The Tiger Times Volume XIX, Issue IV December 2010

Fleetwood Area High School • 803 North Richmond, Fleetwood, PA 19522

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TheTigerTimes.com Open to the Public School

The Tiger Times newspaper has made an enormous amount of progress since it was first formed decades ago. Just recently, the Tiger Times became the first FAHS online news journal. The website is TheTigerTimes.com

and includes articles written by the regular newspaper staff. The Tiger Times website also includes reporter bios and sections where visi-tors can post comments on individual articles so that community discussion is fostered. The Tiger Times website seems to be

a big hit among the community. To date, the number one article is “Dear Dymdog,” written by Chad Dymeck. You can subscribe to TheTigerTimes.com for e-mail updates, and visitors can even forward articles to Twitter, Facebook, and friends’ e-mails. In addition, a Facebook fan page for the Tiger Times Online now exists, and the fan base is building each day. On the fan page, subscribers can get addi-tional updates about the articles being posted daily at TheTigerTimes.com. iPod, iPhone, and Android users can even access TheTigerTimes.com while on the go! This first quarter has proven to be very successful for The Tiger Times, but the staff is devoting the remainder of the year to increasing traffic and discussion on the site. Going virtual has already helped get the word out about the Tiger Times newspaper. Take a few minutes this evening to check out TheTigerTimes.com, make it a favorite, estab-lish an online subscription, and become a Facebook Fan. By Maria Johnson

Biniek, FAHS Step into Glass Slipper Entertainment/Arts

Every year in March the Fleetwood High School performs a play or musical. This year will be no different. This year the Fleetwood Theatrical Society and director Matthew Biniek have chosen Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s version of Cinderella. The musical will be performed on March 18th and 19th of 2011. The show will begin at 7:00 p.m., so make sure to arrive several minutes early to avoid interrupting the performance. The event will take place in the High School Auditorium, and tickets will be sold at the door. The play needs approximately sixty people, which includes actors, actresses, pit musicians, and stage crew. Rehearsal and other activities involving the play will begin sometime in December. If you would like to get involved in the play by acting, helping with set, or play-ing in the orchestra, stop by Mr. Biniek’s room and ask how you can get involved. The school reaction to last year’s play was overwhelmingly positive, and this year you can be a part of the excitement. By Chad Dymeck

FAHS Volleyball Tournament is Big Hit Sports

On Friday, November 12th, FAHS held a volleyball tournament in the main gym. Games started at 3:00 p.m. after school. A total of thirteen teams participated in the tour-nament, and competition was fierce. Teams were made of a minimum of six players, each with at least two girls. A $3.00 donation was required by each player on the teams. Proceeds benefit updating and remodeling the weight room. The first team to score 25 points won each game, and team names were quite creative, including The Unicorns, Young Money, and the Fac “kill” Team, whose members consisted of a few of the FAHS faculty members. The winners of the tournament were the Huta Reys, which included Leo Rosario, Dylan Geisler, Ricky Perry, Kelvin D’oleo, Kaylie Vrabel, and Madison Rice. Organizers of the event, Mrs. Cammauf and Ms. Barnett, said that the game was pretty intense.

Cammauf commented, “It was what you wanted the final game to be like.” Sophomore Brittnay Frymoyer said, “I thought everyone played a good game, and it was definitely a lot of fun to watch!”

Barnett wanted to award a best team uniform but couldn’t find enough sponsors to follow through with the plan. Two local businesses, Sam’s Club and Schell’s Drive-In, donated to the tournament In addi-tion to profits from the volleyball tournament, a dodge ball tourna-ment will be held on February 18th and a basketball tournament on March 18th. Both tournaments are on half days. By

these next two events, the school should have raised enough money to make its first purchase for the weight room. The volleyball tournament turned out to be very exciting, and the spectators enjoyed the fun-filled action. By Justin Bruno

Tom Gorgia Blasts into Florida Aerospace Program Profile

Daytona Beach, Florida, is a popular spring break location that isn’t widely known for its colleges. But then, it’s not every day that a Fleet-wood student at-tends an aero-space college in The Sunshine State. Fleet-wood’s own Tom Gorgia was ac-cepted into both the Embry Riddle School of Aeronau-tics in Daytona Beach as well as NASA’s Inspire Program. Tom dreams of being an astronaut and has worked hard to get into Embry Riddle. “The school wanted to see my GPA and extra-curricular activi-ties. Then they interviewed me,” explained Gorgia. Embry Riddle requires a GPA of 3.5 and an SAT score of over 1000 in the Critical

Reading and Math sections. These academic achievements took years of hard work and

dedication by Gorgia so that he could reach his dream. Gorgia contin-ued, “This school will train me to be an aero-space engineer and hope-fully help me reach my goal of working for NASA. Two graduates may board the final shut-tle launch in the future, and I hope one can be me.” While Tom is being trained at school, his participation in the Inspire Program will help as well. It is designed specifically so students can learn and work with NASA to train for future careers.

Fleetwood High School and The Tiger Times wishes Tom the best of luck in the future and is confident that he will make his alma mater proud. By Cale Ahearn

It’s beginning to feel like a lot like that time of the year once again. The leaves are chang-ing, the days are getting shorter, and it’s only a matter of time before the snow begins its annual onslaught. All of these signs point to one thing, and it’s not Christmas. The annual Holiday Ball, one of stu-dent council’s biggest fundraisers and the penulti-mate dance for this year, was held on December 4th. The theme was changed to “Frosty Fairytale” after last year’s Las Vegas theme, and with that alteration came many other changes for this year’s incarnation of the Ball. “We have lots of lights, snowflakes, Christmas ornaments, projected scenery, good food, as well as the DJ from the first overtime that everyone liked,” said student council advisor Gina London. London continued, “I think all of the students should attend because this is the only other dance besides prom for the whole year. You will get to see people from a different per-spective when they are all dressed up. There will also be the same photographer as last year if anyone would like to take any pictures while at the dance. And mostly, you should go to have a

good time.” Student council put a lot of work into this year’s Holiday Ball, and that hard work has paid off. The decorations looked quite festive, and the whole event was entirely planned well in advance. All evidence suggested that this was the best Holiday Ball yet. By Derek Petersen

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Jes Russo Begins Waking.Our.World Community

Jes Russo, a sophomore at Fleet-wood Area High School, was inspired to start an organization after listening to moti-vational speaker Josh Shipp at a Student Council conference in 2008. Ever since, Russo has been preparing to form her very own awareness organization. W.O.W. is the acronym for Russo’s organization; it stands for Wake.Our.World. Russo’s plan is to “wake our world” to the secret depression that many Americans pri-vately endure. W.O.W. is a non-profit, secu-lar organization for all sorts of people. Secret depression is when a person acts happy when he or she is with friends and family, but when the person is alone, he or she is sad and depressed. Russo calls this behavior a “front.” She has been fighting secret depression for four years and is finally prepared to go public with her feelings. Says Russo, “My friends and family support me and W.O.W. My mom helped me to make my video. Also, Mr. DeAntonio is helping to launch the organization.” The plan is to spread word about her organization before it has even fully begun. Russo would like to start meetings

shortly, and when enough word is out, she will make t-shirts and hoodies to advertise the group. The first step, Russo believes, is helping people to understand what W.O.W. means so that public awareness can follow. Russo says creating the organiza-tion has not been too hard. She has already presented her ideas to the FAHS Character Education group. “I hope to be welcomed to other schools in the future too,” says Russo. FAHS Principal Michael DeAnto-nio gave his opinion on the subject: “I un-derstand there is a lot of stress and uncer-tainty, and people are not as they appear. I’m glad Jes is so comfortable talking about her depression. The more you talk about it, the more you help yourself.” If you are interested in helping W.O.W. and its cause, the first step is to simply spread the word about its existence and its purpose. Russo concludes, “This world is a vicious circle of hate, and it’s time we wake our world.”

By Desirae Lesher

Pennsylvania’s New Keystone Exams: A Better Testing Alternative? Academics

The moaning and groaning one usually hears prior to the PSSAs may forever be replaced with a whole new chorus of moaning and groaning prior the Keystone Exams. The Keystone Exams are intended to be a more effective standardized testing system that aims to replace the PSSAs and that will be administered to all students in eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades. Students who fail an exam will re-quire remediation on the specified subject area. Whereas the PSSAs could

only allow students to remediate using lengthy tests and/or projects that generally were more time-consuming than productive, the Keystone Exams offer numerous ways for districts to implement the testing pro-gram. A student may remediate the subject by completing a bridge project, which is administered at either the state or the local level. Schools can also determine the degree to which the Keystone Exams, class grades, and school-administered final exams influ-ence students’ final grades and graduation requirements. One of the additional advantages

of the Keystone Exams is that school administrators can file a waiver in the event that a recent tragedy has occurred to the stu-dent or the student’s fam-ily, thereby temporarily excluding him or her from the penalty of test-ing under a poor state of mind.

Students are most excited about the Keystone Exams because a high enough score on the exams may allow them to re-ceive full credit for a subject without enroll-ing in the related course. Once every five years, a representa-tive from the testing service will check vari-ous data and test scores to see the effective-ness of the Keystone Exams. All in all, many consider The Keystone Exams to be a more efficient standardized testing system. By Derek Evanosky

Christmas Causes Chaos Religion

Tree Lighting Ties Community Together Community

Friday, December 10th, was definitely the night to be out and about in Fleetwood. The tree-lighting at the park put many residents into the holiday spirit and brought the community together for a beautiful evening. Whole families came together in the bitter cold to celebrate the start of the holiday season. In addition, many local groups came as a collective: the Fleetwood Community Theatre came caroling; the FAHS Band arrived to play some Christmas tunes; and a Fleetwood Cub Scout Troop set up the area. The Cub Scouts were a tremendous help by arranging all of the sidewalk lights that lit up the park’s grounds, adding a very magical effect to the event. The sand that was used in the making of the Scouts’ lights was donated by Fleetwood Building Block. The FAHS Band provided some lovely instru-mental background to many of the hymns that the community sang during the course of the evening. Some people in the crowd even decided to bring their own instruments and play along. If you had the chills, then there was nothing to worry about. Dori Martin Catering

donated hot chocolate and baked goods, as they do every year, to help warm up the crowd and fill their stomachs. The night also hosted a ceremony in which one house in Fleetwood was selected for having the best Christmas decorations of the season. Patricia Keeney, an FAHS guidance secretary and a highly active community member, was very happy with the turnout. “The event has grown a little each year,” says Keeney, who hopes that next year several shops on Main Street in Fleetwood will also be involved. She also dreams of increasing the number of activities available to spectators. But many thought that the highlight of the evening was seeing everyone coming together to celebrate the holidays. Fortunately, even more ideas are already brewing for next year’s celebra-tion. Come out next year to spread the cheer and get to know your community during all of the festivities, music, and fun! By Melanie Lehman

Holiday Ball a Success School

Have you ever thought of renaming the tree that Christians put up in their houses every year? Nearby political figures are chal-lenging the use of the word “Christmas” when referring to certain holiday artifacts. Activities such as baking “Christmas” cook-ies and decorating a “Christmas” tree could shortly become taboo. In Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter is debating with proponents of politi-cal correctness about whether or not it is appropriate to call the city’s tree a “Christmas Tree” or the recommended “Holiday Tree”. His opponents claim that the status quo could be very offensive to those who do not celebrate Christmas. Ac-cording to them, Christmas cookies should be called “Holiday Cookies” and Christmas songs should be called “Holiday Songs.” Although these cookies, songs, and words have been used for countless generations, many say that they haven’t seemed to offend anyone until the current controversy. Mayor Nutter has also had to deal with the issue of the sign outside of Christ-mas Village. Yet again, the PC crowd told Mayor Nutter that calling the attraction a “Christmas” village may offend people of different religious beliefs. The sign at Christmas Village had the “Christmas” taken down from it for a brief time because of the controversy travel-ing through the Mayor’s office. After count-less discussions, the sign was changed back to its original title.

By Justin Bruno

The Tiger Times Volume XIX, Issue V January 2011

Fleetwood Area High School • 803 North Richmond, Fleetwood, PA 19522

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Artifact Wants Your Help School

The award-winning FAHS fine arts and literary magazine known as Artifact is in need of some help. Editors are looking for original writings or art from anyone who is willing to submit them. The journal typically accepts poetry, short stories, plays, and any other kind of original creation. The good news is that there is no need to be apprehensive about submitting works; they are in very good hands. Arti-fact’s latest issue, released earlier this year, has been given a gold rating in every cate-gory, which is the second highest rating that can be given to a magazine. It is also consid-ered to be the best edition by FAHS stu-dents and teachers who reviewed it. Even with the overwhelming suc-cess of their last issue, the members of Arti-fact are anything but complacent; they are instead striving to make an even better magazine this year. “There is much interest in estab-lishing another award-winning issue,” said Artifact advisor Diane Chisdak. “We’ve had a couple of workshops to inspire writers to write, but we are hoping that more students come forward with their own creative writ-ings. It’s a great feeling to have your work published and to just be a part of excellence in our school.” Chisdak also divulged the theme for this year’s edition, which is “Creativity vs. Logic.” All submissions will be consid-ered, but works addressing this theme will receive special attention. For those interested, there isn’t much time left to submit your work; the deadline is set for January 10th. All submis-sions should be delivered to Art #1 as soon as possible. If you are a writer, artist, etc., taking advantage of this unique opportunity would be a great way to get some notoriety for your hard work.

By Derek Peterson

Talent Show Tradition Returns to FAHS Arts/Entertainment

Fleetwood has a lot of talent, more than one would expect, and many are ex-pected to sign up for the first FAHS talent show in several years. If you are interested, there’s still plenty of time to prepare for a role in performance. The talent show will be held on Saturday, February 19th. Both students and faculty are encouraged to participate. Any-

one with questions about the event should speak to Mrs. Lewis in Room #11 or Mr. Farr in Room #208. Participants should consider dem-onstrating their singing, dancing, juggling, or acting skills, not to mention showing off any unusual talents a person may have. Many students are hoping that some of the class clowns try to their hands at stand-up com-

edy. Admission is free, of course, so students are encouraged to bring parents and friends and whomever else to the event. Fleetwood Area High School hosted a talent show many years ago, but now fresh meat—meaning fresh talent—has arrived. Expect a lot of great surprises from the students of FAHS.

If the performance and turn out meet the advisors’ expectations, the tradition of high school talent shows should begin again. Bring yourself and your friends to this fun-filled event!

By Morgan Adams

Seniors...Are You Ready for College?! Academics

Are you currently a senior at Fleetwood High School? Have you started preparing for and applying to colleges, universities, technical schools, or even jobs? Kyle Kercher and Amanda Rhoad already have. They have both begun the adventure of preparing for college. Amanda Rhoad said, “I’ve taken the SATs, sent my transcripts, visited BTI, and applied online.” “I’ve visited colleges. I’ve also been doing my homework and studying a lot for tests to keep my grades up,” says Kyle Kercher. If you don’t know what to do to start preparing, here’s how you can begin your very own adventure. First, get together a list of possi-

ble colleges or universities you might want to attend. The list should contain at least three colleges. Second, you must consider your financial options: How you are going to pay for your higher education? Third, if you know you won’t be able to pay for your education or you don’t want to get a student loan, scholarships might be the best thing for you. Getting together a list of potential applications might be a good idea. Some other avenues you can take to prepare are reviewing your SAT or ACT scores, meeting with your guidance coun-selor, securing letters of recommendations, and submitting your applications. Make sure that your SAT or ACT test scores show your best work. If they

don’t, see if you can retake the tests as soon as possible. Meeting with your guidance counselor can help you prepare for apply-ing to college. He or she can help answer any questions you may have about forms or last decisions. When securing letters of recom-mendation, be sure you see what the col-leges expect from them. Telling the teacher, coach, or instructor about the col-lege and yourself might help him or her write a more influential letter. The last tip, however, is also the most important want: Relax and try not to stress! By Desirae Lesher

In today’s world, religion is often forgotten. It has faded out of many people’s lives, and the policies of public schooling do not promote talking about or expressing it in any way, shape, or form. This, however, isn’t true for everyone. Byron and Lisa Barnshaw, parents of FAHS student Haley Barnshaw, are mis-sionaries who attend a Christian church in Kutz-town. For twenty years, the Barnshaws have been serving as missionar-ies through an organization called Christar. Christar is a Christian organization that intends to “reach the peo-ple who are least reached in the world, and to spread the gospel through living and understanding the people of the different cultures of the world.” Byron Barnshaw has done just that, traveling to Thailand and Washington through in his years of service. What separates Christar

from many other organizations is that a per-son must be fluent in the language of the culture in which he or she is living. “It is a rewarding experience. Working with Christar is all about helping

others. I believe in what they are doing.” says Byron Barnshaw. Unfortunately, being missionaries

offers countless spiritual rewards and very few of the monetary rewards needed to live in today’s world. To compensate, Byron and Lisa work out of their home during the day. Byron is a web designer, and Lisa works as

an NPO (New Personnel Orientate) for Christar. In the past year, Christar has moved its base location from the Fleetwood Area to Richardson, Texas. This posed a problem for the Barnshaws, who faced the possibility of moving to Texas. “It wasn’t the right move for our family at the time, and I am glad that we were able to stay here in Fleetwood,” explains Lisa Barnshaw. Thankfully, the Barnshaws have been able to serve remotely from their home. Overall, the Barnshaws have devoted their lives to raising their

daughters and living out the ideals of Chris-tianity as best they can. By Cale Ahearn

Barnshaws Keep Missionary Spirit Alive Religion

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Book Recommendation: “Kissed by an Angel” by Elizabeth Chandler Review

In the book “Kissed by an Angel,” by Elizabeth Chandler, Ivy, the protagonist, is attending a swim meet when she starts thinking about the first time she came to Stone-hill High School in Connecti-cut. She watches her school’s most popular swimmer, Tris-tan Carruthers, swim the but-terfly in the race. Also at the meet is Gregory Baines, the son of the man Ivy’s mother was about to marry. Gregory is there with his best friend Eric Ghent. Gregory is the same age as Ivy, and he likes to tease her. Ivy has been afraid of water since a devastating past experience of hers, but eventually Tristan starts to give her swimming lessons to get closer to her. Tristan also becomes close with Ivy’s brother, Phillip. When she leans how to swim, she always prays to her angels, all of which she has loved since she was a girl. Tristan is working as a caterer the night of Ivy’s mother’s wedding reception. He is eventually fired that night and finds a room to relax in until Gary, his friend, can take him home. He notices a boy who is hungry and doesn't want to leave the room. Tristan even-tually gets the boy food, finds out the boy is

Phillip, and helps the kid have fun during the remainder of the evening.

One night, Tristan and Ivy go on a date for which Tris-tan has been saving up. As they are on their way to dinner, Ivy notices that Tris-tan is driving too fast for the road. She asks for him to slow down, but he does not. Ivy becomes scared be-cause a deer jumps into the middle of the road. Tristan has no room to maneuver. Ivy is at the point of yelling at Tristan to stop, but Tristan is already trying his hardest. A few sec-onds after the deer jumps onto the road,

a car’s headlights appear. All that Ivy can remember is a shat-tered windshield. She doesn’t know if Tristan is okay, if the deer is alive, or if she has sur-vived. Her questions and ours must wait for the next book in the series, entitled “The Power of Love.”

By Brittany Stufflet

Big Decisions Ahead for College-Bound Seniors Academics The senior class of Fleetwood Area High School has some big decisions to make. Most importantly, they must decide where they would like to attend college. Do these stu-dents want to go far away from pleasant ole’ Fleetwood? Or, do they wish to stay local? “We have received applications from students for various colleges from all over the country,” says Guidance Counselor Melanie Phillips. “However, the majority of the appli-cations and accep-tance letters for this senior class would be for Kutztown University.” Even though Kutztown always seems to be the favorite, other students have de-cided to try their luck elsewhere. Dillon Turner has chosen Arizona State Uni-versity while Zach Hess would like to attend Maryland State to major in physics. Drew Ze-bertavage has decided to apply to both near and far universities, including Bloomsburg, Kutztown, and the U.S. Naval Academy. “I hope that I get into St. Joseph’s University,” said senior Anthony Onimus. According to Guidance Coun-

selor Amy Moyer, many of Fleetwood’s stu-dents receive scholarships of some sort for their post-secondary education. Last year, the total amount of Fleetwood scholarships was close to one million dollars. This year, students such as Liz and Sarah Bergman have received scholarships to play their respective sports at Lehigh University and Sacred Heart University, respectively. Many local colleges are ranked fairly

high in the na-tion. According to U.S. News, the University of Pennsylvania is ranked 5th in the nation; this is the highest ranked Pennsylvania school. As for our state colleges, Shippensburg

was ranked 77th, followed by West Chester at 84th, Bloomsburg at 88th, and then Kutztown at 117th. Pennsylvania’s Carnegie-Mellon Uni-versity is currently ranked 23rd in the nation and is the most expensive college in the state with a price tag of $41,940 a year.

By Alyssa Delp and Elizabeth Bergman

Hydrogen Car Visits FAHS Science and Technology

On Thursday, November 4th, Air Products—a world leader in the production of industrial gases—brought a hydrogen car to Fleetwood Area High School. Scott McCul-lough, the school’s physics teacher, had been requesting the car to come to Fleetwood since April. It was many months before the company responded. McCullough was interested in getting the car to Fleetwood because, as he says, “the students needed to see that companies are constantly working on ideas to make our future better.” Although Air Products brought the car to Fleetwood, General Motors supplied the car to Air Products on loan because the gas producer assists GM with building both hydrogen fuel-ing stations and hydrogen storage vessels.

While gasoline engines are widely produced, the infrastructure for hydrogen cars is still in its infancy. This is one of the many reasons why hydrogen cars are not mass-produced. Hydrogen cars are indeed available to the con-sumer, but they go for as much as $500,000. The advantage of a Hydrogen car is that hydrogen fuel cells don’t emit harmful vapors in the way that gasoline engines do. Instead, they release water vapor into the air. Fleetwood wasn’t the first or the only school that was interested in experiencing the Hydrogen car; many districts in the Lehigh Valley asked Air Products to bring the car for a demonstration.

By Curtis Ryan

Jelissa Cruz Honored As Student of the Quarter Profile Congratulations are in order for FAHS student Jelissa Cruz, a junior who was named student of the quarter by the Northeast Berks Chamber of Commerce. Established in 1989, this Chamber of Commerce promotes and recognizes the vol-untary contributions of the public in the local region. School districts involved in the North-east Berks Chamber of Commerce include Brandywine Heights, Fleetwood, Kutztown, Kempton, Lenhartsville, Lyons Station, and Topton. Jelissa was invited to a breakfast

along with students from other schools in the area who were awarded the title as well. She received a gift card for the Kutztown Library and a certificate as an award for her out-standing achievement. “It was fun meeting students from other schools, and hearing their stories”, said Jelissa. “I was also very interested in speaking with the businessmen who were there; it was a great experience.” She definitely made Fleetwood proud.

By Kaitlynn Stott

No Increase in FAHS Violence School

Fight (n): an angry argument or disagreement. Fights can occur anywhere and every-where, even in high schools. And Fleetwood Area High School is no exception. On average, Fleetwood sees about six or seven physical altercations each year. Com-pared to other, similar schools, this is about average. However, some schools have more than fifteen fights a year. One big question students have is, “What do people even fight about?” Principal Michael DeAntonio says, “Unfortunately, most are about miscommunica-tion. Someone says they heard from someone who heard from someone else…and so on.” Everyone knows the stories and the people who participated in them. Fights seem to arise out of everything and nothing. The sim-plest little word can prompt an altercation. For-tunately, Fleetwood’s violence trends remain consistently low. What can anyone at school plan to do to help prevent fights from erupting? “We continue to try to convince stu-dents to let me, Mr. Salpino, and any teachers

know if they are having difficulty with some-one,” says DeAntonio. At any given moment, the administra-tion and faculty are available to help. If some-one happens to find himself or herself in a school fight, the consequences can be pretty heavy. Suspension and notification of the po-lice are a given. Most of the time, the police will even file charges on behalf of the school. The rumor goes that the younger students are the ones who get in the most trou-ble, and many teachers agree. Most faculty believe that freshmen are more predisposed to violence because they are still adjusting to this new and different school environment. Students are less kind, however, and think that freshmen are just more immature. Fleetwood Fights even has its own Facebook page, which has acquired tons of fans. Still, many teachers and students are con-tinuing the effort to reduce fights in school. With the help of everyone, maybe this dream can become a reality. By Emily DeLong

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FAHS Predicts Winter Weather Weather

This is the time of year when eve-ryone is wondering what to expect from the impending winter weather. Most people like to look in the “Farmer’s Almanac.” These old farmers are anticipating a nicer, gentler winter. Or so we hope… The “Farmer’s Almanac” also says that the weather will get colder than last winter, even in spite of its expected calm.

However, Keith Mayer, meteorolo-gist for the “Reading Eagle”, thinks this winter will have pretty much the same tem-perature as last year. Precipitation will be the usual wet and snowy conditions. Teachers and students also have their own opinions. Mrs. Wilkinson anticipates weather that is “a lot colder without as much snow.” Gregory Ratzell is hoping for more

snow than ever. Patrick Tobias says, “It’s going to be pretty cold, and there is going to be a lot of snow,” and Mr. Coassolo agrees. Heather Fenley said, “There is not going to be any snow, just ice and freezing rain.” Mrs. Jarosynski says that it is going to be less snow and really cold. Kyle Gehret yelled, “It’s going to

be a blizzard!” And the ever prophetic Mr. Houp said, “It is inconceivable for us to get any-thing right in predicting the weather.” He then refused to give an accurate prediction. Though many of those predictions seem to correspond, they are just opin-ions. Only Mother Nature knows for sure what to expect.

By Erica Ebner

Pumpkin Cookies Are Great Holiday Treat How-To

Looking for a great holiday treat this year? These delicious pumpkin cookies are sure to be a hit among children and adults of all ages. Whether you’re making them for a party or just to share at home, you won’t be disappointed once you take a bite of this enjoyable dessert.

Ingredients needed for cookie batter: 3 cups shortening 3 cups sugar 3 cups canned pumpkin 3 eggs 6 cups of flour 3 tsp. baking soda 1½ tsp. salt 3 tbl. cinnamon

Ingredients needed for icing: 9 tbl. butter 12 tbl. 2% milk 1½ cups of brown sugar 3 tsp. vanilla extract 3 cups powdered sugar ½ tsp. almond extract Walnuts (optional)

Directions: 1. Blend Crisco and sugar until completely mixed. 2. Add remaining cookie ingredients and blend well 3. Place on cookie sheet for 9 to 11 minutes at 350o F. 4. Blend ingredients for icing with mixer until icing is spreadable. Add powdered sugar for consistency if icing is too liquid. 5. Spread icing on cookies, wait for them to cool, and enjoy! They will usually taste even better the second day.

By: Kaitlynn Stott

Scott Long says, “HEH-LOO!!” Profile

In Fleetwood, there is a legend about a student so energetic, so fast, that, even while unseen, his greetings can be heard through the halls of Fleetwood. He welcomes everyone with a smile, a wave, and then he speeds away in a blur. He is Scott Long. Scott Long is a sophomore here at Fleetwood. He is commonly seen sprinting from class to class with his massive book bag, greeting individuals with a “Heh-lohh!”

and groups with a “Hello, fine citizens!” “People I’ve never met before know my name! It’s kind of weird!” Long explained during an exclusive interview. “My favorite part of school is get-ting to see and say ‘Hello!’ to all my friends,” says Long. What Long neglects to mention is that almost every FAHS student seems to be a friend of his. But for Scott Long, school isn’t only about socialization. He is a very vocal spokesperson for the FAHS Japanese courses. “I [speak] Japanese, and I love Japanese culture,” states Long. Scott Long aspires to someday be a train conductor, and one imagines that he will be equally friendly as he travels the countryside greeting all he meets during his adventures. But for Long, his adventures have already begun. He proudly admits that he has been in multiple police cars and ambu-lances for various reasons. Long’s reputation for jollity and speed continues to grow in the Fleetwood Area High School, but for now Scott simply wants the world to know one thing: “Everyone needs to watch out on Black Ops because I will find and own all of you!”

By Matt Voyer

As soon as the temperature drops and meteorologist Ed Hanna utters one word about a ten percent chance of snow, the famil-iar expression We’re getting out early! spreads through the halls of Fleetwood Area High School. Whether the statement is true or not, most students immediately become distracted in the hopes that school will let out a few min-utes early. For some, what is even more thrill-ing is waking up to see a thickly laid coat of snow on the streets. But in the excitement of the moment, most students will not give a single thought to the time and processes school officials go through to make a closing decision. “Dr. [Paul] Eaken, the superinten-dent of schools, makes the final call on any closings or delays,” said FAHS Principal Mi-chael DeAntonio. Eaken considers several factors in his decision-making. He begins by investigating whether or not there is a winter storm warn-ing. When a winter storm warning goes into effect, hazardous weather is occurring or is likely to occur and could produce a threat to people’s safety. If Dr. Eaken sees this warning,

he begins his investigation at approximately 4:00 a.m. because he must reach his conclusion by 6:00 a.m. Eaken utilizes several resources while determining whether a school delay or cancel-lation is appropriate. He may call some of the surrounding townships and school districts to get their opinions on issues, including road safety conditions for both individ-ual and bus transportation. This can often become a challenging process when the district is spread over a wide area with wide variances in road condi-tions. Local police departments also aid the district by supplying information on any road closings and snow emergencies. Snow is not the only reason that the Fleetwood Area School District may close. Loss of power can result in a closing because of an inability to heat the school, which, in turn, will create unsafe situations indoors. Harsh winds that move debris into the road can make travel conditions for busses extremely difficult and potentially dangerous to passengers. Bus issues such as frozen

engines have also been known to prompt a delayed start. Whatever the final decision may be, the delay or closing is announced on radio stations and television stations in order to inform students. The Rapid Notification Sys-tem is also used for weather-related issues, and

the parent or guardian who is listed in the stu-dent database first will be notified through this system. Most importantly, you can check back at TheTigerTimes.com for up-to-the-minute reports on FAHS delays and cancellations.

By Alyssa Delp and Elizabeth Bergman

Snow Day Secrets Revealed Weather

January 2011 Page 4

www.TheTigerTimes.com

Torres Finds Funds in Refuse Finances

Karina Torres, a senior here at Fleetwood Area High School, is on a mis-sion to collect soda cans to help raise money for an educational ambassadorship program to Europe. In addition, Torres wants to help raise money for college and other personal expenses. As Torres began this endeavor, she thought that collecting cans would be a good way for her to earn money for small purchases she desired to make. Then one day she received a letter from the ambassa-dor program and decided that she would like to go on the trip. “I thought, ‘Hey, I’ll save a few

weeks’ worth of cans, and I’ll have my trip money in no time!’” explains Torres. She started to collect cans about four months ago, but her goal remains far in the distance. Torres is now saving all of the money that she earns from collecting cans to help pay for college and the ambassador program. Torres takes all of the cans that she collects—to date, around 40,000—to Cou-gal’s in Hamburg. The staff of The Tiger Times wishes Karina the best of luck.

By Chad Dymeck

Power of Love Powerful for All Review In “Power of Love” by Elizabeth Chandler, Ivy is mourning the death of Tris-tan, the recently deceased boy with whom

she was in love. She is also struggling through many near-death experiences of her own. She is trying to figure out who could have cut the brake lines to Tristan’s car and who may now be coming to kill her. With her friend Gregory there to help her stay as safe as possible, Tristan is devoted to figur-ing out how he can use his powers as an angel to help her survive. As the end of the novel nears, so too does the resolution of the mystery. And, as friends grow close, enemies grow even closer. The previous book in the series, “Kissed by an Angel,” was a book that read-ers will never forget. And while the second is equally good, its main purpose is to com-pel us eagerly to the final chapter of the tril-ogy. The story itself contains so many se-crets that it keeps the reader guessing about the identity of Ivy’s attacker. With Tristan now an angel, the reader longs for the time when he may again comfort Ivy through her difficult experi-ences. As Gregory enters the story, the reader becomes conflicted over whether Ivy has completely forgotten all that she and Tristan once had. Phillip is just the sweetest boy in the book, and he never quits on his sister. He also never stopped believing in angels after Ivy told him multiple times that they don’t exist. Phillip has the greatest and most open personality during this really hard time, when everyone is struggling to forget the past. Even though Phillip got on Ivy’s nerves from time to time, they were still really close and loved each other a lot. But these experiences are just the tip of the iceberg; any smart reader will pick up the book on his or her own. By Brittney Stufflet

To most students, night school is a place where you do not want to end up. Cameron Weeks was one of the unfortunate people who had to be enrolled in night school. Cameron is a sophomore who is completely ecstatic about coming back to regular school. After attending several months of night school, Weeks finally re-turned on November 5th, 2010. Cameron was first enrolled in night school because his grades were falling and he had undertaken some bad behavior. He now admits repeatedly that he regrets doing the things he did. “When I go back to regular school, I’m going to be the same person, but I’m not going to goof off, and I’m go-ing to try harder to get better grades,” stated Weeks. Cameron has missed his friends the most, and all of Cameron’s friends have missed him too. Zachary Cronrath said, “It feels really good to have C.J. back because I finally have my best friend back in school. I definitely think he is going to clean up his act. I know for sure he does not want to go back to night school.”

With night school in the past and a brand new attitude, C.J. definitely seems to be on the right path. All of his friends are

happy to have him back, and the feeling is mutual. By Emily DeLong

A Fresh Start for Weeks Profile

Venus Gives Global Warming Data Weather Global warming has been an issue in the media for as long as any student in the high school can remember. But Earth’s sister planet, Venus, may contain the key to help keep this planet cool. And we have a scientific solar radia-tion malfunction to thank! Venus is covered in sulfuric acid clouds that block our view of the surface. These clouds form at alti-tudes of fifty to seventy kilometers above the sur-face, where sulfur dioxide from volcanoes combines with water vapor to make sulfuric acid. The remaining acidic particles are destroyed immediately by the intense solar radiation above seventy kilometers. The fact that there is a layer of sulfuric acid at ninety to hundred-and-ten kilometers above the surface of Venus was a complete mystery to ESA’s Venus Express orbiter in 2008. However, computer simula-tions by Xi Zhang at the California Institute of Technology show that sulfuric acid is broken apart by sunlight, releasing sulfur dioxide gas. “The new findings also mean that the atmospheric sulfur cycle is more compli-cated than we thought,” says Zhang. This discovery is also adding to our knowledge of Venus, and may be a warning to

mankind that trying to change the climate on Earth is not as straightforward as originally thought. Previously, Nobel prize winner Paul Crutzen had suggested artificially injecting large quantities of sulfur dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere at around twenty kilome-ters to reverse the global warming from in-creased greenhouse gases. In 1991, a particular

eruption of Mount Pi-natubo in the Philippines that shot sulfur dioxide into the Earth’s atmos-phere—much like what happens with Venus’s clouds—spread the chemi-cal around the entire globe. These droplets cre-ated a layer of haze that reflected some of the Sun’s rays back into space and thereby cooled the entire world by 0.5°C.

On the contrary, the new discoveries on Venus suggest that the evaporation of sul-furic acid as an attempt to cool our planet may not be as successful as we thought. Scientists simply do not know how quickly the protective haze over earth will be converted back into gaseous sulfuric acid. The good news is that nature is do-ing the experiment on Venus so that scientists can utilize the results here on Earth. By Morgan Adams

December 2010 Page 3

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CoD: Black Ops Meets Big Expectations Reviews

The new Call of Duty game is finally here. Black Ops is a first-person shooter game that takes place in Vietnam during the 60’s. For the solo campaign, players attempt to avert a war between the U.S and Soviet Russia. This would be easy if your character wasn’t brain-washed. You have been captured, and you don’t know where you are or who has captured you. That is how the single player mode kicks off. As the game progresses, the protagonist’s thoughts trigger flashbacks, which compromise the actual missions of campaign mode. The story is a bit confus-ing at first, but it is worthwhile to re-main patient. At the end, everything makes sense, and the game earns its stripes. At the end of campaign mode, the story cuts to a scene of President Kennedy, and if you keep watching, you will find out that Nazi Zombies in-vade, requiring you to complete a whole new map. So yes, to answer everyone’s question, zombies have indeed re-turned! With new maps, guns, and characters, the game is just as fun as the

zombies from World at War. Besides these changes to the single-player game, the multiplayer mode has just as many, if not more, changes. Of course, there are the standard alterations, like new maps and guns, but there are also cosmetic differences as well. You can now put different designs on your guns and wear face paint. Another addition is “COD points.” Instead of unlocking supplies by completing challenges and getting to new levels, a currency system is used to buy attachments, camouflage, guns, and everything else. There are good and bad

aspects to this fea-ture. A downside is that guns have to be unlocked via a rank level; then you have to buy them with points to be used during game play. This makes it hard to try out a gun and see if you like it. An upside to this is that, once you unlock a gun, you don’t have to wait a long time to get an attachment for it; you can buy it and immediately begin using it. Overall this is a good game that is recom-mended for anyone who is a fan of the Call of Duty fran-chise.

By Madison Rice

Students Spend Germanic Evening at Leiderkranz Community Guten Tag! German-lovers from FAHS recently had a chance to go on an “Evening of German” held at the Reading Liederkranz on November 17th. Other schools also made an appearance to witness the festivities. Herr Rudy, current German teacher and German club advisor for FAHS, stated, “This is my third year we have gone since I have been here. I know that students from Fleetwood also went in past years before that.” Rudy continued, “Many things about the Evening of German at the Lieder-kranz are always great: the food, the culture, the dancing. They always find a way to make it better each year.” There was a wide selection of food there, and all was delicious: bratwurst, schweineschnitzel, spätzle, goulash, potato salad, sauerkraut, red cabbage, and apple cake. There were also edible souvenirs such as chocolates and other candies common to Germany. Besides the food, dancing was an-other activity that everyone enjoyed, whether they were merely spectating or else busting some German moves of their own. The very last and most exciting dance was the Fliegertanz. It is a German version of a line dance (like the chicken dance) that consists of various movements that anyone can undertake without rehearsal. Said sophomore Piper O’Keefe, “The dance at the end was my favorite part!” All in all, each student seemed to enjoy himself. On the bus ride home, many sang various German tunes as well. If you would like to be a part of this field trip next year, see Herr Rudy for information. Auf Wiedersehen!

By Melanie Lehman

Lunar Calendar Makes Birthdays Bi-Yearly Community Every culture in the world has key differences. In the Chinese culture, two calendars are used in everyday life. The regular calendar that native Americans use is the calendar that everyone follows. But there is also the lunar cal-endar, which is based on the phases of the moon. Every year, the lunar calendar starts at either the end of January or the beginning of February. It never occurs on the same day of the regular calendar. Each month of the lunar calen-dar starts on the new moon and ends the day before the next new moon. This cultural artifact may seem neat but forgettable until one realizes that, with two simul-

taneous calendars, everyone also has two birth-days a year. For example, Mr. Houp’s heavily-celebrated birthday is on December 31st, but his lunar birthday is on December 10th. “This is a wonderful idea. I love pre-sents, and I want people to give me presents on both days,” a modest Mr. Houp proclaimed. Other FAHS students took a different approach to the topic and stated their opinions accordingly. Zachary Wrobel said, “This would be confusing, but I still want to celebrate both re-gardless.”

Corey James declared, “It would be weird and cool at the same time. Two is better than one.” “To me, it would mean nothing,” Dan Zebrine commented. “I don’t really celebrate my birthday.” “It would be awkward. The lunar birth-day would take away the true meaning of my birthday,” replied Ryan Cortazzo. As the new lunar year approaches, don’t forget to remind your parents about an extra gift-giving occasion that they won’t want to miss.

By Carol Zheng

No Christmas for Florida Elementary School Religion In late November, an elementary school in Florida decided to ban Christmas for children. Parents were in an uproar. The prin-cipal had banned everything that was associ-ated with Christmas. Santa Claus was banned from every classroom at Heathrow Elementary School because he is an overt symbol of the holiday. However, controversy arose when non-Christian images, such as elves, sleighs, bells, and the colors red and green, were also banned from the elementary. According to sources, administrators wanted to celebrate winter and not any reli-gious holidays. Christmas is a religious holiday, and so it was banned from Heathrow Elemen-tary. Many parents believe that the administra-tors’ reactions are too extreme. Others, such as religious leaders, think that the winter season should be a time when teachers instruct stu-dents about diversity and acceptance. But dis-trict officials for the Heathrow Elementary School said that celebrating winter is good enough for elementary students, and they have

yet to be persuaded otherwise. At Fleetwood Area High School, many shared their opinions about this action and how they would feel if Christmas was banned at FAHS. Senior Ethan Martinez commented, “I really wouldn’t mind.” “I would cry about it,” said freshman Tessa Swider, “and curl up in a corner.” Sophomore Gregory Ratzell stated, “I wouldn’t care as much.” Ryan Cortazzo, a junior, replied, “I would wear green and red and everything else that has to do Christmas. Any punishment that would come with this violation, I would serve.” Mr. Houp commented, “I feel that the administrators have taken an extreme route. Banning all cultures does not help stu-dents intellectually. What they need to do is learn about all cultures and not ban any of them.”

By Carol Zheng

Richmond Students Support Local Charities Community Richmond Elementary has been conducting different fundraisers lately to raise money for local charities. In October, Richmond Elementary conducted a pumpkin decorating contest. Twenty-one staff members volunteered to decorate pumpkins. The pumpkins were displayed in the front lobby of the school, and students could vote for their favorite pumpkin by placing change in the corre-sponding container. The pumpkin that accu-mulated the most change was the winner. Altogether, the pumpkin fundraiser accumulated a total of three-hundred and eighty-three dollars, a sum that was much higher than the students and the staff ex-pected. The school bequeathed the money to drug and alcohol prevention programs. Richmond Elementary also hosted a fundraiser during lunches in which kids could purchase pilgrim cutouts for a dollar. Their names were written on the cutouts and then hung around the cafeteria. One hun-dred and seventy-eight dollars were raised for the Greater Berks County Food Bank simply through the purchase of these pilgrim cutouts. Richmond Elementary’s next fund-raiser is taking place the week before Christ-mas and will consist of a non-perishable food drive. Students and staff are asked to donate canned goods to Friends Inc. In pre-vious years, Richmond Elementary has of-fered six hundred pounds of donated food to the charity. Richmond Elementary is leading the way for other schools to embrace chari-table giving. If children are at the forefront of charitable fundraising, a sizeable differ-ence can be made to these local charities. Hopefully, other schools inside and outside of the district will follow Richmond’s lead and make a difference in our society. If you are interested in making a contribution or volunteering your time to Friend Inc., please visit their website at http://www.friendinc.org/.

By Maria Johnson

Fleetwood faculty and students at the Leiderkranz.

December 2010 Page 4

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December Horoscopes Advice

Every year, people think of something to change or improve about themselves. Some people stick to it while others quickly let go of their goals. The Tiger Times wants to know…

What is your New Year's Resolution?

By Madison Rice

Aries: Working hard is very reward-ing this month. You are busy broad-ening your occupational horizons. You may be accused of having too many opinions, but don’t let anyone phase you. Romance is going to ap-pear this month when you least ex-pect it, so make sure you are pre-pared for anything. December 4-6 are your best days of the month. Taurus: Money, power, romance, and caring are strong for you this month. Your creativity is strong as well. Think about doing something that involves your imagination. In the beginning of the month, you will be busier watching others than work-ing for yourself. The last week of the month will bring educational oppor-tunities and a lot of changes as well. Gemini: You are going to be facing many conflicts with someone close to you this month. Just relax and try not to make everyone mad at your actions. Money will be a problem at the end of the month, and the mid-dle of the month might bring some romance. Open your eyes and make sure to look around once in a while. Try to watch your finances at month’s end. There will be a lot of loans that you need to pay back. Cancer: You cannot wait for New

Year’s. You already probably started thinking about your resolutions! Be strong about your decisions. Go through with the resolutions this year, and try your best at them. This month gives you a lot of energy, so work on your goals and help others with their goals too. December’s last week will bring some conflict be-tween you and someone close. Change is going to happen, so be prepared. Leo: The first few weeks of this month and exciting and energetic. This is a very creative period for you, so broaden your horizons. People will think you are more appealing this month, and they will want to be around you more. You will probably be working harder this month, so try to work on improving grades or your reputation at work. At the end of the month, a job opportunity will pre-sent itself, and taking it would proba-bly be the best thing for you right now. Virgo: Your home life next year is going to be more interesting. Be pre-pared for changes and lots of repairs. The last week of this month is all about romance. A new romance is coming your way. The holidays are going to be the best for your love life. Embrace romance this time of

month! Libra: The beginning of this month is going to be very busy but fortu-nate for you. It may be a bit difficult, but the stars say that it would be good to spend a lot of time with your friends and family. The last week of the month will turn out to be very family oriented. There will be a lot of intense family matters with which you are going to have to deal. Scorpio: This month calls for finan-cial glory for you. Your income is going to cause you to become more energetic and more spirited. But this money will only come through hard work. So try to or plan to work longer hours. The biggest money should come to you on December 12th, so work, work, work! Sagittarius: Confidence is your best quality this month. Your confidence will bring you a lot of energy and happiness, everyone around you will agree. However, the excitement around you is going to start to fade at the end of the month. Capricorn: This month, a lot of your past problems will come back to you. Some family issues will arrive this month as well. But during this time of stress, find peace. Enjoy that

peace while you can. At the end of the month, you will feel a great burst of energy surge through you for the New Year. Focus this energy on a natural talent of yours. Aquarius: You need to work on de-veloping new goals this month. These goals will prove really impor-tant this month, and finishing them will boost your confidence a lot. But there is one problem: your friends will definitely keep you distracted from your goals, so find some time to just work on them daily. Your love life is going to be quiet this month, but the end of the month may bring around a few new sparks. Pisces: This month is going to be a very high-stress month for you. Se-crets will be the main source your stress. People will keep secrets from you, and other’s secrets will be re-vealed. At the end of the month, there is going to be some intense energy between you and a close friend. To distract yourself from the drama around you, focus on work. You will be working more and harder than usual, and it will not go unseen by your superiors. You will be praised for your hard work pro-fessionally and financially.

By Emily Delong

Ryan Cortazzo ‘12

Ethan McGlinsey ‘11

& Andy Moran ‘12

Find a girl-friend who is down to earth.

Jake Braswell ‘12

I don’t have one.

Well, I already started. I joined a

gym and am getting in shape.

Cassidy Pflueger ‘13

Healthier living.

I don’t really like having

one. It’s kinda point-less because no one com-

mits to it.

Molly Flannery ‘12

Restart training for cross country.