By Emily Frazier

A film capturing the life of the City of Greensburg has captivated the GS community. Repost after repost occurred the day the film was released, for people felt personally connected with the video and all it featured.

Skene-19 Films is a video production company that has been in business for over 10 years. Owned by Greater Latrobe alum, Marcus Morelli, and assisted by GS alum, Derek Hughes, Skene-19 Films creates many types of videos, ranging from promotional commercials to entertaining short films.

One of their latest films was for the City of Greensburg called This is Greensburg. This Is Greensburg featured many GS students, businesses, activities, events and more.

“The main purpose, initially, was for advertising,” Morelli said. “The city hired us to do a 2-minute promotional video and a 30-second commercial, and that’s what we set out to do, but the more we shot, the more we learned that this footage was special; we love this city.”

In January 2020, the city greenlit Morelli’s proposal, but due to Covid-19 restrictions, the project was put on the back burner to be continued later. As soon as things started to become normal again, Morelli and Hughes set out and filmed every aspect of life, collecting hours upon hours of footage.

“I would wake up early in the morning and get cool sunrises and get cool sunsets,” Morelli said. “I’d take my camera around town and get little moments in time.”

The City of Greensburg gave Morelli and Hughes ideas on what needed to be filmed, but they found themselves capturing more than that.

“We were hired by the city for this, sure, but it turned into more of a passion project,” Hughes said.

They went outside of the box and chose to shoot in locations they hadn’t planned on before taking their camera and drone with them.

“We took the initiative of shooting football games and Greensburg Salem students,” Morelli said.

Seniors Madison Krofcheck and Kayla McMichael were two of the many GS students featured in the film. Krofcheck was seen dribbling a soccer ball at her game and cheering under Friday Night Lights, enjoying her hobbies. Caught in two aspects of her daily life, McMichael was shown conducting the marching band and serving customers at Prantl’s Bakery.

Other students who were spotted in the film include freshman Izabella Caruso, senior Lillian Gatons and her brother, Quintin Gatons(a ‘20 graduate), junior Ava Hardaway, freshman Natalia Hardaway, senior Colten Houser, senior Isaiah Payne and other members of the GS football team, seniors Gabrielle Sheffler and Kaidence Thomas in the Salem Psychos student section, the GS marching band, senior Aleah Collins and members of the cheer team.

From a commercial standpoint, Morelli and Hughes also filmed snippets of life in local businesses and events, though they struggled to choose who and what to film.

“Well, if we could have, we would have featured every single business,” Hughes said. “We went to a bunch of businesses and realized we couldn’t fit everyone in, but hopefully the essence of it makes it feel like everyone was involved.”

The amount of footage they accumulated over time shocked them. They knew something more was blossoming from this project.

“To see what we had after a day of filming, to see how special it was becoming, I think that was a really cool part, to see how it evolved,” he said.

Positive feedback from the community came in waves.

“We’re very flattered and humbled that it went kind of locally viral,” Morelli said. “We hope the film can live on for a long time.”

By Emma Helmick

Alert! Students only have two minutes left to take their BeReal and stop class.

BeReal is a new social media app that sends a notification at a random time in the day. It has a two-minute timer and no filters to remain authentic.

“The BeReal app is a way to communicate with friends through pictures,” freshman Izabella Caruso said, “It is a way to see what your friends are doing and to interact with them and even people all around the world.”

The notification is the same time for everyone, but it can be sent at any point of the day.

“I think it is just a fun app and doesn’t take the time to satisfy like Instagram or TikTok,” junior Drezden Gesalman said.

On different social medias people only post what is good in their lives. BeReal shows what people’s everyday life actually looks like at a random time.  

“I would say hundreds or maybe even thousands of teens are on this social media app around the world,” Caruso said. “While scrolling through suggested friends I see tons of different people, all with different locations.”

Everyone has a friends list with people they can accept or decline, however there is also a discovery page which has millions of people who can be reacted to or friended.

Because of BeReal’s random timing, it can become a distraction at work or school.

“I think its disruptive the same way cell phones are,” U.S Government and Politics teacher Mr. Nicholas Diehl said.  “Kids are addicted to their phones, and it becomes disruptive because you’re supposed to take it right then and there.”

If someone’s picture is not taken within the two-minutes, it is considered late, which gives people the determination to stop and take their picture no matter where they are.

“I definitely think this app is a distraction in class,” Caruso said. “I remember when the app first came out and all I would hear is, ‘Look the BeReal went off’ or ‘We have to take our BeReal.’ I can even say I have gotten distracted when it went off during class and wanted to take mine.”

The notification can become a temptation for kids and sometimes can just give them another reason to be on their phones in school.

“I think it is a very positive app,” Gesalman said. “You can react to other people’s posts, but honestly it is more about seeing just what your friends are up to at the time.”

By Luke Dinkel

The 2022-2023 fall sports season has come to an end at GS, which means that the seven fall sports have officially finished their season.

The Varsity Football team ended their season with a 4-6-0 record, finishing 5^th in the league.

“I feel like we could have done better than we did,” junior Adam DiPasquale said. “I feel like we didn’t really come out fighting at the beginning of some games and got behind and lost confidence in each other. I feel like we lost games that we should have easily won. But in some games, we fought hard as a team and just came up a little short. And the games we did win we all worked together and fought together as a team to win.”

The Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team finished with a 2-10 conference record.

“This season our team started off looking pretty strong,” freshman Julie Elias said. “After our first couple of games, we slowly saw the way things were going and desperately wanted to change our losses into wins. We ended up coming very close to some of the top teams and won against a few teams as well. This year more than any, our team formed a strong bond with each other and our coaches. It wasn’t the season we all had imagined, but we all learned a lot and became a better team and individual.”

The Boys’ Varsity Soccer team finished their season with a 3-11 record.

“We had a lot of talent on the team this year; we just couldn’t execute our season the way we had hoped to,” junior Carter Rizzo said. “The team played physically and had some good games. I think we need to build more trust with one another and find some team chemistry to strengthen our game.”

The Girls’ Varsity Soccer team finished with a 1-11 record.

“The season didn’t go how we expected; we had a lot of injuries and bumps during the season,” junior Taylor Carr said. “I think we all grew a lot more as a team and we were working towards doing better next year. We will all be practicing in the off-season and hopefully come back even stronger next year.”

The Varsity Golf team finished the season with a 5-6 record.

“I think we had a great season this year; we had a lot of great players,” junior Grant Smith said. “The team missed out on a couple of must-win matches, but overall, we had a great season.”

The Girls’ Varsity Tennis team finished their season with a 3-11 record.

“We entered the season having to replace five varsity starters from the 2021 team, including first, second and third singles,” Head Coach Mr. Christopher Gazze said. “Of our returning athletes, only four had varsity experience and we had five girls new to the team. Offseason workouts were about teaching the fundamentals of the sport. I felt we had a terrific attitude as a team, open to learning and very supportive of each other. Everyone wanted to get better. It was a process, but I was pleased with how we progressed. It didn’t always result in wins, but we competed with talented teams and kept matches close. There was a lot of growth throughout the season that sets a solid foundation for next year.”

The Girls’ Varsity Cross Country team finished their season with an 8-5 record, while the Boys’ Cross Country team finished with a 6-7 record.

“Both the boys’ and girls’ teams had great seasons for the talent we have,” Head Coach Mr. Nathan Snider said. “The girls’ team finished 8-5 and the boys’ were 6-7.  Both teams won the meets they should have won, and each won a meet they probably shouldn’t have won, which is always fun.  The team spends a lot of time working to get ready for the season and it’s nice to see that hard work pay off. Individually, having Aaron Tressler finish 15^th in the WPIAL and advancing to States is a great accomplishment.  I thought we had some girls that could make it, but the competition was a little better than we were.  They ran great, but just not quite enough.  Hopefully next year they will be able to advance as individuals.”

By Emma Helmick

High school students are training new cubs to become Golden Lions.

Cubs’ Den is a preschool in the high school. Each kid has their own high school helper to guide them and work with them individually.

“Having 25 high schoolers and 15 preschoolers in the room at the same time takes a lot of planning and structure, but we have so much fun,” Child Development Teacher Mrs. Tiffany Smietana-Lysell said. “It is nice having the high schoolers in class before the preschool year starts so that we can establish routines and get ready for what to expect out of our little ones.”

High school students who take child development start off by learning how to act around little kids, how to talk to them and how to work with them in any situation that may occur before being put in an actual environment with them.

“Providing high schoolers with the hands-on experience to work one-on-one with the preschoolers is truly the best way to directly apply what we learn about child development and early childhood education,” Mrs. Smietana-Lysell said. “This gives high school students first-hand experience to understand the professional aspect of the position along with all of the preparation, time-management and ethics that goes into teaching. This is a neat experience for the preschoolers because they have the ‘big kids’ to look up to and learn from during this impressionable time of their lives.”

The child development students must plan out lessons to teach the kids before even meeting them. When preschoolers arrive, the high school helpers have to keep up with journaling their assigned kid’s growth throughout their time in Cubs’ Den.

“I want to go into a field after high school where I work with children, whether that be being a teacher or a therapist working with children,” senior Crysta Collins said. “I can use what I’ve learned in Cubs’ Den to interact with children and use my knowledge to create lesson plans if I decide to teach.”

This class helps the preschoolers prepare for kindergarten, but it is also helping students who want to be teachers or do any job where children will be involved.

“I think it’s really fun to be able to teach them while still being a student because it gives the kind of nostalgia from whenever I was in Cubs’ Den when I was younger,” sophomore Greta Hagofsky said.

Cubs’ Den has found a way to bring back students and make them the teachers.

“Throughout Cubs’ Den I’ve learned leadership and responsibility. Cubs’ Den also teaches patience because it’s not easy to work with preschoolers, especially when they have short attention spans and don’t always listen or focus,” Collins said.

Working with the children is not expected to be easy. There are backup students who can step in and help out if those who are new to the class are struggling or do not know what to do.

“The best way to describe Cubs’ Den is ‘organized chaos’ but in the most fun way,” Smietana-Lysell said.

By Brianna Campagna 

Many people struggle with mental health issues on a daily basis, often wondering where to find help in their battles.

GS attempts to minimize the amount of stress that staff and students undergo by providing mental health services. 

Health class is regularly taught in 10^th grade alongside gym class. Health Teacher Mr. Patrick Hutchinson is one of the three teachers who teaches Health class at GS. The students spend one unit learning about mental health. 

“Mental health is taught as our second unit of the year,” Mr. Hutchinson said. “We first talk about the way the brain communicates with itself, sends signals, and controls thoughts, feelings and behaviors. We go over eight common mental health disorders; what causes them, how they are treated, and examples of what those disorders look like in your everyday life. We then learn about how to treat these mental disorders. We also discuss two often overlooked but powerful influences on our mental health which are social media and nutrition.” 

When Hutchinson is faced with students who are struggling, he offers a helping hand. 

“I always recommend to my students to talk about any health issue they are having, especially mental health,” he said. “Saying it out loud can be a relief in itself, which is sometimes all they need to do. But talking to another person and finding out that they have similar feelings or that they have go through the same emotions can help so much to make that student feel like they are not weird, or alone, or sick.”

Hutchinson recommends that students talk to a trusted adult about issues they may be facing.

“I also strongly encourage students to talk to an adult, any adult,” he said. “Talking to a peer is great but when an adult is introduced to the problem, they often have more knowledge on how to seek advanced help.” 

When it comes to seeking help, the school counselors are available as resources to students. School Counselor Mr. John Manley is one of two GS counselors. He often works with students whose last name starts with M-Z, but any student is permitted to see either counselor.  

“I can meet with students and Mrs. Klipa and I both are qualified to meet with students to discuss concerns or issues that they may be experiencing,” Mr. Manley said. “We don’t diagnose. We don’t prescribe medication, but we are counselor educators.” 

The best advice that Mr. Manley has to offer to students is to “come and talk.” 

“The hardest part sometimes for students is to make that initial step into the office and be willing to talk about what’s going on and open up because that can be uncomfortable,” he said. “But we want students to feel comfortable enough to come and see us and to share if they’re experiencing some difficulties. We might not be able to fix all the problems, but it’s important to at least start that conversation.” 

There is a mental health resource that was recently introduced to GSSD called Care Solace. This website is available to any family in the district and provides help for students of families struggling with mental health or substance abuse. 

“The mental health service that is new to the district which we discuss [in health class] is Care Solace,” Hutchinson said. “It is for students, their families and district employees to help them access quality mental health support.” 

The services provided by Care Solace are offered 24/7. Their hotline is 1(888)515-0595. Care Solace does not charge for their services, and confidentiality is ensured. 

 “It can help connect students and families to resources outside of the school and help them find a person that they can work with to get them connected to the most appropriate resources,” Manley said. “We also have resources within the school’s Student Assistance Program. We have a team of teachers who are trained who meet once a week to discuss if there are students that are experiencing difficulties and how we can get them connected to appropriate sources to help them.” 

Mr. Manley, along with Superintendent Dr. Ken Bissell, has made efforts to publicize these resources. Alongside resources provided to students, there are resources provided to all GSSD staff. 

“We have an Employee Assistance Program,” Dr. Bissell said. “Our EAP [Employee Assistance Program] is a 24/7 service where they can call into a 1(800) phone number and they can get immediate service to any counselor at any time. That can be a quick check in, or it can be something where they’re helping to get them set up with counseling services for an ongoing service with local providers. That is probably the biggest thing that we have.” 

Bissell hopes to better educate teachers and staff on the resources available to them.  

“Part of what we’re working with HUB International to do is to get that word out to more of our staff about the available opportunity,” he said. “We send out messages and reminders to the staff all the time about the Employee Assistance Program. But one thing that we’ve talked about as a county wide group is when do people need the information? They don’t need it when they’re just looking through an email. They need it when they need it.” 

 The healthcare provider for Westmoreland educational staff is Westmoreland County Healthcare Organization, which has recently released a website for more immediate access. Many different services are offered through the healthcare provider 24/7. Both newsletters and contact sources are available to the staff. 

“What we’re finding out is we needed to find a way to give them the resources at hand,” Bissell said. “And that’s where in just this past month, September, we released a new website to provide all of the health care needs and provide the information for the EAP. If somebody has a child with a broken leg and they need to know information from their health care provider, they can get it there. Know that mental health services are a big piece of what is available at that website.” 

Alongside what is provided with the Westmoreland County Healthcare Organization, the district plans to provide more training for staff in the district to deal with their own mental health struggles. 

“We’re also looking into more of an in-depth training of how to train staffs minds, to connect the mind body experience because a lot of mental health is created through stress and trauma,” he said. “There’s not enough being talked about of stress in the workplace and teacher stress.”

The teacher training that Bissell is most excited for is Outdoor Odyssey, a leadership academy located in Boswell, PA.

“Our district leadership team is going to attend Outdoor Odyssey,” he said. “They will try to work through methods of connecting the mind and the body by coming up with productive ways to train [teachers] on how to get through stressful situations. It’s going to start with our leadership team. Then we’re going to start working through teacher teams, and eventually build that into getting more of our students to go through those leadership trainings.” 

Many schools in PA receive money to fund mental health care in hopes of providing a comforting environment in the school setting.  

“Across the state, 500 districts receive a minimum of $100,000 that should be going toward mental health care, and $100,000 that should be going to safety and security,” Bissell said. “There’s a lot of overlap between safety and security. A lot of safety comes from how we feel safe but if we don’t feel safe, then it doesn’t matter what [mental health] systems are in place, right? So, a lot of that comes to our mental health of how we’re dealing with the stress that creates a better feeling of safety. Addressing mental health, it’s taking those funds and providing training opportunities for staff and students of how do we better cope with stress, trauma and, and other issues.” 

The end goal of providing students and staff mental health services at GSSD is to help everyone learn to cope with their stress. 

“Everybody has different stresses for even the same situation,” Bissell said. “So, we’re trying to get everybody to learn how to handle that.” 

By Mia Saraceni

Observed by many schools across the country, Red Ribbon week is the longest standing anti-drug campaign in the United States. While GS hasn’t taken part in this for quite some time, a small club is determined to bring it back.

Members of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) were the brains behind getting the plan into action, proposing the idea to both GS principals.

The club, led by physical education and health teacher Mrs. Alyssa Lukatch, consists of students who pride themselves on promoting good choices for their peers. Such an event this year is the return of Red Ribbon Week.

Originally started in 1998, it began after the death of DEA Special Agent Enrique Camarena, also known as Kiki. On a mission to stop the import of illegal substances from Mexico, Camarena was murdered by drug traffickers and, after his passing, people began wearing red ribbons in his honor.

Schools across America have commemorated Camarena’s sacrifice since, but with the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the nation, it was forced to a halt, at least at GS.

SADD club Social Media Chair Ashlan Price is in charge of promoting the week to students, and she plans to do so by various means.

“We started a SADD club Instagram because that is the main thing that gets teenagers’ attention,” Price said. “We thought if we could post more and make it more popular, then more people would get involved.”

Student participation in this event is critical, as the message needs to be spread so that it can reach the people it needs to the most.

Mrs. Lukatch holds firm in the same belief as Price, that the more engagement, the better.

“Anytime you bring awareness to an issue—no matter how big or small—it will make an impact,” Lukatch said.

Drug use has impacted students in high school for as long as one can remember, whether that be directly or indirectly. The club’s mission- and the mission of Red Ribbon week- is to hopefully hit home and maybe influence better decisions for all students.

Besides using social media to spread the word, Price plans to use posters displayed in the hallways to inform students.

“We plan to have posters advertising the spirit days for the people that are unaware of the Instagram,” she said. “We were looking into posters to advertise the SADD club, as well. We want to get more people involved.”

Spirit week is planned to begin on October 24^th and end the 28^th, and the club has a lot of ideas on what is to go on.

Co-President Ella Henry is one of the main faces involved in the events, and she planned a multitude of fun happenings.

“That Wednesday [October 26^th], when students wear red in honor of spreading awareness, we’ll hold a drug Kahoot during advisory,” Henry said. “Students who win can come down to Mrs. Lukatch’s room to receive their prize.”

While actual ribbons won’t be handed out, the spirit week remains, and students are encouraged to take part.

The week’s themes are as follows: Monday is a neon themed day, Tuesday is beach theme, Wednesday is wear red, Thursday is a day to wear your favorite shoes and Friday is jersey day.

Club Treasurer Alice Wilkinson plans on handing out a multitude of fun prizes such as pencils, sunglasses and tote bags.

Besides all the fun things planned, there will be a more serious part to this very important event.

“We will be creating memorial hearts for those affected by drug abuse,” Henry said. “I would like to clarify that SADD club will overlook this process and confidentiality will be ensured. They’ll be writing things like ‘friend,’ ‘aunt,’ etc.”

The general consensus among both leaders and members of this club is that drug use is a pandemic that widely affects almost every person, and their opinions on why Red Ribbon week is so important have glaring similarities.

“I think drugs are something that are now normalized, and they are something that are huge in today’s society,” Price said. ‘I would like to stop that. The SADD club and Red Ribbon week are to prevent drugs. The more people we get to join, the less people who are making destructive decisions.”

Henry shared the same sentiment, citing almost the same reason as Price.

“I think Red Ribbon week is very important to recognize, for there’s so many people that die from substance abuse,” she said. “If people can be made aware of those effects, then hopefully we can reduce those affected by addiction.”

Wilkinson is in agreement with both Henry and Price as well.

“I think it’s important because drugs and alcohol have affected so many people and their families,” she said. “I think it should be something people are at least aware of, whether or not they’re personally affected by it.”

While nobody is jaded enough to believe this will change the minds of every person who abuses substances, the fact that this could reach even one person is reason enough to make it happen.

“It may not be a message that reaches all students, but even if it can reach a few, it’s worth putting out there,” Mrs. Lukatch said. “Its nice to see students and staff come together on an issue that hits some of our students and community pretty hard.”

By Ksena Spencer

The month of October is about so much more than carving pumpkins and dressing up in costumes.

October is the official month dedicated to breast cancer awareness with pink as its color. Since Halloween is celebrated and looked forward to by many, people might overlook or forget what October also represents.

 GS has an annual pink out game that is held at home on October 21^st. The Interact Club held a fundraiser in which they sold Pink Out T-Shirts for the game.

“This year, we are donating the money to a family that is within the school district who has a loved one that is battling breast cancer,” senior Logan O’Brien said. “Hopefully, the money will be used to help offset their bill for treatment even if it is in the slightest bit. We expect to be able to donate over $1,000.”

Everyone has a female in their life whether that’s a mother, sister, cousin, aunt, grandmother or daughter. According to https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/causes-of-breast-cancer, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Most people, if not everyone, knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer.

“I feel like no one is informed enough about breast cancer until they have it affect their life,” junior Addison Saraceni said. “Everyone can somewhat understand the severity of it, but no one realizes how much it affects someone until it affects them.”

While many people are aware of breast cancer, they might not understand how complicated the treatment process is. Treatments for breast cancer include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, estrogen modulator and other therapies or medications.

“The school can advertise more; the school doesn’t spread the word very much about breast cancer and other cancers, it isn’t one of the many things we learn about,” sophomore Cooper Dann said.

According to https://www.bcrf.org/breast-cancer-statistics-and-resources/, an estimated 290,560 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States this year.

“The best way to help is by showing support to these families going through these tough times seeing a loved one go through chemotherapy or radiation therapy,” O’Brien said. “It’s a very long and painful experience for the person battling breast cancer and their loved ones.”

Specific support groups exist to help anyone who’s survived breast cancer or is currently fighting a battle against it. Support groups bring people together who are going through the same experiences.  Being in a support group offers a safe space to share feelings, coping mechanisms and personal experiences.

“Breast Cancer affected my life in November of 2021 when it took my Grandma Sally’s life,” O’Brien said. “She had stage four breast cancer and I had to slowly watch her deteriorate from her radiation treatment and it drained my entire family. I can remember the day I received the call from my sister saying she had passed away and that day is something I will never forget. My grandma had a huge influence on my life and since she passed away; I base my actions off of what I think would make her proud.”

Breast cancer impacts the lives of people all around the world. Wearing pink shows support for survivors, people still fighting their battle against breast cancer and anyone affected by it.

“I think because of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, more and more people are informed about some aspects of breast cancer,” GSMS geoscience teacher Ms. Lisa Mankins said. “However, when you go through it, the learning curve is way more significant.”

By Emily Frazier

Art Show @ Pitt-Greensburg

Five advanced art students participated in an art show that took place at the Pitt-Greensburg campus library September 26-October 7. “Art Show @ Pitt-Greensburg” showcased many pieces by people of all ages from all over.

“Greensburg Salem submitted work on behalf of five of our current advanced students: Jasmine Kunkle, Lauren Mahkovic, Michelle Reynolds, Nico Wombacker and Rita Ruggieri,” art teacher Mr. Darryl Audia said.

All styles of art were accepted as long as they fell under the categories of painting, drawing, mixed media and digital or graphic art.

“I submitted two pieces of artwork, a scientific illustration of the state fossil, phacops rana and then my Drawing II final from last spring,” senior Lauren Mahkovic said. “We had to draw a collage, so I did a watercolor piece of a collage I did digitally.”

Mahkovic won third place in fan favorites.

“I was a little shocked, but definitely excited and happy,” she said.

Mahkovic received a gift bag containing many pieces of Pitt merchandise and gift cards.

The overall atmosphere was positive and the artists thrived as their works were on display.

“We kind of just walked around and looked at all the pieces,” senior Jasmine Kunkle said. “Everyone was really nice, and all the pieces were amazing.”

Socktober

Socktober is a national sock drive that benefits the homeless. The purpose is to provide new socks for the homeless as colder temperatures arrive.

“I ran into a YouTube video about Socktober when I worked in the middle school,” Mr. Audia said. “It was inspirational to me that we could make such a huge impact with a donation that was so small.”

At Greensburg Salem, the socks are donated then given to the Welcome Home shelter in downtown Greensburg. Welcome Home provides a temporary emergency shelter for displaced families and women. Each year they provide service to 250 women, children and men who are homeless.

At a young age, Mr. Audia suffered from some setbacks within his family. His parents divorced, which left his mom with financial issues as she tried to make her way back into the workforce. His father, though still very present in his life, was struggling with his mental health.

“Although I was never homeless, we did take advantage of the local foodbank and charitable clothing contributions from friends and our church to make ends meet,” he said. “The generosity of others during this time left a mark on me.”

The impact of such a small donation is grand.

“It is such a small price to pay to help a great cause,” he said. “Real human beings, no different from you or I, will directly benefit from your contribution.”

Socks should be donated in room 258.

“If everyone just donated one pair of socks, think about how much that could help the homeless in our own area,” Mr. Audia said.

Cultivations

Cultivations is an art show taking place at the Seton Hill University Harlan Gallery from October 20-November 18 for art educators and their students. Work by Mr. Audia, Mrs. Audia, Emily Frazier and Angelina Ranieri were expected to be seen in the show.

Both Mr. And Mrs. Audia submitted nonobjective abstract pieces. Mrs. Audia submitted a mixed media assemblage made of found wood, paper and melted wax and Mr. Audia submitted a painting done with oil and acrylic on canvas.

“We also each chose a student work to represent GS,” Mr. Audia said. “Mrs. Audia chose a beautiful ceramic tea set by senior Angelina Raneri, and I chose a captivating painting of dilapidated row houses by senior Emily Frazier.”

It was not required that the pieces between the teacher and their student correlate, but there were some connections.

“I think Mrs. Audia’s minimal and neutralized color palette goes well with Angelina’s glaze choices, and I equally think my overtly saturated vibrant color palette works well in conjunction with the color choices made by Emily,” he said.

The night ended with two wins. Frazier’s piece won best show in 2D, and Raneri’s set won best show in 3D. The gallery will be open until November 18.

“We wanted to focus on work that wasn’t just attractive and well crafted, but also had an obvious infusion of personal creativity on the part of the student artists,” he said.

National Art Honor Society

It’s not too late to join the National Art Honor Society. Sponsored by art teacher Mrs. Kelley Audia, NAHS is open for students who have taken a high school art class and have maintained a grade of A throughout.

“[The point of NAHS is to] give our students more ways to share and sell their work,” Mr. Audia said.

NAHS takes part in many events like the FCCLA Halloween Bash that just happened and other school-related activities. They can be seen painting faces or selling their creations and goods for the Artist Market.

“One of these opportunities will be the artist market pop-ups that will be in the library,” he said. “There will more than likely be a holiday sale coming up soon.”

By Luke Dinkel

The Cafeteria Staff at GS currently serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day to students. With over 800 students enrolled, the Cafeteria Staff has to use a lot of ingredients in order for there to be enough meals. But just exactly how much food is used every day?

By Ari Case

A young boy in a peculiar suit directs strangers to look toward a fiery skeleton presiding over ghoulish jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins.

“Welcome to the Ruggieri family pumpkin patch,” he says. “We have over 100 real pumpkins. This is Lugosi, he’s the king of the patch.”

Lugosi the Skeleton King growls as they pass him, moving on to the next part of the tour.

The boy leading them through the creepy cemetery is Gabriel Ruggieri, the youngest member of the Ruggieri family.

The Ruggieris have turned their entire yard into a spooky exhibition for the whole community, not just because they love Halloween, but for a good cause.

As people walk through or drive by the house at 636 Mace Street in Southwest Greensburg, they can donate to Skeletons for St. Jude’s with cash or the online link.

Skeletons for St. Jude is a nonprofit that provides a way for over 500 houses nation-wide to turn their love of Halloween into a platform to benefit a noble cause. 100% of the proceeds go directly to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help young victims of cancer and their families.

“St. Jude’s does a really good job at helping people,” sophomore Emily Ruggieri explained.

The Ruggieris have a connection to the cause that led them to the charity.

“My father passed away when I was a year old,” Emily said. “He passed away from cancer. [Since] then, we’ve always been motivated to try and help others who have been affected by cancer or had a loved one affected by cancer.”

The family’s goal is to raise $5000 by Halloween, and they are already more than halfway there. The success is driven by amazing decorations.

“When my family and I decide to do something, we try to take it to the next level,” she said. “So instead of just a skeleton holding a sign, we have a lot of animatronics—I’d say over 15.”

Everyone in the family has their favorites.

“For me I really like the tavern scene because it was my idea and I created it with Emily,” Gabriel said. “I like saying ‘Watch out! Joey over here is throwing darts and you might end up like this head!'”

Joey is a patron skeleton at the bar, waited on by Dean the animatronic barkeep–the prop that inspired the whole setup.

“As soon as I saw the animatronic, I knew we needed him,” he explained. “So, I just came up with the blind date scene in a bar.”

There are also many stationary pieces that make up the experience, from skeletons and tombstones to a bubbling cauldron.

Emily’s favorite decoration is the 6 by 18-foot mural, airbrushed by family friend Joe Davis.

“It took a total of 24 hours over 3 days,” she said. “We have lights flashing on it and you can see different things at different times. It’s awesome, my absolute favorite thing.”

Part of their success beyond the amazing decorations is the entertainment value of the tours.

Gabriel has fun teaching people about the design in spooky ways, even giving miniature lessons on certain horror movies. His theatrics coupled with charisma make for an enjoyable experience.

His favorite part of leading the tours is “getting the chance to show kids that Halloween isn’t a scary time and that it’s fun.”

He isn’t the only one who entertains guests, though.

“This is Gabriel’s Great Aunt Mildred,” Mr. John Ruggieri said, poking a skull in the fire pit. “She’s just as hot-headed in death as she was in life!”

Mr. and Mrs. Ruggieri said that they love putting the spectacle together, and especially enjoy seeing their kids entertain people.

“I lost my father to cancer and know how hard something like that can be,” Emily said. “I really enjoy knowing I brought someone joy or made someone’s life just a little bit better.”

Gabriel said that he hopes people have fun experiencing and interacting with the display.

“If you want to come down and check it out, we are more than happy to meet you,” he said. “There are treats here and we hope you consider sharing and/or donating.”