February 2013Smoke Signals

Smoke SignalsVolume 4 Issue 3

Peters Township High School264 East McMurray Road

McMurray, PA 15317724-941-6250

www.ptmedia.net

2013 PTHS Photography Gallery

February 21, 2013-

March 7, 2013

Meet the Staff

Mission Statement:Smoke Signals is produced six times a school year by the students of Media II, III, and IV Journalism staff at Pe-

ters Township High School. The staff adviser is Mrs. N. Sitler.

Commentaries, reviews, and opinion columns are the expressed opinion of the author and not of Smoke Signals,

its advisor, or the Peters Township School District.

Staff Writers & Layout StaffNicole FolinoChristine GaabMaria HogeKelsey HunterNathalie LengNina LevenJessica McElroyNicole NaultyRaelynn NoonanJeff BerryJC Brush

Kristina CarbonaraHannah CarpenterJenn CoffeyJulie DachilleCassi DeLucaJesse EbyMadi StartCasey KirwanKassianna PolitisNicole TorchioChris Watschak

Natalie RihmlandKristin SlomianyNicole SpindlerLuke StokanAlana LomisMadeliene MaggsMandy MagnottiMatt MullanVanessa ScoulosAndrew StroudLuke Stokan

Josh GlicksmanManaging Editor-In-Chief

Alexa KennedyLayout Editor-In-Chief

Jenna TaimutyPrint Editor-In-Chief

Shane DazenBusiness & Sports Editor

Rebecca PerrymanPT Focus & News Editor

Lexi MillerLife & Style Editor

Andrea SalizzoniSpecial Features Editor

Lydia McCallOpinion Editor

Julia GauthierPeople Features Editor

Laura PurkeyOnline Editor-In-Chief

Jesse EbyVoices and Student Work Editor

Elise JozwiakEntertainment Editor

PT Focus 4-5Opinion: 8-9

Life & Style: 10-11To Be or Not To Be

a Valentine:12-13

Entertainment: 18-19

News: 20-21

Student Work: 22-23

Voices: 24

Table of Contents

All’s Gold in Tinseltown

Find Out About

Shepard’s Heart

Fellowship

Is Social Media a Blessing or a Curse?

Beauty Buzz: Beginning

Trends of 2013

Media II, III, IV:Gallery Preview

What’s Left Seniors?

4 PT Focus

Who says I can’t be a matchmaker? I’m tired of seeing celebrities’ failed relationships, creating unnecessary drama that I don’t care about. Here are the top four couples (or friendships, I guess) that need to happen. Pronto.4. Samuel L. Jackson and Stephen A. SmithIs this breaking the rules? Very possibly. If you don’t get the reference, feel free just to move past this one onto number three. For those of you know both of these men, HOW GREAT WOULD THIS BE? Obviously, I am not implying anything, and I would even be satisfied with just seeing the two celebrities go out for dinner. The conversations would get so loud and so ridiculous. For example, could LeBron James survive a snake full of planes? Of course Jackson would say no, only he could pull off such a heroic feat. However, I feel that Smith would lean toward yes, only if Mario Chalmers wasn’t also on the plane, because he would just distract James, leading to failure. Additionally, I can almost guarantee the couple would frequently bicker over whether Stephen A. could pull off one of Jackson’s hats. The possibilities are

POWER RANKINGS: Celebrity Couples That Should/Need to be Together

Josh Glicksman|EditorInChief

Blackout of 2013: The Chipmunks AlanaLomis|Staff Writer

The darkness swallowed the school. Students clung to their iPhones, the only source of light in the building. What happened? What went on? Who turned off the lights? The backup generator that was supposed to keep the school partially lit failed, due to “chipmunks” gnawing on the wires. January 30 will go down in history as

the infamous blackout of 2013. At 10:06 am, during fourth period, the high school lost all power. Students in rooms with no windows were relocated to rooms with a view, and then a partial lock down took effect. For over three hours, students were not allowed to leave.

As time passed, students became restless. Any food that could be found was

passed around. The teachers in the library passed out crackers and the cafeteria staff brought around fruit and salad to the first floor. Around 1:45 pm students were finally permitted to leave the building. Dismissal was a welcome relief as students attempted to rush to their lockers, until they realized they were not allowed access. Everyone got

a much needed break from homework that night. If you have any information on said “chipmunks” please tell a responsible adult.

Actual Image from Blackout 2013

endless.3. Ryan Gosling and Mila Kunis; Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams I think you see the point I’m trying to make here. I’m sure I speak for a high population of guys when I say I’m sick of hearing girls talk about how sexy Ryan Gosling, Channing Tatum, Ryan Reynolds, or Zac Efron is. The list goes on and on. Girls, I’m sure you’re tired of hearing how attractive Mila Kunis, Rachel McAdams, Emma Stone, or Scarlett Johansson is. I think we can make a deal here. Let’s just take all of these people off the map. Fix them all up together and they can go live on their own island of joy and good looks. We both set standards much higher because of these jerks that make us feel bad about ourselves. Where’s what matters on the inside? Isn’t that important anymore? Can’t everyone just care about everyone else’s feelings like in a Judy Blume book? Ugh. Anyway, that’s my proposed solution. Take it or leave it.

2. Tim Tebow and Nicki MinajJosh, you’re straight up crazy. Am I though? Everyone knows Tebow as the saint who can do no wrong. Here’s the thing: nice guys finish last. It’s a fact. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Let’s take a look at some of the recent Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, shall we? Ah, Pittsburgh’s own Ben Roethlisberger. I’d love to say the dude has a clean track record, but alas, that’s merely a funny joke. Now, not by any means do I condone Big Ben’s actions, I’m just proving the point that he’s not perfect. Additionally, there’s Tom Brady. That guy is certainly no saint, leaving his pregnant girlfriend

for a supermodel. I’m not telling Tebow to go against morals or to cause legal troubles, but he needs to live a little. Nicki (a.k.a. Roman) adds the perfect amount of flair to his life. He’ll learn that he needs to stand up for himself. He’ll learn to create an alter ego—then he’ll be able to remain heavenly Tim, but switch to an evil, angry, yet more accurate passer when needed. 1. Taylor Swift and Jesse EisenbergSerious question, everybody. Why is Taylor Swift popular when she has only put out one

song? (Not to mention, a bad song.) Woah, T-Swift fans! I know that she’s topped the charts with more than a single tune, but is there really any difference in any of them? Let me see. Cue guitar. Proceed to write about one of three things (or some combination): 1. There’s a pretty hot guy that you’ve been checking out that just doesn’t notice you. 2. There’s a pretty hot guy, but he’s currently taken by some girl that’s undeserving of him. 3. You thought you were in love with this pretty hot guy, but he broke your heart. Yeah, that pretty much covers it. T-Swift needs to find a boyfriend that falls under the average category. Meet Jesse Eisenberg. He isn’t sweet or darling enough whereas she’ll write a song about her Prince Charming, but he isn’t terrible enough to write a vent song about. Eisenberg pretty much always keeps a low-key, occasionally funny personality. All Photos from AP Images

February 2012

Traveling to different countries can be fun and exciting, especially if you’re with friends. Every year we count down the days until summer, but when it’s finally here we find ourselves constantly bored. Have you ever thought about experiencing a different culture? PTHS offers an incredible “study abroad” type program every summer. The best part is, you don’t actually study or take a test. The trip involves going to a Spanish-speaking country and experiencing their culture. This year, students are traveling to Toledo, Madrid, Mulan, Barcelona, and a few other

PTHS Travels AbroadMadi Start| Staff Writer

Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship

The Real World of Anatomy

Kassiana Politis|Staff Writer

All too often, the kind acts people perform everyday usually go unnoticed. Fortunately, the student members of PTHS’s Interact Club have always performed these acts by helping those who are less fortunate. On February eighth, active members of this club gave back to the most deserving men in our country.

Students went to a local home that is open to house these men, thanks to a ministry called “Shepherd’s Heart.” The home is located in downtown Pittsburgh. Men are housed for up to six months, learning how to acclimate into normal

Andrea Salizzoni|Staff Writer

everyday life. Men qualified to live in this home have served in the nations military. Men are taught to manage finances, deal with personal problems, become mobile with a physical handicap, and find joy in their lives again.

Although the Interact students can only do so much for these men, they contributed as much time and effort as they possibly could. The night was a huge success. As a Valentine’s Day gift and a thank-you to these soldiers, our Interact Club prepared and served a pasta dinner for them. They also provided music, courtesy of the band students. The event was successful in that not only could we help these men, but we could get to know them and learn more about their experience overseas. Giving this night to these veterans was not only rewarding, but it was also a night that gave these men something to hold on to for the rest of their lives.

cities in Europe.“Visiting Machu

Picchu was the most amazing excursion our group embarked throughout the duration of the trip. To see such beautiful, historic, ancient, and symbolic masterpiece of a city of an antique empire was an experience that was highly difficult to describe with words in hindsight,” said sophomore Daniel Krajovic.

Although the trips are not school funded (meaning you must pay to attend these trips), they always provide students with a positive experience. Spanish teachers and other chaperones go on these adventures along with the students. There is more than one positive reason to go on one of these trips; you get to see the world from a different point of view, gain a new perspective, and of course, use the Spanish language. “The best trip hands down was Peru 2012. It was the first trip that I planned. It was the most beautiful and loving country I have been to,” stated Mrs. Degnan. Mrs. Degnan explained how students always mature after they visit these different countries because they get to see the world and experience things that people living in the US cannot experience. If money is an issue and you cannot afford the trip don’t worry; usually a trip occurs every summer or every other summer. Unfortunately, there are no fundraising opportunities, so you must save up the money on your own.

From Spain to Costa Rica to Peru, as well as many other wonderful Spanish-speaking countries, PTHS students have been there. Although the Spanish teachers are not sure of where to go next year, it will surely be an incredible country. Life is short, and in high school it is important to live while you can, before you head off to college and are to busy to see the world.

A n a t o m y and Physiology II (Mentorship) offers hand-on experiences for students, giving them opportunities in almost any health field they want to pursue after high school. “The program was eye opening. You learn the things you can’t from a book,” said senior Kristi Riesmeyer. The goal of this class is to give students a beneficial experience working with actual doctors, nurses, and physical therapists. That type of experience cannot happen sitting in a classroom.

“The program was awesome and very informative. It really helped me decide if I wanted to go into this field,” said senior Lauren Arcuri. Another goal of the program is to help students confirm if the medical field and their particular job choice are right for them.

However, only fifteen students, each semester have this high school opportunity to mentor in a future career. “To be allowed in the program you need to pass Anatomy I with satisfactory grades, pass Biology and Algebra III, have a driver’s license, and be very responsible,” said Riesmeyer. The program is enjoyable and helpful for many students, but it does take a lot of hard work and dedication as there are many prerequisites required to be allowed in the class. For example, in order to pass the class students must complete a minimum of 30 shadowing hours with their mentor.

The Antomy and Physiology II course offers a real world experience for all interested students in pursuing a career in the medical field should consider. Please contact the guidance office for more information.

All Photos from AP Images and Mrs. Boni

6 Sports

Skill is an easily recog-nizable attri-bute to spot. S h o o t i n g guard Da-kota Norton’s

basketball skills have displayed his inner talent as an athlete. With a 7-9 record, the team has their work cut out for them if they hope to make the playoffs. Though their record doesn’t re-veal it, the team is battling. All of their losses have been within 8 points. “The team is looking good, we’ve lost many close games, but we’re battling and getting better every day,” said Norton. As a senior, Norton has stepped up and proven himself as a leader on the team. “The will to win is what drives me to do better in games,” Nor-ton stated. Norton doesn’t just express his leadership with his talent; he also maintains his

Dakota Norton: Athelte of the Month

S e n i o r C h r i s t i n e Gaab has contributed to the swim team’s suc-cess this

season. This is her tenth year swimming and she, along with the rest of the swimmers, has acquired more recognition throughout the township be-cause of her undeniable suc-cess and prowess in the sports community. “I always keep my goals in mind when practicing. I try my hardest to make it to all of the nine practices we have a week because it’s my senior year and the last chance to qualify for WPIALS,” stated Gaab. Her “lead by example” mentality is a vital compo-nent to the team’s success and

Christine Gaab: Athlete of the Month

JEFF:      With the NBA kicking off the second half of the season, there a couple of teams you should give serious consideration to make the finals. The Knicks from the East and the Clippers from the West are the teams that will make it. The Knicks have a leader in Carmelo Anthony and with a healthy Amar’e Stou-demire, NY should be nearly un-beatable in the Eastern Conference. The Clippers are more than deep enough to make a long run into the finals and battling for their first ever title. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will lead the team, and Jamal Craw-ford will come off the bench to put up some serious points. JC: Good points Jeff, but you’re wrong. For the Eastern Conference, Miami is the team to beat for various reasons, one simply being because of their tal-ent and depth. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are two of the best players in the NBA and make ev-eryone else on their team better. Another reason is because they

won the NBA Championship last year, so they know what it takes to get the job done. For the Western Conference, I love the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even with the loss of James Harden, this is a team that plays great at home. If they gain home court advantage throughout the playoffs, I do not see them los-ing to anyone in the Western Con-ference. Kevin Durant is the best scorer in the NBA and has been for a while. He is virtually unguard-able, and with the help of his side-kick Russell Westbrook, they are a tough out. If these guys carry the team while the role players do their job, I expect to see a rematch for the title this year. JEFF:  The Heat have a slim chance. but there is no way that the Thunder are going to get back to the finals for a second straight year. Yes, they do have big name players such as Durant and Westbrook, but they don’t have that sixth man that can make a dif-ference. They have Kevin Martin, but he will not be able to put up the num-

bers that James Harden did in help-ing his team make it to the champi-onship round the previous year. The Heat have Ray Allen to come off the bench and put up some threes to add a little bit of scoring, but he won’t be able to put up 15+ points on a nightly basis. If the Heat meet the Knicks in the Conference Finals, they won’t be able to handle the shooting of Melo along with occasional scoring by J.R. Smith. They just won’t be able to han-dle the Knicks.  JC: While both the Knicks and Clippers are playing extremely well in the regular season, they don’t have what it takes to get the ring. First off, the Knicks are simply a different team with Amar’e Stou-demire. Anthony does not play well with Stoudemire because they both want the ball every possession. The Knicks are so much better when they spread the floor and have a bunch of shooters on the floor which cannot happen with Amar’e on the court. There is no chance they can guard Miami, James and

Wade are too much. Finally, An-thony is not a playoff performer, he has only gotten through the first round ONCE in his career. I believe he is selfish and when the going gets tough, he won’t be able to get the job done. The Clippers are coming on strong this year, and have proved to be one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NBA with “Lob City,” but this is the same team that got swept by the older more experienced Spurs. Chris Paul cannot stay healthy and Blake Griffin is nothing more than a human highlight reel.

NBA Debate: Love and HateJeff BerryandJC Brush|StaffWriters

JesseEby|NewsEditor

a major part of their past and, hopefully, future accomplish-ments. “This season we have a lot of potential to succeed in our section, and maybe even become section champs,” said Gaab. One of the hardships in all high school sports is losing experienced seniors, but Gaab is still confident in the team’s abilities. “Even though we lost some talented seniors, the freshmen we gained in return made up for the loss,” she said. Gaab’s experience and true passion for swim-ming is the foundation for her success this season. Her leadership has really brought the girls’ team together and is what sets her apart from the other girls.

ChrisWastchak|StaffWriter

cool under pressure. It seems as though when he’s calm on the court, it helps the team’s over-all performance. It’s because of this quality that makes his team looks up to him. “My vocal leadership and the way I handle myself in bad situations is what my team takes from me the most,” Nor-ton said. Norton’s hard work off the court is another aspect as to why he is a star player on the team. His devotion to working out and the many extra hours of practice he puts in doesn’t hurt, either. “If you want to be good at something you must put time and effort into it,” said Norton. Skill is something that does not develop overnight. It is some-thing that takes time and effort, and when you use those two to your advantage, you come out on top. Such is the case with Dakota Norton.

Photos AP Images

February 2012 7

The end of the NHL L o c k o u t b r i n g s m i x e d f e e l i n g s for senior h o c k e y

player Trevor Recktenwald. Even though hockey is back, it meant that the Tomahawk Charity Classic that Reckten-wald was scheduled to play in was cancelled.

The Tomahawk Char-ity Classic was a hockey game that was supposed to be played between a few Pittsburgh Penguins and the John-stown Tomahawks of the NAHL. Recktenwald was also selected to play on one of the teams. Unfortu-nately, the match was can-celled due to the lockout ending. Despite the char-ity game being cancelled,

The Lockout UnlockedAlanaLomis|StaffWriter

Recktenwald is looking forward to the season. “I expect a very com-petitive season due to fewer games. The whole season will be more like a playoff atmosphere because there is less room for error in making the playoffs.” Recktenwald stated. Although Reckten-wald won’t be able to skate alongside some of the Pens, it isn’t holding him back from gearing up for the games. Hock-ey fans everywhere can rejoice about the beginning of the 2013 NHL season.

When I say Ben Roethlisberger or Michael Vick what do you think of? Quarterbacks? Surely. Superstars? You could make a good ar-gument in their favor. Criminals who beat the system because of their status as superstar quarterbacks? Now that’s an entirely different ball-park. Whether you choose to believe it or not, it’s always in the back of your mind when you see the pair of shot callers slicing through oppos-ing teams defenses and engineering game-winning drives Sunday after Sunday. “Roethlisberger’s a rapist” and “Michael Vick? Don’t you mean dog killer?” have become commonplace in society, and not without good reason. But take a second and think of this. Ray Lewis, the Baltimore Ra-vens heralded linebacker, who is making his retirement tour more than just a short trip due to the Ravens unsuspected playoff run this season, is revered by both friend and foe as one of the greats to play the game both on AND off the field. His enthusiasm for football and his spirituality are unmatched, without a doubt. However, while a football hungry nation is basking in his success as a player, they fail to remember, or choose to for-get, what happened on the night of January 31, 2000. Whether Ray Lewis was responsible for the murders of Richard Lollar and Jacinth Baker on that fateful night is not for me to judge, but it brings up an increasingly unsettling issue that needs to be addressed. Rank the players in terms of their image as villains in society. I’ll give you a second. One...two…okay, come back to me. How many of you placed Vick at the top and Lewis on the bottom? That’s what I thought. Now, rank the players alleged crimes in order from most atro-cious to least atrocious. Most would say murder tops everything else, I know I would. Herein lies the issue with the public’s perception of ath-letes in today’s world. Believe me when I say I DO NOT condone any of the aforementioned incidents, but why is it that we praise someone who may have murdered as something short of a god? Why is it that when kids go to play Madden they always want to be Michael Vick? The answer

is simple. We don’t know any better. Athletes are a key cog in entertain-ment, and we are people that value entertainment over integrity and vir-tue. This is evident not only on the national stage, but also deep with-in a small Ohio town on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. Steubenville, Ohio, a self described “football hotbed”, with a population of about 19,000, has been ravaged by an alleged rape that has shocked the core of the community and split the town apart. The victim is said to have been unconscious, and was allegedly carted around to a series of parties on August 11th and 12th by members of the Steubenville High football team. She was allegedly sexually assaulted at least twice as others watched and took pictures and videos. The inci-dent, which came to light a few weeks ago, and the cover up by a football community has left a girl stripped of her innocence by two 16 year old boys, Ma’lik Richmond and Trent Mays, who have a date in court to decide their dismantled futures. Does the name Jonas Salk ring a bell? Members of New York Ladder Company 15? You probably have no idea who I’m talking about because these names never come up in everyday conversation, but they are more important to society than someone who plays a child’s game for a living. Without Salk, the Polio epidemic rages on and still affects millions today. Without the members of Ladder Company 15, hundreds more die in vain on that dreadful Tuesday morning in New York City eleven years ago. They didn’t have athletic ability, but they are more of a hero than Michael Jordan or Joe Montana or any other athlete will ever be.

Morality in SportsShaneDazen|SportsEditor

Max Preps HonorsLady Indians Soccer

Kassiana Politis and Andrea Salizzoni|StaffWritersOn February 1, 2013, Pennsylvania State Senator Matt

Smith, along with MaxPreps Chief Representative,Matt Fargo, rec-ognized the Varsity Girls’ Soccer and Tennis teams for their out-standing seasons. Each of these teams held state championships; with the soccer team accomplishing their third straight state title in a row, and the tennis team achieving their third state champion-ship in the last four years. The title awarded to each team was the PIAA AAA State Titles. MaxPreps representative Matt Fargo said, “Out of one thousand schools across the country, we acknowledged 20 schools, and from those schools we rated the Peters Town-ship Girls’ Varsity Soc-cer Team number one throughout the nation.

AP Images and Photo by Tim Warne

8 Opinion

We entered high school with nerves, expectations, ex-citement, and fears all based on what we heard. Some rumors stand true, but others are far off. We thought the end would never come, especially not this quickly, but now we are in the last semester of our high school career with many special events crammed in to our last 90 days. It is now February and we find ourselves waiting, hoping, and even dreading the direction of our future: college, workforce, military, etc. By the end of March, all letters should be received, and our decisions made by May. I know I find myself anxious and uncertain about where I will spend my next four years. Maybe re-lief will set in after we know the plan for our near future. Seniori-tis is especially kicking in; we tend to find ourselves out of focus with little desire to move forward with school work. “The second semester is always easier for me because there is more to look forward to with the warm weather and a fresh start,” said senior Lydia McCall. For some, this year is not yet slowing down; the AP tests are just around the corner. But the good news is after the AP tests, the school year is actually almost over. Mandy Magnotti stated, “It is a good feeling, but it is also surreal.” On a more exciting note, we still have prom to look for-ward to. Our last high school dance is coming, making some sad, and others rather relieved and excited. We started off freshman year going to Homecoming in October 2009 and will end with our senior prom in May 2013. The Snowball dance, hosted by the cheerleaders, was always enjoyable in February, breaking up the middle of the year. We have already experienced our last high school football game and our last high school basketball game

What’s Left, Seniors?MadelieneMaggs|StaffWriter

is quickly approach-ing. “Being a part of the basketball team has been the best part of my high school ex-perience. I’m sad that it’s ending, but thank-ful for what I’ve expe-rienced. The things I will miss the most are not only games, but the friendships, memories, camps, and time spent with the team,” stated senior Craig Johnson. Senior week will include some of our last high school experiences at PTHS. Yearbooks will be distributed, signed, and then looked at 20 years from now. We will attend our last day of class Monday, June 3. The following days will be spent preparing to walk and receive our diplomas at commencement. It may be tiring and rather boring practicing, but when Friday comes the nerves and excitement will set in. We do get to have some fun in between those exhausting practices, with Kennywood and our se-nior picnic. These will be the last memories tied to PTHS with our friends. After graduation, most of us will go on a senior trip with our friends. It will be a time to celebrate our accomplishments of the past twelve years of our lives. It is also a time to enjoy with our friends before the eagerness of our rapidly changing future sets in. It will be interesting to all come together at our first reunion to see the changes we all have made. The future is ours, Class of 2013.

Photo by Mrs. Boni

Hi, my name is Josh Glicksman, and I’m a HIMYM-aholic. I’ve watched every episode of “How I Met Your Mother” that has ever aired—it’s currently in season eight—and know each characters’ quirks and tendencies by heart. Now, you my dearest reader may see the term “HIMYM-aholic” and think that I absolutely love the show. No. In fact, I loathe it. I made the AA reference for a reason—I want to stop, but I just can’t. For those of you that are so blessed to have never invested your time in the series, “How I Met Your Mother” is a television show about a man who sits with his two children in the year 2030 and looks back as to how he met their mother. Cool idea, right? I thought so too. Well, apparently Ted Mosby’s (the main character of the series) kids have great attention spans, because he’s made little progress in the past eight years. Here’s the problem: Creators Carter Bays, Craig Thomas, and Missy Alexander have just run through the same routine for the past several years. And to be honest, I blame Alexander because the show started to go downhill ever since she joined in 2009. The writers simply open doors that they will never close. For you true fans, how many times have you heard Bob Saget (the 2030 version of Ted Moseby) say “but we’ll get back to that”—and then never do it?! So many plot points they wrap up horribly (i.e. Barney & Nora, Ted & Zoey). But hey, the show will just keep moving right along, no worries.

How I May Possibly Anti-Climactically Meet Your Mother EventuallyJoshGlicksman.Managing|EditorinChief

Meanwhile, HIMYM has drastically limited its ability to make funny episodes. Josh Radnor’s (present-day Ted Moseby) character typically only shines when he admits that he is a hopeless loser, but all too often Bays and company attempt to make Moseby some sort of philosophical romantic that just makes me say “bleh.” Jason Segel (who plays Marshall Erikson) is a hilarious actor. It’s no secret—he’s starred in GREAT films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and I Love You, Man. So why the show’s writers insist on bogging him down to play the now-I’m-a-responsible-father-who-loves-my-wife role beats me. Where’s the crazy, fun, ridiculous Jason Segel that I love? Dracula musical!

Lastly, there’s Barney Stinson (played by Neil Patrick Harris). Here’s your bright spot. He’s always funny, unless he plays the “I love Robyn” role. In all other cases, he’s legen… wait for it…

Now, this is about the point in the article where you must be thinking: What is this guy complaining about? Should he just stop watching the show?

If you’ve watched the show for as long as I have, you’re pretty much stuck. You’ve followed this bogus story for eight long, dragging on, never-ending years. It’s impossible to stop now. We can just hope that the ending at least is interesting. It has to be. However, knowing the writers, Ted will probably just bump into his future wife, knocking over her Subway sandwich. Ted will proceed to try and pick up the sub, look up into her eyes, and feel destiny. Wow. Bravo.

February 2013 9

For years, pop culture has been en-tertaining the lives of millions. Even though what celebrities wear and what they eat is considered jaw dropping, I find celebrity couples most interesting. You never know who is going to end up with whom or whose relationship is going to stay for good. We all thought Heidi Klum and Seal would last, but

they showed us that love actually doesn’t exist when they filed for divorce. In honor of Valentine’s Day, I have picked out the best and the worst celebrity couples of 2012. The celebrities that are on my “hot list” are ones that seem happy and close to normal in their “not so normal” lives. The first celebrity couple that I find darling is none other than Kate Middle-ton and Prince William. Sigh. The couple is downright adorable and you can’t help but be happy when you see them together. What makes this couple so charming, you ask? It may have to do with the fact that Kate was an ordinary girl who was swept off her feet into this fairytale and hasn’t looked back since. Again, sigh. The couple is expecting a child to turn their blissful marriage into a beautiful family. The next fabulous couple is Orlando Bloom and the lovely Miranda Kerr. They have been together for five years and she gave birth to their first child, Flynn just a year ago. The couple stays low key in their busy lives but whenever they are seen together, they still have a “honeymoon” glow about them. Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady are living proof that symmetry happens everywhere in nature. Bundchen is the highest paid super model in the world and Brady, is the highest paid NFL player in the universe. It is in-evitable that these two would find each other. Other than being wealthy and blissful, the couple is extremely attractive and is prob-ably the best looking couple of all time. The world better watch out

The Good and the BadLydiaMcCall|StaffWriter

whenever their two kids grow up. The last couple I need to mention is Beyonce and Jay-Z. Hip-hop’s most powerful duo has been together for a total of twelve years! What a milestone. Before the couple got engaged in 2007, they dated for seven years. Kudos to the happy family, along with their little baby, Blue Ivy. Now this is where my list gets a little nasty: the worst couples in Hollywood. First I will have to mention Chris Brown and Rihanna. Personally, I think they are two of a kind, but the relationship could not be more toxic. The couple has been keep-ing their dangerous relationship under wraps, but we all know the truth. Considering the fact that Rihanna has been posting pictures on Instagram of her holding Brown’s hand, it seems like they’re back together. The breakup of Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber brings me great sadness. I’ll have to admit that I was the couple’s biggest fan about three months ago. They were the couple that radiated young love, but now they have become the melodramatic couple that we all see in high school. The couple broke my heart and took the world on an emotional roll-ercoaster during their break up. Finally, Kim Kardashi-an and Kanye West couldn’t be more suitable for each other but that doesn’t make them any less annoying. With both of their egos, the world, as we know it, may in fact blow up. “Kimye” is really what the Mayans had in mind when they predicted the end of the world.

The scene plays itself again and again and yet we nev-er seem to learn from our faults. Since 1999, 92 people have been murdered by school shooters. Many of the most infamous massacres such as Newtown, Virginia Tech, and Columbine have occurred in the last four-teen years. As a family friend of a man who survived the Virginia Tech shootings, I empathize greatly with the families of vic-tims. After watching the news, researching various statistics, and reading an article written by the mother of a mentally ill child, I have an opinion about what is the cause of these trag-edies. Let’s jump back to the 1980’s, during the years of the Reagan presidency. Nation-wide, mental hospitals were closed down. How were the

The Edge of the CliffMorganBoyer|GuestWriter

former patients supposed to integrate into the community? Sometimes, they were placed in community housing where they all lived together under a watchful eye, but that was not enough. Many of them wound up homeless, poor, and without proper medical care. For these individuals, being in a nation without government healthcare was the edge of the cliff. After the de-institu-tionalizing in the 1990s and 2000s, research was conducted on disorders such as autism, ep-ilepsy, ADHD, and depression. However, care for mental dis-abilities was like paying for col-lege tuition (without financial aid) for a three-year old child. Although these treatments were extremely effective and changed the lives of the patient as well as the families, they were expen-sive so many could not afford to

pay for them. According to New York Times writer Tara Parker-Pope, in her article “The Cost of Autism,” treatment costs can cost anywhere from $67,000 to $72,000 a year, depending on how severe the condition is. Suffering individuals are having more difficulty in society be-cause they cannot afford these insanely priced treatments. Now imagine if you were homeless or a formal men-tal patient, living just under the poverty line (around $15K an-nually). Let’s say you earned around $12K per year and have suffered from schizophrenia all of your life. Your rent might cost you around $5K a year, your water bill around $500 a year, cable might cost you an-other $600 a year, and phone, another $500. Add the cost of food, maybe $600 a year, and gasoline, $2K a year. All of that

closely adds up to $10K annu-ally. How do you scrape up the money from the $2K you have left to pay for medicine that costs over $5K a year? That’s why I am calling for people on all ends of the po-litical spectrum—Republicans, conservatives, liberals, Demo-crats, libertarians, and indepen-dents to provide all Americans with an effective mental health care system. Gun control is not what’s truly wrong with our country. If we are a beacon of hope to the world, we need to take the lead and provide all of our citizens with the necessary mental health care needed.

Photos from AP Images

10 Life & Style

Doin’ It Like Dazen

A new year brings new innovation in the world of beauty. Products such as BB Creams, beauty oils and new nail products are taking over the cosmetics aisle, and that’s just naming a few. Here are some must-have items to throw into your makeup bag that will be sure to leave a smile on your face for the rest of winter. BB Cream, or Blem-ish Balm Cream, is an all-in-one replacement for founda-tion that primes, moisturizes, covers up just about every-thing that could need it, and provides sun protection. Costs and brands range any-where from drugstore Gar-nier to luxury brand Boscia. Many companies are put-ting additional serums into

their formulas that provide anti-aging, anti-acne, and ex-tra hydrating benefits. This is one item that will become an everyday staple as it cuts down on time and provides the same look as four or five products combined. Beauty oils are bomb-shell products in the cosmetics industry. They are essentially oil-based liquids that can be used on the cuticles, skin, and hair. Beauty oils come in for-mulas for cleansers, serums, and treatments. The key to using a beauty oil is to ap-ply it immediately following a shower, when your skin has the highest capability of absorbing it. The top oil on the market for hair right now is the Ojon Hair Therapy Treatment, and for skin it’s the Boscia Make

Up Break Up Cleansing Oil. Have you ever tried leather nails? Sequined? Cav-iar? Nail companies such as Nails, Inc., a London-based company, have made these and many other designs. Their lat-est innovations provide every-thing needed to create these effects with a simple kit. While these innovations have yet to hit drugstore shelves, they can be purchased from Sephora or Ulta. Urban Decay Cos-metics has done it again with their best-selling “Naked” line by adding two new products: the Naked Basics Palette and the Naked Nail Polish set. The basics palette includes 6 matte shades, comprised of 4 of their classic colors and two brand new ones. The nail polish set

includes nail polish adapta-tions of 6 colors from the Naked palettes. The neutral colors are perfect for winter and can go with virtually any outfit. These are some es-sentials that will not only make your winter beauty rou-tine more effective, but also more fun. Check them out at your local drugstore, Sephora or Ulta!

Beauty BuzzLexi Miller|Life and Style Editor

Attention PT princesses: Once upon a time, in the royal township of Peters lived all the princesses and princes in the land. But, trying to find the perfect prince can be a difficult task. And with a bibbidy-bobbidy-boo answer these questions to watch your PT Prince appear.

1. How do you want to meet your prince?

A. He rescues you by helping you with your physics home-work

B. He wakes you up before getting caught sleeping by Mrs. Mannion

C. He finds your calculator and returns it before your math final

2. What kind of date would you like your prince to take you on?

A. Going rock climbing B. Going to the movies. C. Going out to dinner .

3. Where do you want to live with your prince?A. In the city B. In a rural farm area C. In the suburbs

4. What do you want your prince to give you as a gift?

A. A box of chocolates B. A Tiffany ring C. A pair of wedges

5. What do you want your prince to be?A. A bad-boy B. A straight-A student C. An athlete

Congratulations, you have found the type of prince you de-sire. If you picked mostly A’s, your prince is most like Jasmine’s prince, Aladdin. He is the typical bad-boy, living on the edge and supplying you with plenty of adventures. If you picked mostly B’s, your prince is most like Sleeping Beauty’s prince, who is the nice-guy that is always there for you. If you picked mostly C’s, your prince is most like Cinderella’s, Prince Charming. He is the kind of guy that will sweep you off your feet with his good looks and charm. Good luck finding him and living happily ever after.

Find Your Disney Prince in PTKelseyHunter|StaffWriter

AP Images

What a surprise! The groundhog saw his

shadow again. Even if he had crawled out

of his little hole to find no reflection of

his strewn across the ground, we would

still have six more weeks of winter. This

means six more weeks of bundling up

and conquering the cold, which would

not be possible without a trusted advis-

ary - pants. I want you to take notice of

the fact that I used the word pants and not

shorts. When it is freezing cold outside the

last thing you need to be wearing is a pair of Jordan

shorts that match your Jordan shirt and Jordan

shoes. Instead, aim to impress with slacks or jeans

that will match an assortment of different outfits.

Choose contemporary colors such as light grey

or tan slacks and mix it up by combining a

nice shirt with a dark denim jean. If you’re

feeling wild, adding some color to your

wardrobe would not do it any harm,

either. Just because all your friends are

busy running around in their Jordan

and Nike shorts doesn’t mean you have

to. Don’t follow a fading trend. Be the

trend.

February 2013

Accessories are a girl’s best friend. Having a few of the basic essentials creates multiple looks and accentu-ates your style. Fashion is all about exploring, finding new ideas, and expressing yourself. Shopping is an awaiting ad-venture. Sometimes, though, it is difficult to find the acces-sories for a specific dress or

Runway-Your WayNicoleSpindler|StaffWriter

Fashion is one industry that constantly changes. Styles are in one day, and out the next, and then years later, they make a comeback. Everyone has walked through the hallways noticed the explosions of neon colors, leg warmers, or hair scrunchies. Like it or not, 80’s are making a comeback.

Leg warmers are an old fad reintroduced to the world. They were huge in the 80’s and are huge today. Granted, we

aren’t wearing the exact same ones as our parents did, but none the less they are often paired with Ugg boots or leggings.

This brings up the next trend, leggings. Neon leggings, black leggings, or leggings with print on them were all major fash-ion styles in the 80’s and are again today. To complete this daytime 80’s look, pair your leg warmers and leggings with an over sized t-shirt. Not only could you pair up the t-shirt with leggings, but you could also go for more of an edgy look and match them with a miniskirt and a big, gaudy belt around your waist to sport over the shirt. Sound familiar? Ask your mom.

Now of course all the fashion trends of the 80’s have been modified a bit for the 21st century, but the idea is still there. Some accessories you still see today would be oversized earrings, finger-

less gloves, neon nail polish/ makeup, and Ray-Ban styled sun-glasses. High waisted jeans and streaks of color in your hair have also been seen in this day and age. Thrown all together, you have a 21st century trendy look.

Not only has the fashion of the 80’s made a comeback, but so have the hairstyles. Big volumized hair was the crucial as-pect to completing an outfit back in the 80’s. The objective was to have your hair go out to your shoulders, and never move from there. Hairspray and a teasing comb were a girl’s best friend. The side ponytail and French braid have also had their second chance in the lime light. For the shorter hairstyles, the chopped edgy look is seen on many celebrities and teenagers, as well as the an-gular bob, which singer Rihanna sports well.

The modern, updated version of all these looks can be seen almost anywhere. They’re the ones that obviously impact-ed the fashion industry enough to be brought back into the fu-ture and given a second chance. For as much as fashion changes, you will always have the styles that will never leave.

Throwbacks Making a ComebackEliseJoziwak|StaffWriter

Artist Madonna was one of the most influential fashion icons of the 80’s

with her bold style.

All Photos from AP Images

outfit. You may not even have a set idea of what you are looking for, the fun of it is just experi-menting with colors or styles that are unique or different. Here’s a first inside look at the new, bright, and cheerful trends that are going to hit the runway come spring time.

A necessity for ev-ery girl is jewelry: necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Layered necklaces, metallic bracelets, and three-dimensional earrings are examples of jewelry that can dress up any outfit for any oc-casion. Charming Charlie’s is great if you are looking for a specific color or pattern. Fran-cesca’s Boutique is great if you are looking for something for-mal or school casual. Jewelry can also add an extra burst of “wow” to your hair strands by wearing clips and headbands.

Clips or pins with rhinestones or bright colors can turn a laid back style into a trend. Pick jewelry pieces that can be worn with multiple looks. If you can wear it more than once, it was a great buy.

Boots are a true fash-ion statement and it is great to have multiple pairs in different shades. Leather and combat boots are important to have in your closet; they go great with skinny jeans and a cute top. Snow boots are casual footwear that should be put away as win-ter comes to a close. Colorful or sequined boots can still be worn in early spring weather.

Handbags come in all sizes and colors. Wristlets are small, simple, and perfect for a date night at the movies while over-the-shoulder purses are great for shopping or hanging

out with friends. The dimen-sion and texture of handbags updates any outfit.

With these few basic necessities, you could be hit-ting the runway yourself. Play around with colors and pat-terns to make your outfits a work of art. Happy shopping!

All photos from AP Images

To Be or Not To BeA Valentine

Opportunity: Valentine’s Day is all about love. However, just because you aren’t seeing anybody when it hits doesn’t mean you will be forever

alone. It’s up to you to decide how you interpret the holiday. Some hate it. Some can’t get enough of it. But always remember, somewhere in the world

there is a certain someone with an empty space in their heart, waiting for you to fill it.

Valentine’s Day Cards : We were all five years old at one point. On Valentine’s Day we used to gather in our classrooms and exchange treat bags, many of which contained some form of chocolate and was always accompanied by a Valentine’s Day card. They are perfect for penning a nice ‘from your secret admirer’ on the back, and they are perfect if they have nothing on them at all! I JUST WANT TO BE A KID AGAIN!

Candy Hearts: Or any candy for that matter. This is pretty self-explanato-ry. Number one, they are sugar, and no matter how hard you try to pretend you

are going on a diet we all know that come February 14 you will be tossing these back faster than I can say Valentine’s. Secondly, who wouldn’t want

a little ‘I love you’ or a ‘you’re sweet’ message laced all over a pre-pack-aged candy? If that is not enough to brighten your day then nothing is.

The Atmosphere: It doesn’t matter if you are in a relationship or if you are single, Valentine’s Day brings out the best in all of us. It is the one day during the

year where being happy is not accompanied by questions or fillers. I can’t exactly explain it in writing, but waking up on Valentine’s Day just has

a different feel to it. Maybe I just keep getting hit by Cupid’s arrow.

Matchmaker: Is it just me or is it odd how everyone seems to get matched with their best friend or the girl or

boy they want to be matched with? I mean…technol-ogy definitely does not have anything to do with

it, right? Regardless, paying two dollars for a sheet of paper with a list of beauti-

ful women who are supposedly compatible with you doesn’t

sound too bad to me.

To Be or Not To BeA Valentine

Teddy Bears: Why would you need a teddy bear when the world has cats? They will cuddle with you, they give you kiss-

es, and they are there for you after a bad day. Could a stuffed, inani-mate object with a bow around its neck do that for you? I think not.

Your Parents: Any normal day of the year they avoid each other. Now, all of a sudden, they can’t get enough of each other. It’s disgusting, we know. Just try to avoid them at all costs and take cover in your bedroom…and stay there.

PDA in the hallways: To that couple all over each other in the hall…GO HOME. The school hallway is not a place to suck face. There is no need for it. Find

another way to display to the student body how “in love” you are with each other.

Chocolate and Flowers: So cliché. Why is there a need for some-one who will most likely “break your heart” in a few weeks to buy you

what you can buy yourself? The flowers will wilt, just like your relation-ship eventually will. You can purchase yourself higher quality choco-late than a heart shaped box full of mysterious generic candies. Go

out with your friends and take a trip to Sarris. You’ll feel much better.

Instagram and Twitter: On a normal day Instagram is filled with “selfies” and Twitter is filled with depressing tweets about

how miserable everyone’s lives are. However, on February 14, the mood changes completely and everyone all of a sudden has “the best boyfriend in the entire world,” along with

multiple kissy face emojis and pictures of their “ador-able” presents. Please, stop. No one cares. Every-one would much rather see depressing tweets and inappropriate selfies than hundreds

of girls/boys claiming that they have the cutest/best significant other.

Spread designed by Raelynn NoonanSpread contributors Shane Dazen, Elise Jozwiak, and Jenna Taimuty

14 People FeaturesThe Ascent of the Titans

NathalieLeng |Staffwriter

Submitted PhotoThe Titans worked every Saturday to build and program their robot.

Submitted PhotoThe base of the robot has to be able to move as well as support the portion of the robot that shoots the Frisbees.

Everyone has that passion, hobby, obsession or talent that keeps him going. However, not everyone uses that talent. Freshman Lilly Fornof is unique. She employs her passion and love of animals for good, volunteering at the Pittsburgh Zoo. “When I was little, I really wanted to be an astronaut, until I learned more about the vacuum of never ending darkness called space, which I am now deathly afraid of. I have always loved animals and decided to learn more about them,” said Fornof. Fornof has been volunteering weekly at the zoo since she was in eighth grade. She is part of a program specifically for high schoolers called Zoo You. She is able to study the behavioral patterns of most of the animals at the zoo and even gets to handle some of the animals herself. She has handled black bears, sea turtles, giraffes, snakes, peacocks and much more. Fornof is even allowed to go behind the scenes with the tigers, lions and cheetahs. Of course, safety always comes first. “Apart from the elephants and their trainers, no zoo keeper enters an exhibit without the animals being tranquilized first”. Fornof said. Fornof and her fellow teen volunteers also work to make the zoo a better place for the animals. They are currently

converting the penguins ‘ swimming exhibit to a wave pool for the penguins. Additionally, they have created an automatic seal that mimics the characteristics and actions of a live seal, so the polar bears have something to hunt. The volunteers also made a nine foot tall baby giraffe made out of paper –mâché filled with meat. They gave this giant toy to the lions and watched as they ripped it apart. Apart from the hands on experience with the animals, Fornof also takes higher level classes. They are very rigorous note-taking lectures about animal behavior studies. “I’m lucky to have the opportunity to take these classes, I’m learning so much and I plan on using everything to help me succeed in school,” said Fornof. She definitely plans on using the experience she gains at the zoo for an animal related job in her future.

Day at the Zoo with Lilly FornofVanessa Scoulos|StaffWriter

Submitted Photo

Everyone thought that by 2013 there would be personal robots to do homework, make the bed, do the dishes, and complete other menial tasks. The technology is not there yet, but it isn’t far off and may be available in the near future. Though it’s too late for current students to have math-bots, it’s not too late to build them. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was created in 1989 to encourage future scientists and engineers to pursue their interests and learn what they will need in their future careers.

FIRST sponsors various national programs for all ages, with two specifically geared towards high school students. The Titanium Titans, a team of fourteen Peters students, entered the FIRST Robotics Competition.

“We’ve all built LEGOS and stuff, but it’s not good enough. So we decided to build a robot,” said sophomore Tyler Keane.

The Titans, composed primarily of sophomores, began planning for the competition in October. The FIRST Robotics Competition requires students to work with professional engineers to build and program a robot to perform a specified task. Not only is this a learning opportunity, FIRST also awards over $16 million in scholarship money. The competition’s Kickoff took place at Carnegie Mellon University on January 5. “The Kickoff is where we got to learn about what the game is and afterwards we

broke into random groups where we discussed strategies for the game. Afterwards you can leave or go to quick build where you start building the robot,” said sophomore Mitchell Leng. This year’s game is “Ultimate Ascent,” which is basically the robot version of Ultimate Frisbee. The robot must be able to toss Frisbees into a goal. Each goal is worth a different amount of points, and to win the robot must score the most points.

“We program the robot to shoot Frisbees by itself, but at the end of the time limit we can manually control it,” said sophomore Wade Ogburn. Part of the challenge of the competition is the strict budget and time limit. The Titans had six weeks to complete their robot from parts provided at the Kickoff. Though they were given the

parts, the Titans still needed to pay for them. “You have to get sponsors because it costs a lot of money. You have a limited budget of $4,000,” said Leng. The majority of the Titans hope to be engineers someday, and this competition gives them the opportunity to work with software, electrical, and mechanical engineers. These engineers serve as the mentors for the Titans and most are parents and community members of Peters Township.

February 2013

In the Spotlight: Evan Opeka AndrewStroud|StaffWriter

H e was only five years old when he first took the ice. Since then, ju-nior Evan Opeka has

won countless regional skating competitions and is a two-time national speed skating cham-pion. The Peters Township junior, qualified last year for the United States Class One Olympic Team, and is cur-rently ranked first in his age group. “It was honestly such an amazing accomplishment,” said Opeka. When Opeka was eight, he decided to be the

first one in his family to play hockey. “I’ve always wanted to play it looked so much fun,” said Opeka. He then started his hockey career with the Southpoint Rink Rats. Today, Opeka plays AA for the Pitts-burgh Predators 18 and under squad, but no matter how old he was or who he played for, he has always been the fastest one out there. “It seemed too easy sometimes,” Opeka said with a smile. “Speed is a really big ad-vantage in this league.” One can only imagine how busy Opeka is on a daily basis playing for two hockey teams and competing nation-ally as a speed skater. His day starts at the ice rink at four A.M. for speed skating. Later, Opeka travels for his Predators

Team, playing against oppo-nents around western Penn-sylvania. “It’s a lot of traveling and training, but in the end, it’s worth it,” said Opeka. On weekdays, Opeka is known as #75 for the Peters Township hockey team. The Indians, who are currently tied for first place with cross ice rivals Canon- Mac, may have their eyes set on yet another Penguins Cup appearance. “We had a rough start since we are so young and it took a while to get going, but now that we have beaten some good teams we are having a lot of success,” said Opeka. Opeka, who has re-corded six goals and four assists so far this season, is helping his team achieve their

ultimate goal, a state champi-onship. “As a team I can say we are looking forward to this op-portunity, and with this team, we can do it.” With this year’s se-niors leaving after the season, Opeka’s role for the Indians is going to be much greater next year. However, it is also a chal-lenge that he will gladly accept. “Each year our roles get bigger and each year we improve as a team, so yes, I’m ready to accept a larger role.” stated Opeka. We can expect a lot out of Opeka with the speed he has. He may win many addi-tional medals and who knows? Maybe even yet another na-tional championship.

A Future MarineNicoleFolino|StaffWriter

Freshman Madison Kerr Takes ChargeNicoleTorchio |StaffWriter

“I have always been very interested in the military since I was young. But as I got older I wondered what I would do with my life and realized that I wanted to serve my country and do some-thing worthwhile and something only one percent of the popula-tion does,” said senior Justin Puente. “I would like to think I am prepared to stay long distances away from my family, but like most people I still do not know how I will react to being away from my family and friends.” Puente made the life-changing choice of enlisting in The Few, The Proud, The United States Marine Corps. Currently, Pu-ente is signed up for a four-year enlistment. Training will begin for him as soon as he graduates. His training for the Marines consists of boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina for thirteen weeks, then Marine Combat Training Battalion for 29 days. His military job will be decided after ten week of training in Military Occupa-tional Specialty school. The hardships of joining the military seem

to fade when Puente thinks of all the amazing experiences he will enjoy and all the places he will visit. Puente’s parents, although worried about his well being, are very supportive of his decision to join the Marines, which also calms some nerves. Puente feels that he is prepared for the drastic tran-sition into the world of a Marine. “It is hard because you will never know where you will be or what you will be doing, but I know I am absolutely willing to fight and die for my family, friends, and my country,” Puente stated. Puente plans on receiving his col-lege degree after his first term and more than likely, re-enlisting in the United States Ma-rine Corps once he graduates.

“Ever since first grade I’ve gone to all the high school basketball games. My dream was always to be like them, and now my dream is being fulfilled,” said freshman Madison Kerr, who is currently a starter on the girls’ varsity basketball team. Not only is Kerr already playing at the varsity level, she’s also a captain on the team. “The most important aspects of being a captain are trying to be a good leader and gaining the respect of my teammates, there is a lot of pressure on me, but I’m gaining practice against more experienced, older players,” said Kerr. It’s not an easy position to fill, but Kerr is up for the chal-lenge. Her coach, Ed Matthews, praised Kerr for her efforts. “Her hard work, leadership, and passion of the game makes her the per-fect captain,” Matthews said. When Kerr is not practicing with her team, she makes her own practice time to improve her skills. Kerr leads the team in points, as she is the highest scoring player. She also made the girls’ varsity volleyball team earlier this school year and lettered. Although sports take up a majority of her time, Kerr really tries to concentrate on her academics. She was on

the high honor roll the last two quarters. However, with basketball season currently in full swing, the team is her main focus. “My personal goal is to make my team-mates, parents, and coaches proud. It is also to be a four year starter for the high school team and to continue to improve in all aspects of the game,” said Kerr. While working towards her per-sonal goals, she also has to set goals for the team. Kerr said, “Some of our team goals are to improve our game every day and to grow together as a team and fam-ily.” Although Kerr has to balance school and sports carefully, it’s all worth it to her, as she describes basketball as her “passion.”

Submitted Photo

By: Matt Mullan Technology is great, I’ll be the first to say that we are addicted to our conveniences. However, there are some things that we shouldn’t use it for, such as, ASKING SOMEONE OUT.

The ‘Friend Zone’ Don’t lead anyone on, and then shut them down. If you have other su-per awesome plans with your super awe-some friends and someone isn’t invited, don’t tell them about it and then not in-vite them. That’s rude. They will just stay home and eat an entire carton of ice cream, alone, in their basement, watch-ing reruns of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

The ‘Incredibly Blunt’ Use the manners that your parents took so long to teach you and ask some-one out. Don’t TELL them. Hold a nice conversation and then ease into it and ask them. Better yet, why don’t you talk to them in person?

The ‘Wrong Number’ If someone texts you, text them back. Don’t be a jerk and make them go crazy thinking “why aren’t they texting me back?!” Let them down easy. Sure it’s easier to just not text them and run away from your problems, but you know what’s even more mature? Telling them in person.

The ‘Group Message’ Just… no...

So the moral of the story: Texting someone is all fun and games until you try to ask someone out. Just talk to them in person, human interaction is FUN!

18 EntertainmentAll’s Gold in Tinseltown

HannahCarpenter|StaffWriter With awards season about in full swing, critics and fans alike are making their predictions about which entertainers will take home trophies this year. Despite the television awards show, the Emmy’s, being months away, every other aspect of the entertainment business is being recognized for the achievements of the past year. Although the opinions of the critics are considered the most credible, these opinions don’t always reflect those of the fans. For this reason, we turn to the students of Peters Township for their favorites in entertainment from the past year.

Aca

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ards

The Academy appears to have shown a great deal of class in its nominations for fine films of the past year. Although I would strongly ad-vise a trip to see all nominated films, there were a few that made quite an impact on critics specifically. Of course, the Oscars nominations would be incomplete without a Spielberg film. Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” received twelve nominations and appears to be the critics’ favorite this year. “Lin-coln” is accompanied by the previously limited release, “Zero Dark Thir-ty,” about the American take-down of Osama Bin Laden. Austrian drama “Amour” received five nominations, including Best Picture. Fan-favorite “Silver Linings Playbook,” received a multitude of nominations.

Besides the obvious bias in favor of Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” the students of Pe-ters Township favored a variety of films from 2012, which they think you should see as well, these include:

“The Dark Knight Rises”- Caitlin Pendergast, ‘15“Pitch Perfect”- Mandy Magnotti, ‘13“Beasts of the Southern Wild”- Josh Glicksman, ‘14“Titanic 3D”- Grace Baumiller, ‘14“Silver Linings Playbook”- Hannah Squeglia, ‘13“The Avengers”- Dan Wiegmann, ‘13

What the Critics Love What PT Students Love

Gra

mm

y Aw

ards The 2013 Grammy award nominations feature some new and

familiar faces. Indie-folk crooners, Mumford & Sons received multiple nominations and will most likely sweep house again this year. Frank Ocean of Odd Future fame gained a lot of attention for his album Channel Orange and is favored by the Academy and fans alike. Pop-rock group, fun., Detroit Alt-rockers, the Black Keys, and country-pop favorite, Taylor Swift are all favored by most.

“Regina Spektor’s What We Saw From the Cheap Seats”– Madelyn Estep, ‘13“Ed Sheeran’s +”– Morgan Everson, ‘15“Maroon 5’s Overexposed”- Matt Hilzendeger, ‘15“Mumford & Sons’ Babel”- Jake Caputo, ‘13“Blink-182’s Dogs Eating Dogs”- Joey Cortese, ‘15“fun.’s Some Nights”- Annie Koch, ‘15

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This past summer, the Primetime Emmy Awards, once again, showered ABC’s Modern Family with four awards, including (yet again) Best Comedy Series. Dramatic favorites for 2012 included AMC’s Break-ing Bad, Showtime’s Homeland, and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. Also hon-ored History Channel’s The Hatfields & McCoys , Louis C.K. for his own show and multiple specials, and the cast and crew of HBO’s Game Change.

“FOX’s New Girl”- Stephanie Vierheller, ‘13“NBC’s Revolution”- Garrett Warmbein, ‘13“MTV’s The Inbetweeners”- Nick Fury, ‘14“CBS’s Vegas” – Ross Lynam, ‘13“AMC’s The Walking Dead”- Zach Rothhaar, ‘16“CBS’s How I Met Your Mother”- Kylie Marshall, ‘15

PopulAr Mystery TV Hit The ABC Family hit drama series Pretty Little Liars started back up with its winter premiere in January. Although the new episodes are answering fans’ questions, new ones are rising, causing fans to sit on the edges of their seats, anxiously await-ing the next weekly episode. Pretty Little Liars debuted in 2010 and has increased in popularity all around the world. The show follows four, once best friends. The queen bee of their group, Alison, mysteriously disappeared one night at a sleepover. It is not until a year later, that Alison’s body is discovered and the mystery behind her murder begins, bringing the girls close again. Throughout the series, the girls re-ceive anonymous text-messages from an unknown figure that goes by the name of “A”. The series’ main storyline surrounds

the fight to uncover the identity of “A,” and learn the true story behind Alison’s murder. The show, as well as the stars of it, have been nominated numerous times for awards such as the Teen Choice Awards, People’s Choice Awards, and the Young Hollywood Awards and have won nearly all of them. Fans everywhere are watching in anticipa-tion as the murder mystery unfolds.

AP Images

CaseyKirwan|StaffWriter

February 2013 Anticipated Albums of 2013

Big Sean – Hall of Fame (February 2013) Big Sean has not had a very long career, but he is already working on his sophomore album entitled Hall of Fame. He created a lot of buzz from his Finally Famous mixtapes and his first album Fi-nally Famous: The Album. Signing with G.O.O.D. Music was a dream come true for the Detroit rapper. While working with Kanye’s exper-tise and the rest of the G.O.O.D. music crew, we can expect a lot from his second album.

MattMullan|StaffWriter

KiD CuDi – Indicud (March 2013) Scott Mescudi has been working hard on a multitude of dif-ferent projects from short films with Shia LaBeouf, to his alternative side project WZRD, to working on the G.O.O.D. Music collaboration album, Cruel Summer, and not to mention his individual career. Cudi has released a preview of his newest album Indicud with the release of the song “King Wizard.” He is working with other artists and pro-ducers such as King Chip and Diplo. His collaborations are the most exciting part of his new album and should live up to the hype.

Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience (TBA) JT is back! On January 14, Justin Tim-

berlake released a single of his new project, The 20/20 Experience, called “Suit & Tie” which has a smooth, classy, and jazz-filled mood to it. Tim-berlake says he started working in the studio again in June 2012, and went in with no rules or end goal in mind. He is working with artists and producers such as Jay-Z (who is featured on the newly released track), Pharrell, and Timberland. The comeback of JT has

been long awaited and seeing what he has been working on the past few months will be a treat for all of his fans.

Mac Miller – Watching Movies with the Sound Off (Spring 2013) Mac is busy putting out yet an-other album. His successor to Blue Slide Park is Watching Movies with the Sound Off, and he is collaborating with a num-ber of different artists such as Schoolboy Q, Earl Sweatshirt, and Ab-Soul. Mac has been working on completing not only this album, but he will be releasing not one, but two new mixtapes. The first is “Pink Slime”, which is his collabora-tion between Pharrell and himself, and his second is entitled “92 Til Infinity”. 2013 is going to be a big year

Valentine’s Day is approaching and so are the same predictable rom-coms and ridiculous Rod Stewart love songs. But the day doesn’t have to be filled with these sappy movies and cheesy music. Instead, here are some cliché-free pop culture greats for February 14.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind This movie about love is one you’ll actually want to see. When a couple’s relationship goes downhill, they both try to erase each other from their minds to get rid of all the awful memories. However, the process makes them realize the good moments in their relationship outweigh the bad. Clementine (played by a rambunctious Kate Winslet) and Joel (a refined Jim Carrey) then go back and explore their memories together. The unique storyline and beautifully directed shots combine to make the movie a must-see.

Laura Purkey |Online Editor-In-Chief

The Flying Club Cup Beirut is just one of the amazing bands that never receive enough recognition. Founded by Zach Condon, the American band relies on many different instruments in their music (ukulele, accordion, euphonium, trumpet, and even conch shells). Their second album, The Flying Club Cup showcases a heavy French influence, giving it a slightly romantic feel. Condon’s soft melodic voice and gentle lyrics make the album easy to listen to. Standout tracks include “Un Dernier Verre (Pour la Route),” “A Sunday Smile,” and “Nantes.”

The 1920’s There are few things more intriguing than the Roaring Twenties. Everything about the culture is interesting-- the art, the music, and the literature gave the time period a feel that was larger than life. It was a period of happiness that was captured perfectly by jazz singers and writers. This Valentine’s Day, open up The Great Gatsby and listen to the great Louis Armstrong and be transported to a time of bliss and love.

Silver Linings Playbook

Everybody is a little crazy, whether diagnosed or not.  Silver Linings Playbook is a movie that embraces the crazy.  Utterly refreshing, the film tells the story of Pat (Bradley Cooper) who moves back with his family after spending eight months in rehab.  Trying to return to normalcy is harder than expected, especially with the bold and equally problematic Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) befriending him.  Being normal may be ideal, but it’s never realistic.

The Weeknd R&B is one of the worst clichés for Valentine’s Day. However, wunderkind R&B singer Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) changes the game. His soothing and intimate voice mixes with intricately layered beats to create an entirely new sound for the genre. At the end of 2012 he released the album Trilogy, a must-have for February 14.

Keystone Bakery Located in Belle Vernon, the sweet and sensational bakery crafts its staple—cakes and footprint cookies. Its sugary desserts are the only cliché you’ll want to feed into this Valentine’s Day.

The Entertainment Must-List

20 News

Teamwork is vital in order for a presidential cabinet to function. In Obama’s second term of presidency, he choose to re-lease and replace ten members of his cabinet, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It all started when Clin-ton suffered a concussion from a fall, as a result of dehydration, caused by the flu. Clinton then took a post-concussion test, only to discover that she had a blood clot located behind her left ear. Three days later she was admit-ted for treatment, and she was released, but not before she was let go from her position in the Obama Administration. The move to release her may have been a unpopular with most people, but then again it could end up helping her career. Clinton is receiving a much needed break, and is getting a chance to regroup if she were to run for president in 2016. “If anything, just hearing about her changing positions on the news might in fact increase her political status, but there is no way to know for sure,” said sophomore Alex Meseck. Not only could this boost Clinton’s political status, but it could also distance her from the criticism that Obama is receiving for events like the attack in Benghazi. There is no better way to create a fresh start with foreign leaders than bringing in the expe-rienced John Kerry.

Shift in Secretary of State

MariaHoge|StaffWriter

With recent sexual assault incidents dominating the news and social media platforms, social network users are concerned about their online security. The Steubenville rape scenario proves that although Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are “pri-vate,” there is nothing private about any material posted online. As technology advances, the skills and abilities of internet hack-ers advance as well. Social media can be a blessing or a curse, but in the Steubenville rape case, it can definitely be considered a curse. Listed below are the events that took place leading up to the trials.

*August 11, 2012-alleged gang-rape took place at a party in Steubenville, Ohio. A 16-year-old girl was drugged until unconsciousness and was assaulted by members of the high school’s football team. Social media was involved at the party, including pictures, videos and status updates which were posted to Twitter and Facebook*August 14, 2012-the event reported to the police by the victim and her parents *August 22, 2012-local news networks reported the incident and the names of two of the football players, Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond, both 16, were arrested for rape and kidnapping*Throughout August, the pictures and status updates start-ed to be deleted*November 2, 2012-Mays and Richmond were released from a juvenile detention center and placed under house arrest, kidnapping charges were dropped*December 16, 2012-New York Times article made the news go national*December 23, 2012-Anonymous leaked thousands of Ohio residents’ records to get noticed*December 29, 2012-#OccupySteubenville-Anonymous or-ganized a protest because of the injustice*January 1, 2013-Anonymous group member “KnightSec” had his leaked information put on a website called “Local-leaks”*January 2, 2013-Anonymous leaked a graphic video of the guilty football team members making fun of the victim*January 4, 2013-Jim Parks, one of the alleged adults in-volved in the crime, released a statement claiming that the whole incident is false

The February 13 trial may prove to be a landmark case when it comes to social media’s role in society. Due to the leaked videos and status updates, the public has per-ceived the two accused offend-ers as guilty. It will be inter-esting to find out how online evidence will play a part when both sides testify.

Steubenville Rape Case: Is Social Media A

Blessing or a Curse?RebeccaPerryman|NewsEditor

Maybe public embarrassment is the best form of punish-ment. A woman in Cleveland passed a school bus which was un-loading children by driving around it on the sidewalk. Her form of punishment was determined by a Cleveland judge who believed her misdemeanor deserved public punishment. The consequences involved the woman holding a sign on a public street that read, “Only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus.” Guess she won’t be passing school buses anymore! Who knew elephants could talk? Koshik, a 22-year-old South Korean elephant uses his trunk to produce sounds similar to his trainer’s voices, and is capable of saying “sit down”, “lie down”, “hello”, “good” in Korean. Unfortunately, Koshik is not very skilled at pronouncing consonants, but it’s a thrill that he can even utter vowels. We all know our fair share of weird laws-no chewing gum in Singapore, no carrying ice cream cones in your back pocket in Kentucky, but who would’ve thought throwing snowballs would become illegal? The police are cracking down on anyone who throws snowballs at people or vehicles. It makes sense, but it’s defi-nitely not something you’d expect to be a major crime. A police de-partment in England attempted to “connect with”, or threaten the younger generation via Facebook. Although teenagers are viewing the new law as a joke, there have been no arrests thus far. Forget being afraid of snakes, spiders or bears, because owls are the next predators to watch out for. A 58 year old man living in the UK became the victim of one of the first reported owl attacks. He was hospitalized after the owl swooped down and sliced the back of his head. The man was rushed to the hospital by an am-bulance because of the large amounts of blood. Prior to seeing the owl perched behind him, the man believed he was hit by a brick!

What in the World?RebeccaPerryman|NewsEditor

All photos from AP Images

February 2013 21

Oil: it’s dirty, it’s toxic, and it’s made from dead dinosaurs. So why do we use it? Companies such as Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania and Equitable Gas wondered the same thing, and so came the intro-duction of a new form of energy- natural gas.

Natural gas is a colorless, odor-less gas that is cleaner and safer than most other energy sources. Objectively, it seems like an an-

swer to the “go green” movement. However, natural gas can only be found in small pockets under the ground and the method of extracting (also known as fracking) may not be as “green” as some would like. Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the process of ex-tracting natural grass from shale rock layers deep within the earth. Though the EPA has put in strict regulations for companies looking to frack, many environmental hazards have yet to be discovered.

These potential health hazards have started a huge controversy, especially in Pennsylvania (where many natural gas reserves have been found). The movie Promised Land, starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski, attempts to portray both sides of the story. In the film, Steve Butler (Damon) is a salesman from a major company

Promised Land: The Marcellus Shale Controversy

JuliaGauthier|PeopleFeatures Editor

First it was MySpace, then Facebook, and now, Twit-ter. The majority of students are checking their feeds con-stantly, and tweeting every few hours. But there’s a dilemma- everything you tweet is now being archived in the United States Library of Congress. They are doing this to save a part of our culture for future generations to see. However, this will only affect those who have public accounts; private tweets will not be archived. As long as this is going to hap-pen, we may as well make our tweets memorable.

Some of the topics that were popular on Twitter were the re-election of President Obama, Hurricane Sandy, and the Olympics. Other topics

that were also a big hit included SOPA, a bill introduced by the House of Representatives to fight online copyrighted prop-erty and counterfeit goods, the NFL Lockout, and the New-town, Connecticut shooting.

On the night of the elec-tion, 31 million tweets were sent out and the picture that @BarackObama tweeted of him and his wife with the caption “4 more years” was retweeted the most times ever in history: over

320,000 times. This remained a huge topic in the “Twitter-sphere” for many weeks after the election.

Hurricane Sandy brought in a huge storm of tweets with 20 million tweets sent between October 27 and November 1. People are still tweeting about it today. Many of the victims have tweeted pictures of the damage to show how the East Coast was affected by the Super Storm.

The 2012 Summer Olym-

pics were an enormous trend on Twitter over the sixteen days. Using the hashtag #Lon-don2012, it received the most overall tweets of any event, with 150 million tweets in to-tal. 115,000 tweets per minute were sent as the 1990s band, the Spice Girls, performed at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Tweeting is a major part of social media. It is be-coming a huge part of our cul-ture. The Library of Congress is going to be saving all of our tweets, so fill your tweet box with 140 characters and help preserve the culture of the 21st century.

Tweet-TasticNatalieRihmland|StaffWriter

looking to seal some key natural gas reserves in a small town. See-ing that the town has been going through financial difficulties, But-ler assumed this would give the town some much needed economic relief. However, over the course of his campaign, he is met with much resistance from Dustin Noble (Krasinski), a leader of an en-vironmental campaign.

The issue, like most, is not black and white. Before jumping to any conclusions, it is important to understand its pros and cons. Natural gas is a clean energy source and using it could cut down on the release of particles such as nitrogen and sulfur oxides into the air, both of which could cause health problems such as asthma. In areas where fracking occurs, communities will usually experience an increase in economic activity. For many, this is a big deal con-sidering the current state of the economy. Finally, by making the switch to natural gas, the cost of energy may decrease.

Conversely, runoff and erosion from drilling sites may affect the habitat for thousands of organisms in surrounding areas. Drilling can add hazardous contaminants to water supplies. Scientists have found large supplies of methane gas in water near drilling sites, which is then carried to thousands of households and buildings. Fracking may also have a “gold rush” kind of effect on the drilling towns meaning the economy will experience a sudden spike but once the reserves run out, jobs will be lost and the economy will once again decline.

All Photos from AP Images

Gallery... Photography class has a very relaxed atmosphere, but students have to be focused. Time management is an important aspect of the class. Students work on new projects that allow them to develop their knowledge about Photoshop, the photography techniques, and DSLR cameras. Each year, the classes host a Gallery at the Peters Township Public Library for two weeks in February to display their work.

Emily Cocco, 12

Emmalee Doucoeur, 11

Emma Norton, 10

Cassi DeLuca, 11

By Jenn Coffey

McKenna Hammer, 12

Kayla Goedert, 10

Cole Kerner, 12

Dominika Troutman, 10

Abbie LaVigna, 12

Justin Puente, 12

24 VoicesSeniors- What is your best Valentine’s Day box memory?

“I got a cut out valentine in 5th grade that said ‘you’re pretty.’”

“Putting more candy in my 4th grade crush’s box.”

“Getting candy hearts- they’re always cool.”

Christian NossokoffJustin Magnotti Jordan Schuler

“I got a card that said, ‘you’re sweet’.”

Juniors- Have you ever gotten/given a gift from someone on Valentine’s Day?

“Yes. That’s how I met my boyfriend.”

“No because you have to get to know the person first.”

Alexa Marchisotto Kyle LewisSophomores- Do you believe in love at first sight? Why or why not?

Hannah Carpenter

Mrs. Duffy Mr. Burns Ms. Blackhurst Mr. Antonelli

“My neighbor.”

Evan Chernicky Shaun McNallyTori Weida Rachel Moore

Jacob KerrStephanie Rossi

James Minton Nora Barczak Luke Hurley Catie Michalski

“A girl in my class in 4th grade.” “Justin Timberlake.” “No one loved me.”

“Just give them a candy heart that says ‘Be Mine’”.

“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”

“Are you a library book? ‘Cause I’m checking you out.”

“No, you need to get to know them.”

“No, you can’t look at someone and just know.”

“No, nobody loves me.” “Yes, a box of chocolates.” “I gave my grandmother a huge Sarris’ chocolate bar.”

“A rose.”

Teachers- Who was your first crush?

Freshmen -What’s your best pickup line?

“Are you from space? ‘Cause you’re out of this world.”