THS Rocket Tales October/November, 2012

Fall Fun Time By: Tracy Hilliard

With the fall season in full fury, everyone is doing some of his or her favorite things. Jumping in the freshly fallen leaves never gets old. Sure, as you

get bigger, the leaf pile size gets bigger. But spending hours rolling around in the

fall colors will always be the greatest part of fall to me. THS students all have

their reasons of why fall is a great time of the year.

Kori Maifeld enjoys the fall for a number of reasons. She enjoys being wrapped in a cozy blanket and reading a book, being outdoors

admiring the leaves changing colors, or taking pictures of them if

they catch her eye. One of her hobbies is playing soccer. The fall season of soccer is

one of her favorite things to watch. Like many

teens, she still enjoys trick-or-treating. She is going as Batgirl with her boyfriend, Shawn

Thomas.

Shawn Thomas is going trick-or-treating as Batman.

His favorite part of fall is hunting. He goes archery hunting by himself so he can

concentrate on finding a deer. He likes being indoors on cold fall days. Cuddling with his girlfriend Kori takes up a lot of his time. And the two of them plan on

carving pumpkins for Halloween.

Tom Feiereisen enjoys a lot of things about fall. Raking the leaves then jumping in them is a favorite of his. After coming in from a cold day, he likes to

make hot chocolate. He wants to investigate Miller Farm for ghosts. He loves

playing with his little sister. He plays fall soccer. He enjoys dressing warm for the cold weather. He also enjoys going on car

rides out in the country to see the leaves. And

the sounds of dry leaves crunching under his

feet never get old.

Tate Schwab has more of an exciting agenda for fall. He loves playing

hockey. He enjoys going on walks with his

girlfriend, Marie. Going to the movies, going to a haunted house in Pittsburgh, and going to a haunted house in Conneaut Lake are some of his fall

adventures.

See Homecoming 2012 photos on page 6.

Designed by Cierria Kaczmarek

Thrills and Chills By: Emily Willis

From its chilling title, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, to its shocking surprise

ending, this year’s play was guaranteed to induce shudders. As you may know, this

school year has brought with it many changes, one of which is the change from the

Senior Class Play to the Senior and Junior Class Play. The combination is an excellent

way to showcase the talents both classes have to offer.

Taking place in an old mansion known as The Shadows in upstate New

York, this play follows the characters Lilac Cooper (played by Laura Wilks) and Zip

Whittle (played by Alex Langer) as they experience all the thrills and chills this spooky

mansion has in store.

Lilac and Zip come to The Shadows when they learned their cousin

Sebastian Sly, the playwright, has died and left something to them in his will. They

arrived with absolutely no idea what they were in for. They quickly learn that a

murderous lunatic known as the Creeper (played by Casey Shoup) is on the loose and

lurking somewhere in The Shadows.

When Zip and Lilac meet the other characters that inhabit The Shadows,

such as Velma Cringe (played by Adrianna Burnside), Deputy Graves (played by

Regina Abbey), Ralph (played by Paige Lindquist), and the shy Miranda Winkler

(played by Katie Huber), they’re sure they’ve stepped right into a loony bin. As the

story unfolds, they learn that it’s mandatory for them to remain in The Shadows for the

next 24 hours without showing any signs of insanity!

This play was definitely worth the watch because it had twists and turns that

shocked the audience and other humorous parts that made the entire auditorium

explode with laughter. The cast really brought the play to life in both haunting and

hilarious ways. If you didn’t get a chance to watch the play, you don’t know what you

missed!

Titusville High School Credit Union Branch

By: Devon Pettit

Do you want to purchase something big in the near future? Do

you need a place to save your money? Opening an account is easy; all

you need is your social security card, some form of ID, and the minimum

account balance based on your age. If you are a student under the age of

17, the minimum account balance is $5. The minimum account balance

for a student 18 years of age or older is $25. Come down to the Credit

Union, open during A and B lunch and

see what we have available for you to

start saving!

Have you ever thought about

buying your own car? Our auto loans

are 1.49% which is an extremely good

rate! This means you will be paying

less than 2% interest back on your

loan. Buying a car could never be as

affordable as it is through the

Meadville Area Federal Credit

Union!

Student tellers front l-r: Josiah Leach, Jennifer

Wright, Marcus Tress; back l-r: Abby Preston,

Grace Champion, Faith Champion, and Hannah

Halfast. Missing from photo is Devon Pettit.

Thankful Thinking By: Haleigh Scott

The day we look forward to every year is a day where you

accomplish nothing and eat too much. Thanksgiving is a

holiday celebrated primarily in the United States during the

month of November, and it is celebrated in Canada in

October. Puritans from England established this holiday to

celebrate a great harvest season as well as to give God great

thanks. Interestingly, Thanksgiving did not become a traditional holiday until the late

1960s. It is tradition that the special holiday is held every year on the last Thursday in

November. This year Thanksgiving is on November 22. One advantage of having

Thanksgiving as a holiday is the days we get off of school. This year we have

Thursday, Friday, the weekend, and Monday off from school! Most importantly,

though, Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks. When students were asked what they

were thankful for, they responded:

Chelsea Shaffer- “I am thankful that my family and friends all get along together.”

Ashley Brown-“I am thankful to have my friends support to get me through anything

going on.”

Stacey Bloom- “I am thankful for everything that happens in my life as well as my

family and my dog Sharlet.”

Alexis Gallagher- “I’m thankful for my family, both my church and blood family.”

Taite Foley- “I am thankful for my family and my friends.”

Tyler Nicol- “I am thankful that I am always able to see my family around the

holidays.”

Kennedy Ongley- “I am thankful for my friends and family.”

Jackie Steffee- “I am thankful for my good health, family, and to be so blessed to be

surrounded by so many people who love and support me.”

Wyatt Pettit- “I am thankful for every day that I am granted to be around my friends

and family.”

Emily Willis- “I am thankful for my family, of course, and the fact that I am blessed

to have a roof over my head, unlike so many others.”

Student Council By: Ryan Schwab

Student Council is an organization at Titusville High

School that is in charge of many different activities and events

throughout the school year. Some of their responsibilities include,

for example, setting up for school dances and decorating the halls

for special events. Their most recent project was Spirit Week and

Homecoming 2012.

This year’s student council officers are Haleigh Scott,

President; Ariana Sabatini, Vice President; Xavier DeRose,

Treasurer: and Shannon Daugherty, Secretary. The advisor for

Student Council is Mr. Zimmerman. Upcoming events that they

hope to plan for are a Food Drive in November, a Sadie Hawkins

Dance in February; and the Mr. THS contest in either March or

April.

Student Council is a great club to join if you have an

interest in school activities and especially if you are looking for a

way to get involved in your school.

Academic Challenge Club By: Kristen Karns

What is the Academic Challenge Club? Academic Challenge Club is

academics at an extremely-challenging level where the students do problem solving

and critical thinking activities. Academic Challenge club meets each Monday during

Directed Learning in Room 207 with Mr. Tenney. Mr. Tenney says he coordinates

events and competitions for students to attend, and he arranges practice and

scrimmages for students to prepare for competitions. Mr. Tenney says he loves the

level of motivation and engagement from the students; they always want to learn and

know everything, and he can’t wait to have others join.

Most recently the students participated in the Equations Tournament at the

Intermediate Unit 6 in Clarion. There were three teams that went to the Equations

Tournament. There was one from each division (7th/8th, 9th/10th, and 11th/12th).

This involves the manipulation of cubes to create a solution that solves a set

goal. At that event, the 11th/12th grade division successfully captured 1st place in the

region. On December 13, a group of students will be participating in a competition

called Presidents. This competition focuses on the facts pertaining to the U.S.

Presidents.

The students who competed were Alex Langer, Karee Lesko, Maryellen

Arendash, Devon Pettit, Ashley Pettit, Wyatt Pettit, Derrick Bish, Wade Harger and

Troy Beauchat.

Academic Challenge members

pictured right (l-r): Devon Pettit,

Ashley Pettit, Derrick Bish, and

Troy Beauchat.

Drama Club By: Emily Reed

Titusville High School has various school clubs available

for students to participate in, and one of them is Drama Club.

Drama Club is run by Mrs. Millar and the drama club leaders

include, President Chase Upchurch, VP Ben Snyder, Secretary

Juliet Hilburn, and Treasurer Mary Ellen Arendash.

So far this year Drama Club has had a fundraiser selling

Daffin’s Candy Bars to fund a trip to Pittsburgh to see the

Broadway musical Les Miserables this January. This year’s

fundraiser has gone well considering the number of students

involved in the club this year. There has been a considerable

increase in the number of students participating in the club due to

advertising the club done by the officers and an incoming of

freshmen.

Not only does the Drama Club plan

to see a show but also to possibly put on a

small traveling Christmas arrangement for the

district’s elementary schools. The drama club

has many different activities planned for the

year and many different activities planned for

each meeting, including role play,

improvisation, and other theatrical based exercises.

Student Council officers pictured above l-r: Xavier DeRose,

Haleigh Scott, Mr. Zimmerman, Ariana Sabatini, and Shannon

Daugherty

FALL SPORTS 2012 Football Finale

By: Seth Mehlenbacher

The Titusville Rocket football team closed out their season with a

final record of 3-7. Three wins is for sure better than none. Even though the

playoffs were not made, the Rockets enjoyed their season, according to a

number of players. The fans also enjoyed the season as they usually do.

As they won three games, the Rockets

lost seven, which is acceptable, but not quite

satisfying. Rocket head coach Scott Salvo stated

that the team needed to “play with more

enthusiasm,” and “play the entire game[s].” Their

season wasn’t that bad, but probably will leave a

sour feeling to the players until next year.

The Rockets this year had a relatively

tough schedule, but as any sports team can say, more victories would have been

better. “Even though we play in a very strong region, I felt that we could have

won a few more games,” explained Salvo.

The season has finished and the team has to stay focused on football,

even during the winter and off months. Salvo explained that the Rockets need to

“get more players committed to the offseason.” They will need to keep their

attention on the game of football, even after the schedule ends and prepare for

next year.

Golf Wraps Up Another Successful Season

By: Matt McCord

The 2012 Rocket Golf team completed another successful

season this year. They won the Region 5 title for the sixth

consecutive year. Not only did they win the Region title, they had

four individuals qualify for the District 10 individual tournament.

In Region 5 the Rockets competed against the Corry

Beavers, Rocky Grove Orioles, Franklin Knights, and the

Eisenhower Knights. The squad won every region match to go 5-0 in

the region. Coach McCord had praise for this year’s squad,

“Considering we lost five out of our top six starters, it was an

outstanding year.” In District 10, if the team wins the region title,

they qualify for the District 10 Team Tournament at The Country

Club of Meadville.

In the team tournament, the Rockets played three

sophomores and two freshmen. Sophomore, Matt McCord played at

the one spot and shot 81, and fellow sophomore Seth Mehlenbacher

shot an 88. With those being the top scores, the Rockets went on to

shoot 350 and place second in

District 10. In the District 10

Individual Tournament, McCord,

Mehlenbacher, freshman Eric

Maginnis, and sophomore Taite

Foley competed. On a difficult day

with winds gusting and course

conditions that were soft but fast,

the scores were up all throughout

the field. McCord shot 82 to place

third and advance to the Western

Regional where unfortunately, he

was unable to move on to the State

Championships. Maginnis came in

with an 88 to place eleventh to miss

the cut by three shots.

Mehlenbacher and Foley struggled all

day and also missed the cut. “It was

a cool experience,” said Seth Mehlenbacher about competing in the

championships.

“My favorite part was how many friends I made from other

schools. It made golf so much more fun than it already was,” said

Seth. With the Rocket golfers making new friends and winning

another Region 5 title, it was a successful year.

Matt McCord

Boys Soccer: Another Chapter Ends By: Ryan Schwab

Another season of blood, sweat, and tears has come to an end. The

boys soccer team wrapped up their 2012 season with a record of six wins, ten

loses, and two ties (6-10-2). This year a new rule came out stating that in the

regular season, there are two ten-minute overtime periods before the game can

result in a tie. Since this rule came into effect, the Rockets went into six

overtimes; the record of these overtimes were two wins, two loses, and two

ties (2-2-2).

Now that the season is over, Henry Kennedy, a senior, reflects on

the season as a whole: “I think that we pulled together toward the middle of

the season and we were strongest toward the last part. I think if we had

played like that the whole season we would have been a force in playoffs.”

Also, his advice to the underclassmen of the team is, “Keep your head up and

keep running; if you’re tired, don’t be; the harder you work in practice the

more it pays off in the games.

Aaron Marsh said regarding his senior season of soccer ending, “It

makes me sad knowing I can’t come back and play again, but it’s exciting to

know I have played so long, met so many people and have grown up so

much.”

Derek Schneider’s response was similar: “Honestly, I’m pretty sad.

I’ve been playing with all the seniors and most of the underclassmen for three

years now, and realizing that it is over and we won’t all play together again

really stinks.”

Overall, the Rockets record might not have been a winning one, but

these guys were diligent. They played their hearts out in every game, and

they never gave up.

Keep on Kicking!

By: Haleigh Scott

The completion of the Lady Rockets soccer season may not have

ended at the district level, but it did end positively, with a record of

11-6. While speaking with Coach Shrout, he commented that he

was very proud of the girls and their constant effort this season.

“This year was just not in our luck, moving regions was hard, and

competing against girls that only play soccer all year is very

noticeable on the field.” Shrout is looking forward to seeing all

the underclassmen put in hard work during the off season to

benefit themselves for next season. Nice work Lady Rockets, and

good luck in your future seasons

Welcome New Teachers! By Cierria Kaczmarek

This year there are two new teachers at THS, and their names are

Mrs. McFarland and Mr. Mehlenbacher. Mrs. McFarland attended UPT (the

University of Pittsburgh) for three years and studied pre-med. She decided

that she would rather go into education and finished her degree at Clarion

University. Some of Mrs. McFarland’s hobbies are

riding horses, kayaking, boating, playing sports and

spending time with her husband and two daughters.

Mrs. McFarland has worked in the Titusville Area

School District for three years. She worked at the

Middle School, as well as the ECLC. This year is her

first year teaching at THS, and she is teaching FCS

(Family Consumer Science), two food courses, which

are professional and advanced food prep. She also teaches Child

Development I and II, as well as a freshman seminar course. Mrs.

McFarland said, “She is enjoying THS, and the staff and students have been

very helpful.” I asked Mrs. McFarland about her thoughts on the students

she is teaching, and Mrs. McFarland replied, “I have a great group of

students who love to be involved. We are involved not only with THS, but

with the community as well. Participation is a huge part of all of my classes,

so I am lucky to have such a great group of students!” Mr. Mehlenbacher is also a new teacher at THS. He attended

college at Edinboro University graduating in 2004. Before he became a staff

member at THS he worked at LaBelle Middle

School in LaBelle, Florida for seven years. This

year he is teaching Health and Physical Education

for grades nine through twelve. He is also coaching

the 8th grade boys’ basketball team at TMS. I asked

Mr. Mehlenbacher how he likes Titusville High

School, and he replied, “so far I have really enjoyed

working here at THS. I have great co-workers in the

P.E. Department that have really made me feel at home.” I also asked what

Mr. Mehlenbacher’s thoughts are on the students he is teaching and he

replied, “The students have been great this year. They have all been very

respectful and have all worked very hard in my classes.” Some of Mr.

Mehlenbacher’s hobbies are enjoying activities with his kids and wife,

playing basketball, playing tennis and biking.

Concert Band By Regina Abbey

Concert band is a performing ensemble made of woodwind, brass,

and percussion instruments. Concert band plays many different types of

music from pop culture to orchestrated music, such as “Wake me Up When

September Ends” by Green Day and “Thus Spoke the Raven” by Composer

Gary Fagan. Some wonder if there is a difference between concert band and

marching band. The answer is yes. Concert band members sit down for most,

if not all, of their performance. Just like an audience would sit down to enjoy

a performance as well. Meanwhile, marching band is in constant motion for

their entire performance.

Some may ask, “What kind of music does the band play during the

winter season?” Band instructor, Mr. Steffanina, answers that question and

more. “The band plays holiday music as well as standard band literature.”

Mr. Steffanina’s favorite part about working with the kids is “the high level

of musicianship and dedication of my ensemble.” Mr. Steffanina is able to

play most instruments such a euphonium and trumpet. But to be a music

instructor he also had “to be proficient in at least one specific instrument

area.” That means that, you have to excel in at least one instrument to be a

music instructor.

Upcoming concert will be on December 18 at 7 p.m. in Colestock

Auditorium. We hope everyone will come to the show support for the band

and enjoy an evening of great music as well.

Devin Dewey demonstrates her

skills on the marimba. David Finlan knows that timing is

everything when playing the kettle drums.

Mr. Steffanina prepares students during practice for the upcoming holiday

Art Club By Shawn Thomas

Many people have artistic talent. Titusville High School’s art

club allows students more time to work on art projects and to have fun

as well. In Art Club members are involved in many things including

fundraising for the annual field trip, as well as planning extracurricular

activities.

Kori Maifeld’s favorite thing about Art Club is the field trip at

the end of the year. She helps organize the fundraiser and the art trip.

Kori enjoys being a member of the art club because she loves art. Her

favorite type of art is charcoal art. She wants to pursue a career in art,

and that’s why being a member of the Titusville High School Art Club is

right for her.

Art Club plans to do some projects this year but those projects

are still in the planning stages. Most of the Art Club members like to be

involved in the club because of art and the field trip. This year’s trip is

to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Museum of

Modern arts.

Jaywalking: Illegal to Legal By: Jackie Steffee

Over the course of time, many types of “on the road” laws

have been passed merely for the safety of the public. Rules such as

staying on the right side of the street while driving, always stopping at a

stop sign, signaling to pedestrians, and so on, are just some examples of

laws that make sense to those who abide by them. What about some laws

that just don’t make sense?

Jaywalking, being a huge controversy for years has been a

questioned law on why it is forbidden when it’s such a simple concept.

You either cross the road going straight, or then cross again at the next

corner: easy. But there are those people who refuse to follow this law,

and therefore, are fined if caught in the act. Jaywalking happens

everywhere, even worldwide just to avoid the extra corner and to save

some valuable time. Not on all occasions are the jaywalkers fined, but in

big cities such as New York City, this could be more than an simple

issue.

In New York City, people have a harder time doing such a

simple task like crossing the road than people in smaller towns. New

Yorkers have to wait at the corner before crossing roads up to five or six

lanes in length, so could you imagine if some of them decided to jaywalk

through the middle of rush-hour?! If jaywalking is known to happen

everywhere, then why not make it legal and change the conditions of

jaywalking? Some laws such as this one shouldn’t have to be banned if it

could somehow help people in a positive manner.

Some solutions to this problem could be considered simple.

One way that jaywalking can be a sufficient way

of walking across the street legally is by marking

a pathway on the road just like the walkways that

lead straight. Along with having these lines, there

could also be crossing signs for drivers to see and

blinking “walk now” signs for the pedestrians to

be aware that they can proceed.

There are many suggestions and ideas

that could be used to make jaywalking legal, but

who is to say that it will ever be legal? Even

though some could say that the law is silly, it

continues to be a law, nonetheless. So make sure to always use the

crosswalks, and hopefully someday in the future there will be a new

jaywalking path to look forward to!

Movie Review: Frankenweenie By: Megan Wieder

Frankenweenie is a stop-motion

remake of the 1984 classic live-action short.

Directed by Tim Burton, viewers are immersed

in the world of Victor Frankenstein, a young

scientist. Victor’s pet dog Sparky tragically dies

after running out into a street and getting hit by

a car. Victor’s love for his dog is so strong that

he decides to try and bring him back to life.

Harnessing the power of lightning, Victor

shocks Sparky’s sewn-together body,

reanimating him. For obvious reasons, Victor

tries to keep Sparky out of sight, but he manages to escape and runs around

town.

Edgar, a classmate of Victor’s sees Sparky and is shocked that he is

alive again. Edgar blackmails Victor into seeing how he brought Sparky back

to life. Edgar and Victor acquire a dead fish and using the same method of

electrocution, they bring the dead fish back to life. However, the fish is

invisible, but when they stick their fingers in the water, they can feel it

swimming around. Edgar then proceeds to tell each classmate about his great

new discovery hoping to beat them at the science fair. Each child then attempts

to bring back their long last pets. This brings on some unintended

consequences that put many people at risk in the town of New Holland.

Tim Burton’s homage to the 1931 classic, Mary Shelly’s

Frankenstein, is very apparent. These similarities include, lightning creating

live “monsters”, an attic laboratory as well as the angry villagers. The

underlying parodies and humor will entertain adults while the story of a young

boy’s dog coming back to life will entertain those who are younger.

A black and white film may not appeal to some audiences, but the

story is terrific and the color sets off the underlying darkness and horror of the

film. Other movie references, such as Edward Scissorhands, a film also by Tim

Burton, make this a fun film to watch over and over again. The genius of Tim

Burton continues in the fun horror family film. Although not as good as

Nightmare Before Christmas or the recent Corpse Bride, both stop motion

films, it is still a great film with humor and horror.

All HAllow’s EvE By: Jackie Steffee

Halloween: that one holiday of the year that everyone gets to dress up and pretend to be someone else for a change. Little kids and parents get to

walk around their town and trick-or-treat; walking up to their neighbor’s doorsteps and receiving yummy, delicious candy and treats. Although Halloween

may be a simple holiday now, it wasn’t always the way that we, as a society, see it today. Halloween has been obscured over time and twisted from its

original purpose.

The first known “Halloween” was created by the Celtics during the early Middle Ages and was called “Samhain,” meaning “summer’s end.” This

Celtic holiday was meant for celebrating the end of the summer and was also considered to be the beginning of their new year. Also, it was believed that

during the celebration, people were to keep their doors open as an invite to their loved ones, who have passed away, to come and join in the merriment,

giving the holiday its other name, “day of the dead.” Costumes were not used just as a fun piece to wear, but also for safety purposes as well. It was believed

that during the festivals, spirits would be welcome by some people to possess their bodies, in order to be part of the fun. But some who wore costumes,

usually dressing as something scary like a witch or a goblins, hoped to scare away these needy spirits to avoid being a vessel for the spirit world.

But what about Halloween today? How have we gotten to these traditions and methods from such an oddly different holiday than the one we know

today? Well that’s an easy answer: immigrants. When our ancestors came over to the United States, the Irish and English traditions began to merge together

and took on a whole new meaning. They came up with the “trick-or-treat” tradition, the holiday became community centered and was now directed towards

the younger children to prevent vandalism. Also, Halloween wasn’t actually considered a holiday until the 1950s, when it was announced as an official

American holiday.

So as a reminder to all you trick-or-treaters out there, be careful this Halloween. Make sure to wear your scariest costume like the Celtics who

created this scary and scrumptious holiday for all to enjoy. Because if you don’t, you may be in the presence of an uninvited guest this Halloween! Happy

Hallows Eve, everybody!

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