School Stages Mock Crash As Part of Prom Weekend

Volume 45 Issue 6 Student Newspaper Of Shaler Area High School June 2019 School stages mock crash as part of Prom weekend

Scenes from the mock car crash on May 24 Students in the First proximately 4000 teens are killed every year in the Responder class were U.S. and another hundreds of thousands of teens in- involved with the mock jured in crashes. Perhaps the effect of experiencing car crash. One car had a this traumatic event, although fictitious, will foster drunk driver and his date a better understanding with students as to their need who was pronounced to exercise good judgement,” Spiker said. dead. The other car had The mock car crash is both a teaching and learn- by Brandon Kurzawski two victims that were ing experience for the students involved in the First injured and needed to be extricated from the car. Responder class as well as an opportunity to remind Before prom, many High Schools across the The rest of the class teamed up with Shaler Po- students to make good choices. United States have a tradition of presenting a mock lice, Shaler Hampton EMS, and local fire depart- “We have no idea how many lives we have im- car crash before Prom. On Friday, May 24, Shaler ments to rescue the victims from the car. The Al- pacted and we will never know, but if we have made Area had its 17th annual mock car crash. legheny Health Network Life Flight helicopter also one person think about the choice they have to be- Physical Education and Health teacher Ms. landed during the mock crash. come impaired, in any way, and then get behind a Marci Jackley came up with the idea whenever she Officer Frank Spiker has been involved with the wheel of a car, then we have done our jobs,” Jackley took over the First Responder class at Shaler Area Mock Crash since November 2014. His role in the said. High School. mock crash is to assist the students acting as law Jackley believes students should understand the “I had contacts with Shaler EMS and we just enforcement. Through his years of experience with severity of the potential situation from driving un- started talking and getting it to the point that that the the mock crash, Spiker believes students get a bet- der the influence. EMR class would participate in the Mock crash as ter understand the consequences of driving impaired “I have seen the reactions they have when they victims and as rescuers,” Jackley said. and promote better judgement. see the intensity of the crash; not many people have “We come at it from two angles: one through the “The Mock Crash impacts students by having seen the detail of what goes on after such a tremen- first responders; they need to see what it takes to be them view the incident and observe their fellow dous crash and how many people are involved; prom a first responder, and the other angle is from one of classmates as being involved. Vehicle crashes are night should be fun, not a tragedy,” Jackley said. making good decisions.” the leading cause of death among teens in that ap- Beattie students perform well at FCCLA competition by Eddie Sheets

Every year a group of A.W. Beattie students compete at the Seven Springs Resort through the FCCLA, or the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. There they present, as the name entails, either a proposal for an improvement within the community or an activity demonstrating skill in possible future careers. Junior Shelby Yurek attended as part of a baking challenge. “I’ve been baking with my grandma since I was little” said Yurek, whose grandparents owned a bakery. She has had a growing passion for the art ever since. She even aspires to one day own “a food truck like bakery.” While many people may have a passion in a certain career path, having skill in that particular asset is not necessarily a given. Yurek is not that sort of case. She placed 3rd in the competition, making her a gold medalist. Because of her accomplishment and desire to follow a career in baking, she plans on going One of the buildings in their proposal was Jeffery Primary School. back again next year. A desolate building that takes up space, this or empty, run-down buildings Two other Shaler Area High School students, Emily Morrison and Lexi in Millvale no longer serving any purpose would be the places to institute a Kaltreider, who attend A.W. Beattie, collaborated on a plan for rectifying dying recreational center that would offer a multitude of available activities. buildings and replacing them with a recreational facility status. Their planned There would be sports facilities, a library section, and other additions to presentation to judges at Seven Springs Resort took place between March 20 provide both entertainment and educational opportunities to children and teen- and 22. They both were awarded as gold medalists, receiving third place as a agers in the local area. Morrison and Kaltreider both grew up and live in Mill- pair. vale and saw this project as a means of improving the place. They had been working on the presentation for about three weeks in ad- “Our competition was different from everyone else,” said Kaltreider. vance, and were given approximately two minutes to set up immediately before Kaltreider and Morrison felt that their presentation was unique in the em- their presentation, and then had ten minutes to actually present. bodiment of personal experience in the community aspect of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. Page 2 The Oracle June 2019 OPINIONS Game of Thrones: enjoy the journey not the end by Stephen Adametz out to be the person anticipated, it doesn’t mean the Weiss turned down as “much money they need” to whole show has been all for nothing, and it certainly create the “most amount of episodes” they deem nec- Whether you have never seen an episode or have doesn’t mean the people pouring ten years of their essary. watched every one twice, Game of Thrones is a TV life into the show did so for nothing. Although the season was rushed, and there defi- show that has been a phenomenon most people have Sure, the writing in season 8 was weaker than nitely could have been at least two more episodes, I at the least heard of, especially over the past couple prior seasons, and some of the plotlines weren’t as can’t let it take away from the amazing visual effects, months leading up to the culmination of the series in thrilling as earlier seasons, but keep in mind George cinematography, and overall extraordinary filmmak- a six part final season. R. R. Martin’s books, A Song of Ice and Fire are ing that countless people spent countless hours on. For fans, it’s the end of an era. While some may unfinished and since roughly season 6, Benioff and Even though fans would like to believe they have only recently begun the series, others have been Weiss have been creating their own material. could have written a better final season, (I’ll even ad- following the intricate plot line for years. Of course the show could have been put on hold mit there is some things I would have changed), no When Season Eight premiered on April 14, ex- for Martin to end his books so that they’d have someone could have pulled off what everyone in Game of pectations were high and fans were hanging on to ev- thing directly to go off of, but Martin has been work- Thrones did in not only this season, but every one of ery teaser, trailer, Super Bowl commercial, and Oreo ing on the sixth installment for eight years, and fans its eight seasons. bag. Yet, as every Sunday rolled around, more and would be waiting for many more years if they wanted A story is a story, and like it or not, every story more fans became disappointed and sometimes an- a finale straight from him. has its own intended ending, no matter how bitter- gry with the direction the series was going. Benioff and Weiss said that they have talked to sweet, disappointing, or relieving. Many fans criticized show creators David Be- Martin about the ending of his series, and despite This is the end of Game of Thrones, the end of nioff and D. B. Weiss for poor writing and creating some differences, main events in the ending of Game an era where millions of 21st century people all over events simply for shock value. Some fans even went of Thrones are similar to what will be the end of “A the world tuned into a medieval portrayal of what our as far as creating an online petition asking HBO to Song of Ice and Fire.” world was once like (without the dragons and mag- remake the final season. Why is it that 1.2 million Therefore, I can’t complain that the plot didn’t ic). Our most beloved characters got the endings we people can sign a petition asking to remake a TV go the way I wanted it to and I can’t complain that may not like, but were at least right for them. show instead of signing a petition to make a genuine a character didn’t get the ending I thought it should As the people involved in the show can now change in our world? have had. close a ten-year chapter of their life, and look to- Despite the backlash many are giving to a stray Sure, the writers aren’t as good when they don’t wards other projects to complete in their careers, fans coffee cup and water bottle found on set, or the end- have “A Song of Ice and Fire” to go off of, and sure, enter another chapter of a long night, while we wait games for their favorite characters, I can’t say I can Benioff and Weiss aren’t the genius that is George R. for the next piece of material to come from Weste- complain. R. Martin. But then again, they aren’t the ones that ros, whether it be the already casted prequel series To begin, Game of Thrones is just a TV show. created the world of Westeros. or George R. R. Martin’s “Winds of Winter” and “A Just because someone’s favorite character didn’t turn Fans are also outraged that allegedly Benioff and Dream of Spring.”

Lakers have found way to go from Showtime to Lowtime by Dominic DiTommaso office signed off on him being the hire. too few dollars. It was a complete in- ers from afar. The Lakers seemed to be And what did Williams do? He chose to sult, and something that is beneath Ty- flailing, and they didn’t exactly know “I Dream of Jeannie” was popular go coach the Phoenix Suns, the worst ronn Lue. Lue decided that he didn’t what to do next. And they hired Frank TV show in the late 60s, but the one team in the West, instead of the Lakers. need to be of the Los Angeles Lakers Vogel who, to me, seems like a puppet, Jeanie Los Angeles Lakers fans aren’t So now Los Angeles was down to circus. meaning he’ll go along with whatever dreaming of is Lakers owner Jeanie Plan B, but they don’t like Plan B, who The Lakers needed to get through management says because he’s a nice Buss. was former Cleveland and LeBron Plan B so they could tell LeBron “Well, guy with no charisma. Maybe Rambis I feel sorry for LeBron James. This head coach Tyronn Lue. we tried.” Because in addition to the and Phil Jackson will be able to coach man had no idea what he was getting The Lakers decided not to concede pathetic contract, the Lakers were the Lakers through Frank Vogel. into when he signed with the Lakers, power to LeBron, who they feared trying to force Jason Kidd into Lue’s Then, Jason Kidd was assigned a and now he is stuck in a Hollywood- would have too much influence over coaching staff. They didn’t exactly “prominent coaching role”. I assume sized mess. Lue as head coach. want Jason to lead the team, because he was hired in part to work hand-in- A few weeks back, Magic Johnson They wanted to keep LeBron at an Los Angeles was a little shaky around hand with Lonzo Ball, to turn Lonzo said in a press conference “I’m an- arms’ length, so they decided to give Jason regarding the way he handled a into a killer on the basketball court, nouncing it to you media people, now, LeBron lip service and go through the young team in Milwaukee. like Kidd was back in his playing days. impromptu, I’ve had enough. I can’t motions. The Lakers decided to low- It initially looked like the Lak- It seems that Jason Kidd thinks that deal with this anymore.” ball Lue. The same coach who went ers were starting to angle Kurt Ram- eventually, he will be the head coach, Following the firing of head coach to three straight NBA Finals, won one, bis, who was the hockey goon for the and Frank will be the assistant. Luke Walton, Los Angeles found itself and has one of the best coaches playoff Showtime Lakers in the 80s, to become The Lakers are running on name- out a team legend in Magic, and it was winning percentages in NBA history at the new head coach, but Rambis, de- brand only, because that’s all that they out a head coach. 67 percent. cided to essentially step back and run now have. Los Angeles identified Monty Wil- The Lakers decided to use and the Lakers as the CEO, and Frank Vo- Perhaps the Los Angeles Lakers liams as its number one head coaching abuse Tyronn by stringing him along, gel was announced as the man to lead should change their name from “Show- candidate. They loaded up the private because in the end, there would be no the Los Angeles Lakers into the future. time” to “Lowtime”, because the city jet to Philadelphia to check out Monty way he accepted their sorry offer. Los Vogel is very close to Phil Jackson, of Los Angeles, and their beloved Lak- Williams. It appears the Lakers front Angeles gave him too few years, and so maybe Phil is overseeing the Lak- ers, have reached an all-time low.

The Oracle

Staff: ...... Stephen Adametz, Brett Briselli, James Engel, Julia Falgione, Brandon Kurzawski, Eddie Sheets

Faculty Advisor: ...... Mr. Eric Schott

The Oracle is the official student newspaper of Shaler Area High School. Although it is published by the journalism classes, one does not have to be enrolled in a class to contribute. Follow us on Twitter Opinions expressed in The Oracle are those of the individual writers. Letters to the Editor are encouraged and welcome. Any letter intended for publication must be signed, but names will be withheld upon request. Articles and letters may be mailed to the high school (ATTN: The @ShalerOracle Oracle) or emailed to [email protected].

The Oracle reserves the right to condense or omit any letters or articles unfit for publication. June 2019 The Oracle Page 3 SA Middle School paper interviews Jeopardy! champion Jeopardy champion Holzhauer fulfilling a life-long promise to granny By Emma Lombardozzi A promise to his grandmother is what motivated James Holzhauer to become a “Jeop- ardy!” champion. After twenty consecutive wins, Holzhauer is on his way to becoming a household name. “I had wanted to be on the show since childhood, when I watched with my beloved Granny,” he said. “I promised her I would be on the show one day, so I always felt I owed it to her.” The 34-year old professional sports gambler from Illinois has recently turned down many professional publications, but he agreed to answer questions through email for a SAMS Salmon exclusive. “I support student journalism,” he wrote, an evening before viewers watched him stretch his show winnings to more than $1.5 million. Even though he made the promise as a child, it took years for Holzhauer’s vow to become a reality. He took the online “Jeopardy!” test every year since 2006, when it was first offered. “I started seriously trying to get on the show in 2012,” he wrote. Holzhauer’s streak has been bad news for the other “Jeopardy!” contestants. In fact, Jeopardy! sensation James Holzhauer most of the games he has won haven’t even been close. On April 17, Holzhauer answered every question he buzzed in for correctly, 41 in total. by James Engel So how does he know so much information about so many categories? He reads children’s books. The SAMS Salmon, the official newspaper of the Shaler Area “I dedicated myself to learning at least the basics of every subject I could imagine Middle School, recently came into contact with Jeopardy star James popping up on the show,” he wrote. “For me, that meant reading a lot of children’s books, Holzhauer whose winnings so far amount to over $2 million. since they are specifically designed to get the reader interested in a new subject.” “James responded within a couple of hours. He said would be Holzhauer’s strategy to the game has been to open big leads by answering the more happy to support student journalism. He also said he turned down expensive questions first. He jumps around the board and bets a lot when he finds the a number of national publications but would speak to us,” Salmon “Daily Double.” But not every category has been easy for him. Sponsor Mr. Brian Duermeyer said. “There was a Monty Python Phrases category one day that was almost completely Emma Lombardozzi, one of the Salmon’s seventh grade writers, foreign to me,” he wrote. put some questions together for Mr. Holzhauer and sent them back. “Jeopardy!” games are taped in advance, so viewers have no way of knowing how “Emma was very interested in the story, so she wrote all the many games Holzhauer won or if he is still playing. If he were to make his own clues questions for the interview. She focused on how James became so one day, he said they would be challenging and stay true to the show’s quizzical wording. knowledgeable and what the Jeopardy experience was like to him. “There’s a fine art to writing Jeopardy clues; most include some clever wordplay She is a hardworking and intelligent kid who is also very inquisitive. that hints at the right response,” Holzhauer said. “I’m not sure I would be good at that. I knew she would do an awesome job,” Duermeyer said. But I’d probably write about some topic that doesn’t pop up on Jeopardy much, like pro Lombardozzi said she enjoyed writing the article, and for the wrestling,” he wrote. Salmon in general as she got to show off her creativity. Holzhauer, who lives in Las Vegas with his daughter and wife Melissa, had some “I didn’t always enjoy writing, but when I got to be more cre- advice for young people. ative, I started to love it and that led me to join Newspaper. Other “I was an undisciplined student, but I set a goal for Jeopardy and really focused on than writing for the newspaper I act in the school musicals and plays. achieving it. No one has ever played Jeopardy like I do, but I didn’t let that stop me from ELA has always been my favorite subject at school. I hope to con- approaching the game the way I thought I should.” tinue writing in the newspaper because I really enjoy that you can As for what surprised him about his experience on Jeopardy, Holzhauer revealed express how you feel on a subject,” Lombardozzi said. something about the show’s long-time host, Alex Trebek. “I learned that Alex Trebek has The Salmon’s article was picked up by many larger outlets a potty mouth once the cameras aren’t recording,” he wrote. throughout the country, especially the part of the article mentioning Jeopardy host Alex Trebek’s ‘potty mouth’. it became on a national stage. “None of us thought that answer would turn into a story that national outlets “Emma, the staff, and I were really excited. The way the story went viral be- picked up, but Fox News, People Magazine, Apple News, and Page Six all did came a teachable moment for all my students. For starters, you never know what stories on that comment,” Duermeyer said. you are capable of until you try. Also, the way the national media took Emma’s The SAMS Salmon are very happy with the articles reception and how large story is proof that it indeed does control the national narrative,” Duermeyer said. Pitt researchers share facts, thoughts on teenagers and sleep by James Engel is not the only organ responsible for sleep control. the other hand, throw off our schedules as we sleep “What we know now is that there are clocks all in and stay up late causing jetlag-like symptoms the High School students are often preached at by over the body in all of the different organs and tis- next day. parents and teachers that they need enough sleep. But sues, and so it’s really like this orchestra of clocks There are several things students can do for read- what is enough sleep? When should we sleep? And where the central clock in the brain is the conductor, justing these internal clocks to improve overall well what are healthy sleeping habits? but all of these clocks need to be on time for things to being. Researchers discussed eating at the correct Luckily, the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for be functioning correctly,” Hasler said. time, use of natural sleep aides like Melatonin, cooler Sleep and Circadian Science gave the Oracle an idea This may not be entirely within the control of room temperatures, and decreased phone and social of just how teenagers should be sleeping. high school students. The team went on to elaborate media use prior to sleep. A group of the University’s researchers came to that once a child hits puberty their body’s circadian These are some of the preliminary ideas the team Shaler Area in an effort to teach teenagers about the clocks shift much later into the night. has studied, but they are still trying to compile a solid importance of sleep. “The problem is that adolescents are suffering list for better sleep conditions and mental readjust- “Eight to ten hours. That’s the consensus, teens from Circadian misalignment, meaning that it is mis- ment. need at least eight hours of sleep, but that’s the lower matched between what your internal clock wants you As we all know, light is also a very important end. There’s actually many studies that show teens to do and what you’re actually doing,” Hasler said. aspect of the sleep process. Too much light can make need more like 9 hours to get sufficient sleep,” said The team calls this internal disorientation “social sleep much more difficult, but as the researchers Dr. Brant Hasler, leader of the Pitt research team. jetlag”, and it has been one of the main focuses of pointed out, the color of the light actually plays a But as many high school students known, eight their recent studies. large role in sleep as well. hours of sleep, let alone ten, is wishful thinking, and “We know that [lack of sleep and social jetlag] Blue light, the light produced by many smart- there are numbers to prove it. According to the group, are related to mood, attention, risk taking, drug and phones, is known to keep people awake, that is why two thirds of students are getting less than 8 hours of alcohol abuse, obesity, etc,” Hasler said. “night mode”, which makes the screen a warmer or- sleep each night. Social jetlag is perpetuated by the schedules we ange hue, has become such a popular trend. This all has to do with timing. Sleep in the body is must follow. On weekdays students and most people “We know that its challenging to sleep given that controlled by the circadian rhythm, the body’s inter- wake up much earlier than they should and get to bed you’re teens and your timing is later and you’ve got nal clock, but new studies have shown that the brain much too late just to do it again. The weekends, on all these pressures,” Hasler said. Page 4 The Oracle June 2019

Jackleyby Brandon shifted Kurzawski fromshe was substitute a teachingcareer in the in PT to one in PE South Hills of Pittsburgh and spent Many teachers only have few roles within their a year Slippery Rock Middle School school, however, Ms. Marci Jackley has multiple before coming to Shaler Area. roles in Shaler Area High School providing a dynam- Teaching can be challenging at ic learning environment to her students. times, but for Jackley, the best part Jackley was a graduate of Mt. Lebanon High of being a teacher is seeing students School. After high school, Jackley attended Bethany understand. College in West Virginia. Originally, Jackley want- “When the kid ‘gets’ it, you can ed to be a physical therapist, but her plans ended up see when the light bulb goes on,” changing in college. Jackley said. “I really thought I wanted to get into Physical Throughout her many years Therapy because I spent some time in high school of teaching PE, Jackley has expe- having to do physical therapy because of sports inju- rienced many crazy things with ries. Once I found out that Bethany didn’t have a PT students, but there is one thing she program, I had to reconsider,” Jackley said. won’t forget. It wasn’t until her sophomore year of college that “I was pitching a softball for a she figured out what she wanted to major in. PE class and a Senior hit this ball— “Well, [teaching] was the next best choice. I it flew past my face so close and so didn’t declare a major in college early on, because fast, I saw my life flash—I think I really didn’t exactly know what I wanted to do. I to this day, if that ball would have thought PT was it for a while. It was only as a soph- hit….. needless to say, I do not pitch omore that I decided I should teach because I was any longer,” Jackley said. always at the fieldhouse for sports and the Physical Outside of her school life, Jack- Education students had lots of their classes there,” ley enjoys spending time with her Jackley said. horses at her family farm. She also Ms. Marci Jackley Throughout Jackley’s life, she has always been enjoys snow and water skiing. She things. She was retiring and so I thought I may want athletic. Teaching health and Physical Education was also likes to spend time with her husband and family. to take that class over. I went to get my EMT and ideal for her since she was always on the move. “I love hanging out with my husband; he is pretty learned all I could in order to teach that class,” Jack- “I have always been an athlete or involved in ath- great. I also love spending time with my horses at ley said. letics at some level. Health was a bonus because in the family farm. It is so nice to unplug on a weekly Before Jackley had arrived at the High School, the state of PA, you get certified in Health and PE basis and spend time with the important people in a mock car crash did not exist for the senior class. in order to teach. I had to actually go back for more your life,” Jackley said. However, Jackley came up with the idea to make stu- classes at Pitt after college because I wanted to teach Jackley also teaches the First Responder class dents more aware of their judgement. in the state of PA. West Virginia did not require the and organizes the blood drives during the school year. “We have no idea how many lives we have im- Health credits that PA did back then,” Jackley said. “Years ago, another Health and PE teacher taught pacted, but if we have made one person think about Jackley has been a teacher at Shaler Area High the First Responders. I had some interest in the med- the choice they have to become impaired, in any way, School for 21 years and has been teaching for 23 ical field as well, just from being around the cuts and and then get behind a wheel of a car, then we have years total. In the first two years of her career year, scrapes, strains and sprains in the athletic realm of done our jobs,” Jackley said.

Student-runby Stephen Adametz “Theater in Ten” continuespeople’s plays. to evolve “Time management was very dif- Years ago, the student run play was ficult,” junior Michaela Brining, who a typical play that was written and re- aside from directing “Behold Your hearsed by students over a couple of Future,” was a reporter in Stephen weeks. For the past three years, the Adametz’s “The President Daughter” SAHS theater department has produced said. Theater in Ten. The name comes from “Not only was I in other shows, all getting ten hours to work on the event, my actors were in other shows as well. as well as the fact that each play should We had to work around everyone’s be kept around roughly ten minutes. schedule and we all had to work as a The plays are kept to one act, and team,” Brining explained. may sometimes even be one scene. The entire festival was a group ef- Likewise, they are still full stories de- rected a play called “Murder in 10” said. fort, and despite there being eight dif- spite being much shorter than some typical play audi- After the directors found roles for the actors ferent plays, actors and directors were involved in ence members may come to see. (mostly two or three), each director posted their cast quite a few of them. This year’s show, called Theater in Ten 3.0, saw list along with the script. After ten hours of rehearsal time, fitting to the eight student- written, directed, and acted plays take When the actors arrived at 9 am the next morn- name Theater in Ten, the shows began at 7:00 and the stage on May 4. Directors/writers ranged in age ing, everyone got to work. Each play had two thirty- lasted until around 8:30, opening with Alaina Dono- from sophomores to seniors. Audience members who minute periods on stage to work with a set, lighting, van’s “The Firebird” and closing with Sonny DeMa- came out to see the show for $5 a ticket saw an array etc. but also was assigned a private space where ac- si’s “Hiding in Plain Sight.” of shows, ranging from dramas to comedies. tors and actresses could focus on rehearsing when Each play, which was roughly ten minutes, was Senior Joey Franz set up student run along with they didn’t have the auditorium. largely a success and there were no major mishaps. junior Madeline Bartosh. Franz wrote and directed One thing that was kind of tricky was how ac- Senior Alyssa Krause said it was incredibly en- “Dramatic Readings Part Two: Return of the Read- tors were in multiple plays so they had to find ways joyable to watch something come out of nothing in ings” and Bartosh wrote and directed “You Are Not to split their time. The general rule of thumb was if just ten hours. Alone.” Both Bartosh and Franz returned as veteran your play was practicing on stage, everyone needed “After 3 years of musical, I finally got a mic, directors from last year’s play festival. to be out there. making this one of my favorite experiences on the Franz said the numbers for people who signed Junior Alex Almonte, took on two large roles in stage,” Krause said. up were down from last year, but there was a lot of Michaela Brining’s “Behold Your Future” and Eli- “It was rewarding. I felt like a proud mother after Freshmen who got involved, which is a positive sign. sa Gabriel’s “Chicago’s Most Haunted” and had to sending my child to college and seeing them grow After the directors saw nearly 30 auditions, they spend much of the day focusing and remembering all up,” Brining said. met and they chose who got put in which play. It of his lines. For many the attraction student-run is knowing it was challenging for the directors to cast the smaller “Practicing two different plays at the same time is all student based. than anticipated amount of people into the amount was really difficult because you can often confuse the “My favorite part of student-run is bringing to of roles. two, but eventually after practicing it over and over life the amazing, unique shows my peers have writ- “Casting everyone was a difficult process mak- and over, you’re able to separate the two different ten, and doing it in the ten-hour deadline just makes ing sure no one was overworked and each in a part characters,” Almonte said. it five thousand times more outstanding,” Almonte that fit their strengths,” junior Fiona Loudon, who di- Even the directors had roles they filled in other said. June 2019 The Oracle Page 5 Oracle out to eat: Banh Mi & Ti and V3 Flatbread Pizza by James Engel, Stephen Adametz and Eddie Sheets

In this food review, members of The Oracle staff ventured to two restaurants on Butler Street between 45th and 46th streets in Lawrenceville, right next to each other. The first was Banh Mi & Ti, and the other V3 Flatbread Pizza. Banh Mi & Ti A small, snug Vietnamese eatery that offers sandwiches called Banh Mi, hence the name of the restaurant, rice bowls, and the unique beverage known as Bubble Tea. The basis for a banh mi sandwich is a sliced open French baguette with a meat of some sort and an as- sortment of fresh cilantro, seeded jalapenos, pickled carrots, and fresh cucumber, along with mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce. Rice bowls would simply be everything on top of to give a fresh and minty alteration, something that is Ti, V3 Flatbread Pizza lets you create your own pizza a pile of white rice. Bubble tea (small or large sizes added to all the bubble teas. or try one of their preset combinations. available) is a bizarre concoction of cold tea- custom- Those new to bubble tea must beware that the With a standard sized pizza around $8, two peo- ers can choose from green tea, black tea, oolong tea, jellies or tapioca in the bubble tea could pose as a ple can share or even eat one by them self. Regard- or a decaf herbal tea called pea flower. potential choking hazard for young children and the less, it is a cheaper option in Lawrenceville. Central- Next customers choose whether they want a elderly- approach with some caution. ly located on Butler Street, grab some ice cream after fruity or milky variation, and the flavor of their Pea flower bubble tea of passion fruit flavor at NatURoll Creamery, or play pinball at Kickback a tea. The final step is what type of tapioca pearls or with mango jelly (large, fruity version) block down the street. jelly they want added. Mango jellies, which usually come in the shape James -- I had a standard pepperoni and sausage Eddie -- Drunken Beef Banh Mi sandwich of stars, go very well with other tropical fruit flavors, flatbread pizza from V3. It is by far my favorite menu My favorite of the sandwiches, and one of the like passion fruit, mango itself, and lychee. item from the restaurant. The pepperoni is cooked to easiest on my western taste buds, the beef is perfectly Also, the pea flower tea is less pungent for first a crisp, the sausage has a savory meat flavor and the cooked and the vegetables are always fresh tasting, goers at bubble tea who may be overwhelmed by the cheese is excellent. I got the normal red pizza sauce, even when pickled. In Vietnamese cooking a great abundance of different flavors. and I don’t regret it. Although it was a very standard emphasis is drawn on fresh herbs, which are to some James -- I gave the Strawberry Bubble Tea pizza, it is one of the best I’ve ever had. I can not extent eaten in quantities similar to salad greens. with Strawberry Boba a try. It was a delicious blend recommend V3 enough. The cilantro is piled on in these sandwiches, and of smooth strawberry black tea and a bottom filled Stephen -- At V3, I created my own pizza, which for people not used to this style of food preparation, with textureless strawberry flavored Boba bubbles. was marinara sauce with cheddar cheese and green it can seem jarring. However, the result is a clean, These are bitten into and chewed to release a very peppers. Despite my plethora of options, I kept it grassy taste. After all, some people complain of ci- sweet flavor, and even if the taste is not enjoyed, the pretty standard. lantro tasting like soap. straw size is perfect to make these Boba projectiles, However, I encourage anyone who isn’t afraid to Bo Kho Banh Mi to shoot at whomever you please. try new things on their pizza to go here. They had all Not actually a sandwich, but instead a stew I tried the Mango Bubble Tea with Mango Jel- kinds of sauces, from marinara to buffalo sauce, and featuring beef chunks, cilantro, carrot, jalapenos, ly. This bubble tea, although not quite up to par with a variety of dressings, including ranch. and Sriracha sauce, served with a slice of baguette its strawberry counterpart, was a delicious, albeit Despite a single standard flatbread crust, which bread. Not too different from a regular beef stew, the slightly bitter drink. The tea itself is not very sweet, functions as their signature staple, the variety of top- Sriracha sauce will give a little bit of spice, and there which can account for its somewhat bitter flavor of pings, ranging from almost any vegetable, to pep- a lot of large chunks of carrot for people who are not tea leaves. The jelly at the bottom of the cup is the peroni, to even pickled eggs, offers options bound to fans of cooked carrot. real “star” of the show, and quite literally as they are please anyone who tries it. The beef is often fatty, a common component shaped like stars. They are smooth mango flavored Although similar in style to Blaze Pizza in North- in Vietnamese soups and stews- many include fatty gelatin that sit firmly near the bottom half of the con- way Mall, I found the quality to be much higher while meats to give flavor. tainer, and if given the chance, make this drink truly the price was not. Green Bubble Tea of lemon and kumquat fla- great. If I’m looking for fast food pizza in the future, vor with passion fruit jelly (large, fruity version) V3 Flatbread Pizza I will definitely be willing to take the bridge over to Tangy from the lemon and orange-esque twist, A fast food style restaurant next to Bahn Mi and Lawrenceville rather than the fifteen minute car ride spearmint and an apple slice are added to the drink to Northway Mall.

SA shows by James Engel off swayat the lightsTalent of their phones Show, back through the decades.Mr. Shaler GastonArea himself, Dancontest Horgan and forth until the entire auditorium Mr. Shaler Area was one of the “I was in shock, I was thrilled, it Each year Shaler Area High was lit with glee. Voices of students and most competitive in years, and tied in felt really good, I was happy to receive School’s talent show offers students a parents alike could be heard singing, comedy and entertainment. it,” Horgan said. place to show off their skills, as well as “I wish that I knew what I know now Emily Ehrenberger became the That night, Dan showed many of a place for any Senior to compete for when I was younger.” first female student to go after the title his different talents, most impressively the title of Mr. Shaler Area. This year’s “I remember stepping away from offering an exhilarating performance he played the Imperial March from show gave audiences a true idea of the the mic, and hearing the song sung of ‘Tequila’ by The Champs. Star Wars on the Accordion, Tuba, talent roaming around these halls. to me. I›ve never seen that at a talent The Mr. Shaler Area title is judged Trombone, Trumpet, Euphonium, and Many of the acts were returning to show,” Lang said. on many categories, one of which is the Jaw Harp. the stage from previous years, and in Although Lang’s performance may the amount of donations a contestant “The talent portion was my favor- the case of senior Sean Lang, the show have been mesmerizing, he was not the receives. ite. I got a lot of good feedback. It was offered one final hurrah. only one featured. Ethan Chirdon received the most just a lot of fun,” Horgan said. “The talent show is the one time a Singers like Bella James, Maddie donations and chose to donate the Both Chirdon and Horgan encour- year where I get to show people what Bartosh, Maddie Martin, Maddie funds to Shaler Area’s Backpack ini- age any prospective Mr. Shaler Areas I›m truly about,” Lang said. Jones, Zoe Babbit, Josh McCaffery, tiative, which helps feed lower income to participate in the contest. Lang played the 1973 hit ‘Ooh La and Rachael Zacharias and the Peace families throughout the school district. “If I could encourage anyone to La’ by Faces to an excited crowd. Friends filled the room with songs “The school has helped me get to participate in talent show, or at least “I wanted to do a song that would from all across the musical spectrum. where I am now, and the money will go try out, or be involved in some way, I have a strong meaning, and make the Performances from Stephanie straight back into the district. Everyone highly recommend it,” Horgan said. people feel,” Lang said. Andres, Fiona Loudon, Flannery deserves that chance,” Chirdon said. “You never know what you can do And the crowd most certainly felt London showed their dancing ability, After all was said and done, Activi- on stage when you’re offstage… so go it. Upon hearing the song’s chorus, while all three performed with the SA ties Director Mrs. Thiel announced that out, challenge yourself, try everything many began to clap and sing along and Dance Team while they took the theater the title of Mr. Shaler Area was won by you can,” Chirdon said. Page 6 The Oracle June 2019

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CLASSES BEGIN MAY 27 ! June 2019 The Oracle Page 7 Titans win first WPIAL championship in 20 years

by Brett Briselli throughout this season.” and striking out five. Obviously one of the highlights of the season Against Gateway, Justin DeSabato scored on a The Shaler Area boys varsity baseball team went was qualifying for the playoffs, especially after not wild pitch in the top of the seventh inning to secure a into this season hoping to make it to the playoffs. making the playoffs last year. 2-1 victory in the WPIAL quarterfinals. Boyan threw They started off the season 2-2 with the two wins be- “It’s a goal that we have every year and we a six-hitter with three strikeouts. ing blowout wins and the two losses being decided achieved that goal,” Yeckel said. In the semifinals vs Mars, Nick Rispoli pitched a by one run. The team would end up going on a four- This was the first year the Titans played in 5A complete game with eight strikeouts and had a dou- game win streak with all four of the wins also being and not 6A, but according to Yeckel there wasn’t a ble and a run scored to lead the way in an 8-2 win. decided by one run. huge difference. Harger went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI. After some postponed games, the Titans went “I don’t think it’s that different because we were The Titans defeated Laurel Highlands 8-1 to 2-2 in the next four games and ended up qualifying used to playing a really tough section,” Yeckel said. claim their first WPIAL title since 1999-. Harger was for the WPIAL playoffs. “Even though we dropped down we were still play- 4 for 4 with two runs scored and three RBIs to lead Shaler finished the season with an 11-7 record ing a really good competition.” the Titans, who scored three runs in the fifth inning overall and a 6-4 record in the conference. Assistant Shaler went on to beat Trinity and Gateway in and four more in the sixth to break a 1-1 tie. Coach Ben Yeckel said that he had a few standout the 1st two rounds of the playoffs with both of the Boyan started the game on the mound, but players this season. games decided by one run. Rispoli was dominant in relief. He retired the first 11 “We’ve had three standout pitchers this sea- Shaler beat Trinity 3-2 on a walk off single by Mustangs he faced and only allowed one walk in 4 son,” Yeckel said. “Offensively Colin Harger and Hunter Boyan in the 9th inning. Boyan also pitched 1/3 innings to earn the win. He struck out eight of the Hunter Boyan have been our most consistent players a complete game only giving up two runs on six hits 13 batters he faced.

Volleyball teamby Julia Falgione wins way into PIAA after WPIAL loss

This year the Shaler Area Boys Volleyball team has been performing amaz- ingly well. Their overall record for their section was 12-2 with their only losses being to North Allegheny, who went on the win the WPIAL champtionship. Billy Dadowski led the team for kills in the regular season with 323, Trapper Crain followed with 221 and John Kenst with 214. Steven Hoffman led the team for blocks with 84 and Billy Dadowski followed with 26. Grant Newland led the team in digs with 283 and Trapper Crain following with 227. John Kenst had the most assists with 570 and Thomas Borgen with 478. Their season started off with a tournament at Cambridge Springs where they went, in sets, 12-1. In the championship, they beat Meadville 25-17. This year the boys have won two out of the three tournaments they competed in. During the off season, most of the boys participate in club volleyball to stay in tune with their skills and continue to build upon their skills. “I think the boys have committed themselves to make their season a year round endeavor,” Stadelman said. “Their athleticism and ability to play has improved immensely with their conditioning and strength training.” The entirety of the varsity starting lineup consists of all juniors who have been playing together since at least 8th grade, resulting in the boys having a good sense of the others abilities. “Watching our team’s chemistry is pretty awesome,” Stadelman said. The boys secured their spot in playoffs early on in the season. During their second game against NA it was an extremely close and intense game. NA won the first set, Shaler won the second, NA won the third, Shaler won the fourth and the final set finished with a score of 17-15, NA. “I thought we played well and so did they. I think we just need to get experience in games like those and learn how to finish and come out on top,” Stadel- man said. “I think we learned that we are a very good team and can contend with John Kenst goes for a kill vs Latrobe. anyone we see on the court.” think it shows a lot about their character and that is hard to train and coach into With the loss from NA, the boys got second in their section and went on to someone. They just have it,” Stadelman said. playoffs. For the quarter finals, they played Hempfield and won 3-0. In the semi- After the loss to Bethel Park, the team played in the third place match to finals, the boys played Bethel park and went to game five but sadly fell short with qualify for states. The Titans posted a 3-0 win over Latrobe to secure a spot in a final score of 15-11. the PIAA tournament making this the first time the a Shaler Area Boys Volleyball “They fought hard the entire match. Even though they fell a little short I team has qualified for the state playoffs. Page 8 The Oracle June 2019 New turf at Biles Field just one of Oracle writers win several awards many capital improvement projects by Julia Falgione

Staff members of The Oracle entered the 13th annual NWPA High School Journalism Day competition hosted by Edinboro University, where they competed against several hundred entries from around the state. “It is a community outreach effort that rein- forces the importance of communication, journalism and media and supports the efforts of high school students who are already engaging in journalistic activities,” Dr. Ronald Raymond, Journalism Program Coordinator at Edinboro University, said. Senior Brandon Kurzawski won first place in Print Feature Stories for a feature story about Shaler Area graduate and current KDKA-TV personality Heather Abraham. Kurzawski won by Stephen Adametz ate some of the crowding at Titan “That includes some other $100 for the story. Stadium,” Aiken said. projects such as the roof at the el- He also received an Award of Excellence It was only two years ago when Aside from Shaler Area sports ementary school, the cooling tower from Robert Morris University for the same sto- Biles Field was the home of the teams, many physical education at the high school, and air condi- ry at the Digital Media Arts Consortium Spring Shaler Area Football while Titan classes also utilize the turf field, as tioning in Gym A and Gym B at the Student Festival. Stadium on Mount Royal Boule- well as the cement track around it, high school,” Aiken said. “I was surprised both times I received rec- vard was being renovated. which will not be redone. With that said, it’s safe to say ognition for the story and did not expect for it to Now it’s Biles’ turn for a face- Shaler Area School District we will see some more renovations be so well received,” Kurzawski said. lift. Starting with the conclusion Athletic Director Clint Rauscher over the next couple years. Aiken Senior Eddie Sheets won third place in Print of the spring sports season, the old said different community groups also explained how many of the News Stories for an article written about The turf will be torn up and contractors will be able to use the field as well, things to be fixed are more behind LIGHT Center in our own school. Sheets re- will begin laying a new one. such as the Shaler Cubs. the scenes. ceived $25 for his efforts on the story. Biles Field is mainly home The renovation will begin in No one will see the new roof Junior James Engel, won second place for to Shaler Area lacrosse and soc- the summer and will take between at the elementary school, but it is Print Opinion Piece for his editorial arguing that cer, and it will continue to be used four and six weeks, depending on if crucial it is replaced as the roof is the United States needs more than two political predominantly for those teams. there are issues with the subsurface, very old and has been patched over parties. Engel received $50 as a reward for his However, Superintendent Sean Ai- which was an issue during the con- many times and with new additions editorial. ken said the field will be lined for struction of Titan Stadium. New in- to the school. “I was glad to see our kids get acknowl- soccer, lacrosse, and football, in fill will be put in and the subsurface There has also been many con- edged for some of the good work they produced case Titan Stadium is ever double will be inspected Rauscher said . It cerns over the need for some up- this year,” Mr. Eric Schott, Oracle advisor, said. booked. is hoped that the field will be com- dates made to the auditorium. So, before you start working on folding The “The field will be lined for la- pleted by the end of July. “We are looking to change the Oracle into a paper hat, read some of the stories, crosse, soccer, and football. We an- Remodeling Biles Field is part curtains on stage and some stage you might just be reading an award-winner! ticipate that more teams will want of the school district’s capital im- lights were changed within the last Crazy. to play at Biles, and this will allevi- provement project. few years,” Aiken said.

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