Volume 7, Issue 5
May 8, 2013
by 'N Sync, All the Small Things by
Blink 182, and The Real Slim Shady
by Eminem. The cost of gas in 2000
was $1.54. Boy, the times have changed. Some current events that
were going on in 2000 were the Olym-
pic Games. They were held in Sydney,
Australia. Another thing that hap-
pened in 2000 was George W. Bush
was elected U.S. President. His victory
was over Vice President Al Gore. Nin-
tendo sold its 100 millionth Game Boy
handheld console in 2000. I feel old.
Do you?
I went around and asked some seniors
some questions. I asked Bruston
Shaffer, Hannah Yoder, and Rianna
Bixler.
First, I asked Bruston. Bruston said he
plans on attending Westmoreland
Community College as undecided. He
said his favorite class during high
school was POD. His favorite teacher
Seniors 2013 By Chantelle Harvey
Once again, the North Star High
School musical cast, crew, and pit per-
formed another great show this year.
For its twelfth production, the musical
chosen was Guys and Dolls. Producer
Kathy Shaffer, Music Director Chris
McAllister, and Choreographer/
Director Mary Mauzy began practices
for the show in January. Through much
hard work including learning difficult
dance routines, memorizing lines,
making props, getting fitted for cos-
tumes, and reciting songs, the stu-
dents’ hard work culminated in four
performances in mid-April. This
year’s leads were Ryan Gerney as the
gambling organizer Nathan Detroit,
Tessa Evans as his fiancée of fourteen
years, Paul Tretter as high roller Sky
“Obadiah” Masterson, and Kaitlyn
Miller as missionary leader Sarah
Brown. In the end, the combination of
the lights, the music, and the hard
work of all of the cast and crew re-
sulted in a production that was far
worth it.
Guys and Dolls performance impresses audience By Evan Gerney
Continued on p. 6.
Guys and Dolls
Photo courtesy of Mrs. Janis Gerney.
Cougar Paw PrintCougar Paw Print
It’s that time of year where seniors are
getting ready to move on into the big
world. Some songs that were famous
in 2000,
when the
seniors
were
starting
kinder-
garten,
are Bye
Bye Bye
North Star High School was proud to send seven talented students to this year's PMEA District Chorus festival. Seniors Ryan Gerney and Emma Gran-das, Junior Kate Miller, and Sopho-mores Paul Tretter, Trevor Mostoller, Tessa Evans, and Aubrie Koontz began their journey to Districts on October 21 at Claysburg-Kimmel High School where the District 6 pre-auditions were held this year. Here, they performed two pieces of music to a panel of expert judges. The students had been prepar-
ing for pre-auditions with their high school choral director, Christopher McAllister, since the start of the school year and were fully prepared to give it their all. The judges scored them based on their tone, diction, musicality and rhythm, giving higher scores to those who performed well.
The hard work of the North Star hope-fuls paid off, and after they received the good news of making it to the dis-trict level, they began preparing for the festival that would take place February
7-9. During their stay in Altoona, where District Chorus was held this year, the seven joined with dozens of other high school students from the district in or-der to put on a top-notch concert that would take place on their last afternoon together. Rehearsals with the guest conductor lasted hours, but even more daunting were the tryouts for Regional Chorus that happened to be exceed-ingly more competitive than the pre-auditions. To the delight of the North Star family, Ryan Gerney advanced to
Regional Chorus, attaining the coveted position of first chair. During their free time, festival participants had the won-derful opportunity to make new friends who shared their same musical talent.
In the end, the concert was a real hit to friends and family, with the chorus singing selections varying from spiritual to classical origins. North Star is proud of all this year's participants and wishes luck to the underclassmen who will audition next fall.
North Star Presents 7th Annual Art Exhibition
North Star High School Sends Seven Students to District by Emma Grandas
Page 2
The North Star Art Department is presenting its 7th Annual Art Exhibi-tion. An Opening Reception was held Friday April 19. This year is a special exhibition. For the first time, student work is displayed at the Jenner Art Gallery in the Mountain Playhouse. The work will remain up until May 17.
Participating Artists include Aaron Burton, Emily Mishler, Megan Wey-and, Hannah Yoder, Remigio Bearga, Brennan Brougher, Brooke Gary, Alexa Adams, Paige Daniels,
Tessa Evans, Natalie Folton, Ashley Jones, Abby Mishler, Jenna Petruniak, Sydney Young and Kylee
Joseph.
Senior Personalities
Class of 2013 Senior Personalities voted by their classmates: Mr. & Ms. Senior - Samantha Costas & Austin Connor Most Likely to Read in Class - Emily Mishler & Tyler Moffe
Most Gullible - Blossom Charlton & Andy Robatin
Class Mooch - Rachael Dill & Rusty Miller
Teacher's Pet - Sabrina Matkoskey & Bran-don Smith
Most Changed in Four Years - Emma
Grandas & Ernie Shugars
Most Likely to be Famous - Olivia Mayak & Robbie Bloom
Biggest Case of Senioritis - Lauren Long & Skyler Berkey
Art Exhibition
Photo Courtesy of Mr. Mrosko.
Spanish and French students at North Star High School recently observed National World Lan-guage Week. This year’s theme is “Foreign Languages: They Enrich the Brain.” A variety of activities were planned, including a trivia contest, poster and piñata con-tests, and a greeting in Spanish and French during the morning announcements. Level III stu-dents created original storybooks for children in the target lan-guages. Level II students created a board game in the target lan-
On May 22 the North Star High School Jazz Band will perform at Country Manor in Jerome. Over the years the jazz band has tried to get out into the community by playing for various occasions.
One place they especially like to return to is the retirement home. The residents really appreciate the live entertainment, some songs taking them back to their childhood or young adult years. After their performance the stu-dents visit with the residents and hear stories of the ‘good ‘ole days.’
Jazz Band Reaches Out
World Language Week by Mrs. Jo Ann Mishko and Mrs. Gale Bala
guage. Authentic French and Mexican foods were also enjoyed.
Winners of the various contests were: Olivia Mayak, Baylee Kimmel, Ashley Wilshire, Emilie Miller, Logan Lichvar and Sam Costas.
French and Spanish students with piñatas
and posters made for World Language
Week.
Photo courtesy of Ms. Melissa Corden.
The National Honors Society tends to slide under the radar here at North Star quite unrightfully. This year’s pack of scholarly juniors and seniors has been active lately on several counts.
Last year, the National Honors Soci-ety Senior class took an annual trip, as they had in the past, to see a Pi-rates game. This year, however, the Society’s seniors decided to use the set-aside money on National Hon-ors Society jackets instead of em-barking on a field trip.
With the coming of spring, National Honors Society members held two fund raisers, selling chocolates and daffodils. The yellow flowers brought out the season splendidly and the chocolates were surely sweet.
The hard-work and dedication of this year’s National Honors Society members is to be com-mended.
National Honors Society by Patrick Stahl
On April 3 the North Star Wrestling Boosters held its annual wrestling ban-quet at the Boswell Legion to recognize this season’s grapplers and team ac-complishments.
That evening the wrestling program recognized six senior wrestlers that were part of the 2012-2013 team. They were Tayte Mostoller, Austin Connor, Tony Strasiser, Rusty Miller, Jon Burkett and Victor Panasci all of which were acknowledged for their accomplish-ments this season and in prior seasons.
Along with the seniors, many individual
awards were handed out that evening. Lenny Beeman was presented with the Ed Matsko, Most Improved Wrestler Award. Two sophomores, Tevin Mostol-ler and Jon Thomas, took home the Dennis (Skinner) Thomas Award. The award is given to the wrestlers which exemplify hard work and dedication to the sport. The Marshall Policicchio, Coaching Award, was earned by Tayte Mostoller. This award is presented to the wrestler who continually shows strong leadership skills. The Dennis Leyman, Will to Win Award, went to
North Star Wrestling Banquet By Tim Rosa
Page 4
pations represented and what levels of education are required for each posi-tion.
Following the Chamber of Commerce Day, each student will be required to
balance a budget using the income level that was assigned to them by the Real Game.
Best of luck with your Reality Check!
How do you do? What do you do for a living? How much vacation time to you get per year? These are all questions that the Career Education and Work students practice during the Real Game Chamber of Commerce Day.
Each student role plays a particular occupation and attends a mock Cham-ber of Commerce Day and practices proper businesslike introductions, hand-shakes and good eye contact. Each student learns about the different occu-
Career Education and Work Chamber of Commerce Day
Levi Albright. Corey Fritch was honored that evening for his outstanding season with the Walter (PIP) Jarosick, Pride in Performance, Most Outstanding Wrestler. Two-year letterman, Jon Burkett, received the Senior Award.
“Facilis Descensus Averno” means
the Decent into Hell is easy. This is the
motto of the Shadowhunters. Shadow-
hunters are warriors who have the
blood of an angel. Shadowhunters are
the main characters in the book series
The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra
Clare. This series is one that I’m ob-
sessed with and my all time favorite
series.
Let me explain what some of the terms
I’m talking about mean. The Shadow-
hunters’ job is to kill any rogue Down-
worlder. Downworlders are creatures
like demons, warlocks, vampires,
werewolves, etc. They are like the
citizens of the Shadow World. The
Shadow World is where Shadow-
hunters and Downworlders live. They
live among us but mundanes, ordinary
humans, can’t see them. The only time
when a mundane can see the Shadow
World is when they have the Sight, or
they are told about the world. The
Sight is when you have the ability to
see the Shadow World, like I said be-
fore. A rune is a mark that Shadow-
hunters draw on themselves that gives
them abilities like healing for exam-
ple. That is a lot of terms but the plot is
easier to understand…kind of.
The Mortal Instruments is about a
group of teenagers fighting against
good and evil. The setting is mostly in
New York City. It starts out with the
main character of the series, Clary,
going to a club with her best friend
Simon. They go to the Pandemonium
Club and while they’re there Clary
sees Shadowhunters, Jace, Izzy, and
Alec, kill a Downworlder. That starts
off a chain of events that completely
change all of their lives. Events hap-
pen that cause Jace to have to draw a
rune onto Clary. That’s when she finds
out that she’s not human. In comes in
different characters like Magnus Bane.
He is one of my favorite characters but
I’ll talk about the characters later on.
Over the course of five books, the
sixth book is coming out next year,
Cassandra Clare throws twists and
turns and leaves you hanging off
the edge of your seats. You start to
fall in love with some of the char-
acters.
The characters have their own
personalities that are bigger than I
could ever explain. Jace is the ar-
rogant warrior while Izzy, Isabelle
Lightwood, can’t cook and likes to
shop. Alec, Alexander Lightwood,
is the oldest in the group and has a
secret. He’s also one of my favorite
characters as well. Clary is the lead
character and she’s strong because of
what she goes through. Simon is the
geeky best friend that falls in love with
a Shadowhunter and a werewolf…at
the same time. Now, Magnus Bane is
my favorite character from any book
I’ve ever read. He’s flamboyant,
crazy, loving, and just plain funny. I
think he’s a lot of people’s favorite
character. Anyway, reading the books
will help you understand who they
really are. There are parts that I don’t
care for.
I mostly love the book but there is one thing that kind of irks me. Cassandra
Clare focuses a lot on the love aspect
of the story. A lot of the time in the
books she writes about Jace and
Clary’s love life. It gets kind of old
even though there is a twist at the be-
ginning that made people not read the
other books as well as the same type
of thing happens in the fifth book
which angered people then. I didn’t
really get worked up over either part
because they’re not my favorite char-
acters. I do like to read romances like
that but it gets old after five book s of
it. That was really my only problem
with the book.
There is a movie coming on in August
called The City of Bones. The City of
Bones is the first book in The Mortal
Instruments. At first, I was really not
looking forward to it because I didn’t
want to be disappointed in the movie.
I love the books and I didn’t want the
movie to be the downfall of the series.
Then I watched the first trailer and I
was still kind of iffy on whether I
wanted to go see the movie or not.
Finally, I watched the theatrical trailer
and I knew I was going to love the
movie. I’m excited to see if they got
the movie right or not. I still don’t care
for some of the actors and actresses
they cast for the movie but maybe I’ll
change my mind when I actually see
it.
The Mortal Instruments is heart
pounding, suspense filled book that
will have you biting your fingernails. If
you like to read romance, adventure,
or about demons, then I suggest this
series for you. I do suggest this series
for anyone to read because it’s just an
amazing series. I’m going to leave you
with my favorite quote from the series
about Magnus Bane. Simon says, “That
you freed a possible criminal by trad-
ing away your brother to a warlock
who looks like a gay Sonic the Hedge-
hog and dresses like the Child
Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang
Bang?”
Page 5
The Mortal Instruments By Emily Lambert
was Mr. Evans. I laughed when he told
me what his favorite memory was. His
favorite memory is when he put some-
thing nasty into Lauren Long’s hair
and she choked him out in the locker
room. Bruston said he will most defi-
nitely miss being a kid.
Next, I asked Hannah. She said she
plans on attending Penn Highlands for
general education then moving on to
an art school for her major. Her favor-
ite class during high school was art.
Her favorite teacher was Mrs. Gard-
Seniors 2013 Continued from p. 1.
North Star High School is proud to
have two foreign language clubs
available to the students enrolled
here. We have the French Club, which
is run by Ms. Mishko, and the Spanish
Club, which is run by Ms. Gale Bala.
The French Club is eagerly anticipat-
ing the annual trip to Pittsburgh to
celebrate “French Night” aboard the
Gateway Clipper. While cruising
down the three rivers, students will
enjoy French food, a French scaven-
ger hunt, a mime, and dancing.
The Spanish Club is only for Spanish
IV students. They have their meetings
during class instead of after school, as
a way of conserving time. Their presi-
dent is Aubree Stoy, whose job is to
conduct the meetings. The Vice Presi-
dent of the club is Tyler Moffe, who
fills in for any missing officer. Emily
Mishler is the Secretary, and she takes
notes during the meetings. Treasurer
Megan Weyand manages the funding
and money for the club.
Funding for the Spanish Club goes
into trips, such as the upcoming Gate-
way Clipper trip on May 16. The Gate-
way Clipper trip is the Spanish cruise
night for all Spanish classes. There
will be authentic Mexican food, a salsa
band, and possibly South American
dancers. Fundraising also goes into
North Star Foreign Language Clubs By Evan Gerney and Mrs. Mishko
fiestas, which the classes have from
time to time. Currently there is no
fundraising.
Students in Mrs. Mishko’s Spanish
classes will celebrate Cinco de Mayo
and a “Quinceañera,” which is a tradi-
tion first established during the Span-
ish colonization of Latin America.
When a girl reaches the age of fifteen,
a party is celebrated to present her to
society. Sarah Burkett, Megan Burley,
and Sam Wyant are the
“quinceañeras.”
ner. Hannah told me she her favorite
memory was getting out of class to
perform the musical for the student
body and faculty. She said she will
definitely miss her friends.
Lastly, I asked Rianna. She plans on
attending ACM and work till she’s 112
years old. She also plans on visiting
every continent at least once. Her fa-
vorite subjects were history and Eng-
lish. Her favorite teacher was Mr.
Muir. Rianna told me her favorite
memory was musical. She said she
will miss musical and certain friends.
Good luck to this years seniors. We
will definitely miss all of you. I hope
that you move on to big and better
things and that you have a great, long,
and gratified life. Always keep the
memories you’ve had at North Star
close in your mind.
Page 7
softball’s most integral roles. Tiffany
Forney, sophomore, stated flat-out
that errors have been the main nega-
tive of the season.
Tiffany also managed to convey some
reassuring positives. The players are
getting along together well, are main-
taining level heads, and are staying
positive.
Unfortunately, luck has not been a
lady for North Star’s softball team this
year. Their record as of this writing is
0-15. They’ve faced a long string of
strong opponents over a short period
of time. A portion of their games were
lost by small margins, no doubt fueled
by diminishing stamina.
This year, same as last, has not been a
good year for pitching. The team has
struggled to find success in one of
Please go out and support North Star’s
softball team as it enters its final
stretch of the season. With enough
crowd motivation, a minor resurgence
is still very much possible. Good
luck!
Softball By Patrick Stahl
Art Club By Lindsay Walker
Pep Club is ending the year just as
strongly as they came in. Throughout
our 2012-2013 school year, they have
organized two dances including the
homecoming dance. They have deco-
rated the football field, and have just
put another fence decoration on the
softball field. They also decorate the
football field with the Walk of Fame
stars around the field. Next year, they
plan to make more than one size of
stars available to buy.
Pep Club also hosts Meet the Cougar
Nights and spreads school spirit
throughout the school. Many of the
banners, signs, and locker decora-
tions around the school are supplied
by Pep Club. Senior Pep Club mem-
Pep Club By Megan Berkebile ber, Olivia Mayak, said “When stu-
dents from other schools came here, a
lot of them commented on how festive
our school is looking.”
Every year, they try to get one thing to
really increase the Pep Club spirit.
Right now, they are beginning to plan
what next year’s item will be. The
girls are hoping to purchase another
fence kit for the upcoming school
year.
Another event Pep Club gets to take
part in is North Star’s baseball games.
At the home baseball games, Miranda
Pastuch and Cali Yeager, of Pep Club
run the concession stands.
Seniors say that they will miss the
many memories they have made in
the last four years. This year, the sen-
iors in pep club are Krista Valentine,
Hali Livingston, Emily Eutin, Emily
Gavel, Alexcia Acosta, Sam Costas,
Hailey Smith, Olivia Mayak, and Jess
Valentine.
One of the many activities North Star
offers is art club. Run by Mr. Mrosko,
the art club consists of about seven
regular members and meets every
Tuesday until 3:15 to experiment with
different styles of artwork. This is
done by creating something unique
using your own imagination and vi-
sion. One example of a project done
by members of the art club, is finding a
word in a newspaper article and using
different art mediums to represent how
the artist themselves imagines it. The
members also participate in team pro-
jects, and painting on canvas using dif-
ferent techniques. When asked, mem-
ber Abby Mishler said that it is a lot of
fun to be there, and the projects are fun to
do. She also added that you get to
use your imagination and be crea-
tive with the projects you do
Derek Mullen each added 2 hits
apiece, among the dozen collected by
the team, in the 15 to 4 victory. Shane
Supanick gave up 2 hits and struck out
9 while picking up the win.
In the following Tuesday's league
game, the host North Star Cougars
baseball team scored a nice 13-3 vic-
tory over the Portage Mustangs.
Brantley Rice picked up his second
win of the season in as many starts,
scattering 6 hits over 5 innings and
striking out 7 Mustangs. Rice was
backed by Dalton Rice, Brady Walker,
Tony Strasiser, Shane Supanick, and
Brady Shroyer with 2 hits apiece as
the Cougars collectively banged out
13 hits. The North Star Cougars base-
ball team proceeded to trounce the
Ferndale Yellow Jackets, 14-1, in
Thursday's league contest. Tea Stra-
siser threw 3 innings to pick up the
win, striking out 7 and giving up just
one hit, while helping himself out by
adding 3 hits at the plate. He received
his offensive support from Brantley
Rice, Brady Walker, Shane Supanick,
and Derek Mullen, all with 2 hits
apiece. Rice added a homerun for his
Following last season’s run to the
Class “AA” state title, in which the
Cougars fell short in the Western Final
to eventual champion Riverside, and
finished with a record of 19 and 5, the
bar was set high entering the 2013
season. The weather during the
month of March was exceptionally
dismal in terms of baseball, as the
Cougars had nary a practice on a real
baseball diamond. Duplicating game
conditions in the gym or parking lot or
football field while keeping motivation
high is the ultimate preseason chal-
lenge for any baseball coach and by
the time that the Blacklick Valley Vi-
kings sailed into town on April 03rd,
the Cougars were ready for action.
The end result of the contest was a one
sided 14 to 3 victory in favor of the
Cougars. Brantley Rice picked up the
mound win, giving up 0 hits and strik-
ing out 6 in 3 innings of work and also
collecting 3 hits at the plate as well as
the Cougars picked up a dozen hits to
score their 14 runs. Dalton Rice,
Brady Walker, and Elijah Knupp each
contributed a pair of hits in the vic-
tory. The following day the Cougars
hosted the Conemaugh Township In-
dians, and the backyard rivalry was
anything but a fair fight. Iced Tea
Strasiser led the charge with 3 hits,
while Dalton Rice, Elijah Knupp, and
first of the season. The Cougars then
were slated to take on the Shade Pan-
thers on April 16th, and came away
with a 5 to 2 victory, the closest call to
that point in the season. Brady
Shroyer drove in two of the Cougar’s
runs while Brantley Rice and Shane
Supanick combined to strike out 13
Panthers while only giving up 6 hits.
In the following Thursday's league
challenge, the North Star Cougars
baseball squad triumphed over the
visiting Conemaugh Valley Bluejays
by a margin of 12-2. Tea Strasiser
tossed a one hitter against the 8 win
Bluejays while Zach Maluchnick had 4
RBIs and Dalton Rice drove in 3 in col-
lecting the victory as North Star im-
proved to 6 and 0 on the season. The
North Star Cougars baseball team
scored 11 runs and limited the visiting
Rockwood Rockets to 0 in the Cougars
league victory on Monday to start a
busy week that would have the Cou-
gars playing 5 varsity games. Derek
Mullen had 3 hits and drove in 4 runs
while Shane Supanick added 3 RBIs
and Brantley Rice his second homerun
of the season. From the mound, Su-
panick totally grounded the Rockets
by striking out 10 and only allowing 1
hit through the 5 inning contest. The
next day had the Cougars venturing
north to Blacklick Valley to take on the
. . . high expectations By Coach Mike Blucas
Page 8
2013 North Star Varsity Baseball Team
Picture by Mrs. Spangler
Vikings on their home port. The Cou-
gars managed only 6 hits on the after-
noon, but were able to push 14 runs
across the plate while Brantley Rice
drydocked the Vikings, holding them
to 2 first inning runs and 5 hits total, as
the Vikings couldn’t hit water with a
paddle if they fell out of their own boat
after that shaky first inning. In a carry-
over from the previous football sea-
son, which saw the Viking fans engage
in some rather brutish behavior,
Coach Evans was able to quash an
unpleasant uprising in the stands as
the Viking pitchers hit three North Star
batters in the contest. With only 1 win
to show for the season, the Vikings
could go back to what they do best –
raiding the snack drawer. A one day
break allowed the Cougars to re-
charge their batteries headed into a
backyard rivalry game at the Cone-
maugh Township Indians. The game
saw the Cougars, for only the second
time to date in the season, play an
opponent for the entire 7 inning con-
test. The Cougars knocked on the
door of the mercy rule several times,
but could not quite push across the
12th run that would’ve ended the con-
test, instead settling for an 11 to 2 vic-
tory. Tea Strasiser (4 hits), Brantley
Rice (3 hits), and Shane Supanick /
Elijah Knupp (2 hits apiece), led the
charge. Tea Strasiser started on the
mound, giving up no hits and striking
out 5 in three innings of work. Brady
Walker then threw the final 4 innings,
showing some composure by putting
out a fire that was lit by Dalton Rice in
the meantime, and ended the game
with 8 strikeouts added to his stat line.
The Cougars then headed into the 20th
Annual Boswell Area Jaycees Classic
with a record of 9 and 0, looking to
win the tournament for the first time
since 2009. The Cougars squared of
against the Ligonier Valley Rams in
the first contest, coming away with a
10 to 3 victory in a game that was
much closer than the score would in-
dicate. The Cougars were down by
three runs headed into the bottom of
the 4th, when Dalton Rice proceeded
to launch a three run homer to left to
knot the score on his way to player of
the game honors. Shane Supanick
went the distance on the bump, effec-
tively corralling the Rams through the
rest of the game, striking out 13 in the
process. Tea Strasiser fed off of Ligo-
nier Valley pitching, tallying three hits
in the game (on a day that would see
him reach base in every plate appear-
ance), with other offensive support
from Derek Mullen (3 RBIs) and
Brantley Rice (2 RBIs). The Cougars
advanced to the championship to face
an unfamiliar foe, the Bishop Walsh
Spartans of Cumberland, MD.
Through 6 full innings, the Cougars
were only able to muster 1 run, trail-
ing the Spartans 3 to 1 headed to the
top of the 7th inning. Brantley Rice was
able to keep the Cougars as close as
he could, limited BW to only 3 hits and
striking out 12, but the Spartans capi-
talized on some untimely errors to
scratch out their 3 runs. Tea Strasiser
(3 hits, 2 triples) and Derek Mullen
and Shane Supanick all had extra base
hits in the final frame secure the inter-
continental world championship belt
by the score of 5 to 3. After a rest to
start the next to last week of the regu-
lar season, North Star travelled to
Portage to take on the always ready to
play Mustangs and came away with a
hard fought 4 to 2 victory, running
their overall record to 12 wins against
no defeats. Shane Supanick again
gutted it out on the mound, throwing
hard for 7 innings, striking out 11, and
also helping himself out at the plate,
scoring two runs and adding a triple
deep off of the right field wall. Elijah
Knupp chipped in with 2 runs batted
in as the Cougars continue to march
through their schedule. Collectively
the Cougars are hitting at a .351 clip,
scoring 127 runs in the process as the
season continues May 03 as the Cou-
gars travel to Shanksville. Expecta-
tions will continue to run at an all time
high, with the Cougars scheduled for
4 more regular season contests in
preparation for another deep playoff
run.
The North Star Cougars would like to
express their endearing gratitude to
the booster program, all those stu-
dents / parents / community members
who have aided us in any way, and
ESPECIALLY our very own cougar den
mother, Ms. Jennifer Spangler for all
the hidden work that she does for the
baseball team and want to recognize
her for her above and beyond efforts!
Page 9
. . . high expectations Continued from p. 8.
The student council has been working
on a lot of things lately. They have
been planning for Field Day and the
blood drive on May 8.
Thanks to the student council, we had
movie days and fun assemblies that let
us take a break from class. But the
biggest thing they’re doing this year
is Field Day. They are ordering food
and organizing the Johnny Blough
Dodge Ball Tournament and a hockey
tournament.
They plan to have more fun assem-
blies and activities for the future.
Student Council By Rebecca Flick
Page 10
For over six decades, the maple in-
dustry has found a new representa-
tive/sovereign each year. 2013 was
no different. On March 2 at the Mey-
ersdale Area High School, Ranita Bow-
ers-Thomas was crowned Queen Ma-
ple LXVI. She wowed the Maple Prin-
cess Pageant judges with a vocal solo
among other stellar qualities. A total of
sixteen Maple Princesses competed in
this year’s competition: Emily
Blubaugh of Meyersdale Area High
School, Ranita Bowers-Thomas of Ber-
lin Brothersvalley High School, Court-
ney Brant of Meyersdale, Marissa
Denner of Shanksville-Stonycreek
High School, Kyley Dunmeyer of Mey-
ersdale, Hannah Fortini of Somerset
Area High School, Rebecca Katz of
Somerset, Anna Knoblach of Meyers-
dale, Hayley Petenbrink of Meyers-
dale, Bethany Reddick of Meyersdale,
Kylie Shober of Shanksville-
Stonycreek, Kelsey Snyder of Berlin
Brothersvalley, Emily Tinkey of Som-
erset, Balee Wahl of Somerset, Paige
Yutzy of Meyersdale, and North Star’s
own Aubree Stoy. Aubree performed
a tap dance, but was edged out by the
eventual victor, Ranita Bowers-
Thomas. Ranita also competed locally
in Forensics/Speaking.
In any case, all Princesses who com-
peted in the Pageant did so with
poise, grace, and respect for the ma-
ple industry. Congratulations are
rightly deserved.
Maple and Its Monarch: The Aftermath By Patrick Stahl
Minuetto, and Fanfare for the Third
Planet. Fanfare for the Third Planet was
conducted by Ryan Gerney, a senior.
Small groups also performed. The
percussion ensemble, which is new
this year and only consists of percus-
sion instruments, performed Rainfall.
The brass quintet, which is also a new
group that only consists of five brass
musicians, played a Fun Medley ar-
ranged by Ryan Gerney.
A band banquet was held on May 3 to
honor the seniors. The seniors of the
band include Rianna Bixler, Sabrina
Matkoskey, Patricia Beam, Megan
Weyand, and Ryan Gerney. The un-
derclassmen wish them luck in their
future endeavors and hope to see
them again in future performances.
As the school year is coming to an
end, the concert band season is com-
ing to a close. However, the jazz band
season is in full “swing” and there is
much more in store for a jazz lover.
The high school concert band and jazz
band concert took place on May 1.The
jazz band went on first playing songs
such as Little Brown Jug, Come Fly With
Me, Manteca, and What a Wonderful
World and Tequila. Tequila was con-
ducted by Patricia Beam, a senior. Jazz
songs are set apart from concert
pieces because they consist of swing-
ing rhythms. The instruments used
are only saxophones, brass, percus-
sion, and sometimes a bass or guitar.
The jazz band will be performing dif-
ferent songs on the May 16 concert at
7 p.m. in the high school auditorium.
They will also be travelling to Country
Manor to play for the elderly people
of the community.
The concert band went on afterwards
performing their final concert of the
season. They performed pieces such
as Hypnotic Fireflies, Stand by Me,
Band News By Ashley Kelly and Rebecca Flick
Thanks for the fun!
Pattie, Sab, Megden,
Ryan, and Ri.
Love, the band kids.
Page 11
Newspaper Staff
Emily Lambert– Editor-in-Chief
Haley Smith– Co-editor & Design
Rebecca Flick– Co-editor
Jordan Stanko and Dan Karashowsky– Computer Techs
Patricia Beam
Rianna Bixler
Erik Bloom
Tayte Mostoller
Patrick Stahl
Remigio Baerga
Aubree Stoy
Sabrina Beck
Elizabeth King
Katie Manges
Evan Gerney
Lindsay Walker
Megan Berkebile
Chantelle Harvey
Ashley Kelly