By Ian Adler Editor-in-Chief On February 25, five Red Lion students traveled to the Lincoln Intermediate Unit #12 in New Oxford to showcase their self-constructed project to judges and compete in various challenges. The Red Lion STEM team ending up taking first place in the regional competition and now they are on their way to the state competition to be held on May 27 in Lancaster. “The STEM competition is a part of the Governor’s STEM Initiative,” Mentor-teacher Mr. Ben Smith said. “They had to create a project, using a $500 budget, that will improve the lives of everyday Pennsylvanians.” Seniors Garrett Aguilar, Jen Owrutsky, Chris Balbier, and Gabriella Zarragoitia and junior Josh Kovacs prepared by researching and interviewing various engineers and companies in the local area. The entire process took place outside of classroom time, with the team often staying after school to complete their project. “I thought it was cool because we got to use a real budget and we got to make something that’s real and actually affects the real-world,” Owrutsky said. “It was a good experience for when we’re going to be engineers in the future.” With a real-world problem to solve, the team had to decide on what issues the average Pennsylvanian had to overcome on a daily basis. “We sat down, brainstormed ideas and asked ‘what’s wrong with around here?’” Balbier said. “The first idea we thought of was pipes freezing in the winter because it gets too cold and we didn’t really know how to fix that. Obviously the roads are pretty terrible, so that was what we tried to fix.” While at the competition itself, the team showcased their project and answered questions from judges, while also participating in the “mystery box event,” in which they could not prepare for. “I feel like as a team, we really worked together,” Owrutsky said. “Especially for the on-site competition that we had.” With their success in the regional competition, the STEM team now has a higher budget to design and build with, and they plan on conducting additional research to further improve the pothole-detecting prototype. “If we win the whole thing, or if we place well, the scholarship money will be nice,” Balbier said. “I think that if we win the whole thing, we might possibly have an actual product that could be used by the state and by other states.” The team’s success will shine bright for their future careers in STEM fields, with the seniors already committed to attending college for degrees in science and engineering. “They really embrace young people in the community,” Owrutsky said. “So I think with being teenagers and seniors in high school I think we have a better opportunity right now to compete, win, and get recognized.” “Like Mr. Smith always says, this country’s a million engineers short, so there’s room for the field to grow,” Zarragoitia said. “Young people have a lot of ideas that they can bring to the table.”
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By Molly Merson
Social Media Editor The bell rings, classes flood into the halls, and students begin filling the gym. The bleachers are filled with students wearing shirts marked with a four diamond logo. Game supplies are scattered about the room and a microphone stands ready. This isn’t an everyday assembly, it is the Red Lion Mini-THON kickoff assembly. As seventh period ended, students watched a Mini-THON video produced by Ben Otte to introduce the idea of the event. This featured families who have been impacted by cancer and helped by the Four Diamonds Foundation. The foundation helped families in need and provided financial support to children at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. Red Lion Senior High School annually conducts a Mini-THON event to help raise money for a family that has been affected by cancer. This year, the Knepp family was sponsored. On October 13, 2014, a young kindergarten student named Landen was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma cancer. A speech was given by his mother, Katie Knepp, who told the story of Landon and how their family was impacted. “When the Four Diamonds representative came and told us that we didn’t have to worry about any medical bills, there was a huge weight off of our shoulders,” Knepp said. “I can not even imagine the amount of money we would have had to pay without something like Four Diamonds.” After the speech, several games were hosted by the Mini-THON chair members. Volunteers were selected from the crowd to play each game. Students participated in Mummy, Junk in the Trunk, and a free throw competition. Classmates cheered and music blared as the school watched the games take place. On January 11, 2016, Landen was officially in remission from his cancer. His family hosted a party to celebrate, and now looks forward to attending THON. “We’re incredibly excited and honored to be apart of this. I know he can’t wait to be here.” Knepp said. The Red Lion Area Senior High School Mini-THON will be on April 6, 2016. By Ashlee Galloway Communications Editor As the school year comes quickly to a close, seniors are becoming more eager to graduate and begin their lives as adults. The Executive Council for the Class of 2016 is currently working to make seniors’ final months of high school memorable. As opposed to previous years, prom 2016 will not be held at the Valencia ballroom in Downtown York. To make a change, this year’s prom will be hosted at the Wyndham Garden York Hotel. Prom will be held on April 16, 2016 from 6-10 p.m. All prom tickets will be sold during lunch and in A209 for $40 each from March 21 to April 4. As a reminder to all students, the Executive Council for the Class of 2016 is adamant that there will be no refunds for any ticket purchases regardless of the reason. Any student who is suspended during the time of the trip or prom will be ineligible to attend and will not receive a refund for their purchase. The senior class trip, which tickets have previously been sold for, will be at Pocono Valley Resort in Reeders, PA on May 7 and will include a lunch and dinner buffet for all students. To ensure students are able to sit with friends on the busses, it is advised to buy your tickets and sign up with people whom you may want to sit with. At the resort, students will be able to enjoy several outdoor activities such as kayaking, canoeing, rock wall climbing, zip lining, an obstacle course, and more. If any student has questions regarding prom or the class trip, please contact Mrs. Amanda Seitz in A209 or any Executive Council member. By Ian Adler Editor-in-Chief As the York County Science Fair approaches, students scramble to construct, decorate, and assemble their science fair boards. February means crunchtime for many students, but before students can enter the county fair, they’re screened through the Red Lion Science Fair. The Red Lion fair was held on January 29 and 30. The first round of judging took place on the 29, the second round on the 30, followed by an open house and awards ceremony later in the day. “One of the things that we wanted to do was increase the number of students that get to the York County fair but also increase the quality of the projects that get to the county fair,” chemistry teacher and Science Fair Club adviser Mrs. Valerie Stone said. “If they have to go through our fair first, that hopefully prepares them and gives them a little bit more time to regroup before the county fair.” The Red Lion Science Fair is in its second year of operation. Last year, 198 boards representing about 200 students were on display, and this year it has decreased to 150 boards with about 160 students, but this statistic is really dependent on student enrollment in certain science courses. In the Junior Division, Austin Kutcher earned Grand Champion and Rachel Helt earned Reserve Grand Champion. In the Senior Division, John Brownsword earned Grand Champion and Hannah Eisenhart-Seitz earned Reserve Grand Champion. While the Red Lion fair offers a considerable amount of help to students preparing for the county fair, it is different in a few respects. “In the Red Lion fair, we only judge the board and the notebook, so we don’t interview the students,” Mrs. Stone said. “At the County Fair, a big part of it is the interview.” Some students feel that the elimination of the interview helps them out, but Mrs. Stone feels otherwise. “For our fair, your board and notebook have to really speak for you, so they have to be pretty good quality,” Mrs. Stone said. “That means your board has to really tell your story.” With participation in the science fair required for the first three years of honors science classes, some students dread the upcoming responsibilities, while others handle it with ease. This year’s projects focused on sports-oriented tests, material studies, and even proving common biology myths, just to name a few. The duo of juniors Glori Keough and Larissa Herbert are testing Daphnia’s (water fleas) reaction to synthetic Red 40 dye and natural red beet juice. “We’re seeing if the Red 40 raises the heart rate because it’s known to cause hyperactivity in kids,” Keough said. “For the second part of the project, we’re doing a chromatography of the dyes to see what they look like.” “A lot of people are worried about what ingredients are going into their food, and the amount of kids with ADHD and hyperactivity have increased a lot over the years,” Keough added. “Some people think it’s linked to red food dye, like Red 40, so we just wanted to see if that’s legit.” Junior Hailey Kutcher also aims at verifying claims for the sake of children’s safety by testing the flame resistance of baby clothes. “(My project) will probably tell parents and other consumers whether or not infant sleepwear is actually flame retardant and which types of infant sleepwear they should look at if they’re going out to buy some,” Kutcher said. Amongst the real-world applications, there are many other benefits that go along with participating in the science fair. “Well, one thing is you get to put it on your resume which is always a good thing when you’re applying to college,” Stone said. “Beyond that, when you have to do a science fair project, you’re incorporating not only your science skills, but also your creativity.” By Kailey Smith Business Manager Stereotypes have been used against women for centuries, saying women cannot do what a man can. But now this stereotype is starting to change. In August of 2015 Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver made ranger history. These women were the first to graduate from the elite ranger academy. “Many men do not believe that women can work up to the same ability as them,” senior Emily Falenski stated. “But these women proved that us females can accomplish anything a man can as long as we put out the effort.” Senior Skye Stambaugh had the opportunity to attend The American Legion State police youth week a few years back. “The American Legion State police youth week is a program that parents can enter children in that need to get there attitude in check.” Stambaugh said. “The program definitely changed me. It’s what made me decide to join the military after high school. They teach you respect, the program really opens your eyes,” Stambaugh explained. Her initial request to attend Basic Training during the summer between between junior and senior year was denied because of concern about extended abscences at the start of the school year. Stambaugh said “I wasn’t giving up.” She then took her request to Dr. Deisley, the Superintendent of Red Lion Area School District. Stambaugh’s request was granted and she had the opportunity to attend Basic Training in June of 2015 during the summer between her junior and senior year of high school. “I was lucky to have the opportunity to be able to attend Basic Training as early as I did. When I went to Basic it was as if I was proving that any female is capable of anything they put their mind to,” Stambaugh explained. It might be slow, but females are finally making a comeback to prove to men that females are more than just housewives. “These accomplishments make us females proud. We are proving that we can do the same thing any man can do. We are finally starting to beat the stereotype against women.” Stambaugh said. “Many men do not believe that women can work up to the same ability as them. But these women proved that us females can accomplish anything a man can as long as we put out the effort.” - Senior Emily Falenski By Helen Zeidman Junior Editor-in-Chief While most students stayed at home Jan. 27 to enjoy the snow day provided by winter storm Jonas, the Red Lion Mock Trial team plowed through the snow to meet at the Giant grocery store on Cape Horn Road. The team huddled around the fireplace in the Giant cafe to perfect their case. Not even the din of a grocery store and its customers could distract them as they rehearsed in anticipation of their first competition. The Mock Trial team is a group of students from all grades who participate in court-case situations. They compete in two preliminary competition rounds against teams from other York County schools. Ronda Vasellas, Mary Smith, and Rebecca Yoder are the advisers for the club. Aspects of a real trial, including witnesses, attorneys, jurors and a judge were all incorporated in the program to make it as realistic as possible. The competition was even held in the York County Judicial Center. This year’s competition was based on a civil case regarding the insurance policies of a nature preserve, where a drone caused the paralysis of a hunter. Every school had to create both the plaintiff and defense sides of the case. Even though the competition took place in the courtroom, most of the work was done outside of school. “It’s a lot of extra work. I’m in other clubs, but I don’t have to practice outside of school for them,” junior Jacklyn Golden said. “I need to practice [for Mock Trial] really thoroughly to fluently speak.” In addition to practices after school at least once a week, the members of Mock Trial were expected to write their parts and memorize them on their own time. All of their practice and hard work was put to the test during the team’s first competition on Feb. 1 against Dover by presenting the plaintiff side of the case. The three attorneys for the first competition were junior Tori Austin, junior Emily Zeidman, and senior Makayla Cameron. Tori Austin was awarded recognition for the best advocate for the plaintiff side. There were also three witnesses for each case, including sophomore Philip Zeidman, senior Charles Flaharty, and senior Chloe Fleming, who was given the recognition for the best witness for the plaintiff side. Despite their strong opening and cohesive arguments, the Red Lion Mock Trial team was defeated during a close match against Dover. The jury of attorneys and prosecutors had the challenge to determine a winner between the teams and the vote ended in a hung jury with a tie of 3-3. In the end, Dover received the victory by a slim margin according to the point system. Regardless of their previous case, the Red Lion team won their second competition against Kennard Dale’ They were presenting the defense side of the case, with junior William Dalby, junior Emily Zeidman, and freshman Katelyn Taylor as their attorneys. A strong opening by Dalby, revealing questionings by Taylor, and a persuasive closing by Zeidman led the way to the team’s victory. |
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