By: Reese Price 

A University of Pittsburgh student, Sudiksha Konanki, was declared dead on March 18, 2025. 

As of that date Konanki’s family had asked authorities that she be pronounced dead. Their requests were made to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s office, where she grew up, as well as to Dominican Republic authorities. 

“I do believe that she is not alive anymore,” junior Isabella Caruso said. “I think it’s sketchy that her parents were so quick to declare her deceased.” 

She traveled to Punta Cana with several friends for Spring Break. She was last seen on March 6 in the early hours of the morning by the RIU República Hotel beach where they were staying. Surveillance caught her walking with her group of friends towards the beach. After her friends left, her whereabouts were unclear. 

“I heard about Konanki when I was at my grandparents’ house,” junior Rhea Outly said. “They were in Punta Cana at the time when she went missing.” 

She was originally from Loudoun County, Virginia and was attending the University of Pittsburgh. She was pursuing a degree in biological sciences and chemistry in hopes of securing a job in the medical field. She and her friends left for the Dominican Republic on March 3, looking to spend their Spring Break together relaxing.  

A picture of the resort in Punta Cana where the Outlys stay.

Photo Courtesy: Rhea Outly

Joshua Riibe, a St. Cloud State University student, was with her and was the last known person to have seen her. He was named a person of interest but is not considered to be a suspect. Investigators stated that he cooperated with them throughout the process and believe that he is not responsible. 

“I don’t think that Riibe is responsible,” Outly said. “It was all just suspicious that she went missing the night that he met her.” 

He claims they went for a swim and were caught up in a large wave. According to various sources, he “threw up” on the beach due to the amounts of ocean water he consumed. He said he tried to call for her but eventually passed out after receiving no response. 

“I feel like he’s just saying anything and everything he can to get himself out of the interrogations,” Outly said. 

Authorities issued extensive searches including using drones, helicopters, dive teams and a yellow notice was also issued by the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL). A yellow notice is used as a global police alert used to locate missing people. Riibe was also taken into custody and repeatedly questioned by investigators. 

“I think the guy she was with definitely could have been a part of it,” Caruso said. “He either killed her or he did not get her the proper help she needed if she was drowning or in danger.” 

Konanki’s disappearance has deeply impacted students and families in the Pittsburgh area. Many students around the area traveled for Spring Break and are now more aware of the potential dangers. The University of Pittsburgh’s community has offered full support in the search for her. 

“I wish I was hopeful for a happy ending to the situation, but [I] don’t think I’ve seen enough to allow me there,” History teacher Mr. Matthew Boe said. 

By: Theresa Schuetz

GS’ schedule has had multiple changes for the coming school year.  

Principals and guidance counselors believe this to be the best way for students to explore more classes to better fit post-graduation plans. 

At the beginning of next school year, GS will transition from the block schedule to a more common period schedule which is a big change for the school. The school day will no longer be divided into longer blocks, but rather shorter periods. This change will allow students to explore a wider variety of courses while still keeping the workload manageable.  

“The new schedule should provide more opportunities and flexibility for students to take courses geared towards their individual needs as learners,” Assistant Principal Mr. Frank Sundry said. 

The changes in the bell schedule also affect lunches. Lunches will begin at 10:35 and end at 12:05 which is extremely different in comparison to the original schedule of 11:00 to 1:15. 

A chart that resembles the schedule for the 2025-2026 school year.

However, it won’t just be all periods for each student; this change in scheduling allows for it to be more customizable, allowing students to choose if they want some blocks included. This flexibility ensures students are still able to take more in-depth classes at certain points of the school year. 

“The new version will be a ‘hybrid’,” Mr. Sundry said. “It will allow for students to customize their schedule to either seven periods or a combination of blocks and periods.” 

Along with the change in schedule of the day, there are new classes to choose from. These classes range from the History of Rock and Roll to AP Environmental Science and even e-sports. The newer classes even span different difficulties as well, from AP to college in high school and standard classes.  

“I’m excited for AP environmental science,” junior Nico Bortz said. “The epidemiology class also seemed interesting.”  

The schedule change is not expected to happen seamlessly. Administrators expect there to be a few bumps along the way, but hope for these modifications in the schedule to be a good thing for both students and teachers.  

“I think there are going to be hiccups, but that’s anytime you do something different so that could be intimidating, but I think we’ll figure it out,” Science teacher Mrs. Rachel Sassani said.  

By: Ever Schmidt  

As Seniors near the final deadline for their senior projects, students and staff are starting to view the projects. There are many graduating seniors, each with completely different and unique projects that fit them as a person. 

With the senior project, GS students need to have goals such as learning to be resourceful, being able to share their learning and discovering their strengths and weaknesses. It can also help open areas for interests related to a career. 

Senior projects are open to GS students’ creativity and what they are interested in, varying in complexity and size. 

Senior Brenna Kohl’s project was a Community Eco Market held at the baseball field outside of Hutchinson Elementary; there were over 50 volunteer vendors selling anything eco-friendly. 

“I had volunteer vendors that sold anything that was hand crafted, reused and refurbished items, homemade foods and desserts,” Kohl said. “It was pretty much anything that was eco-friendly or small business category.”  

Brenna Kohl’s eco-friendly supplies laid out on a table.

Photo Courtesy: Brenna Kohl

The event took place on September 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Her project is nearly completed. She has done all her journal entries and just needs to finish the power point.  

Senior Parker Sphon is making course videos with each teacher in the building to help provide a better description of both elective and required courses during scheduling, rather than the single sentence provided in the scheduling book. 

“A common issue I’ve noticed throughout my time in high school is that the few sentences for course descriptions aren’t enough to tell you what the course is before signing up,” Sphon said. “I’ve had times where I signed up for a class and it was nothing like it was supposed to be, which is why I decided to do this for my senior project.”  

He explained that he was using his own experience for his senior projects to help other students at GS through their years of picking classes. He explained it can be frustrating picking a class and not knowing exactly what students are signing up for.  

Senior Emily Sproat welded a 2D lion’s head. She specifically did this because it is something to show her loyalty to GS and to all the staff that has helped her over the years.  

“It was challenging because I had a lot of complications figuring out what I wanted to do for my senior project,” Sproat said. “But it was important to me because it taught me how to overcome challenges. I have to face those to succeed.”  

Senior Elanor Swanson made her project about the food culture in Southwest Pennsylvania. She is going to school for anthropology, which is the study of what makes humans and how culture is made over time.  

Photo Courtesy: Elanor Swanson

“I am writing a book on the food culture of Southwest Pennsylvania, I am also including some recipes that are staples in the area that have lived through to this day,” Swanson said. “I was originally inspired by doing Southwest Pennsylvania because my grandparents always talked about what kind of food they ate back in the day.” 

Chemistry teacher Mrs. Jackie Yuhas and English teacher Mrs. Marla Nelson oversee the senior projects. They ensure the binders are set up to give to juniors to start their senior projects and help the seniors finish theirs.  

“We work with administrators to check on final approvals and make sure everyone turns everything in,” Yuhas said. “We help seniors with their proposal or students who don’t have them that passed the deadline.”  

Once spring arrives, Yuhas works to schedule dates, collect all of the binders and starts over again, preparing for next year’s students.   

“Many students have found the career that they are in love with,” Yuhas said. “Students are also learning or are strengthening lifelong skills such as time management, communication, organization, self-motivation and self-confidence. The more the students put into the project, the more they get out of it.”   

By: Kerrick Shaw 

Pittsburgh’s concert scene hit a high note this month with the announcement of an upcoming venue headlining the papers. 

The Lower Hill District is set to welcome Citizens Live at the Wylie, a 4,000-capacity music venue, in late 2026. Located near PPG Paints Arena, the venue is a collaboration between Live Nation, Citizens Bank and the Pittsburgh Penguins set to honor the city’s musical heritage. 

An artist’s rendering of Citizens Live at the Wylie

Photo Courtesy: Live Nation

“The venue is part of an overall commitment to honor the history of the Hill District and lift up its current residents,” Mrs. Beth Turnbull, Deputy Director of Communications for Allegheny County’s Executive Office, said. “Funding from ticket sales will be going towards benefit housing and other programs in the Hill. The economic impact will really be huge.” 

Allegheny County’s involvement in the project is through the Downtown LETRA (Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance) Program that was enacted to support private investment and community collaboration. The program is designed to “prevent downtown’s economic downturn,” according to the County’s official website.

 It was announced at the groundbreaking ceremony, held on March 13, that a $2 surcharge from all tickets sold will be added to the Greater Hill District Neighborhood Reinvestment Fund. The project has created 350 unionized jobs, each with a base pay of $20 per hour. 

“It’s an exciting development, it’ll bring a vibrant new location to Pittsburgh’s Cultural scene,” Mrs. Turnbull said. “I’m excited for a venue I can get to easily from our office. I have tickets to Vampire Weekend, Lord Huron and Sabrina Carpenter in the coming months; I love concerts.” 

Carpenter is performing at PPG, a facility with a capacity over 15,000 more than at Citizens Live at the Wylie, in October. The upcoming venue’s size is comparable to that of Stage AE’s, which holds about 5,500 people in its outdoor amphitheater. 

The announcement of Citizens Live at the Wylie has generated excitement; Dean of Students Mr. Jeff Kronenwetter expressed his enthusiasm for a smaller events venue, saying he prefers venues like The Palace Theatre over Heinz Field.  

“Anytime that you can bring shows where people can gather for an evening is a great thing,” Mr. Kronenwetter said. “4,000 people sounds intimate; a smaller venue is just awesome. My wife and I just saw The Clarks at The Palace and that’s the kind of venue I like.” 

It will span 98,500 square feet, designed to host a wide range of events not limited to concerts, but also welcoming comedy shows, festivals and community gatherings.  

 Senior Paige Kline, who has seen numerous shows such as Fall Out Boy at PPG and Marilyn Manson at Star Lake, looks forward to seeing who will perform first in Pittsburgh’s newest venue. 

“I’m really interested to see what kind of artists they choose to bring there,” Kline said. “Having venues where you can say you’ve seen a rock show and a comedy act there is the kind of thing Pittsburgh needs more of.” 

Pittsburgh’s vibrant arts and culture scene is continuing to grow throughout the city with the recently announced Arts Landing outdoor civic space being just minutes away from Citizens Live at the Wylie.  

“I can imagine the improv they could get, it seems totally perfect for that,” Social Studies teacher Mr. Nicolas DeMary said. “It’s another place to have events, which I fully support. That’s what I love about Pittsburgh.” 

By: Adison Poole  

After almost five years of stickers on cups, Starbucks is attempting to reconnect with their customers through a newly implemented policy.  

 The CEO of Starbucks, Mr. Brian Niccol, came up with a plan known as “Back to Starbucks” to bring life back to the brand and live up to the expectations they were once known for. This policy created a rule where employees were told to leave a message on each cup throughout the day.  

A Starbucks cup after the new policy.

Photo by: Adison Poole

“I was excited about the policy,” senior Rachel Kuhn said. “I went several times to try and get a cool message.”  

The messages on the cups were to consist of cheery messages that would hopefully brighten the customers’ day or empower them.  

Many students from GS tried to receive a fun cup and visited Starbucks regularly in hopes of getting one with designs. However, many left disappointed after receiving a plain cup.  

“They’re supposed to write nice stuff like ‘have a great day,’ but I haven’t gotten anything on my cup,” Kuhn explained. 

All employees were encouraged to participate and act right away to get cups out to customers.  

“I went almost three days last week and didn’t get anything on mine,” Kuhn said. 

The policy was heavily advertised on sites such as Tik Tok with users’ pages being flooded with videos of silly messages or song lyrics on cups.  

“I’ve seen it everywhere on Tik Tok,” sophomore Hayden Caughey said. “It’s so annoying to keep going and not get anything.” 

Out of students who said they went, there were only a small handful actually received a message.

One of those students, senior Sloane Potter, spoke of her experience and how excited she was to finally get one.  

“It was nice to get such a sweet message on mine,” Potter said. “I made sure to take a picture of it to show off.”  

The policy is still fairly new, and several students have said they just hope to get something eventually and they’ll be happy when they finally do.  

“I go to Starbucks pretty regularly anyways,” Kuhn laughed. “I’m bound to get one at some point.” 

By: Emma Helmick 

The GS gymnastics team flipped their way to WPIALs, ready to showcase the skills they’ve been working on all season. 

Members of the GS gymnastics team poses before their first meet.

Photo Courtesy: Reese Price

WPIALs had several events to compete in as well as four different divisions to compete in such as bronze, silver, gold and diamond. 

“I think my team has improved on solidifying their skills for each routine while still having fun and cheering for everyone including other schools,” junior Emma Visnick said. 

High school gymnastics teams throughout the Westmorland County area went to WPIALs to participate. 

“I think my performance was the best at WPIALs because I got my highest vault and floor scores of the season,” junior Sophia Demorest said. “Also my All Around went up by two points.”  

 The competitions had many events the girls were competing in, consisting of bars, beam, vault and floor. 

This year alone the team gained three new members. There are four rankings in gymnastics; bronze, silver, gold and diamond. No matter what their past rankings were, everyone who joins a new team has to start at bronze.  

“Having more athletes this season brought a new level of excitement and depth to the program,” Gymnastics Coach Mrs. Amy White said. “While it was a supportive group of athletes, the competition between them pushed everyone to improve and have a commitment to success.” 

Last year the GS gymnastics team had only four gymnasts. This year the team found themselves with three new members, creating a larger team and allowing them to compete in more events.  

The gymnasts competed in several events. The girls who placed from GS were Visnick and freshman Ryann Luce who both placed in the bronze category.  Visnick got 1^st on the bars and 2^nd on vault and beam. She also placed 2^nd all around. Luce got 2^nd on floor.  

“This season was an incredible success,” Mrs. White said. “Every athlete put in the hard work, supported one another and embraced the journey of high school gymnastics, making it a truly special year.” 

By: Kerrick Shaw 

A $31 million transformation is set to breathe new life into Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, with Arts Landing offering a bold splash of creativity and connection. 

Arts Landing, a dynamic outdoor space for community events, performances, and recreation, aims to revitalize the area between Penn Avenue and Fort Duquesne Boulevard, the project being a part of a broader initiative to enhance downtown Pittsburgh. 

Renderings by Field Operations.

Photo Courtesy: Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

The space will feature a one-acre Great Lawn for picnics and outdoor activities, as well as an amphitheater designed for concerts and other events. The Play Room, created using natural materials, will provide a creative space for children, and the Garden Walk will wind through the new landscaping. Additionally, the Flex Zone will include pickleball courts and other spaces for entertainment. 

“It sounds like it’s going to be everything it should be,” Art teacher Mr. Darryl Audia said. “Anything that can be made for people to use that breaks up their day and gives them an aesthetic experience is a good thing. It’s going to be a great place to bring people into downtown.” 

The project is set to begin in April of this year, with a soft opening scheduled for April 2026 during the NFL Draft, followed by a grand opening in June 2026 at the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival. Designed by Field Operations, the project will transform four acres of downtown space. 

Renderings by Field Operations.

Photo Courtesy: Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

This new addition will not only impact the city’s arts scene, but it will also benefit the people of Pittsburgh. Arts Landing will provide a space for artists to collaborate and perform while offering an interactive experience for audiences. The project’s design emphasizes accessibility and inclusivity, ensuring that all community members can participate in and benefit from the space. 

“I think it’ll be successful, I know a lot of people enjoy places like that,” senior Kylie Kolenc said. “I think that it’ll make people appreciate the natural atmosphere; there’s a lot of garden-type things from what I could tell. The greenery alone could attract more people.” 

According to the Cultural Trust’s press release, the Garden Walk will be “a verdant escape” in the center of Pittsburgh. The path will be insulated from nearby residents and businesses with “thoughtful plantings” and topography.  

Renderings by Field Operations.

Photo Courtesy: Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

 “I would love to see more people downtown, more attention on the arts,” Law and economics teacher Mrs. Beth Simone said. “It’s going to be very accessible; it’s going to be between two of the sister bridges; the whole area is very walkable. It comes down to the safety of the space for me.” 

Field Operations, the Cultural Trust and other partners are dedicated to having local manufacturers and recyclable products used throughout the construction of Arts Landing. As stated in the press release, about 75% of waste from construction and demolition will be diverted from landfills. 

 Arts Landing will be a major investment in Pittsburgh’s cultural future, set to become a dynamic hub where creativity and community can come together. 

“Any art-centered public space for downtown Pittsburgh is fantastic,” Mr. Audia said. “Arts Landing is exactly what Pittsburgh needs: it’s a space that will not only inspire creativity, but also bring the community closer through the arts and environment.” 

By: Ever Schmidt 

As winter sports come to an end, there are a few teams and students who deserve special attention for having so much growth and great seasons.  

Two boys from the bowling team made semi-finals of the regional championship. Senior Dylan Megliorino placed second with a score of 683 and senior Sam DeMine placed third. Both advanced to States based on how they did at regionals.  

DeMine poses with a trophy won during the year.

Photo Courtesy: Javon Trout

“Megliorino this season has been bowling very well as he has qualified for states as an individual and as a team,” bowling Coach Mr. Javon Trout said. “He also has one of the highest averages in the WPIBL’s. Sam has been bowling well, too, throughout the season, helping the team to advance into the state finals, which is a very big accomplishment.”  

DeMine tied with a Franklin Regional student and won by a tie breaker with a score of 214. He placed third in sectionals and fifth overall for regionals.  

“We are now trying to prepare the best we can and hopefully come back with a state title,” DeMine said. “We have just been trying to win every match and do the best I can for the team, which being said we have been undefeated and are now going to States.”  

As for the team, GS qualified for the semi-finals. They played three normal games and then three Baker sets which is when multiple bowlers combine scores for one game. GS finished the semi-finals with a score of 4,324. Megliorino placed second again with a score of 703 and DeMine placed fifth with a score of 673.  

“This season went well,” Coach Trout said. “I am very proud of the team. They are a competitive group and two girls we have are really improving throughout the season, Dylan and Sam both bowled very well. They definitely performed well and helped the team move to States. Next season should be another good one.” 

On the other hand, the GS wrestling team had a great season as well, but a few wrestlers stuck out in particular. During the season they finished 10-4 in dual meets. Two of their wrestlers qualified for regionals. Junior Sadie Sarver was a County Champ and advanced to the regional tournament and senior Ethan Miller also qualified for the regional tournament. 

“The coaches are very proud of the team and the season went very well,” Wrestling Coach Mr. Randy Parsley said. 

  Sarver placed fifth in the 118-pound weight division and qualified for the Southwest Regional Tournament which took place Mar.1. 

“I was very excited to be competing in regionals,” she said. “My first match was against the WPIAL champion from Knoch. I ended up not placing unfortunately” 

    Miller placed third in the 172-pound weight division. He placed eighth in the WPIAL Class AA Wrestling Championship that were held February 21-22. 

A referee raises Miller’s hand after winning a match.

Photo Courtesy: Ethan Miller

“The season went well; I finished with a positive record of 28 wins and 12 losses,” Miller said. “This is the season I also made it to the regional tournament. Last year I made it to the state tournament for freestyle wrestling so that’s what I’m planning to do this time. Next year I would like to improve my conditioning, so I don’t ever get tired during a match.”