By Zachary Rhine News and Feature Editor From lunches to schedules to bathrooms, students are always eager to voice their opinions on how Red Lion can do better. That is where RSVP and student council step in, not only to listen but also to act. RSVP occurs three times a school year during a day six academic prep period where student council representatives visit every homeroom and listen and take suggestions from the students on what they want to see changed in their school. “RSVP is based off student response, so we go wherever they lead us,” Mrs. Jane Dennish, student council adviser and Red Lion English teacher, said. “We may have some questions prepared, but typically it’s all based on student need.” The student council members report their findings back to Dennish, and then they as a group bring those issues up with Mr. Mark Shue, Red Lion High School principal.
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By Kailey Smith
Business Manager The SAT college exam recently went through intensive changes, including a new scoring scale, revised test content, and student preparations for the exam. The college exam was released in the spring of 2016. The test includes four sections; reading, writing, math and an optional essay. The exam will shift back its current scale score of 2400 to 1600 and include a separate score for the written essay. The modified SAT exam also added major changes to the essay. Students now have 50 minutes to answer the question provided rather than 25 minutes. The essay will now be based on a passage instead of an open-ended question. By Larissa Joines Staff Writer Four students from drafting and design teacher Mr. Royer’s class will be competing in the Architectural High School Design Competition for its second consecutive year. The ceremony will be held on May 3 at Philadelphia University where the team could win up to $1,000 in cash. The group is made up of senior Alex Ohme, senior Emily Sterner, junior Emily Gillmen and is led by senior Mckayla Cooley. The team will be given a plot of land along with numerous guidelines including limited space and parameters that their project has to follow. By Benjamin Ostrander Staff Writer Insulation, two-by-fours, windows, and all sorts of power tools are scattered within the shell of the schoolhouse. This time it is not arithmetic, reading or writing that is being taught. This time around it is information about construction and use of power tools that the students are learning. The Neff Schoolhouse project began earlier this spring with a few students in Mr. John Royer’s drafting three class, which involves task of renovating the Neff one room schoolhouse. From tearing out walls to putting in new windows, the students are doing it all. “It was a lot of work in not a lot of time, but we got a lot done...We tore the right half of the front wall down, put it back up and put in all the windows,” said senior Brandon Kinard. “It’s a lot of fun to learn and a lot of fun to help.” Several of Mr. Royer’s students approached him about the project after completing the Habitat for Humanity Project in Windsor during the 2014-15 school year. “If all of these people are getting into it and they think this would be worthwhile and with how old it is, why not keep it around, ” Royer said. Through many day-long field trips, the entire front porch has been redone along with repainted, and almost half of the siding has been ripped down and replaced. “The progress is great. There are a lot of things to be done but for the most part it is well organized,” said project supervisor John Royer. “We’re on track for completion based on this spring (2016)...but if not, a little will be touched up next fall.” The school was built in the 1860s and moved to its current location in the mid-to-late 1970s. The move, which occurred almost 110 years after the schoolhouse was initially built happened because the owners of the house and the land only donated the land. When the borough of Red Lion acquired the house it was on the corner of Country Club Road and Dairyland Drive, which is private property. This move was not major, being only about a half of a mile down Country Club Road. The schoolhouse now resides in the front lawn of the Edgar C. Moore elementary school which is now River Rock Academy. This schoolhouse is one of the few that has not been turned into a business or a residence.
By Ian Adler
Editor-in-Chief With 400,000 square feet, three floors, two gymnasiums, and an external tech-wing, it can be hard to get lost in the vastness of Red Lion Senior High. However, freshmen Chance Riddle has created an application to help solve that problem. The app, called “School Scout”, is currently only accessible as a website, but the application will be available sometime before the start of the 2016-2017 school year. It holds maps of all three floors of the senior high, the various bell schedules, and even the monthly lunch menu. “One of my biggest concerns about coming into the high school was the size,” freshmen and app developer Chance Riddle said. “I just thought it would be convenient to have something that you could see right at your fingertips.” After forming and spreading his idea, Chance’s junior high seminar teacher Mrs. Shay referred him to Mrs. Samantha Smith, the K-12 district Technology Integration Coach, for guidance in constructing the application. “He really thought it would be helpful, with being an incoming freshmen, to create something that would help assist freshmen when they come to the high school,” Smith said. “So he wanted to know how he could make that happen and make it a reality.” “Of course, he wanted to make an app, which was awesome, but the reality was that I did not know how to do that,” Smith said. “So, we started creating a mobile website, which was the easiest way for us to get to his end result and ultimate goal quickly.” Through some research into coding and design, the site was up and running by the start of the 2015-2016 school year after various tests and clearances by Red Lion-affiliated channels. “He has access to all of the knowledge at his fingertips,” Smith said. “Plus, we do have some great resources here at Red Lion that are going to help him with coding and things of that nature.” The next step in finalizing the application will be actually making it available as a downloadable app on the iTunes store. However, Apple product users can easily create a shortcut button on their home screen to take them directly to the site. The website is currently available at https://sites.google.com/a/rlschools.net/test1/ as of November 24. By Ian Adler Editor-in-Chief “We have to continue, in all of our communities, to shatter the stigma associated with mental illness, and let people know that it’s an illness, so let’s get help.” Answering the call to help, as the Aevidum spirit represents, around 300 participants showed up to run the Aevidum “Color Blast 5k” on Sunday, October 4. The race began at Manor Middle School and followed the school’s 3.1 mile cross-country course. A color blast is a “friendly” run, in which various colors of powder are thrown on the runners by volunteers throughout the course. The event featured DJ services, post-run snacks, and a finale “color bomb”, where a powder tossing free-for-all coated the runners with all the remaining rainbow dust. The second annual color blast is just one of many events that Aevidum hosts, ranging from community talk events, talent shows, music or poetry nights and anything that schools that host the organization decide to hold. “The whole goal is to promote positive mental health,” said Executive Director of Aevidum Joe Vulopas. “Places where people are accepted, appreciated, acknowledged and cared for.” The color blast was described as “more of a community event” by Vulopas, due to the partnership with Teen Hope, a branch of the Samaritan Counseling Center, that helps middle and high schools to screen teenagers for mental illnesses. The money raised from the event was split in donation to both Teen Hope and the Aevidum organization. “It was a great experience,” said senior and Red Lion Aevidum club member Hayley Althoff. “The atmosphere was amazing, I loved being a part of it. I actually thought that there was going to be 50 people there, but there were like 300 and most of them were teens.” Both the community atmosphere and the warmth and welcoming nature of the both participants and volunteers definitively showed that the Aevidum spirit was alive and well. “I feel like depression and things of that sort are becoming more prevalent,” said Althoff. “I think that it needs to be made aware of, especially when you have kids in your own school committing suicide and you don’t even know that they’re depressed until something like that happens.” Red Lion not only brought student participants, but also adult volunteers, including both club advisors Mrs. Rohrbaugh and Mrs. Persing. “Overall, I thought it was a lot of fun,” said Rohrbaugh, who spent the duration of the event handing water to the runners. “I think the kids enjoyed it, we raised a lot of money and it was a success from an overall standpoint.” “Between our 20 participants, ranging from elementary to high school, we raised $500, which is pretty impressive,” said Rohrbaugh. Overall, the event raised about. “Whenever I speak, I always say that we all have a role in making sure that our children are healthy. What is that role that we have?” said Vulopas. “Today, at this event, there were people from everywhere here, which again just surrounds these kids so they know that they can do the right thing, that we care for them.” By Carly Guise Staff Writer Every minute, 20 people are victims of intimate partner violence. Every day, three women are murdered by a current or former male partner. Domestic violence is defined by violent or aggressive behavior, typically, but not always, within the home, towards a spouse or partner, with abusers often using intimidation, threats, isolation, and sexual assault to control their victims. On average, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic violence in their lifetimes. Jessica Castle from the YWCA York calls it an epidemic. “The most recent statistics that I have seen show that 1 in 3 teens are or will be in a teen-dating violent, abusive relationship,” she said. “This doesn’t only mean physical abuse; it can be verbal, emotional, or digital. There’s a lot of different forms of abuse.” Domestic violence is often hidden from the public eye, which is why it can be hard for close friends and even parents of victims to figure out that something is wrong. One of the main red flags to look out for is control. This can range from the abuser controlling who the victim can be friends with to deciding what is acceptable to wear out in public, or even if they’re allowed to go out at all. Other flags that should be paid attention to as well include extreme jealousy and verbal bullying, especially in teenage relationships. “If you see that behavior is changing in your friend, if they’re becoming more withdrawn, or not hanging out with you, and making up a lot of excuses, it would be time to get concerned,” Castle said. “The best thing to do in that case is to reach out to that person, in a supportive way, to let them know that you’re concerned and that you’re there for them.” It’s also very important to not reach out to a friend in a judgemental fashion. “If you think about someone in an abusive relationship, their self-esteem and confidence is down, and the last thing that they need is a friend to criticize them too.” Castle said. While it may take a while for the person in the abusive relationship to recognize it, the best way to help them through it is to be persistent and be there for them. And when they finally do realize that their relationship is dangerous, the most effective way to get away safely is to make a plan and make everyone around them aware of the situation. Let those connected to the person know that they are trying to leave the relationship, so that they are not encouraged to “just take one phone call” and reconcile or to allow the other person to get ahold of a new cell phone number or street address. Domestic violence is all about control and power, so the most dangerous time for someone in an abusive relationship is when they are actually leaving the abuser, taking the power and control with them. For those who aren’t sure whether or not their relationship is toxic or not, Castle has one question to help you decide. “Ask them to take an inventory of what they like about the person they’re in a relationship with, as well as what they don’t like about that person. Do the healthy characteristics outweigh the bad, unhealthy ones?” By Natasha McLane
Staff Writer Aevidum’s Color Blast 5k on October 4 was, as the name suggests, an absolute blast. The 5k isn’t the only event students have to look forward to, as there is plenty more to come. For those who don’t know, “Aevidum is a student-based support group that brings awareness of and support for mental health awareness and suicide prevention,” said Mrs. Andrea Rohrbaugh, co-adviser of the Red Lion Aevidum club. According to Teenmentalhealth.org, 1 in 5 teenagers have a mental illness. This ranges from depression and anxiety, to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and even anorexia. Sadly, suicide is the third 3rd leading cause of death in ages 14-24 years old. The impact of a mental illness is devastating. In 2004, a teenager in Lititz, Pennsylvania and student at Cocalico High School committed suicide. In this tragic event, Aevidum was formed by high schoolers at Cocalico and teacher/Executive Director Joe Vulopas and is now taking storm across the nation. “Even when we’re faced with the deepest and darkest tragedies, there is always learning, there is always something good that can come of it,” said Dr. Brenda Becker, Superintendent of LItitz Area Schools. In 2014, Red Lion launched the start of Aevidum. Starting this year Aevidum plans to have lessons during Academic Prep period. Aevidum will also make the school more aware of depression and prevention of suicide along with always keeping the door open for those who need a hand. Hence the term, “I’ve Got Your Back.” This year alone, numerous students have already reached out to Aevidum. One who struggles with depression and suicidal thoughts should not be ashamed. “Our society tends to shame or ignore those with mental illnesses, and I want to change that,” said singer-songwriter, and activist Demi Lovato. This is exactly what Aevidum does, brings support and awareness. Those that struggle on a day-to-day basis should know they are not alone, and that it is “Okay to talk about,” said Andrea Rohrbaugh. By Zachary Rhine Staff Writer Red Lion welcomes Mr. Andrew Thiry to the social studies department this year. The 2015-2016 school year is not only Mr. Thiry’s first year with Red Lion Senior High School, but also his first year as a full time teaching professional. Mr. Thiry is teaching tenth grade government and an elective for eleventh and twelfth graders; presidential history. “I want to show students other points of view. I want to help them build their identities,” Thiry said, “I want everyone to express their thoughts.” Mr. Thiry graduated from Governor Mifflin and got his degree from Millersville. He comes from a family of teachers, many of whom reside in Twin Valley. Aside from teaching, Mr. Thiry also enjoys sports such as volleyball and soccer. He also enjoys music, especially playing his guitar. Thiry’s goal for this school year is to learn as much from the people around him as they are learning from him. Moving up from the junior high to the senior high this year is Ms. Nicole Park. Now teaching tenth and eleventh grade English classes, Ms. Park will be inspiring students to expand their knowledge on language and literature. This is Park’s twentieth year teaching, and fourteen of those years were spent at the junior high where she was in charge of the Cat’s Paw newsletter, the middle school’s version of the Leonid. Park received her undergrad from Penn State’s main campus. When asked why she teaches, Ms. Park responded with sincerity that she wants students to explore new paths of knowledge. “I want to inspire others to foster a new love of learning,” said Park Her goal for this school year is to find a place at the high school. “This school is just so much bigger than the middle school! Even a walk to the office takes me a good amount of time. It’s exhausting,” joked Park. She went on to explain that the pace is also much faster at the high school. Aside from teaching, Ms. Park also enjoys reading and learning about the human condition. She has one daughter that is currently a Junior at Dallastown. By Shawn Gunarich Staff Writer Ten years of dancing for the students of Red Lion high school, from 2007 till present: Red Lion has been holding an event to help in ending childhood cancer. In the beginning of 2007, a young high school student named Savannah Smith went around, room to room, asking for help in starting an event called “Mini-THON”, a 12-hour long dance-a-thon, birthed from the yearly THON held at Penn State University. Savannah approached physical education teacher Miss Ashleigh Reinert. Miss Reinert willingly helped to the best of her ability, as her time was limited as a coach of multiple sports. One of the events leading to the first mini-THON was to go to Hershey Medical Center to visit the very children they were helping to save. “After I saw the first hand of the first child I knew how important it was,” Miss Reinert said. “In that moment, I knew what we were doing meant something.” It has been ten years since the first mini-THON, and Red Lion’s attendance and money raised only continue to rise, with over 300 students attending and over $53,000 raised during the 2014-2015 school year. The 2015-2016 mini-THON fundraising campaign has already started, and the first big fundraisers are already here. On September 11, mini-THON will be holding a chicken barbeque outside the pool area before the football game. November 5 is also a date to save as Red Lion high school will the host the Harlem Wizards basketball team in a staff vs. Wizards game. All proceeds will go toward Red Lion mini-THON. Red Lion mini-THON has also lost a valued adviser, science teacher Mrs. Misty Wilson, after she took a principal position at Dallastown High School. She has been succeeded by English teacher and mini-THON adviser Mr. Ryan Small, who has been given the title of head adviser. “We are a team and want to give credit where it’s due,” Small said. “While I’m labeled as head adviser, all other advisers put in the same amount as work as I do, this includes Ms. White, Mrs. Capiotis and Mrs. Beland.” Putting on mini-THON is very much a team effort, and requires the cooperation and effort of many students and staff, but the most important thing to remember is FTK. “FTK means hope for those diagnosed.”
-Ryan Small |
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