Jan. 20, 2017, is an important date,and it is approaching quickly. It will be thestart of a new era in the United States.President-elect Donald J.Trump will becomePresident at noon of that day.

Leading up to the inauguration, thecurrent president, Barack Obama, will give afarewell speech. Rather than making thisspeech inWashington, D.C., Obama plans todo this in his hometown of Chicago, IL, withsome saying that this is symbolic of himreturning to the place he began his politicalcareer as a U.S. senator.

He will likely highlight successesduring his tenure by mentioning importantmilestones such as becoming the firstAfrican-American President, dealing withforeign affairs, ending wars, involvements,and deployments in other countries,legalizing same-sex marriage nationally, andencouraging the nation when there whereunfortunate events.

This January that will all come to anend. Part of President-elect Trump'stransition into the office of president will bethe appointment of his advisors for high-profile cabinet and advising posts. Amongindividuals being considered, in addition totheir position, are Rex W. Tillerson,Secretary of State; Jeff Sessions, AttorneyGeneral; Elaine L. Chao, TransportationSecretary; James N. Mattis, Defense

Secretary; Ben Carson, Secretary of Housingand Urban Development; Mike Pompeo,C.I.A. Director; Betsy DeVos, EducationSecretary; Wilbur Ross, CommerceSecretary.

It will be President Obama’s finalhours of an honorable Presidency.

This January that will all come to anend.Trump will state the oath, “I do solemnlyswear that I will faithfully execute the officeof President of the United States, and will tothe best of my ability, preserve, protect anddefend the Constitution of the United States."

Before all this, the President-electusually attends a morning worship service ata church of his choice. The President-electand sitting President usually show up to theservices of Inauguration Day together. As asign of unity, that is important for the citizensof the United States to see and recognize.

After Trump takes the oath of office,he will give his Inaugural Address, whichusually is a chance for new Presidents to statetheir policies and provide some insight forthe future. After the ceremony, the new andold President will leave together and attend alunch in Sanctuary Hall. This usually occursslightly before the Inaugural Parade.

After everything is settled, the eveningof Inauguration Day shows a visualrepresentation of hope and happiness. Theinauguration ball takes place, where the newPresident dances and celebrates hisupcoming Presidency. Then after the rest willbe history.

Cougar Chit-ChatJanuary 2017

Hazleton Area High School

1601 W. 23rd. St., Hazle Township

Volume 7 Issue 3

Trump-ing Inauguration 2017byDaniel Werkeiser

Photo Courtesy of Google Images 2016

President-elect Donald J. Trump presents a speech during the campaign.

Photo by Taylor Sharp

Some of the most popular social media logos are depicted in this photoclockwise: Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and Facebook.

Media MattersSocial networking has taken over

today’s culture by storm. Students havepointed out that social media is great for manythings, but it can also be very distracting. Ifyou are like most people, you use at least onesocial media network, but some studentsdisagree on whether it is a good or bad thing.

Students that have access to theinternet, believe that social media helps themlearn and discuss educational topics.

Hannah Matarella says, “Social mediahas helped me better understand politics andwhat was going on in our country.”

Social networking sites spreadinformation faster than and other media. Thisis how most people learn about breaking

news. Social media has many other pros likekeeping in touch with friends and family. Formany seniors social media is also a way foryou to meet a potential roommate for yournext year of college.

Even though there are many pros ofsocial media, Students believe there are a fewcons. Social media causes people to spendless time interacting face to face. People willhave their heads in their phones and not payattention to anything that’s going on aroundthem.

Nathan Mckeown says, “Social mediamay distract you from what is actuallyimportant.”

John Cibulish also states that, “Socialmedia can be used to bully or hurt someonesfeelings.”

by Taylor Sharp

Sometimes you don't know how goodyou have it. The Hazleton Area High Schoolis filled with students who have their needsmet by supportive families. But, what about

those kids who don't have that? Right here inthe Greater HazletonArea, dozens of kids gowithout the basic necessities of life--food,shelter, personal items, love.

Many people do not know much aboutBrandon’s Forever Home or realize the storybehind it. Most assume it is an adoptionagency, but it is much more that.

Brandon's Forever Home, located onNorth Church Street in Hazleton, is a fostercare home for kids that need love in their life.Items can be donated to help out the kidsbecause every month the adults who operatethe home are in need of food, clothes, shelterand activity options, toiletries and personalproducts, but most importantly love.

A little boy name Brandon tragicallypassed away while in a foster home. To honorBrandon, who is the namesake of the facility,and all those who have suffered while in thefoster care system, this refuge was founded.

Brandon’s Forever Home wasfounded. This foundation was formed byState. Rep. Tarah Toohil andAttorney LorineAngelo Ogurkis. They decided to form thisorganization to help kids that are need.The kids in this home vary in ages, from

infants to young adults. Many of kids in thisprogram either live with their families or livein Brandon’s Forever Home.

Sometimes the kids all gather togetherin Brandon’s Forever Home to have fun andplay with the other kids or gather together toeat dinner. This amazing place is located on187 North Church Street.

Brandon’s forever home also has awebsite you could go on to see what you cando or what you could donate to the kids. Thewebsite is www.brandonsforeverhome.com

Every month Brandon’s Forever Homedoes a fundraiser to help the kids that needhelp. The one thing that Brandon’s ForeverHome does not ask for is money. Everythingthat is given to the kids are donations fromgenerous people.

by Nancy Cruz

Forever Homefor Kids

A new semester, much like a new year,brings about many different emotions. Stu-dents, teachers, and administrators are busy,busy, busy as well with final projects, exams,scheduling, athletic events, and extra curricu-lars. Then, add in afterschool obligations fromfamily to another job. Winter travel can fac-tor in making getting places difficult. Yet, asthe days get longer and nightfall comingcloser to six in February, there is light at theend of the tunnel...

For high school students with blockscheduling, as HAHS has, a new school yearbegins on Jan. 25. Brand-spanking newschedules are distributed in first period se-mester 1 classes. Students then are off to Se-mester 2--Period 1. Here goes...

Some students (and perhaps teachers)find themselves ending that day nostalgic forwhat they had. Teachers, courses, and stu-dents are missed. This may take some gettingused to...and, perhaps, a scheduling change.Guidance counselors, get ready, in addition tofinalizing Keystone makeups, you may beseeing more students for the next few days.

Don't worry though. HAHS studentsare smart and have much to say on the topic oftransitioning to the second half of the schoolyear. Here are some of the best quotes:

"Half-way done toward graduation,"--Nancy Cruz.

"Hey, I'm bored. Oh yeah, what's thecalc homework,"--Josh Capriotti.

"Hopefully I'm not late tomorrow,"--Frank Mussoline.

"You either pass of fail. There is nosuch thing as either passing or either failing,"--Dan Werkeiser.

"Wake up, go to school, do it again,"--

Andrew Whitesall."Starting the second semester on time;

January 25...LATE,"--Endy Santos."Miss, I wasn't looping...this time.

Fundraising machine,"--Raul Geronimo."Hearing my name called at graduation

will be worth the 4 years of hard work in highschool,"--Gia Sloane.

Before you know it, it will be warmoutside, spring sports' will be practicing, theEaster holiday will be here, and prom/gradu-ation will be the hot topics. So, Cougars, beready!

Photo By Endy Santos

Nathan Mckeown (left) and Daniel Werkeiser (right) wore black onOct. 28, for the black out football game.

Photo By Endy Santos

Yareliz Nunez was one of the several students interviewed in the HAHS.

Photo By Endy Santos

Nancy Cruz was also another student that's was interviewed for this arti-cle.

Words of Wisdomby Kyle Smith

Is there such thing as a per-fect student? Many people wonderwhat a perfect student might be andwhat would make a perfect student.The answer to this that studentshould have many different charac-teristics. Many teachers wish tohave perfect students meaning re-sponsible and respectful students.

One feature that a perfect stu-dent should have is being on time.High School students struggle withthis basic responsibility. This harmsthem since they miss out on theireducation which transfers into themnot reaching their fullest potentialwhich affects their grades.

A second feature that wouldmake a perfect student would befollowing the dress code. This isroughly something many studentsdo not follow which affects themby getting in ISS (IN School Sus-pension).

Another feature that wouldmake a perfect student would be arespectful student, yet many stu-dents lack basic respect. For exam-ple, a student should not talk backto teachers who are just trying toeducate them.Also, students shouldrespect every single one of theirclass mates because it can start un-necessary actions.

So, students take notes andstart trying to be the most perfectindividuals as you can be. These areonly some of the features a perfectstudent should have but there aremany more. Work to achieve thesecharacteristics, and you will be thatmuch closer to HazletonArea HighSchool’s perfect student.

by Endy Santos

FlawlessStudents

Student LifeCougar Chit-Chat

2Volume 7 Issue 3

Several students from the Hazleton Area HighSchool were asked a very important question: If you hadthe power to change anything about the school, whatwould be your number one change, and why? Many stu-dents gave worthy responses that the Hazleton AreaSchool District should perhaps take into consideration.

Daniel Werkeiser said, “I would either make thebuilding bigger or move the high school to a bigger build-ing, so it’s not as populated, and crowded. It would makesmaller classes and more one-on-one with teachers andstudents.Also it would provide more jobs in the HazletonArea school district with teachers, and maintenance.”

Some teachers even believe that the classes mightjust be too crowed and should have a maximum numbersuch as about 25 students per class.

Several students believe that school starts too earlyin the morning.

Nathan Mckeown said, “I would change the schoolhours to start at 9:30 a.m., and still end at 2:30 p.m. Thiswould keep students more attentive and still keep thesports after school at a decent time. Most likely gradeswill go up for students, even though the times for classwould be shortened.”

In the United States, 43% of public high schoolstarts before 8:00 a.m.; however, students who are tiredcan’t learn at their best, plus lack of sleep impedes learn-ing and memory. On the other hand, if school was to startlater, students might just be more alert, less moody, andless likely to sleep in class.

Students such as Yareliz Nunez would just likemore opportunities in classes they wish to have.

Yareliz said, “My number one change would be tohave a bigger variety of classes we can choose from be-cause I guarantee you at least half of the school’s studentshave a class they wish to take or learn more about. Alsoit would be a good chance to have more classes that countas college credits.”

Here are some other honorable mentions.Samantha Wersinger said, “My number one change

would be change the dress code because students shouldbe allowed to be comfortable and wear the outfit they de-sire to some level of course for example jeans.”

Another worthy change would be, as Nancy Cruzsaid, “I would change the school food because some stu-dents don’t like the food that’s being served. They shouldbe able to order food from outside the school or at leasechange the recipes and ask student what they like to eat.

And finally, as Janessa said, “For my number onechange, I would want the HAA+H (HazletonAreaArts +Humanities Academy) to have its own space/building.”

Well folks these are the number one changes stu-dents from the Hazleton Area High School would makeif they had the power to change anything about theschool. Perhaps the HazletonArea School District shouldstart coming up with ideas to achieve some of these mag-nificent thoughts from the HAHS students.

HAHS Student's Considerationby Endy Santos

For teens and average adults, spending sometime on the Internet and social media is not uncom-mon. But, is it doing people more harm than good?

Social media has made a huge impact on self-esteem and body image. Celebrities, models and otherbig name people post pictures of these picture perfectbodies not realizing how they are perceived. Seeingsomeone as “perfect” and realizing normal bodiesaren’t the same gives a skewed impression of whatbodies should look like. It can be damaging to self-esteem.

Carson Kinney, an HAHS senior, said,

“Social media and society has a negative effect onbody image because you see all the models and theirnice bodies and you try to compare yourself to them.”

People get positive attention by losing weightbut get negative attention when they gain it or they’renot a size 2 and comfortable in their bodies.

Students such as Hope Kinney and Cody Tal-larico said If they gain weight they wouldn’t look atthemselves the same way because Hope is“Trying to lose weight,” and Cody "was bigger

when he was little and thinking about going back tothat would upset me.”

Many bigger teen stars are criticized onlineabout their weight. The hurtful comments get viewedby many young girls; these young girls are still grow-ing and learning to understand life. Many of thesegirls begin to view themselves differently and take

negative consequences and starve themselves and ex-treme diet.

Low self-esteem makes it easier to let com-ments and pictures affect the way you view yourself.People care more about what others think rather thanbeing happy with yourself and loving yourself.

Lupita Gonzalez said, “Girls are affected byself-esteem more because I’m a girl and I hear theway my friends talk about themselves and about oth-ers.”

But student Ally Hudock, had a different viewon things. Ally said, “Boys have worse self-esteemthan girls because they don’t speak about it like girlsdo.”

“Boys will be boys” is a common phrase saidby many. Boys insult each other because its said that,that is just what boys do. Boys don’t talk about their

feelings so is there more damage being done than justfooling around? Boys are very self-conscious andcare highly about how they look.

The people, pictures and comments online givethe internet users unrealistic expectations instead ofteaching young girls to love their bodies.

The Internet is a powerful source, its beingused to tear people down instead of building them up.Personality traits are more appealing than looks. Themajor question is "Looks or Brains"? Students wereasked, and 4 out of 5 replied brains..

No matter what someone looks like, if they’rehealthy, they should be happy. Learning to love your-self in the body you are in is important. Everyone isbeautiful in their own way. There is more than looksthat meet the eye.

Advertisement designed by Samantha Neaman

Options for reaching out for help exist in the community; all you have to do is ask!

More Than Meets the Eyeby Dominique DeSpirito

Is the destination more importantthan the journey? Is learning and remem-bering the information more importantthan passing the test? Are students inschool to learn or to pass?

It is mandatory for the teachers toteach the same material the same way andmake sure the students pass.

Albert Einstein once said, “If youjudge a fish by its ability to climb a tree itwill live its whole life believing that it isstupid.”

The grade is not more importantthan the lesson learned, so why is it taught

that way? Why do students forget the in-formation after the test is over? The grad-ing system removes the interest ineducation. The grading system does notmake known how much we learned andthe lesson we took out, but how much westudied to remember for a short period oftime just to study the information againwhen finals, mid-terms and standardizedtesting come around.

More students put their grades andschool before their mental health. Parentsget mad when their child gets a bad gradebut do not try to understand why. Is it theway things are being taught or is it that thechild does not simply understand.

Modern-day schooling has notchanged in hundreds of years. Each stu-

dent is taught the same way, but not every-one learns the same. Some students aremuch bigger than math and English butnever understand the education systemdoesn’t help find each students gifts.

Schooling was made to train peo-ple for factories, explains why studentsare put in rows and are told to raise theirhands if they want to speak. We are allcompeting to get anA, the grades are usedto determine product quality, but studentsare not products.

The standardized tests are just mul-tiple questions that are supposed to deter-mine success.

Fredrick J. Kelly, the inventor ofstandardized testing, said, “These tests aretoo cruel to be used and should be aban-

doned.”Math is important but no more than

art or dance. Every gift should be exploredand every dream should be listened to.

Countries like Finland have shorterschool days, homework is non-existent,and they focus on collaboration. Their ed-ucation is top and outperforms every othercountry in the world. Students are the fu-ture and everyone should be focusingmore on decreasing dropout rates and fail-ures. Mental health is more important thangrades and should be taught that way.

by Dominique Despirito

Insane for Good Grades

Be the Best Version of You!Cougar Chit-Chat

3January 2017

CALL or TEXT for ANY reason - 24/7, Confidential, Free

Text 741741 LGBT 1-866-488-7386

Are YOU or a FRIEND depressed?

Many people thinkgaming communities arereally toxic but that’s notthe case for everyone. Infact many gaming commu-nities help build the game

and shape it. Without gam-ing communities manygame developers wouldn’tknow how to build thegame for their audience.

Some of the peoplein these communities thatparticipate get pushed tocommunity manager and

get jobs by the game studio.Gaming communities alsocan help other gamers in atime of need, for examplesome gamers suffer fromdepression or a disease andthey look for others to seeksupport if they don’t haveanyone.

Some use the gamingcommunity to find help ona difficult part of a game orjust looking for a friend.Many use this as a way toescape and express opin-ions on a game.

Those opinions/ideascan improve a game and

make it more enjoyable andbetter for the players.People like to judge gam-ing communities, and thinkit’s just a place where nerdshangout which is not true.It’s really a place to findfriends, solve issues, and bewho you really are.

Epic Games created theoriginal trilogy for "Gears" afterthey completed the trilogy "EpicDeparture" from Microsoft.Then, the studio People Can Flytook over for the series, and thefirst game they released was"Gears of Wars Judgement."

The game was not ashighly praised as the othergames in the series. Much of thecommunity thought that thegame was too casual and notsticking to its roots.

Over the next couple ofyears, People Can Fly becameCoalition and started to revampthe series with “Gears of War4.” “Gears of War 4” releasedon 10/11/16; it was what fanswere looking for, and it hadeverything what made peoplelove the gears series.

The story continues 25

years after “Gears of War 3.”The game focuses on the son ofMarcus Fenix and Anya Stroud,J.D. Fenix, alongside his friendsDelmont Walker and Kait Daiz.

At the end of “Gears 3,”they dropped a light mass bombon the enemy Locust which sup-posedly “killed” them, but theyreturn in “Gears 4.” The newLocust took Kait’s mother, and

the whole campaign revolves onsaving her.

Not only is the campaignof “Gears 4” great, but the mul-tiplayer is fantastic running60fps and on dedicated servers.At launch of the game, it camewith 10 maps and 10 more asDLC. In the multiplayer there ismany ways to customize yourcharacter and weapons. Also

there is a good mixture of mapsand game modes to play, fromplaying quick play to playing aranked match.

If you’re not into multi-player, you can play horde modewhere you and four others try tosurvive "50 Ways of LocustOnslaught." Coalition hadbrought back the trust that theylost with their fans with “Gears

of War 4.”This game has brought

back the series roots andshowed that Coalition can makea good Gear's game. Manymajor game reviewing siteshave also praised that Gears isback in business and many fromthe community are ready forwhat’s next in the series.

January 2017Page 4 Gaming

The logo for Bungie StudiosPhoto from Bungie studios website

This photo depicts a mission in the campaign where you get to play as a giant mech.A screenshot from an Xbox One by Justin Vargas

Are Gamers Getting Played?

“Gears ofWar 4”Review

There are many gamers aroundthe world having a lack of trust withgame publishers and developers. Forexample pre-order sales and day onesales are getting lower every daybecause of this lack of trust. The rea-son for this lack of trust is becausemany games on launch day are bro-ken and for many gamers this is aproblem because we are paying $60for a game expecting to work and itdoesn’t. Along with the game beingbroken, many developers had lied tofans of saying what content is in theregame that’s not there.

A great example of this is fromthe game “No Man Sky.” “No ManSky” was a hyped up game aboutspace travel, exploring the universe,naming planets and wildlife that youwill encounter. Sounds like a great

game right, but the truth was the gamewasn’t as expected. At launch, thegame crashed, many frame rateissues, many of the planets look alikeand many of the wildlife looked veryodd.

Many gamers became outragedasking for refunds, begging HelloGames to fix all the issues in game,and also add new things to it. Manypatches later the game was fixed andthey added content but much of theplayer base has given up on the game.

Another game that is known forlying to its player base is Bungie stu-dios with their game “Destiny.” When“Destiny” launched in its first year,many players were expecting openworld exploration, space travel, manyquests, and especially, a story that theplayer base could understand. When

“Destiny” launched it had nothing ofwhat it had promised, it lacked a storyand game material/gameplay. Manyplayers felt that the game lacked con-tent and felt it was empty.

After two expansions the gamebecame way better and the communi-ty has accepted the game more.Ubisoft is also on that boat for lyingto gamers with the game “AssassinCreed Unity.” The game launchedwith plenty of bugs and glitches, thegame was basically unplayable.Ubisoft then fixed the issues and theygave everyone free DLC.

Right now the gaming indus-try is in an awkward place where peo-ple want to buy these games but hav-ing the fear of it being broken andwasting their money.

Welcome to the Gaming Industry Where Game Developers Play You

Coalition’sComeback

Bad Reputation? Says Who?

by Justin Vargas

by Justin Vargas and Kyle Smith

by Justin Vargas

Two years ago, ananonymous online hackergroup known as “LizardSquad” hacked well knownconsole platforms, Sonyand Microsoft. Both compa-nies gain money throughsubscriptions from theirconsumers. These subscrip-tions range from twentydollars to sixty-dollars.

Since each cus-tomer must renew their sub-scriptions every month oryear, both companies,“Should have more thanenough funding to protectagainst these attacks,”says Skynews.

To set thisstraight, Lizard Squadwent through with thisattack because they wantedto show how vulnerabletheir networks were. The“attack” was a DDos whichstands for a “distributed

denial of service.” Whatthis means is that multiplecompromised systems areall equally used to targeta single system. Sincetheir intentions were toraise awareness it seems asthough theyare white hath a c k e r s ,meaning thatthey usetheir comput-er manipula-tion skillsfor good.

Despite thereason i ng ,customers ofsaid busi-nesses wereoutraged. Imagine gettingsomething you have beenwaiting for and then notbeing able to use it. Nowimagine how much money thecompanies lost from a daywithout service.

Both sides are

victims because of the lackof attention Sony andMicrosoft put into theirnetwork security. Whatmakes matters worse is thatLizard Squad announced theattack two weeks in

a d v a n c e .Even ifsecurity wasbeing forti-fied bythese compa-nies, theease ofaccess isconcerning.

Nowthat you areinformed oftheir lasthack, you

may realize what otherthreats they pose to othercompanies. The smallgroup’s last widespreadhack was on BlizzardEntertainment, makers ofthe newly released team-based first-person shoot-

er, “Overwatch.” Sincethis is more recent, theattacks from two years agoare still relevant in plansfor more secure servers.

It seems as thoughLizard Squad did the samething with Blizzard andplan to keep doing goodrather than evil with theirinfluential skills.Consumers of their gameswere outraged until theyfound out the reason behindthe DDos.

Now that theknowledge of hacking is all

around the Internet, it isincreasingly more commonto see hacking in generalaffect certain things.Everyone is vulnerable, sotry to update passwords andemails every month or so.It is not too concerning asof now to people becausenobody thinks anythingwill happen to them. Themoral of the story is, justremember to take extra pre-cautions and be safe thansorry when browsing theInternet.

In this month’sjob description, an FBIAgent will make yourethink your lifecareer plans. As an FBIagent, you hold a lot ofresponsibility on yourchest, the requirementslaid out make thisapparent.

All applyingagents must qualify forone of the five SAEP’sor “Special Agent EntryPrograms.” Once youqualify for one, youwill be employed basedon critical skills thateach of the fiverequirements possess.Language Law,Accounting, ComputerScience/InformationTechnology, andDiversified are all ofthe “SAEP’s” mentioned.

Next, theapplication processstarts. Now that theinternet is a more com-mon form of communica-tion, you will applyonline. Upon completionof your application,you may be selected fortesting. At this point,you have passed twophases set in place andwill be contacted andgiven a backgroundcheck.

Just like inthe police force, youmust take a physicalfitness test and med-ical examination. Theaverage salary for astarting agent is

$43,441 per year.Next, when you

are hired, it is imper-ative that you under-stand and abide by thelaw you are sworn touphold. Certain dutiescorrelating to yourhired attributes helpyou follow through withyour vow.

One example ofa job in the five cate-gories is a forensicsscientist. You become aforensics scientistthrough qualifyingunder the “Science/Information and

Technology” category.This particular type ofscientist deals with

finger prints, DNA, andother important evi-dence to help your teamsolve a case.

One finalinteresting aspect ofthis job is that you mayarrest culprits like acop, but you get to workwith a little more. Ifyou are interested in

this job as described,it would not hurt tocheck it out any timesoon.

FBI Career Description

Lizard Squad's 2014 Hack

“Sony andMicrosoft shouldhave more thanenough funding toprotect againstthese attacks,”according tothose involved inthe industry.

Laptop Cropped Picture credited to Andrew Whitesall

Photo taken by Andrew Whitesall

Playstation 4 (right) and Xbox One (left) controllers

Laptop and FBI logo side by side.

by Andrew Whitesall

By: Andrew Whitesall

Volume 7 Issue 3 Page 5Hacking and the FBI

When trying to make gains, itis important to stay on a consistenteating routine. When trying to sculpta body to powerful standards, youneed foods that are high in carbohy-drates and proteins.

Many critics like to use thephrase, “You are what you eat.”

This saying is on par because

one person who likes to relax and eatjunk food all day will most definitelynot be as fit as one who doesn’t.

When building your body it isa must that your diet is strict to allhealthy foods that fuel your body.Following a diet plan is hard but itis necessary upon achieving yourmaximum gains.

It is important to eat a goodbreakfast, and remember to eat every

3-4 hours. Eating every 3-4 hourskeeps the metabolism active. To be-come stronger and more fit, the dietfocus should be carb and proteinbased.

Carbs are required for the factthat they provide energy, and theyalso recover and rebuild muscle tis-sues that are torn down during work-outs. Some common carb foods goodfor post workouts include baked po-

tatoes, brown rice, and pasta.Proteins are a must for build-

ing muscle mass. Great sources ofprotein include fish, beef, yogurt,eggs, and nuts.

The commitment isn’t only tomaintain a good diet, but to use thefood eaten as a source for a goodworkout.

by Maria Pauline

This a Picture of the cobra pose.

Photo by Diane Fagan

This a a picture of the plank position.

Photo by Diane Fagan

This is a picture of "Tree Pose."

Eat Cleanby Jordan Bircea

Putting your body to the testby working out is a hard thing tostay committed to. It is easy to havea so-called “cheat-day,” but oftentimes a “cheat-day” turns into a rou-tine of unhealthy instances. If work-outs are done consistently andefficiently, results will be evident inno time.

Motivation is the most im-portant factor in trying to sculpt thebody to perfection, or just in ade-quate healthy performance. Oncemotivated and focused, it is nowtime to hit the gym.

One way to stay motivated isto find a partner wanting to achievethe same goals. Finding a partner isideal because both partners can lifteach other up when they lose thedrive. Another reason to have apartner is because certain workoutsrequire a spotter, which is where theone will assist the other in certainworkouts. Not having a partner isnever an excuse as there are manyworkouts than can be done alone.

Finding time to work out canbe difficult, but it is definitelysomething to try and fit in a dailyroutine. Thirty to forty-five minutesis enough time to get an efficientworkout in. As a beginner it is bestto do 2 consecutive days of work-out followed by a rest day. A restday should be a day where you letyour body recuperate to be readyfor the next workout day. The 2days are not to be taken lightly asyou should workout as hard as pos-sible while maintaining good form.

It is important to remember itis not how long you work out it ishow hard.

by Jordan Bircea

Workout:BodyBenefits

Fans of FitnessCougar Chit-Chat

6January 2017

Starting new things can be difficult, but beneficial in thiscase. When you first start out you should start with some be-ginner poses and a routine that targets your whole body. Hereis a good example of a beginner’s routine:

First pose is Mountain pose; in this pose you need tostand straight up feet shoulder width apart. Once standing youneed to bring your arms straight out to the side of you andslowly lift them up above your head while inhaling throughyour nose then slowly bring them back down exhaling throughyour nose. You should repeat this a few times before movingon.

Second pose is Child's pose; in the pose you will needsit on your knees preferably on a yoga matt or comfortablesurface. Once sitting brings your arms out in front of you andlower your butt to your heels or as far back as you can go. Youshould hold this pose for a bit before moving on to cobra.

Third pose is Cobra; this pose should be a smooth tran-sition from child’s pose. You should use your body weight topush your body forward moving your legs out behind you andyour chest to the ground, lying flat on your stomach. Once inthis position slowly bring your chin up, your chest up off theground and slowly move your shoulders back.Fourth pose is downward facing dog, again this should be asmooth transition pose. You’re going to put your hands on theground so you’re on all fours, and then slowly straighten outyour legs and arms. From here you can either move right intothe next pose or go back to child’s pose.

Plank position, a fairly simple pose, is next; you’regoing to just get into a stance as if you were doing a push up,legs straight our behind you and arms shoulder length apartand elbows bent with your hand flat on the ground. You shouldhold this pose for as long as you can.

Sixth pose is Warrior 1, while this pose is very easy itcan be a bit tricky to transition into. From the plank positionyou are going to bring your either your right or left knee up andin towards your stomach then you’re going to slowly placeyour foot down in-between your hands into a lunge position.Once you get your balance you’re going to slowly bring yourarms and upper body up and put your arms straight up aboveyour head slightly arching your back.

Seventh pose isWarrior 2; all you are going to do is keepyour arms raised but instead of straight up make them parallelto the floor at your sides next you are going to turn your thighof you none bended leg outwards so that you knee cap is inline with your ankle. The foot on leg you don’t have bent youare going to turn leg slightly to either the left or the right de-pending on which leg you have bent. You are going move yourarms so that they are still parallel to floor and rotate your waista quarter turn. Once you are done with this pose, go back downto Warrior 1 and switch legs and repeat the same steps.

Tree Pose transitions to a straight standing position.Then move your feet shoulder width apart and slowly raise ei-ther left or right leg up to your knee placing the bottom of yourfoot, turned down, on the inner side of your lower thigh. Nextslowly bring your arms up over your head. You should holdthis pose for about 30 seconds if possible then repeat it usingthe opposite legs.

While practicing this routine, you should start off withthe first pose and move slowly into the second and third, youshould keep repeating the poses each time adding another oneuntil finished with the routine. Repeat the routine all the waythrough a few times; you'll get the hang of it!

Yoga: Soul, Mind, Heartby Maria Pauline

Welcome to post-season NFL foot-ball! Throughout the regular season, AFCand NFC divisions have been close. Thetwo best teams in both conferences are the

Dallas Cowboys inthe NFC with a 12-2record and the NewEngland Patriots alsowith a 12-2 recordand are No. 1 seedsfor their confer-ences.

Right behindthose high poweredteams are theOakland Raiders

with a 11-3 record and in the NFC theNew York Giants have a 10-4 record, butright now they are in a wild card spotbecause of the Cowboys who are in thesame division as the Giants. Now goingback to the AFC, Oakland right now is the2nd seed but right behind them in theirdivision is the Kansas City Chiefs with a10-4 record.

Two of the hottest teams right noware the Pittsburg Steelers (AFC 3rd seed)and the Green Bay Packers (NFC). Bothteams are on 4-5 game winning streaks.

Teams who are on the bubble andright there for making a wild card spot inthe AFC are the Ravens (8-6), Titians (8-6), and the Broncos (8-6), and in the NFCthere are the Packers (8-6), Redskins (7-6-1) and the Vikings (7-7).

Throughout the years the Patriotsare always a favorite in the playoffsbecause of their experience and also hav-ing one of the greatest quarterbacks of alltime, Tom Brady.

Looking at both conferences, theNFC looks like their seeds will still thesame with the teams already in the top six,but in theAFC seeds can change from twothrough six because teams are only agame back and some teams that are in thebubble and some of the hottest teams rightnow and could end up being either the 2ndseed or not even making it in the playoffs.

After the first week of the wild cardgames, there really wasn’t a close game.In the AFC, the Texans beat the Raiders(27-14); the Steelers beat the Dolphins(30-12). The Texans will play the Numberone seeded Patriots on Jan.14. TheSteelers will be playing the number twoseeded Chiefs, which will turn out to be ahard fought game between these twoequal teams.

Now in the NFC, the Seahawksmade it look easy against the Lions bybeating them (26-6); the Seahawksdefense always come alive in the playoffs.The Packers vs. Giants was the biggestgame in the wild card round, both teamswith even rosters, coaches, and talentwere set up for a great game the onlyslight advantage was the game was beingplayed at Lambeau Field, which is veryhard to play at in January. At halftime thescore was 14-6 Green Bay, but in the end,the Packers ended up scoring 24 unan-swered points blowing the Giants out 38-13. The NFC bracket is looking like theSeahawks will play the number 2 seededFalcons, who have one of the best offens-es in the NFL right now. The Packers setthemselves up to play the Cowboys inDallas.

Volume 7 Issue 3 Page 7Sports Scene

Cougar ballers in action; get ready for action-packed seasons fromthe girls and the boys!

Photo by Nancy Cruz

SuperBowlFever

by Frank Mussoline

College football has been everything it was expectedto be--wild, thrilling, and breath-taking. The unexpectedbecame the expected this season.

Teams that are not normally ranked are ranked thisyear like Colorado at 8 Penn State at 6 and many more. Fromwild upsets through the season such as Houston dismantlingLouisville to Kentucky’s win over rival Louisville, andClemson's heart-breaking loss to Pittsburgh. Plus, Michiganlosing to Iowa this year was a big turn of events which almostled to a two team tie in the Big Ten North. The biggest shock-er was Ohio State's loss to Penn State.

Penn State was seen as a team building and quicklybecameAmerica’s team. They were proving everyone wrong.They went on to win the Big Ten Conference in which theyplayed Wisconsin and will be remembered as one of thegreatest comebacks in college football history.

This raises many questions because Ohio State madethe playoffs, but they did not win or play for the conference.Penn State lost to Pittsburgh and Michigan. Michigan wasranked 5th in the country despite losing two games in a row;first the upset by Iowa, then the next game of the year also thebiggest rivalry in college football, Ohio State-Michigan.They lost a heart breaker in double OT. Michigan was ranked2 in the country and dropped one spot prior to each loss.Michigan still finished 6th in the country, and they didn’tplay in a bowl game.

Clemson cruised through theACC, which wouldput them for a lock in the playoffs. The college playoffs con-sist of the top four teams in the country. Only one team waslocked in all season, and that was Alabama which dominatedall season. Clemson was ranked 2 after completely manhan-dling Georgia Tech in ACC Championship game. Ohio Statefell one spot due to Clemson’s win, and the fact that they didnot play in their conference championship game.

Washington claimed the fourth and final spot after vic-tory over Colorado in Pac-12 championship game.

In this playoff system, the number one team plays fourand two plays number three. The matchups are set. Alabamafaces Washington and Clemson faces Ohio State. The win-ners of both these bowl games will move on to play for thenational championship the 3rd of the playoff area.

College Football Re-Capby Kenny Jose Coto

As the cold weather is starting to pushpeople inside more and more, the same alsofollows with sports. Instead of hearing hard-hitting tackles and football pads colliding,the sounds of the ball bouncing on the courtand the net swishing start to work their wayin. This season, the Cougars have highexpectations to live up to for both boys' andgirls' teams.

The boys finished just short at a hard-fought district semifinal, on a bitterFebruary night vs. Abington Heights.Despite losing two starters, the Cougarshave many returning core players that pro-vide depth and experience that can con-tribute to bringing a district championship tothe Hazleton Area Cougars’ gymnasium.Losing senior Bobby Planutis includes los-ing the 20 points per game he carried withhim.

However, the Cougars still haveassets that can find the basket, including all-conference forward Josh Samec, who aver-aged nine points per game; Jeff Planutis,who averaged 7.7; starting point guard,Mike Cusatis, with 6.9; and, junior JoeGrula, with 5.7.

As far as scoring goes, a wise-manonce said, "Offense wins games, defensewins championships." The Cougars havelength and height to complement theirstrong offensive attributes, and defensivepresence, which makes for a well-roundedroster, with the team’s overall height averag-ing 6 foot 4 inches, one of the tallest in thedistrict.

Having the ingredients to be a pow-erhouse in the Wyoming Valley conference,the Cougars have set themselves this year inparticular, to a high standard. HoweverCougars are familiar with having highexpectations, after many winning seasons,anything short of superb would be consid-

ered a let down. With the talent and the teamchemistry the 2017 Hazleton Area Cougarsboys basketball team have to utilize, thisseason should be one for the ages.

The Lady Cougars started the seasonstrong with a win in their home opener overAbington Heights final score of 61-43. Withalmost a completely new line up on openingday, they got the job done. Losing four oflast year’s five starters including three timeWyoming Valley MVP Makenzie Yori alsoapart of the 1000 point club.

Only returning starter is Kendra Peilthe rest of these year starting lineup consistof Maddie Marochko, Alexis Sheeto, MeganTrivelpiece, and Marissa Trivelpiece. Thelineup is smaller than last years.

Their victory over AbingtonHeights consisted of relentless defensiveattack and a flurry of threes. Junior Maddiewas firing on all cylinders especially frombehind the three point arc. It was easy to seewhy Maddie won "Athlete of the Week"honors.

Other key contributions came fromunder classman as well to name a few juniorErica Book and sophomores VirginiaYurchak, and Katie Lipinski. Erica wascrashing the boards all game whether it wason offense or defense. She was key to thetuff defense down on the lower block.Virginia and Katie sophomore duo werevaluable to the great guard play on thewings whether it was making the extra passor hitting the open jumper. Both will get bet-ter over the season gaining experience eachgame that goes by.

Here's looking to great basketballand winning seasons!

by Josh Capriotti and Kenny Jose Coto

Cougar HoopsDominate

Frank Chits...Winter sports season has already start-

ed. The Hazleton Area Cougar swimmingand diving team is back with amends to bet-ter from last year’sseason. Both boys’and girls’ teams start-ing their season off 2-0 with means theywill continue a strongon-going streak.

The HazletonArea Cougars have ayounger team withnot as much experi-ence but the right atti-tude to be better anddominate the craft thatis swimming.

The divers also with much young tal-ent rising up with very impressive scores intheir second meet of the season againstWyoming Area. Fellow diver/swimmerJordi Soto set the bar with scores of 5-6. Therest of the diving roster made their way upthe bar with scores from 5-6 as well.

Many young athletes on the swim-ming and diving roster have much potentialto be a tough team now and in future seasonsto come.

The team, compared to last year, islooking good and is said to tie into the samemomentum as last year or to even surpass it.It is expected for all the swimmers tobecome way better than what they alreadyare after the traditional, intense training pro-gram that is right around the corner.

This is a younger team with lionheart’s and with the attitude to get betterevery day. The Hazleton Area Cougars arelike a family, always helping and pushingeach other to become stronger as both awhole and individuals. They are alwayssupporting each other no matter what noteam member thinks of himself or herself asbetter than anyone.

As Head Coach Michele Yakubowskisaid, “The team is only as strong as theirweakest member.”

The team roster includes Eden Triano,Destiny Rosario, Jayleinette Gonzalez,Natalie Burgos, Marina O’Hara, MatteaPalma, Arianna Stranko, Hannah Mintz,Hannah Krall, Cassie Longazel, TianaTreon, Nicole Miller, Amy Collins, NicoleDietrich, Alberiluz Alcantara, LizdaniVentura, Rose Flanagan, Megan Llewellyn,Madison Light, Allison Lloyd, MaggieHuntzinger, Lina Girgis, Halle McMinn,Brandy McGlynn, Hailey Fellin, MaggieYannes, Haley Sanko, Alissa Platukis,Haylie Chyko, Anna Truskowski, MelanieRodriguez, Jessica Murman, Sarah A.Myers, Mckenzie Wesner, Sarah Lloyd, AnnMarie McGrogan.

Jorge Moncayo, Jorge Tirado, JordiSoto, Greogory Marte, Jason Ramos, DionelAlonzo, Justin Reyes, Luciano Stranko,Noah Ancharski, Ben Sabatos, BrandonDaGrosa, Paul Flowers, Dylan Gould, CodyManherz, Basil Stetz, Bryan De La Cruz,Samuel Figuero, Raul Geronimo.

by Raul Geronimo

Swimmingto Victory

Raul Chats...

Although there may be snow onthe ground and the air is freezing, you canstill have fun this winter! Don’t let thisfrigid weather keep you indoors. There isa wide variety of activities to participatein with your friends and family such assnowboarding, sledding, ice skating,snowball fights, and building snowmen.These winter activities are fun for all andcan even be performed with entire fami-lies.

Snowboarding is a particularly funactivity to do in the winter. Snowboard-ing is a popular sport so popular that it isin the winter Olympics. Although it isconsidered a sport or even an extremesport anyone can do this for fun or sport.Children old enough and with wellenough balance certainly enjoy this. Chil-dren can go down medium or large sizedhills. Teenagers or adults may head to theski park to go on a more sport like levelgoing to down actual slopes. As well asbeing a fun activity it burns quite a bit ofcalories.

If you enjoy snowboarding or ski-ing, the Eagle Rock Resort in Blue Moun-tains near Hazleton is the place to go.This resort is an upscale retreat that fea-tures an incredible ski mountain alongwith other activities to participate in suchas a golf course and a spa.

Eagle Rock Resort is not the onlyplace to go snowboarding and skiing. BigBoulder, which is located in the Poconos,delivers a fun and unforgettable time. Ifyou struggle to ski or snowboard, thereare people there who will assist you. Pricevaries by how many people are on the tripand what package you decide to get thatday.

Sledding is like snowboarding inthe sense that you slide down a hill cov-ered in snow, but it’s not as extreme or asdangerous. Sledding can be done by peo-ple of all ages and can be a family activ-ity for children of all ages with theirparents. Sledding can be done with a sled,toboggans, or flying saucers. All of thesecan be purchased relatively cheap fromany supermarket during the winter.

Ice skating is hard to learn, but it isvery fun once mastered. In ice skating theperformer slides around on the ice almostas if they are dancing upon a frozen lake.Ice skating can be done indoors on a rinkor outside on a frozen pond or lake whichis not the safest option. If you are inter-ested in hitting the ice this winter, you cango ice skating locally and at an affordableprice. The Toyota SportsPlex in Wilkes-Barre is guaranteed to offer a fun and en-tertaining time out with your friends.Admission is $7 and the ice skates are $3.This is the perfect opportunity to enjoythe holiday season.

If you are the type of person whoprefers to have a more relaxed time thisseason, fishing is perfect for you. TheCommunity Park in Hazleton offers fish-ing for days when you want to sit backand enjoy nature. Stay at the park fromsun up till sun down and share a cup ofhot chocolate while reeling in your catch.

Did you know that there isabout 16,200 people that are con-sidered homeless in Pennsylvaniaand that about 13,000 of thosepeople are children?

In the last few years thenumber of homeless people in Ha-zleton has increased and has be-come a problem, in the coldmonths especially. Most of thepeople who are homeless hereoften stay in encampments usuallyreferred to as “Tent Cities,” one ofthe biggest ones is located in thewoods not far from Giant FoodMarket . They also stay in theircars or abandon houses or build-ings.

While the homeless or peo-ple in need can turn to the Salva-tionArmy for food, it is only openduring the weekdays and closesearly so people are then left with-out food or shelter during the coldevenings and nights. Until thispast year, there was no homelessshelter in this area. Catholic So-cial Services would have to buybus tickets to send the homeless toother shelters, mainly the ones inWilkes-Barre.

In February 2016, NeilOberto from Catholic Social Serv-ices started a pilot program for thehomeless. He offered shelter and

counseling services to help theneedy with addiction, getting jobs,and finding a permanent home.The program also offers them aplace for an evening meal. Theshelter started out as a nomadicshelter moving from church tochurch but has now taken a tem-porary residency at BuenasNuevas Church along North Lau-rel Street. This is of course, untilthey can find a permanent housingspace. The shelter can comfort-ably house up to 24 people a nightand people who wish to stay theremust register. Registration is openuntil 10 pm however; they do takein people from the emergencyroom and the local police depart-ment after 10 pm.

If you would like to help outin any way you can call CatholicSocial Services at 570-455-1521or visit their website. They are al-ways in need of things like under-wear, socks, hats and gloves. Infact in the past few months a cam-paign called the giving sheltercampaign was started to help col-lect things that the shelter needs.If you visit http://www.ssptv.com/on the side of their website theyhave a link to the giving sheltercampaign’s PayPal account tohelp make donating to the sheltereasier.

Photo by Maria PaulineThis building located on north laurel street in Hazleton is home to DivineProvidence Homeless shelter.

Homeless inHazleton

by Kyle Smith and Gia Sloane

by Maria Pauline

WinterFun forEveryone

Page 8 Volume 7 Issue 3Cougar Chit-Chat

Whether its spiders orheights, people around the worldhave a sense of fear called a “pho-bia.” A Phobia is an extreme or ir-rational fear of or aversion tosomething. Although it may seemlike a simple fright to somethingsimple, the horror people feel fromtheir phobia’s can be overwhelm-ing.

This fear can be so intensethat people try to avoid their fearat all costs and even pass out iftheir phobia gets to be too much inthe moment. A phobia is not to beconfused with the common term“fear.” It is much more horrific topeople who have this issue.

There is a wide variety ofphobias. Some of these phobias in-clude clowns, animals, height, anddarkness. There are also phobiasthat you might not expect. For ex-ample; Arithmophobia is the fearof numbers; arachibutyrophobia isthe fear of peanut butter stickingto the roof of your mouth; ambu-lophobia is the fear of walking;and, chorophobia is the fear ofdancing.

The lists of phobias are end-less, and although they may soundridiculous, they are in fact real.

Students and teachers wereasked, "What is your Phobia?"

Mrs. Riedel – Acrobia (fearof heights).“For as much as I love rollercoasters, you would think that itwould not bother me to have myfeet firmly planted on the ground.Once I’m in the air, I can evenhandle to airplane ride. Stand meon the edge of a building or moun-tain, and I would rather be havinga root canal.”

Caitlyn Braskey – Thalas-sophobia (fear of the sea). “Youdon’t know what’s down there, se-riously! Like there is so muchocean that hasn’t been discoveredyet and that is freaky.”

Lexi Sanford- Mottephobia(fear of moths).“I feel disgusted every time Ilook at a moth.When they fly nearor land on me, I freak out. Notonly does their fur disgust me, butalso the shape of their body andantennas. They are just terrifying.”

by Gia Sloane

WhatPhobia?

Is Diet The Healthier Option?

Apopular comment orstatement made by manyAmericans is, “This will be myNew Year’s resolution.”

Do you ever stop andthink, "Okay, but will you stickto it? For how long?"

Well, the beginning of aNew Year is a very populartime to set attainable and posi-tive lifestyle goals! This actionis in fact a tradition! It is knownas a promise made by a personpromising self-improvement ofsome sort. Many resolutionsare small, and some are largeand sometimes difficult to fol-low through on. Let’s hearsome of yours!

Freshman PeytonPerchansky stated that his

favorite part of the New Year isstarting over and getting a newstart to life. His New Year’sResolution is focusing more onhis school work and being thebest he could be! He wants theyear of 2017 to be a year of himstaying focused and the hardwork showing off by gettinggood grades!

Sophomore DanielWerkeiser stated that hisfavorite part of the New Year isspending time with his familyand friends. He is a strongbeliever that it’s a necessitybecause, you never know whenthe last time you’ll be able tosee someone, so he tries tocherish every opportunity. HisNew Year’s resolution will beto try better things for himselfmentally, physically, and finan-cially for his future. He wants

the year of 2017 to be stressfree and full of fun!

Junior Edward Shoepestated that his favorite part ofthe New Year is getting a freshstart and obtaining and com-pleting moregoals, hethinks it is agreat way tolet problemsyou onces t r e s s e dabout in thepast. HisNew Year’sresolution isto get intosports and concentrate as muchas he can! He is a strong believ-er that setting the goal and hav-ing the motivation before youbegin is an easier way to have itcompleted in the long run! He

wants the year of 2017 to lookvery accomplished and full offun!

Senior HannahMatarella stated that herfavorite part of the New Year is

getting newopportunities!She is a strongbeliever of try-ing new thingsand having a fullyear of newthings alwayshappening! HerNew Year’s res-olution is to stayconcentrated and

stay determined for not onlyself-benefits in the present butalso the future!

“Keeping a positivemindset and setting goals suchas a New Year’s resolution is

what keeps me going, it’sremembered every time I beginto give up what I truly want andall the hard work I put inalready and so much more Ihave to until I get there and justsimply to never give up.”

She wants the year of2017 to be very exciting andthe year where she gets themost completed! This is theyear of graduation, and all thefun activities that come alongwith being a senior here atHAHS!

2017 Resolutions

“Keeping a positivemindset and settinggoals are what keepme going," accord-ing to seniorHannah Matarellawho responded tothis article topic.

by DanielWerkeiser

IrisCandelario

BrandonSabulsky Joey Caskey Felix Zayas

At first glance, a personwould assume diet drinksare healthier than normalsoft drinks because therearen’t any calories. The real-ity of it is that diet drinksmanipulate your senses.They have artificial sweet-eners that would be natural-ly too sweet for the body.For example a person whonormally drinks diet, fruitmight not be as sweet asnormal.Diet soda should not be

chosen over normal softdrinks for weight loss,because the artificial sweet-eners trigger your insulin,which makes your bodystore weight and leads toweight gain.

It can even lead to changea person’s body shape.Researchers from theUniversity of Texas foundthat over the course of adecade, diet soda drinkershad a 70% greater increasein waist circumference com-pared with non-diet drinkers.According to another study

from the University ofMinnesota, drinking one dietsoda a day increased the riskof diabetes and metabolicsyndrome by 36%. Peoplewith metabolic syndrome areat higher risk for heart dis-ease, stroke, and diabetes.Also diet drinks bring youno nutritional value.

If a person wants ahealthy no calorie drink,they can try water. Allsoft drinks are bad foryour teeth because theycontain citric acid. Citricacid weakens anddestroys teeth enamelover time. Also peoplewho drink soft drinksregularly, have a higherpossibility of havinglower bone density whenthey get older. These highschool students wereasked the following ques-tions which do you thinkis healthier?, diet or nor-mal soft drinks, andwhy?

Iris Candelario, an ener-getic 10th grade, studentbelieved diet was healthierbecause they have less sugarcompared to regular softdrinks. They do have lessreal sugar but are filled withartificial sugars that are badfor you.

The next studentasked was BrandonSabulsky. He also believeddiet soft drinks were healthi-er. Sabulsky was under theimpression diet had less fatthan regular drinks, which isnot necessarily true becausemost drinks differ. Wheninformed regular soft drinkare healthier he said, “Iguess it’s true, you learnsomething new every day.”

Joey Caskey, a fashion-able 11th grade student,believed diet was health-ier because it has lesssugar. When informeddiet was actually worsehe was grateful and nowbelieves regular softdrinks are healthier.

The last partici-pant of this survey wasFelix Zayas, a 12th gradestudent. He knew diethas more artificial sugarsand is worse than regularsoft drinks. Felix knewthis because he saw it onsocial media.

by Madison Hauze and NathanMcKeown

January 2017 Page 9Cougar Chit-Chat

Another local favorite is Al-fredo's Brick Oven Pizza and Restau-rant. This is a very cozy and casualenvironment and a great place to sitdown for an enjoyablefamily meal.

Located on NorthChurch Street of Hazle-ton it is a must to stop inand try their food out fortaste, or even order out.If interested, their hoursfrom Monday throughSaturday are consistent

with opening at 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.,and noon-10 p.m. on Sundays.

This restaurant is very ideal ifdining with a larger group of peopleand has great employees that provideoutstanding services.A exceptional as-pect of their service is that they are al-

ways on top ofeverything and fulfill allyour wants and needs.

It is a great place tobring your children, and abonus is that it is wheel-chair accessible. Theyalso provide takeout!

There are numerous reasons for wanting to eat healthy.The well-known ones are weight loss and all around gen-eral health, but the advantages to eating healthy go beyondthat.

No matter what motivates you, here are 10 reasonswhy you should sneak a few more nutrient-packed foodsinto your diet:

You can be more productive. Eating a healthy diet tomake sure your brain has the fuel it needs means more en-ergy and increased productivity at school. Eating certainhealthy foods like fatty fish and leafy green veggies mayalso help prevent Alzheimer’s or dementia.

You’ll be happier. What we eat impacts our brain. Eat-ing healthy food like bananas and small amounts of darkchocolate can be a booster to our mood. But the key is to eatmindfully – be aware of what you’re eating and why, al-lowing yourself to slow down and enjoy it.

You will reduce your stress. Eating certain healthyfoods, like protein-rich foods, have the ability to moderateour body’s level of cortisol, which is the stress hormone.Other healthy foods also have so many different benefits forour brains and bodies when it comes to stress.

You can save money. Eating healthy can contribute topotential savings. Since you will be healthier, you shouldhave fewer medical bills and prescriptions. By snacking onthings like apples and broccoli instead of candy or chips,you are getting more nutritional value bang for your buck!

You’ll be healthier. This one is pretty much a no-brainer. Eat healthy to be healthier. By doing so you canlower your risk for chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes,obesity and heart disease.

You’ll control your weight. Simple, healthy choiceslike choosing water over soda, can help you lose weight andcontrol your appetite.

You will start to think healthy food tastes better.Healthy food can taste delicious if it’s prepared well. And,the more healthy foods that you eat, the more you’ll cravethem and turn away from junk foods.

You’ll age better. You might not think of this now, butit will become gradually more important to you as you age.Eating fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants can helpprotect and improve your skin. Also, those fatty fish andleafy greens help your brain stay healthy, as mentioned be-fore.

You will eat less. Quality trumps quantity when eating.Fresh foods contain fewer low-nutrient calories that thebody can burn through quickly. You’ll fill up faster and gainmore energy from eating healthy!

You’ll live longer. It’s safe to say that all of the abovebenefits compound to help you put more years in your lifeand more life in your years! You may not think so, but fastfood has the opposite effects on your body.

So, be sure to try to eat healthy to maximize your over-all health. Start small if it seems daunting – gradually add inhealthy foods and cooking at home, and increase as timegoes on. If you’re already eating healthy, good for you!Keep it up, and feel free to encourage others to do so as well!

Photo by Sammi Wersinger

Visiting local, seasonal farmer's markets and even grocer's produce sectionscan bring an abundance of healthy food options.

10 Reasons to Switchto a Healthy Diet

according to a survey of localhigh school students.

"Hazleton offerssome of the bestpizza places innortheastern

PA,"

by Sammi Wersinger

Alta Pizzeria & Pasta House is alocal favorite. It is located on SouthPopular Street of Hazleton and is awonderful family owned business.

Their hours vary depending onthe day. Monday through Thursdaythey are opened from 10 a.m.–10 p.m.;Friday from 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Saturdayfrom 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; and, finally, Sun-day from 4-10 p.m.

It is very casual place to eat outand extremely family-friendly. Thegood news is that they also deliver!The service that is provided is very

kind and that they treat every customerlike family.

Most recently, they have updatedthe area around them and added an out-door sitting are which would be fantas-tic when it starts to become warmerafter the winter months.

The menu consists of a variety ofItalian foods, starting from pizza andpasta all the way down to chicken fin-gers and French fries for the kids.Any-thing you try from here you will bepleased with!

The only downside to this estab-lishment is that the prices may be a lit-tle steep, but it is well worth it for agood meal. Stop in and try it for your-self soon!

Alta Pizzeria &Pasta Houseby Faith Elko

Alfredo's BrickOven Pizzaby Faith Elko

Chosen CuisineCougar Chit-Chat

10Volume 7 Issue 3

Christmas time is themost wonderful time ofthe year and so are all ofthe amazing flavors andsnacks that come alongwith it. Starbucks isknown for their amaz-ing coffee, along withthe the cute red holidaythemed cups that makethe perfect Instagramshot. Some of the mostpopular flavors this yearwere the Peppermint

Mocha, the CaramelBrulee Latte, and theChestnut Praline. Allthree coffees were good,but there was one thatreally stood out andcould put the others toshame. That was theCaramel Brulee Latte. Ifyou're a coffee addictwith a sweet tooth and alove for caramel, thenthis coffee is like amatch made in heaven.

Although, Starbucks isquite far away and canget a little pricey it isdefinitely worth a try. Amajority of us find our-selves doing ourChristmas and holidayshopping in WilkesBarre anyways, so youmight as well stop atStarbucks for a nicecaramel pick me up!

Coffeefor AllSeasons

As soon as fallarrives, everyone iscrazed about the pumpkinspice latte. As the weathergets colder and the daysget shorter, everyonewants to just cozy up witha nice hot coffee.

McDonald's,Dunkin Donuts, andStarbucks are just a fewof the places near us thatsell the all time famous,pumpkin spice latte. Thefirst place we tried coffeefrom was McDonald's,and it tasted absolutelyterrible! It had an odd fla-vor that almost tasted like

ranch dressing, and eventhe smell of the coffeewas unpleasant. NormallyMcCafe's coffees are deli-cious, but somethingclearly was not right here.

The next coffee wetried was from DunkinDonuts. Let's just say, it

was way better thanMcDonald's. It was theperfect mix between thecinnamon flavor and deli-cious coffee. Once youtake the first sip, you willgladly come back formore and maybe evenfind yourself craving it.

The last place wetried coffee from wasStarbucks. The coffee, themilk, and the pumpkinspice flavoring were allperfectly balanced out.Although it was delicious,the distance from homeand the price made

Starbucks not the bestoption for everybody.

So, if you ever findyourself looking to getinto the autumn spirit,head on over to DunkinDonuts and try theirPumpkin Spice coffee!

The Starbuck's logo is universally known for its qualitycoffee.

Photo by Corrina Slavescu

Some sweet treats make it worth your while to visit a Dunkin Donuts!Photo provided by Dunkin Donuts' website 2016

Tis the Season!Hot Coffee Variations Warm Up the Winter

Sip, Sip,Yum!

Customers Choice--Which Do You Prefer?Dunkin

Donuts ispreferred2 to 1 overall others.

McCafe isthe choiceof hard-coreMcDonald'scustomers.

Starbuck'sis the choicefor thosewho don'tmind drivingto get theircoffee.

Starbuck's is thechoice forthose withno regardfor price.

by Corrina Slavescuand Devon Gaydoscik

by Corrina Slavescuand Devon Gaydoscik

January 2017 Page 11Cougar Chit-Chat

Photo by Kiani Castillo

The university offers dozens of majors; shown here is the business college's en-trance.

Photo by Kiani Castillo

The Bloomsburg University campus is vibrant and inviting to students makingit an ideal college choice!

Photo by Kiani Castillo

Students attending BloomU are surrounded by beautiful architecture on campusand the quaint small-town feel of the community.

Photo by Kiani Castillo

Bloomsburg University is very afford-able, especially for PA state residents.

Photo by Kiani Castillo

The presentation highlighted Blooms-burg University's academic statistics.

Photo by Kiani Castillo

A typical lecture hall setting wherestudents and instructors interact isshown here.

Photo by Kiani Castillo

It's easy to find your place at Blooms-burg University with abundant oppor-tunities.

Photo by Deb Victor

Mrs. Victor's SAT Prep students take timeout from the informative day to posefor a photo!

Photo by Kiani Castillo

The school mascot, the Bloomsburg Husky, greets all who enter the studentcenter.

Volume 7 Issue 3 January 2017SAT Prep Visits Bloomsburg University