VOLUME
1,
ISSUE
2
PAGE
12
THE HIGHLIGHTER
DECEMBER 2016
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
V O L U M E
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
-SINCE 1960COMMUNICATIONS &
TECHNOLOGY CLUB
4
Saaanta!
I know
him!
11
18
25
5
6
Student Council
Meeting
Lit Keystone
Test
12
13
Boot Camp
Alg Keystone
19
20
7
14
8
100% Due
Bio Keystone
Test
15
9
10
CHECK US OUT ON
THE WB WEBPAGE
FOR ADDITIONAL
Boot Camp
16
17
COVERAGE!
50 CENTS
21
22
23
Early
Dismissal
No School
26
27
28
29
30
No School
No School
No School
No School
No School
24
STAFF:
RIVER PAVKOVICH, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
31
RACHAEL RANONE, COPY
EDITOR
HAYLEE ALTMAN, WRITER
JOE CAMPBELL, WRITER
TERESA CRONIN, WRITER
MIKEY DIERDORF, WRITER
ONE-LINER ADS
JAKE HABEDANK, WRITER
BROOKE MCCANNA,
WRITER
BROOKE OSLICK, WRITER
Mrs. Pinto: Happy Birthday!! Sincerely, The Comm/Tech Team
Paige, Nessa, & Kenna: You guys are awesome and fabulous!
Taylor and Anthony Tees : If interested in custom tees, please see Mason McCray.
Mikey XL represent!
I <3 Rachael! Sincerely, Haylee
CHEYENNE RODERICK,
WRITER
SETH ZOPPELT, WRITER
JR. HIGH
CONTRIBUTORS:
Vanessa Bailey
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ON E-LIN ER AD? SEE A COMM/TECH
MEMBER WHEN
PAPERS ARE BEIN G SOLD DU RIN G YOU R
LU N CH!
**COST: $1.00 per line**
Amber Lavan
McKenna Calahan
Shelby Martin
Taylor Cayton
Karli Plumley
Breonna Craft
Makayla Reed
Amanda Dean
Meghan Roach
Jessi Dygan
Olivia Tate
Braden Fabritius
Abby Trimble
Paige Frioni
Tori West
Kayla Helms
Kambreya Jones
Maren Klein
1 ,
I S S U E
2
N O V E M B E R
2 0 1 6
THE PROS AND CONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
By: Seth Zoppelt
Social media is something that
many people of all ages use.
With the invention of the
smart phone, social media hit
a new high. Although to
some, it may have hit a new
low over the following years
since it’s first inception.
Much debate has been discussed over the use of social
media and it’s significance.
On one end, social networking allows for rapid spread of
communication. About 50%
of people learn about breaking news from social media.
With the rapid spread of
communication that such
means provide, individuals
can now talk to friends or
family almost as efficiently as
being in person. Social me-
dia allows people to share
their thoughts with many
people, friend or stranger,
simultaneously. Such means
can also allow people to
make more friends. 70% of
adult social networking users
visit the sites to connect with
friends and family. This can
help to strengthen relationships and to learn more
about your friends or family
members. Some people even
make new friends through
social media.
Social media tools have
even allowed for effective
and efficient law enforcement. Such organizations
are using social media to
help prosecute criminals. A
survey has showed that 67%
of federal, state, and local
law enforcement professionals think “social media
helps solve crimes more
quickly.” For example, if
someone committed a
crime and bragged about it
via Twitter, then law enforcement could use Twitter and search the suspects’ accounts, ultimately
finding the criminal in
some cases.
SOCIAL MEDIA, PAGE 2
BLACK FRIDAY SURVIVAL TIPS
By: Joe Campbell & Jake
Habedank
Thanksgiving is here and with
that comes Black Friday sales.
It is often very hectic during
this time. That is why we are
here to give you some Black
Friday survival tips. First,
look up the stores online.
Stores normally put what
deals they are going to be
giving online. That way, you
can find where the best deals
are. Then, with the information you gathered from the
internet, you can create a
plan for buying.
Another helpful tip that you
can use is to bring the
amount of money you plan on
spending. Also, bring along
some relatives to help out
with carrying the purchases
you make. That way, you
can focus on easily finding
where the best deals are,
clearly focus on your shopping plan for buying.
Clipping coupons to help
save even more on top of
the already great deals is a
great strategy too. If you
are looking for deals on
BLACK FRIDAY, PAGE 2
PAGE
2
“I find that
social media often
does more harm
than good. It
provides a great
outlet for family
and friends to
network and stay
in contact with one
another, but I feel
that it is often a
place where halftruths and
sensationalized
information is
often
harnessed and
shared.”
- Mrs. Katkich
HOW DO YOU
SURVIVE
BLACK
FRIDAY?!
THE
PROS AND CONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA CONT.
However, social media isn’t
always a great thing. One of
the most serious and lifethreatening downfalls to
social media is cyberbullying. 49.5% of students
reported being the victims
of cyber-bullying, and 33.7%
reported committing bullying behavior online. Cyberbullying causes many teens
to commit suicide every
year. Middle school children are almost twice as
likely to commit suicide as
a result of cyber-bullying.
People who bully online
often can also remain
anonymous for long periods of time, which can
make it more difficult to
find out who the person is.
Social media can result in
the spread of false information. On September 5,
2012, false rumors of fires,
shootouts, and caravans of
gunmen in a Mexico City
suburb spread through
Twitter and Facebook.
This caused widespread
panic, which resulted in
school closings and over
3,000 calls to the local police department. False
information can result in
VOLUME
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widespread panic or a false
sense of security.
Students who also heavily
use social media tend to
have lower grades. Social
media users have an average GPA of 3.06, whereas
non-users have an average
GPA of 3.82. Heavy social
media use can distract students from their school
work, therefore possibly
resulting in an overall lower
grade point average. For
additional information,
please visit the following
website:
www.socialnetworking.procon.org
BLACK FRIDAY SURVIVAL TIPS CONT.
jewelry, Kohl’s is the place
to go. If you are looking
for a deal on a new iPhone,
Best Buy knocks up to
$100 off brand new Apple
products. Of course, WalMart is the place to go for
amazing deals, like saving
on flat screen TV’s.
One thing that can assist
you in passing the time
while waiting in line and
relieve some shopping
stress is to create a playlist
on Spotify or on any music
app already on most smartphones. Music can help
immensely with lowering
frustration levels. Some
music artists we
recommend are Adele, Sam
Smith, Frank Sinatra, Bing
Crosby, and Michael Bublé.
HIGHLIGHTER
Above all on our survival
tips list is to carry a cell
phone while doing some
holiday shopping. Not only
can you use your phone to
call the people you are
with, but you can also use
your cell phone to let them
know you found a great
deal. You can even use it
to look up even more deals
that are being listed in real
time.
One last tip I suggest is to
also look up coupons the
stores have on their
websites that they do not
put in their weekly
circulars. Good luck shopping this holiday season
and stay safe!
THE STAFF
DO YOU HAVE A PIECE
OF ARTWORK OR A
PIECE OF CREATIVE
WRITING YOU WOULD
LIKE TO SHARE? SEE A
COMM/TECH MEMBER TO
SEE HOW IT CAN BE
HIGHLIGHTED IN THE
NEXT ISSUE!
11
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10
PICS OF THE PAST...
By: Mikey Dierdorf
On this page you will see the great works of the many
talented art students that have graced Western Beaver.
The man responsible for these fantastic artists is Mr.
Velto! Mr. Velto has taught them the many needed
skills to create the following masterpieces from the
very start. When asked, "What does your ceiling mean
to you?", Mr. Velto replied, "It reminds me of all of the
wonderful art students I once had. It also gave them a
chance to leave a little piece of them behind here at
Western Beaver".
VOLUME
1,
ISSUE
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PAGE
WB WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: TAYLOR PARKER
By: Mikey Dierdorf
Taylor Parker is a 2013 graduate
from Western Beaver High
School. As a high school student,
Parker was involved in a slew of
student activities! She was very
involved in the school's music
department, where she
participated in show choir,
chorus, musical, and Junior High
Band. She was a National
Honors Society member,
participated in the Big Brothers
Big Sisters program, and was an
S.O.S. (students of service)
member. Parker was also on the
prom decorating committee and
yearbook editor. Currently,
Parker is a senior at Edinboro
University majoring in social
work. She is completing a paid
internship at a charter school located in Erie, Pennsylvania. She
also drives a handicap student to
his internship, and is part of a paid
peer advisory. Some College activities Parker has been involved in
include being on the football dance
team and being secretary for her
sorority "SAI". Parker will be
graduating this coming May, and
plans on pursuing her masters degree. As you can tell, Taylor
Parker really left her mark at
Western Beaver, and continues to
excel and leave her mark outside
of the Western Beaver
community!
GAME ON! BOYS BASKETBALL PREPARES FOR A PROMISING SEASON
By: Haylee Altman &
Brooke McCanna
With tip off just around the
corner, the Western Beaver
boys basketball team has
been trying to prepare for
the upcoming season. With
high hopes of making it to
the playoffs, the team has
been dedicating their time to
being on the court and in the
weight room. We sat in on
one of the team’s practices
to see how they were
preparing. Coaches Matt
Gray and Dave Kotuby have
been working the boys as
hard as they can so that they
can improve their skills.
Coach Gray stated, "The
boys may think we are too
hard on them, but
it is in their best
interest. We just
want to see them
succeed.” All of
the boys are dedicated to the game
and enjoy every
minute on the
court. As they
continue to get
better everyday, a winning season is seen ahead
of them. Best of luck to
the team
and
coaches
on the
upcoming
season!
3
PAGE
VOLUME
4
1,
ISSUE
THE BOOK NOOK
DEAR STATLER & WALDORF
Dear Statler & Waldorf,
My naughty little dog keeps
doing bad things!! I love
him, but I can’t stand him at
the same time! I have a
cute little beagle puppy
named Jake. All he wants
to do is play, but sometimes all I want to do is sit
down. It also gets so
annoying to have to feed
him all the time and always
having to take him out to
go to the bathroom. What
do you think I should with
him!?! SOS.! Please help!
Signed,
Owner of a Rambunctious
Beast
PAGE
2
By: Mrs. Katkich
Dear Owner,
Do you like elements of the
supernatural, mystery, time
travel, and creatures that may
want to eat your face off?! If
so, Ransom Riggs’ novel is just
for you. In Miss Peregrine’s
Home for Peculiar Children
reader’s follow Jacob’s journey
following a horrific family
tragedy that he witnessed
first-hand. As he uncovers
new truths and learns of his
grandfather’s secret life, he
befriends some “peculiar”
individuals, allowing him to
We think that you should
just give your dog away! If
you hate him so much, just
get rid of it. It seems to be
more of a bother to you
than a joy. I would hate to
have a dog. They are so
annoying. Oh, and if it’s
too much for you to find a
nice home for Jake, just
open the door and let him
wander away.
-Statler and Waldorf
uncover new truths about
himself and learn that the fate
of his new friends (and possibly the world!) lies in his
hands. Critics have praised
the book for using vintage
photographs that accompany
the text and bring the story to
life! This book can be found in
the Western Beaver libraries,
as well as in our ebook
collection through OverDrive.
If you want to learn more
about OverDrive, please see
Mrs. Katkich or a Comm/Tech
member!
AR Level: 5.7
Series: Book #1
Star Rating: 4/5
If you like this book, you
may also like:
Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
Back Before Dark by Tim Shoemaker
Emerald Green by Kerstin Geir
The Back Door of Midnight by Elizabeth Chandler
DO YOU HAVE A
QUESTION YOU
WOULD LIKE TO ASK
STATLER & WALDORF?
SUBMIT YOUR
REQUESTS TO A
COMM/TECH
MEMBER!
AFTER CLASS WITH CAMPBELL
By: Rachael Ranone,
River Pavkovich, &
Brooke Oslick
This month's highlighted
teacher is Mrs. Campbell.
She went to Hopewell High
School and attended
Washington and Jefferson
College, where she majored
in math and minored in
education. She later
received her Masters
Degree at Robert Morris
University in Instructional
Leadership. Mrs. Campbell
has two brothers and is the
middle child. She also has a
younger daughter.
Q: What clique were you in
during your high school
years?
Campbell: I was into
athletics in high school.
THE
HIGHLIGHTER
Q: What activities/sports
were you involved in?
Q: What is your favorite
part about being a teacher?
Campbell: National
Honors Society, Ski Club,
Yearbook, and French Club
to name a few.
Campbell: Helping students
succeed.
Q: Did you ever skip class
or school?
Campbell: Never. I had
nearly perfect attendance
throughout high school and
college.
Q: What's one unique fact
about you that not many
people know?
Campbell: When I was a
child my father was my
husband's wrestling coach
and that is how I met him.
Q: What were your grades
like?
Campbell: Straight As.
Q: Have you always been
interested in teaching?
Campbell: No, I wanted
to do Patent Law at first
then decided on teaching.
COME BA
CK
EVERY M
ONTH
TO CHEC
K OUT A
NEW TEA
CHER!
“I really like the
humor in the
show. Not just
G.I.R.’s stuff, but
generally the
show itself has
such a unique
vibe to it and
it’s always fun
to watch! A lot
of the episodes
are really good
and the
characters are
relatable.”
- The Invader
Zim
Community
THE
INVADER ZIM, A RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW
By: Teresa Cronin
Invader Zim is an animated
television show about an
alien named Zim (voiced by
Richard Steven Horvitz)
and accompanied by his
insane robot named G.I.R.
(voiced by Rosearik Rikki
Simons) to take over the
Earth. Zim’s main
antagonist is named Dib
(voiced by Andy Berma),
who is a kid that is a
paranormal investigator,
and sometimes drags his
little sister Gaz (voiced by
Melissa Fahn) to help. The
series is created by Jhonen
Vasquez, who is the creator
of many comic books. A
favorite among fans character is Zim. Horvitz does a
great job at making the
character Zim pretty distinct and memorable. Horvitz is one of my favorite
voice actors, and he has
done many characters, like
HIGHLIGHTER
Daggett from Angry Beavers
and Billy from Grim Adventure of Billy and Mandy. He
is also just great to listen
to! The rest of the characters are really funny and
memorable too. Honestly,
I did not remember much
about this show before the
tenth grade. The stuff I did
remember felt like a fever
dream. It was pretty weird.
Since I have watched the
show again, I can say it is
delightfully weird and full of
creative and dark imagery.
The weirdness
goes a bit farther in the comics. To quote an
artist from the
fan community:
“I really like the
humor in the
show. Not just
G.I.R.’s stuff but
generally the
show itself has
such a unique
vibe to it and it’s
always fun to
watch! A lot of
the episodes are
really good and
the
characters are
relatable.”
9
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8
VOLUME
1,
ISSUE
MEET THE WB PETS!
By: Teresa Cronin
Meet Rachael's dog,
Jazzy!
(aka Jasmine Isabella
Ranone)! She is a Teacup
Yorkie. Jazzy's favorite toy is
her squeaky fox. Her hobby
is going on walks with her
best friend (Rachael’s dad)
and sleeping all day until
Rachael’s dad gets home.
She loves to pretend she's a
bunny and eat cheese!
“I am so excited to be a part of
this year's musical, Tarzan! The
cast is amazing to work with
and so much fun. Western
Beaver puts on the best
musicals in the county, and I am
proud to help assist the cast
transform into character. Every
year is a new adventure. From
fur to feathers and silverware to
apes, we do it all—with style! “
P.S. She hates Rachael
Meah is a Golden Doodle
German Shepherd Lab mix
(what?)!. Meah would rather
play with people than toys
and she LOVES hugs. Meah
loves any kind of food you
give her and sleeps with her
owner (Haylee) every night!
Meet Brooke M's
dog, Chase!
Chase is a black and white
Cocker Spaniel. His favorite
toys are his piggy and
chicken. His hobby is
cuddling and eating lollipops
(he's not allowed). His
favorite snacks are goldfish
and cheez-its!
-Mrs. Modany
“The music is beautiful and this
classic Disney show is well
known to many. Our students
will be thinking outside the box
this year, as many are
portraying gorillas and taking on
their movements and
mannerisms. High energy,
dancing, and acrobatics will be
displayed for the audience to
enjoy. We are very excited for
"Tarzan" to come to life on the
WB stage! I am sure it will be
another successful show.”
-Mrs. Acon
Meet Brooke O's cat,
Boots!
Boots is a gray and white
kitty, who got his name
because of his cute lil paws.
His hobby is chasing his tail
and hissing at it. He also
loves being outside and is
pretty chubby. Boots loves
the crust of pizza!
THE
HIGHLIGHTER
PAGE
5
THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS REVIEW
By: Rachael Ranone
Meet Haylee's dog,
Meah!
2
"We are blessed to have such an
amazing group of students.
They are talented, hard-working
and dedicated to providing an
outstanding show every year.
Tarzan will be no exception to
that. We can't wait to see you
all there!"
-Mrs. Harteis
The Real Ghostbusters was a
great animated series, and
this review will be focusing
on the first season. The
cartoon begins a little while
after the original movie
ends with the Ghostbusters showing back up at
the fire house covered in
marshmallow. The characters are all exactly how
they are in the movie. Dr.
Peter Venkman (voiced by
Lorenzo Music and later
voiced by Dave Coulier) is
still a smart aleck, and it is
great to see his snarky
attitude shine once again.
Dr. Egon Spegler (voiced by
Maurice La Marche) is the
genius inventor that can
think his way through
anything. Winston
Zeddermore (voiced by
Arsenio Hall and later
voiced by Buster Jones) is
always the voice of reason
and is constantly deciphering the technobabble coming from Egon. Dr. Raymon
Stantz (voiced by Frank
Welker) who is the most
comedic and childlike,
along with the snarky secretary Janine Malnitz
(voiced by Laura Summer
and later voiced by Kath
Soucie) and Slimer (voiced
by Frank Welker), the
mascot. A standout
character of the show was
Egon. He always knew how
to fix the team’s problems.
An interesting part of the
show to note is that
Lorenzo Music, the man
who voiced Garfield cartoons, voiced the character
played by Bill Murray in the
live action film. A standout
episode everyone must
check out is “The Boogieman Cometh”. During this
episode, the Ghostbusters
fight the Boogieman, and
eventually find out that
Egon has had past
experiences with the
Boogieman and later fight in
his world!
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: TARZAN THE MUSICAL!
By: Hannah, D’Egidio, Guest Writer
November’s end is right around the corner, and you know what that means… Musical season!
This year’s musical is Disney’s Tarzan with Jake Habedank as the title character. On
November 17th, the first read through occurred in the auditorium. All lead characters were
present, as well as Mr. Hixon, Mrs. Katkich, Mrs. Modany, and the production’s vocal coach,
Mrs. Amber Harteis. When asked about this year’s musical, Mr. Hixon stated, “I am really
looking forward to bringing this well known story alive on stage. The music and dancing is
awesome and it will be a hit for the whole family!” While reading through the script, the characters really came alive. From Jane’s careful, yet adventurous, personality to Kerchak’s harsh
nature, the entire cast transformed into the people (and animals) they were portraying. With
less than three months until opening night, there is work to be done, but a great show will be
performed no doubt! The show will run February 17th-19th. The cast runs as follows:
Tarzan: Jake Habedank
Jane: Rachael Ranone
Kala: Hannah D’Egidio
Turk: Joe Campbell
Kerchak: Zack Renda
Porter: Mikey Dierdorf
Clayton: Alex Murray
Young Tarzan: Jason Habedank
Young Turk: Justine Snowden
Mother: Natassja Habedank, Alaina Cottage
Father: Nathan McFarland, Hunter Brown, Tristan Pavkovich
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NOVEMBER: WE SNAPPED THAT!
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