December 12, 2007 Volume 85 Issue 5131 High School Road Latrobe, PA

GLSHS competes in District Band and ChorusAnna Sylvester

Staff WriterOn November 15, 16

and 17, 2007, the WestmorelandCounty Senior High ChorusFestival was held at Kiski HighSchool, with nine GLSHS partic-ipants under the direction ofdirector Mr. Marc Tourre.Fourteen students from Latrobeunder the direction of Mr. RayHamill attended the WCMEASenior High County BandFestival, was held at Latrobe onNovember 29 and 30, 2007.

All high schools inWestmoreland County wereinvited to participate in both theCounty Chorus Festival and theCounty Band Festival. The nineparticipants from GLSHS wereseniors Olivia Cimba, sopranoII; Zach Conway, Tim Lewis,Jake Sass, tenor II; JustinDowns, bass II; Bree Larkin, altoI; and sophomores SeanGravelle, bass I; Ryan Hall,tenor II; and Lucas Sweeney,bass I. For county band, theGLSHS participants were sen-iors Allison Kinney, clarinet;Matt Kuhar, trombone; TimLewis, euphonium; Emily Polier,clarinet; Jake Sass, French horn;juniors Robert Bittner, trumpet;Keira Conley, flute; MarkDeDiana, trombone; SarahHellmann, tenor saxophone; andBrad VanFleet, alto saxophone;and sophomores Katie Brown,French horn; Emily Nevins, per-cussion; Lucas Sweeney, tuba;and Ryan VanFleet, percussion.

Being selected forcounty band or county chorus isa very unique and exciting expe-rience for the students. “I’mexcited even to be in countyband. I applied last year, but Ididn’t get in, so I’m very fortu-nate to be in this year,” said jun-ior Robert Bittner. “I just had toget the music down, because youdon’t want to show up unpre-pared.” To become involved inthe chorus festival, the studentshad to complete an application

and with a teacher recommenda-tion. For the band festival, thestudents were selected after sub-mitting applications in earlyOctober.

The applications for theband festival included a recom-mendation form from their direc-tor, Mr. Hamill, and a list of allprevious musical activities. Thestudents were selected based onthe size of the home school, theirdirectors’ recommendation, pre-vious festival involvement, andinstrumentation needed.Because of the large size of thestage, more applicants wereaccepted than usual.

The choral students pre-pared eight pieces of music indi-vidually for the chorus festivalfor about one week, while theband festival participants pre-pared their 20 pieces of musicfor one month. The studentsfrom all of the schools cametogether for only a few days topractice with each other beforethe separate festivals. The cho-rus members practiced togetherthroughout the day on November15, 16, and 17 for their produc-tion the night of November 17,and the band participants gottogether throughout the day onNovember 19 and 20 to preparetwenty pieces of music the nightof November 20. “The level ofcompetition is really high,” saidjunior Brad VanFleet. “It’sexciting.”

Although GreensburgCentral Catholic hosted theWCMEA Senior High CountyBand Festival, it was held atLatrobe because GCC does nothave an auditorium. Anyonewas invited to view both per-formances. The attendees weremostly students’ families, and itcost $5 to attend. One hundredsixty students participated.

Photo by: Angela Repko, Photo Editor

The WCEMA Senior High Band Festival was held at Latrobe on November 29 and 30, 2007, with fourteen GLSHS participants.

Students qualify for High Q playoffs Principals conductlunches with students

Emily AnnaIntern

Key Club fundraises to improve lives

Carmella StankoStaff Writer

The pressure is highand the tension is so thick it canbe seen with the human eye.The studio is located in down-town Pittsburgh, with theHometown High Q set being amixture of bright colors andadvertisements for their spon-sor. High Q is a competitivequiz show in which highschools from the Pittsburgh areacompete. Teams of three peoplebattle each other in trivia ques-tions, with the final winner tak-

ing home a possible $11,000 ingrants for the school.

The team for Latrobewas captain Chris Anna, LaurenTaylor, and J.T. Soltys, withalternate Isaac Prichard.Latrobe competed against BelleVernon and Oil City. Otherteams simply came to the event,with little enthusiasm portrayedoutwardly. Latrobe had signs,pom-poms, and loud cheerlead-ers. KDKA had never seenHometown High Q taken to

such extremes, but it was a win-ning concept. One Latrobe sup-porter was waving a “D-Fence”sign. Ken Rice responded with,“I don’t know what defense hasto do with this kind of game, butokay.”

The audience wasalmost more nervous than thecontestants. With every ques-tion, one parent cheers “YES!”while another shrugs it off andnods approval. Even though notas many people care about win-

ning the competition as theFriday night football game,everyone is on edge. The con-testants want this; it is seen ontheir faces. Their looks of deter-mination paired with a “take noprisoners” attitude say it all.The game fluctuates betweenOil City and Latrobe. With onlytwenty to thirty points separat-ing the leaders, one questioncan make all of the difference.

With less than oneminute on the clock, Latrobetakes the lead and wins thematch. The fans go wild and theother teams look on in disap-pointment. As it was last year,Latrobe has won the openingrounds and knocked two otherteams out. “Lauren’s pep talkreally pushed us for the win,”captain Chris Anna said. “Wewere losing going into the lastsegment, and her talk moved usinto the ‘win zone.’ We weren’tabout to settle for second best.”

Latrobe will be com-peting in the playoffs, which arebeing taped in early February.The team is appreciative for thesupport it is currently receivingand encourages everyone totune in to Hometown High Q.

Greater Latrobe KeyClub, advised by Mr. WilliamSnyder, is involved in manyactivities supporting not onlythe club but outside charities aswell. With over 100 members,Key Club is one of the mostactive clubs. “Key Club hasprovided an outlet for me tostop thinking of only myself andactually make an effort to helpthose less fortunate,” said KeyClub President Liz Perrone.

Key Club memberssigned up to be bell ringers forthe Salvation Army. Thefamous red kettle will be set upat Wal-Mart, and students willvolunteer for one-one hourshifts on December 13 from 3 to6 pm. The money donated goes

to providing Christmas dinners,clothing, and toys for familiesin need. Snyder said, “The bellringing is something that any-one can participate in and itreally makes a difference.”

In order to raise fundsfor the Key Club itself, mem-bers are selling Wildcat blackand orange scarves at all thelunches. Lauren Urana, a sopho-more key club member, broughtthe idea to the Key Club boardmembers to be approved. Shemade the scarves for the club.Advertised on WCAT-TV, thescarves run for $5 each. Part ofthe profits will go directly intothe club’s fund to be used forvarious school related needssuch as, the Latrobe LaptopInsurance Fund, the Caring CatsFund, and French National

Honor Society. The Key Club also

involves themselves with othercommunities in order to raisemoney. Mr. Snyder alsoacquired ticket vouchers for theJohnstown Chiefs hockeygames which will be sold atlunches as another fundraiser.Tickets for the hockey gamesnormally cost $14.50 but withthe vouchers, the cost will beonly cost $10.

“We are going to try topick a day that everyone fromLatrobe can go to the game thatway we will have a lot ofLatrobe students going at once,”Snyder said. December 22,2007 was chosen by Snyder asthe day to go. If that date does-n’t work with your schedule andyou have already bought a

voucher you can use it foranother game.

The members of theKey Club do not only work withlocal problems, but worldwidesituations. The upcomingAfrican Week, which will beheld in January, will benefitDarfur, AIDS in Kenya, and theInvisible Children’s organiza-tion. They are going to be sell-ing numerous items to raisemoney and have a rally to raiseawareness of Africa’s problems.

The Key club works.The many projects that theyhave planned will keep themembers of the Key Club busythroughout the year. What theyare doing are not just fundrais-ers, they are making a differ-ence in people’s lives.

Photo by: Emily Anna, Intern

The Latrobe Mascot, Lauren Taylor, Chris Anna, and JT Soltys pose with Ken Rice after qualifying forthe High Q playoffs.

“Lunch with thePrincipal” is a new program whereany student can discuss a widerange of topics with the adminis-tration. The administration prom-ises to listen to student concernsand work to brainstorm possiblesolutions.

Many administratorsalong with Dr. Teppert, principalof GLSHS, were in attendance.Mr. Krehlik and Mr. LoCascio,assistant principals; Mrs. LeVan,the Youth Advisory Club advisor;Mrs. Houck, advisor of studentcouncil were in attendance.Students were handed the spot-light, while administratorsabsorbed the comments.

While the entire studentbody is welcome, only a handful ofschool leaders attended the firstlunch. Among these leaders werestudent council officers MikeDeFabo, president; Steve Maatta,vice-president; Kelsey Borza, sec-retary; and Sara Bolha, treasurerand Youth Advisory President,Richie Kucera. The program’sgoal, however, is that more stu-dents, other than the leaders ofpopular clubs, will be in atten-dance at future meetings.

A wide range of topicswere discussed during the firstlunch. Although a serious tonewas present throughout the meet-ing, the students still managed tohave a good time. “Everyoneseemed to really enjoy them-selves,” said Mrs. Houck.

“Administrators were very open tothe student’s suggestions and con-cerns,” she continued.

A long topic of conversa-tion revolved around AP courses.Students were concerned that therewas an excess of opportunities pre-sented for those interested in Mathand Sciences and not enough forthose pursuing English andHumanity courses. The adminis-tration absorbed these concerns,looking to adopt new AP courses.

Students posed questionsabout the need and procedure forobtaining Wildcat Den passes.While administrators listened tostudents’ concerns, they alsodefended their actions by explain-ing why the den cards are nowrequired. The students present atthe meeting gained a greaterknowledge of the need to keep theden under control.

Everyday, students canbe heard throughout the schoolcomplaining about school issues.However, these concerns neverleave the ears of the student body.Lunch with the Principal gives stu-dents the opportunity to discussconcerns directly with administra-tors and make changes. The meet-ing adjourned with the administra-tion asking those present to setgood examples, truly acting asleaders of our school. Listen close-ly for next month’s lunch date andjoin student government leaders inmaking suggestions to better ourschool.

FEATURESRead aboutStewart’s Marathon

3 8 SPORTSSee winter sports

spread

Kaitlin ZurawskyStaff Writer

GLSHS beats Belle Vernon and Oil City to advance

22 FeatureFeatureDecember 12, 2007

Light Up NightThe annual Light up Night in Pittsburgh attracts many students

Light up night kicks off holiday season in Pittsburgh

With the Christmas season fast approach-ing, a yearly event is Light up Night in Pittsburgh.The wind is blowing in my hair, the leaves arecrinkling in the distance, and as I look over myshoulder I can see snowflakes falling. Lights areeverywhere, and I can hear the sounds of excitedchildren waiting for the ceremony to begin.

One by one figure skaters coast upon theice carrying candles to represent the lighting ofthe Christmas tree in Pittsburgh. Light up Nightoccurred on November 16, 2007 in the heart ofPittsburgh. With thousands of guests in atten-dance, fireworks, live bands, and many vendorshelped kick off the holiday season.

The ceremony began with skaters fromall around the Pittsburgh area, including some iceskaters from our very own school district. SeniorJessica Zombek, junior Mara as well as sopho-more Elizabeth Richards skated and lit theChristmas tree to begin Light up Night activities. Greiner has been skating for ten years and hasbeen with several different coaches. Her parentsfully support her, and she hopes to continue in thefuture. Although this is Greiner’s first year atLight up Night, it is a yearly event, as well as hav-ing skating teams give the honors to light up thetree. Greiner says, “I’ve tried different sportsthroughout school, but skating is so much differ-ent from the others. When you’re out on the ice,

it’s all you, whether you fail or do awesome, it’sall because of yourself and not anyone else.”

Zombek said, “My sister and I go everyyear. It’s a lot of fun to go and skate for a goodcause and to be able to be in something that every-one looks forward to seeing each year.”Each can-dle that the skaters held was to honor the people

who have died of cancer. The entire ceremony wasin benefit of the American Cancer Society.

Along with “dashing through the snow,in a one horse open sleigh,” the lucky attendeesenjoyed Christmas music being played throughoutthe night. Although Light up Night only occursonce, the tree will stand in its glorious state untilChristmas. The brightness of the tree will carrythe Christmas mood all throughout December.

Krack uses his dancing skills toteach locals new moves

Mary MaattaStaff Writer

Being the man behindevery musical and play that theschool has recently done, youwould think that Mr. DanielKrack wouldn’t have any timeto do anything else in his life.However this is quite the oppo-site. With Dancing with theStars being one of the top TVshows on air, one can onlyimagine the high demand forballroom dance classes.Community members are look-ing for someone to teach themto become the dancing phenom-enons that they watch weekly.English teacher Mr. Krackeagerly took up this challenge.

Every Tuesday nightfor two hours Krack can befound with a group of Dancingwith the Stars ‘wannabes’ learn-ing to do various dances such asballroom and Latin. Classes arefor men and women fromLatrobe who want to have fundancing and be active. “It’s astress release, it’s fun and keepsme active. With my busy sched-ule I don’t get the time to exer-cise, so with my dance classes Iget two hours of physical activi-ty and burn up a sweat by doingthe waltz,” said Krack.

A number of parents,faculty members and teachershave also attended the classesand all had a fun time and left

without ‘two left feet’. Teacherssuch as Mrs. Curci and her hus-band have showed up andlearned enough to even wincompetitions. In fact, Mr. Curciwas Krack’s most improveddancer. “It’s a good way to holda beautiful girl in your arms.Face it, girls like guys whoknow how to move,” saidKrack.

Along with his successon the dance floor, Krack alsohas been in numerous playsthroughout Pittsburgh and west-

ern Pennsylvania. In the play,Andy Tell Me Tru, Krackreceived the best actor nomina-tion in October 2007. Also inanother play he appeared in oversummer 2007, Little Shop ofHorrors, he had the lead roleplaying Seamore.

Krack works hardbehind the scenes during themusicals and plays but he takescenter stage when it comes tothe salsa. He may not be able to‘crank dat soulja boy’ but Krackcan sure rock his hips.

Students learn human anatomyfirst hand at the Bodies Exhibit

Anna SylvesterStaff Writer

“ B o d i e s : T h eExhibition” is an exhibit atCarnegie Science Center inPittsburgh. This unique displayshares a close-up look of theskeletal, muscular, respiratory,and circulatory systems byshowcasing preserved humanbodies. Recently, many GreaterLatrobe Senior High School stu-dents visited the exhibit on afield trip.

Fifty two of Mrs. Levan’sAnatomy and Physiology stu-dents visited the exhibit for afirst hand experience of the partsof the human body that they willbe studying throughout the year.The students were given tenquestions to answer about eachbody system. They found theanswers throughout the exhibitand in their textbooks.

“It was excitingbecause all the systems of thebody were displayed,” said sen-ior Jamey Butala. “We’ve neverseen anything even close toresembling this. It really put thehuman body into perspectiveand will never be forgotten.”

Eight students fromMrs. Ross’s human figure class-es also attended the field trip.

“There was so much to learn atthis exhibit about anatomy, whatit looks like and how it works,the effect of diseases on thebody, the effect of body fat/obe-sity on the body, stages of devel-opment of a fetus,” said Mrs.Ross. “It was a completelyunique experience.”

“It was a very enrich-ing experience,” said juniorCasey Ciocco. “Just to seewhat’s inside of us, that doesn’thappen too often.”

The human figure stu-dents had art assignments tocomplete while touring the dis-play. The students from thehuman figures classes attendedso that they would have theexperience of seeing the realhuman figures inside and outand drawing them. In class, allthey are only able to use areclothed student models.

First, they had to drawthe thumbnails of three selectivepieces that they liked, whichincluded shading, details, andlighting. Then they drew a finalversion of one of the bodies incomplete detail, which are nowhanging around the school. Notonly were they able to see thebodies, they also saw each bodysystem and the muscles andorgans.

The Bodies Exhibitwill be open at Carnegie ScienceCenter through May 4, 2008.The specimens are all bodies ofpeople who died less than fouryears ago from natural causes.These bodies were all unclaimedbodies in China. Not only areadult bodies shown, but fetusesin different stages of develop-ment are also displayed. Theseare fetuses that had died at dif-ferent phases of developmentdue to miscarriages. The exhib-it was organized by PremierExhibitions, Incorporated. Thebodies were preserved through aprocess called polymer preser-vation, which took place atDalian University in Liaoning,China. The body fluids arereplaced by liquid plastic. Theplastic is hardened, but the tis-sues are left intact.

“Bodies: TheExhibition” is an interesting andexceptional display that show-cases bodies like most havenever seen before. Visitors willlearn more than they ever couldin a classroom setting. It pro-vides a close up view of thehuman body that will be a learn-ing experience for many.

Senior Spotlight: Kirsten Schwartzel

Courtney BriggsStaff Writer

Courtney FurwaFeatures Editor

Photo by Andy Smithammer, Staff Writer

Photo by Courtney Briggs, Staff Writer

Age and Birthdate Age17April 23, 1990

Favorite color Yellow

Favorite movie Garden State

Favorite sports teams Duke Basketball

Favorite music group Something Corporateand Jimmy Eat World

Brand of toothpaste “Whatever my mombuys”

Pet Peeve Chalk marks left on theboard after it has been

erasedFavorite food Chik-Fil-A

Dream vacation Australia

“My sister and I go every year. It’s a lotof fun to go and skate for a good causeand to be able to be in something thateveryone looks forward to seeing eachyear,” senior Jessica Zombek

Photo by Angela Repko, Photo Editor

GLSHS Ice Skaters perform for thecity during the annual event

33FeatureFeatureDecember 12, 2007

Not So Shady:Ryan Dudik

Natalie SchadeStaff Writer

Being the new kid at school is not always easy, and juniorRyan Dudik knows that without a doubt. Dudik moved to Latrobe atthe beginning of last year from Allen, Texas. He misses the familiari-ty of his southern home of nine years and his friends, however he said,“Everybody that I met here [Latrobe] automatically became myfriend. They understood where I was coming from and accepted mefor me.”

Ryan is passionate about having a hard work ethic. “Ryan isan exceptional young man who has a strong work ethic and takesintegrity in everything he does,” commented Mr. Wetzel. He knowsthat doing his best is the only thing that you can do and applies that tohis life in everything that he does. He spends most of his time playingbasketball and giving all his time and energy in becoming a betterplayer and also a better person. He has a simple mindset that every-body should take into life, “Just always give my best and never giveup,” he said.

His father has taught him everything that he knows. Dudiksaid that he looks up to his father for many different reasons. “He hasalways pushed me to give it all I got and to go that extra step,” Dudikexplained. His father is not the only one that he looks up to. MichaelJordan has also inspired him. Dudik respects Jordan for all the accom-plishments that he has achieved. Jordan has undergone struggles with-in basketball and his education with society always putting pressureon him to do well. Dudik admires Jordan because of all the adversitythat he has gone through throughout his life. Even under all the pres-sure, Jordan managed to earn the status that he has today and becomethe legend that he is in basketball.

In his free time Dudik enjoys playing music on his guitar.Classic rock is his favorite type of music to play. He enjoys both theelectric guitar and the acoustic guitar depending on what song he isplaying. Dudik’s uncle is the one that got him interested in playing.“He would bring it with him everywhere and just sit and play,” com-mented Dudik. Some famous rockers that Dudik dreams of being ableto play like is Eric Clapton or James Taylor.

Dudik likes his Advanced Architecture class a lot, because hefeels that it gives him insight for his future. “Advanced Architecturegets me thinking in ways I never thought before,” said Dudik. He is inthe process now of drawing up blueprints for his dream house and isproud of all the time and effort that he has put into making it perfect.He plans to go into the architectural field and wants to eventuallydesign and build major bridges and skyscrapers. Dudik is narrowing itdown to where he wants to attend college in two years. Since VirginiaTech University is known for having an excellent program, he feelsthat this is most likely where he will go.

Wherever Dudik ends up, he is a teen that is very well spo-ken who knows what he wants. Dudik is working hard in preparinghimself for his future. He is finally adjusting to life in the east and get-ting to know his way around town. He has his goals all planned out forthe future and is thinking big.

Andy Stewart cycles from Cherry Hill New Jersey to Ocean City to raisemoney for Multiple Sclerosis research

“It was definitely hard,but fun too,” fifteen year oldsophomore Andrew Stewartsaid, recalling his involvementin the 2007 City to ShoreMultiple Sclerosis Bike Tour.Named by Bicycling Magazineas the “Best Cycling Getawayin New Jersey,” the tour extend-ed from the city of Cherry Hillin southern New Jersey, toOcean City at the coast. Thiswas the tour’s twenty-seventhedition taking place onSeptember 29 and 30. Stewartparticipated as one of 7,500cyclists riding to raise morethan $4.5 million to donate tothe National Multiple SclerosisSociety.

Stewart rode as part ofJersey’s Team riding 75 milesfrom Cherry Hill to the shoreand then the back again the nextday, totaling 150 milesroundtrip. Together as a team,Jersey’s Team came in secondplace overall for fundraisingefforts. They raised a total of$137,233 towards the MultipleSclerosis Society, Stewart per-sonally raising $500.

Stewart became inter-ested through his aunt BarbraGrundy-Evans and his motherKathy Stewart who also partici-

pated in the event withhim. He drew his inspi-ration from watching theTour de France saying,“I personally feel it’s oneof the most gruelingsports.”

Mrs. Stewartpartook in a championprogram, riding in honorof Greater LatrobeSenior High School’sEnglish teacher Mrs.Snyder’s mother, CarolLopatofsky. Lopatofskywho has been diagnosedwith multiple sclerosissince Snyder was twelve,signed a bandanna forStewart to wear duringthe race. The bandannahonors the diagnosedand represents them rid-ing alongside partici-pants, even though they physi-cally cannot. “It was like shewas carrying a piece of mymom,” said Snyder with tears inher eyes.

Stewart had never par-ticipated in any kind of bikingevent before this. Riding aDenali 7005, he trainedthroughout the summer “littleby little” using the Five StarTrail in Greensburg. “I justwent to the Five Star Trail andbuilt up from short distances upto 40 mile trips.”

Not only did Stewartprepare himself physically forthe event, but mentally as wellby learning how to respond tothe bikers around him. Helearned to use terms such as,“passing on the left” to commu-nicate with other riders.

“The first day was bad,I misunderstood the gearingsystem, but the second day itwas nice. The sun was perfectenough to warm you, but notmake you sweat like crazy. Ihad fun going really fast and

racing. Still seventy five milesisn’t a cakewalk.”

Although Stewart doesnot plan on participating againin next year’s race due to hisinvolvement in football, he stillis happy to have been a part ofthis unique and beneficialevent. In Snyder’s words, “It’snot that often to see a youngperson take the time, energy,and heart to do something real-ly powerful like this. It is quitean achievement.”

Caring cats help underprivilegedJulia DeFabo

InternOn December 4, stu-

dents from clubs around theschool gathered at Barnes andNoble in Greensburg for a newkind of book fair. Instead ofbooks coming to the school, stu-dents went to the store givingthem a larger selection, an oppor-tunity to display their many tal-ents, and a chance to help thosein need. Every time someonefrom Latrobe made a purchase, apercent of the sales went to theCaring Cats Foundation whichaids needy families in our dis-trict. There were over $2,525worth of sales, giving the CaringCats Foundation almost $380. “Itwas a nice activity for a numberof clubs to get involved with toraise money for a good cause,”said advisor Mrs. Houck of theachievement.

The success was thanksto the students who helped out ina variety of ways. Mrs. Kubus’sAP English classes entertainedvisitors with a huge array of theirwriting from a comical story

about having accidents in firstgrade to more serious work aboutbeing more than the given stereo-type. “It was nice to hear all dif-ferent types of people tell all dif-ferent types of stories,” noted LizPerrone. The readings kept visi-tors interested in the book fairand showcased the creativity ofour students.

The language depart-ment lent a hand through GermanClub and Spanish Club. Germanstudents demonstrated how tomake a traditional paper star thatchildren in Germany hang onChristmas trees while Spanishstudents read cultural holidaytales to kids in the store. NationalHonor Society also read to theyounger crowd as did the base-ball team, who read “The GrinchWho Stole Christmas.” ArtNational Honor Society dis-played drawings and paintings tocostumers and painted the facesof children. Lauren Taylordescribed volunteering to paintfaces as, “the joy of children andgiving at Christmas time.”

Once customers made

purchases, Student Councilwrapped them for the upcomingholidays. “I’m just here to helpout,” said junior J.J. Hue. Thewrapping was a huge success.“[It] was well received,” com-mented fellow wrapper, MarlaSacks. “Even people who didn’t

need anything wrapped donatedmoney.”

The book fair was a hit,not only by helping the CaringCats Foundation, but also by let-ting the community experiencethe gifts and talents of the stu-dents. “It’s great that our school

is doing thisfor familiesin need,”stated KatieBlank. “It’sa w e s o m ehow we allcame out todo this.”

2D and 3D designclasses donate to

nature reserve

Mrs. Balko’s 2D and3D design classes are currentlyworking on a semester long vol-unteer project. The artists arecreating mosaic stepping stonesfor the “Garden Themes andBirdhouse Dreams,” a fundraiserfor the Powdermill NatureReserve.

Using Celtic, Modern,Japanese, Chinese, Egyptian,and Italian design books, the stu-dents made sharpie images. Thesharpie images were then trans-ferred onto rubber blocks. Then,students carved the patterns intoa rubber block to create a stamp.The stamps were then inked andpressed. Ceramic tiles were cre-ated by imprinting the rubberblocks into the clay. The tileswere glazed and fired to finishthem. Students then broke uptheir tiles. Students could eitherchoose to make a red or graymosaic stepping stone.

The “Garden Themesand Birdhouse Dreams” are cel-

ebrating their 10th anniversary.The design class will be donat-ing fifteen stepping stones inorder to raise money for thePowdermill Nature Reserve.GLSH has been donating thingsto this event for many years.“They are going to be beautifuladditions to enhance people’sgardens,” said Mrs. Balko, the2D and 3D design teacher. Thefundraiser will be in the form ofa silent auction. All the artworkdonated to this event includingthe stones from the GLSHdesign class are shown for aweek in the Ligonier ValleyLibrary, usually in May, and thenthe silent auction ends with a bigparty at the Powdermill.

The project is well onits way and the final projectsshould be a great turnout. SeniorKatie Barchesky said, “I thinkit’s going well, the tiles are com-pleted, and I’m just excited toactually start the stepping stoneitself.”

Brianna SaddlerStaff Writer

Photo by Angela Repko, Photo Editor

Smartgrowth members strategizewith professionals

A driver leaving Wal-Mart on theirway to Dino’s for wing night would realizehow annoying it is to pull out onto Route 30and then pull back into Dino’s. Many otherpeople including the Chamber ofCommerce and students at GLSH agree thatadding a road would make life a lot easier.Smart Growth Industries organized a fiveday convention that gave individuals theopportunity to share their ideas by creatingbuilding plans. The Latrobe Chamber ofCommerce, Latrobe Steel, and Derry AreaSchool District are involved in SmartGrowth Industries, as well. Students select-ed to attend due to their talents in the eco-nomics field included seniors AJ Freed,Matt Kuhar, Richie Kucera, Jesse Metz andMike Stewart, and juniors Tammy Millerand Spencer Varadi. The conference washeld at University of Pittsburgh atGreensburg.

Varadi says, “I think it is great toget the communities impact with develop-ing. I only wish their Charrette plan tookmore of our ideas.”

Currently, Smart GrowthIndustries have proposed a plan for Route30 which is called a Charrette. It is a Frenchword that means cart. Charrette is used todescribe the final and intense work studentscomplete to meet a projects deadline.Mrs. Olecki-Leeper is involved with theprogram feels that “Smart GrowthIndustries pleases the community as well asbusinesses.”

In the spring, the economic classesare attending another field trip. This fieldtrip is also hosted by Smart GrowthIndustries and will combine most of theinformation taught at the other conference.The Smart Growth Industries wish toinvolve more people and create more plansthat can be used. The conference is to last asingle day with Latrobe and Derry schooldistricts involved.

At Smart Growth Industries, theemployees are all working hard to findways to make Latrobe more effective in 30years. By creating example highway plans,as well as, other productions; they are creat-

ing many possible options for the future andallowing the students to select what theythink will be most effective.

Alex Graziani of Smart Growthsays, “The land we adults use and developtoday is being borrowed from future gener-ations. It is important for young people tobe involved in the planning in their commu-nities because eventually it will be theirland.”

What is most important aboutinvolving GLSHS into the plan is to illus-trate the effects of transportation and landuse on their local economy. Since the “site”is located close to Latrobe Senior HighSchool, getting the students to help out bydeciding the final plans is important.

Although the next conference doesnot occur until the spring, there are manyother conventions occurring all the time. Byresearching Smart Growth Industries youmay get involved in projects or even findyour possible career for the future.

Kristina WigginsStaff Writer

Courtney BriggsStaff Writer

Photo submitted by Kathy Stewart

Sophomore raises over $500for Multiple Sclerosis

Junior LouDowney, amember of theGLHS base-ball team,reads duringstorytime atBarnes andNoble.

Photo courtesy of Cassy Dowler, Intern

Latrobe is known forits competitive boys basketballteam. Last year’s winning sea-son of 14-10 came to an endwhen they lost by a mere point inthe playoff game. Perhaps thebiggest supporters of the teamare members of the Wildcat Den.Every Friday night home gamehas a theme. Once upon a timeit was a piece of cake gettinginto the den. Students enteredand left the den, which wasunofficially reserved for thefanatics, some unaware of thesportsmanship rules.

However, as time pass-es, rules set by our school havebecome strict. Students getbored with the traditional chants,sometimes creating new, butcontroversial ones. Den cardsare now required upon entranceinto the student section in anattempt to keep remarks sports-manlike. At first angry studentsthreatened to no longer attendgames, until they realized theimpact they have. The WildcatDen needs every one of its crazyparticipants. I ask, are these dencards really that big of a deal?

As a cheerleader andactive member of the pep club, Iexperience firsthand the intensi-ty of the den. I feel its energeticaura pulsing. Pep ClubPresident Mike DeFabo leadsthe den in chants and cheers.

During last year’s bas-ketball season, the den continu-ously shrank with every game.While the Den cards may be aseemingly unwelcome change,

they are necessary and not ahuge hassle.

While two major caus-es led to the newly required dencards, keep in mind that therules haven’t changed. “We stillhave the same expectations as inthe past,” says Mr. Smith, athlet-ic director at GLSHS.

The first underlyingcause is the WPIAL who havehad a growing number of inci-dents with fans being kicked outof games. The drama escalatedto the point where schools acrossWestern Pennsylvania have beenforced to play games in a neutralgym, during the day, withoutfans. According to Smith,“We’re never going to let ourkids get to that situation.”

At a particular gamelast year, two GLSHS studentswere forced to leave the gymna-sium because of inappropriatecomments and signs aimed at theopposing team’s coach. Theincident was an embarrassmentto the school and sparked thecampaign for the den cards.

Den cards are a pain-less way to prevent outbreakssuch as the one at Hempfield.The cards are a justification tothe WPIAL, a reassurance thatLatrobe students know whatacceptable behavior within theden is.

Since the inaction,problems within the den havebeen limited. Prior to the cards,Smith was forced speak withstudents before the start of eachgame. The administration’s

approval of proposed themes forthis upcoming season provesSmith’s statement.

The student’s actionscan actually harm the team theyare trying to support. The teammay receive technical fouls forthe misbehavior of their fans,giving up unnecessary points.But when acting properly, theWildcat Den is a good thing.According to Smith, “Having theden has been a huge advantage.”When the opposing team shootstoward the basket at the far endof the court, the den in the back-ground provides the neededintimidation.

In addition to keepinghigh school students’ behaviorsin check, the cards are designedto keep other kids out of theLatrobe student section. TheWildcat Den is not meant to hoststudents from outside schools orelementary and junior high stu-dents. Last year, Derry kidseven had to be removed from theWildcat Den. This was, ofcourse, before the inaction of theden cards.

“We’re flexible withwhat we allow,” said Smith. Theadministration encouraged allstudents to attend the ten minutemeeting required to obtain a dencard. With that den card, anysenior high student can becamepart of the legend of the WildcatDen. “Dens make the gamesmore fun. Everyone in the sen-ior and junior class should have[a Wildcat Den card],” saidSmith.

Barrack ObamaRecently I have found a

new appreciation for just howincredible Oprah Winfrey is. Sheis now campaigning with BarrackObama to draw women votersaway from Candidate Clinton. Iheavily dislike Obama, especiallyafter he refused to wear anAmerican flag pin earlier thisyear. However, Hilary Clinton isa joke. I cannot believe she iseven considered a candidate forpresidency, the highest officeheld in our system of govern-ment. I do not think that either ofthese candidates have a prayer ofwinning the election. At least ahousehold name like Oprah isgiving one of them a little hope.Sean Taylor

The National FootballLeague has lost a very humbleand talented defensive player.Sean Taylor was shot in the leg inhis home near Miami Monday,November 26, 2007. He died atthree a.m. the next day. He was 24years-old with a one-year-olddaughter. Taylor was regarded asone of the hardest hitting defen-sive backs in the league. JoeGibbs, the head coach of theWashington Redskins, along withthe countless fans that were heav-ily affected by the loss of Taylor.According to all his teammatesTaylor would always picked themup when ever they were down ina tough game. The Redskins start-ed their game against the BuffaloBills with only ten players ondefense in honor of Taylor.AIDS

AIDS is a pressing issueall over the world. Organizationsare set up in order to prevent thespread of AIDS. The epidemic is

among the world’s most problem-atic issues. Over thirty percent ofthe African population is infectedwith this deadly disease; the num-bers are increasing every day.Money from the outside countrieshas been given in hope to preventthe spread of the HIV virus. Weare recently learning that themoney has been mismanaged andused for other reasons. Ignorantand corrupt governments are toblame. Like many other Africangovernments, South Africa hasused the money in other ways.They refuse to believe that HIVand AIDS are directly relatedcommon knowledge is that HIVis the cause of getting AIDS.

Presidential debatesAs the Presidential elec-

tion is approaching, the debatesand inter-party battles heat up.The recent televised debates havebeen controversial in discussingpressing issues. Among the mostpoised and my personal favoriteto win, Rudy Giuliani kept hiscool and shot down each oppo-nent with whatever subject wasthrown at him. Liberal candidateRon Paul was among the worst,stating that he would pull thetroops out of Iraq all at once.Senator John McCain quicklyshot him down for his commentwith the statement, "That kind ofisolationism, sir, is what causedWorld War 2." Although some ofthe Republican candidates have afew screws loose, they still seemto jump out as good options aspresident compared to theDemocratic Party. The debatesbring some hope to those of uswho have lost hope in the nextpresident.

Opinion Opinion 44 December 12, 2007December 12, 2007

Critic’s Corner

Directed by RidleyScott, American Gangster wasbased on the life of Harlem drugkingpin Frank Lucas in 1968.Lucas, an African Americanwho has come out of the wood-work to dominate the local drugtrade, smuggled heroin into thecountry by hiding it in the bod-ies of U.S. soldiers killed inVietnam. A must see movie withgreat acting from DenzelWashington, who plays Lucas,

and Russell Crowe. Croweplays a suspicious outcast cop,Ritchie Roberts, who investi-gates this crooked case. Thetwo, while operating on oppo-site sides of the law, share astrict code of ethics that sepa-rates them from their col-leagues. Lucas and Robertsbecome strangely tied to eachother and it is apparent that onlyone will emerge victorious.

American Gangster

turned out better than I expect-ed. It keeps you alert; waiting tosee what happens next. I wouldsay it is more enjoyable than amovie like, “The Godfather”because the storyline and over-all movie is more exciting. Idefinitely recommendAmerican Gangster, not only tothose who enjoy crime films,but anybody because it is basedon a true gangster’s life andwhat it was like.

With three hit gamesreleased on the market in oneyear, EA Sports is single hand-edly revolutionizing the gamingworld. Their realistic touch toevery aspect of the games andreal life sounds make for a com-plete gaming experience.

Madden 08, NHL08and NCAA Football 08 are thenew games. The most entertain-ing of the bunch is NHL 08, aprofessional hockey game. The

game is smooth and lifelike itfeels as if you are on the icewith the best hockey players inthe world. With the removal ofany kind of turbo or sprintspeed, the game leaves littleroom for mistakes like real lifehockey. In my opinion NHL isthe best of the games for thosereasons.

The second best isMadden 08, the professionalfootball game of the series.

Every year that EA releasesMadden, the bar for footballgames is set higher. The gamebreaks down each player, label-ing them with certain attributessuch as speed or strength.Although the same feature wasattempted in previous basket-ball games, the feature failed tomake a difference in the gamelike Madden’s new featuredoes.

Pat LynchColumnist

The staff of The High Post is committed to serving the student body of Greater Latrobe Senior High School.The opinions page contains the ideas and views of individuals and does not represent the views of the staff, advisor, oradministration in its entirety.

The High Post is a public forum for student expression, therefore any student who wishes to create dialogueconcerning an issue may do so by submitting articles or Letters to the Editor in room C-109. In order to uphold theintegrity of the publication, The High Post reserves the right to edit submissions for grammar, style and availablespace. Submissions should not exceed 300 words.

Advisor: Mrs. Renee Stallings Administration: Dr. Georgia Teppert, Mr. Steven LoCascio and Mr. Chad Krehlik Printed by the Latrobe Bulletin

The High Post 2007-2008 Editors-in-Chief

Mike DeFabo and Amber Biddle

Section EditorsFeatures Editor- Courtney Furwa News Editor- Samantha ServiceOpinions Editor- Stephanie SiorSports Editor- Matt ZittPhoto Editor- Angela Repko

Distribution MangerIan Kish

Production & Advertising ManagerNick Baugh

Business ManagerChris James

StaffTyler Baloh, Ben Battaglia, Courtney Briggs, Joe Ferlin, Justin Downs,

Ryan LaDuke, Pat Lynch, Mary Maatta, Brian Noel, Angela Repko, BriannaSaddler, Natalie Schade, Carmella Stanko, Anna Sylvester, Kristina

Wiggins,Lindsey Yelenic, Kailtin Zurawsky

Editorial Policy

Voiceb

ox Around the world in80 words

Pat LynchColumnist

Chit ChatCarmella Stanko

Columnist

Wildcat den implements new guidelines

Good Guy Bad Guy

In June of 2007 theCouncil of Europe’s “Committeeon Culture, Science andEducation” conducted a reportentitled The Dangers ofCreationism in Education whichsays “Creationism in any of itsforms, such as ‘intelligentdesign’ is not based on facts,does not use any scientific rea-soning, and its contents are inad-equate for science classes.” Inmy opinion the report is narrowminded and lacks base. I believethat schools should cover all the-ories, including creationism.

The subject of teachingevolution vs. creationism hasbeen controversial for as long asschools have been around in theUnited States. The argumentintensified in 1925 when thefamed “Scopes trial” took place.John Scopes, a teacher inTennessee, was arrested for cov-ering Charles Darwin’s theory,The Origin of Species. The courtruled that evolution could betaught as long as creationism wasalso covered. Originally, Scopeswas on trial for teaching evolu-tion instead of creationism.Ironically, now teachers are get-ting in trouble for teaching cre-ationism. Why can’t creationism

be taught alongside evolutionjust like it was with ourGrandparents?

The debate has contin-ued. Some schools have turned tointelligent design, a more scien-tific approach to creationism, as ahappy medium to explain the ori-gin of life. Their efforts havebeen shot down as well. In land-mark 2005 case Kitzmiller v.Dover Area School District,judge John E. Jones III ruled thatintelligent design was a branch ofcreationism, therefore; unsuit-able for a public education envi-ronment. He considered intelli-gent design a violation of the firstamendment right of separation of

church and state. The school dis-trict had to pay $1,000,011 inrestitution, to the parents whochallenged the ruling. So nowschools are forced to teach evolu-tion and only evolution unlessthey want to risk legal penalties.

Evolution is the currentpolicy in Greater Latrobe SchoolDistrict and every other schooldistrict in the U.S. In my 10thgrade biology class resistancewas particularly fierce, therewere only a few students in myclass that could sympathize withevolution. Most students in theU.S. (65.5%) agree with themajority of my biology class that“Creationism is most definitely

true” and over two thirds of theAmerican adult populationbelieves that creationism shouldbe taught alongside evolution inschools.

When it comes to thegovernment’s stance on creation-ism, I am embarrassed the most.Sure creationism has some unex-plained aspects, but so does evo-lution. That is why both are theo-ries. Why not teach both theoriesand let the student decide forthemselves which to believe. Callme the bad guy, but somethingneeds to happen to change thisdisturbing trend. Students shouldbe entitled to the truth.

“They usually don’t affect mebecause teachers take intoconsideration the days off.”-Amanda Malnofsky, senior

“Break helps me, because itgives me a chance to catch upon all the homework I haveyet to do.”- Jeff Rossi, senior

“It doesn’t because it’sturkey time, not homeworktime.”- Amber Mondock, senior

“I forget a lot over the break,so it is hard to come backand maintain.”- Joey Walters, junior

“It’s really hard to pullmyself out of bed when wecome back from break,because I have totally fallenout of my daily routine. ”-Meghan Kozusko, sophomore

“It really affects me becausemy cooking skills really getrusty from missing basic culi-nary. ”-Matt Molitor, senior

“You are not thinking aboutschool on break, so thereforeyou do not study and youcare less more and more.”- Max Henry, sophomore

“Break really doesn’t affectme because the teachers goover what we did before weleft.”- Spencer Onuffer, junior

How do holidaybreaks affect your

grades?

Cartoon by Brianna Saddler

“It really doesn’t affect mygrades much. There is hardlyany difference betweenThanksgiving vacation and aregular weekend.”-Tyler Berger, junior

“There is no stress during thebreak so when students comeback they are ready to work.”- Brad Burkley, sophomore

“When I come back, most ofthe time I forget what I hadlearned before it started.”- Kelly Cooper, junior

Natalie Schade, staff writer

Ben BattagliaColumnist

Does creationism have a place in public schools?Brian NoelColumnist

Awww....man you mean Tristan andIsolde isn't playing anymore ?

Intern: Julia DeFabo, Emily Anna

Issue 4 Corrections In the column chit chat, where it read Joelle Kissell, it should have said Michaela Kissell. On the opinions page the Miracle Worker participantlist should have read as follows: Lucas Sweeny(missing from the cast list); Set and design: Greg Kroll, Kathryn Baker, Sara Campbell, SamGross, Acacia Macey and Megan Monack; Lights and Running Crew: Allison Kinney, Matt Kuhar, Tim Lewis, Jessica Smeltz, Sarah Hellmann,Hannah Moford, Eric Palanko, Katie Brown, Logan Dorsch, Rebecca Rudy and Rachel Stairs; Stage Manager: Jessica Smeltz; Student Director; Josh Helfferich

EA Sports revolutionizes the gaming world

American gangster earns top ratings

When students areasked what they do for fun onFriday nights, a number of pos-sibilities of how they couldanswer come to mind. However,as soon as the weather gets coldand the winter sport season rollsaround, the place a majority ofthe students of GLSHS will befound is the Wildcat den sup-porting the basketball teams.

Each home game, theden is ‘assigned’ a differenttheme for which the studentswill dress such as camo, suitsand shades, beach wear, togas,super hero, and country club.Themes give students theopportunity to come out to sup-port their team and have fundoing it. Athletic director, Mr.Smith said, “We want you tohave fun with the themes, theonly thing we ask is to remem-ber the dress code.” He meansuse common sense; for exam-ple, do not show up to beachnight wearing a bikini.

Students who plan tobe a part of the den attended amandatory meeting that washeld on November 28. Duringthe meeting the administrationwent over the rules of the denand handed out cards requiredto get into the den. “The meet-ing was to go over acceptablebehavior in the den. Receivingthe card is a way for us to knowthat the students understand therules and will accept the conse-quences of their actions, “saidSmith.The administration supports the

den as long as they follow therules such as no noise makers,no swearing, no booing the

other team and most important-ly no disrespecting the nationalanthem. “I think you shouldmake noise and have fun but wedo want to have a positiveimage for the school and notgive the team a technical foulbased on the den,” said Smith.

The den is not only away for students to have fun, italso helps out the basketballteam in more ways then one.Junior guard Andrew Fishersaid, “The energy from the denbrings out something inside ofyou that you never thought youhad and adds that to yourgame.” Along with helping theteam up their game, the denalso is rewarding to the team tosee all their support from thestudent body. “Seeing the denon game night makes all thehard work from practice payoff,” added junior guard BradBurkhart.

The den also is also anintimidation factor for the oppo-nents. When they walk onto thecourts and see stands full of stu-dents wearing crazy costumes itaffects their performance duringthe game. “It’s truly a specialenvironment for us play in, sobe as loud as you can and ascrazy as you can,” said CoachWetzel during the meeting.

What’s a better way tohave fun on a Friday night thendressing in your finest toga andsupporting the basketballteams? With high expectationsfor the boys team and a crowdfull of crazy fans the roar fromthe den will be heard through-out the Wildcat Territory.

Top five Cats to watch this winter

Student body pumped forthe return of the den

Mary MaattaStaff writer

The man between the pipes for the Icecatshas been a brick wall for the 6-1 varsity icehockey team. When opponents shoot thepuck on Loyacona, they know in the backof their mind that they don’t have a goodchance of scoring. In seven games thisseason, he has saved 117 of 131 shots and

posted a goals against average of 2.66. If the Icecats plan onmaking a playoff run, Loyacona will be one of the main rea-sons why.

Courtney Zitt had high expectations set forher last season when Coach Fenton askedher to start at guard when senior starCourtney Sherwin was injured. She didnot disappoint. As a freshman, Zitt startedin 12 games and averaged 3.3 points pergame, 1.8 rebounds per game, and 1.9

assists per game. She is also known for her tough defensiveplay. This season, Zitt will have a bigger role for the girls’ var-sity basketball team as she will be starting again at guard.

The point guard for the basketball team isthe man who controls the team’s offenseand generates steals on defense. ChrisJames fits the description perfectly. Lastseason he started in all 24 games as pointguard and averaged 5.0 points per gameand 1.5 assists per game. However, defen-

sively is where James “does work.” He is the defensive work-force for Latrobe, averaging 1.5 steals per game and absolutelyshutting down the player he matches up against.

Chelsea Angus played a key role in lastyear’s section championship swim team.She competes in the 200 medley relay,200 free relay, and the 100 breaststroke.Her best 100 breaststroke time was anexcellent 1:13.20. Angus was a part ofthe 200 medley relay team that went to

states last year and placed 18th overall. She will definitely bedepended on in her senior year to try and repeat as sectionchamps.

Ryan Walters is the only returning letter-man who is a sophomore. He got the jobdone as the only freshman on the varsitywrestling team last season, posting a 24-14record. Walters also placed second in thesection and sixth at counties. This season,Walters has even bigger goals like placing

at WPIALs and the Powerade tournament. Even though he ismoving up to wrestle at 112, I expect him to have a big yearafter getting the experience of varsity wrestling last year.

Three Fast Facts:As a team last season, theyplaced second in their section Last year, five Latrobe wrestlers placed in the topeight at the Powerade Tournament, which is thefifth toughest tournament in the nation. Latrobe lost seven wrestlers to graduation whocombined for 619 wins over their high schoolcareers.Returning Letterman: Phil Ferry; Levi Hines,Cameron Kovatch, Nathan Pennesi, Nat Stas, JoeWalters, Ryan Walters

Three fast facts:Leading scorer last sea-son: Jeff Yunetz at 17 ppgRecord last season: 14-10 overall, (9-5) inthe sectionFinished 3rd in the section last seasonReturning Lettermen: BradBurkardt,Corey Fenton, Andrew Fisher,Chris James, Tony Lonigro, Dylan Nowe,Jeff Yunetz

Three Fast Facts:Record last season: 16-7(12-2 section)Section ChampionsLost to Bethel Park in Quarter Finals ofWPIALsReturning Letterman:Emily FentonCourtney Zitt, Emily Wood, LindsyMuchnock, Katie GettemyMollie Kovalcin, Katie FergusonMary Maatta, Natalie SchadeEmily Butina

Three Fast Facts:2007 Section Champions.One Girls relay team went to states.New morning practices starting at 6-7 onweekdays before school.Returning Letterman: Chelsey Angus,Jamey Butala, Josh Fry, Kathleen Kachmar,Natalie Bower, Jayna Cline Matt Shrum,Ryan Rullo,Heather Burreau, Sam Cline,Anna Gibas, Charlie Defrancesco, JillianKniffin, Kreigton Long, Hunter McGrogan,Alyssa Taylor, Alex Waller

Three Fast Facts: The team averages eight goalsper game and only letting up two per game.JeffJoe Regula is the leading scorer in the PIHLclass AA.The Cats are ranked first in their section.Returning Letterman: Curtis Colaianne, BenBattaglia, Tyler Baloh, Logan Dominick, Jeff Smail,Isaac Prichard, Jeff Rossi, Alex Stahl, NickLoyaconna, Brody Aukerman, Robert Himler, TommyRidge. Ryan LaDuke, Michael McCurdy, AndrewOng, JeffJoe Regula, Jayson Angus, Josh Harris andTyler Ridder.

Three Fast Facts: Kim finished 8th in theWPIALThe team went 14-0 in the regular season lastyear.No divers went to states last season.Returning Letterman: Kim Ciotti

Three Fast Facts: The players shoot at tar-gets located 33 feet away from their posi-tion. 25 people compete on the teamThere are no teams from other schools tocompete against so the Cats play againsteach other on game days.Returning Letterman: Josh Mowry, AndyCunningham, Sam Ferry, Mike Edgerly

Upcoming Home GamesDecember 12 Gateway

December 22 PlumJanuary 4 Norwin

Upcoming Home GamesDecember 11 Connellsville

December 14 Franklin RegionalDecember 21 Penn Trafford

Upcoming Home GamesDecember 13 Uniontown

December 20 Penn TraffordJanuary 7 Hempfield

Upcoming Home GamesDecember 13 Franklin RegionalDecember 18 Woodland Hills

January 10 Norwin

Upcoming Home GamesDecember 13 West Allegheny

December 20 KittanningJanuary 17 Indiana

Upcoming Home GamesDecember 13 Franklin RegionalDecember 18 Woodland Hills

January 10 Norwin

Upcoming Home GamesDecember 13 December 18January 10

Photo by Mike DeFabo

Ryan LaDukeStaff writer

55SportsSportsDecember 12, 2007December 12, 2007

Graphics by Nick Baugh

CHAMPION

4. Anna Gibas

1. Natalie Bower

8. Mike McCurdy

5. J.J. Hue

2. Jeff Yunetz

3. Emily Fenton

6. Matt Blank

7. Dave Duhaim

4. Sean Knaus

1. Joe Dado

8. Tony Lamosek

5. Amber Mondock

2. Joelle Kissell

3. Ryan Kissell

6. Joe Walters

7. Tony Lonigro

4. Lindsey Muchnock

1. JeffJoe Regula

8. Kayla DeVault

5. Jason Timmons

2. Brian Hantz

3. Nathan Pennesi

6. Kelly Feiertag

7. Andrew Williams

4.Eric Shaffer

1. Alexa Bryson

8. Lisa Artuso

5. Abby Hewitt

2. Matt Molitor

3. Dylan Nowe

6. Andrew Oshnock

7. Kristin Schmucker

MichaelaKissell Region

Ryan GoodmanRegion

Brent HeckelRegion

Emily Fedor Region

Who’s Meow is a 32 athlete bracket style tournament to determine who is themost now, or should we say meow, athlete. So what does it mean to be meow?

You have to excel both on the field and in the classroom. We will break down thematchups, but the students will decide who is crowned the most meow athlete.-

Watch WCAT-TV for the voting process.Natalie Bower

J.J. Hue

Emily Fenton

Dave Duhaim

Joe Dado

Sean Knaus

Ryan Kissell

Joelle Kissell

JeffJoe Regula

Nathan Pennesi

Lindsey Muchnock

Brian Hantz

Alexa Bryson

Eric Shaffer

Dylan Nowe

Matt Molitor

JeffJoe Regula

Nathan Pennesi

Alexa Bryson

Dylan Nowe

Natalie Bower

Emily Fenton

Joe Dado

Ryan Kissell

Natalie Bower

Joe Dado

JeffJoe Regula

Dylan Nowe

Tyler Baloh and Ryan LaDukeColumnists

Natalie BowerTrack, swimming, and cross country

Three 4th place finishes at states in cross country

Distinguished honor roll student

3.9

Darling

Dumb and Dumber

Eats pasta and listen to my i-pod

Tyra Banks

I fell while playing kickball in front of everyone

I-pod NanoHas a chance in the 2008 season to become the only runner to win 4

straight WPIAL cross country championships

Sports Played?

Greatest Athletic Achievement?

Greatest Academic Achievement?

GPA?

One word your mother would use to describe you?

Movie you never get tired of seeing?

Pre-game routine?

If you could be anyone in the world who would you be?

Most embarrassing moment?

Best Christmas gift?

Interesting fact you would not know about them?

Dylan NoweBasketball

Last season’s defensive player of the yearHigh honor roll student

3.6EntertainingAnchorman

Eats spaghetti and meatballs while Fisher gives me a backrubMike Fedele

I ripped off my warm-up pants and there were no shorts on underneath,just my boxers

Power Ranger action figures when I was 6Guarded Terrelle Pryor during an AAU game and our team won

Who is going to win college football’s mostcoveted trophy, the Heisman?

LaDuke: Unlike in the last couple of years, noone player has dominated college football thisseason. Last year, Troy Smith set a record formost first-place Heisman votes and the yearbefore that Reggie Bush was the clear favorite towin it. This year, however, college football fanshave seen multiple players have outstanding per-formances, but then the following week have abad game or suffer an injury. Consistency is a bigfactor in winning the Heisman. Only one playerin the nation is consistently amazing.

I believe the player that deserves theHeisman is Florida’s sophomore quarterback TimTebow. Not only are his statistics dazzling, but hehas also been putting them up consistently unlikeother Heisman contenders. That is why, Mr.Baloh, I think Darren McFadden falls a littleshort. McFadden didn’t rush for over 90 yards inthree games this season including a dreadful 43-yard performance against Auburn. On the otherhand, Tebow has thrown over 200 yards in everygame. The only exception was against a topranked defense in the LSU Tigers, yet he stillmanaged 158 passing yards. As far as passinggoes, he has completed 217 of 317 passes for3,132 yards and 29 TDs. Tebow has accumulateda completion percentage of 68.5% and a quarter-back rating of 177.8, which is second-highest inall of Division 1. I haven’t even begun to talkabout his rushing abilities. The dual-threat QB has rushed for 838 yards and 22 touchdowns. His22 rushing touchdowns is the highest for anyquarterback in Division 1 and ranks third for any player in division one. Earlier this season, Tebow set a record for being the only player in Division1 history to rush for 20 or more touchdowns and

pass for 20 or more touchdowns in the same sea-son.

The only thing that I can possibly thinkof holding him back is that he is only a sopho-more. Heisman voters are going to be cautious tomake him the first sophomore to ever win theHeisman, which is awarded to college football’smost outstanding player. Tim Tebow is just that.

Baloh: Like Ryan said, no one is really a dom-inate football player in college football like in thepast. Tim Tebow is a very special football playerand a very bright future for him in college foot-ball. He is only a sophomore and other specialplayers like him are more experienced and havemore talent at the collegiate level. Junior DarrenMcFadden can do it all. He has rushed for 1,725yards and 15 TDs. He has also caught for 164yards and 1 TD. He can pass as well, as he is justas lethal behind the center as he is in the backfieldas he has thrown for 123 yards and 4 TDs.McFadden is very capable of winning it. His teamwas recently knocked off number one rankedLSU. It shouldn’t be judged about how good yourteam is or what they are ranked this week, but insome cases that is looked at and the individualstats can be sometimes over-looked. Tebow hasgreat amount of talent, but he does show-boatwhen he scores a touchdown. He produces, buthe does not have to raise his arms in the air every-time he gets a first down. McFadden, on the otherhand, is just the typical old fashioned toss the ballup to the ref like you have done it before.McFadden is just an all-around outstanding ath-lete. Come January, you will be seeingMcFadden being penciled in among many of theHeisman legends in the past of college footballhistory.

Justin DownsStaff Writer

SoftballSenior Alexa Bryson, the right-

handed pitcher, who was theTribune-Review's 2007 Softball

Player of the Year, recentlyaccepted a scholarship to pitchfor Division I Robert Morris.

Bryson, who was heavily recruit-ed by Penn State and Tennessee,made the decision after narrow-

ing her list down to SlipperyRock University and RMU.

Girls BasketballWith only two starters returning

from a Section 1-AAAA champi-onship team, Latrobe Girls’

Basketball team has a long roadahead of them it they want tomake a second run. The team

will look for senior leadership in6-foot forward Lindsay

Muchnock (12.2 points and 8rebounds per game), who recently

committed to Seton Hill, andpoint guard Emily Fenton (12.5points, 4 assists and 3 steals per

game), to lead the charge. Cross Country

Junior Cross Country runnerNatalie Bower was named FirstTeam All-State for the third con-secutive year. The annual honor

is given by the PennsylvaniaTrack Coaches Association and is

awarded to the individual whohas displayed running expertise

on a high level.Boys Basketball

After opening the season 1-1 theBoys’ Basketball team hammeredthe arch rival Derry Area Trojansby a score of 82-38 improving to2-1 on the year. Coach Wetzel’ssquad will hope to continue theirexcellent play as members of the

den.

Face OffBaloh and LaDuke predict who will win

the Heisman Trophy

Tyler Baloh and Ryan LaDukeColumnists

Ohio State vs. Michigan. Pitt vs. West Virginia. UNCvs. Duke. Well, here in our backyard we have our own dynamicrivalry, Latrobe against Derry.

Since Easter comes a week earlier this year, the Clay F.Gibson Tournament was cancelled, forcing some changes inschedules. Since the Tourney was cancelled, both the boys’ andgirls’ basketball teams traveled to Derry this past week. With onecoming out on top, and the other getting a big preseason shock.

The Lady Cats’ took the 25 minute bus ride to TrojanCountry on Monday, hoping to build off the big win overGreensburg Central Catholic the past weekend. Head Coach GregFenton and the rest of the staff knew it was going to be a toughergame than most expected.

The Cats’ jumped out to an early lead in the first, only tosee it fall headed into the second quarter. Latrobe was down byeleven at the half and needed a spark. An equal performancethroughout most of the third kept the Cats in the game until aboutthree minutes to go. That’s when Derry Area found the stroke.Everything they threw up went in. Heading into the fourth,Latrobe was down 18, and the coaches were looking for some-thing to happen, but it never did. Senior Guard Emily Fentonfouled out mid-way through the fourth, which proved to be adagger in the heart.

Lindsy Muchnock lead the Cats with 19 points withFenton following up with 13. Leading all scorers was Derry guardTiffany Downey with 21, followed by Morgan Hoone with 19 andsr. forward Katie McBroom with 14. The next night the LatrobeBoys’ made the short trip to Derry Area, as the favorite in the con-test. “It’s more than two teams, it’s about two communities,”Latrobe Coach Brad Wetzel stated.

The Cats’ came out on fire, with Jeff Yunetz going six forhis first six, and ending the first quarter with 19 points. The Catswere ahead, and didn’t look back. Latrobe was up by 43 at onepoint, which kicked in the mercy-rule for pretty much the rest ofthe game. “Both teams came out to play, both putting their shortson one leg at a time,” said Wetzel. “We just had the better nightthan them. I have great respect for their coaching staff and play-ers. The Cats’ won the game by a score of 82-38.

Leading all scorers were junior point guard Jeff Yunetzwith 23 points. With junior Andrew fisher scoring 15 and juniorguard Brad Burkardt scoring 10 points coming off the bench forthe Wildcats.“This game is more about winning, it is really aboutschool and community pride,” reiterated Wetzel.

Backyard Brawl WildcatSportswire

Varsity Hockey(7-1) 12/5/07

Inline Hockey(3-2) 11/14/07

Wrestling(2-3) 12/5/07Swimming

(0-0) 12/5/07Boys’ Basketball (0-0) (2-1) 12/5/07Girls’ Basketball(0-0) (1-2) 12/5/07

Wildcat Cardbook

Jeff YunetzJunior• Shooting Guard• 65 3 pointers last season (record)• PPG 16.8 (2006-2007 season)• 39 three point percentage

9/36

Anna GibasJunior• Girls swimming• 100 yard backstroke 58.53 • 100 yard freestyle 54.42• 200 yard freestyle 2:00.10

10/36By Ben Battaglia

Justin DownsStaff WriterMarcus Campbell

Intern

Latrobe vs. Derry

66 SportsSportsDecember 12, 2007December 12, 2007

Dylan NoweNatalie Bower

“Haha Baloh, I made beef in

this

prediction.” -LaDuke