Smoke SignalsMarch 2012

The Final Four

Smoke SignalsVolume 3 Issue 4Peters Township High School

264 East McMurray RoadMcMurray, PA 15317Phone: 724-941-6250

www.ptmedia.net

Photo by Lexi Harmon

Meet the Staff

Carly Beck,Features Editor

Amanda MooreNews Editor

Denée RenzLayout Editor

McKenzie FritzOnline Editor-in-Chief

Katie FinnLife & Style Editor

Madison MinconeSports Editor

Molly DoehringPrint Editor-in-Chief

Christine ManganasOnline Editor-in-Chief

Katie DenningManaging Editor-in-Chief

Valerie KotarSpecial Features Editor

Allie SchlafmanLayout Editor

John GalaticPrint Editor-in-Chief

Liz WeimerOnline Editor-in- Chief

Julia GauthierEntertainment Editor

Stephanie HammellMarketing Editor

Val GobaoLayout Editor-in -Chief

Smoke Signals StaffJosh GlicksmanAlexa Kennedy

Bobby LewisLaura PurkeyJenna Taimuty

Benjamin Zalewski

Camille BarnesMadison Creehan

Elise JozwiakLydia McCall

Lindsey McCayAndrea Salizzoni

Grant TaylorMichelle Thomas

Taylor CoxShane Dazen

Jesse EbyJillian Eby

Smoke Signals is produced six times a school year by Media II, III, and IV Journalism students. The staff adviser is Mrs. Sitler. Commentaries, reviews, and opinion columns are the expressed opinion of the author and not of Smoke Signals, its advisor, or the Peters Town-ship School District.

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4-5 PT FocusProm Fashion Show

6-7 SportsTrack is Back

8-9 Opinion

10-11 Life and StyleNow Trending:Yoga

12-13 Faculty Face-Off

14-15 People FeaturesPoetry Contest:Morgan

Boyer

16-17 Reality TV

18-19 Entertainment

New Frozen Yogurt:Moo Moo

20-21 News Features

Celebrity Obsession

22-23 Student WorkMixed Art

GaininG, not GivinG Up DUrinG Lent

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4 PT Focus

From Broadway to the PT stage, Legally Blonde is coming this spring, March 29th through the 30th. It will be starring sophomore Rachel Ferraco as Elle Woods, along with a superb supporting cast. The plot surrounds Woods, a bubbly blonde, who follows her love Warner to Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, she is treated like she will never succeed. In the end, she proves all of her friends and family wrong in the court-room. Ferraco loves her role because of Woods’ personality. “There is not a single thing I dislike about this show or role. There is no greater feeling. I feel very blessed to have this opportunity,” said Ferraco. However, Viv-ian Kensington, Emmett Rich-mond, and Paulette Bonafante are played by talented actors and actresses who will show everyone what it means to be a star in a supporting role. One of these actress-es, freshman Kylie Marshall, is in the role of Vivian Kensing-ton. Vivian is a stuck up, cun-ning character who resorts to playing petty games with Elle because of their rivalry for Warner’s affection. Marshall’s favorite part of being Vivian is

LegaLLy BLonde: Coming Soon To PTMadisonMincone.SportsEditor

playing the bad guy. Playing the role of Emmett Richmond is junior Josh Reardon. Emmett is the nice guy. He shows Woods around Harvard, and he is the first to realize that there is more to her than meets the eye. “My favorite part about playing Emmett is prob-ably playing an intelligent, well-liked character. Often you play these bizarre people (which is fun), but it’s nice to be ‘normal’ for once,” said Reardon. Junior Kelsey Kern will provide the comic relief by playing the role of Paulette Bonafante. Paulette works at the local salon and does Woods’ nails and hair. Kern loves her character, especially since it is the part that she wanted. “It is a lot of fun play-ing character roles because you get to be crazy and eccentric,” said Kern. The cast will spend countless hours learning lines, perfecting characters, and prac-ticing their singing to put on a performance that they can be proud of. “I think it is going to be fantastic; everyone in the cast is incredibly talented and the rehearsals we’ve had so far really show that,” said Reardon.

Senior Cole Marks, Junior Josh Reardon, and Sophomore Rachel Ferraco goof around before they rehearse for their scenes.

Photo by Madison Mincone

The Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science is a competition that took place on February 18, 2012 at California University of Pennsylvania. PJAS is an organization for all grades seven to twelve across the state of Pennsylvania. It promotes interest in science through research projects and investigations conducted by students. Eighteen first place winners out of the twenty-three contestants who entered the competition were PTHS students including Junior Maple Chen. “I started preparing a week in advance for this competition,” said Chen.

She has participated in PJAS since seventh grade and has several fond memories of past competitions. “After my first presentation, the judges asked me ‘How will your experiment affect the banana industry?’ and I started to laugh. I thought that was so funny,” she recalled. “I continue doing PJAS because of all the great memories I have from being involved.”

The goal of the competition is to create a project that answers a real world problem, similar to the TEAM+S competition.

“It’s important to pick a topic you have real interest in, this way it is much more enjoyable,” stated Chen.

Along with the seventeen first place winners, PTHS also had six second place winners and six recipients of the Perseverance Award. Allison Resnik, Grace Brandstetter, Maria Oldenburg and Sebastian Hymson all acquired perfect scores in the completion. Resnik and Brandstetter won the Exemplary Award in their divisions along with their other awards. Congratulations to all the first place winners:

PT dominaTeS PJaS ComPeTiTion

AlexaKennedy.StaffWriter

Allison Resnik Carolyn GrechenCecelia Allison Jessica JohnsonCheng Wang Chris HeldmanChristopher Malencia Elise KingGrace Brandstetter Hannah FosterJen Cashman Mandy NeroneMaple Chen Maria OldenburgMatthew Stablein Raashmi KrishnasamySamuel Batchelder Seabastian Hymson

Special congratula-tions goes to senior Samuel Batchelder who earned a $2000 scholarship to a school of his choice courtesy of Dis-ney. Additionally, Allison Resnik, Grace Brandstetter, and Sebastian Hymson all place exemplary in their re-spective divisions.

Submitted photo

March 2012 5

Graduation…the only word that is a solace to senior students at PTHS. It’s the day you look forward to and work towards your entire high school career. Have you ever dreamed that it might be you one day, up there behind the podium, speaking to your entire graduating class and their families? Well, now is your chance. First, to apply, se-niors must be academically eligible. By having a GPA of 3.00 or higher and no disci-plinary actions that result-ed in either an in-school or out-of-school suspension may submit a speech for

consideration. Next, seniors have to submit a written speech. The speech must cover topics that are of interest to the gradu-ating class and the general audience of thee generations (grandparents, parents, and students). Also, the speech must be typed double-spaced, twelve point font, and approximately three to five minutes in length when orally presented. The speeches must be sub-mitted to the High School Office by the end of school on Friday, April 13, 2012. The author’s name should NOT appear on the speech, but instead, the student

should place his/her name, student ID number, home-room, and telephone num-ber on a separate piece of paper and attach it to the speech. Speeches that do not conform to these guidelines will not be considered. Speeches will go through an evaluation pro-cess and will remain anony-mous while being reviewed. Each speech will be assigned a number. The Commence-ment Speech Selection Com-mittee will read and rank each speech. Then, the au-thors of the top five speeches will be asked to give an oral presentation to the com-mittee. This committee will

choose the best speech to be presented at Commence-ment. The committee con-sists of a minimum of two high school administrators, two members of the High School English Department, a Speech teacher, at least three student leaders, and up to five additional teacher representatives. All students will be notified by Monday, May 14, 2012 via letter. If you have any questions about the commencement speech, please contact Mrs. Sitler in room A114 or at sitlern@pt-sd.org.

new ProCeSS aimS To SeLeCT CommenCemenT SPeakerJennaTaimuty.StaffWriter

maSquerade madneSS: Prom FaShionLindseyMcCay.StaffWriter

The anticipation for the 2012 prom is already beginning to brew. All of the excitement was launched on Saturday February 25 with the prom fashion show. Prom is such an important day for so many juniors and seniors in the high school, it was a marvelous idea for the school to host a fashion show. It was a great help for girls and guys who are looking for what they should wear on this special night.

A local dress shop in Pittsburgh got the chance to show off their beautiful gowns and tuxedos to potential buyers. The store featured was Carrie Ann’s Bridal Boutique in Canonsburg. They offered a wide array of different dress styles for girls. Then Tuxedo Junction located in South Hills Village gave an assortment of suits for guys.

Fifty girls and twenty five guys worked the runway in their formal prom attire, all of which were juniors and seniors. The models and escorts loved getting all done up like it was prom night. Senora Degnan

and Mr. Lawrence were the splendid hosts of the night, introducing each couple going down the run way.

Each of the dresses paraded showing the top fashion trends for the 2012 prom. A few of these trends are flowing hem lines, dresses with a high to low hem line, and dresses with gems. Lace has also become very popular this year. Cut outs and ruffles are also a new trend popping up everywhere on this season’s dresses. Though the always classic mermaid style is still very popular. All of these trends were displayed during the prom fashion show.

The show went off without a hitch. Everything ran smoothly and it all looked magnificent. All of the girls walked the runway with grace and poise. Then the boys in the fashion show put together a hilarious dance to “I’m Sexy and I Know It”. Everyone had a wonderful time.

“It was great participating in the prom fashion show! The dress I was

wearing gave me a lot of ideas of what I want to do for prom,” stated senior Stephanie Miller.

The prom fashion show gives a multitude of ideas of what people can do for their prom. Finding the perfect prom dress is essential for every girl going. After the fashion show, girls are left teeming with ideas of their immaculate prom dress. After seeing all of the great dresses during the fashion show every girl should be able to find their perfect dress. The perfect

prom starts with the perfect dress.

“The fashion show was great. As soon as I saw the one dress, I knew it was the one,” exclaimed Camilia Younes. “I know it’s the one I want to buy.”

Being able to find the perfect prom dress is a challenge for all juniors and seniors. With the prom fashion show, it helps girls see all the fashionable dresses and makes it easier for them to find the exact dress they want.

Photo by Allie Schalfman The models line up to show off their dresses from Carrie Ann Bridal Boutique. They were all excited when the night went well.

6 sPorTs

As the 2012 spring track season rolls around, no longer will the eccentric yet inspiring Mr. Scott pace the infield of the track. He was an irreplaceable figure in the world of PT athletics. Yet, af-ter the darkest time of night, the sun begins to rise. New head coach Justin Pinto has big plans for the team. With a slew of new assistants, Mr. Pinto is ready to accept the responsibility of coaching an incredibly com-petitive sport. “My hope is that each kid improves their re-sults each time they compete

in a meet. Winning sections and qualifying as many kids as possible for WPIALS is also very important to myself and the team,” said Mr. Pinto. This year’s squad is ready to step up to the plate. Headlining the sprint-ing corps is senior John Bi-anco. Bianco reached WPI-ALS in the 100 meter dash last year, and hopes to make a repeat appearance this May. Also running sprints with Bian-co are sophomores Pat Manak and Mark Minjcock. Manak is a transfer student from Seton La Salle High School. Look for these three, as well as several others, to shine in the 100 meter dash, the 200 meter dash, and the 4x100 meter relay. Senior Ed Findley and junior Craig Johnson return as the lone male hurdlers. Both are going to be crucial to the team’s success. Perhaps the most ver-satile athletes on the team are Tony Wagner and Tom Phil-lips, who specialize in middle distance. The two can run any race from the 200 to the mile successfully but will focus on the 400 meter dash, the 800 me-

ter run, and the 4x400 meter relay. Wagner, who was only four places away from mak-ing states in the 400 at WPI-ALS last year, is hoping to once again score numerous points for Peters Township. “Tony and I want to see the team succeed, but we also want to post great times in the 400,” explained Phillips. The distance squad is highlighted by Jon Radolec, Cameron Maxwell, and John Galatic. Radolec’s goal is to reach WPIAL Finals again this year in the two mile. Maxwell and Galatic will concentrate on the mile, both sub-five min-ute runners. Those two hope to be a consistent one-two punch in the mile, an extremely com-petitive race this year. Watch for freshman Zach Jaap to build on his success in cross country. All distance runners are quite excited to run for new coach John Knabb. You may recognize the last name, as his daughter’s name is all over the walls of the gym, having won multiple WPIAL champion-ships.

The jumpers return some serious talent, with Christian Nossokoff and Mike Erenberg setting the bar high for the rest of the group. Pole vaulter Andrew Brannen is close to breaking the school record for his event. Taking the biggest hit in terms of lost talent is the throwing group, losing Doug Maronde, Justin Portz, and Ben Chiste, all seniors from last year. However, expect Joe Bianco, Steve Janusey, Dan Pletz, and Jonah Conroy, who went to nationals for shot-put, to lead the way and can carry the team when neces-sary. Look for the boys’ team to turn some heads this year. Most of the best athletes from each event return from last year, and they all expect to improve this spring. As in-centive to perform well, coach Pinto has offered the team a deal. “If anyone breaks a school record, they can cut my hair however they want.” So when Mr. Pinto is walking down the hall with a reverse Mohawk, just know that the boy’s track team is succeeding.

TraCk iS BaCkJohnGalatic.PrintEditor

Jeremy Lin had always dreamed about playing in the NBA. As a kid, he would watch Michael Jordan play and try to copy his moves on the hoop in his backyard. Lin was an excellent high school player and went on to play at Har-vard University. After gradu-ation, he was picked up and then cut by three NBA teams.Shortly after, Lin had thought it was time to put the basket-ball down and move on to the next phase of his life. However, one morning he received a call from the New York Knicks in-viting him to join the team and the rest was history. After superstar Car-melo Anthony sustained an injury and could not play, the Knicks looked for someone to pick up the slack. Jeremy Lin

did just that. Lin broke out as a phenomenon after his perfor-mance against the New Jersey Nets. He recorded 25 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. Lin went head to head with all-star point guard Deron Williams and completely em-barrassed him. In the Knick’s next game against the Jazz, Lin would make his first career NBA start. He would drop another 28 points along with 8 assists, 2 re-bounds, and 2 steals. Lin hit a game winning 3 pointer at the buzzer to beat the raptors on Valentine’s Day. Perhaps even more impressive was his 38 point game against the league’s premier superstar, Kobe Bry-ant. However, this is not a just stroke of luck; Lin has been as consistent as any NBA veteran. In the month of February alone,

he has averaged 21 points, 8 as-sists, and 4 rebounds. This is essentially unheard of for an undrafted free agent. Numerous critics be-lieve that Lin is just an overnight sensation whose fifteen minutes will be up very soon. However, Lin is here to stay. He has a good number of starts under his belt now and has performed above average in all of them. Lin has gone up against some of the league’s most prominent stars and even outperformed them. Jeremy Lin’s work ethic and desire to be a great NBA player has rocketed him into stardom. Also, there is much to be said about his humility and perseverance after being picked up and then cut by a number of teams. Lin has the talent and support to be an NBA superstar

his entire career, but only time can tell.

GrantTaylor.StaffWriterJeremy Lin: overnighT SenSaTion or nBa STar?

AP Images Haraz N. Ghanbari

Photo by Stephen Luzier

Sophomore Mark Minjock warms up prior to a scrimmage.

6 sPorTs March 2012 7

SD: It has been the golden question for 19 seasons. The Pirates have experienced new levels of futility. However, with a bevy of young talent and a trailblazer in manager Clint Hurdle, 2012 will surely be the year the Bucs will turn it around. Led by all-star cen-ter fielder Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates will boast a youth-ful but battle-tested lineup that includes Neil Walker, Pedro Al-varez, and Garrett Jones. These three will be counted on to pro-vide some pop in the middle of the order, and with several key signings of veteran talent the team will undoubtedly be more productive this spring. Plus, the starting rotation had a com-bined E.R.A. of 4.05 BEFORE the acquisitions of Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett, two valuable arms acquired in the offseason. Couple that with a bullpen that is anchored by Joel Hanrahan, a closer who compiled 40 saves in 2011, and the rest is history. The Bucs will break .500. JG: You are correct; the Pirates have experienced “new levels of futility” for the past 19 seasons. However, you are incorrect in thinking that this is the year the Buccos turn it around. You say that the Pirates’ stars include Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez, and Garrett Jones. Excuse me, who

are they? Walker is a decent second-baseman, a career .280 hitter. Alvarez is the furthest thing from a star. His embar-rassing .230 career batting average (just .191 last season) proves that. If that weren’t bad enough, he is only a mediocre fielder at best. Lastly, Jones’ power numbers are already dropping and his career aver-age is just .254. Other than the lone talent, Andrew McCutch-en, the Pirates hitting is worse than it has been in any of their other 19 consecutive losing seasons. In terms of the pitch-ing, the Bucs will have to count on washed up has-beens. A.J. Burnett, a complete and utter head case, is supposed to be the “ace” for Pittsburgh. Yes, it is possible for him to succeed in the “Steel City,” but only when there is no pressure. If the team miraculously ends up in the postseason hunt, Bur-nett will quickly melt down and become the “salary dump” that the Yankees traded away. SD: I think you have misunderstood what I said. Al-varez was limited to 74 games last year due to injuries. Walker and Jones are not stars, but they DO have star potential. The Pi-rates are committed to produc-ing a more youthful brand of baseball, and with McCutchen, Pedro, and Neil all being first round picks, they have stuck to

their word. These players are years away from reaching the prime of their careers and they, with the exception of Alvarez, have already produced in the limited time since they have been called up. The Pirates may not have a bunch of big name players, but what they do have is a core of talent that will re-main in Pittsburgh for years to come. Did I mention that McCutchen just agreed to sign a six year, 51.5 million dollar contract, so look for that talent to blossom in a Bucco uniform. Lastly, there has only been a small sampling of Alvarez, as well, so I do not think all the criticism about him should be merited. JG: Thank you for backing up my argument. The Pirates have some potential, however, that potential will not be reached this year. In a couple of years, the Bucs may be a real threat to cross the .500 mark, but not this year. You said that the Pirates have a core of players for years to come. It is a core of mediocre players that may have the oc-casional “career year.” James McDonald, Pedro Alvarez, and Neil Walker do not con-stitute the foundation that will bring home champion-ships. Ultimately, the Pirates do not have the pitching, hit-ting, or fielding to win. If the

Bucs had a solid foundation in one of the three categories, this may be a different story. For example, the Phillies’ hit-ting is decent, but their pitch-ing is extraordinary. They will easily win the National League East. In addition, Pittsburgh has to overcome many difficult teams in the National League Central. The Cardinals, Brewers, and Reds are all contenders in the divi-sion. The Bucs have absolute-ly no chance of snapping the streak in 2012.

JoshGlicksman&ShaneDazen.StaffWritersunder review: wiLL BuCS Break .500?

AP Images Jeff Curry

The Peters Township baseball team comes into the 2012 season as a contender for the WPIAL crown. Led by senior captains Andrew Eren-berg, Zach Verner, Mike Bittel, and John Hlavinka, the Indians boast a formidable squad that is focused on developing their skills on and off the diamond. For the team, anything but a championship is a bust. “We’ve come close so many times,” said senior pitcher Mike Bittel. “It would awesome to go out on top my last year here.” To get there, pitching

and defensive skills need to be improved. The fundamentals of the game were stressed early in offseason workouts, and the players bought into the coach’s game plan as they strived to better themselves before the season started. “We need to break the game down, and instead of fo-cusing on the big things like hit-ting, there needs to be attention to making the little plays, the plays that should be routine,” said senior centerfielder An-drew Erenberg. Even though the team will field twelve seniors, youth

still dominates the roster. Ju-nior and sophomores who were offered the opportunity to make varsity will now ma-ture on and off the field. The pitching rotation will feature four non-senior athletes: Chris Watschak, Billy McLuckie, Devin Ulam, and Max Au-genstein. To be successful, the young core of talent need to harvest their skills. “I look forward to be-ing a mentor for some of our younger players,” said senior shortstop Zach Verner. “We’re all in this together, so we have to become a family.”

BaSeBaLL Team goeS For The ringTaylorCox.StaffWriter

Stock Photo

McCutchen recently agreed to a six year, 5.15 million dollar contract. He will be the key to the Pirates’ success this year.

8

Whether you are Christian or not, you have most likely heard the term “Lent” associated with a food or habit that your Christian friend is “giving up.” But what is Lent and why do Chris-tians observe it? Lent is a forty day period of fasting in preparation for Easter. Christians sacrifice specific food and habits to recognize Jesus Christ’s forty day fast in the wilderness. Catholics, Orthodox Chris tians, Lutheran, Methodist and many other different Christian denominations observe Lent. Each congregation observes it in a different way whether it is sac-rificing food or praying more often. For instance, Greek Orthodox Christians typically participate in a strict fast from meat and dairy products. “Since I’m Greek Orthodox, during Lent my family and I give up meat for forty days plus Holy Week, an extra seven days. It is difficult to see all my friends eat meat. On Easter, when I first get to eat it, it is such a great feeling, and the fasting is all worth it,” said freshman Kassiana Politis. Usually in Catholic churches, members fast from meat on Fridays and give up one food or habit that they especially love throughout Lent. To provide Catholics with a meal appropriate for no-meat-Fridays, Saint Benedict’s Catholic Church and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral host a fish fry. Additionally, grocery stores and restau-rants have seafood specials during the Lenten period. However, Lent is not solely about giving up certain foods and habits. There is a deeper meaning behind the fast which makes the struggle worth it. Many Christians gain more than they give up. During Lent, they have the opportunity to develop a connection to God by sacrificing foods and habits they love. Christians approach Lent as a period of spiritual cleansing in order to be forgiven for their sins. Several Christian denominations attend confession at the beginning of Lent to purify themselves and have a “clean slate.” Taken seriously, Lent is a sacred journey of repentance and spiri-tual reflection. Giving up food or habits for Lent is viewed as a constant reminder of Jesus’ suffering before his Crucifixion. Before Christians reach for that one food they desire, they will be think-ing about their spiritual health and the real reason why Lent is observed in the first place.

gaining, noT giving uP during LenT

RebeccaPerryman.StaffWriter

Chocolate is something that every kid begs for in the gro-cery store. It is a sweet treat that kids strive for every Halloween, Christmas, and Easter. For years, it has been the one treat that not only kids can depend on, but adults as well. Over the past few years, sweets have been a topic for discussion for the health of our chil-dren. The questions being asked are how far should parents and suppliers go in order to keep America healthy? Should there be a limit to the extremes parents take to protect their children’s health? How far is too far?

Recently in Alabama, nine year old Savanna Hardin was forced to run for three hours by her grandmother, Joyce Garrard, because she lied about eating a bar of chocolate. After the torture had stopped,the little girl later died of dehydration and the grand-mother now faces murder charges and could face the death pen-alty. In the attempt to keep her granddaughter healthy, she ended up achieving quite the opposite effect. Because Garrard worried so much about the health of her grandchild, she went to an unneces-sary extreme to achieve her goal. Making her exercise as punish-ment with the restriction of water to hydrate her, I believe she is guilty of the charges against her and has set an example of how harsh adults have become to the children who will soon shape the future. With adults’ concern about the future generation’s health, the candy suppliers themselves are contributing by placing a limit on the number of calories a candy bar can hold. Michelle Obama has recently signed an agreement with Mars Candy maker to re-duce the size of its chocolate bars. That means goodbye to the king size wonders and hello to just another afternoon snack that leaves you begging for more. Some question this decision and wonder why suppliers are going to such extremes. The candy companies say they are only answering the high concern of parents, who feel that their children are become overweight solely because of the size of a chocolate bar. Truly, reducing the size of the candy bar is not going to reduce the size of kids. Parents are blaming chocolate for the unhealthy habits of their children, and although that may con-tribute, it is shocking that parents want to cut it out from their lives. Kids should be kids; they have their whole lives to worry about what they should eat and how much they weigh. Although their health is important, the extremes parents take have become unacceptable and, if they continue, will destroy the childhood of their children.

Candy ConSTriCTionChristineManganas.OnlineEditor-in-Chief

AP Images Gene J. PuskarAP Images Etowah County Sheriffs Office

March 2012 9 When you think of sports, you usually think of fun competition, teamwork, and, above all, sportsmanship. As a student athlete myself, I see sports as an oasis from the real world, a place to break away from yourself, make new friends, and reach goals that you never thought you could actually accomplish. However, when competition is taken to an entirely new and unhealthy level, this sanctuary changes to a nightmare; it loses the en-joyment, the teamwork, and the sportsmanship. Sadly, this unhealthy change is becoming too common. Sports are drasti-cally spinning out of control. We, as a school, re-cently experienced this when one of our students, junior Gabe Pritz, was punched in the side of the head during a play-off game on February 18. Pritz was assaulted by Woodland Hills senior Shakim Alonzo, who had lost his composure, elbowed another athlete, and ejected from the game. Al-though Alonzo was obviously upset because his team was losing in the fourth quarter, he claims that he became infuri-ated because PT athletes were using racial slurs. Whether his claims are true or not, the fact that the game got that out of hand illustrates that sports have diverged too far off the path that they were intended. Both racially degrading an-other human being and fight-ing to the point that an athlete

was laid out on the court are definitely not a part of healthy competition, teamwork, or sportsmanship. Nevertheless, I’m sure some people would say that this one event does not mean that sports have gone too far, that this was just a freak moment where the heat of competi-tion took one player tumbling over the edge. However, you wouldn’t accept being punched in the side of the head while walking down the street, would you? Of course not; it would be assault. Therefore, this one event does prove that sports have crossed the line, and it is most definitely not the only ex-ample. During a champion-ship game for girls’ soccer in Rhode Island, two teams got into an all out brawl that the fans in the stands soon joined in on. There was even shoving, punching, and hair pulling; ba-sically, everything a catty girl fight needs (wpri.com). But, the worst part about the fight was that it began because one team was upset they were los-ing by five goals. I get it, in soc-cer that’s a pretty devastating loss, but it never justifies a fight, especially not an all out brawl. Yet, for some reason, athletes seem to think that when they are losing they have the right to

lose their composure and their sportsmanship. This should never be the case. Another example of sports crossing the line was when a basketball coach at Di-vision II Holy Family Univer-sity shoved his own athlete to the ground, consequently injur-ing him, and then kicked him for good measure (rivals.com). For some ridiculous reason, the coach continues to act like an overgrown, immature, ten year old bully by claiming he was justified because he was trying to toughen up his team after a hard loss. However, no coach has the right to touch any player in a violent manner. Motivation is one thing, injuring and possi-bly ruining an athlete’s athletic career is (no pun intended)in an entirely different ballpark. Finally, a Mississippi State bas-ketball player punched his own teammate (rivals.com). For me,

this act against teamwork is the most grievous. Fighting with an opponent already takes sports too far, but fight-ing with your own teammate is just plain wrong. Your teammate is supposed to be your family, someone to work with towards a common goal. However, no longer are ath-letes playing for the love of the game, but they are play-ing to be the best player on the team. Furthermore, it’s this disgusting competition between teammates that not only derails a team’s season, but also creates a whole new generation of Terrell Owens-like drama queens. All of these exam-ples show that competition has caused sports to go too far. Drama not only between teams but also between team-mates and coaches under-mines the essence of sports, and more importantly sports-manship. Without this sports-manship and teamwork, sports have crossed the line.

when SPorTS CroSS The LineKatieDenning.ManagingEditor-in-Chief

The Knicks and Celtics broke into a fight during an NBA game in 1984. Obvi-ously, fights have been a part of sports for years, but they seem to be becoming scarily more common.

AP Images Paul R. Benoit

gaining, noT giving uP during LenT

“&$%^#*” When you walk the halls of PTHS, you may not think twice about the racial slurs and derogatory terms you hear students jok-ingly fling at each other. Well, some students and administra-tors have and are taking action to stop these nonchalant acts

of belittling others. Mr. Lesnett, along with a panel of seniors, presented an assem-bly to the freshman and sopho-more classes on March 14. The assembly included a video made by the Media Department, as well as a panel discussion. It en-couraged students to be aware that they are either part of the problem or part of the solution; there is no in between. Allow-ing bullying or discrimination to happen is just as harmful as taking part in it. Since discrimination is a problem that every school faces, Mr. Lesnett feels a better

way to solve this problem is by taking a proactive approach. Students need to have empathy towards what others feel when they receive comments of a dis-criminatory nature. L e s n e t t hopes that the presentation will springboard into an initiative to encourage tolerance and em-pathy. Understanding someone prior to judging them is some-thing that everyone should keep in mind. “I think that people need to think more about what they say and do and how that affects others, just taking a sec-

ond to say hello to someone could make their day,” said Valerie Gobao, a senior panel-ist. However, Mr. Lesnett be-lieves that a positive culture change is possible. “Sure, people make occasional mistakes, but we have a student population that I wouldn’t trade for the world,” stated Lesnett. Just remember, when-ever someone is being bullied or discriminated against, take a step toward maturity and help them out. Don’t be a part of the problem, be a part of the solution. Photo by Allie Schlafman

PT awareneSS kiCkS oFF wiTh ToLeranCe aSSemBLyJennaTaimuty.StaffWriter

10 LiFe & sTyLe CandidaTe CouTure

McKenzieFritz.Online Editor-In-Chief

now Trending: yogaCarlyBeck.LifeandStyleEditor

With the end of the school year closing in, stress is starting to pile up. Spring sports kick into full force, homework seems overwhelming, and AP Exams are in the near future. There is no better time than now to give yoga a try. With nearly 11 million people enjoy-ing the benefits, it can hardly be called a trend, yoga is a phe-nomenon.

The benefits for any-one hopping on the yoga train seem never ending. Not only is it a calming ritual, it is physi-cally vigorous. Most western-ized classes focus on holding different poses and increasing strength and balance. In addi-tion, breathing exercises and some form of meditation are usually incorporated; this aids in stress relief and relaxation. The yoga poses vary from downward and upward facing dog, in which the body is sup-ported with the arms, to tree pose, which is done by balanc-ing on one leg. Muscle tone will inevitably be a by-product of holding these poses. Fur-thermore, being able to sustain the position while taking long breaths in and out helps with

balance as well as lung capacity. Another added benefit of yoga is the increased flexibility that your muscles will attain. The routine stretching reduces lac-tic acid build up in the muscles, which will then reduce stiffness. Finally, overall posture will im-prove after regular yoga classes. In the past few years, this stress-relieving hobby has gained a lot of attention and popularity. It is no longer only associated with trendy young women trying to fit in a work out. Throughout the world, dif-ferent types have been created to fit all different needs. One recent trend has been sports teams taking classes as a group. From toddler yoga, to holy yoga, to yoga/pilates combina-tions, there is something for

everyone. Looking to follow the trend? There are a couple of options right in Peters Town-ship. The Pilates Body, located on Valleybrook Road, is a yoga studio that offers a variety of classes. In addition, the PT Rec Center has weekly classes for people of all ages. Every class and studio will present a slight-ly different experience, making it possible to find one right for you.

As the Republican National Convention draws ever nearer, the American public is becoming more fed up with the 2012 candidates. There truly is no way to judge who is the best candidate --or at least best of the worst-- for the job. That’s why I propose that the republican candi-date should be chosen by his fashion sense. While ‘stylish republican’ may seem like an oxymoron, if one of this group actually wins the presidency and drives the country into a deep pit of doom and despair, they may as well look good do-ing it. Rick Santorum is a very busy man. From ques-tioning our current President’s

religious beliefs to campaign-ing to take away basic human rights, Santorum is always on the go. He barely has time to picket Planned Parenthood, nonetheless worry about his fashion sense. That’s where the Santorum sweater vest comes in. Rick Santorum doesn’t have time for sleeves; for God’s sake he’s on a moral crusade! By dressing like a knock-off Mr. Rogers, Santorum can relate to all Americans. Rick Santorum wants you to be his neighbor—unless you’re a non-Christian or gay, of course. In fact, if you donate $100 or more to the San-torum campaign, you can get your very own Rick Santorum sweater vest. According to San-torum’s website, his sweater vest

is, “perfect for demonstrating solidarity with true conserva-tives.” Ron Paul loves small government. However, there is one thing that’s tinier than Paul’s ideal government: his fashion sense. Paul is prone to ‘rocking’ novelty ties and suits that haven’t seen the light of day since 1976. Then again, if I were as old or paranoid about an impending nuclear war with China and/or Iran as Ron Paul, I suppose I wouldn’t be too worried with my style, either. Newt Gingrich’s cur-rent wife, Callista, looks like a Barbie Doll—that is if Barbie had Botox. As they say, third time’s the charm and one would think that Newt had hit the fashion jackpot with his third wife. Unfortunately for the people of America, Gingrich’s styles (and morals) are just as repulsive as ever. However, it’s not all Callista’s fault. It must be rather difficult finding attrac-tive suits for a man who is the human incarnation of the Pills-bury Dough Boy. Hopefully, Callista can get Gingrich’s style on track soon. After all, she probably only has a few more years before Gingrich divorces

her for his newest intern. Mitt Romney is cer-tainly the most suave out of the Republican candidates. My mother fondly refers to him as, “Mormon man candy.” Though Romney’s style team tries aw-fully hard to dress him like an ‘average Joe’, it’s obvious that his perfectly tailored suits are not ‘Made in America’. Though Romney doesn’t hold a flame to President Obama’s style, he does have one secret weapon…his hair. Romney’s hair looks like it waltzed off the Just for Men box. It’s a salt and pep-per, perfectly coifed dream. Not even Fabio could compete with the lusciousness. Though Rom-ney’s foreign policy may not be White House ready, his follicles certainly are. The public can’t rely on them as politicians or pos-sible presidents; however, the Republican candidates are consistent in their lack of style. Through the thick (Newt) and thin (Ron Paul’s comb over), these contenders can always be counted on to make the ‘worst dressed’ list. The only thing more laughable than the Re-publican candidates’ fashions is the fact that they’re serious con-tenders for the presidency.

AP Images Chris O’Meara

At a recent Republican debate Romney said, “No sweater vest today Rick? Your style is evolving.” Santorum replied, “Oh Mitt, you know I don’t believe in evolu-tion.”

AP Images Jay LepreteAP Images Jay Leprete

10 LiFe & sTyLe March 2012 11 CoLor your way inTo SPring

LydiaMcCall.StaffWriter

If you need new makeup but do not want to splurge on a name brand, consider trying E.l.f. E.l.f. is a non-commercial company that sells quality, in-expensive makeup. Eyeliner costs from one dollar to three dollars and a complete palette of 144 shadows can be purchased for only fifteen dollars. Visit your local Kmart or go to eyeslipface.com and check it out for your-self.

As spring quickly approaches, try these four items to rid the winter blues. They are sure to bring with a fun, healthy start to your hair and skin.

If the cold winter weather has dried out your skin, try adding Purpose Face Wash to your daily routine. Purpose is a gentle cleanser that removes makeup and cleans skin without

drying it out. This wash has a light, natural scent and will not clog your pores. It leaves skin feeling soft, clean and healthy. It can be purchased at most local drug and grocery stores for prices around seven dollars.

To get the “just left the beach” look, try a sea salt hair product. Many salons, like Geno Levi’s, sell this product, as well as drug for varying prices. Some brands are closer to twenty dol-lars and others range at about ten. It will add thickness and volume while giving hair the tousled, wind-blown beachy look without even stepping foot onto the sand. Using a diffuser to blow dry your hair will further improve this look.

Herbal Essence Long Term Relationship sham- poo is perfect for girls with long locks. It

fortifies dry hair, while strengthening it against breakage and split ends. Unlike some shampoos that claim to restore hair, Long Term Relationship actually smells great too. Also consider purchasing the Long Term Relationship conditioner. Your hair is sure to look and smell beautiful as well as feel healthy. This product is available at grocery stores

and drug stores.

KatieFinn.CarlyBeck.Life&StyleEditors

With the seasons rapidly changing it is hard to know what to wear. As unpredictable as our weather has been, so has this season’s spring style. The trends expand from romantic lady like dresses to wild patterns and bright colors.

The first big trend that is evolving is colored pants. Spring runways were sporting more color than a crowd at a Lady Gaga concert. Bright, deep colors of red, pink and royal blue have now traveled from a bold shirt to even bolder pants. Super daring prints are also a huge trend for this spring. There are prints, and then there are PRINTS. Capital letters are the only way to introduce this year’s vibrant col-ors that sashayed down the spring 2012 runway. There seems to be a pattern to fit the likes of everyone- oversized flo-rals, Aztec prints, mirror like geometric shapes, futuristic prints and, of course, the never dying animal print. As the

more daring trends step in, familiar faces seem to be making an even bigger appearance. While the styles get more courageous, the classic romantic style is making a comeback. Pale off the shoulder dresses have been the latest design for the hopeless romantic in everyone. Lace and pretty florals have been more popular than ever. The pick for this season’s numero uno shade was tangerine tango. Orange was seen all over the runways. If tangerine isn’t your citric choice, there are plenty of shades that can be substituted, such as, peach or a yellow based or-ange. If wild hues are not your thing, worry not –pastels are in. Spring’s sweet sorbet shades and pas-tel tones have a low key, lady like vibe. Color-ful camo is an-other big trend that you can add on your long, confusing list of “what to wear.” Camo seems to be heavy duty for spring but thanks to soft, feminine like tints, the usually husky pattern becomes chic. Scarves first appeared in the spring of 2010 but this year it’s all about size. Big wrap around scarves turn any boring outfit to an instant win. Blocking is the new planking. Block coloring is taking two contrasting colors like, yellow and blue and wearing them together. Placing bold contrasting colors together is an immediate statement piece. As far as nail polish goes, the paler the better. Just as pastels are making an impact on clothing, they also are on nails. With all these trends in mind, it’s important to pick the best one for you. Not all trends will look good on everyone. However this spring there are millions of options to choose from. Make this season fashionable! AP Images Jason DeCrowMatt Sayles

FacultyFace-Off2012

Round of 64: Who would sur-vive a Japanese

game show?

Round of 32: Who is the better free-

style rapper?

Sweet Sixteen: Who would win

a pie eating contest?

Elite Eight:Who could

dance a better Irish jig?

Final Four:Who would

survive Dec. 21,2012?

Final: Who would win the cage fight?

Wildcard &World language

electives

champion

Wilkinson Kowalcyk

MillerMeyers

DegnanLesnett

Dodson-Rosenberg

Bockstoce

FarrellPrinsen

Caponi Cunningham

MaizeWawrzeniak

RoseSudol

BastosPerrotte

Wilkinson Barney

Frick Hickle

FoxLemmon

Guerra

Kazalas

Lane

Kuhn

VeltriWalsh

Burns Sprowls

FacultyFace-Off2012

Final Four:Who would survive Dec.

21,2012?

Elite Eight:Who could

dance a better Irish jig?

Round of 32: Who is the better free-

style rapper?

Round of 64: Who would sur-vive a Japanese

game show?

Sweet Sixteen: Who would win

a pie eating contest?

Final: Who would win the cage fight?

english &social studies

math & science

champion

Kocan Blackhurst

Creany Mannion

BeckjordPolard

Kuharcik Livingston

DaerrIngham

Hamilton Vollmer

StevensonRedilla

StefanLawrence

WentzelDemascal

Pinto Cifelli-MacDonald

LaceyAntonelli

CanfieldPeterson

SussmanZippay

RipepiCompeggie

GearhartCervanek

KendrickWhalen

14 PeoPLe FeaTures

Junior Lauren Thomas participated in the Univer-sal Dance Association (UDA) National Dance Team Cham-pionship (NDTC) in Disney World this past February. As we learned in last month’s issue, Lauren had the opportunity to possibly dance with the Var-sity Dance Team on the NDTC stage. After a whole year of jug-gling long, grueling practices with both Junior Varsity and Varsity, did the hard work pay off? Unfortunately, Lauren did not get the chance to dance throughout all stages of com-petition with the girls. It was fortunate, however, that no one was injured for her to have the opportunity. “It would’ve been great to dance with Varsity, but I defi-nitely don’t want anyone to get

hurt,” said Lauren. Although she did not get the chance to dance with the team, Lauren’s hard work definitely paid off. Lauren was a fantastic role model for her younger teammates. She dem-onstrated great sportsmanship, enthusiasm, and work ethic for anyone to look up to. Even the older girls admired her dedica-tion to the team. “Even though it was a lot of hard work, I still got more practice and got better by prac-ticing with both teams,” said Lauren. As a Captain of the JV team, Lauren displayed leader-ship throughout the whole year and especially at Nationals. Because she had been dancing with the Varsity team the whole year, she knew what it took to do well. She saw firsthand the

amount of dedication, hard work, and drive there had to be. Lauren took what she learned during Varsity practices and used that to help her JV team. “I really enjoyed be-ing a leader on JV because I saw how Varsity was and I was able to bring that enthusiasm to JV,” said Lauren. Her new knowledge and experience helped to moti-vate her teammates went a long way as JV earned a national sec-ond place title in thier Division. Although she did not dance with the Varsity team to earn their national third place title in the Varsity Division, she still helped them throughout the year. To be an alternate for the Peters Township Dance Team is not an easy task. Bal-ancing all of the practices,

dances, and school work was difficult for Lauren, but it was also worth the extra effort. “I’m glad I got to do the competitions with Varsity that I did and also that both teams did extremely well throughout the year and at nationals, both coming in top three,” said Lau-ren.

Lauren ThomaS LeadS By examPLe CamilleBarnes.StaffWriter

The Peters Town-ship Boys Fencing Team has competed at multiple events throughout the year. Foil sea-son included five weekly com-petitions against other high schools. “The boys have been working really hard every week so it’s nice to see that it all paid off,” said Senior Elise Bigley. The team will be competing in two more competitions at the end of March, hopefully to bring home more victories. The boys brought home first place in the PIFA 2012 Cham-pionship on February 23rd. On February 29th the Field Direc-tor of Congressman Tim Mur-phy, Nate Nevala, presented

FenCing Team FoiLS Their way To

PiFa ChamPionShiPCamilleBarnes.StaffWriter

Photos by Elise Jozwiak

Freshman Tori Lewis represented Peters Township High School as an “indepen-dent” in the WPIAL Gymnas-tics championship and took home the silver medal in the all around event. The all around event consist of the total of the gymnast’s score, from all four events, floor, beam, bars, and vault. “I was so nervous since this was a big event. Each year I look forward to this meet because the bus ride is so much fun with my team,” said Tori. She has trained at nu-merous gyms and has practiced hard to get where she is today. Tori’s goal for next year is to place first in every event. Although Tori didn’t move on to the state competi-tion, her strong showing as only a freshman is very encouraging. Gymnastics is a sport invlving performance of danc-es, flexibility, agility, coordina-

Tori LewiS PLaCeS 2nd aT wPiaLS

the team with a Congressional Certificate to congratulate them on their PIFA Championship. Good work boys!

tion, and balance. It typically involves the women's events of uneven bars, balance beams, floor exercises, and the vault. Participants can usually starts as children as young as two years old. Tori have been to several camps and gyms over the years the get to where she is today. Currently, she trains at Premiere located at the Baldwin High School.

BobbyLewis.StaffWriter

Junior Lauren Thomas stands proudly with the teams well-earned second place trophy. “The team works so well together and we all chipped in to ac-complish this,” said Lauren.

Subm

itted

Pho

to

March 2011 15

Broken gLaSS LeadS To SuCCeSSAmandaMoore.NewsEditor

Junior Morgan Boyer won a silver medal in the National Scholastic Art and Writing Award contest, beating out 55 other students from three coun-ties. Boyer’s inspiration comes from a variety of sources. She typically writes about the themes of philosophy, history, and religion. “My poem, Shards, was inspired by a vision of broken sea glass falling. I captured the feeling of the mir-

ror never being able to fit together the same way it had,” said Boyer. A lot of Boyer’s poetry was inspired by living with her father while he was suffering from cancer. Shards was written

I am the crimson flow of broken charcoal,Lying on the tiles of denim,

Spirals of blackened shavings,Lying carelessly among the broken pieces of

dreamsThat dreamt of being a masterpiece.

Though now we lie silent,For we are the flames of the somber, winter mist

that is born,From a single, brave word, spoken in the frigid

cold,And dies come nightfall, as we are dying,

As our dreams of being artwork slowly fade into the silence,

A treasured spring that shall never come

‘‘Shards’’

Photo by Jake Wilhelm

Candle-flame dances in the moonless summer nightThe slowly dimming skyline losing its last touches of

lightThe sounds of the highway racing in the lands so near yet

so farThe beat of pulses of light from fireflies,

The shepherds of nature’s summer blanketOnce green blades of lush grass now pitch darkThe hound roaring to his wolverine ancestors

And the kitchen light still on as the baseball game plays while father’s asleep

Candle-flame dances in the moonless nightAs the winds of ancient flow like crashing waves through

the branches and vines of a nearby hillsideThe chill of sir Night freezes the tips of my calloused toes

As I stare at the dancing candle light that only I know

“Candle-flame”

Photo by Sarah Zimmermann

while her father was in the hospital receiving treatment for his cancer. Shortly after this poem was submitted to the contest, her father lost his ten year fight with the disease. Boyer constantly tries to improve herself. “I take a class with the fantastic Sandy Umboch at Washington Arts,” explained Boyer. “The class has three people in it and the teacher helps re-view any poetry you write - even the poems outside of class. Sandy gives the class journals and we go to Crazy Mocha to make the time even more enjoyable.” Boyer has not gone on to compete further, but the silver medal is a fantastic accomplishment in itself. As a junior, Boyer is already looking for colleges with creative writing programs. Cur-rently, her top choice is Carlow. She plans to continue writing po-etry and aspires to become an even more successful writer.

At the PIAA State Swimming Championships at Bucknell University, Andrew Rich finished 4th place in the 100 fly and Saoirse Palu-Benson finished 10th in the 500 free. Kyle Higgins broke the PTHS record in the 500 free (4:37.17), finishing 10th place in the competition. Christopher Buzard, Kyle Higgins, Dan Pletz, and Andrew Rich finished 9th in the 400 free relay, breaking the PTHS record with a time of 3:08.97. In addition, congratulations to all of the swimmers who participated in the WPI-AL Championships. Andrew Rich took first place in the 100 fly, setting a new WPIAL record. The boys medley relay team- consisting of Dan Pletz, Chris Buzard, Kyle Higgins and Andrew Rich- also broke a WPIAL record in their event. For the girls, team Saoirse Palu-Benson and Gavi Krohner qualified at the WPIAL and will moved on to the state championships. Also, Cam Winterhalter and Ian O’Brien participated in the PIAA State Swimming Championships at Bucknell University.

SwimmerS SuCCeed aT STaTeS (and wPiaLS)JoshGlicksman.StaffWriter

Photo by Mr. Rich

reaLiTy T.v: how muCh do you know?McKenzieFritz.OnlineEditor-in-Chief

Answers: (1,C) (2,D) (3,A) (4,A) (5,A) (6,B) (7,A) (8,A) (9, B) (10, A)

1. Which is not an actual Real House-wives series? A. AtlantaB. Beverly HillsC. Disney D. New JerseyE. New YorkF. Orange County

2. Which stunt has NOT been performed on Fear Factor? A. Bobbing for objects in a vat containing 50 gallons of cow bloodB. Walking in a naked fashion show in which the contestants had to walk for at least three minutes in front of 100 people , while photographers took photosC. Dangling from a helicopter while unscrewing grenades off a moving Army truck D. None of the aboveE. All of the above

3. How many Bachelor couples (not counting Ben and Courtney—I hate them) are still together today? A. OneB. FourC. NoneD. Who cares, there are kids starving in Africa.

4. What is the name of the Survivor con-testant who lied that his grandma died, in order to gain sympathy from the other contestants? A. Jonny FairplayB. Johny Appleseed C. Johnny CashD. Joe MaizeE. Johnny Depp F. Jonny Lang

5. Which reality family has more chil-dren, the Duggars, the Gosselins, or the Kardashians? A. The Duggar familyB. The Gosselin familyC. The Kardashian family

6. Who is the most successful (based off record sales) star from American Idol? A. Kelly ClarksonB. Carrie UnderwoodC. Clay AikenD. Jordin SparksE. Chris Daughtry

7. Which reality talk show host’s catch-phrase is, “You are not the father!”? A. MauryB. Jerry SpringerC. Dr. DrewD. Tyra Banks

8. What is the average weight loss of a Biggest Loser contestant per week?A. 10 poundsB. 4 poundsC. 20 poundsD. 6 BigMacs

9. Is Snooki actually Italian?A. Si (that means ‘yes’ in Italian, people) B. No, she’s Chilean C. MaybeD. Yes, if Italian means ‘inebriated’

10. Which gift has Oprah not given to her audience?A. A cardboard cutout of herself B. A wide-screen LDC TV C. A VW Beetle D. A trip to Australia E. J.Lo Velour Sweatsuit

It is nearly impossible these days to flip through the channels on TV without coming across several reality shows. Who doesn’t want a sneak peek into others’ lives every once in a while? As time goes on, it appears the more ridiculous the show the bigger the ratings. Here, test your knowledge with our reality quiz and get an inside look on the current phenomenon:

Dance Moms.

AP Images Nam Y Huh, Dima Gavrysh and Keith Svakocic

Through the the stage lights and glitter that gleams off their costumes, the girls of Dance Moms have become well known for their amazing dancing abilities. The dancers of the Abby Lee Dance Studio, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in-clude Maddie, Chloe, Brooke, Paige, Nia, Kendall, and Payton. Through their danc-ing on the show they give viewers a picture of what competitive dancing is all about… mostly. However, one of the dancers, Pay-ton, opened up about her experience on the show and what the show is really like com-pared to how it is portrayed on television. “The show is about 50% real,” Pay-ton said. “The producers put us all in situa-tions that might not actually happen in real life. Even though the situations/ arguments we are put into might not be real, the reac-tions and feelings are real. When the moms fight with each other and Abby it is because they are expressing their feelings…if they didn’t show their true feelings, the show wouldn’t be interesting.”

On a recent episode of Dance Moms, Payton made a comment after a competition; which she didn’t intend to hurt her friends, but it caused a huge fight between her mom and Abby. All of a sudden, Payton appeared at a Candy

Apples group audition. Cathy offered her a spot right away, but Payton denied. It shocked many viewers. Although fans would have dreaded one of Abby’s own going to their arch enemy, it was still con-fusing to many as to why she did not ac-cept the offer from the Candy Apples. “I chose not to go to Candy Apples because I would miss my friends too much and I wouldn’t be as good of a dancer. Cathy’s girls’ aren’t that good at dancing,” Payton said. Given the title, Dance Moms, the show would not be the same without the moms’ shoe throwing and kissing up to Abby. “Even though the moms fight with each other, I love each and every one of them, in-cluding Jill. Melissa is like my second mom; Kelly and Christi are so funny. Holly is very nice and respectful, and Jill wants the best for everybody. My life wouldn’t be the same

without all of them,’’ said Payton. Although the parents are nicer than they appear, viewers frequently ques-tion whether Abby is really that mean. “Abby came up with this show. Dance moms would not be as successful without Abby,” stated Payton. “If she was not mean there wouldn’t be a show. Believe it or not, Abby is nice when she is off cam-era. She is a great dance teacher and she can make anyone a star.” Due to the popularity of the show, fans find it hard to believe that Payton is a regular high school freshman. However, her life did change once she starred on the show. “Since the show has started, I have not re-ally been treated differently at school,” said Payton. “However, whenever I am at dance competitions I am treated like a famous person. I get asked for my autograph and m y picture all the time. Also, I have

had many friend requests, fol-lowers, and direct messages on

Facebook and Twitter…it’s a bit overwhelm-

ing, but I love all of my fans!” Fame also comes with a negative

price tag and Payton has experi-enced that side of it as well.

“Through the show I have gained many fans and many haters. Even

though people say rude things about me, it doesn’t

bother me. My favorite saying is, ‘my haters are my motivators.’ It fits me per-fectly.” For those induviduals who are striving to meet their highest potential

as dancers, many wonder how to get their “big break” in dancing and performing. Payton has some advice for them. “Never let someone tell you that you are too tall, short, fat, or skinny. You are perfect just the way you are. If the person doesn’t like the way you are, don’t change yourself to be liked. Always follow your dreams, and never give up on what you be-lieve in,” she said.

danCe momS BaCkSTage: a CLoSe-uP oF PayTonAndreaSalizzoni.StaffWriter

Photos submitted by Payton

18 enTerTainenT

Lights! Camera! Dra-ma! In the 21st century, we can easily be in touch with the lat-est celebrity gossip 24/7 using the latest technology. Could this be the reason why we are so consumed with other people’s lives even those who we don’t personally know? Or could it be the fact that the media por-trays them in such a desirable manner? We are constantly re-ceiving updates on who shaved their head, who was caught with an engagement ring on their finger, and whose baby is on board. There are nine teach-ers pregnant at the High School and you don’t see us walking around snapping pictures of them and asking for interviews. It all leads back to the media, their drama, and our constant addiction to it. With the latest smart phone technology, the public can basically stalk their favorite celebrity. You can learn every-thing from where your celebrity was last seen and what he or she was wearing, or their favorite places to dine. People know more about celebrities than they do about close friends or fam-ily. No one else is to blame for digging up this so called “entic-ing” information other than the paparazzi. The media displays these normal people in ways so attractive and transfixing that you can’t help but get pulled in to the juicy gossip. These gods and goddesses are usually dis-played as pure perfection. They can sing, dance, and always look phenomenal. We look to these people as practically un-touchable, and some look to them as role models. It is clear that the media separates them and us into two very different classes: realistic and flawless. Even in grade school, everyone wanted to know ev-erything about everyone. Now growing up, we’ve moved out of petty school drama, and moved on to the world of celebrity drama. This is the main factor of why we are so addicted to ce-

lebrities. These people do out-rageous stunts that we would not or could not do even in our wildest dreams. It is almost as if we live through these crazy tales. We find it fascinating that a life could be filled with so many exciting and extravagant stories. Gossip could easily be classified as a drug. People Magazine, number two, along with Star, number five, are amongst some of the most popular magazines in the US according to AllY-ouCanRead.com. We love get-ting the next issue in the mail, and now we can just have the next issue sent directly to our phones. The glamorous, drama filled, twisted lives of celebri-ties is what continues to fuel the fire. Some people can’t even go a day without getting the latest word. It is a must have and we are sitting here gasping in dis-belief at some stories that might even be over played by the pa-parazzi. We cannot seem to get past the fact that they are exact-ly like us. We think of them as a totally different species--just something to gawk at. Without the media, would we be able to walk past celebrities on a street and caus-ally say “hi” to them without finding our face on the cover of a magazine the next day? We have to get past the fact that as different as they seem, it’s noth-ing but lights, cameras, and dra-ma that sets them apart from us.

LegaLized STaLkerS: do They Feed our

CeLeBriTy oBSeSSion?EliseJozwiak.StaffWriter

Shown above is the famous Kim Kardashian who has made her name known by many in the past few years

AP Images Evan Agostini

The second edition of the Entertainment Must List brings you the best of the best in bands, restaurants, TV, and more. Here are some pop culture greats I am currently ob-sessing over. If you’ve never heard of these things, they defi-nitely deserve a minute (or more) of your time!1. Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming by M83 M83, the electronic rock band (named after a gal-axy) fronted by Anthony Gonzalez, shines in their double al-bum Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. The album features 22 songs all using the reverb effect. Gonzalez sings softly over loud in-strumentals. This band has become extremely popular at col-leges with the song “Midnight City,” but other tracks “Wait” and “My Tears are Becoming a Sea” should not be overlooked. 2. Yesterday’s News This great little boutique is found in the South Side. Yesterday’s News is an authentic, vintage clothing and acces-sory store. Each piece includes a tag with its original date. Some even range back to the early 1900’s. Even if you don’t bring money, it’s fun to look around.3. Marcus Mumford If you’re not obsessed with Mumford & Sons yet, come out of the cave you’ve been living in (pun intend-ed). Marcus Mumford, the frontman, is not only a beautiful singer, he’s also adorable, and he delivers in every song. His soulful crones in their recent single “Home” are mesmorizing. He even rocks in their innovative music vid-eos—especially “Winter Winds.”4. Maybachs These are officially the coolest cars you’ve ever seen. They’re even better to drool over than a porsche. They’re ridiculously expensive, having features like a 21-speaker sound system, seat massagers, and night vision. The brand will be discontinued in 2013, so ogle while you can.5. Drive This movie was very overlooked during the 2011 award season. Ryan Gosling deserved an Oscar nod for his performance--and not just because he’s Ryan Gosling. Even with his few words through the excessive violence, he still pulled off a chilling calm in his character.6. Il Pizzaiolo This Italian restaurant in Mt. Lebanon has hands down the best pizza you’ve ever tasted. The chefs make Nea-politan (traditional European) pizza using mozzarella cheese and wood-brick ovens. Additionally, the outside seating is perfect for springtime. 7. Happy Endings This ABC show’s second season is absolutely hilari-ous. The show, almost a modern version of Friends, follows six pals living in Chicago. The group has almost nothing in common, but clicks together superbly well. Also, the show is usually timed with recent holidays and events, making it re-latable. Characters Penny and Brad are especially entertain-ing.

Photo AP Images

The enTerTainmenT muST LiST

LauraPurkey.StaffWriter

Amanda McCay’s iPod Playlist

1. Mac Miller-Party on Fifth Ave

2. Adele-Set Fire to the Rain

3. Kelly Clarkson- Stronger

4. Drake - The Motto

5. Coldplay- Paradise

March 2012 19

Pinning The direCTion oF SoCiaL neTworkSJesseEby.StaffWriter

Social Network-ing sites have evolved over the years. It all started with MySpace in the early 2000’s and like the ever-popular Face-book and Twitter, many more have been created since. Addi-tionally, new social networking sites are always being created. Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinter-est are currently sweeping the nation. With the lack of activ-ity on MySpace and the waning interest in Facebook, it will be interesting to see which social networking site will become the next sleeper and which fresh site will come out on top. Instagram is a free

photo sharing application that allows users to take a photo, ap-ply a digital filter, then share it on a variety of social network-ing services. It has accumulated over a million users in the span of a year. Instagram is currently only for users with an iPhone, but an Android version will be available at a date yet to be de-termined. This will do nothing but increase the amount of us-ers. Sophomore Jake Au-gustine, a new member of the Instagram community, had this to say about the site. “I love Ins-tagram because it is a good way to see what your friends are do-

ing and where they are,” stated Augustine. Tumblr is a microb-logging site that allows users to post multimedia and other content to a short-form blog called a tumbleblog. Tumblr is an older site, developed in 2007, but has gained much popularity in the last few years, receiving thirteen billion views a month. Also, gaining 25,000 new users daily, it is growing at an incred-ibly fast rate. Another image-based site is Pinterest. This service allows users to create and man-age theme-based image collec-tions. This past summer, Time

Magazine named Pinterest one of the best “50 Best Websites of 2011.” All of these social networking sites offer a great amount of features and in-volvement, but only one will be on top. The others will inevita-bly sink to the bottom.

SPring Break Book reviewSKatieFinn.Life&StyleEditor

AP Images

Before I Go To Sleep

Imagine having to relearn your life every day and forgetting every moment of your existence once you fell asleep. Christine lives this nightmare every day. When she wakes up she remembers herself as twenty years younger and in college. Her husband has to fill her into what he calls her “life” each and every day. Against her husband’s wishes, Christine starts secretively see-ing a doctor in the hopes of re-gaining some of her memory. With the help of her doctor and her growing subconscious memories, Christine begins to piece her life together for her-self, but slowly begins to realize her life may not have been as it seemed.

Paper Towns

Ten year old Margo and Q were best friends and partners in crime. However, as they grew up, Margo was pulled into the rush of popularity and easily left behind her child-

hood friend for the popular boys and fashion obsessed, fake girls. One night, after years of Q loving Margo from a distance, she shows up at his window in the middle of the night insisting they go on an adventure. They trash their enemies houses, ruin their repu-tations, and to finish the night off, they break into SeaWorld. Q feels like a brand new person and thinks they can finally be friends again, but the next morning Mar-go is gone. Margo has run away before and left her family clues as to where she is going, but this time she leaves the hints for Q. Q is determined to find his life-long friend and crush before the clues run out and he is too late.

Photo by Katie Finn

20 news imProved iPad FaCTory working CondiTionS

AmandaMoore.NewsEditorEthical business is always

a touchy subject. There is a fine line between making money and doing the right thing. Many people thought the Apple fac-tory in China (Foxconn) was abusing workers when a report-er publicized the story of a poor 13 year old girl who worked 13-15 hour days. On top of that, in three months, nine workers took their own lives and 18 have

taken their lives in the past few years. In addition, there were explosions from the factory caused by the high level of alu-minum dust. The blasts injured 77 people and killed four. Peo-ple protested all over the world for an “ethical” iPad that would be made using fair labor.

It did not help Apple’s case that the company did not allow anyone to see the inner workings of the factory. However, the factory has recently opened up its doors to reporters in order to show the world how business is conducted there. A Nightline reporter investigated and found that the workers were not as miserable as the news made

them out to be despite several sad stories of abused workers. One woman, Zhou Xiao Ying, works tirelessly and once a month she takes a 2 hour bus ride to visit her children and parents.

What the world fails to realize in this economy is that they feel lucky to have a job. Many times, giant masses of people wait outside the factory, just praying to be able to go in to support their loved ones. The starting salary is about $ .25 an hour, which is above minimum wage. The thousands of people wishing for a job think that is very good.

What was learned from

this insight into the workings of Foxconn? Although the working conditions are not ideal, they do help support the unemployed China , which is a great number of people. They are working towards improving their ways and Apple has promised increased ethics.

AP Images Kin CheungAP Images Kin Cheung

This is the first year Granting Educators Opportunities, or GEO grants, have been awarded within the Peters Township School District. Three teachers from the district were awarded this honor by the Peters Township Education Foundation (PTEF). The foundation grants funds to support technology projects in classrooms. This organization awarded a total of $7,000 to support classroom projects at the high school, middle school, and elementary school.Librarian, Ms. Myers, was awarded the grant for her global literature project.

“Applicants were not given a specific amount of money for the grant; instead, applicants were asked to request specific technology tools or materials that they need to complete educational projects and lessons in the classroom,” stated Myers.

The library project will use iPads to connect students to classrooms in other countries, where they will be able to

participate in group discussion as they read the novel Siddhartha. Both current and future students will be benefit greatly from this technology.

“The grant of ten iPads will greatly assist students to learn how to use new technologies and work together with their peers in their own classroom as well as classrooms abroad. Each class will interact as they read and discuss a common text, and the iPads will be the means by which they connect and collaborate,” said Myers.

The technology will not only be available in the library, but can be accessed in the classrooms as well.

“Because iPads are so versatile, they will be used in all classrooms across the disciplines, so that students in many types of classrooms completing a variety of different lessons will be able to benefit from the technology,” remarked Myers.

The iPads tools and applications will forever change

the way that library projects are structured, now that classes will be able to work on numerous different collaborative projects.

“For instance, freshman classes will complete scavenger hunts to learn about the library using an iPad. English classes will be able to research using the iPads, as there are many apps which are literature-focused and assist with the writing process. Social studies classes will be able to use the iPads to create movies to illustrate instances in history or to explain topics from current events,” stated Myers.

Since the technology is so user-friendly and familiar, it will benefit students in the future. “Students will be able to manipulate various types of technology, from PCs to Apple products, and employers will appreciate this diverse knowledge,” explained Myers.

The applications and features on the iPad will also help students will develop critical thinking skills and learn

how to problem solve. “With technology

things are always changing, but students who are familiar with technology and not afraid to try new things with technology will

be successful,” Myers remarked.

TeChnoLogy granT ChangeS The FuTure oF PT

Photos by Shane Dazen & Alexa Kennedy

StephanieHammell.MarketingEditor

March 2012 21

whaT in The worLd? ValerieGobao.LayoutEditor-in-Chief

Frozen yogurT Trend exPandS in PT

StephanieHammell.MarketingEditor The self-serve frozen yogurt trend is continuing to gain popularity in the PT area. The first frozen yogurt place to open was Swirlie Wirlie’s, which is located in the plaza as Panera. This frozen yogurt place has eight different flavors and a wide range of toppings. However, Swirlie Whirlie’s will not maintain its monopoly on frozen yogurt. This March, residents will have another business to purchase their low calorie, low fat frozen treats.

Moo Moo Frozen Yogurt will open in mid-March, just in time for spring. Moo Moo will be similar to Sincerely Yogurt with self-serve yogurt machines and various toppings for a delicious and healthy treat. This frozen yogurt shop will be located next to the Starbucks by the Dairy Bar.

Moo Moo will feature flavors such as Acai Berry, Almond, Banana Pudding, Birthday Cake, Blueberry, Cheesecake, Guava, Green Apple, Lychee, Grape, Mango, French Vanilla, Kiwi, Cookies and Cream, Coffee, Melon, Mint Chocolate, Coconut, Chocolate Macaroon, Green Tea, Latte and more.

With such interesting flavors this yogurt place will set itself apart from other local shops. The store is hiring now. Call 724-949-0438 and for more information and more frozen yogurt visit mymoomooyogurt.com.

In the ultimate instance of real-life-turned-horror-movie madness, 95 year old Li Xiufeng spooked her small rural Chinese village by rising out of her coffin after being “dead” for six days. No, it wasn’t the full moon, nor was it the zombie apoca-lypse; due to a head injury sustained two weeks before, Xiufeng entered such a deep coma that it seemed like she wasn’t breath-ing. So when her neighbor found her totally unresponsive one morning, he naturally assumed she had passed away. Thankfully for her, the village’s tradition dictates that the coffin be placed in the home for a few days to allow mourners to visit the body. And in another stroke of luck, the coffin was not yet nailed shut, allowing for her to easily escape death again: frail Chinese grand-mother, 1, Grim Reaper, 0.

And the number one mom award goes to…Sarah Burge, for giving her eight-year-old daughter the totally appropriate birthday gift of €8,000 in plastic surgery vouchers! According to Burge, she is “empowering…her [daughter] to take charge of the way she wants to look.” With a face and body worth €250,000, this mom is no stranger to spending the big bucks; her daughter’s birthday proceedings will also include a professional, Lady Gaga-themed photo shoot, a diamond encrusted dress and shoes, and a party with a hundred guests including her own personal profes-sional singer and the world’s largest rabbit. Talk about a party; this takes the child spoiling absurdity of Toddlers and Tiaras to fabulous new heights.

What happens in your yard stays in your yard, right? Well, not anymore; with the watchful cameras of Google Street-view surveying the world, embarrassing candid images are now available for the whole internet to see. However, one middle aged French citizen, whose name remains anonymous, does not ap-preciate this new, Big-Brother-like technological intrusion. After being caught urinating in his front yard by one such camera, this man is suing Google for about $13,000 in damages. Though his face was blurred out of the picture, neighbors easily recognized him, making him “the laughingstock of his village.” He should have thought of that before he left the comfort of his own bath-room.

Photo by Stephanie Hammell

Chardon, Ohio is 2 hours and 36 minutes away from Peters Township. That makes the shooting that occurred there on February 28, 2012 the closest yet. After the shooting, student T.J. Lane admitted to bringing a .22-caliber semiautomatic pistol to Chardon High School and firing shots at four students in the cafeteria. Three victims, Russell King, Demetrius Hewlin, and Daniel Parmertor, died from the attack and others were wounded. It has been reported that Lane chose his victims at random and no motive is clear. Chardon students who knew T. J. Lane said he was quieter than most, but generally a good kid with no prior record of

trouble. F r o m

Columbine to Virginia Tech, the frequency of horrific school shootings in the United States has increased in recent years. With this shooting so close to home, it is a stark reminder that tragedies can

occur anywhere, even in the bubble of PTHS. To address this potential problem, Superintendent Dr. Zetty recently met with the entire faculty to open a discussion on the topic of school safety. Additionally, she met with a team of high school teachers and administrators to discuss practical ways to make the high school a safer place.

AP Images Mark Duncan

From SChooL Tragedy To SChooL SaFeTy

ValerieKotar.FeaturesEditor

These student pieces from the wide variety of PT electives show the skills of artists and woodworkers alike. From painting murals to creating chairs, students exhibit their remarkable ex-pertise by creating unique and beautiful pieces. Here are just a few examples of the talent found in the elective classes.

Layo

ut D

esig

n by

Den

ée R

enz

mixed arT

Carla Buzzato, 11

Kyle Higgens, 11

Rachel Rex, 10

Austin Ansell, 9

Denée Renz, 12

John Provident, 12

Lindsey Delcotto, 12

Kailyn Schmidt, 11

Alexa Ansel, 12 EmmaLee Ducoeur, 10

Mike Ranalli, 12

Chloe Smith, 11 Ben Hoskins, 12

Joey Sala, 11

Ben Hoskins, 12

At the end of the rainbow, there is______.

Gw

en C

aven

Kevi

n H

utch

ins

Kass

iann

a Po

litis

Fred

eric

k Sm

ith

RJ P

feuff

er

Emily

McK

enzi

e

Emily

Sm

ith Jere

my

Trou

p

Mor

gan

Wya

tt

Chri

stia

n N

osso

koff

Chri

stia

n P

etro

zza

Tren

t M

cPhe

rson

Ale

x D

agna

l

Mor

gan

McP

hers

on

McK

enzi

e Fi

tzge

rald

John

McG

over

n

Mrs

.Koc

an

Mr.P

into

Mr.C

erva

nek

Mrs

.Bak

er

Mrs.Vollmer

Nathaniel Tost

Jessica Dowd

Sarah Luzier

Laurel Carpenter

Freshmen

Teachers

Seniors

Juniors

Sophomores

“The Sky”

“The end of school year and the promise

of summer”

“Pi”

“Gold”

“A Gold Medal”

“Little People”“Pot of Gold”

“Gold”

“Leprechauns”

“The City of Oz”

“The Emerald City”

“Oz”

“Gold”

“Happiness”

“It Never Ends”

“Fun Times”

“Care Bears”

“Gold”

“Clouds”

“Gold”

“The Sky”

“Pot of gold”

“Lax”

“Money”

“Hope”