GS Athletic Director Mr. Frank Sundry said. “Our student-athletes and coaches are working extremely hard to improve and compete.”
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and every day young children are faced with the challenge of cancer. At GS, Mini-THON is a way for high school and middle school students to experience a night full of games, music, dances and activities that build up the reveal of the total amount of money donated to the cause.
At GS, Mini-THON has been around since 2015. Mini-THON advisor, Mr. Matthew Boe, has been involved from the start. Each year, Mr. Boe approves different high school seniors to be chosen as leaders of the events involved, leading up to the day of the event.
Mini-THON leaders from left to right: Nick Heinnickel, Adam Dipasquale, Kason Tai and Grant Smith.Photo courtesy of: @gsminithon on Instagram
“I think that in many ways this project is more than a senior project,” Boe said. “The fact that there are individuals at GS that are willing to take on an undertaking of this magnitude, I have the most respect for. This is the first year where we have had all guys, so that is a little bit unique within itself. I’m excited for the opportunity to work with them. Super proud of them to take the torch and continue on with it.”
Students can get involved in Mini-THON in high school as early as freshman year, and even earlier in middle school. Students attend events, volunteer, buy White-Out shirts and donate to a donor drive all to collect money for the final reveal. Not only do students get involved, but the community also joins in with the GS Mini-THON and their fight against childhood cancer.
“I think my favorite part of Mini-THON is the by-products that I believe it creates,” he said. “I think it creates culture here at GS. And by that, I mean students attend the Mini-THON events. Whatever the case might be, students get involved with it in various capacities, but I also love the community feel. The amount of community members that get involved is special. It reiterates how special our community actually is.”
Many fundraisers and events take place prior to the main night itself to raise money and awareness. Mr. Boe became a father earlier last year. His emotions towards a Mini-THON event have forever changed because of his newly born son.
“I don’t know if there is just one event that I love more than another,” he said. “The Donuts with Santa last year was special to me because it was my first year being a dad. That was the first time my son met Santa. Any time I can bring my family to my GS family, that’s a win for me.”
Mini-THON leaders Grant Smith and Kason Tai have been very busy and involved with the events in place. They have taken over Mini-THON with other leaders Adam DiPasquale and Nick Heinnickel. These four are trusted with many responsibilities for overseeing such an important line of events.
“I chose to be a Mini-THON leader because I think no kid should have to fight alone,” Tai said. “Attending the full Mini-THON in March of 2023, made me really want to apply for a leadership spot because I got to see how being a part of this team was a once in a lifetime opportunity to help those in need.”
Around late March every year, Mini-THON is held. Leading up to the event itself, many other events and fundraisers are held to raise money and awareness.
“Our events have been extremely successful so far,” he said. “We started the summer at Twin Lakes by making lemonade for the Arts and Heritage Festival and we had tons of help from the student body of GS.”
As a whole school, Mini-THON has ways for everyone to join in and get involved. Spirit weeks, White-Out game, Mini-Thon t-shirts, out of school fundraisers or events all support the fight against childhood cancer. This is not only an in-school involvement, but also an out-of-school involvement.
Mini-THON takes a lot of time, understanding, fundraising and more importantly, awareness. Students and staff gain a better understanding of what Mini-THON truly is. The senior leaders’ goal is for underclassmen to want to be involved in this event and want to be a future leader.
“Mini-THON is important to me because it stands as a way to help those kids in hospitals receiving the treatment they need,” Smith said. “I decided to be a Mini-THON leader because I saw how hard last year’s group worked to raise that much money for a good cause and I wanted to do the same.”
Finalists from the Mini-THON’s cornhole tournament.
Last year GS staff members installed feminine product dispensers in each of the women’s restrooms throughout the high school. This year, the dispensers are filled and now in use for the first time.
While members of GS staff were responsible for installing the period product dispensers in each of the women’s restrooms, GS graduate Emily Campbell was who pushed for them to be installed in the first place.
A product dispenser found in the second floor’s women’s restroom. Photo by: Adison Poole
“I wanted to install the machines because I believe that it’s important we have hard conversations especially ones that people are afraid to have,” Campbell said. “So, my goal was to help people who don’t have access to period products.”
Campbell, who is now a student at PennWest Edinboro, was a girl scout for 13 years before she graduated high school. Being a Girl Scout is what gave her the idea to install the machines throughout the school. When a Girl Scout is either in high school, is a Girl Scout Senior Ambassador or has completed at least two Senior or Ambassador journeys, she is eligible to go for a Girl Scout Gold Award.
“It was my choice to go for my Gold Award and decided to because community service was a value that was instilled in me at a very young age,” she said. “I decided to do the period products specifically because I found it to be a problem that no one wanted to talk about.”
Gold Awards are presented to Girl Scouts who take on the challenge of finding a problem in their community and working to fix or change it to create a better environment and lasting effect for their community as a whole. For Campbell, this problem was the lack of feminine products in GS bathrooms, so she set out to change that.
Campbell couldn’t just get going right away, though, she first needed the school’s approval before she could start having the dispensers installed throughout the school. Projects such as hers often need to seek school board attention or receive school board approval as well as approval from the school’s superintendent and staff. However, Campbell never went through a formal board meeting to get approval for her Gold Award project, instead she got the okay from the school’s principal and superintendent almost immediately and was allowed to begin working on her project.
“She actually did do a presentation with the board, but it was more just to inform them of what’s going on,” Superintendent Dr. Ken Bissell explained. “It’s always good to present to the Board just so they’re aware of what’s going on.”
Campbell’s proposal to the school to install the machines went so well that she was also given permission to install the product dispensers throughout the middle school.
While this is the first-time products are available in the bathrooms, these products are not something new to GS. Products have always been available to students, just not directly in the bathrooms; instead students had to ask for products from either the Nurse or health teacher Mrs. Alyssa Lukatch. Now students have access to products throughout the day and students won’t have to ask for them from their teachers, instead they can use as needed.
“I think it will be good for the students because they’re available in every bathroom now,” Mrs. Lukatch explained. “Now that the school is providing them, I will probably do away with having my own in the locker room.”
The idea behind the dispensers is that students can feel more comfortable getting the products when they need them. Instead of going up to the Nurse or down to the locker room, students will have full access to the products at any time of the day.
“Well, some girls don’t want to go to the nurse for that,” High School Co-Principal Mr. Adam Jones said. “I have a daughter, so I understand.”
Campbell also installed the dispensers with the thought in mind that they could help students who don’t have access to period products anywhere else.
“With our school having the poverty rate it does, so many families have to decide between things like food and period products,” Campbell said. “I wanted to make sure no student would miss school over such a solvable problem.”
Having the dispensers has created new funding for products as well so teachers such as Mrs. Lukatch won’t have to feel the need to purchase products anymore. Instead, the school will be responsible for supplying and funding the products.
“In the long run it will save me some money,” Lukatch explained. “I was buying the products, so I just tried to buy what was cheapest.”
This doesn’t mean products won’t still be available in the locker rooms, though. Dispensers were installed in not only all of the women’s restrooms throughout the school but also the girls’ locker room bathroom as well. So instead of students asking for one they can take one from the dispenser.
“It’s convenient to still have products down there since Mrs. Lukatch was already providing them,” junior Theresa Schuetz said.
When getting the dispensers initially installed, Campbell worked on a grant to get the project off the ground. She raised the rest of the money to purchase products that would fill up the machines. Now that they’ve been installed, and the first set of products have been stocked, the school will now be responsible for funding to fill the dispensers.
“Emily’s part of the fundraising paid for most of the product,” Mr. Jones explained. “So going forward I’m sure the district will pick up that part of the budget.”
Since products will be available to both high school and middle school students, there will be both tampons and pads in the dispensers so students will have the choice to take whichever they may need. Campbell kept in mind that younger students may not be comfortable using certain products, so she made sure to supply both to offer students a choice.
“I like that they’re giving us an option,” Schuetz said. “I think girls will be more comfortable picking what they prefer.”
The dispensers are currently stocked with products and will continue to be stocked as long as the school has the funding for them and as long as there are no issues in the bathroom with the products.
“As long as the products are used responsibly,” Co-Principal Mr. David Zilli said. “And as long as we have product, yes it will be stocked.”
Campbell presented the idea of installing product dispensers with the hope that they would stay stocked and be available throughout the day. She also hoped it would be beneficial to students who may not have access to products anywhere else and create a long-lasting effect.
“One of the biggest pillars of the Gold Award is sustainability,” Campbell said. “I tried to fulfill this requirement with two different approaches, one being of course, that the machines are long lasting and that the school will continue filling them long after my graduation.”
GS will now have four early dismissal days scattered across the school year to create more collaborative and planning time for teachers.
These days take place October 6th, November 9th, February 16th and May 9th. All students will leave two hours earlier while the teachers stay in the building for extra working and planning time.
“We want better class time and class experiences for kids and it’s providing time for planning and preparation for teachers,” Superintendent Dr. Ken Bissell said.
These days will allow teachers to come together to make GS schools more advanced and creative without any distractions around.
Lion holding a clock that is showing the time of the dismissals for the Middle and High School.
Editorial Cartoon by: Ksena Spencer.
“Act 80 days and In-Service days used to be enough time for schools to do a lot of planning and prep, or at least it was adequate time, but the state of Pennsylvania has given teachers and educators so many mandates and mandated training that they have to complete, and those trainings take time,” Dr. Bissell said.
They have the same intention as an Act 80 day, but with all the training that goes into them, there is hardly any time for teachers to get work for their classes done. The early dismissal days will not have anything for teachers to learn and they are strictly for preparation.
“My biggest concern is sending students home two hours early-especially elementary-parents have to shift schedules, parents may have to find day care,” Bissell said. “There’s an equity issue there because for some people, they have the means to provide for that daycare or family supports and others do not and that creates a stress and a strain on them.”
While the changes might not affect those in 6-12th grade, the younger children of the district may experience challenges.
“It will make it difficult to meal prep and have meals made for when my parents are at work because they won’t be home till five and my siblings and I would be getting home earlier,” sophomore Neela Harrison said. “For some jobs being able to get off early or switching around their schedule is extremely difficult.”
Parents with younger children will have to figure out a way to ensure that their child will be taken care of if they can’t, which can add additional stress. The early dismissal days have been added to the school’s calendar for parents to plan ahead.
“I am happy about having these days added to our school calendar,” 2nd grade teacher Miss Michele Cribbs said. “This will give teachers the opportunity to meet for professional development without being out of the classroom on days of instruction.”
Teachers will get the opportunity to do things they may usually miss out on due to being too busy.
“I think it will provide time to do some things that we are not able to do like meet with teachers even within our own content area,” Science Teacher Mrs. Rachel Sassani said. “I don’t always get a chance to talk to the other science teachers. I would like to collaborate with them more or even people outside my content area if there was time to work with them, or even if they give us time to dive into some student data for planning purposes. It would be nice to have that extra time to do this as well.”
Being able to work together could give them a chance to bring new material into their own classrooms. This extra time can introduce teachers to new things that they can teach to their own students.
“Any decision that I make some people are going to be happy and some people are going to be stressed from,” Bissell said. “It’s just knowing where those stresses are and if it’s worth them in the long run. That’s what we have to make the determination, but by not doing anything, that doesn’t help. We need to take a risk and do something and see where the stresses are then take care of it and get better.”
For the first time in four years, GS will be holding not only several exciting events, but also a school wide Homecoming Dance.
“I’m excited we’re finally having a homecoming this year,” junior Ruby Hohman said. “I think it will be nice since we haven’t gotten to have one in years.”
This year’s Homecoming Dance has raised excitement for many students at GS because unlike the spring prom, this dance will be open to any students throughout the high school, meaning all grades nine through twelve will be welcome to attend.
“I know a few freshmen that are already planning to go,” Hohman said. “So, I’m sure there’s a lot more who will end up coming.”
The dance is not the only event coming up, though. Several other events are taking place this month to raise excitement for this year’s homecoming. Some of the events include activities such as a Senior Sunrise, an after-school bonfire and festival and a Homecoming pep rally. Just like years prior, there was a Homecoming Court that was elected by students and voted on to choose a queen. The winner will be announced at halftime during the football game held the night before the dance.
Calendar of upcoming events that can be found on the first floor by the cafeteria. Photo by: Adison Poole
GS Homecoming Court of 2023: Giavanna Rosensteel, Taylor Carr, Ashlan Price, Natalia Kane, Lea Kasmer, Mackenzie Halfhill and Ella Henry (not pictured: Alethea Tressler)Photo by: Adison Poole
“We planned the homecoming bonfire and senior sunrise before school started,” senior Ashlan Price said. “We also planned out the spirit week ahead of time and the theme for Homecoming.”
The dance itself and many of the events will be inexpensive for students to attend. The Bonfire and festival are free for everyone but bake sales and different activities set up for the festival may cost money so all students planning on coming out are welcome to bring along some extra cash just in case.
“We have a first week special price of $10 a person,” Physics Teacher Mr. Christopher Gazze said. “The second week sale is $15.”
The Homecoming Dance ticket prices are only $10-$15 this year since the dance will be held at GS rather than a hall like many other dances such as prom in the past. Tickets for the dance will be sold any time between the 6th through 20th of September. Mr. Gazze encourages all students to purchase tickets now because no tickets will be sold at the door the night of.
“The bonfire is free to attend,” Gazze explained. “But there will be concessions and other things being sold through various clubs. There will also be food items and drinks there.”
The dance is something quite uncommon at GS. For many years there has not been a Homecoming Dance, but this year students pushed to change that.
“Everyone on SCA executive wanted to have a Homecoming instead of a Christmas Dance,” Price explained.
Price believes that with all the upcoming events surrounding the Homecoming football game “it just made more sense” to have a Homecoming Dance.
Themes for this Homecoming have also already been discussed and decided by SCA members and leaders. The dance will be decorated and based around a time theme.
“This year’s theme for Homecoming is Time is Running Out,” she said. “So, everything will be a clock theme.”
If all goes well this year, GS may have more Homecoming Dances to come in the future. This year will be a trial to see if students would prefer a Homecoming Dance instead of the usual Christmas Dance.
“Everyone in SCA really wanted to have a Homecoming instead of the Christmas Dance,” Price explained. “We felt that it would be more enjoyable, and it is at the beginning of the year, which could make freshmen more open to going.”
SCA hopes that by holding a dance this year, students will have some fun with it and hopefully ask for more in the future. It’s up to students to decide now if this is a dance they want to keep around or if it will stay as a one-time kind of thing every few years.
“I really do hope this year goes well; I think Homecoming is something GS should make permanent,” Hohman said.
With seniors preparing for college and last year’s graduates starting their first year in college, there are things they need to be aware of. Sexual assault cases on college campuses rise each year as back-to-school starts. This issue often goes unreported, but it is important to take a better look at this serious problem.
The period from August to late November is popularly named the “Red Zone” by groups across college campuses. This is because sexual assault cases are higher in these months than any other, causing back-to-school to be more dangerous for students, especially when they are unaware of this problem.
Statistics showing college sexual assault rates. Graphic created by: Rubee Stillwagon
“I’m honestly scared,” senior Sarah Rising said. “It’s definitely not something I want to go through or have anyone else go through.”
It is extremely important that students know of this rising problem so they can take the proper safety measures to protect themselves. Studies done by the Women’s Health Association show that roughly 50% of sexual assault cases happen in students’ first and second semesters in college. At this time, students are still getting into the routine of things and may be more vulnerable due to back-to-school stress.
“Keep an eye on friends, always plan ahead and always have a buddy, especially if alcohol is involved,” Sejah Franklin, a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh, said.
According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, alcohol and drugs often play a big role in sexual assaults on campuses. 15% of young women experience incapacitated rape during their first year of college, meaning they were legally not able to give consent. It is important to stay with a trusted person and keep an eye on your surroundings.
“I know a lot of women who go to report it, but it is just brushed off,” senior Alexa George said.
In most cases, students report their assault to their school before taking it to law enforcement. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) investigated over 100 universities for mishandling sexual assault cases, showing that most times unreported and mishandled cases start at the school level.
Franklin, Rising and George all said that talking about it more is an important thing.
Students often don’t report the assaults because they believe nothing will be done. Talking about it and making people more aware of it may help people know it’s okay to ask for help. If an assault happens on campus or the perpetrator attends the school, students can also report it to the school authorities. The school is required to help students continue their education safely. Sex discrimination is also prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
“Sexual assault can happen to anyone at any time,” Rising said.
The most important thing to do if assault happens is to make sure students know they are not alone and that it’s not their fault. Victims often suffer from various long-term and short-term health problems such as sexually transmitted infections, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and more. This is why it is important that people raise awareness and make sure that students know they have people to support and believe in them. In the case of this unfortunate event, the National Sexual Assault Hotline is open 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE.
“There’s such a stigma around it and there’s also a lot of shame put on people,” Rising said.
With a new season of sports starting at GS, vacancies for coaching spots opened for two fall sports. Football Head Coach Mr. Dave Keefer and boys’ soccer Head Coach Mr. Dan Anderson both left their positions at the end of last year’s seasons. In looking for new head coaches, one team knew where to look for a replacement and the other had to look a little further.
In early January of this year, Mr. Tyler George was named Head Coach of the GS football team. Many emotions filled the head of the new coach when hearing the news of his hiring.
The GS football team lines up to play the Derry Area Trojans. Photo by: Ava Hardaway
“You know, you’re obviously really excited,” Mr. George said. “It’s a new opportunity, a new experience. There are so many great people here, great kids at GS. I was honored to be able to continue these traditions and things GS has to offer.”
When he was hired, George added new coaches to the current coaching staff. They were selected as help to George and the team.
“I keep telling everybody, I am super lucky,” he said. “All the guys I get to work with every single day are hardworking, good guys who truly care about the kids. They want what is best for the kids. It has been great to have them. Again, I am super lucky.”
Seniors who graduated last year left big openings for the upcoming team. Christian McChesney, Kaleb Riggs, Cody Rubrecht and many other names from last year were off the roster. The rising players for the current team had to step up and fill those spots. Guys like Kai Brunot, Peyton Chismar, Adam DePasquale, Julian Stevens and Ayden Thompson were a few of the names mentioned by Coach George.
George had no hesitation in his answer about who has stepped up the most as a leader.
“I will tell you one of the biggest ones is Brady Smith,” he said. “Smith has been such a hard-working kid for us this year. He is a silent leader. He leads by example, and he does the right thing. We are really happy with what he has done so far.”
Senior Julian Stevens has known Coach George since middle school and has grown quite close to him. With being on the previous coaching staff, George had a close relationship with most of the current players.
“He’s a great coach that brings energy to the team,” Stevens said on George stepping in as head coach. “He’s worked our tails off this summer. Emotionally, I am excited because there is more faith on this team and an extra edge that he gave us.”
With the season starting off with two losses and their first win against Ligonier Valley, the Golden Lions hope to gain more wins through the season.
Along with a new head football coach being hired, a new head soccer coach was also hired. Coach Rich Christeleit was hired to fill in for the previous head coach Dan Anderson, after he left following the previous season. When looking for a new head coach, there was a struggle. Starting to look in the summer, it took a little longer to find a coach. Unable to find someone who was willing to take charge of the coaching challenge, Christeleit stepped up.
Senior Carter Rizzo has been on the soccer team since freshman year. He has worked with multiple coaches in the soccer organization. With having a new coach this season, the team has had to rebuild themselves.
“As a senior, we have been through rough season after rough season in my time at the high school,” Rizzo said regarding their previous soccer seasons. “This year, the team seems happier and more focused on winning more games.”
After having a rough season last year, the boys’ soccer team hopes to continue winning throughout the season. Starting off the season with both wins and losses, the team has looked good.
“I am looking forward most to living out the rest of my senior season playing as hard as I can,” he said. “Work with the team to achieve the most we possibly can while I have one year left to do so.”
Athletics at GS has had their starts in the summer and continues through the fall season. Athletic Director Mr. Frank Sundry is excited about the upcoming fall season of sports and the new hires of coaches.
“Both head coaches provide a wealth of knowledge and passion for their respective sports,” Mr. Sundry said. “They were both able to hire great people around them to help support the team and players. We feel that both hires provide our programs with the immediate and future ability to be successful.”
Banners for boys’ soccer seniors line the fence at Offutt field. Photo by: Ava Hardaway
To eliminate all distractions for students, GS has enforced a no-phone rule.
It is now mandatory for students to put their phones in a holder at the beginning of every class. Today, phones are viewed as a distraction and in the past few years they have become a problem in schools around the world.
While most students have been cooperating with the new system, frustration has built up within the school and many are questioning the reasoning behind this decision.
A phone holder is attached to the inside of a teacher’s door. Students must put their phones into the holders when they enter classrooms now.Photo by: Emma Helmick
“If we never had any problems, if 150 kids came in, didn’t use their phones inappropriately, weren’t walking around with earbuds in or whatever, this wouldn’t exist,” High School Co-Principal Mr. Adam Jones said. “But to expect 15–18-year-olds, having been one if I had a cellphone, I would’ve been misusing it and I would’ve been super distracted in class.”
The evolution of cellphone usage during school hours has extremely increased since they were invented, but in the past few years, some student’s grades dropped which may be because of the distraction to their learning environment.
“Every teacher who I have spoken to has thanked me, and I told the teachers that the decision in their classrooms was ultimately theirs, so if a student doesn’t have a device and they absolutely have to use their phone for an educational purpose, the teacher has the ability to let them, but on the flip side I also told them that if they let students use phones and something happens, I don’t want them to be sent up to me,” Mr. Jones said.
Originally, teachers had the decision on what they wanted to do for their individual classrooms, but at some point, that structure fell apart and left the District no choice but to take away that freedom.
Without phones, students are more likely to become more engaged in the content they are learning and more likely to socialize with the people around them.
“People need to communicate back and forth, so that was a big reason why,” Jones said. “You should be focusing on school, not Snapping the kid in the next classroom.”
This rule seemed to be a positive step for GS, however, not everyone was thrilled with the restrictions put in place.
“Everyone is definitely mad about it because we’re being treated like children as almost adults and it just kind of sucks, but there is not much we can do about it,” senior Bryonna Macioce said.
While this has caused students to become more involved with their learning, most of them are not happy with the situation.
“I feel like if somebody is on their phone and obviously not paying attention or not doing what they are supposed to, they should get their phone taken and it should go to the office,” Macioce said. “Everyone shouldn’t be punished just because of what some people do.”
This could feel unfair to the people who followed the rules and only used their phones at the appropriate times.
Not only did this make some people upset, but it also created challenges for some students who have already experienced a hard time adjusting to the change.
“There’s so many classes that we used to use our phones in, and it was just so much easier than using the slow computers, I don’t even have a charger for mine,” she said.
There are many faults with this approach that are tricky to work around and the main one is that phones are a very handy tool to have when computers become unavailable.
“People just sat in class on their phones and the school definitely just got sick of it,” she said. “I know a lot of people who were on their phones who had really bad grades and that does affect us as a school, too.”
Students being distracted in class also reflected badly on the teachers who had to work around the disturbance.
“It was becoming such a problem for some people and I’m not saying everybody because there were people who were fine with their phones, but it was just becoming such a distraction that they had to try something and this may not be perfect, but at least they are trying something,” International Studies Teacher Mr. Robert Lehman said.
There is no flawless solution for this; there will be obstacles to tackle no matter what route is taken.
“This was something that was coming; it was inevitable,” Lehman said. “The studies show that phones are a distraction; I think it’s just going to get to where people get used to it; they just come in and do it and that’s that.”
Now that the phones are gone, students have a better chance of being more involved with the content they are learning, but some cons come with this.
“Now if I want kids to use their phones, I have to let them get up and go get them then go back to their seats so timing wise you have to adjust a little bit, but that isn’t much,” Mr. Lehman said.
For some classes, cell phones are often used, so having to get up and get a phone could be a distraction in itself.
“People who use their phones when they are supposed to are losing; a phone is a resource that gives me access to every bit of knowledge that civilization has that I can use for my research,” junior Ari Case said.
The school computers have certain topics that students research for classes that are blocked. If students must use their phone to search for those things it may be hard for the teachers to keep track of who is using their phone as a resource and who is using it to mess around.
“When I start working a 9-5 after high school, I’m not going to have to put my phone in a pocket,” Case said. “I’m going to have to know how to not look at my phone while I’m working and that’s not something this is teaching.”
High school is preparation for adulthood. Learning responsibility and self-control is part of that, but when the majority of students prove that they are not capable of that and it starts to reflect badly on the school, it becomes not just a problem for an individual student, but the entire District.
“I understand the benefit broadly for a lot of students in classes, and there are other perspectives here and it’s not like they didn’t think about it,” they said.
There was no solution to this problem that would have left everyone completely satisfied.
“It’s also something to help you, it’s not from a punishment perspective, it’s from a helping perspective and I know that may be hard to see as a teenager, but I hope in 10 years they can see why I did this,” Jones said.
The Lions' Den 