Volume 26 December 21, 2016 Issue 2 BELLE VERNON AREA HIGH SCHOOL’S PREMIERE SOURCE OF NEWS Say “Sayonara!” to the beloved Willow Room By Jackie Wilson Design Editor @_jackiewilson_ While the girls are getting their beautiful dresses and jewelry and the guys are getting their snazzy suits, the Mon Valley as a whole is trying to figure out where dances, banquets, and special events will be held after the new year. The Willow Room, currently on the top floor of the Mon Valley hospital building in Rostraver, is closing as soon as 2017 arrives. The Willow Room announced in August that it will be closing, and all the events in 2017 will be canceled. This has lead clients to frantically reschedule events such as wedding receptions, dances, and banquets. “The Willow Room closing is a not only a loss for BVA, but the whole community. I know many other schools in the area that hold their events at the Willow Room as well. We have used the facility not only for dances but also sports banquets, fundraisers, and the scholars dinner,” said BVA social studies teacher and student council advisor Christin Maatta. This has directly affected BVA in regards to dances. Belle Vernon Area junior Ashley Eley said, “I think everyone’s going to be upset about not being able to have the dance at the Willow Room. It’s been there for a couple years and it will just feel weird not being there.” Not only will this affect the Christmas dance, but it will affect all of the Belle Vernon sports banquets and the scholars dinner that is held at the end of the year for the seniors in the top 10 percent of the class. When BVA senior Joel Engstrom was asked if he thought the location of BVA banquets would change the turnout of the banquets, he didn’t think so. “ No, I think that it’s a fun event and that most people won’t care about the lo- The inside of the Willow Room, ready for another banquet to begin. Photo credit to the Willow Room. cation as much, even though the Willow Room events like dances because students might not was such a nice venue.” be able to get rides,” Maatta continued saying, Eley agreed in regards to the dances. “I don’t “Another concern is students with junior licenc- think it will affect the turnout of the dance. Peo- es and making sure that they can get home on ple will go no matter where it is.” time.” Maatta said that driving situation could Since the students agree that the turnout of alter the end time of the dances. such events won’t likely be affected, the next Because of all these factors, Maatta and the hurdle to jump over is deciding where these stu-dent council are looking into new options events are going to be held. The banquets are for next year. going to be the easier hurdle compared to the “Next year we are looking at several differ- dances. “Our main concern is how far is too ent venues for dances like The Ramada Inn in far to drive, especially for underclassmen who Greensburg and Bella Sera in Canonsburg for a have to get rides to and from dances,” said semi formal homecoming dance. I am not sure Maatta. how the student body would feel about having Last year on the night of the Christmas the Christmas dance at the high school again.” dance, all of the students and the staff Although no matter the venue, locations, were snowed into the Willow Room. Luckily or time the girls and guys will still get dressed all of the students lived relatively close and up and make amazing memories that they will could get home safely. This would not be the cherish for the rest of their lives. case if the dance was held at a venue farther away. “I do think that if we have events outside of Belle Vernon that it would affect attendance at Photo credit to the Willow Room. IN THIS ISSUE: Find Buddy the Elf “Bell Ringing” on Check out the Election See Sia on page 10 on each page of page 5 on pages 6 and 7 this issue 2 The Leopard Tales Features Art in different forms Music in everyday lives By Grace LaCarte @singergal417 In modern society, music is all around. Whether it be pop, rock, alternative, jazz, or an- ything in between, there are numerous genres of music with which people can connect. As a result of music’s wide reach, music has shaped “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo DaVinci and “Marilyn Monroe” by Andy Warhol courtesy of Google Images the lives of a substantial amount of people. Belle Vernon High School teacher and By Miranda Kishel such as the Mona Lisa to the pop-art of Andy “People can be inspired and be creative band director Mark Surovchak said, “Music is @MirandaKishel Warhol. from art, but it also takes a creative person to music, and the effects that it has on humans is “I think it’s changing. It’s always chang- make the art,” Symons said. incredible.” ing,” BVA French teacher Susanna Babko said. Lipinski saw something differently. “I As Ralph Waldo Emerson has said, Surovchak continued on to describe the As the world changes and views on the feel it makes a creative person because it’s “Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty connec- tion that world change, art changes with technology and found everywhere. It’s in the eye of the behold- is art.” Art is everlasting and ever-changing as people can have people. With that, the expression of art is chang- er,” the music enthusiast said. the world evolves and changes. with music. ing. While art is seen beautiful to one person, Whenever and wherever art is seen, “When you can “More people have access to creative ex- to another the same piece of art can be seen as everyone sees the works differently. The ability lock yourself in emotionally to a piece of music pression in different ways,” Babko explained as ordinary and insignificant to the eye. that art has to make someone feel, or not feel, or song, the euphoria that one can experience is she thought about the difference of art through- “You get something different out of it. something is due to the difference of opinions incredible.” out the years. Everyone appreciates it,” Babko said, believing on art in general. However, he believes that one should not According to Google, art is the expres- that art helps people relieve stress and express “You get out different viewpoints from confine himself or herself to one genre of mu- sion of the human creative imagination and skill themselves in a creative way. different people see how they see the world,” sic, especially since music has been his “con- through various types of branches, such as liter- Art museums in the area include the BVA junior Shania Lipinski said. stant love since childhood.” ature, music, painting, and sculpture. Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Car- Because of the different ways to express Different generations have also been af- Given this information, Lipinski said, negie Museum of Art, and Mattress Factory oneself, art brings in different opinions into the fected by the moving ways of music. Belle Ver- “Music is universal, and it makes the world go Museum. While Westmoreland and Carnegie world. While some people have a favorite type non sophomore Corinne Manderino recounted round, so I like music.” are museums with the traditional types of art, of art, such as BVA junior Jessie Symons, who her experience with music shaping her life. While Lipinski was for music, Babko was Mattress Factory is a contemporary museum said, “I like literature because I like to read,” “When I was extremely young, I would for dancing. “I was always a dancer growing up, that includes life-like figures. others have a different favorite, such as music make up little gibberish songs and then grad- and I taught dancing, so that’s particularly close Art museums are a collection of expres- or painting. uated to giving my family little concerts after to my heart,” she said. sions of the human creativity through the vari- Art evolves as the world continues to that. It’s inspired my love of theatre,” said Man- A creative person is directly connected to ous branches of it. With the small fees of tour- grow older. From the times of Leonardo da Vin- derino. art in some way, but it is wondered if art makes ing the buildings, one can find their niche in the ci to now, art had different aspects and ideas, Music is also universally a creative person or if it needs one. expression of art. uniting. Belle Ver- non jun- ior Sarah Palli certainly Light up the night in downtown Pittsburgh be- lieves as such. “It is some- thing every- one can relate to. Not everyone likes history, math, sports, or whatever else, but everyone likes some time of mu- sic,” said Palli. Palli also admires how music can be up- lifting and cheer people up. “The feeling when the crowd has all eyes on you, and you know you can make someone laugh or be happy, especially if they are having a bad day, is the greatest feeling in the world,” said Palli, who plans on pursuing a career in music due to her passion for it. Naturally, she has witnessed the direct effects of music on people’s lives.