Tamaqua Blue and White - Issue 3, Volume 4

Tamaqua Blue and White Magazine: Issue III, Volume IV : Third Quarter Edition 1

Preserving History

Preserving memories to

cherish later in life is such

an important thing to make

time to do. The cover

featured on this issue of

the ‘Blue & White’ was

taken in 1968, when the

high school that you are

still attending class in

today was first opened. Featured in the 1968 edition of the ‘Sphinx’

Yearbook, this memory of a blustery, snowy morning was captured

and printed, preserving this bit of history forever. The ‘Blue and

White’ aims to do just that. It is our hope that in 20, 30, or even 50

years from now, you will be able to one day open this magazine once

again, with a whole new set of eyes. Getting the chance to look back

on how different things were now, and how you may have been a

part of the start of the Mini-THON, or in the student section at Boaz’s

1,000th point game is something you will love to be able to do. With

any luck, it will spark your memories and and take you back to

simplier, meaningful times.

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-Kyle Weaver, Editor : March 19th, 2015

PAGE 17

Although Blue Mountain Ski Resort near Palmerton is beautiful and expanding, sometimes the weather in our area just doesn’t make for great skiing con-ditions, and the mountains do not come close to the magnitude of those located in the western and north-ern states. Having memorized each twist and turn of every trail, sometimes it’s good to feel a little lost and out of your comfort zone. To satisfy our cravings for an adrenaline rush, the Tamaqua Ski Club endured a seven and a half hour bus ride to northern Vermont for a weekend at the end of January. We also satisfied our sugar cravings with an educational stop at a Ben & Jerry’s factory for a tour and some scrumptious ice cream -- which also made the bus ride more tolerable. Although the trip had to be cut short because of the impending storm, everyone made great memories and plans to return to Vermont in the future. Without our dedicated club advisor, Thorn Devlin Sr., this trip would not have been possible. You don’t have to be a professional member to join the ski club; it’s never too late to learn!

---------- a middle school persepective:Ski club is a club where you go to Blue Mountain and ski/snowboard down the mountain. It is a lot of fun to do and is actually very exciting. Thorn Devlin heads it. Ski Club takes a trip to Vermont where we stay in a hotel and ski for the weekend. Every Friday (unless there is no school or an early dismissal), we stay after school and head to Blue!

You can join ski club anywhere from 6th grade to 12th grade. The first year you join when you go to Blue, you must get a lesson. When you get a lesson, you go with a trainer and practice skiing or snow-boarding down these small hills. Then when you are finished, you can go on the major runs or the bun-ny hills. There are 5 rates for the runs: beginner (a green circle), intermediate (a blue square), advanced (one black diamond), and expert (double black dia-mond). They have many lifts including a 2-person lift, a 4-person lift, and a 6-person lift. These lifts are located around the mountain and can take you up to the top.

ski club takes over vermont!By Allison Amodea & Sarah Frantz


Teamwork. Teamwork is the key to winning in most sports. While swimming may be an individual effort, greater results often come when all members work together to achieve one goal. This is the case for the 2014-'15 Raider swim team. Coming off of last year's extremely successful season, the Raiders were faced with some tough issues in the beginning of the year. Many powerhouse swimmers had moved on, and the team was also left with the task of finding a new coach. As the season began, membership turned out to be at an all time low. Despite these heavy blows, the small team joined together to face the challenges and focused on what needed to be done. Sophomore record-holder Rebecca Kanaskie sees it this way: "I think our determination and support for each other individually keeps the team going. We all motivate each other to do our best, and we succeed by feeding off each other's energy." While few actual meet wins have been posted by either the girl's or boy's teams, many personal bests and other goals have been achieved by the swimmers. Many Raiders have qualified to move on to the District XI PIAA championships in February and have proven that even though the team may look small, they should not be overlooked. At the recent Schuylkill League Championship meet, the team harnessed five gold and two silver medals. Kanaskie and teammate Danielle DeCindio each earned two golds in their individual events, along with Ben Turrano who won the 100 butterfly. The girl's 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay teams took the two silver medals. By focusing on and achieving individual suc-cess, this, in turn, enables the team to encourage and build one another up, which ultimately leads to the formation of bonds and friendships that drive them to keep pushing forward.Tamaqua's dive team also faced some challenges of their own, but have greatly improved since last season. Despite the fact that there are just three divers, they still came into the year with positive thoughts and bigger goals. Junior Thorn Devlin continued to be consistent, displaying very difficult dives at each meet. Devlin, along with sophomore Emma Rago-who placed fourth at the league champion-ships- will continue on to compete at the district diving championships.

1,000 points. This is often known as a monumental achieve-ment for any basketball player at the high school level. However, most people would probably look slightly con-fused if they were told that a swimmer earned 1,000 points. What does that mean? How does one go about getting this? In the sport of swimming, it is not very often an athlete comes along that is capable of achieving this in his or her high school career. However, senior Danielle DeCindio recently earned this honor, joining the elite club of 1,000 point swimmers that include 2014 graduates Joann But-kus and Miranda Amey. Besides having one's name on the record board, this is one of the highest accomplishments one can receive. Danielle, a captain of the swim team, is always eager to push herself to the next level in order to achieve her goals. She has been very motivated the past four years and says it this way: "I really wanted something memorable to remind me of my swimming career...once I saw the new banner for the 1,000 point swimmers, I knew I wanted my name on it. I looked at that banner every time I was in the pool area." It takes a special swimmer with passion for the sport and the drive to be nothing less than the best in order to accomplish this feat, and Danielle is no exception. Her advice to other swimmers wishing to join the 1,000 point club? "Work hard and have full focus and dedication to the sport...give it 110%." When asked how she felt after know-ing she had finally reached her goal, Danielle described it as simply "bliss." Congratulations, Danielle!

the race to one thousandBy Abigail Brickler

4 Tamaqua Blue and White Magazine: Issue III, Volume IV : Third Quarter Edition

If you are a responsible, caring student who likes to volunteer and is good with children, then Big Broth-ers Big Sisters is perfect for you! This program gives high school students the opportunity to be a positive influence on a younger child’s life. Sometimes they are having difficulties at home or school, they are new to the district, they are struggling with self-con-fidence, or they just need someone to look up to. Whatever the case, spending time with them and offering your friendship can help them in so many ways. Once matched with a compatible elementa-ry or middle school student or “little”, high school students or “bigs” can visit their littles during school hours to play board games, do arts and crafts, play in the gym or on the playground, or simply to share stories and talk. This program is not only beneficial to the littles, it also gives the big brothers and big sisters a chance to escape their busy and stressful schedules by spending time and having fun with someone that is always happy and excited to see them.

If you have any questions about this amazing program

ask your guidance counselor or one of your peers that

is already involved: Sara Maldonado, Nathan Bastanzi,

Rachael Paisley, Ben Miller, Vanessa Solt, Olivia Mor-

rison, Taylor Fritz, Ashley Ziegler, Julianna Wagner,

Allison Amodea, Lynn Kistler, Zach Merenda, and Sam

Shamonsky.

big brothers big sisters

By By Vanessa Solt & Allison Amodea


The 2014-2015 Tamaqua student section for basketball has been one of the liveliest, entertaining, decorated, and largest groups the school has seen in years. From neon night to Christmas themed to whiteouts, the Tamaqua students have shown immense pride and support for the boys’ basketball team because of their winning streaks and high potential for districts. At least once a week, the student section rallied together to cheer on the starting line up of Brett Kosciolek, Bo Rottet, Russell Blaker, Tyler Skripko, and Nate McDonald. The very first cheer starts even before the game begins with “Brett jumps higher!” Everyone’s support means a lot to the team and makes the games more fun for everyone.

“we can’t hear you!”

December 22nd - Christmas Themed

January 10th - Neon Night

January 5th - Whiteout

February 5th - Boaz’s 1,0000th point

February 11th - Whiteout: 1st round of Schuylkill League

Playoffs

February 20th - Costumes: District

Playoffs

February 24th - Navy Blue Out: District

Semi-Finals

...We were so bright our picture couldn’t be

captured!

By Brooke DeHart


Bo Rottet and Brett Kosciolek, members of the high school basketball team from 2011 to 2015 have reached the biggest moment in their athletic career: 1,000 points! Brett, famous for his legendary dunks, number 24, and a 6’8’’ center, reached this achievement in his junior year at an away game against Panther Valley. Brett ended his high school career with 1,430 points (not including Districts and Leagues), ranking number 4 on the TAHS charts. Bo, number 5 and a 6’1’’ point guard, just recently reached 1,000 points at a home game against Pine Grove. Bo ended his high school career with 1,044 points, ranking number 8 on the TAHS charts (not including Districts and Leagues).

Flashback to football season: Collin Moyer, also achieved a huge accomplishment: 1,000 yards! “Bud”, number 34 and 5’ 11” running back during the 2014 football season ran 1,000 yards during an away game at Blue Mountain. Bud ended the season with 1,113 yards. Congrats to all three boys on their awesome accomplishment!

the thousand point club

Boaz Rottett: February 5th, 2015Q:What do you think of scoring 1,000 points?A: I’m really happy that I had the opportunity to score 1,000 points. It was a dream of mine since freshman year.

Q:Everyone was on the edge of their seats the whole season, was there a chance that you wouldn’t have reached 1,000 points?A: I think there was a chance that I wouldn’t get 1,000 points but I also think that the possibility of it not happening made it that much more exciting to get.

Q:What does it mean to you that a giant student section attend-ed with posters and a countdown, all in preparation to witness your accomplishment? A: It means a lot that there were a lot of people there to support me in my accomplishment. Couldn’t have done it without you guys! The student section was so awesome to have this year.

Brett Kosciolek:February 6th, 2014Q:What do you think of scoring 1,000 points your junior year?A: It felt great. I’m just here so I don’t get fined.

Q:What are some of your strengths that helped you achieve 1,000 points?

A: I eat a lot of skittles to go into beast mode like Marshawn Lynch.

Q:Did you feel any emotion when you scored 1,000 points? A: I’m just here so I don’t get fined. AKA Skittles and Marshawn Lynch.

‘Bud’ Moyer: October 17th, 2014Q:What do you think of achieving 1,000 yards your junior year?A: It’s an amazing accomplishment. I owe a lot of credit to my teammates.

Q:What are some expectations you expect going into senior year?A: Hopefully we can have a great season and go undefeated.

Q:Who helped you the most to achieve this goal?A: I was able to achieve this goal because of the lineman, Tyler Skripko and my coaches.

By Brooke DeHart


#iwokeupthisway

Biology is life...and so are shoes. Not only is she a “shoe-a-holic,” but she’s also into classic clothes and cool costumes: “I don’t really have a fashion inspiration... But I do love some of Lady Gaga’s costumes. On the opposite end of the spectrum, classic lines are fashion musts.” Comfort is HUGE for this Biology teacher. She tends to wear “plenty” of black and grey with pops of color.Latest fashion trend: her blue cape.

It’s pretty clear that she’s probably the most fashionable teacher in the entire high school. Being a teacher who loves to snowboard, she knows how to glide down the halls with ease. Not only is she stylish, but she strives to main-tain a sense of professionalism, as well: “If you dress like your job is important, people are more likely to treat you with respect and value what you say.” While her favorite clothing item is shoes, she usually gravitates towards white and black outfits with a pop of color.Favorite stores: Macy’s and White House Black Market.

Some of you may be scratching your heads and asking, ‘Why is the football coach in the teach-er fashion section?’ We found that he has great style. Being one who likes to wear sweatpants and hoodies, he “[likes to be] comfortable, while still maintaining a sense of professional-ism.” When asked about his “fashion inspira-tion,” he said, with true honesty, his wife picks out his outfits.Must haves: boot-cut khakis and short hair (cannot touch ears).

By Kendra Boyle, Brianna Wittig, & Bailey Hartung

MRS. WEINRICH

MRS. DRUM

MRS. OPOLSKY

Watch out, New York Fashion Week, you’ve got nothing on some of THS’ teacher’s style. From khakis and button ups, to fun blue capes, we sought out the stylish teachers THS has. Check out who we found to be the most stylish and their tips to staying up with the trends!



kids helping kids to find a cureMore than 40,000 children are treated for cancer each year.

Help find a cure.

*

The Mini-THON, now in its fourth year, is a new tradition at Ta-maqua High School, hosted by the Tamaqua Student Government Association (TASGA). Student Government works hand-in-hand with the other clubs and organizations in the high school such as World Language Club, Biology Club, National Honor Society, and the Middle School Student Government Association. As popularity of this event is growing, these organizations are able to provide a more interesting selection of events sure to entertain people of all ages. All of the money that is raised will be donated to the American Can-cer Society for Pediatric Cancer Research. Thus far, $831 has been raised from a dress down day, as well as approximately $125 from the National Honor Society Valentine’s Day fundraiser. Donations from local businesses, teams participating in events, patrons, and money made from t-shirt sales will be added to our donation. Treat yourself to a variety of fun and exciting activities for the whole family in sup-port of a great cause!

Activities include:● Faculty vs Student Basketball game● Volleyball Tournament ● Dodgeball Tournament ● Open Swim

Last year, students created t-shirts for the volleyball tournament, which was extremely competitive. The enthusiasm then carried to an impromptu dodge ball tournament, which is a planned event this year. These high levels of enthusiasm and intensity are what make Mini-THON successful and enjoyable!

Baked goods, food, drinks, and slushies will be for sale. Tamaqua High School on March 28th will be the place to be for people of all ages--bring your whole family!

By Allison Amodea

Freshmen, beware: unless you’re willing to be spoiled before you get a chance to read ‘The Crucible,’ you might want to just skim the article. Of course, who am I kidding? You probably know most of this already! This year, the Tamaqua Area Drama Club took on a pretty major fall production: Arthur Miller’s classic play, ‘The Crucible.’ A far cry from last year’s play, the light-hearted, fun (and student-written!) ‘Bee My Baby,’ this 1948 drama plays the part of a clever and cruel analogy for Joseph McCarthy’s Red Scare. The jokes may have been frequent back-stage- from seeing Mr. Grabowski, Mrs. Drum, Mr. Toth with the Devil to the ever-popular calling of Goody Ann Putnam-in-the-ground- but onstage, the club took on a very serious endeavor. Roles like John Proctor, Abigail Williams, and Judge Danforth require a very stylized, pre-cise, emotionally draining performance. In previ-

ous years, we just needed to remember the lines and carry the plot, but this year- not so much. ‘The Crucible’ is rife with imagery and symbolism, and we had to strive to project that. Luckily, Mrs. Drum was able to assist us through three months of hours-long rehearsals so that we nailed everything. By the time Friday rolled around and we were ready to begin shows, everybody was confident this would be one of the best shows we’d ever done. The crowds seemed to agree. All our feedback was positive- well, to us. Hearing “You were so creepy!” was more rewarding than we could have hoped. Seeing the crowd flinch as girls screamed and crawled and shivered or when John Proctor ripped up his confession was the best part of the whole experience. The whole drama club grew and matured through this process; after this, we can take on any production thrown at us!

salem witchesBy Hannah Betz & Aimee Hull


I’m All Shook Up about the Tamaqua Area Drama Club’s upcoming production! All Shook Up features music by the King, Elvis Presley. It is based in the fun 50s. A fun-loving roustabout comes to town, and when he touches the juke-box, the town is changed forever. The town that used to have rules about music and dancing is now ignoring the cranky old mayor and following their dreams. The drama club has been working extremely hard for hours upon hours. The drama club has been improving each and every production. Our club has been growing at a very fast pace. This year, we decided to welcome the 6th grade into our production!

“In my first year of drama club, I was welcomed by many new people, and I’m enjoying all of the dance numbers. The songs are fun too!” ~David Hull (Grade 6)

With all of our hard work, we are starting to see our show come together bit by bit. The drama club is super excited to show you what we’ve got! Come to the show in your Blue Suede Shoes, and be prepared to dance in your seats!

*** WARNING: Songs may be extremely catchy! ***

all shook up!By Hannah Betz & Aimee Hull


weird pets

Not many people have different pets. I am one of the few people that has a weird pet. I asked 24 people what kinds of pets they had. Out of those people 10 said they had a dog, 7 of them said they had a cat, 7 said that they had a cat and dog, and 1 said they had chickens and goats. With me added in that means 2 out of 25 people have weird pets. I am of course one of those 2 people and my weird pet is a Chinchilla named Mort who is grey.

You never do know what weird things are lurking in Tamaqua. It is a different place full of odd pets! In this article we are going to find out from YOUR CLASSMATES what strange animals they have inhabit-ing their homes.

“Juli is my horse from New Jersey. She’s a bit temperamental and is basically my spirit animal. Oh... Did I mention she twerks?” ~Caro-line Fegley

“I have a dog named Squirrel?” ~Hollie Paceley

Rumor has it Victoria LaBar had a few odd pets in her time including tarantulas, centipedes, tortoises, and even cockroaches!

By Aimee Hull & Angel Shiner

v


band formalBy Aimee Hull

If you are looking to have a fun time, you need to join the band. Band formal is always a fun time where the band members come together to cele-brate what we’ve accomplished. It reminds us that we have done good work, and now it is going to pay off. The evening started out with a fantastic din-ner followed by a “surprise” visit from Santa Claus himself! After the seniors took one last picture, we danced the night away.

Aside from the fun stuff, each member is asked to bring a non-perishable food item to donate. I love this tradition.

I look forward to band formal each year. It is a time for us bandies to come together and just be bandies!

journalism camp

Over the summer, most people try to get a reprieve from any kind of studying. Sometimes,

however, a little extra studying can be well worth it. During the past summer, I was given the

incredible opportunity to travel to the main campus of Penn State for a weeklong journalism

immersion camp.

In addition to meeting other high school students from around the country, I took classes from

actual Penn State professors, interviewed several prominent members of the community, and

published several investigative pieces.

It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life; I’ve learned so much just from one

week, and it’s given me a real look at what college life is like. I’m very grateful to the Blue Raid-

er Foundation and Tom Boerner for the scholarship they supplied that allowed me to attend this

fantastic camp.

If this sounds like something you could be interested in, look into it! The Foundation wants to

send a high school student every summer- if you have a passion for journalism, don’t let this

opportunity pass you by!

By Hannah Betz


art contest

The middle school held its first annual art

contest to benefit the art program. The event was run

by the National junior Honor Society based on the idea

from current member Emily Barrett. Students were

encouraged to enter a painting, drawing, or sculpture

with a one dollar entry fee. Participants were prompt-

ed to try to make their submission the most colorful,

most detailed, or best overall. However, due to there

being thirteen entries by six sixth grade students, five

seventh grade students, and two eighth grade students

the judging was changed to the best overall. A judging

table was set up in the cafeteria from January 12-16

and students could pay $0.50 to vote for their favorite

artwork. Participants included; Logan Miller, Julianna

Liebsch, Riley Kraemer, Katryna Williams, Annika

Stahler, Courtney Postupak, Brandon Lusch, Catherine

Circosta, Lilith Hicks, Jayden Rios, Merissa Smith, Jus-

tin Weiksner, and Mariah Williams. Justin Weiksner

won the contest with his drawing of the planet. A total

of nearly $50 was raised through the contest to buy a

new light box to enhance the art program.

By Olivia Latanzi


door decoratingThere was a door decorating contest at the middle school where you had 1 hour after school for 4 days you to decorate the door that Mrs. Frantz assigned you. There was one winner per grade, and if you won the contest, you got to go to either Skipper Dippers or DiMaggios for lunch on Friday the 13th of February. Whoever participated in the contest was able to have an Italian Ice and play games during 9th period on Friday the 13th. Many people participated in the contest this year. This year there were the most people that have participated in the contest since it was thought of.

By Angel Shiner


C

R

A

Y

F

I

S

H

rustaceans is a class of mostly aquatic animals

ed is the color of the crayfish.

ntennae are things that help them feel.

ou shouldn’t hurt them because they’re organ-

un to watch

s a living animal

hould take care of them

appy living organisms

By Destini Denning

We have been observing crayfish for the past month. The carapace is the main body shell of

crustaceans. The swimmerets are small leg-like structures under the tail. The elodea is a kind of aquatic plant that crayfish eat. A habitat is

where they live. The bristles are the short hairs on the crayfish that help them sense things

in their environment. These are some of the things we have been observing.

By Payton Wagner

Hello. My name is Adam and I love crayfish. I think you would like them too. Did you know that crayfish have long antennae that feel where they go? Did you know that crayfish also have pincers to

protect them from harm?By Adam Green

A crayfish has antenna, pincers, swimmerets, and bristles. A crayfish pro-tects its territory from others of its own kind. A crayfish also has a habitat where it lives and hides. A crayfish eats shrimp pellets and elodea.By Landon Stripling

Dr. Shannon Brophy-Wolter, DMD 5 Villas Crossing Road Tamaqua, PA 18252 (570) 386-4867 ü Family Friendly Office ü Most Dental Insurances Accepted ü Digital Radiography Tues 8:30a-5p ü Check out our newly updated Wed 8:30a-5p

website for more info! Thrs 8:30a-3:30p www.mvfdc.com Fri 8:30a-5p

New

Patients

Welcome!

under the sea



Dr. Shannon Brophy-Wolter, DMD 5 Villas Crossing Road Tamaqua, PA 18252 (570) 386-4867 ü Family Friendly Office ü Most Dental Insurances Accepted ü Digital Radiography Tues 8:30a-5p ü Check out our newly updated Wed 8:30a-5p

website for more info! Thrs 8:30a-3:30p www.mvfdc.com Fri 8:30a-5p

New

Patients

Welcome!

under the sea

Educational value so strong... it’s heroic.A valuable education gives you the confidence, independence, skills and even the determination of a ‘superhero’ to take hold of any opportunity and go anywhere in life. Find your inner superhero power that will take you anywhere. Call 610-799-1575 or visit LCCC.edu.

My value isConfidence.

Schnecksville | Allentown | Tamaqua | Jim Thorpe | Online

START HERE | GO ANYWHERE LCCC.edu

Tamaqua Blue and White - Issue 3, Volume 4

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