by Andrew Schultz
Pittsford hosted their invitational last Saturday and we finished with 2 wins and 3 losses on the day. Morenci and Vandercook Lake were our wins, while we dropped matches to Colon, Reading, and Constantine.
In the Colon match, Mike Benedict, Kurtis Brackman, Taylor Hatfield, Chase Weber, Jesse Momenee, and Ben Wines all collected pin wins, though Pittsford dropped the match 42-36.
Morenci lead their match with Pittsford until about half-way through when Pittsford really turned up the heat. Benedict, Brackman, Hatfield, Weber, Brad Bolenbaugh, and Wines all had wins with a pin, leading the ‘Cats to a 42-28 victory over the Bulldogs.
Reading was a closer loss with Benedict and Brackman scoring points wins, while Hatfield, Weber, and Wines all pinned their man. Pittsford lost the match 39-26, however.
When the fourth match came around, Pittsford had yet another close loss, this time against Constantine, with Cody McLouth starting things off with a pin win and Benedict, Luke Irwin, Weber, and Wines all pinning their men as well. Hatfield owned his guy by a 16-3 score, but it wasn’t enough as Constantine won 42-34.
Vandercook Lake suffered a blowout 48-24 loss to Pittsford, as we dominated that match. Some VL wrestlers didn’t even have a fair chance of matching up with who they were put up against. “The other team was very weak,” said Wines. McLouth, Benedict, Brackman, Hatfield, Weber, and Bolenbaugh all pinned their men. Some of the younger wrestlers like Bolenbaugh and McLouth did very well for being younger and less experienced than the senior wrestlers. “Our younger guys stepping up, winning some matches helped make us able to go 2-3,” said Weber.
Weber, Wines, and Hatfield all went 5-0 on the day. The key to these wrestlers going 5-0 through out the whole invitational is being prepared. “Coach Weber always has us ready, and has us in good shape, which helps keep our conditioning and strength up,” said Hatfield. The hype in the crowd helps pump them up as well. “I wasn’t about to lose in front of the crowd,” said Hatfield.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Varsity boys basketball team beats LCS, goes to 3-0
by Justin Fish
The Wildcats showed what they were made of and beat the Lenawee Christian Cougars last night by a score of 73-62 to put their record up to an excellent 3-0 to start the season.
Junior Garet Lee led the way with 20 pts, 3 assists 2 steals and a block. There were many contributors this game to propel them to victory. Senior Clark Pelham contributed 14pts, while fellow senior Corey Gamble added 12 pts and sophomore Brandon Williams chipped in 10 pts. “I think the thing we did different in this game was the free throw shooting. I don’t think we would have won if we didn’t make all of those free throws. Before we were not making as much free throws until we practiced them,” said senior Reggie Waldfogel, who ripped down seven rebounds on the game. “We played with a tremendous level of intensity, defensively we had good rotations, our help [defense] was quick and often, and I think the big difference in the game was our ability to handle their pressure,” said Coach Burger. Early in the season there are still needs for improvement, though. “I think we still have room for improvement in terms of not turning the ball over, shot selection, and I think that we could be much much better defensively yet, so we’ve got a long way to go,” said Coach Burger.
Catch more Wildcat action as the boys in blue travel to Waldron to take on the Spartans on Thursday for the last game before winter break.
The Wildcats showed what they were made of and beat the Lenawee Christian Cougars last night by a score of 73-62 to put their record up to an excellent 3-0 to start the season.
Junior Garet Lee led the way with 20 pts, 3 assists 2 steals and a block. There were many contributors this game to propel them to victory. Senior Clark Pelham contributed 14pts, while fellow senior Corey Gamble added 12 pts and sophomore Brandon Williams chipped in 10 pts. “I think the thing we did different in this game was the free throw shooting. I don’t think we would have won if we didn’t make all of those free throws. Before we were not making as much free throws until we practiced them,” said senior Reggie Waldfogel, who ripped down seven rebounds on the game. “We played with a tremendous level of intensity, defensively we had good rotations, our help [defense] was quick and often, and I think the big difference in the game was our ability to handle their pressure,” said Coach Burger. Early in the season there are still needs for improvement, though. “I think we still have room for improvement in terms of not turning the ball over, shot selection, and I think that we could be much much better defensively yet, so we’ve got a long way to go,” said Coach Burger.
Catch more Wildcat action as the boys in blue travel to Waldron to take on the Spartans on Thursday for the last game before winter break.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
JV Wildcat boys basketall team loses one-sided affair
by Dillon Cooper
The Wildcats opened their first and only home game before the winter break against a very tough opponent, to say the least. A Lenawee Christian team that consisted of no freshman and four juniors were playing against a Wildcat team that featured seven players with only two games of high school experience. It was a one-sided affair from the opening tip and the Cougars of Lenawee Christian would prevail with a victory in front of a crowd that consisted of disappointed Wildcat fans. The score at the end read LCS 54, PHS 29.
Pittsford finally came home on a seasonally warm afternoon to play against a non-league opponent that hailed from Adrian. The Wildcats, who had just come off of a victory against a slightly lower-than-average Camden-Frontier team, were expecting a tough match-up. Lenawee Christian, a team that just started to play football at their school, and is a recruiting school, is primarily a basketball school so they are very talented when it comes to playing basketball.
Pittsford would not start with the ball, as they would play defense first. However, they seemed to play defense a lot, as they just couldn’t grab rebounds to possess the ball. “It was really embarrassing that we couldn’t rebound the ball after that many opportunities,” exclaimed sophomore Kyle Wyatt. “Rebounding was a big factor in the game,” expressed freshman Cyle Brown.
Lenawee would jump out to an early lead, thanks to turnover after turnover by the Wildcats. “In the first half we were playing their game, running up and down the floor really fast,” continued Brown. Pittsford would keep their heads held high, as their effort didn’t lack. “We were playing good defense, and we never gave up,” added freshman Drew McOscar. The ‘Cats would continue to fight until the clock contained no time left and squawked its final cry to announce to every fan in the gym that the game was complete.
Even though the Pittsford JV Wildcats would lose this game it will not count in the conference battle as the ‘Cats are now a 1-2 but still 1-0 in conference play. They will play their second conference game against a physical Waldron bunch on Thursday as the Wildcats look to continue their hopes for a conference title on the road.
The Wildcats opened their first and only home game before the winter break against a very tough opponent, to say the least. A Lenawee Christian team that consisted of no freshman and four juniors were playing against a Wildcat team that featured seven players with only two games of high school experience. It was a one-sided affair from the opening tip and the Cougars of Lenawee Christian would prevail with a victory in front of a crowd that consisted of disappointed Wildcat fans. The score at the end read LCS 54, PHS 29.
Pittsford finally came home on a seasonally warm afternoon to play against a non-league opponent that hailed from Adrian. The Wildcats, who had just come off of a victory against a slightly lower-than-average Camden-Frontier team, were expecting a tough match-up. Lenawee Christian, a team that just started to play football at their school, and is a recruiting school, is primarily a basketball school so they are very talented when it comes to playing basketball.
Pittsford would not start with the ball, as they would play defense first. However, they seemed to play defense a lot, as they just couldn’t grab rebounds to possess the ball. “It was really embarrassing that we couldn’t rebound the ball after that many opportunities,” exclaimed sophomore Kyle Wyatt. “Rebounding was a big factor in the game,” expressed freshman Cyle Brown.
Lenawee would jump out to an early lead, thanks to turnover after turnover by the Wildcats. “In the first half we were playing their game, running up and down the floor really fast,” continued Brown. Pittsford would keep their heads held high, as their effort didn’t lack. “We were playing good defense, and we never gave up,” added freshman Drew McOscar. The ‘Cats would continue to fight until the clock contained no time left and squawked its final cry to announce to every fan in the gym that the game was complete.
Even though the Pittsford JV Wildcats would lose this game it will not count in the conference battle as the ‘Cats are now a 1-2 but still 1-0 in conference play. They will play their second conference game against a physical Waldron bunch on Thursday as the Wildcats look to continue their hopes for a conference title on the road.
Tech Talk w/ Andrew Schultz
ITEM: The already-flooded cell phone market
just got larger with the Samsung Omnia, measuring in at a whopping 112 x 56 x 12.5mm. It has a new way to touch life to your phone called TouchWiz that wants you touching the screen, not tapping it with a stylus. When you touch the screen, the whole phone will actually vibrate, giving the user feedback of the touch. The all-new on-screen QWERTY keyboard gets rid of unwanted space at the bottom of the phone for a smaller, sleeker and more comfortable grip. The all-new feature to this specific touch-screen phone is that it actually has a built-in optical joystick with virtual mouse functionality. The phone itself only comes in two standard colors, which are black and silver, just like the Apple iPhone. The Omnia is slightly smaller length- and width-wise, but the thickness of it is just a little bit bigger, though the iPhone has a slightly bigger screen.
Andrew’s take: Personally I think other than the screen size, the Omnia is better than the iPhone. But the iPhone has all the good applications at this point.
Pros: built-in touch screen, QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera, Wi-fi capability, embedded GPS, sleek and stylish
Cons: damaged easily, no storage for stylus (though it’s not necessary since the phone is designed to touch with fingers), speed could be improved due to any 3G capabilities, applications aren’t very good
ITEM: The new Hewlett Packard TouchSmart IQ816t series touch screen all-in-one PC is bringing a whole new outlook to personal computers. This exact model comes stock with
Windows Vista home premium, Intel core 2 duo processor, 4GB DDR2 system memory, 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9600M HD graphics card, 750GB hard drive, and a built in Blu-ray player. With this high-speed, all-in-one computer, you can do just about anything you have ever imagined and some you have imagined that you can’t do on any regular computer. The HP TouchSmart comes with a standard 22-inch touch screen but can go as large as a 25.5-inch screen diagonally
Andrew’s take: The HP TouchSmart series is a nice little thing that you could buy if you had the $1,500 to $2,500 to pay for it. The computer itself is a nice design; it’s small, sleek, and you would have no problem sitting it on a desk, but when it comes to the usage, it’s hard to find everything and get used to the whole touch screen itself.
Pros: Very sleek and slim, all-in-one means no clutter, built-in image and music editing programs at one touch, integrated web cam and microphone
Cons: Expensive, not waterproof, not good to take in areas where other potential messy things occur (kitchen, etc)
ITEM: You know how there is always the problem with losing the remote controls, so you go out and buy a universal one so you don’t have to have 3 or more of them? Well, this new remote from Logitech will solve your remote problems and give it a cool, sleek style too. But you better not lose this one in the couch cushions, as it costs around $240. This remote features back-lit buttons, a LCD touch screen, works with Windows and Macs, has excellent button layout, superb ergonomic design, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and a dock for recharging when it’s not in use.
Andrew’s take: The Logitech Harmony One universal remote is an excellent product to have in your home whether you are one of those electronic nuts or if the old remote broke. It features many new designs and fits comfortably in your hand without making the remote oblong and ugly.
Pros: Rechargeable lithium-ion batter, own docking station, ergonomic design, and LCD touch screen.
Cons: The price is set a little high at $240; there is no RF (radio frequency, which is standard on many older-style TVs) compatibility
just got larger with the Samsung Omnia, measuring in at a whopping 112 x 56 x 12.5mm. It has a new way to touch life to your phone called TouchWiz that wants you touching the screen, not tapping it with a stylus. When you touch the screen, the whole phone will actually vibrate, giving the user feedback of the touch. The all-new on-screen QWERTY keyboard gets rid of unwanted space at the bottom of the phone for a smaller, sleeker and more comfortable grip. The all-new feature to this specific touch-screen phone is that it actually has a built-in optical joystick with virtual mouse functionality. The phone itself only comes in two standard colors, which are black and silver, just like the Apple iPhone. The Omnia is slightly smaller length- and width-wise, but the thickness of it is just a little bit bigger, though the iPhone has a slightly bigger screen.Andrew’s take: Personally I think other than the screen size, the Omnia is better than the iPhone. But the iPhone has all the good applications at this point.
Pros: built-in touch screen, QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera, Wi-fi capability, embedded GPS, sleek and stylish
Cons: damaged easily, no storage for stylus (though it’s not necessary since the phone is designed to touch with fingers), speed could be improved due to any 3G capabilities, applications aren’t very good
ITEM: The new Hewlett Packard TouchSmart IQ816t series touch screen all-in-one PC is bringing a whole new outlook to personal computers. This exact model comes stock with
Windows Vista home premium, Intel core 2 duo processor, 4GB DDR2 system memory, 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9600M HD graphics card, 750GB hard drive, and a built in Blu-ray player. With this high-speed, all-in-one computer, you can do just about anything you have ever imagined and some you have imagined that you can’t do on any regular computer. The HP TouchSmart comes with a standard 22-inch touch screen but can go as large as a 25.5-inch screen diagonallyAndrew’s take: The HP TouchSmart series is a nice little thing that you could buy if you had the $1,500 to $2,500 to pay for it. The computer itself is a nice design; it’s small, sleek, and you would have no problem sitting it on a desk, but when it comes to the usage, it’s hard to find everything and get used to the whole touch screen itself.
Pros: Very sleek and slim, all-in-one means no clutter, built-in image and music editing programs at one touch, integrated web cam and microphone
Cons: Expensive, not waterproof, not good to take in areas where other potential messy things occur (kitchen, etc)
ITEM: You know how there is always the problem with losing the remote controls, so you go out and buy a universal one so you don’t have to have 3 or more of them? Well, this new remote from Logitech will solve your remote problems and give it a cool, sleek style too. But you better not lose this one in the couch cushions, as it costs around $240. This remote features back-lit buttons, a LCD touch screen, works with Windows and Macs, has excellent button layout, superb ergonomic design, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and a dock for recharging when it’s not in use.
Andrew’s take: The Logitech Harmony One universal remote is an excellent product to have in your home whether you are one of those electronic nuts or if the old remote broke. It features many new designs and fits comfortably in your hand without making the remote oblong and ugly.
Pros: Rechargeable lithium-ion batter, own docking station, ergonomic design, and LCD touch screen.
Cons: The price is set a little high at $240; there is no RF (radio frequency, which is standard on many older-style TVs) compatibility
Monday, December 15, 2008
JV Wildcat boys get back on track with win in young season
by Dillon Cooper
After a very disappointing lose to the Colon Magi on Tuesday night, the Pittsford Wildcats would travel to an old foe’s gym—the Camden-Frontier Redskins. Camden is a familiar foe as Pittsford has played them many times, including scrimmages, so the Wildcats knew the strengths and weaknesses of the Camden team. Pittsford would win this game by the score of 48-37.
Pittsford would start off winning the tip and jump out to an early lead. However, no matter how many time the ‘Cats would stop the Redskins or score on them, Camden just seemed to stick around, looming around like an annoying kid. “We should have blown this team out,” expressed sophomore Robby Wheeler. The score would fall one sided until a flurry of three pointers were dropping through the twine. “Our game plan was to stop Fink,” continued Wheeler. It wasn’t really until the fourth quarter that the Wildcats were stepping their game up. Camden had pulled within three, but the Wildcats would prevail, going on a run of their own and stretching the lead into double digits. The defense would stiffen, forcing the ‘Skins to foul the Wildcats, putting them on the free throw line. Even though Pittsford did not shoot great from the free-throw stripe, they did good enough to maintain a lead and build it up a little to cap off their first victory of the season.
The Pittsford JV Wildcats are now 1-1 overall and 1-0 in their conference. Monday night they will be playing their home opener versus a non-conference opponent. Lenawee Christian will come to town to take on Pittsford and there is no doubt that this will be a tough opponent, but if Pittsford prevails with a win that would definitely mean something great as they would win in front of the home-town fans and have a winning record for the first time this season!
After a very disappointing lose to the Colon Magi on Tuesday night, the Pittsford Wildcats would travel to an old foe’s gym—the Camden-Frontier Redskins. Camden is a familiar foe as Pittsford has played them many times, including scrimmages, so the Wildcats knew the strengths and weaknesses of the Camden team. Pittsford would win this game by the score of 48-37.
Pittsford would start off winning the tip and jump out to an early lead. However, no matter how many time the ‘Cats would stop the Redskins or score on them, Camden just seemed to stick around, looming around like an annoying kid. “We should have blown this team out,” expressed sophomore Robby Wheeler. The score would fall one sided until a flurry of three pointers were dropping through the twine. “Our game plan was to stop Fink,” continued Wheeler. It wasn’t really until the fourth quarter that the Wildcats were stepping their game up. Camden had pulled within three, but the Wildcats would prevail, going on a run of their own and stretching the lead into double digits. The defense would stiffen, forcing the ‘Skins to foul the Wildcats, putting them on the free throw line. Even though Pittsford did not shoot great from the free-throw stripe, they did good enough to maintain a lead and build it up a little to cap off their first victory of the season.
The Pittsford JV Wildcats are now 1-1 overall and 1-0 in their conference. Monday night they will be playing their home opener versus a non-conference opponent. Lenawee Christian will come to town to take on Pittsford and there is no doubt that this will be a tough opponent, but if Pittsford prevails with a win that would definitely mean something great as they would win in front of the home-town fans and have a winning record for the first time this season!
Boys varsity basketball team improves to 2-0
by Justin Fish
With a phenomenal night from Garet Lee (25 points and 9 rebounds) and Seth Weber (12 points 5 steal, 6 assists) the Pittsford Wildcats pulled out yet another win on the road, beating the Camden-Frontier Redskins 61-53. The game was close throughout, as C-F knocked down numerous three-pointers, but the ‘Cats nailed the door shut when it counted. “We made enough timely plays when we needed to,” said Coach Burger.
The next game for the Wildcats is Monday December 15, 2008 against Lenawee Christian.
With a phenomenal night from Garet Lee (25 points and 9 rebounds) and Seth Weber (12 points 5 steal, 6 assists) the Pittsford Wildcats pulled out yet another win on the road, beating the Camden-Frontier Redskins 61-53. The game was close throughout, as C-F knocked down numerous three-pointers, but the ‘Cats nailed the door shut when it counted. “We made enough timely plays when we needed to,” said Coach Burger.
The next game for the Wildcats is Monday December 15, 2008 against Lenawee Christian.
Wrestlers off to good early start
by Andrew Schultz
Many of us know winter as the end of the football season and the beginning of the holidays. To others, it’s also the beginning of the Pittsford wrestling season. This season we have a fairly good lineup of wrestlers. The seniors are Chase Weber, and Ben Wines; four juniors in Taylor Hatfield, Mike Benedict, Luke Irwin, Kurtis Brackman; two sophomores in Brad Bolenbaugh, and Jesse Momenee; and two freshmen with Cody McLouth and Jacob Eichler.
Our senior wrestlers have been doing this for years and have a lot of experience and have also trained very hard and thoroughly to stay cool and calm during their matches. “Pure experience and wrestling for years gives a little bit of focus on what I need to do, and I never get pressured or scared when I go out there to wrestle. I’m really calm and ready to go ready to wrestle,” said Chase. Taylor wants to build on his successes of the past. “Freshman year (I was) 6th in state, last year I lost in overtime, so this year I’ve been working a lot harder. I’m upset and I’m going to do a lot better this year,” said Taylor.
Pittsford opened their season with a 41-12 win against Concord, as McLouth, Benedict, Brackman, Bolenbaugh, and Wines all pinned their man. Hatfield got a win as well, dominating his man and winning on points, 17-2. When we faced Reading, we had a few voids because of the low amount of people to fill the weight classes and lost 42-20. Pittsford ended up with a few wins out of this match, including pins by Hatfield, Weber, and Wines, and points victories by McLouth and Brackman.
Pittsford went to the Blissfield Invitational and racked up some good spots on the leader board. Brackman took 1st place in the 152 lb weight class, while Hatfield got another 1st place finish in the 160 lb weight class. Wines won his 1st place finish in the 189 lb weight class, and Weber got a 2nd place finish in the 171-pound weight class. “Overall our team did very well. They came out to wrestle and did what they needed to take home the trophy,” said Chase. The expectations set to a team don’t have to be high but for Pittsford it may be a little bit harder with the lack of wrestlers this year. “Team expectations aren’t really too high but for people to win match after match obviously weren’t going to win every meet because we don’t have many wrestlers,” said Hatfield.
Next up came Manchester and Saline. Saline couldn’t bring enough heat for us, as we held them off 38-36. Junior Luke Irwin, Hatfield, Weber, and Wines all had pins against Saline, with Benedict and Brackman winning on points. When state power Manchester stepped up to the mats we had a little bit harder time, losing 64-17. Hatfield and Wines collected pins, and Weber dominated his man to the tune of a 15-1 victory.
Many of us know winter as the end of the football season and the beginning of the holidays. To others, it’s also the beginning of the Pittsford wrestling season. This season we have a fairly good lineup of wrestlers. The seniors are Chase Weber, and Ben Wines; four juniors in Taylor Hatfield, Mike Benedict, Luke Irwin, Kurtis Brackman; two sophomores in Brad Bolenbaugh, and Jesse Momenee; and two freshmen with Cody McLouth and Jacob Eichler.
Our senior wrestlers have been doing this for years and have a lot of experience and have also trained very hard and thoroughly to stay cool and calm during their matches. “Pure experience and wrestling for years gives a little bit of focus on what I need to do, and I never get pressured or scared when I go out there to wrestle. I’m really calm and ready to go ready to wrestle,” said Chase. Taylor wants to build on his successes of the past. “Freshman year (I was) 6th in state, last year I lost in overtime, so this year I’ve been working a lot harder. I’m upset and I’m going to do a lot better this year,” said Taylor.
Pittsford opened their season with a 41-12 win against Concord, as McLouth, Benedict, Brackman, Bolenbaugh, and Wines all pinned their man. Hatfield got a win as well, dominating his man and winning on points, 17-2. When we faced Reading, we had a few voids because of the low amount of people to fill the weight classes and lost 42-20. Pittsford ended up with a few wins out of this match, including pins by Hatfield, Weber, and Wines, and points victories by McLouth and Brackman.
Pittsford went to the Blissfield Invitational and racked up some good spots on the leader board. Brackman took 1st place in the 152 lb weight class, while Hatfield got another 1st place finish in the 160 lb weight class. Wines won his 1st place finish in the 189 lb weight class, and Weber got a 2nd place finish in the 171-pound weight class. “Overall our team did very well. They came out to wrestle and did what they needed to take home the trophy,” said Chase. The expectations set to a team don’t have to be high but for Pittsford it may be a little bit harder with the lack of wrestlers this year. “Team expectations aren’t really too high but for people to win match after match obviously weren’t going to win every meet because we don’t have many wrestlers,” said Hatfield.
Next up came Manchester and Saline. Saline couldn’t bring enough heat for us, as we held them off 38-36. Junior Luke Irwin, Hatfield, Weber, and Wines all had pins against Saline, with Benedict and Brackman winning on points. When state power Manchester stepped up to the mats we had a little bit harder time, losing 64-17. Hatfield and Wines collected pins, and Weber dominated his man to the tune of a 15-1 victory.
Varsity Ladycats drop fifth straight
by Eva Gucker
Pittsford gave an easy 86-44 victory to the Hudson Tigers Saturday night. Although the girls played their best offensive game this year with a higher made shot percentage and better ball movement, the girls struggled defensively and gave Hudson many easy points with slow closeouts and little help-side defense. “We played well offensively, but our defense could have been stronger,” said junior Katelyn Kipfmiller. The first half of the game Pittsford was always close behind the Tigers, but was never able to jump ahead at any point. The second half changed dramatically in the negative direction for the Wildcats. Lack of hustle to get back on defense and poor rebounding increased Hudson’s lead greatly and ended the game with a huge loss for Pittsford girls. Senior Marisa Hamilton led with 20 points and five rebounds.
Pittsford gave an easy 86-44 victory to the Hudson Tigers Saturday night. Although the girls played their best offensive game this year with a higher made shot percentage and better ball movement, the girls struggled defensively and gave Hudson many easy points with slow closeouts and little help-side defense. “We played well offensively, but our defense could have been stronger,” said junior Katelyn Kipfmiller. The first half of the game Pittsford was always close behind the Tigers, but was never able to jump ahead at any point. The second half changed dramatically in the negative direction for the Wildcats. Lack of hustle to get back on defense and poor rebounding increased Hudson’s lead greatly and ended the game with a huge loss for Pittsford girls. Senior Marisa Hamilton led with 20 points and five rebounds.
It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas, thanks to PAS bands
by Derra Clark
Holiday cheer spread like wildfire through our school on December 11, 2008. The annual holiday band concert was a festive way to get anyone in the Christmas mood. The fifth grade band preformed “Hot Cross Buns,” “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and “Jingle Bells.” “They did a good job,” said Mr. Spitler.
The sixth grade band was next with their performance of “Good King Wenceslas,” “Huron Carol,” and “Auld Lang Syne.” “They did ok for their situation… they made it through,” said Mr. Spitler.
The junior high band was next, playing “Here Comes Santa Clause,” “The Little Drummer Boy,” “Silver Bells,” and “Patapan.” “They were very well prepared,” said Mr. Spitler. The bands performance of “The Little Drummer Boy” was the favorite of many band members and people in the audience.
The last band of the night was the high school band with “Jazz Gloria,” “Jingle Bell Fantasy,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Many people enjoyed the band’s performances and many of the band members were very enthusiastic. “It was like sight reading… it was like music, sweet music from angel’s throats! God bless America! For without America there would be no Pittsford High School band!” said percussionist Chloe Hepker. Mr. Spitler thought they did a good job.
The concert was filled with our band’s renditions of holiday classics that may or may not be comparable to angels singing. Overall, Mr. Sptiler thought all of the bands did well, and was happy with the crowd that came to enjoy the bands. After all of the bands played, the members and their friends and families were treated to a reception of punch and cookies.
Holiday cheer spread like wildfire through our school on December 11, 2008. The annual holiday band concert was a festive way to get anyone in the Christmas mood. The fifth grade band preformed “Hot Cross Buns,” “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and “Jingle Bells.” “They did a good job,” said Mr. Spitler.
The sixth grade band was next with their performance of “Good King Wenceslas,” “Huron Carol,” and “Auld Lang Syne.” “They did ok for their situation… they made it through,” said Mr. Spitler.
The junior high band was next, playing “Here Comes Santa Clause,” “The Little Drummer Boy,” “Silver Bells,” and “Patapan.” “They were very well prepared,” said Mr. Spitler. The bands performance of “The Little Drummer Boy” was the favorite of many band members and people in the audience.
The last band of the night was the high school band with “Jazz Gloria,” “Jingle Bell Fantasy,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Many people enjoyed the band’s performances and many of the band members were very enthusiastic. “It was like sight reading… it was like music, sweet music from angel’s throats! God bless America! For without America there would be no Pittsford High School band!” said percussionist Chloe Hepker. Mr. Spitler thought they did a good job.
The concert was filled with our band’s renditions of holiday classics that may or may not be comparable to angels singing. Overall, Mr. Sptiler thought all of the bands did well, and was happy with the crowd that came to enjoy the bands. After all of the bands played, the members and their friends and families were treated to a reception of punch and cookies.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Tradition broken as talent show a no-go this year
by Shelby Strang and Brooke Maxson
Well, folks, guess what? Despite the last 12 years of fun-filled talent shows right before Christmas break, this year is different. It turns out there won’t be a talent show this year due to a lack of people willing to participate. According to Mr. Spitler, only eight of the people that signed up were eligible. He also said usually at least two people drop out at the last minute. Like last year, they were planning on having the junior high participate in the talent show. This didn’t work out because there was a lack of kids who were willing to show their hidden talent. There also wasn’t much of a variety to go on, either. “There’s not very much variety. Both Mr. Curtis and I would like more variety. People tend to look at it like American Idol, just a bunch of singers; that’s not what we originally intended,” explained Mr. Spitler.
When talking to the students, we found that they weren’t too happy about there not being a talent show this year. “Well, that (stinks)! Because I love watching the show!” replied sophomore Brandy Boies. On the other hand, some other students really don’t mind the change or just don’t care. “I think that they should just give us the day off instead,” said senior Logan Cross. Some students like it simply because its tradition. “I think it’s kind of sad, because we have one every year,” said disappointed senior Lynsey Klatt. But some students like to watch the talent show simply for sheer pleasure of entertainment for the day. “Well, I guess that day is going to be EXTRA boring,” commented senior Megan Penix.
Despite all this, PHS principal Mr. Cook has an alternative for the junior high and high school at the time that the talent show would have been. The junior high will be in the small gym watching “The Santa Clause.” It’s uncertain if Liz Cole and Cody Krasny’s band will be playing for the high school. But if the band decides not to play, Mr. Cook will have the high school watch “Santa Clause 2” in the big gym. The concession stands will be opened also.
Well, folks, guess what? Despite the last 12 years of fun-filled talent shows right before Christmas break, this year is different. It turns out there won’t be a talent show this year due to a lack of people willing to participate. According to Mr. Spitler, only eight of the people that signed up were eligible. He also said usually at least two people drop out at the last minute. Like last year, they were planning on having the junior high participate in the talent show. This didn’t work out because there was a lack of kids who were willing to show their hidden talent. There also wasn’t much of a variety to go on, either. “There’s not very much variety. Both Mr. Curtis and I would like more variety. People tend to look at it like American Idol, just a bunch of singers; that’s not what we originally intended,” explained Mr. Spitler.
When talking to the students, we found that they weren’t too happy about there not being a talent show this year. “Well, that (stinks)! Because I love watching the show!” replied sophomore Brandy Boies. On the other hand, some other students really don’t mind the change or just don’t care. “I think that they should just give us the day off instead,” said senior Logan Cross. Some students like it simply because its tradition. “I think it’s kind of sad, because we have one every year,” said disappointed senior Lynsey Klatt. But some students like to watch the talent show simply for sheer pleasure of entertainment for the day. “Well, I guess that day is going to be EXTRA boring,” commented senior Megan Penix.
Despite all this, PHS principal Mr. Cook has an alternative for the junior high and high school at the time that the talent show would have been. The junior high will be in the small gym watching “The Santa Clause.” It’s uncertain if Liz Cole and Cody Krasny’s band will be playing for the high school. But if the band decides not to play, Mr. Cook will have the high school watch “Santa Clause 2” in the big gym. The concession stands will be opened also.
JV Wildcat boys basketball team loses first game on the road
by Dillon Cooper
The Pittsford JV Wildcats traveled to an unfamiliar court on which they had never appeared before. The challenger was the Colon Magi, who had beaten up on the Wildcats during football season and now looked forward to beating them again during basketball. Colon would continue their dominance as they beat the Pittsford Wildcats, 56-44.
Pittsford would start the game on the defensive side because Colon had touched just enough of the ball to have it go in their favor. The game would start off slowly as Colon would jump to a 6-0 lead over the Wildcats. Nothing seemed to be going the ‘Cats way; not the passes, shots, rebounds, calls, or even just fundamental execution. Head coach Mr. Hodos quickly called a time-out roughly three minutes into the fresh season. “We had great effort, but terrible execution,” Mr. Hodos would later say about the team. “We were complete robots in the first half. We were mechanical; we would go exactly where we were supposed to go and throw the ball where we were supposed to throw the ball. In the second half we got a couple of back doors, and we got a couple of curls in the lane so we weren’t robots,” expressed Mr. Hodos. The Wildcats would come out of the time out and score on a lay-in that kissed the glass and fell with a thud through the nylon texture of the white net. The game would continue to go back and fourth through the rest of the first and through the second with many of the Wildcat basketball players in foul trouble and having to be taken out of the game to risk further foul trouble. At the end of the first half the scoreboard read a 20-13 score favoring the Magi. That score was not that bad considering how bad the Wildcats play actually was. The ‘Cats knew that they would have to step it up if they wanted any chance in this game; the only way to go was up!
Pittsford would start the second half off with the ball and go on a scoring rant. Just as it seemed that the Wildcats could battle their way back into this epic game the Magi had an answer for every equation that the boys in blue could throw at them. “We could have played a lot better, said sophomore Kyle Wyatt. “Sometimes you just got to keep playing and that is the way the games go sometimes,” continued Wyatt. “We hustled good, and our effort was all right, but we were not very strong with the ball,” said freshman Drew McOscar.
It is true that the Wildcats did not play to the fullest of their abilities Tuesday night versus Colon. “We could have beat them,” said Mr. Hodos. The Pittsford JV Wildcats will not get another shot at redemption against Colon but they will get a shot to go 1-1 and get back on the right track to a successful season when they play against the Camden-Frontier Redskins Friday night.
The Pittsford JV Wildcats traveled to an unfamiliar court on which they had never appeared before. The challenger was the Colon Magi, who had beaten up on the Wildcats during football season and now looked forward to beating them again during basketball. Colon would continue their dominance as they beat the Pittsford Wildcats, 56-44.
Pittsford would start the game on the defensive side because Colon had touched just enough of the ball to have it go in their favor. The game would start off slowly as Colon would jump to a 6-0 lead over the Wildcats. Nothing seemed to be going the ‘Cats way; not the passes, shots, rebounds, calls, or even just fundamental execution. Head coach Mr. Hodos quickly called a time-out roughly three minutes into the fresh season. “We had great effort, but terrible execution,” Mr. Hodos would later say about the team. “We were complete robots in the first half. We were mechanical; we would go exactly where we were supposed to go and throw the ball where we were supposed to throw the ball. In the second half we got a couple of back doors, and we got a couple of curls in the lane so we weren’t robots,” expressed Mr. Hodos. The Wildcats would come out of the time out and score on a lay-in that kissed the glass and fell with a thud through the nylon texture of the white net. The game would continue to go back and fourth through the rest of the first and through the second with many of the Wildcat basketball players in foul trouble and having to be taken out of the game to risk further foul trouble. At the end of the first half the scoreboard read a 20-13 score favoring the Magi. That score was not that bad considering how bad the Wildcats play actually was. The ‘Cats knew that they would have to step it up if they wanted any chance in this game; the only way to go was up!
Pittsford would start the second half off with the ball and go on a scoring rant. Just as it seemed that the Wildcats could battle their way back into this epic game the Magi had an answer for every equation that the boys in blue could throw at them. “We could have played a lot better, said sophomore Kyle Wyatt. “Sometimes you just got to keep playing and that is the way the games go sometimes,” continued Wyatt. “We hustled good, and our effort was all right, but we were not very strong with the ball,” said freshman Drew McOscar.
It is true that the Wildcats did not play to the fullest of their abilities Tuesday night versus Colon. “We could have beat them,” said Mr. Hodos. The Pittsford JV Wildcats will not get another shot at redemption against Colon but they will get a shot to go 1-1 and get back on the right track to a successful season when they play against the Camden-Frontier Redskins Friday night.
Christmas songs help get PHS in the holiday spirit
by Brooke Maxson
There are many things during the holiday seasons that most people enjoy. Apart from great food, a long vacation, and the traditional Christmas movies, there are many Christmas songs people listen to every year that gets them in the Christmas spirit.. There is a large variety when it comes to Christmas songs. I found that many people here at Pittsford enjoy Christmas songs, but not all of them enjoy the same type.
One popular category of Christmas songs consists of songs that have originated from cartoons. One example is Frosty the Snowman, which seems to be a favorite here. “Frosty is my idol,” said Brandy Boies. Desirae Swope echoed Brandy’s comment. “My favorite Christmas song is ‘Frosty the Snowman’ because it’s very cheerful and I used to watch the movie when I was younger. It’s full of Christmas spirit,” said Desirae. Some students enjoy Christmas songs, cartoon-related Christmas songs specifically, because it brings them back to their childhood. “My favorite Christmas song is ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ because I sang it with my great-grandma when I was younger,” commented senior Andrea Schaedler with a smile. Some songs that originated from cartoons are now very popular. “I like ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,’ because it’s a classic and it’s cute,” said Sarah Frank automatically. Junior Melissa Mayo chose “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” for her favorite song, which also comes from a popular cartoon about Santa’s childhood. “I like Santa, and it’s a good song,” Melissa said with a laugh.
Some students said they liked the more upbeat type of Christmas song. “’Jingle Bells’ is my favorite because there’s a good beat to it and it makes me feel like a kid again and want to go sledding,” cheerfully stated junior Liz Cole. Another student said they liked a similar song, but because of the singer’s voice. “’Jingle Bell Rock’ because the singer who sings it has a distinct voice,” said junior Brittney Houser. Other students have their own, twisted, little reasons for liking Christmas songs. “’Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer’ because it has great rhythm, and I like songs about people getting run over, especially people getting run over by deer,” laughed Megan Kemmer.
Other people enjoy the more classical Christmas songs like “We Wish you a Merry Christmas,” “The Little Drummer Boy,” and “Joy to the World.” “My favorite Christmas song is ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas,’ because it’s just so pretty and it really does remind us of what it is to be home for the holidays,” sincerely stated Mrs. Wilson. I found that some students don’t really prefer upbeat songs when it comes to Christmas. “I always liked ‘Silent Night.’ It’s more of a calmer song and not a livelier, upbeat song. I just like it a lot,” explained Jason Smith. On the other hand, some people like certain Christmas songs for no particular reason at all. “I guess I’ve always kind of liked ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.’ I don’t really have a reason why though,” said senior Jessica Ruder with a shrug.
Whether or not you enjoy soft, pretty songs, upbeat songs you sometimes feel the need to dance to, or songs that come from cartoons, it’s time to listen to them! Christmas will be over before you know it, and you might find that you haven’t listened to any at all. Listening to Christmas songs is a sure way to get rid of the winter blues and liven up, while getting yourself in the Christmas spirit. After all, Christmas is the happiest time of the year!
There are many things during the holiday seasons that most people enjoy. Apart from great food, a long vacation, and the traditional Christmas movies, there are many Christmas songs people listen to every year that gets them in the Christmas spirit.. There is a large variety when it comes to Christmas songs. I found that many people here at Pittsford enjoy Christmas songs, but not all of them enjoy the same type.
One popular category of Christmas songs consists of songs that have originated from cartoons. One example is Frosty the Snowman, which seems to be a favorite here. “Frosty is my idol,” said Brandy Boies. Desirae Swope echoed Brandy’s comment. “My favorite Christmas song is ‘Frosty the Snowman’ because it’s very cheerful and I used to watch the movie when I was younger. It’s full of Christmas spirit,” said Desirae. Some students enjoy Christmas songs, cartoon-related Christmas songs specifically, because it brings them back to their childhood. “My favorite Christmas song is ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ because I sang it with my great-grandma when I was younger,” commented senior Andrea Schaedler with a smile. Some songs that originated from cartoons are now very popular. “I like ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,’ because it’s a classic and it’s cute,” said Sarah Frank automatically. Junior Melissa Mayo chose “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” for her favorite song, which also comes from a popular cartoon about Santa’s childhood. “I like Santa, and it’s a good song,” Melissa said with a laugh.
Some students said they liked the more upbeat type of Christmas song. “’Jingle Bells’ is my favorite because there’s a good beat to it and it makes me feel like a kid again and want to go sledding,” cheerfully stated junior Liz Cole. Another student said they liked a similar song, but because of the singer’s voice. “’Jingle Bell Rock’ because the singer who sings it has a distinct voice,” said junior Brittney Houser. Other students have their own, twisted, little reasons for liking Christmas songs. “’Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer’ because it has great rhythm, and I like songs about people getting run over, especially people getting run over by deer,” laughed Megan Kemmer.
Other people enjoy the more classical Christmas songs like “We Wish you a Merry Christmas,” “The Little Drummer Boy,” and “Joy to the World.” “My favorite Christmas song is ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas,’ because it’s just so pretty and it really does remind us of what it is to be home for the holidays,” sincerely stated Mrs. Wilson. I found that some students don’t really prefer upbeat songs when it comes to Christmas. “I always liked ‘Silent Night.’ It’s more of a calmer song and not a livelier, upbeat song. I just like it a lot,” explained Jason Smith. On the other hand, some people like certain Christmas songs for no particular reason at all. “I guess I’ve always kind of liked ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.’ I don’t really have a reason why though,” said senior Jessica Ruder with a shrug.
Whether or not you enjoy soft, pretty songs, upbeat songs you sometimes feel the need to dance to, or songs that come from cartoons, it’s time to listen to them! Christmas will be over before you know it, and you might find that you haven’t listened to any at all. Listening to Christmas songs is a sure way to get rid of the winter blues and liven up, while getting yourself in the Christmas spirit. After all, Christmas is the happiest time of the year!
Varsity boys basketball opens season in extraordinary fashion
by Justin Fish
Everybody is looking to start on a high note by winning their first game of the season to prove themselves worthy of a championship or a spot among the elite in the county and Pittsford did just that by beating the Colon Magi, 55-44.
The game took place in Colon so the hardship of winning on the road was even harder considering that the players did not have home-court advantage. That didn’t stop them from executing, though. “I think that we were quite strong in rebounding, and I thought we played solid defense. I also thought that we took care of the ball for the first game,” said Coach Burger. There are some areas that all teams need to improve on. “We definitely need to find that third scorer, and we still need to improve on ball-handling, even though we were good,” commented Mr. Burger. Junior Garet Lee scored an astonishing 28 points and hauled in 14 rebounds. Senior Corey Gamble had 14 points and 7 steals, and junior Seth Weber had 8 assists.
Everybody is looking to start on a high note by winning their first game of the season to prove themselves worthy of a championship or a spot among the elite in the county and Pittsford did just that by beating the Colon Magi, 55-44.
The game took place in Colon so the hardship of winning on the road was even harder considering that the players did not have home-court advantage. That didn’t stop them from executing, though. “I think that we were quite strong in rebounding, and I thought we played solid defense. I also thought that we took care of the ball for the first game,” said Coach Burger. There are some areas that all teams need to improve on. “We definitely need to find that third scorer, and we still need to improve on ball-handling, even though we were good,” commented Mr. Burger. Junior Garet Lee scored an astonishing 28 points and hauled in 14 rebounds. Senior Corey Gamble had 14 points and 7 steals, and junior Seth Weber had 8 assists.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Xbox 360 vs. Wii: a new generation of gaming
By Justin Renigar
When people start looking into buying a new game console they look for the details like durability, quality, reliability, and convenience. I had to go through this process and decide if I wanted an Xbox 360 or the Wii. After doing some research, I found that even though the Wii is newer than the 360, there is no comparison of the two. The 360 is definitely the best choice if you’re a serious gamer. After reading this article you will have a better idea whether the Xbox 360 or the Wii is the best choice for you.
There are many ups and downs with both systems. In the end it all comes down to what you like in your own gaming experience. If you are an online player then you definitely want to buy the 360. For only $50 a year you can play on the most superior online service (Xbox Live) that video games have to offer. “Definitely better graphics,” explained senior Jake Richards. The graphics for the 360 are stellar compared to the Wii with 500 MHz compared to the Wii’s 243 MHz. Almost every new release game that comes out will be available for the 360, whereas fewer games are coming out for the Wii. The Xbox games are also focused toward an older age group because the games get into such detail with gore and other adult content.
If you’re one of the more active people and you think video games are boring because you just sit there and do nothing, then the Wii is for you. As most of you know the Wii controllers (wiimote) are motion sensors and you just don’t just push buttons, you actually move the controller accordingly with the game. When you buy the Wii for $250 you get the system, a wiimote with a nunchuck add on, and Wii sports. What you don’t have to pay for is the online play, which makes sense because the server and the lagging are so bad they should pay you for having to deal with it. On top of that, the Wii really doesn’t have any good games to play online, at least for my taste. Most of the games for the Wii are focused toward a younger age group because Nintendo made it. It’s really just an advanced Nintendo 64.
So to sum it all up, like I said, it’s all about what you like in your gaming experience. I chose the Xbox 360 because the games, graphics, online play, and overall rating is better than the Wii. If you’re tight on cash, like the motion sensor technology and never play online, then the Wii is for you. Just think twice before you go rushing into buying either of these systems.
When people start looking into buying a new game console they look for the details like durability, quality, reliability, and convenience. I had to go through this process and decide if I wanted an Xbox 360 or the Wii. After doing some research, I found that even though the Wii is newer than the 360, there is no comparison of the two. The 360 is definitely the best choice if you’re a serious gamer. After reading this article you will have a better idea whether the Xbox 360 or the Wii is the best choice for you.
There are many ups and downs with both systems. In the end it all comes down to what you like in your own gaming experience. If you are an online player then you definitely want to buy the 360. For only $50 a year you can play on the most superior online service (Xbox Live) that video games have to offer. “Definitely better graphics,” explained senior Jake Richards. The graphics for the 360 are stellar compared to the Wii with 500 MHz compared to the Wii’s 243 MHz. Almost every new release game that comes out will be available for the 360, whereas fewer games are coming out for the Wii. The Xbox games are also focused toward an older age group because the games get into such detail with gore and other adult content.
If you’re one of the more active people and you think video games are boring because you just sit there and do nothing, then the Wii is for you. As most of you know the Wii controllers (wiimote) are motion sensors and you just don’t just push buttons, you actually move the controller accordingly with the game. When you buy the Wii for $250 you get the system, a wiimote with a nunchuck add on, and Wii sports. What you don’t have to pay for is the online play, which makes sense because the server and the lagging are so bad they should pay you for having to deal with it. On top of that, the Wii really doesn’t have any good games to play online, at least for my taste. Most of the games for the Wii are focused toward a younger age group because Nintendo made it. It’s really just an advanced Nintendo 64.
So to sum it all up, like I said, it’s all about what you like in your gaming experience. I chose the Xbox 360 because the games, graphics, online play, and overall rating is better than the Wii. If you’re tight on cash, like the motion sensor technology and never play online, then the Wii is for you. Just think twice before you go rushing into buying either of these systems.
Varsity girls basketball making leaps, still unable to claim victory
by Eva Gucker
Pittsford played traditional non-league rival Reading and stayed close before dropping the game at the end, 60-33. The girls stayed close to Reading in the first quarter, cutting through their full-court press which gave them some scoring opportunities, but when turnovers came later in the second half the girls were unable to bring themselves back up for a win. Rebounding was a struggle through the night. Pittsford was unable to collect rebounds and protect the rebounds they got both on the offensive and defensive end. “We played hard, but they out-rebounded us,” said junior Alexis Cramer. With this some girls still had success on the boards with Marisa Hamilton leading with 10 rebounds, and Katelyn Kipfmiller and Brittney Houser following with 9. Pittsford showed that they have the ability to be a good team for moments of games against a good team. If the girls stay more consistent this will lead them to success in the future.
Although Pittsford ended with a loss, their next game against league rival Waldron was a dramatic turn for them, finishing a close hard-fought game on the wrong end of a 43-34 result. Pittsford knew coming into this game that they must play physically and mentally tough to do well against this opponent. The girls succeeded in this, doing much better possessing rebounds and fighting for the ball then they had earlier in the season. All four quarters, Pittsford stayed within a close distance from Waldron, only trailing by two scores under two minutes remaining. The end of the fourth quarter is when the girls let the margin increase by allowing Waldron easy lay-ups because Pittsford did not get back quick enough on defense. The statistical improvements made by Pittsford were astonishing, cutting their total turnovers by 50% and rebounding the ball very well. Progress was shown in ball control and turnovers throughout the night.
Pittsford played traditional non-league rival Reading and stayed close before dropping the game at the end, 60-33. The girls stayed close to Reading in the first quarter, cutting through their full-court press which gave them some scoring opportunities, but when turnovers came later in the second half the girls were unable to bring themselves back up for a win. Rebounding was a struggle through the night. Pittsford was unable to collect rebounds and protect the rebounds they got both on the offensive and defensive end. “We played hard, but they out-rebounded us,” said junior Alexis Cramer. With this some girls still had success on the boards with Marisa Hamilton leading with 10 rebounds, and Katelyn Kipfmiller and Brittney Houser following with 9. Pittsford showed that they have the ability to be a good team for moments of games against a good team. If the girls stay more consistent this will lead them to success in the future.
Although Pittsford ended with a loss, their next game against league rival Waldron was a dramatic turn for them, finishing a close hard-fought game on the wrong end of a 43-34 result. Pittsford knew coming into this game that they must play physically and mentally tough to do well against this opponent. The girls succeeded in this, doing much better possessing rebounds and fighting for the ball then they had earlier in the season. All four quarters, Pittsford stayed within a close distance from Waldron, only trailing by two scores under two minutes remaining. The end of the fourth quarter is when the girls let the margin increase by allowing Waldron easy lay-ups because Pittsford did not get back quick enough on defense. The statistical improvements made by Pittsford were astonishing, cutting their total turnovers by 50% and rebounding the ball very well. Progress was shown in ball control and turnovers throughout the night.
Seniors stay up all night having fun…and it’s educational
by William Belson
The overnighter was again as worthwhile as it has always been in years past, even if you got hit by the cattle prod. The seniors in Mr. Irelan’s psychology class go through a torturous eight hour experience by working with sleep deprivation and help us understand how our minds work, or how someone reacted to something happening to them, such as being shocked by a cattle prod or the project that they were participating in.
The much-anticipated overnighter was December 5, right after the basketball game and high school dance. Though this is a long-standing tradition with Mr. Irelan and the psych class, it has educational merits. “We want to learn about stimulus response first-hand, how to work with sleep deprivation, and to just have some fun,” explained Mr. Irelan.
Most of the students that attended the overnight experience had a great time. “It was a lot of fun,” said Megan Penix. Quite a few students walked away from this experience a lot smarter than they were before and a bit more tired. One of the students that went was quite amused. “It was hard keeping a logical attitude during funny moments,” such as “watching people freak out from getting zapped by the cattle prod,” said Steven Kuster.
Some students had quite a difficult time with some projects. “(The) brick project was the most challenging,” said Caroline Combs. The brick project was a test of strength to see how long you could hold the bricks with outstretched arms. There were many more projects that night that won’t be discussed so that the experience won’t be ruined for next year’s seniors.
Using objects was a big part of this experience. The students played strobe-light dodgeball, and big ball bounce. Big ball bounce was the challenge between the boys and girls to get a large beach ball into the basketball hoop; the girls and boys had a tied score at the end of the project. Many students’ favorite project was strobe light dodgeball because it tested students’ skills even more than regular dodgeball because strobe lights make trying to dodge dodgeballs even more difficult.
The overnighter was again as worthwhile as it has always been in years past, even if you got hit by the cattle prod. The seniors in Mr. Irelan’s psychology class go through a torturous eight hour experience by working with sleep deprivation and help us understand how our minds work, or how someone reacted to something happening to them, such as being shocked by a cattle prod or the project that they were participating in.
The much-anticipated overnighter was December 5, right after the basketball game and high school dance. Though this is a long-standing tradition with Mr. Irelan and the psych class, it has educational merits. “We want to learn about stimulus response first-hand, how to work with sleep deprivation, and to just have some fun,” explained Mr. Irelan.
Most of the students that attended the overnight experience had a great time. “It was a lot of fun,” said Megan Penix. Quite a few students walked away from this experience a lot smarter than they were before and a bit more tired. One of the students that went was quite amused. “It was hard keeping a logical attitude during funny moments,” such as “watching people freak out from getting zapped by the cattle prod,” said Steven Kuster.
Some students had quite a difficult time with some projects. “(The) brick project was the most challenging,” said Caroline Combs. The brick project was a test of strength to see how long you could hold the bricks with outstretched arms. There were many more projects that night that won’t be discussed so that the experience won’t be ruined for next year’s seniors.
Using objects was a big part of this experience. The students played strobe-light dodgeball, and big ball bounce. Big ball bounce was the challenge between the boys and girls to get a large beach ball into the basketball hoop; the girls and boys had a tied score at the end of the project. Many students’ favorite project was strobe light dodgeball because it tested students’ skills even more than regular dodgeball because strobe lights make trying to dodge dodgeballs even more difficult.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Boys basketball team has high expectations heading into season
by Justin Fish
After losing in overtime in the district final last year, this year’s boys basketball team has high hopes of a successful, exciting season. By means of high expectations the newly formed boy’s basketball team will take those expectations and be the best they can be.
In addition to the returning starters there are a couple of new faces on the team. The senior returnees are Zach Vanlerberg, Clark Pelham, Corey Gamble, and Reggie Waldfogel. The junior returnees are Garet Lee, Seth Weber, and Cody Krasny, while juniors Brad Beach, Tyler Wilson and sophomore Brandon Williams are newcomers to the varsity scene.
Expectations are high this year from last season for them making the district championship last year only to lose in a tough and grueling battle against arch-rivals North Adams-Jerome. “My expectations are to march in and help take us to the district championship like we did last year, help our team on offense and hopefully play some defense so we can score,” said Waldfogel. “What we expect out of this year is unknown at this point since it is so early in the season and we haven’t started a game yet, but our main goal is to improve every practice, every game and work extremely hard,” said Coach Burger.
Every team has their ups and their downs. “Some of our weaknesses are perimeter shooting, our cohesion and our guard play is untested. A couple of our strengths are we are pretty solid on the boards and we have a lot of experience from our previous players,” commented Coach Burger. “I think this year is going to be pretty good for us. I would say that our strengths are teamwork, and working hard. “I think that our only one weakness is that we dribble too much,” said Beach.
New teams have been added to the schedule, but with hard work, determination and the will to win, the boys in blue will go after the Colon Magi on Tuesday, December 9, and look to start the season with a W.
After losing in overtime in the district final last year, this year’s boys basketball team has high hopes of a successful, exciting season. By means of high expectations the newly formed boy’s basketball team will take those expectations and be the best they can be.
In addition to the returning starters there are a couple of new faces on the team. The senior returnees are Zach Vanlerberg, Clark Pelham, Corey Gamble, and Reggie Waldfogel. The junior returnees are Garet Lee, Seth Weber, and Cody Krasny, while juniors Brad Beach, Tyler Wilson and sophomore Brandon Williams are newcomers to the varsity scene.
Expectations are high this year from last season for them making the district championship last year only to lose in a tough and grueling battle against arch-rivals North Adams-Jerome. “My expectations are to march in and help take us to the district championship like we did last year, help our team on offense and hopefully play some defense so we can score,” said Waldfogel. “What we expect out of this year is unknown at this point since it is so early in the season and we haven’t started a game yet, but our main goal is to improve every practice, every game and work extremely hard,” said Coach Burger.
Every team has their ups and their downs. “Some of our weaknesses are perimeter shooting, our cohesion and our guard play is untested. A couple of our strengths are we are pretty solid on the boards and we have a lot of experience from our previous players,” commented Coach Burger. “I think this year is going to be pretty good for us. I would say that our strengths are teamwork, and working hard. “I think that our only one weakness is that we dribble too much,” said Beach.
New teams have been added to the schedule, but with hard work, determination and the will to win, the boys in blue will go after the Colon Magi on Tuesday, December 9, and look to start the season with a W.
Don’t believe every story you hear about Christmas
by Shelby Strang
Did Coca-Cola create the modern image of Santa Claus? Is it actually possible for Santa to deliver to all the children in the world? Were candy canes created to symbolize Jesus? Some of these legends sound weird, but some of them really make you stop and think: is it a myth or is it true?
One claim is that Coca-Cola created the modern image of Santa. No! In fact, the modern image of Santa developed in the 19th century. Santa was portrayed as both large and small; he dressed in furs or cloth suits of red, blue, green, or purple. Santa was an evolutionary creation, which brought about the fusion of two religious personages, which is now the symbol of Christmas celebration. The version of Santa became the dominant image around 1841, when a Philadelphia merchant named J.W. Parkinson hired a man to dress in red suit type clothing and climb the chimney outside his shop. But with all this, in the beginning the Coca-Cola company was still looking for ways to increase sales of their product during the winter, so they turned to a talented commercial illustrator , who created a series of memorable drawings that associated the a figure of Santa Claus.
Another legend is, is it actually possible for Santa to deliver all the presents to all of the children in the world? First, there is no known species of reindeer that can fly. There are two billion children in the world. But if you take out the Muslim, Hindu, the Jewish and Buddhist children, who don’t celebrate this type of Christmas, he is left with 378 million children according to the Population Reference Bureau. Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with. So Santa would have to visit 822.6 houses per second. This means that Santa’s sleigh would have to be moving at 650 miles per second, 3,000 times the speed of sound. If he was traveling this fast, his sleigh would burst into flames almost instantaneously. THAT would not be good.
Another claim is that candy canes were created to symbolize Jesus, their shape represented the letter “J” and their colors stands for the purity and blood of Christ. The status of this claim is false. Candy canes were created in Ohio as a tree ornament, but then later became the best selling candy for Christmas time.
Did Coca-Cola create the modern image of Santa Claus? Is it actually possible for Santa to deliver to all the children in the world? Were candy canes created to symbolize Jesus? Some of these legends sound weird, but some of them really make you stop and think: is it a myth or is it true?
One claim is that Coca-Cola created the modern image of Santa. No! In fact, the modern image of Santa developed in the 19th century. Santa was portrayed as both large and small; he dressed in furs or cloth suits of red, blue, green, or purple. Santa was an evolutionary creation, which brought about the fusion of two religious personages, which is now the symbol of Christmas celebration. The version of Santa became the dominant image around 1841, when a Philadelphia merchant named J.W. Parkinson hired a man to dress in red suit type clothing and climb the chimney outside his shop. But with all this, in the beginning the Coca-Cola company was still looking for ways to increase sales of their product during the winter, so they turned to a talented commercial illustrator , who created a series of memorable drawings that associated the a figure of Santa Claus.
Another legend is, is it actually possible for Santa to deliver all the presents to all of the children in the world? First, there is no known species of reindeer that can fly. There are two billion children in the world. But if you take out the Muslim, Hindu, the Jewish and Buddhist children, who don’t celebrate this type of Christmas, he is left with 378 million children according to the Population Reference Bureau. Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with. So Santa would have to visit 822.6 houses per second. This means that Santa’s sleigh would have to be moving at 650 miles per second, 3,000 times the speed of sound. If he was traveling this fast, his sleigh would burst into flames almost instantaneously. THAT would not be good.
Another claim is that candy canes were created to symbolize Jesus, their shape represented the letter “J” and their colors stands for the purity and blood of Christ. The status of this claim is false. Candy canes were created in Ohio as a tree ornament, but then later became the best selling candy for Christmas time.
Elementary students buy books, celebrate Thanksgiving
by Shelby Strang and Brooke Maxson
Following the high school book fair was the elementary’s first of the year. It was held in the community room on November 24th- 26th, from 8:00a.m. to 3:00p.m. The theme was Safari this year. Despite the economy not doing so well, the book fair managed to make $500 in profit. “I’d love the sales to be better, but we were lucky to get what we have with the tough times with the economy these days,” said a grateful Mrs. Schutte, the elementary librarian. That money will go on to be spent on new books for the elementary library.
According to Mrs. Schutte the biggest turn out this year was the book, The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo which is a story about a mouse who was born too big for his little world. According to the kids, the book fair was very enjoyable. “I liked it, it was fun. I got the three Narnia books,” excitedly said Jesse Clement. “I got this SpongeBob book Fun Is Up! Something That Makes You Laugh. I really like SpongeBob. That’s why I got it,” Maresia Riggs said. There were some other things besides books. Some students thought this was the way to go. “I got a pen that has different colors on it,” cheerfully said Abby Pidd. “I got one of those bottles that has paws on them,” said Katie Rose.
Another thing that is making news in the elementary department is “ The Pilgrim Day,” which was celebrated before our Thanksgiving break on Wednesday. The second graders got to eat a breakfast and say one thing about what they were grateful for before they ate. “For breakfast we ate bananas, oranges, grapes, cereal, and a whole bunch of other fruit for our breakfast,” said Alison Toner. “We had yummy cereal, my favorite!” happily said Hunter Tuckerman. The parents also pitched in and helped cut the meal and serve it to the hungry kids.
The second graders also did other activities. “I got to say my own script and everything. I really liked that,” stated Kennedy Chesney about what she had to recite to the class. They made placemats to use for the food and Mrs. Clark’s class did letters that spelled out “Happy Thanksgiving.” Miss Cunningham ‘s class put on a play about the pilgrims and the Indians, including Mrs. Bradford and John Carter. “It was very good and a lot of the kids liked it,” said Miss Cunningham.
Following the high school book fair was the elementary’s first of the year. It was held in the community room on November 24th- 26th, from 8:00a.m. to 3:00p.m. The theme was Safari this year. Despite the economy not doing so well, the book fair managed to make $500 in profit. “I’d love the sales to be better, but we were lucky to get what we have with the tough times with the economy these days,” said a grateful Mrs. Schutte, the elementary librarian. That money will go on to be spent on new books for the elementary library.
According to Mrs. Schutte the biggest turn out this year was the book, The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo which is a story about a mouse who was born too big for his little world. According to the kids, the book fair was very enjoyable. “I liked it, it was fun. I got the three Narnia books,” excitedly said Jesse Clement. “I got this SpongeBob book Fun Is Up! Something That Makes You Laugh. I really like SpongeBob. That’s why I got it,” Maresia Riggs said. There were some other things besides books. Some students thought this was the way to go. “I got a pen that has different colors on it,” cheerfully said Abby Pidd. “I got one of those bottles that has paws on them,” said Katie Rose.
Another thing that is making news in the elementary department is “ The Pilgrim Day,” which was celebrated before our Thanksgiving break on Wednesday. The second graders got to eat a breakfast and say one thing about what they were grateful for before they ate. “For breakfast we ate bananas, oranges, grapes, cereal, and a whole bunch of other fruit for our breakfast,” said Alison Toner. “We had yummy cereal, my favorite!” happily said Hunter Tuckerman. The parents also pitched in and helped cut the meal and serve it to the hungry kids.
The second graders also did other activities. “I got to say my own script and everything. I really liked that,” stated Kennedy Chesney about what she had to recite to the class. They made placemats to use for the food and Mrs. Clark’s class did letters that spelled out “Happy Thanksgiving.” Miss Cunningham ‘s class put on a play about the pilgrims and the Indians, including Mrs. Bradford and John Carter. “It was very good and a lot of the kids liked it,” said Miss Cunningham.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Ladycats fall to a 0-2 after loss to C-F
by Eva Gucker
Another upsetting loss for the Wildcats leaves them 0-2 after playing Ca
mden-Frontier and losing 73-38 on December 5. The excitement of a Friday night home game against a rival did not boost the girls’ performance from the beginning, with Camden going on a 20-11 run in the first quarter. The ladies cut the lead to five at one point, but made shots by the opponent and costly turnovers by Pittsford made a big deficit early in the game. Even with these problems the girls made improvement in the second half with fewer turnovers and more defensive stops, but this was not enough to catch the Ladycats up. Senior Marisa Hamilton led the team with 17 points. Even with this big loss, the girls made some improvements from their last game in the areas of rebounding and free throw percentage.
mden-Frontier and losing 73-38 on December 5. The excitement of a Friday night home game against a rival did not boost the girls’ performance from the beginning, with Camden going on a 20-11 run in the first quarter. The ladies cut the lead to five at one point, but made shots by the opponent and costly turnovers by Pittsford made a big deficit early in the game. Even with these problems the girls made improvement in the second half with fewer turnovers and more defensive stops, but this was not enough to catch the Ladycats up. Senior Marisa Hamilton led the team with 17 points. Even with this big loss, the girls made some improvements from their last game in the areas of rebounding and free throw percentage.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Coming to school on delays/cancellations a thing of the past thanks to Honeywell System
by Braily Lee
Everyone’s had one of those mornings where you haul yourself out of bed, get around and go outside, stand in freezing weather waiting for the bus, all just to find out that school’s been delayed or canceled! Of course, when you hear the news you’re overjoyed that you get to go back inside and go back to sleep, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a forewarning so you wont have to go through all that? Well now we have a way to do just that through the Honeywell System.
The Honeywell System is an Internet-based program that contains parent and student information. This allows all registered students and faculty to receive a recorded message about the delay or cancellation. It can be set up to call your home phone or cell phone and can even be sent in an email or text. If received in a call, you will hear a recording of Pittsford Area Schools superintendent Mr. Shaw’s voice telling you the news. If you, for any reason, change your phone number, your parents can log online for the instructions on how to proceed with changing that. This system will give the school a way to contact everyone when such needed situations arise. “It is a system that will call all the parents, all the homes and let them know when there’s a delay, school closing, special event that’s happening at school, or when a situation arises at the school during the day,” said Mr. Cook.
The school board, with the help of Jonesville/Reading superintendent Mike Potts, organized a plan to get this system to our district. The cost is two dollars per student (paid for by the school, not the student—this was just an easy way of explaining how much it cost), the payment will last all year, and the phone call is free. Mr. Shaw, PHS principal Mr. Cook, maintenance supervisor Mr. O’Haver, and some of the other faculty members have gone through a training session on how to use the system and how to program the data in. This system will be a huge benefit for the school and students. “It’s a nice inter-communication device for the parents and kids,” said Mr. Shaw. This system will also help the school cut down on the large efforts the school used to have to contact everyone. “ It’s going to cut down on the communication efforts, its one effort that gets to everyone so we’re not constantly fielding the phone calls,” said Mr. Cook
Everyone’s had one of those mornings where you haul yourself out of bed, get around and go outside, stand in freezing weather waiting for the bus, all just to find out that school’s been delayed or canceled! Of course, when you hear the news you’re overjoyed that you get to go back inside and go back to sleep, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a forewarning so you wont have to go through all that? Well now we have a way to do just that through the Honeywell System.
The Honeywell System is an Internet-based program that contains parent and student information. This allows all registered students and faculty to receive a recorded message about the delay or cancellation. It can be set up to call your home phone or cell phone and can even be sent in an email or text. If received in a call, you will hear a recording of Pittsford Area Schools superintendent Mr. Shaw’s voice telling you the news. If you, for any reason, change your phone number, your parents can log online for the instructions on how to proceed with changing that. This system will give the school a way to contact everyone when such needed situations arise. “It is a system that will call all the parents, all the homes and let them know when there’s a delay, school closing, special event that’s happening at school, or when a situation arises at the school during the day,” said Mr. Cook.
The school board, with the help of Jonesville/Reading superintendent Mike Potts, organized a plan to get this system to our district. The cost is two dollars per student (paid for by the school, not the student—this was just an easy way of explaining how much it cost), the payment will last all year, and the phone call is free. Mr. Shaw, PHS principal Mr. Cook, maintenance supervisor Mr. O’Haver, and some of the other faculty members have gone through a training session on how to use the system and how to program the data in. This system will be a huge benefit for the school and students. “It’s a nice inter-communication device for the parents and kids,” said Mr. Shaw. This system will also help the school cut down on the large efforts the school used to have to contact everyone. “ It’s going to cut down on the communication efforts, its one effort that gets to everyone so we’re not constantly fielding the phone calls,” said Mr. Cook
PHS plans winter semi-formal dance
by Chelsie Darrow
Pittsford is finally following tradition that many other schools have, and is hosting a Snow-Ball Dance of their own! Many girls have been anticipating dressing up and getting their hair and nails done for prom, but now they don’t have to wait until spring. With Mr. Hodos advising, Keely Sanders, Katie Fether, and Jade Smith are putting the dance together. They got the idea from a dance that Quincy schools do that is similar. The dance will be on January 24, but you must sign up and pay by December 19.
We have to have at least 30 people signed up in order to even have the dance. As of right now we have 21, so hopefully more of you sign up! The Snow-Ball Dance will go from 7:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. on Friday, January 24. There will be pictures at the dance available for the kids to buy. There will also be food and lots of dancing!
The dance is semi-formal, which means that girls have to wear dresses, and the guys wear khakis/dress pants and a nice shirt, or a suit—no jeans allowed for either gender! Sophomore Ashley Immel is down with this new dance. “Yes! I’m going to the Snow-Ball dance, to spend time with my friends!” Not everyone is so lucky though. “I can’t go because I am grounded,” stated junior Ryan Titus.
So overall, the dance looks to be a good time. If you have any questions about it, ask sophomore Keely Sanders. Get out there and sign up today so we can have the dance! We hope to make this Snow-Ball dance an annual thing if we can keep the ball rolling!
Pittsford is finally following tradition that many other schools have, and is hosting a Snow-Ball Dance of their own! Many girls have been anticipating dressing up and getting their hair and nails done for prom, but now they don’t have to wait until spring. With Mr. Hodos advising, Keely Sanders, Katie Fether, and Jade Smith are putting the dance together. They got the idea from a dance that Quincy schools do that is similar. The dance will be on January 24, but you must sign up and pay by December 19.
We have to have at least 30 people signed up in order to even have the dance. As of right now we have 21, so hopefully more of you sign up! The Snow-Ball Dance will go from 7:30 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. on Friday, January 24. There will be pictures at the dance available for the kids to buy. There will also be food and lots of dancing!
The dance is semi-formal, which means that girls have to wear dresses, and the guys wear khakis/dress pants and a nice shirt, or a suit—no jeans allowed for either gender! Sophomore Ashley Immel is down with this new dance. “Yes! I’m going to the Snow-Ball dance, to spend time with my friends!” Not everyone is so lucky though. “I can’t go because I am grounded,” stated junior Ryan Titus.
So overall, the dance looks to be a good time. If you have any questions about it, ask sophomore Keely Sanders. Get out there and sign up today so we can have the dance! We hope to make this Snow-Ball dance an annual thing if we can keep the ball rolling!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
NHS collecting Toys For Tots for the holiday season
by Brooke Maxson
During the holiday season, there are many ways to contribute by using a little bit of your money that many other families really don't have. You're in luck if you're in the giving spirit because this year, the National Honor Society, an academic and community service organization, will be collecting Toys for Tots from December 4th-10th.
There are numerous reasons you should at least try to contribute, including the fact that it gives the NHS something good to do for other people, which is what we're all about. It also takes little time and little money, while you might be making a big difference in some kid's happiness during Christmas. "The toys are for kids in our area, whose families are a little bit down on their luck right now. It's so everyone can celebrate Christmas. It's not the kid's fault that the economy stinks right now," truthfully stated Trish Weaver, the NHS advisor.
All you have to do is buy some sort of toy in any shape or form and deliver it to Mrs. Weaver's room at some point in the day. The best time would be before or after school, or at lunch. Toys for Tots isn't only for tots though. "We have older kids that need stuff, because a lot of times when you think of Toys for Tots, you think of little kids, but we're not just going to give a family little kids stuff and not give to the older kids," commented Mrs. Weaver. Therefore, anything other than toys that would fit the needs of older kids, such as clothes, would be much appreciated. The NHS members will even be delivering the toys themselves to the recipients.
We also ask for a little parent/teacher participation. "As the year goes on, if students ask for items for food pantries or if they have to leave class a little early to help with a community service project, that would be great if they were allowed," said an appreciative Mrs. Weaver.
Any possible way you, as the students and teachers of PHS, and as members of the community, could help us out, we would be grateful for. Just remember, it's for a really good cause and it will be appreciated by Mrs. Weaver, the NHS members, and the children in our community who will receive the toys.
During the holiday season, there are many ways to contribute by using a little bit of your money that many other families really don't have. You're in luck if you're in the giving spirit because this year, the National Honor Society, an academic and community service organization, will be collecting Toys for Tots from December 4th-10th.
There are numerous reasons you should at least try to contribute, including the fact that it gives the NHS something good to do for other people, which is what we're all about. It also takes little time and little money, while you might be making a big difference in some kid's happiness during Christmas. "The toys are for kids in our area, whose families are a little bit down on their luck right now. It's so everyone can celebrate Christmas. It's not the kid's fault that the economy stinks right now," truthfully stated Trish Weaver, the NHS advisor.
All you have to do is buy some sort of toy in any shape or form and deliver it to Mrs. Weaver's room at some point in the day. The best time would be before or after school, or at lunch. Toys for Tots isn't only for tots though. "We have older kids that need stuff, because a lot of times when you think of Toys for Tots, you think of little kids, but we're not just going to give a family little kids stuff and not give to the older kids," commented Mrs. Weaver. Therefore, anything other than toys that would fit the needs of older kids, such as clothes, would be much appreciated. The NHS members will even be delivering the toys themselves to the recipients.
We also ask for a little parent/teacher participation. "As the year goes on, if students ask for items for food pantries or if they have to leave class a little early to help with a community service project, that would be great if they were allowed," said an appreciative Mrs. Weaver.
Any possible way you, as the students and teachers of PHS, and as members of the community, could help us out, we would be grateful for. Just remember, it's for a really good cause and it will be appreciated by Mrs. Weaver, the NHS members, and the children in our community who will receive the toys.
Varsity girls basketball drops opener in disappointing fashion
by Eva Gucker
The Pittsford girls varsity basketball team started out their season poorly with a big 51-19 loss to the defending SCAA league champion Jackson Christian Royals. From the beginning of the game the girls had troubles with missed shots and turnovers, and they ended the fir
st quarter behind by a 20-0 score. Although the lead increased by the end of the game, the team’s play did pick up in later quarters. Execution of the offense improved and allowed some scoring opportunities. “We didn’t finish our plays, but there were opportunities there,” said junior Ashley Buckner. The girls also made big improvements when working through JC’s full-court press and half-court traps. Even though the margin was lopsided, the girls have positives to take from the game and know that they were effective in some key areas; they just need to finish plays.
The Pittsford girls varsity basketball team started out their season poorly with a big 51-19 loss to the defending SCAA league champion Jackson Christian Royals. From the beginning of the game the girls had troubles with missed shots and turnovers, and they ended the fir
st quarter behind by a 20-0 score. Although the lead increased by the end of the game, the team’s play did pick up in later quarters. Execution of the offense improved and allowed some scoring opportunities. “We didn’t finish our plays, but there were opportunities there,” said junior Ashley Buckner. The girls also made big improvements when working through JC’s full-court press and half-court traps. Even though the margin was lopsided, the girls have positives to take from the game and know that they were effective in some key areas; they just need to finish plays.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Pittsford students and staff outsmart and ultimately bag big bucks
by Chelsie Darrow and Braily Lee
This year’s deer season has started and ended slowly for many deer hunters here at Pittsford. Many students were disappointed that the yearly beginning of the season skip day could not take place because opening day was on a Saturday. In any case, many of the insane hunters braved the freezing weather on the opening Saturday only to return … buck-less. Some did succeed in taking down that beloved buck, though, even if it wasn’t the 30-pointer of their dreams.
PHS teacher and coach Mr. Burger set out on Mr. Clements property with his bow to take down his 9-point, 200-pound buck. He grunted once and the deer emerged from the woods only to find himself face to face with an arrow. The trek to retrieve his deer took
him through the woods and across a cornfield. It took a second shot to take down his deer, but he still succeeded.
Senior Adam Anspaugh took down his prize buck on November 30. The eight-point was an easy victory when Anspaugh shot his deer in the heart. Danielle Seabolt was another lucky hunter who took down her prize buck. The 6 point was taken down on her property right behind her house.
Our youngest hunter was Richie Coburn who shot a 5 point. He was in a double tree stand with his dad when the buck emerged from the brush. There was an intense stare-down where he thought it was all over, but the buck continued around the tree where he shot it at around a 10-yard distance.
This hunting season was hard for Mr. O’Haver because of his hurt leg. So his wife helped to transport him to and from his deer stand. Regardless of the difficulty, he shot a 160-pound, 8-point buck on opening night at around five o’clock.
This year’s deer season has started and ended slowly for many deer hunters here at Pittsford. Many students were disappointed that the yearly beginning of the season skip day could not take place because opening day was on a Saturday. In any case, many of the insane hunters braved the freezing weather on the opening Saturday only to return … buck-less. Some did succeed in taking down that beloved buck, though, even if it wasn’t the 30-pointer of their dreams.
PHS teacher and coach Mr. Burger set out on Mr. Clements property with his bow to take down his 9-point, 200-pound buck. He grunted once and the deer emerged from the woods only to find himself face to face with an arrow. The trek to retrieve his deer took
him through the woods and across a cornfield. It took a second shot to take down his deer, but he still succeeded.Senior Adam Anspaugh took down his prize buck on November 30. The eight-point was an easy victory when Anspaugh shot his deer in the heart. Danielle Seabolt was another lucky hunter who took down her prize buck. The 6 point was taken down on her property right behind her house.
Our youngest hunter was Richie Coburn who shot a 5 point. He was in a double tree stand with his dad when the buck emerged from the brush. There was an intense stare-down where he thought it was all over, but the buck continued around the tree where he shot it at around a 10-yard distance.
This hunting season was hard for Mr. O’Haver because of his hurt leg. So his wife helped to transport him to and from his deer stand. Regardless of the difficulty, he shot a 160-pound, 8-point buck on opening night at around five o’clock.
PHS students and staff continue traditions for holidays
by Tommy Verdon
Every year around this time families get together to celebrate the holidays together, whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas. Many families usually have their traditions that they celebrate around this time of year.
Junior Chase Stratton and his family their tradition on Christmas Eve. “We have always gone to my grandma’s,” said Chase. For as long as he can remember the family has been gathering at his grandma’s. “Ever since I can remember we have gone to my grandmas. We have probably gone there ever since I was young and maybe even before I was born,” explained Chase. This can be a good way to get to finally talk to your relatives that you maybe haven’t seen for months. “We do it to get the family together and exchange our gifts,” said Chase. Receiving gifts is always a plus, especially when you get them at no cost to you. “I like getting all the presents because it’s cool getting free gifts,” exclaimed Chase.
Senior Andrea Schadler also has her share of family traditions as she travels to her grandma’s house on Thanksgiving. This is the time when the family usually gathers around to talk to all of the missed loved ones, and is one part that she really loves. “Getting to see my family because I don’t see them that much,” is part of Andrea’s favorite moments. This family tradition has been going on for a long time. “Well, I’m 18, and they were doing it before I was born, so it has been a very long time,” explained Andrea.
The librarian here at PHS, Mrs. Marowelli, loves to see family during Thanksgiving. “We get together at my daughter’s house for Thanksgiving,” explained Mrs. Marowelli. Being with her family is a big part of the holidays for Mrs. Marowelli. “Having my family together is very nice,” she said. It has been a long time since this tradition has been broken. “We met with my family when I was a little girl, so we have continued the tradition,” explained Mrs. Marowelli.
Mrs. Barrett has a pretty interesting tradition that her family celebrates. “We pick a different country for Christmas, and we cook that certain country’s food,” explained Mrs. Barrett. This can lead to a trial-and-error process, but a learning one for all involved. “We experiment with different foods and introduce our kids to new foods,” said Mrs. Barrett.
Elementary student Rusty Kiplinger has a very unique tradition that he and his family celebrate on Christmas Eve. “I fight with my sisters over the Christmas presents,” explained Rusty. The best part about this fighting is all the presents that you can win. “I like getting all the presents from my sisters,” said Rusty. The tradition has continued strong for many years. “We have done this all my life,” replied Rusty.
Every year around this time families get together to celebrate the holidays together, whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas. Many families usually have their traditions that they celebrate around this time of year.
Junior Chase Stratton and his family their tradition on Christmas Eve. “We have always gone to my grandma’s,” said Chase. For as long as he can remember the family has been gathering at his grandma’s. “Ever since I can remember we have gone to my grandmas. We have probably gone there ever since I was young and maybe even before I was born,” explained Chase. This can be a good way to get to finally talk to your relatives that you maybe haven’t seen for months. “We do it to get the family together and exchange our gifts,” said Chase. Receiving gifts is always a plus, especially when you get them at no cost to you. “I like getting all the presents because it’s cool getting free gifts,” exclaimed Chase.
Senior Andrea Schadler also has her share of family traditions as she travels to her grandma’s house on Thanksgiving. This is the time when the family usually gathers around to talk to all of the missed loved ones, and is one part that she really loves. “Getting to see my family because I don’t see them that much,” is part of Andrea’s favorite moments. This family tradition has been going on for a long time. “Well, I’m 18, and they were doing it before I was born, so it has been a very long time,” explained Andrea.
The librarian here at PHS, Mrs. Marowelli, loves to see family during Thanksgiving. “We get together at my daughter’s house for Thanksgiving,” explained Mrs. Marowelli. Being with her family is a big part of the holidays for Mrs. Marowelli. “Having my family together is very nice,” she said. It has been a long time since this tradition has been broken. “We met with my family when I was a little girl, so we have continued the tradition,” explained Mrs. Marowelli.
Mrs. Barrett has a pretty interesting tradition that her family celebrates. “We pick a different country for Christmas, and we cook that certain country’s food,” explained Mrs. Barrett. This can lead to a trial-and-error process, but a learning one for all involved. “We experiment with different foods and introduce our kids to new foods,” said Mrs. Barrett.
Elementary student Rusty Kiplinger has a very unique tradition that he and his family celebrate on Christmas Eve. “I fight with my sisters over the Christmas presents,” explained Rusty. The best part about this fighting is all the presents that you can win. “I like getting all the presents from my sisters,” said Rusty. The tradition has continued strong for many years. “We have done this all my life,” replied Rusty.
Monday, December 1, 2008
PHS students hoping to be on “nice” list and get delivery from Santa
by Emily Hines
Giving and receiving is a common thing around Christmas time. Some enjoy giving more than receiving and for some, it’s just the opposite. We all have Christmas wants and wishes. People who are a fan of receiving make sure they make their Christmas wishes known to everyone they know. Some people start making their Christmas wish list as soon as December 1st arrives and for some they continue to make theirs all year round. Some lists are long and some are short but all lists contain the very thing we believe would make our Christmas the very best day of the year.
Students here at PHS have been making their Christmas lists long and short. Junior Corale Zimmer has been making sure her list contains everything she wants. “I want Celine Dion concert tickets because they’re amazing and I love Celine Dion,” said Coralee. Another big Christmas wish is an iPod; several students have put this item on their list. “I want a new iPod nano because mine is a little shuffle and my mom said that she would get me one if I was really good this year and so far I have been,” shared freshman Amber Helton. “I want an iPod because they’re really cool to listen to and my sister broke my old one,” explained 6th grader Regean Bump.
Getting a car for Christmas is also a popular response for what some people want this Christmas. “I want a new car because I just got my license,” said sophomore Ashley Betzer. A few others echoed her comment. “I want a car so I don’t have to pay for it for my birthday,” explained sophomore Jade Smith. Senior Clark Pelham also has a new car on his Christmas list. “I want a new car because my old one (stinks),” Clark shared. Senior Maggie Chisholm is also wishing to see a new car on Christmas day. “I want a new car because I don’t have one yet,” said Maggie.
There are many of other items PHS students are hoping to see under their Christmas tree on Christmas morning. Sophomore Jackie Paige decided that she wants something a bit different than other kids might want. “I want a white baby grand piano because they’re pretty,” said Jackie. “I want an electric guitar because I want to learn how to play that kind of music because I really like that kind of music,” explained sophomore Heather Mason. “I just got a new bedroom so I want like a new flat-screen TV for my bedroom,” explained sophomore Abbie Brackman.
Some items or wishes may be quite different than the regular Christmas gift. “I want a pony because I want a pony,” commented junior Zac Broughman. “I want to see Santa because I never got to see him on my rooftop and I want him to eat my cookies too,” shared senior Zac Vanlerberg. “I want to get the WiiFit so I don’t look like Santa Claus,” explained Mr. Irelan.
Some people aren’t wishing for Christmas gifts for themselves. Some people are thinking of others this holiday. “I don’t really want anything for Christmas because I feel bad for people who can’t have Christmas and it makes me sad when I open my presents,” shared sophomore Morgan McFaul.
Even though we all have our Christmas wish lists, Christmas has more of a meaning than just receiving presents. In the midst of all the Christmas spirit of receiving gifts, make sure to do your share of giving gifts. By giving to others you can create happiness within them and make their holiday the best day of the year, too.
Giving and receiving is a common thing around Christmas time. Some enjoy giving more than receiving and for some, it’s just the opposite. We all have Christmas wants and wishes. People who are a fan of receiving make sure they make their Christmas wishes known to everyone they know. Some people start making their Christmas wish list as soon as December 1st arrives and for some they continue to make theirs all year round. Some lists are long and some are short but all lists contain the very thing we believe would make our Christmas the very best day of the year.
Students here at PHS have been making their Christmas lists long and short. Junior Corale Zimmer has been making sure her list contains everything she wants. “I want Celine Dion concert tickets because they’re amazing and I love Celine Dion,” said Coralee. Another big Christmas wish is an iPod; several students have put this item on their list. “I want a new iPod nano because mine is a little shuffle and my mom said that she would get me one if I was really good this year and so far I have been,” shared freshman Amber Helton. “I want an iPod because they’re really cool to listen to and my sister broke my old one,” explained 6th grader Regean Bump.
Getting a car for Christmas is also a popular response for what some people want this Christmas. “I want a new car because I just got my license,” said sophomore Ashley Betzer. A few others echoed her comment. “I want a car so I don’t have to pay for it for my birthday,” explained sophomore Jade Smith. Senior Clark Pelham also has a new car on his Christmas list. “I want a new car because my old one (stinks),” Clark shared. Senior Maggie Chisholm is also wishing to see a new car on Christmas day. “I want a new car because I don’t have one yet,” said Maggie.
There are many of other items PHS students are hoping to see under their Christmas tree on Christmas morning. Sophomore Jackie Paige decided that she wants something a bit different than other kids might want. “I want a white baby grand piano because they’re pretty,” said Jackie. “I want an electric guitar because I want to learn how to play that kind of music because I really like that kind of music,” explained sophomore Heather Mason. “I just got a new bedroom so I want like a new flat-screen TV for my bedroom,” explained sophomore Abbie Brackman.
Some items or wishes may be quite different than the regular Christmas gift. “I want a pony because I want a pony,” commented junior Zac Broughman. “I want to see Santa because I never got to see him on my rooftop and I want him to eat my cookies too,” shared senior Zac Vanlerberg. “I want to get the WiiFit so I don’t look like Santa Claus,” explained Mr. Irelan.
Some people aren’t wishing for Christmas gifts for themselves. Some people are thinking of others this holiday. “I don’t really want anything for Christmas because I feel bad for people who can’t have Christmas and it makes me sad when I open my presents,” shared sophomore Morgan McFaul.
Even though we all have our Christmas wish lists, Christmas has more of a meaning than just receiving presents. In the midst of all the Christmas spirit of receiving gifts, make sure to do your share of giving gifts. By giving to others you can create happiness within them and make their holiday the best day of the year, too.
JV boys basketball preview—‘Cats looking to shoot their way to league title
by Dillon Cooper
The old transition from football to basketball is an age-old story, something that we can rely on happening every year. From the grass to the hardwood, it always feels just different changing sports, but once when you start dribbling, shooting, and passing, how to play the came all comes back to you.
This season there had been a larger then expected turn out for the basketball team as fifteen tried out and eleven made the cut. “We aren’t that big, but I plan on us out-hustling everyone,” said head coach Mr. Hodos. “I think we are very quick,” said freshman Elliot Krasny. “I have been getting in the weight room because I need it,” added Krasny. One of Mr. Burger’s and Mr. Hodos’s goals is to get everyone stronger by having every basketball player get into the weight room three times a week in a very effective schedule. “If you don’t get stronger by this workout then you’re just simply not doing it,” said varsity head coach Mr. Burger.
There is a nice blend of sophomores and freshman, starters and newcomers, “We have four returning players from last year. We lost one player (Brandon Williams) to the varsity, but that is where he belongs,” added Mr. Hodos. “I’m definitely looking forward to the North-Adams game. They got us twice last year,” expressed Mr. Hodos. “I am really looking forward to the Jackson Christian game,” stated sophomore Austin Billington. It had seemed like every player on the team (who played last year) thought we improved greatly and are currently a great shooting bunch. “We have improved a lot in shooting from last season,” added Billington. “We have great shooters on the team,” said sophomore Robby Wheeler. “We have a few tall guys and that will help us even though we don’t have that much size,” said Krasny. The Wildcats are not that tall, but they also have a lot of skill though and depth.
This year’s JV basketball team consists of four returnees and seven newcomers. The four returnees are Billington, Kyle Wyatt, Wheeler and Dillon Cooper. There are seven new comers: sophomore Levi Natzke, and freshmen Blake Toner, Drew McOscar, Michael May, Krasny, Jordan Castle, and Cyle Brown.
No matter how good the final tally in the win column is, one thing is clear, this team will not give up and by the end of the year, through improvements and more experience, this team will be a wrecking ball known as the Pittsford Wildcats!
The old transition from football to basketball is an age-old story, something that we can rely on happening every year. From the grass to the hardwood, it always feels just different changing sports, but once when you start dribbling, shooting, and passing, how to play the came all comes back to you.
This season there had been a larger then expected turn out for the basketball team as fifteen tried out and eleven made the cut. “We aren’t that big, but I plan on us out-hustling everyone,” said head coach Mr. Hodos. “I think we are very quick,” said freshman Elliot Krasny. “I have been getting in the weight room because I need it,” added Krasny. One of Mr. Burger’s and Mr. Hodos’s goals is to get everyone stronger by having every basketball player get into the weight room three times a week in a very effective schedule. “If you don’t get stronger by this workout then you’re just simply not doing it,” said varsity head coach Mr. Burger.
There is a nice blend of sophomores and freshman, starters and newcomers, “We have four returning players from last year. We lost one player (Brandon Williams) to the varsity, but that is where he belongs,” added Mr. Hodos. “I’m definitely looking forward to the North-Adams game. They got us twice last year,” expressed Mr. Hodos. “I am really looking forward to the Jackson Christian game,” stated sophomore Austin Billington. It had seemed like every player on the team (who played last year) thought we improved greatly and are currently a great shooting bunch. “We have improved a lot in shooting from last season,” added Billington. “We have great shooters on the team,” said sophomore Robby Wheeler. “We have a few tall guys and that will help us even though we don’t have that much size,” said Krasny. The Wildcats are not that tall, but they also have a lot of skill though and depth.
This year’s JV basketball team consists of four returnees and seven newcomers. The four returnees are Billington, Kyle Wyatt, Wheeler and Dillon Cooper. There are seven new comers: sophomore Levi Natzke, and freshmen Blake Toner, Drew McOscar, Michael May, Krasny, Jordan Castle, and Cyle Brown.
No matter how good the final tally in the win column is, one thing is clear, this team will not give up and by the end of the year, through improvements and more experience, this team will be a wrecking ball known as the Pittsford Wildcats!
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