Issue 5, February, 2015
Senior Class Heroes
Courtesy of Anthony Polizzi
By: Lana Black
Contrary to popular belief, the class officers of Pen Argyl try their best to better fellow officers. They make each day much more interesting!”
give their class what they want. This year’s graduating class is honored to have
The class of 2015 has not had a class trip since eighth grade, but
Nate Olzinski, Anthony Polizzi, Mikaela Roper, and
that will change this year. The senior class officers
Katie Farnan as their representatives.
are proud to announce a trip that will occur in late
Nate Olzinski, class President, acts as
May. The class trip will be to Pocono Valley Resort,
the student representative at Pen Argyl’s School
where there will be a variety of activities to partake in
Board meetings. There he briefs board members
throughout the day.
on the happenings in the high school.
Polizzi said, “We will have the resort to ourselves
Anthony Polizzi, the Vice President of the
for the day from ten o’clock in the morning, until eight
senior class, also regularly attends school board
o’clock in the evening. We will have two meals and
meetings, plans dances, conducts fundraisers,
multitude of snacks.”
and plans trips with his fellow class officers.
Students will have to pay their class dues, along
Polizzi said, “I love being a class officer.
with an additional $15 to cover their meals. Just some
It’s a lot of work but it is good to get hands on with
of the endless activities include swimming, rope
the planning and executing all of our ideas!”
courses, tennis, basketball, boating, golf, volleyball,
Mikaela Roper, class Secretary, said, “ I
softball and even more. The night will conclude with a
enjoy being a class officer and getting to reprecampfire with s’mores, and a dance.
sent my grade. It has helped me to stay organized
The fun does not stop there. Farnan said, “We work
and forced me to think about the entire grade and
together to plan events for the class. This year is eseveryone’s interests before making decisions.”
pecially fun because we don’t have to save our money
Katie Farnan, class Treasurer, says, “It has
for big events like prom, so we are able to spend a lot
always meant a great deal to me. It shows that my
of time planning bonding events for the class. This
classmates have trusted me for the past four years
year we were able to include some extra dances and
to plan things for the class. When you are elected
have plans for breakfasts and luncheons. Basically
into the class cabinet, you take on a great deal of
anything that allows our class to be together as often
responsibility, which can be stressful, but at the
as possible in these last months before graduation.”
same time it is so rewarding when people appreci They are also planning a big trip before the end of
ate the efforts you make. I think it has helped me
the year, planning is in full swing but details are not
strengthen my leadership skills and I have made
set in stone yet.
great memories. From the numerous fruit sale
The class officers love hearing feedback from their
Senior Class Officers holding their Senior Class advisor Mrs.
deliveries to decorating for semi each year to the Hance at this year’s Winter Formal.
peers, so if anyone has any ideas, do not hesitate to talk
“field trips”, Nate, Anthony, Mikaela, and I take
to one of them. They are dedicated to making the last
during our meetings, it has been a fun and wild ride. And I could not ask for
year of high school the best one yet.
Mini-THON Makes Moves
Farnan, Echo
By: Katie Farnan
Unfortunately, cancer affects all of us. For
games and activities for those who prefer not to
soliciting donations and spreading the word about
some families, the cancer burden strikes hard with
boogie.
this fun-filled day. Mini-THON members can even
the diagnosis of a child. Fear and worry set in for
There is a $20 registration fee that covers
be found at the remaining home basketball games
their health but also the financial situation of givfood for the day as well as a t-shirt. Each partici
canning for Four Diamonds donations.
ing children the proper medical care to help them
pant should make a goal to raise at least $50 that
Mrs. Horvath, Mrs. Smith, and Miss Lutz
through this difficult time. In times
have taken on this event with the help of
like these, the Four Diamonds Fund
their student chair members. They have
is able to swoop in like the superspent countless
hero these children need.
hours researching and planning to
The Four Diamonds Fund
make the expe
works to pay for childrens’ cancer
rience unforgettable.
treatments at the Penn State Her Miss Lutz said, “I am most looking forshey Medical Center. Through difward to the unity of our student body
ferent fundraisers, like Penn State’s
and watching them all dance together
THON and Mini-THON events
for one cause. I most hope that this
across the country, Four Diamonds
teaches all of our students that they
has been able to aid 100% of the
can make a difference in this world.”
families that come through the
She adds, “I am overwhelmed with
medical center.
emotions of happiness that our kids
On February 28, PAAHS will
have it in their heart to do that, sadness
hold its first Mini-THON event to
that any family should have to face
raise money for pediatric cancer.
such a roadblock, and hope that there
For 12 hours, participants will be
will soon be a cure.”
on their feet, engaging in a wide
Registration packets are available
variety of activities to keep them
from Mrs. Horvath, Mrs. Smith, or Miss
The Mini-THON board can be found in the B-Wing of the basement. It is full of information about Lutz. You can also follow paahs_minibusy.
the February 28 event.
The only requirement of
thon on Instagram and Twitter for upparticipants is that they must stay
dates.
on their feet for 12 hours, but how they do so is up to
will go directly to the Four Diamonds Fund.
It is sure to be a day that no one will forget
them. The most prominent activity will be dancing,
Committee members have been hard at work
and you definitely do not want to miss out on somewith music donated and provided by Gruvin Enterplanning events for the big day as well as
thing “From the Knights, For the Kids.” We hope to
prises. There will also be an assortment of fun
see you there!
In This Issue....
Page 3
Page 4
Page 6/7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Letter from the Editors
Dear Pen Argyl,
As the winter is coming to an end,
midterms are finally over, and the second
semester of the 2014-2015 has begun.
As winter is quickly passing by, the
Green Echo Staff is working on awareness
of the Winter Blues, better known as Seasonal Affective Disorder.
In local news, Our Lady of Mount
Carmel and Pius X High School are closing
at the end of the school year and all of the
facts can be found in this issue of the Green
Echo.
As winter sports continue, the Green
Echo pays tribute to the unsung hero of
sports, the managers.
Believe it or not, the winter sports
awards night will be here before we know it
and we will soon be welcoming the spring
sports season with open arms.
The Girls on the Run is an active program to help young girls struggling is starting a program in Wind Gap.
Some of us are still trying to jump on
the wagon of beginning to follow our New
Years Resolutions, no matter how old or new
they are.
Your editors,
Katie Farnan, Natalie Miller,
and Jennifer Smith
Green Echo
Staff
Editors-in-Chief:
Katie Farnan
Natalie Miller
Jennifer Smith
Photographer: Alie Ledergerber
Staff: Olivia Bender, Lana Black, Nicolas Calabrese, Miranda Ferreira,Tyler
Minnich, Kyra Thorp, and Jake Gillette.
Advisor: Mrs. Spring Shank
Mission Statement:
The Green Echo is a forum for
students’ views, photography, and journalism. It is produced by the journalism
students of Pen Argyl High School and
distributed free to students, faculty, and
the community. Opinions are not necessarily the views of Pen Argyl School
District. We seek to generate intelligent
discussions on news, lifestyles, and
sports.
Special thanks to Mr. Domchek
and Mr. Oakley for helping edit the
newspaper, as well as Mrs. Dario for her
technology support each month.
The Green Echo welcomes and
strongly encourages letters to the editor relating to controversial articles or
expressing opinions and suggestions.
Differences of opinion on articles are
always placed, so let your voice be
heard. All letters to the managing editor will be printed as long as they are
school appropriate and they are signed.
The Green Echo is a proud member of the Pennsylvania School Press
Association.
Address:
501 West Laurel Avenue
Pen Argyl, PA 18072
Winter Favorites
Some of Pen Argyls’ favorite
things about the winter season are as follows:
“What I like the most about the winter
season is playing and watching winter
sports.” - Caitlin Cassatt, sophomore
“I love the snow.” - Amanda Romeiser,
junior
“I love the change of scenery; it is like
stepping into a different world.” - Larissa
Bernecker, senior
“Winter flavors are the best. I survive on
peppermint products during this time of
the year.” - Sean Catino, senior
“What I like most about the winter season is that it’s cold and I can wear cozy
sweaters.” - Angie DeVoll, senior
“I love the snow days.” - Oliva Bender,
senior
Local Vet From Pearl Harbor
Homefront
To this day there are still holes in the “hotel”
that Birdie stayed at. They have not fixed them to
show the respect for the ones that were there at the
attack.
After serving in Hawaii, Birdie was placed in
the South Pacific. From there, he went to the State
of Washington. This is where his son lives today.
When Birdie retired from the military, he got
a job at Dietrich’s and worked as the parts manager.
He does not recall if the pay was better or worse.
Between Dietrich’s and Slate Belt Buick, Birdie
worked there for thirty-three years.
When I asked him if he regretted going into
the forces he said, “I was happy to serve my Country
and protect it.”
His daughter Carole said, “Birdie would
never talk about the attack on Pearl Harbor, but now
he is starting to talk a little more and every time he
talks about it I usually learn something new.”
When they started painting the mural, Birdie
did not even know he was going to be part it. His
daughter Carole, and his son Terry, were in Williamsport to watch the Little League World Series. Terry
looked at his phone and saw a text message saying
that Birdie was going to be in the mural. Birdie was
not with them in Williamsport so he did not find out
about the mural until they got home.
In the mural, he is standing with a group of
three men that are in the right hand corner. As a
matter of fact, he is standing by Boomer who was
a friend of Birdie’s who enlisted with him. Birdie’s
enlistment name ended with 55 and Boomer’s ended
with 56.
When Birdie went to the grand unveiling of
the mural, he was given a coin from the POW/MIA
(Prisoner of War/ Missing in Action) for his service.
Birdie still says that he is very happy that he
is a part of the mural and he says that it came out
perfectly.
The Hawaiian military base of Pearl Harbor.
Courtesy of Burdell Hontz
Courtesy of Burdell Hontz
By: Tyler Minnich
Drowning noises were the only thing that
building.
could be heard minutes before the Japanese at
Birdie was able to look out his window, look
tacked. You could hear explosions ringing out
across the street, and see Pearl Harbor. He was
everywhere. The attack on Pearl Harbor was one of
probably one of the first people to know the planes
the most historical attacks on the U.S.A. Just before
were coming. “I could see them coming and when
8:00 a.m. on December, 7, 1941, hundreds of Japathe hangers started to explode I knew it was not
nese warplanes attacked the American Naval Base
a drill.” There would be different drills that the Air
at Pearl Harbor, located in Hawaii.
Corps would run. So, at first, most of the people
Who would have
thought that it was a drill. Birdie said,
known that a Pen Argyl
“There would not be those kinds of
graduate, Burdell “Birdexplosions and gunshots during a drill,
ie,” S. Hontz, would be a
maybe one or two bombs at a fake ship
Pearl Harbor survivor?
that they would have to protect.”
Birdie enlisted in
Birdie had someone on his shoulder
the Air Force at the age
protecting him that day when all hell
of 18, coming right out
broke loose. Instead of going to the
of high school. He chose
Mess Hall to eat breakfast, he stayed
to go into the Army Air
and cleaned up his sleeping area.
Corp, which is now pres “This is what saved my life. By the
ent day Air Force. For the Birdie walking at the ceremony that was for time the attacks, were over the Mess
Air Corp, you needed to the mural.
Hall was not a Mess Hall any more,” said
have a high school diploma. Requiring a high school
Birdie. This was a one time change to make his bed
diploma, no one could lie about their age to enlist.
first and then go to the Mess Hall to eat.
Birdie served five and a half years of active
When we were first attacked, Birdie was in a
duty and fifteen years in the reserves. Birdie was
little bit of disbelief but acted like it was a drill. He
first stationed in New York and then went to Long
said, “They first went after the hangers where all the
Island. His request was to go to Hawaii and he was
airplanes were stationed. They went for the Mess
granted that opportunity.
Hall, too.”
Birdie said, “ I picked Hawaii because it
Birdie went down into the supply room,
seemed like it would be a vacation. I was never on a grabbed a gun, went outside and started to shoot at
vacation like the kids of today.”
the planes flying over. He then went with a buddy of
When Birdie left Long Island he took a boat
his and laid under a couple of cars across the street
to Hawaii. It took six to seven months to get to
and just kept shooting. “The planes did not come
Hawaii from California. It could take a year or two
in waves, they came all at once and caught us by
to get to Hawaii from Long Island because of the
surprise, there was no time lapse in between them,”
distance. At least he was on a boat which was some- said Birdie.
thing suitable for the human being.
From days to months after the attack, he
When Birdie got to the islands he was placed would get a little scared when a plane would fly low
at Hickman Field, Hawaii.
or if there were any really loud bangs. He said, “I
Birdie said, “The good thing about working at was prepared and I did what I was taught to do. I did
sea was that I was getting paid double.”
not try to do anything more or less that day. I just
For every year served, Birdie would receive
stuck to my training and that is what saved my life,”
credit for two years of service time, earning $21.00
said Birdie.
a month. “I did it for the money and the service
In the end, two or three of Birdie’s friends
years.” said Birdie. After five years of service, he
passed away. He said that there was a time of
was actually given ten years of service time bemourning for a couple of days after the attack, but
cause of being out at sea. He served a shorter time
everyone treated it like it was a regular day.
than the troops on land.
Birdie did not get any letters or phone calls
Birdie lived in a three-story building. “It was
from his family. He said, “It was very hard to commulike a hotel. There was a library, barber shop, resnicate with anyone so I did not hear from my family
taurant, and tailor shop. Anything you could think of for a while.”
was in there.” Birdie lived on the third floor of this
Courtesy of www.heritagemurals.org
By: Tyler Minnich
As you travel on Route 512 through Wind Gap, Detzi’s Tavern will be on
that slate in Pen Argyl was an important thing for the Slate Belt. They also
your left and the entrance to Waste Management on your right. Approaching
discovered that there was a train station in the Slate Belt as well.
Pen Argyl, Giordano’s Restaurant, a dentist office, and a PNC bank are located
The train station was important to many in the Slate Belt because troops
at the main intersection of town. Where Route 512 and Robinson Avenue interwould be dropped off and picked -up when returning home or leaving to serve
sect, you are able to see the beautiful mural located
our Country. This is how they came up
on the side of Pies to Die For.
with the idea of the train. The people that
This mural not only shows actual areas in
are in the picture are saying goodbye or
Pen Argyl, but you can also see several veterans and
welcoming home our troops that were
their families placed throughout this beautiful paintfrom the Slate Belt area.
ing.
One of the wives in the picture is
Jim Gloria is a professional mural designer
holding a baby. There are veterans from
and painter and has designed and painted multiple
different branches of the military and are
murals throughout the area. For example, he deplaced throughout the entire mural. There
signed the mural in Pen Argyl, three murals in Banare thirty-four people in the mural and out
gor, and one in Catasauqua. He is also the leader of
of the thirty-four people, there are five
the Totts Gap Institute. The group that he is a part of
that are still living today. These people
is The Host Community Slate Belt Community Partare from the Slate Belt community. Everynership.
one in the mural are local to the Slate Belt,
The main reason for creating these murals
no one is from out of town.
is to create a large-scale piece of artwork that will
When you see the mural, it may
reflect the history, culture, and architecture in the
look like there was only one picture that
Slate Belt area.
was taken and it was transferred to the
Meetings started back in January of last year
side of the building. Gloria said, “Well
to discuss the possibility of painting a mural in Pen
think again. When researching different
Argyl and how this would all become a reality. They This is a picture of the finished mural in Pen Argyl.
areas in the Slate Belt they found different
first had to find a place that would allow Mr. Gloria
pictures that we put together to create
and his team to paint a mural on it. Gloria said, “ We had to find the right place
this mural.” These pictures were from different time periods and places in the
for it, it had to be just perfect, not too small or too big.” Most of the meetings
Slate Belt. Gloria also said, “It is boring just to take a picture and then place it
that they had regarding the mural were held at Pies to Dies For.
somewhere else, so we gave it our own style by taking the different pictures and
The next task was to find out what they were going to paint.
combining them into one.”
Most of their research was done at the Heritage Center in Bangor. This
When they received all of the required approvals to start the mural, they
is where they looked at photographs, newspapers, and other things that they
began by plastering the wall that they were going to be painting on. The plascould use to create the perfect mural.
tering was done to smooth out the wall, which was brick and not a flat surface...
When reading articles, letters, and looking at different pictures, they saw Continued On Page 10...
The Truth About Winter Blues
Grinds My Gears
By: Jennifer Smith
With the winter season in full swing, there are a few things that some
students at Pen Argyl are dreading. The Green Echo introduces what grinds
their gears.
“I hate the snow and the cold.”
- Dana Evans, junior
“Shoveling snow, then after you are done, you take your
snow gear off, and it starts again.”
- Zoe DiGennaro, junior
“What really grinds my gears is that after CIT, I have to
walk up an icy hill with a 70% chance that a car will slip
into me or someone else because for some reason, we get
dropped off two blocks down from the high school.”
- Angie Devoll, senior
“People who do not shovel or put rock salt down on their
sidewalks.”
- Bri Carrington, sophomore
“My neighbors use their snow blower at crazy times in the
morning.”
- Melissa Moreton, junior
“What really grinds my gears is when people do not clean their sidewalks and
they are icy when you have to walk to school.”
-Makenna Farace, freshman
“Having to walk to school in the ridiculously cold weather at 7 in the morning.”
for the most part, as mentioned before, the frame of mind. In fact, there was a
direct connection made between serotonin and depression by scientists. Although, also according to medicalnewstoday.com, which way it
works is unknown.
“An association has been made between depression and serotonin,
although scientists are unsure whether decreased levels of serotonin contribute to depression or depression causes a decrease in serotonin levels,” as
quoted on medicalnewstoday.
The ironic thing about the winter season is that on some days, it proves
to be the most striking season
out of the four. But when there is
two feet of snow on the ground
and it feels like it is negative
twenty degrees, it truly is dreadful. And when people with depression are in distress, it really
is not hard to detect it.
“You can just tell, and
so can the people around you,”
said Gotto. “Around the winter
months, I will get asked by my
closest friends, “Hey, what is
wrong with you lately? You do not
seem yourself.” Usually I am pretty happy and I am an approachable person but some days I will
be absolutely crabby with people
and I do not even mean it.”
According to webmd.com, some apparent symptoms consist of “difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions, fatigue and
decreased energy, feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness, irritability, restlessness, overeating or appetite loss, persistent sad, anxious, or
“empty” feelings,” etc.
No matter how hard it is to truly shake these terrible feelings that come
about without much control whatsoever, PhD David Durka knows of a few ways
to keep it all tamed. “Social contact, generosity, involvement, good hygiene,
multivitamins, light therapy, [or more preferably] sunlight, which works better
than anything else.”
Human interaction is another thing that is highly recommended. There
is no fun in keeping yourself secluded
even if that is all you really want. Trust
me when I say that isolation goes hand
in hand with the theory about the lack of
sunlight. The two most certainly play a
huge factor into making you feel down,
and nobody wants the melancholy feeling to intensify.
If you, too, realize that you have
been experiencing seasonal affective
disorder, or at least something similar
to it, follow these few simple rules: do
not isolate yourself, make sure you get
some sun (as long as there is sunlight
that day), keep yourself motivated, stay
active, and think happy thoughts. Positivity is key to staying happy and healthy.
Rather than thinking about the negative
things, think about the things you have to
be thankful about.
“If you are ever feeling down, just
know you are not alone,” said Gotto.
“Try to get out of the house to clear your
head and hang out with your friends too,
to keep your mind off of things.”
Photo courtesy of zmescience.com
Smith, Echo
By: Jennifer Smith
Below freezing temperatures, snowflakes, hot cocoa--the pros and cons
of what should typically be the so-called "joyous" winter season. While some
people make the very best out of the winter season, it becomes nearly impossible for others.
With the season often changing so rapidly, it could be hard to keep some
emotions under regulation. The strength of seasonal depression can fall onto
someone’s shoulders quite heavily, and shaking it off serves to be really tricky,
and I happen to know from it first hand.
Waking up in the morning is a tough mission in itself, and everyone
knows it is not only a struggle
during the wintertime. But when
the temperatures are brisk and
little flakes of snow are falling
from the sky, the atmosphere
seems to be set just right for a
day to just laze around. Nobody
wants to slip out from under their
comfortable covers on a belowfreezing day.
“I think for the most part
it is the weather,” said Chiara
Gotto, senior. “The dreariness of
winter just brings me down. It is
usually cloudy and cold and it is
definitely not my type of weather.”
Gotto, much like me, suffers from seasonal depression--especially in the wintertime.
Not everyone with “winter blues” suffers from seasonal affective disorder, although if you catch yourself feeling down within the change of each
season, you very well may be a victim of this draining disorder.
Also known as winter depression, winter blues may come about for a
few different reasons. Maybe it is because of the dismal setting outside, or just
the fact that the winter season holds way too many baked goods, nerve-racking
tasks that take up twenty out of twenty four hours of the day, and a whole lot of
exhaustion that can consume like you would not believe.
For me, I firmly believe that the main reason I have got a case of winter
blues is because of the plethora of schoolwork I have around this time of the
year in particular, and maybe even because I am realizing that this is my last
winter in actual high school. I am always falling into deep thoughts about
my future, rather than thinking about the
present and the things that I presently
have to be happy about.
Although, according to every
research site I have been on, winter
blues may come about due to a lack of
sunshine and light. Serotonin, which is
some sort of substance made by the
body and acts like a neurotransmitter
(which helps to transmit specific signals
from one part of the brain to another), is
a huge factor when it comes to the mood
in particular.
According to medicalnewstoday.
com, “the word serotonin comes from
its discovery when it was isolated in
1948 by Maurice M. Rapport and initially
classified as a serum agent that affected
vascular tone.”
Serotonin signals through nerve
cells, and can have a vast effect on a few
specific things: recollection, sleeping
patterns, food intake and digestion, and
- Sky Prutzman, junior
“I hate how cold it is, and I hate how Pen Argyl never calls off and never cleans
the parking lot.”
- Roza Dzhaleva, senior
“I cannot be outside for more than five minutes without
frostbite and freezing my butt off. That really grinds my
gears.”
- Mikayla Shotwell, freshman
“Having to stand at the bus stop in the freezing cold.”
- Kendra Lerch, junior
“What grinds my gears during the winter season is having
to wear so many layers of clothing to stay warm.”
- Caitlin Cassatt, sophomore
“That I can’t go outside without a jacket on. Jackets are big
and annoying.”
-Victor Gaeta, senior
“When I can’t drive anywhere because the roads are two
dangerous.”
-Miranda Medellin, senior
“I can’t go swimming because it is too cold.”
-Gino Boscia, junior
“I hate shoveling.”
-Ben Matyas, senior
The Mütter Museum
How Well Do You Know Your Teachers?
Answers to teachers past jobs.
Try to match your teachers with their past jobs.
Courtesy of muttermuseum.org
to provoke the acceptance of disabili- his suffering. He is very well a hero in
“horse.” After I was, to a degree,
ties.”
that respect.
pulled from room twenty five, Marcy
Once through the newly
I could go on for pages about
took me through a maze of offices
added Civil War collection, we enall of the other items on the display
and labs leading to the last stop on
tered the main artifact room. A large
floor, such as a jar of picked off skin
our tour: The Restoration Room. This
rectangular room adorned wall to
from a woman with a neurological
was a cool room filled to the brim with
wall with glass cases and a catwalk
disorder, the extremely enlarged cowet specimens: some in utter disreabove with even more cases. Through lon of a man inflicted with herspringpair, and others with no other place to
the dim light, Marcy showed and thor- ers disease well before there was a
be stored. Everything you could posoughly explained slices of Einstein’s
known cure, and of course, the death
sibly imagine was preserved in that
brain (which was taken from his body
cast and liver of Cheng and Eng Bunroom: Hearts, Fetuses, the gallbladwithout his permission and stored
ker, the well known set of conjoined
der of the directors husband, and
in a closet for over 50 years), The
twins (who had a collective 22 chileven an Orangutang with rickets (as
Hyrtl Skull Collection (139 incredibly
dren). But, the most interesting part
strange as it sounds). Looking silently
well cataloged skulls once used in
of the tour was when Marcy took me
through this room, I felt a deep awakthe study of phrenology, or the idea
to the back rooms, normally hidden
ening of the fact that so many people
that features of the skull indicated
from the public eye. The first stop was have died and given their lives to be
intelligence and personality), and a
the archive room. A large space with
bottled up, or stripped to bare bone
rather large painting of Thomas Fent
floor to ceiling rolling shelves storing
so we can advance as a society.
Mütter M.D., the man who, in hopes to much of the 90% of the collection that My day with Marcy exploring
improve medical education, donated
is not on display at any one time. Afthe upper and lower faction of the
1,700 medical items and $30,000 to
ter passing the iron lung (just sitting
Mütter really gave me understanding.
start the museum in 1858.
casually in the hall for lack of a better I saw the suffering and the pain and
Downstairs we looked at the
place to store the metal behemoth),
understood how it is and was used to
largest skeleton on display in North
we entered room 25, the bone room.
shape medicine as we know it today.
America, standing at a stunning 7’6”
To the left, a rack of 10 skeletons, to
Death is nothing to fear, it opens new
with a chest cavity big enough to
the right, countless tall shelves with
doors of discovery and can help the
hold a basketball, a victim of a pitusections dedicated to every subcatliving more than you could ever imagitary gland disorder similar to André
egory of bone you could imagine. At
ine. All of the items proudly displayed
the Giant. Adjacent to this case is
this point, I cannot lie, I felt like I was
on the shelves of The Mütter Museum
Marcy’s favorite item in the museum,
in my own personal Disney World.
are a tribute and a testament to the
though choosing a favorite for her
In the bone room, one item
cyclical advancements that medicine
was like choosing a favorite child.
in particular caught my eye. On the
experiences. That institution day in
Her favorite item is the twisted and
animal shelf lie a three foot long dried and day out lives up to the legacy of
still skeleton of a man named Harry
phallus coined the “Mega don.” This
Thomas Mütter and their ever present
Eastlack. Harry suffered from F.O.P.,
obviously sparked my curiosity. Marslogan flown from the buildings front,
a disorder which changed his muscle
cy informed me that this was in fact a
“Disturbingly Informative.”
to bone, leaving
mystery phallus,
him a prisoner
it was one of the
in his own body
original donaby the age of
tions back in the
20. He is such a
late 1800’s and
remarkable specisince then, no
men because he
one has been
donated his body
able to identify
to the museum
the animal it had
before he died in
come from,
1973 so people
though the label
could learn from College of Physicians of Philadelphia
falsely reads
Hyrtl Skull Collection at the museum.
Courtesy of newtonideas.net
The famous soap woman.
Courtesy of newtonideas.net
Courtesy of newtonideas.net
By: Nic Calabrese
In the heart of Philadelphia
lies a museum not for the faint of
heart. Entering the large wooden
doors and seeing the beautiful grand
staircase, you would have no idea
what wonders and morbid amazements lie ahead. On the day I went to
report on the museum for The Green
Echo, I knew full well what I was in for.
I met Marcy Engleman, the resident
educator, in the gift shop, and we
were on our way to be disturbingly informed, as their recent adverts have
boasted.
We began with the famous
soap woman, an obese individual exhumed from a mass grave in Philadelphia in 1875. Her namesake comes
from the rare fatty substance, Adipocere, which now makes up most of
the body. This substance only forms
in warm and airless environments,
much like the ones this mystery body
would have experienced in the mass
grave.
Marcy noted that, “If you were
to touch her, it would be much like the
consistency of a soft cheese.” The
soap lady, like all other of the over
20,000 items in the Mütter collection, are donations to The College of
Physicians of Philadelphia purposed
to benefit medicine and educate
the public. The purpose of the museum, as Marcy worded it is to “teach
people what it means to be human, to
celebrate how far we have come, and
Try and match these teachers with their hobbies.
Big Questions: Installment II
By: Nicolas Calabrese
Once again, I have taken to the halls asking the students and teachers of our school the most important question of all: do you have any questions? Of
bies come from?” from Katarina Rose. But, some questions were just what I was looking for, fascinating burning questions no one person could ever live witho
questions:
Q- “In what climate is a guitar more likely to go out of tune?” -Helena Hamm, freshman
A- Firstly, climate is one of many (many, many) factors
that can affect your guitar’s tuning. Anything from old
strings,which oxidate and pull apart, to tie on straps,
which push and pull on the strings, distorting the
sound, can have drastic effects on your tunning. But
when it comes to climate, the issue in not necessarily
the climate it is in, but the climate changes.
Though humidity and heating can cause the
strings to expand, if a guitar is kept in those conditions
,tuning should hold well, and vice-versa for cold dry
conditions. Now the strings expand because the mol-
ecules of the metal are held in a stiff sheet and vibrate
tight together.
Heating causes the Kinetic Energy to increase,
and the vibrations increase, moving the molecules
apart slightly, causing an overall expansion in the
metal.
Overall, if you let your instrument adjust to
whatever climate you move it to before tuning, you
should not have any problem.
Q- “Why do men grow beards?” -Mr.Storck, Technology
A- Though not too far in the past beards were seen as
a sign of uncleanliness and distrustfulness, in the past
twenty years they have made a huge shift in the social
view. In countless studies of employers, single women,
and random strangers, taken in the past decade alone,
have shown a fondness and have felt safer around
bearded men.
Now from a psychological standpoint, men see
beards as mystique and masculinity. It gives them an
element of mystery they see as desirable to both sexes.
It also shows off one of the things only men can do,
growing a beard, a very defiant and standout way to
draw attention to ones own sex. Now, beyond the want
to grow beards out, men do have a certain uncontrollable physical drive to do so.
Of course, men are prone to more of this hair as
they have a higher levels of androgens or hormones.
This hair is commonly attributed to evolutionary leftovers of a once fully haired more primitive human.
Weather by the style of the time or natural growth, facial hair is an important cultural staple for humans and
will continue to change and evolve to fit the status quo.
Q- “How do chameleons change color?” - Mr. Oakley, Vice Principal
A
e
m
t
b
a
y
p
t
l
w
A- To answer this question, I must first debunk a popular rumor surrounding it. Chameleons do not use their colo
are a cold blooded creature, they cannot produce their own body heat. So, by changing to a dark color in a coole
lished, we can get to the how; the how being chromatophores. Beneath a clear outer layer of skin, chameleons h
The base layers contain melanophores, which are filled with brown melanin (the pigments human skin contains).
which contain yellow and red pigments, respectively. Whenever a chameleon experiences color change, his usu
erythrophores and allowing some of the blue-reflected light from the iridophores to mix with the layer of somew
well understood to boot.
Q: Would you rather always have the feeling that you’re Q:What is your favorite cafeteria food and why?
By: Natalie Miller
about to sneeze or cough?
A: “I like the flatbread pizza because it’s the best quality out of all of
the lunches and it’s filling.”
-Emylee Foti, junior
A: “I love the chicken noodle soup casserole stuff. It looks gross but it
is surprisingly great and reminds me of home!” -Nicolas Calabrese, senior
A: “I like the everyday pizza because it’s the only thing that I eat.”
Q: If you could take any animal home from the zoo, what -Justin Williams, senior
would it be? Why?
A: “I usually pack lunch, but I like the cheesesteak strombolis. They’re
filling and taste great.”
By: Lana Black
-Bobby Vanness, senior
A: “A turtle because they are beautiful and I just love them very much. Are turtles even at the zoo?”
Q: If you could have a superpower, what superpower
-Hannah Saltern, senior
would you have?
A: “Probably a flamingo because that is one of the most practical, I
By: Allie Ledergerber
would think. Besides, it would be cool to take pictures with. Or maybe a
A: “I would have the power to be invisible.”
shark if I could find somewhere to put it. I mean, how are you going to
-Rachel Houck, senior
clean up after an elephant? That’s just unrealistic.”
A: “I would want the power to teleport wherever I -Katrina Schott, senior
want.”
A: “A penguin because that would be awesome.”
-Ben Matyas, senior
-Lacey Hempler, junior
A: “Teleportation.”
A: “A monkey because they’re adorable, and super cool. Plus they
-Tabitha Gold, senior
could get me a drink, and I wouldn’t have to move.”
Q: If you were stranded on an island, and could bring
By: Olivia Bender
A: “Sneeze because cough is more miserable.”
-Madison Mennell, senior
A: “Sneeze because I feel like you would never be able to talk if you were always trying to cough.”
-Laura Zanette, senior
Q: If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
By: Allie Ledergerber and Jennifer Smith
A: “Venice, Italy with my family.”
-Anna Stanmets, senior
A: “Going to Germany and Spain.”
-Bri Carrington, sophmore
A: “I would go all around the world.”
-Rachel Houck, senior
A: “I would want to go to Hawaii because I want to see the volcanoes there.”
-Ben Matyas, senior
A: “If I had the opportunity to go anywhere, I would go to California to
see the Winchester Mystery House, because it is extremely unique and
interesting.”
-Tabitha Gold, senior
A: “Brazil.”
-Miranda Medillin, senior
five things, what five things would you bring?
By: Allie Ledergerber
A: “If I were stranded on an island, I would bring a gallon of water, a bag of fried chicken, my best friend, clothing, and footwear.”
-Rachel Houck, senior
A: “I would bring a boat, gasoline, a compass, a map, and a bag of chips so I could leave the island.”
-Ben Matyas, senior
A: “Pizza, tent, clothes, soap, and a knife.”
-Jaclyn Hyer, junior
A: “Phone, hot pockets, hackey sack, fishing pole, and pepsi.”
-Phil Meyers, junior
A: “Cell phone, with solar charger, clothes, lighter, chicken alfredo,
blanket.”
-Christine Johnson, senior
f course, some questions asked were not quite the caliber I wanted, such as “How do you throw away a trash can?” from Tyler Reagle or “Where do baout knowing the answer to. Questions with a scientific basis that could be proven and rejoiced in the knowledge of knowing they are fact. Here are those
Q- “What are mirrors made of?” -Adrianna Capecci, senior
A- Most mirrors you see yourself in today are known
as “back-silvered mirrors.” This means that the reflection you see is created by a metal (commonly aluminum) is reflecting your image from behind a sheet
of glass to protect it from bubbling and scratches.
In the old days, mirrors were simply metals such as brass or bronze polished to a reflective
sheen, but today’s process is much more precise
and creates much more effective mirrors. The process begins with plain sheets of glass. These sheets
are washed, polished with Cerium Oxide, and then
sprayed with demineralized water all to assure the
sheets are uncontaminated. Next, liquefied tin is
applied to the back of the mirror as a base coat for
the liquid silver added next. Within seconds of the
application, the silver hardens and the reflection first
shows.
From here, multiple washes occur and many
layers are added to the back of the mirror to protect
the delicate reflective surface. That is the simple
story of what your, or any mirror for that matter, is
made of.
Q- “Why do laser pointers affect vision?” - Sara Smolenyak, junior
A- Let us start with the old standard, you should never test this question on anyone for any reason, ever.
Now, the science. Laser pointers come in
many strengths and colors, but the most common are
the simple red beamed pointers. They are the most
basic mainly because the laser diodes come in red
and reddish shades, it gets more complicated when
you want to change the colors. These simple laser
pointers work by running current through the diode
thus creating a narrow, low-powered beam of visible
light. This light is harmless unless aimed at the eye
where most of it will pass through the pupil where the
lense will focus the already heavily focused beam of
light even further. This intensely focused light will sufficiently burn the retina, causing at times irreversible
damage.
Of course, modern day high powered laser
pointers that can produce over a 20 milliwatt laser
will cause much more damage than the comparably
dinky little 1 milliwatt pointers. Fortunately, humans
do have a blinking reflex as a reaction to bright light.
Lest you are intoxicated or foolish you should be more
than safe from little more than just seeing spots.
or as camouflage, but as a means to maintain body temperature and send signals of mating or aggression to other chameleons. As they
er environment, they can stay warm, and by changing to a light color in a hot environment, they can stay cool. Now that that is estabhave several layers of skin containing these cells. The chromatophores in each layer are filled with sacs of different colors of pigment.
. Next up are cells called iridophores, which have a blue pigment. Layered on top of those cells are the xanthophores and erythrophores,
ually dormant pigment sacs expand to fit his mood or needs. When a chameleon is calm, or green, it is the visual effect of contracting the
what contracted yellow xanthophores. These very specialized color changing abilities make chameleons unique in the animal kingdom and
Faces In The Crowd: Senior Edition
By: Lana Black
Gen Cartal
Anna Stanmets
-”Political Science.”
-”Psychology.”
Intended major:
What do you look for in a school?
-”An urban location, in-state, and a
tutition of $30,000 or less.”
What schools are you interested
in?
-”Pittsburgh, and Point Park University.”
Intended major:
What do you look for in a school?
-“Medium sized school, lots of opportunities, and some sort of music
program.”
What schools are you interested
in?
Which school is your dream
school, and why?
-”West Virginia University, Marywood
University, and Shippensburg University.”
-”Pitt main campus because it is
a beautiful campus with a semiaffordable tuition and mulitple intern
opportunites. I love how clean and
friendly it is there.”
Which school is your first choice,
and why?
-”I really like Shippensburg. The overall atmosphere was amazing and everyone seemed very friendly there.”
Elizabeth Gibson
Amy Gennusa
-”Social Work.”
-”International Finance with a minor
in Spanish.”
Intended major:
What do you look for in a school?
-“Good food, good atmosphere, good
education. In that order.”
What schools are you interested
in?
Intended Major:
What do you look for in a schol?
-”Big football games, alumni association, and the quality of their education.”
-”West Chester University, Lock Haven, and University at Albany.”
What schools are you interested
in?
Which school is your first choice,
and why?
-”Penn State, Michigan State, Rutgers, and Bloomsburg.”
-”West Chester University. I went and
just loved all the aspects of it.”
Which school is your first choice,
and why?
-”Penn State. I love the atmosphere,
campus quality, distance from home,
and the football games, of course.”
All photos: Ledergerber, Echo
Catholic Schools Closing in the Slate Belt
Courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com
Courtesy of private-schools.findthebest.com
By: Natalie Miller
Shocking news hit the Slate Belt last week: Pius X High School and
Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s enrollment has fallen 43 percent since
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Elementary School will be closing at the end of
2009. the 2014-2015 school year.
Mr. Mario Lucrezi, principal of Pius X High School, was unable to be
The news surprised members of the school families of Pius X and
reached for a comment.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School.
In addition to these two schools closing, Immaculate Conception
“I’m really sad about Pius closing because I have grown up there
School in Pen Argyl will be adding a seventh and eighth grade to their
because I’ve grown up there since first grade,” said Pius X junior, Alexa
standing Pre-K through sixth grades.
Custard, “I am going to miss the smallness of the school because we are a Sr. Maria Luz, principal of Immaculate Conception School, was
family.”
unavailable for comment.
“I am angry and sad that I will not get to spend my senior year at
It is unknown what will be done with the schools or how ImmacuPius and I will have to go to another school for only one year,” Pius junior,
late Conception School will accomodate an extra two grades.
Natalie Martino said, “I will miss playing volleyball and being in drama
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish owns Our Lady of Mount Carmel
club. I will really miss my classmates because we are all very close; we are Elementary and Pius X High School is owned by the diocese.
basically family.”
The school closings claim the jobs of 39 people; the principal,
Both Custard and Martino are unsure of where they will attend next seven full-time and four part-time teachers at Our Lady of Mount Carmel
year, but are looking at Notre Dame and Bethlehem Catholic.
and 27 staff members at Pius X.
Seniors are also disappointed that their school of six years is clos
Many parents are attempting to hold a fundraiser to pay off the 1.2
ing.
million dollar debt Pius has accumulated over the past years of operation.
“Of course, I feel sad that Pius is closing. I have been going there
However, despite the school closing, Our Lady of Mount Carmel will
since 7th grade so I really do not know any other school but Pius. Pius
still hold the Big Time celebration at the end of July, according to Pastor
gave me an amazing education and gave me so many opportunities that I
James Prior.
am forever grateful for,” Bethany Taggart, senior said, “Even though I am a The proceeds of the Big Time went directly to running the school,
senior at Pius, and will be leaving the school at the end of the year despite now the question is where the money will go.
its closing, I will really miss the people that make up Pius. I will really miss
It is sad to see tradition disappear in the Slate Belt. Pius X was
having the opportunity to visit my old teachers and my Alma Mater.”
founded by Salesian Sisters in 1951 and Our Lady of Mount Carmel was
Pius was a big contender in football, as well as wrestling. Pius
founded through the work of Father Gennero Leone, in the same year.
made it to state playoffs this year in football and always are competitive as The closings of both schools make some wonder how it will affect
individuals in the wrestling competitions.
enrollement here in the Pen Argyl Area School District.
The schools
“I would not
will be closing beimagine a lot
cause of a lack of
of the students
funding and decoming here,”
crease in enrollment
said Zach Buss. “I
in the past few years.
would imagine a
Since 2011,
lot of them will go
the enrollment of
to other Catholic
Pius X High School
schools since they
has decreased 42
have come this far
percent, and currentin Catholic educaly has 165 students.
tion.”
The school
Pius X High
expects to end the
School and Our
fiscal year in a 1.2
Lady of Mount
million dollar operatCarmel will be
ing debt.
missed throught
Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Pius X High School will be closing at the end of the 2014-2015 school year. In order to acco
Roseto and Bangor.
madate misplaced seventh and eighth graders, Immaculate Conception School will be adding seventh and eighth grades.
Papal Preparations
Courtesy of nbcnews.com
By: Natalie Miller
Next September, a life-changing experience will be available to all
was by Benedict VXI in 2008, but Archdiocese spokesman, Joseph Zwillin the greater Philadelphia area.
ing, believes that Pope Francis’s visit will be a larger event that Benedict’s
Pope Francis has announced that he is planning to visit the City of
arrival and even Saint Pope John Paul II’s trip to New York in 1995.
Brotherly Love in September of 2015 to close up his 2015 World Meeting
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is also excited for the Pope’s visit,
of Families.
according to NBC News.
The biggest concern among fans of Pope Francis is safety for the
“Pope Francis is the leading global voice on issues of social justice
event. Safety will be controlled by the Philadelphia Police Department,
and income inequality, and New Yorkers from all backgrounds will be trePennsylvania State Police, the Secret Service and the FBI, and safety conmendously humbled and honored to hear his message right here,” Mayor
trols from the Vatican.
de Blasio said.
The Pope will be in town for three days, from September 25 to the
Pen Argyl students are excited about the Pope visting the
27, and the visit will conclude with a Sunday mass from the Benjamin
United States.
Franklin Parkway.
“I think that is really cool, it is a once in a lifetime ex
On September 26, the Pope is expected to attend the intercultural
perince,” said sophomore, Olivia Teel.
Festival of Families. Vatican officials estimate
“I am very happy that the Pope is com2 million people will travel to see the Pope.
ing, the Catholic community is embracing
The whole World Meetings of Families
the visit, it is so nice that he is coming to
will take place in Philadelphia from September
Philadelphia,” said senior, Anthony Polizzi.
22 to the 27. The trip by the Pope will cost $45
Seeing the Pope say mass is a once in
million, which is offset by private donations.
a lifetime experience, for Catholics and non
Pen Argyl students are astounded by
Catholics alike.
the cost of the trip, “ It is a little ridiculous how
Many people believe that Pope Francis
much this trip will cost, I do not understand
is leading the Catholic Church in the corwhy it’ll cost $45 million,” said senior, Zach
rect direction. Pope Francis has spoken of
Buss, “I think the money could be better used
universal acceptance no matter what race
for helping those in need, as the church has
or sexual orientation one may be.
done in the past.”
He has also put an emphasis on out
The Pope announced that his trip to the
reach to the needy and has stressed volUnited States will also include stops in Washunteerism and sending aid to the poor all
ington D.C., New York, and previously stated
around the world.
Philadelphia.
All hotels are booked for this visit, so
While the Vatican is still in early stages
it will be difficult to see the international
of planning, there are rumors of visits to the
peace figure, but Philadelphia mayor, MiWhite House, Ground Zero, and maybe even a
chael Nutter, is trying to accomodate anymass at Madison Square Garden.
one for this once in a lifetime experience.
The last papal visit in the United States Pope Francis will be attending the World Meeting of Families held in
Philadephia in September of 2015.
Musical Therapy
Pierce the Veil poses. From left to right: Tony Perry, Jaime
Preciado, Vic Fuentes, and Mike Fuentes
Tyler Faur, senior, said, “It helps me keep
calm and prepare me for the day ahead.”
Austin Csezmadia, senior, said, “It relaxes
me throughout the day. It is the only legal escape in
the real world.”
There are many different genres of music.
Is there any specific genre that helps you more?
“Any genre helps, really. More often than
not, the “loud stuff” has lyrics that just speak to me
more, rather than R&B and so on,” said Pittman.
“I listen to all types of music, there is not
just one specific genre that helps, it is all music,”
says Csezmadia.
Carpenter says, “I typically like house music and soft core dub step. I really only listen
to calm music, it makes me feel like I am at the
Modern-Day Heroes
conservationist. It has more than two
million members and supporters.
This organization focuses
His outlook is, “The security
of the biodiversity of Africa is a very
important issue, however, culturally, I
on passing acts to better the environment, and protecting millions of
acres of wilderness.
Their current project is to lead
the change of energy, and move away
from fossil fuels.
The African Wildlife fund aims
to stop poaching of its iconic wildlife.
It was founded in 1961 and continues
to save its species, one step at a time.
AWF is over 50 years old, and
has made a huge difference in the
biodiversity.
Sean Catino, senior, realizes
this.
feel that Western civilization does not
see it as the critical issue that it really
is.”
Big organizations are not the
only one who can make a difference,
individuals can too.
Look at Jane Goodall.
She loved Africa from early
on, and made it her goal to get there.
Goodall even left her job, working
with filmmakers, to fulfill her destiny:
get to Africa.
Goodall is most known for her
work with chimps.
Emily Stinson, senior, remem-
Tarzan’s Jane
By: Alie Ledergerber
Jane Goodall is an
extraordinary individual. She
not only changed the research world forever, but also
the world of wildlife preservation.
Her most popular
work, with chimpanzees,
revolutionized our understanding of animal behavior.
It all started when
Goodall was about one year
old, when her father gave
her a toy chimp, which she
named Jubilee. This stuffed
toy has survived 73 years of
wear, travel, and love. It now
sits (completely bald from
tons of hugs) on Goodall’s
dresser in England.
Jane’s obsession with
Africa started shortly after
reading The Story of Dr. Dolittle, written by Hugh Lofting.
She also loved her books
ocean.”
“Usually metal and the heavier stuff,” said
Faur. “Music allows me to either escape or focus on
my problem so I can overcome them and usually,
over time, the bad goes away and I can move on.”
Music helps us cope and feel better, even if
it is just for a little bit.
Making fun of people with problems is not
any laughing matter. Some people get so upset that
they harm themselves and in some cases, death
may even occur. This is not something to be taken
lightly.
Vic Fuentes, lead singer of Pierce the Veil,
has written songs about fans that have lost lives
and self harms. The song “Bulls in the Bronx” has a
crazy story to it. It is a sad story, but it inspired the
song.
The story is about this girl who is 16, and
her friends wrote to Pierce The Veil and said she
recently committed suicide, along with a link to
her Tumblr page. “It was one of the most haunting things I [have] ever seen,” said Fuentes, lead
singer of Pierce The Veil. There were things on
there where she would say how she thought she
was worthless, ugly, and all this crazy stuff. “That whole thing really stuck with me for
a while,” said Fuentes. After that, Fuentes wrote
“Bulls in the Bronx” to commemorate her. It is not
only the music, but the people who bring us this
music, that help us.
bers her work, “I always remember
reading about Jane Goodall and wishing that I could do what she did. Just
the fact that she spent so much
time in the jungle amazed me. She
is done so much work investigating
into other species. She is definitely
an inspiration to many.”
It is because of these groups,
and individuals, that wildlife gets
the help it so deserves.
It takes effort to be heard
on this topic, which is why more
should speak up.
Larissa Bernecker sums it up
perfectly, “When it comes to preserving our planet we can never just rely
on people to do what they have to do.
With organizations to help, they can
pave the path, in which others can
walk on to get to a greener society.”
With so many great organizations helping, there is no reason to sit
back and wait.
Stand up, take action, and
save the planet.
Courtesy of: awf.org
By: Alie Ledergerber
Life is our most precious
asset. Human life, animal life, plant
life. While each form of life is equally
amazing, the balance between each
kind is drastically skewed.
Of course, we value our lives
above those of animals and plants.
They cannot even fight back, or save
themselves.
That is why these modern-day
heroes rose up to the challenge.
Organizations like World
Wildlife Fund (WWF), Sierra Club, and
the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF)
protect those who cannot protect
themselves.
WWF has an iconic symbol,
the walking panda. It is recognizable
throughout the world. They are global
leaders in the fight for nature, and
continue to impact species for the
better.
The World Wildlife Fund was
founded fifty years ago, and their mission is to protect the diversity of life
on Earth.
The Sierra Club was founded
in 1892 by John Muir, a well-known
forget about stuff when I am down,” said Gage
Carpenter, senior.
Courtesy of: genius.com
By: Miranda Ferreira
Through music, we can cope with the saddest memories and forget about all of the bad for
a while. On a daily basis, most of us listen to music
and, for some, music is all we have. More people than you may think are battling
depression. Typically, they are the nicest, kindest
of people. They hide their sadness by always having a smile on their face and always laugh at jokes,
even if they are not that funny. They do not want
anyone else to feel bad. These are the people who
know how bad things can get. They are also usually
the ones who get hurt the most and know a world
of pain.
Most people would define depression as a
disease.
Depression is not a disease or a sickness, it
is a side effect. Whether it is a side effect of medicine or just when people are in a bad place. We all
get sad at times, but for some, it just lasts longer.
To help us get through this pain, we listen to music.
So, how does music help you on a day-today basis?
Kenny Pittman, senior, said, “Well, if I had
a stressful day at school, or if I am just upset about
something in life, like friends, relationships, or
whatever it may be, music is always there when you
do not have anyone to talk to or when you just do
not know how to get the words out. When it is an
artist I really enjoy, it sucks me in and I forget about
what made me upset for a while.”
“Music helps me think. It also helps me
about Tarzan.
Even though Goodall
thought Tarzan’s Jane was
silly, she would make a much
better one.
While Goodall’s childhood was a happy one, spent
outside playing and exploring, troubles at home affected everyone. Jane’s father
was an engineer in the army,
and the world was at war.
She took to listening to
Churchill’s words on the
radio, as it comforted her
during rough times.
Jane graduated from
high school in 1952, but did
not attend college due to a
lack of funds. Goodall went
straight to working as a secretary at Oxford University,
and later got a job choosing
music for filmmakers.
In May of 1956, Jane’s
dream was finally realized. A
friend, Clo, invited Goodall to
the family farm in Kenya.
She promptly quit her
job and moved back home
to waitress and save money
for the trip. Once she got to
Africa, endless opportunities
greeted her.
At 23 years old, Jane
was in awe while experiencing Africa. That was not the
highlight of the trip, however.
Goodall met and worked with
the esteemed anthropologist
and paleontologist, Dr. Louis
S. B. Leakey.
Goodall was hired
as his assistant, and helped
recover fossils. Later on,
Leakey sent Goodall on an
important mission: study the
apes.
By the summer of
1960, she reached Tangan-
yika (which become Tanzania). The British government
insisted that Jane have a
companion, since it was so
unusual for a woman to be
out on her own.
So Jane took her
mother with her. They shared
adventures for a few months.
The Gombe chimps
did not trust Goodall at first,
and didn’t let her anywhere
near them. Eventually, as
time went on, she was able to
get closer and make amazing
discoveries.
Apes made tools too.
She witnessed two apes,
which she named David
Greybeard and Goliath, strip
leaves from a branch and use
it to fish out termites from
their mound.
That was the first we
have heard of animals, other
than us, using and making
tools.
She also discovered
that the chimps were not
vegetarians, as we had previously thought.
When news of her discoveries went big, National
Geographic offered to fund
her, and sent one of their
photographers, Hugo van
Lawick.
They fell in love and
got married in 1964, and had
one child.
National Geographic
continued to write about her,
and inform the world of her
work. She would not be taken
seriously, though.
Jane had no college
degrees...
Continued On Page 11...
The Unsung Heroes of Sports
Ledergerber, Echo
Homefront
go, I got lucky. I've had many coaches, but Coach Grim, Coach Desmond, Coach Frank, and Coach Matt are by far the best coaches I've
had. They are all the type of men that would give you their shirt off of
their back.”
This experience has allowed
Black to break out of her shell and
become a bolder person. “I'm in
roomful of guys for two hours, 6 days
a week. When I first started I was terrified when the coach or a wrestler
would even look at me, but I've grown
out of that.”
Mikaela Roper manages the
boys basketball team along with Amy
Gennusa. At practices, the duo fills
water bottles and runs the clock and
keeps score for drills.
Home and away game responsibilities differ for the girls. When the
team is at home, they are in charge of
creating the lineup boards
Mikaela Roper has managed boys’
and keeping the water cups filled.
basketball for three years.
When they are away, however, they
have the opportunity to keep the scorebook and stats.
Roper has been managing for three years and decided to start
because she always enjoyed basketball and going to the games. This
was the perfect way for her to get involved.
For Roper, the hardest part is not being able to cheer the boys
to victory when they need to focus on keeping the stats at the scorer’s
table.
She wishes that she could relive all of the games that went into
overtime when the crowd and the players were really excited and concentrated on the game. She has also enjoyed the food that sponsors
have provided after home games for the families.
Roper has learned a lot from managing over the past few years.
“Managing helped me understand the sport and see all the time and effort that is put into each game by the players, coaches, and school.”
Girls’ basketball also has a senior manager, Meghan Kimball,
helping out during the season.
The dedication of these girls is truly shown through the love
they have for their team. There is a lot of work that goes into managing
any sport and in many cases, the team depends on their attention to
detail. Without them, mats would be dirty, water cups would be empty,
and statistics would go unrecorded.
Farnan, Echo
By: Katie Farnan
The true heroes of every sport are the players, there is no doubt
about that. Next up comes the coaches, who teach and support their
athletes through whatever a game or match may throw at them. But
there is one more group out there that loyally helps their team with
whatever they may need. This small but extremely integral group is the
managers.
Both basketball teams and the wrestling team are lucky to have
a few senior girls by their side every step of the way.
Lana Black spends her days after school at wrestling practice.
Immediately after leaving her last class, she grabs a mop head and water for the boys and treks up the hill to the wrestling room. She cleans
the mats quickly so that the boys can start their practice as soon as
possible. She is also in charge of tending to any minor wounds or
nosebleeds the boys may have, as well as controlling the music to keep
them in the zone. If the boys ask nicely, she is more than happy to bring
them water.
Home matches are a bit busier for Black, but she does not mind.
She cleans the mat, arranges the boards with the home and away lineups, plays the music when the boys run out, and keeps score all while
staying fabulous.
Other than her major practice and match responsibilities, Black
is also in charge of keeping the boys in line. But this proves to be no
feat for her because she has spent
so much time around the sport. She
has managed since her 8th grade
year, but has been encompassed by
wrestling since 4th grade.
She says, “I love wrestling. You don't
see many girl wrestlers, and to be
honest I don't know if I could handle
being a wrestler. The closest I could
get was being a manager.”
Being the wrestling manager is not
always easy, however, especially
when you are left to do it alone.
Black still struggles with feeling
under appreciated because of how
much work she actually does.
Lana Black has been the wrestling
However, the rewards outweigh the
manager for five years.
negatives for Black. She feels that the
biggest reward thus far is, “Being apart
of a family. I'm still close with past wrestlers who have graduated. I'm
also close with some of the junior high guys. There may be fights and
disagreements but I still love them all like brothers. As far as coaches
Courtesy of www.heritagemurals.org
Continued from page 3...
Gloria was assisted by his students that he teaches, a college in- When a mural that Mr. Gloria and his team complete, they make
tern, and anyone else that would show up at the site and just wanted to posters for the community to buy. All profits made will help fund the
be able to help. Gloria said, “There were kids that would just show up
next mural that will be painted. Gloria said, “ We made $5,000 dollars
and I would teach them a little bit on how to paint.”
from selling posters. This money will go to the
With the mural being on the side of Pies to
next mural that we are planning to do.”
Die For, the owner of the building and the owner
The next mural to be painted will be in Wind
of Pies to Die For were very happy with the muGap. Gloria said that they are in the process
ral. Gloria said, ‘Pies to Die For gained a lot more
of finding a place to paint the mural. They are
business because of the painting and having the
also planning to do another mural in Bangor
meetings there.”
as well. The Institute has a website that ex
In the end, Gloria said that it took 600 man
plains a little bit more on each of the murals
hours to complete the mural. So this was not an
that they have done. easy project it took a long and tedious process.
You can visit that website at www.heritage
This was from the getting the idea to the
murals.org. Here you will be able to see the
grand unveiling . This group of people that helped
different murals that Gloria and his class has
would be there from the morning to the evening.
painted.
Working as hard as they could to finish the mural.
You are also able to see the different pic
There was a grand unveiling of the mural James Gloria is one of the artists teachers who offers
tures that were taken during the process of
and those who are part of the mural came out to workshops, classes, and events in the performing arts. the mural.
see the finished piece. Others from the Slate Belt
There is also an in depth description of the
also came out to celebrate this special day. There was music and other program that does the murals. It also explains the process of how they
activities that people could enjoy as well.
did it and who was apart of it.
Woman in Charge
Courtesy of Kimberly Kupec-Wenger
the Run became an international
501c3 organization.
Today
the program services over
150,000
girls in
200+ cities across
North
America
each year.
In 2013
it hosted
258 endof-season
5k events
across
the United
States and Canada. They have been
featured in numerous media outlets
such as: People Magazine, Runner’s
Continued from page 9
Jane entered Cambridge University as a
Ph.D. candidate. She was not well liked. From a
scientific standpoint, her method of naming the
chimps was inefficient. They said she should have
given them numbers instead.
In 1966 she earned her Ph.D. in ethology.
When her son was seven, Hugo and Jane divorced.
World, Redbook, Women’s Day, O
Magazine, Fitness Magazine, Self
Magazine, Glamour, Shape, Marie
Claire, Parenting, Running Times,
CNN, MSNBC, ABC News, NBC News,
NPR, and ESPN.
Everett’s goal is to expand the
program in the Northampton County.
This goal can be met with the help
of the community because they are
always looking for volunteers. You
must be 18 or older and can sign up
at www.gotpocono.org or contact
Dolores Everett at dolores.everett@
girlsontherun.org or 570-534-7387. The closest location for the
spring season, starting in March and
ending in May, is at Wind Gap Middle
School.
Come out and volunteer today.
For more information on the program
or getting involved, please contact
Dolores Everett.
Courtesy of coloradorunnermag.com
who they are and what’s important
to them. Then, we look at the importance of
teamwork and
healthy relationships. And
finally, the girls
explore how
they can positively connect
with and shape
the world.”
Girls
on the run was
established
in Charlotte,
North Carolina in the
year 1996. It
started with
thirteen brave girls coming together
with an idea and each year the activity doubled in size. In 2000 Girls on
They both remarried, but unfortunately after five
years, her husband died from cancer in 1980.
Not only did Goodall discover that apes
made tools, she also learned that they were very
similar to us, Chimps had a dark side too. Groups
of apes were often “at war” and tried to wipe out
the other. The researchers call one of these in
stances “the four-year war”.
Due to the dedication and hard work of
Jane Goodall, we have made multiple advancements. We discovered that other species are not so
different.
We discovered that maybe we aren’t alone
in the way we develop socially.
Courtesy of www.prlog.org
Tarzan and Jane
the NCAA Division III Wrestling Committee.
In 2012, she received the College Division Rising Star award from
the College Sports Information
Directors of America (CoSIDA). She
was happy to receive such an impressive award and know her hard work
did not go unnoticed.
Working in sports is tough
because it is a male-dominated field. Kupec said, “I had some terrific female and male mentors while I
worked my way to my current position
as a commissioner in collegiate athletics. I am grateful for the women that
came before me and paved the way. Most of my struggles revolved around
proving that I could do the job.”
She said, “I have loved sports
all my life. I volunteered, interned,
and found work wherever I could and
those experiences led me on this
amazing journey. I am blessed to
have a job in college athletics that I
am passionate about and I get to help
others every day.”
Kupec’s ability to help people
is not limited to sports. She is huge
inspiration to all women who seek
to succeed in a patriarchal society.
Scott Kupec, fourth grade teacher
at WGMS, speaks very highly of his
sister.
He said, “She is a true role
model for my daughter in all aspects,
but especially showing her that
women can do what guys do. And as I
tell my daughter, women can do those
jobs better!”
Girls On The Run
Courtesy of www.komu.com
By: Olivia Bender
The pre-teens can be difficult ages for girls. The Girls on the
Run program is trying to make those
developing stages an easier time for
young females. Their plan encourages
positive emotional, social, mental,
and physical development.
Dolores Everett, a member in
charge of servicing Monroe, Pike
and Northampton counties, said,
“Participants explore and discuss
their own beliefs around experiences
and challenges girls face at this age.
They also develop important strategies and skills to help them navigate
life experiences.”
“The heart of the program
provides pre-adolescent girls with
the necessary tools to embrace their
individual strengths and successfully
navigate life experiences.”
“We start with helping the
girls get a better understanding of
age student in high school, academics And she became a part of
had always been important to her. She exactly that. She is currently the Comwent on to college and graduated
missioner of the Northwest Conferfrom Lock Haven University of Pennence.
sylvania in 1999 with a B.A. in Journal- The Northwest Conference is
ism and Mass Communications.
an NCAA Division III athletic confer
She then went on to graduate
ence located in the Pacific Northwest.
school
Schools in
and
that conearned
ference
her M.S. in
include:
Electronic
George
Media
Fox Univerfrom
sity, Lewis
Kutztown
& Clark
University
College,
in 2003.
Linfield
But Kupec
College,
just could
Pacific
not stay
Univeraway from
sity (Ore.),
her love
Pacific
of sports.
Lutheran
She beUniversity,
came a
Kimberly Kupec working at the 2014 NCAA Division III Wres- University
manager tling Championship.
of Puget
for Lock
Sound, WilHaven University’s Division I wrestling lamette University, Whitman College
team.
and Whitworth University.
“The sport of wrestling holds
Her office is located outside
a special place in my heart. I have
of Portland, Oregon. There she is in
been blessed to have made so many
charge of the day-to-day operations,
friends throughout the years through
managing the budget, scheduling,
the sport of wrestling. It is a great
compliance issues, liaison to their
community to be a part of and I knew
Student-Athlete Advisory Commitwhen I had the opportunity to voluntee, working with assignors of their
teer for NCAA committee work that
officials, and overseeing the NWC’s
the wrestling committee was the one
media relations.
that I wanted to be a part of,” said
Her job does not stop there.
Kupec.
Kupec is also currently the chair of
Courtesy of imgkid.com
By: Lana Black
Kimberly Kupec roamed the
halls of Pen Argyl just over twenty
years ago. This 1994 graduate had
a passion for sports at a young age.
She started out as a cheerleader with
the Green Knight Wrestling Club in
elementary school, but always tagged
along to wrestling tournaments. It was
then she learned how to keep a scorebook and work the tables at tournaments.
Although Kupec didn’t think of
herself as being a part of the popular
crowd, she was always nice to everyone and felt she had friends in various
circles. In school she had to study
very hard because it didn’t come easy
for her.
She said, “My mom and dad always made sure we did well in school
or my brother and I couldn’t participate in sports.”
Throughout high school, she
was both a manager and a cheerleader for the wrestling teams.
It was the previous Athletic
Director, James Tiernan, and former
wrestling coaches, John Piper and
Pete Stoelzel, that inspired Kupec.
She said, “The three of them
provided me with so many opportunities that solidified my love for working
in athletics. I was not a very good athlete, but I loved supporting our teams
and doing anything possible to help
out from assisting with the set up for a
game or meet to working in the snack
bar to help raise money for our varsity
club.”
Although Kupec was an aver
Winter Formal
Pen Argyl Area High School held their annual
Winter Formal. Students from all grades attended and danced the night away, or socialized with friends. All of the students enjoyed
themselves and had a great Friday night.
Sophmores, Joey DePaolo and Olivia Teel,
pose for a couple shot in the top lefthand
corner. Liz Adamson, Amanda Romeiser, Nic
Calabrese, and Lindsey Fournier get together
for a group picture, as shown in the top right.
Seniors, Katie Farnan, Taylor Sterile, and
Mikaela Roper, dance the night away like nobody’s watching in the center. Sophomores,
Darren Engler and Thomas Coppola, and
junior, Cynthia Antonioli danced all night long.
Seniors Mikaela Roper, Taylor Stierle, Emily Messinger, and Meghan Kimball, Anthony
Polizzi, Abby Strouse, Jake Krincek, Tyler
Minnich, and Katie Farnan had a ball at the
Winter Formal.