Senioritis is something that happens when a graduated student gets accepted to college and simply doesn’t care anymore.  He or she tends not to study or do homework, and procrastinate is rampant.

Other symptoms of senioritis can be not caring about appearance, being constantly late to school, or just not coming to school at all.

I can testify to senioritis being real; for example, this article is at least a week or two late, and there is no way that it will meet the length requirement.

Once a senior gets accepted to college and the end is close, it is hard to not coast to the finish line.

Considering the first three years of high school are spent trying to get good grades for the future, once a student’s future is pretty much decided, it’s hard to see the point in continuing to work hard, so pure laziness sets in.

Senior Dan Judy who was voted to have the worst of case senioritis.

“It’s an honor to have this title.  Some may take senioritis as a negative thing, but it’s far from it.  Procrastination is an art!” Judy said.

“I’ve had my times of laziness throughout high school, but once you hit fourth quarter of your senior year, it just hits another level of laziness,” Senior Micah Storms said.

“I have been slacking off my first three years of high school, and I plan on doing nothing next year.  I have senioritis as a junior!” junior Max Fretz said.

Seniors should get good grades in the first two quarters of school because, once they hit third quarter they will become extremely lazy.

The last thing a senior wants to happen is for senioritis to completely take over and cause him or her to become ineligible or even cause not walk at graduation.

Their love for the music department teachers is prodigious. Senior students even purchase gifts for the teachers.

On 17 May 2013, these musically talented seniors will be performing in their last spring concert.

It will be held at the Fleetwood Area High School in the auditorium. It begins at 7:00 p.m., and choir groups along with the jazz band will be performing.

In light of the year ending, senior students had nothing but great words to say about the music department instructors.

“I am sad to be leaving this high school and to be done with chorale. I will certainly cry at the concert; however, I hope to join a chorale group in college so that I may continue singing. One door shuts, and another door opens,” Amber Himic said.

“Williamson is the best teacher ever!” Tyler Lance said.

Lance did imply that he did not enjoy the concerts much but loved the class and Mrs. Williamson.

Google is in big competition to be at the top of the technology chain, going up against companies such as Apple and Microsoft, and they seem to be handling themselves very nicely.

With their new product, Google Glass, they are completely reshaping what technology is going to be like. Glass is a great new form of technology completely unheard of before Google decided to announce it publicly.

Google’s team started working on project glass over a year ago and recently released its new product to developers for $1,500 to be tested and for applications to be made for it. 

But what exactly is Glass?

Glass is a brand new technology Google has been working on. It puts a smartphone right in front of the user at all times and, remarkably, somehow doesn’t pose a big distraction.

It has an eyeglass frame with interchangeable clear or dark lenses, but the amazing part of Glass is what is attached to the right earpiece.

On the right side of the frame is a technology that shocks and amazes people worldwide. It runs almost the length of the earpiece and wraps over the front a little.

Glass has a little rectangular prism of glass that sits off the piece of technology and is adjusted to be right above your right eye. A screen is then refracted onto there. The screen refracted is small, but close to the eye. It gives the illusion that it is a 25 inch screen from 8 feet away. Glass also has a camera on the front, which wearers can use to take first person pictures or videos.

Many wonder how Glass is controlled. There are two main ways to control Glass at this point, with hopefully more on the way.

The main way, is by using voice. For example, users can say things such as, “Glass, take a picture” or “Glass, Google how long is the Brooklyn Bridge?” and Glass will perform whatever ask on command.

Users may also navigate through Glass by using the touchpad on the side. He or she can slide a finger forward and backward on it to go side to side, and down to go back to the home screen.

Glass has many great functions to it. The simplest includes taking pictures, recording videos, searching Google, and sending messages. What may perhaps be the most useful feature is its navigation ability. When linked to a phone, users can say , “Glass, get directions to Fleetwood Area High School.” Using Google Maps, the Glass will procure directions and put a GPS screen up on its refracting glass.

As of now, Glass is only out to those couple thousand lucky developers, but Google is hoping to start rolling it out to the public at the beginning of 2014, costing considerably less than the $1,500 it cost for the developers.

Students left the school at 9:30 a.m. and returned shortly after 1:00 p.m.

The German Cultural Heritage Center is a museum and cultural center that strives to preserve and promote the Pennsylvania German Culture.

While there, students learned about the German cultural ties in the area. They learned about the early life of Pennsylvania German settlers up to modern times.

In addition to learning about the rich German culture, they toured a house, living quarters, and summer kitchen. They also had a picnic outside for lunch.

German teacher Christine Moll and her students were lectured about Pennsylvania Dutch American history and language. In addition, one of the teachers there played the organ for them. He also talked about how important the organ is in German-American cultural history.

“Everyone there was very patriotic and proud of their heritage,” Frau Moll said. “They were very passionate about their history.”

The highlight of the day for Moll was making candles with her students in the summer kitchen. Students had the chance to be quite creative.

“We dipped a wick into hot wax several dozen times. Some students made their candles into creative shapes like twists or spirals, and some even pressed fresh wildflowers into the wax,” Moll said.

“The candlemaking was the best part,” Sophomore Michael Wamsher said. “I felt as though it was interesting how we were able to bend our candles into whatever shapes we wanted.”

The field trip was a great way for students to learn about German cultural history  in Berks County, proving that German is far from irrelevant in Fleetwood.

Most describe her as a caring and understanding person. With such a great personality, her creativity comes out in her artwork. She is an amazing artist and enjoys taking the art classes Fleetwood has to offer. She would consider her artwork to be surreal and psychedelic.

If she were stranded on an island, the most important thing she would like to have with her would be art utensils.

Though Fleetwood may not be an area she would like to stay in for the rest of her life, she does find the scenery enjoyable.

“I love nature and living life to the fullest,” Ohlinger said.

Her favorite type of music is indie and electronic dance. She definitely knows how to throw it down on the dance floor; she loves dancing, especially raves!

“I’m a huge raver!” Ohlinger said.

Ohlinger is a big dreamer. Her dream job would be working as an illustrator, graphic designer, or a video game tester. Her dream house would be a normal/small house, two floors, filled with technology.  Her dream car would be a Scion TC with a full body kit.

“After high school, I want to go to Kutztown University for Hardware Computers and a minor in Illustration and Fine Arts,” Ohlinger.

In addition to continuing her relationship with MTG-expert Sean Jake Perry, Ohlinger would like to travel and inspire the world.

Pennsylvanians agree it has been a weird time for weather this year as well as the end of the 2012.  One of the most trending questions now is what are we to expect for the remainder of the year?

First, It will definitely get a lot warmer. No need for sweaters and jeans. There is actually scientific evidence that the weather is going to continue to break temperature records.

Scientists have found an increase in temperatures, which were averaged to be an increase of 0.16 degrees Celsius.  Many say that this is evidence of global warming, or “the gradual increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere, believed to be due to the greenhouse effect.”

The weather will be a bit dry for a while. Meteorologists are calling for less and less rain from this impending heat. America will be hit by a lot of droughts because of this, though these droughts are expected to mainly affect the southwest United States.

Last year, the southwest was said to have terrible droughts, and now the National Oceanic and atmospheric Administration is saying that it is supposed to be significantly worse this year.

The ice caps are also going to continue to deplete.  In the Arctic, the ice has been melting for quite some time, but now scientists are saying that the ice will be depleting a lot more quickly.  Younger ice melts more quickly. A lot of the ice that is now exposed is called first-year ice. It is thinner, so it melts a lot faster.

With the heat that the Earth is getting, the ice will significantly deplete this year. It is said that the minimum of the ice in the Arctic that is depleting is about 13% every 10 years.

You may need to buy more sunscreen and propane for your grill this year because the summer is said to be longer. It is not uncommon to experience a variable change in seasons.

Over the years, the seasons’ durations have been changing. In the 1980s, the autumns were 10 days shorter than they are now, and the fall will continue to come later and spring earlier.

Hurricane season is expected to be a nasty one yet again. Experts say low-lying coastal areas are the most at risk. Examples include places such as New York and New Jersey.

Hurricane Sandy could just be the beginning as temperatures continue to rise.

Taurus[April 20th - May 20th]
Your energy, magnetism, and luck remain high for this month. Delays end in every area except lifestyle changes and heavy finances. Everywhere else, your effectiveness and sense of timing return. Start important projects, ask favors, demand an audience with important people for this period. You can win in love and short-term money now. Don’t spend for now; save until the end of the month when wisdom will prevail. Tackle chores with caution and ease. Relationships excite and offer challenges and opportunity for this month-long. Mellow wisdom and gentle love arrives as the month closes .

Gemini [May 21st – June 21st]
Continue to rest, lie low, watch, contemplate, and plan for the month ahead. People seek your advice. Someone might offer a clandestine temptation. Forget this if you want a healthy relationship future. Tackle government issues with caution to avoid deception and fear. Now begins a period during which you’ll be making and spending money in serious amounts. Be thrifty and do not hesitate; contemplate before every financial commitment. Delays end in real estate, family, social, future planning areas.  All work opportunities/partnerships materialize. This month would be blessed in general for all Geminis out there.

Cancer [June 22nd – July 22nd]
A wish could come true during the month. A romantic, creative, speculative, vacation, or teaching venture could materialize early this month. A business, relocation, negotiation, or marriage goal that has been eluding you will now bear fruit. Delays end in communications, travel, spiritual zones, health, and governmental dealings. You could be fooled in a big way by an investment through the month; hence, be skeptical when it comes to financial dealings. Avoid things that have a legal tint. But you’ll see clearly into a career, employment, machinery and/or creative business area later during this month; seize an opportunity here.

Leo [July 23rd – August 22nd]
You might cement a friendship with a rough, irascible, humorous person during this month. Your ambitions are high, hence charge ahead, seek out VIPs, ask bosses or parents for more responsibility. A major earning opportunity could be building now in May, and to some degree through the month.  Open your thoughts to new ways of relating to others, emotionally and financially. Don’t invest unless you know a situation or a person inside-out. Home and family matters flow well for this period, but don’t buy property. Romance, creativity are jumbled for most of the month. Tackle chores in a fun-filled way.

Virgo [August 23rd – September 22nd]
You might make a final change or adjustment in your relations with higher-ups this month. Henceforth, through the month, you’ll receive glowing reports, and the benefit of the doubt.  A kind eye will be cast upon your proposals for business, safety suggestions, promotion, or pay raise requests. In the month ahead, your hopes will be tied up with a basic life change. This life change could be disguised as a romantically-inclined attraction. Act on money issues with caution. Delays are over in all areas of your life.

Libra [September 23rd – October 22nd]
Look for changes, commitments, and consequences this month. Step through this period with renewed energy and vigor. All through the month, you’ll be tempted to stick with the status quo, but luck and benefits emerge when you opt for deep, meaningful change. Finances and lifestyle are the agents of change. If you’re single, don’t let attraction lead to marriage for security. Be willing to sign legal papers. Your energy and charisma bounce upward for now. Buy only necessities. Refuse to argue and find solitude this month.

Scoprio [October 23rd – November 21st]
The burn out or overly impulsive influence of last month continues to affect your finances and lifestyle goals until the end of the month. Then there will be a period of sweet reward which will dominate these zones. The delays you’ve felt in earnings, work, and socializing end now. Get ready to charge forward into new opportunities, exciting meetings, and contacts during this month ahead. But be diplomatic, ascertain others’ needs/desires – they will hold the aces. Lay low, rest, and plan for the month ahead. Emerge to impress the world. Money has some glitches around the month end.

Saggitarius [November 22nd – December 21st]
Settle into chores this month.  Delays now end: you can reach people, get answers, and proceed decisively. One important answer is available in romance or a creative, speculative, or child-oriented venture. The past month brought tantrums and flare-ups, but not now. A strong attraction toward someone is in the cards. Starting this month, the next three months mend hostilities and sweeten attractions. You switch from racing gear to gentle glide. Wish, dream, and socialize in your area of interest. Rest until the end of the week, when you pop up with energy. Income efforts, shopping succeed around the month end.

Capricorn [December 22nd – January 19th]
Romance, creativity, self-expression, children, speculation, and pleasure are your best path for now. The month of May adds good luck to this path. Work remains hectic or simply wearying until the month end. Then, through mid-summer, work grows more pleasant and rewarding. A pay raise or co-worker flirtation could be in the pipeline. The four-weeks ahead heighten the heat of relationships – you’ll either feel attracted or angered. You might yearn for pure love more ambitiously this month. Dreams come true for now.

Aquarius [January 20th – February 18th]
Romance still winds through your days. A short trip or series of phone calls could bring you to someone exciting, talkative, and appealing. But another influence pulls you, like gravity, down to earth, to home, rest, family, security interests. Don’t fight this pull, it’s natural and will keep you on a smooth, productive path. Married folk are most blessed, for home comforts mingle with love, happy children, and nature’s beauties. All delays end now in finances, lifestyle changes, creative, vacation and speculative ventures. Sign papers around the end of the week.

Pisces [February 19th – March 20th]
Follow your curiosity, speak, write, travel, call, and then you’ll discover valuable details. You could run into big opportunities this month. Delays end in relationships, negotiations, contracts, relocation, career, and money zones. Make a romantic or financial commitment for now, and find the truth. You can now pin down what you’ll be paid. Your home remains fractious, temperamental for this month; then all will smooth out, affection will rush in to buoy you throughout the period ahead. Romantic passion, a gambling urge, or creative surge will fill mid-May.

Horoscopes by findyourfate.com

He has been banned for ten games for biting Chelsea defender Banislav Ivanovic.

The Uruguayan international will miss the rest of the season, which doesn’t look too promising for Liverpool.

“I think it was a very stupid act. I just hope he doesn’t waste his talent going around doing stupid stuff like that,” sophomore Austin Young said.

The twenty-six-year-old was fined by Liverpool a day after the incident.

He also personally apologized to Ivanovic after realizing the stupidity of the act.

The two teams ended up drawing the match, 2-2, and Suarez had a big role in the game. He gave up the penalty early in the game and ended up scoring a late goal to equalize.

Liverpool may be thinking about getting rid of Luis if he keeps partaking in such obscene acts in the club.  The star forward is not looking to leave Anfield anytime soon, but if he keeps up this childish behavior he may be released.

Of course, Liverpool does not want to let go of such a great talent, so they will keep him around in hopes of him getting his head straight.

This also is not the first time Luis Suarez was charged for this offence. Back when he played at Ajax, he was banned seven games for biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal in the shoulder during a match in November of 2010.

He also received an eight-match ban last season for allegedly racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. Since that time, there has become a certain kind of rivalry between Suarez and the French defender.

Every year, the music department trip takes place at one of many locations. This year, the department went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

“I knew this trip was going to be one of my favorites since it was at such a perfect location. It was a great location for my last and most exciting band trip,” senior Aaron Nelson said.

For many seniors, this year’s band trip was fun but depressing, a good time to just hang out and enjoy a few days with friends before embarking upon the world.

Each year, the students come back with countless stories and memories that will never be forgotten, which is why it is so hard for the seniors to say goodbye to their final trip.

“Each year I look forward to having a blast on the band trip, but I am kind of upset that it was my last one. It truly makes high school a memorable time,” senior Anthony Batista said.

Students had the opportunity to relax on the beach, hang out in their hotel rooms, walk around shopping, and participate in many other fantastic activities.  But they did not forget the real reason they were in Myrtle Beach—to compete and bring back some hardware.

This year’s trip brought many surprises on the final day, when the music department was heading home. First, a bus lost air conditioning, leaving students roasting all in one bus. Then, another bus had a flat tire.  On top of that, the students and chaperones had to wait for hours at a parking lot near local fast food restaurants until another bus finally came to the rescue.

“Even though we got back to the school around 3:30 a.m., the trip was still worth it. Through all the troubles we encountered, we managed to make the most of it and still had lots of fun,” senior Hayden Smith said.

Through all the bad things that went wrong on the last day, the students still were able to have fun.

The seniors captained all of the music groups to many awards. The graduating seniors will have a hard time forgetting the 2013 music department trip and will have a lot of great memories to share amongst each other after they graduate.

This year students who attended the trip had the chance to visit Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The trip to Myrtle Beach cost $510.00, which may seem like a lot, but participants could fundraise enough money to pay for the entire trip if they tried hard enough.

There are several fundraisers that FAMA ( Fleetwood Area Music Association) hands out in order for students to pay for the trip. There are also different payment times to pay for the trip so students don’t have to pay all the money at once.

This year, the music department had three Bieber buses filled with students, chaperones, and instructors visiting Myrtle Beach.

As usual, chaperones held a luggage check the night before departure. This is a yearly routine to make sure students have all the necessities and clothes for the trip, including their uniform for performing.

On 11 April 2013, students attending the trip arrived at the school at 5:30 a.m., loaded busses, and left the school by 6:00 a.m.

The caravan took several stops throughout the day for bathroom and lunch breaks. Then, they finally made it to Myrtle Beach around 7:00 p.m.  For dinner, students had pizza, chips, cookies and other baked goods.

The next morning was competition day. Though many students were tired, they traveled to two different high schools, Myrtle Beach High School and the St. James High School. Fleetwood competed in many different categories.

It was a very long day of hard work and performing by students and teachers. They finished all performances around 5:30 p.m. and returned to the hotel until it was time to go to dinner.

While waiting to leave, students had the chance to go on the beach and have some free time.

That night around 8:00, everyone loaded the buses and headed to dinner at The Giant Crab. It was a seafood buffet with over one hundred and fifty options for food.

Saturday, 13 April, at 7:00 a.m., was wake up.  At around 8:00 a.m., students loaded the buses yet again to go and perform in the Marching Band Parade.

The FAHS marching unit and band front members participated in the parade from 16th avenue to 9th avenue.

After the parade, they returned to the hotel and had breakfast and about four hours of free time. Many students headed out to the beach and the pools. Some spent the time to catch up on sleep due to the early wake up times.

All three buses went to the award ceremony around 2:00 p.m. The award ceremony was held at The Palace Theatre.

After the award ceremony, students, chaperones, and teachers went to Broadway on the Beach. Lots of shopping was done by students, and a popular purchase by many were new pairs of Toms.

The musicians concluded the night back at The Palace Theatre for a Masters of Illusion show. Shocked and amazed with all of the events that day and night, they returned to the hotel for a well-deserved sleep.

On 4 April, 2013, students and chaperones woke up around 6:45 a.m.  There was a student-led devotional around 8:00 a.m. for anyone who wished to participate.

For the last time, students boarded the buses around 9:00 a.m. and hit the road to come home to Pennsylvania.  Though it was a bumpy way home, with many stops and accidental issues, all students made it back home, even if it was at 3:00 a.m.

Many said it was a crazy trip, but that was what made it great .

As a substitute to spring training, some Major League Baseball athletes compete with their home country’s team. The MLB still keeps track of their statistics, but they are not required to play during spring training.

The 2013 World Baseball Classic champion was the Dominican Republic. With many professional baseball players on the team, the Dominican Republic always is a competitive contender in the tournament.

The island nation defeated Puerto Rico in the intense championship, 3-0. Both teams matched up well against each other, but Dominican Republic came out on top.

“I had Dominican Republic winning the whole thing right from the start. There was no doubt in my mind they were going to be a great competitive club. They have a stacked team though, which makes it kind of unfair,” junior Wes Hawkins said.

Before the championship game, Dominican Republic’s record was 7-0, and after the win in the championship, they were the first team to win the championship unbeaten. The powerhouse beat Puerto Rico once in each round of the tournament.

With hundreds of players in the Major Leagues, Dominican Republic cemented itself as being one of the top baseball countries in Latin America and now probably the whole world.

“It was pretty predictable that the Dominican Republic was going to go all the way. They made minimal errors, had a defense, and executed when they needed to,” junior Josh Conrath said.

The World Baseball Classic is a competitive tournament that is taken very seriously for many countries. It just goes to show that not all great talent are in the MLB but can be found all over the world.

The language competition forced students to use their knowledge of German and other communication skills in several events.

The first event was the Virtual Amazing Language Race, a scavenger hunt inspired by the TV show “The Amazing Race.”  Shea Oswald, Tiana Tracy, and Peter Sitarik competed in this component.

Next up was Taboorades, a game of charades played by Brian Keeney, Becky Zerbe, and Rob Kohl.

“It was difficult because we got all the hard words,” Becky Zerbe said. “It was still pretty fun though.”

Finally, students Becca Weida, Veronika Kraft, Aaron Kulaga, Ian Grafe, and Piper O’Keefe prepared a presentation for the Cultural Presentation. They were the only team who competed, much to Frau Moll’s surprise.

“I was extremely proud of all my students,” Moll said.

Overall, this was a fun day for students and a great way for them to utilize their language skills. Frau Moll already has her eyes set on next year’s competition.

“It was both fun and intense, and we’re already looking forward to participating next year!” Moll said.

Following the success of their first album released in 2011, Under Soil and Dirt, expectations were high for The Story so Far’s follow up. It is safe to say that, based fan response, these expectations were exceeded.

What You Don’t See brings back the elements that made Under Soil and Dirt so good and even improves upon them. The talented musicianship contributes to making catchy and energetic instrumentals led by the vocals of frontman Parker Cannon.  And this combination is better than ever on the band’s second album.

Although The Story so Far does not change too much in their overall sound, a few noticeable differences are present in their sophomore album.

For starters, the band’s musicianship has improved, creating a much more refined  sound. There was almost a complete lack of flaws throughout the entire album, making it a near perfect release.

From start to finish, What You Don’t See never disappoints. The album never lets up, with each song set at a brisk pace. What might have disappointed some fans was the lack of a slower, acoustic track, much like Under Soil and Dirt’s “Placeholder.” Still, the lack of a slower song takes nothing away from an already excellent release.

The best part of the album exists at its core, tracks five through eight. It consists of the songs “Right Here,” “Empty Space,” “The Glass,” and “All Wrong.” All of these songs perfectly capture what The Story So Far is all about, with provocative lyrics such as, “You were the spade I used to dig this hole, blistered my skin to the bone,” backed by catchy pop punk instrumentals and Parker Cannon’s powerful vocals

Overall, What You Don’t See is a great album exceeds expectations. The Story so Far eclipsed its first release with a very impressive encore to an already solid oeuvre. They will be on tour all summer at the 2013 Vans Warped Tour.

This has to make one wonder, How did the mobile phone come to be what it is today?

For starters, the transmission of speech through radio frequencies was not a new concept. Handheld radio communications transmitters were common amongst the military in World War II. Mobile calling devices were also available in cars during the course of the 1940s. However, these machines were all bulky.

In 1946, engineers working for Bell Labs in St. Louis, Missouri, created a mobile phone service, and shortly after words, a company called AT&T began offering Mobile Telephone Service.

The service was very poor, with limited coverage areas and even fewer channels in urban areas. Still, Mobile Telephone Service paved the way for the future of mobile calling devices.

The United States was not the only place developing mobile phones. Leonid Kupriyanovich, an engineer from the USSR, developed and presented different experimental models of the handheld phone from 1957-1961. The latest model, which was shown in 1961, weighed at 70 g and fit freely in the palm of a hand.

Motorola made history in 1973. Martin Cooper, who was a Motorola engineer and executive, made the first telephone call from handheld subscriber equipment on 3 April 1973 in front of reporters. The call was placed to Dr. Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs.

The prototype phone used that day weighed in at 2.5 pounds, measured 9 inches long, 5 inches deep, and 1.75 inches wide. It offered a talk time of 30 minutes, and it took 10 hours to charge. Obviously, many improvements were to be made, but it was a huge step in the right direction.

Motorola’s chief of portable communication, John F. Mitchell, played a large role in helping advance handheld communication technology. He helped lead the push in Motorola to develop wireless communication products, which would soon lead to the development of cell phone products used today.

A lot has changed since 1973. Today, cell phones are owned by almost everyone. Their battery lives are much longer, and they are easier to use and communicate with others. Technology has come a long way and is even continuing to expand today.

The Miller-Keystone Blood Clinic comes to FAHS for an entire day so that people can donate blood to those in need.

Miller-Keystone will be setting up a donation center at the school on 2 May 2013.

Every blood drive is important to all of the Miller-Keystone employees and patients, but this year it is something a bit more meaningful because this blood drive involves one of Fleetwood’s very own.

Jim Fry is a fifth-grade middle school teacher at Fleetwood. Fry has been very sick over the past couple of years, and on Christmas Eve of 2012 he received a phone call he would never forget, one that told him a new heart and a liver awaited him.

Christmas Day, Fry was put into surgery to have a heart and liver transplant. During this procedure, Fry had multiple blood transfusions.

The Miller-Keystone Blood Drive for this spring is in honor of Mr. Fry. He is one of the many people who need  donors’ help to save lives.

Every two seconds, somebody in the United States needs blood. Every day, Americans need more than 44,000 blood donations. One donation can save up to three peoples’ lives.

The blood drive will be in the High School Auxiliary Gym from 7:15 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Any student who is over 17 years of age is allowed to donate blood, but the donating isn’t only for students. Any family members, staff members, or other members of the community are allowed to donate.

“Please consider being a part of this very worthwhile cause in honoring Mr. Fry,” nurse Bonnie Fansler said.

Students can sign up at lunches and/or talk to Bonnie Fansler in the High School Nurse’s office. Every single donation counts, so please help this year and donate!

Last season, the Heat and the Thunder were fighting for the NBA championship, which the Heat took in astonishing fashion, winning the series 4-1 and capping off an incredible playoff run by Miami. LeBron James was named Finals MVP.

The Heat’s playoff run began by defeating the New York Knicks with ease in a 4-1 series.

Then they went on to beat the Pacers and the Celtics to move on to face the Western Conference champions in the finals.

The Thunder had to go through a couple of series against the former champion Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, and eventually the toughest opposition, The San Antonio Spurs, which led to the NBA Championship series, where they fell short to the “Big Three” in just 5 games.

In the 2013 season, the Champion Miami Heat are the favorites to win the crown once again.  Surprisingly, the Knicks are looking to be a tough contender also.

Everyone should be in for a treat considering, Miami is looks to repeat their success from last season, but many other teams are doing all they can to assure that doesn’t happen again.

ESPN aired the video clips, which depicted Mike Rice throwing basketballs at his players and also yelling at them and pushing them. Also on the video, viewers could also see Jimmy Martelli shouting homosexual slurs and pushing players.

The videos were brought to the athletic director, Tim Pernetti, in December, but he was only suspended three games and fined $50,000 dollars.

After the video was shown on ESPN, the next day the University fired head coach Mike Rice.

The community and school were in awe of what was going on at their school.  Jimmy Martelli, the other culprit, resigned on the same day.

Athletic director, Tim Pernetti, and senior vice president, John Wolf, also resigned with pressure on the school to fire them for only giving Mike Rice a suspension and not firing him right away.

Coaches are known to yell at their players to pump them up or discipline them, but Mike Rice went completely over the line. Yelling homosexual slurs, pushing, and throwing basketballs at players is absolutely uncalled for.

When sportscaster Jim Rome asked NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant about Mike Rice, he responded by saying, “I probably would have smacked the [heck] out of him.  It probably wouldn’t have been the best way to react, but I definitely would have done it.”

“I’ve been yelled at by coaches before, but never anything that serious. I would not be able to play for someone who abuses his players like that. Mike Rice doesn’t deserve to coach another team ever,” senior Micah Storms said.

On 18 April, Rutgers University signed Eddie Jordan to be the next coach of the Scarlet Knights.  Jordan has a lot of coaching experience with the Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards, and the Philadelphia 76ers. Jordan played for Rutgers from 1973-1977 and hopes to turn around his alma mater’s team.

Many spectators moved about frantically to find a spot to watch loved ones and friends cross the finish line, but none of them were prepared for what was to come this year.

At 2:50 p.m. on Monday, 15 April 2013, while almost 6,000 runners were still making their way to the finish line, two bombs detonated 12 seconds apart, taking the lives of 8-year-old Martin Richard, 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, and a Chinese national who remains unnamed.

“It made me cry when I heard about it,” senior Emily Kelly said.

The blast not only left three dead but 170 others injured. Over 20 of them were in critical condition.

At first, many of the runners thought the bombs were the sounds of cannons going off to congratulate them on passing the finish line, but they soon realized something was terribly wrong.

Many had the initial instinct to run, which is what most people would do; however, many others became heroes that day when they put their own safety in jeopardy to help those in need.

“It was really touching to hear about the people who put the ones who were hurt first. That’s who the true heroes were that day,” senior Veronika Kraft said.

Monday, 15 April, is a day that left many heartbroken by the loss of friends and family, and many others will need time to recover from the physical and emotional damage this attack left upon them.

As of now there have been no arrests made, and no one has come forward and taken responsibility for the devastating attack.

On her birthday, Rankin went out with good friends to Melt, a restaurant in Lehigh valley, and had dinner.

“There were good food, good friends, and good dessert.  You can’t ask for better than that,” Rankin said.

That was Rankin’s second party of the week. Prior to that, her family took her to an Italian place in Bloomsburg and enjoyed cake and ice cream at her parents’ house.

Finally, the night after her Birthday, Rankin went to Olive Garden with her husband and son.

Growing up, Rankin had birthday parties with family as well as some sleepovers because she had a large bedroom that could fit a lot of girls.

Now that Rankin is older, she doesn’t like celebrating her age.  She would rather celebrate her life, which is why Rankin and her high school friends celebrate ‘Name day,’ a day when they were named rather than using any ages.

“I like getting presents.  This year I got an iPad–which is amazing–clothes, money, and much more. I think that’s why I like celebrating my birthday or Name Day the most, for the gifts and having my family and friends around me,” Rankin said.

Chisdak loves being around younger people all day.  It helps her to feel young and connected.

Chisdak did not do much with her birthday but says she went to Washington D.C to see the beautiful trees after they had bloomed.

Ketchup or Mustard?

Republican or Democrat?

What about Apple or Android?

In modern times , “Apple or Android?” seems to be one of the most popular and strongly debated questions.

Some say that iPhones are just nicer, and some say that Android is just cooler, but the truth is, do we really know which one is better? Has anybody ever really taken the time to research everything that iPhones or Androids feature?

There are several different students’ opinions on the different types of phones. Many students in the Fleetwood student body are actually Android or Apple users exclusively. There are barely any people left who do not own either one or the other type of smartphone.

Zach Cronrath is an iPhone 4S user.

“This was my very first phone, and I have no issues with it,” Cronrath said.

“Android has more free apps and free music, better features, and more customization available. It’s just overall better,” Abigail Lasher said.

Sam Costello on ABOUT.COM made a guide on things that are different between iPhones and Androids. On this list, there are 13 factors used to select a winner at the end. The different types of factors are Hardware: Choice vs. Polish, OS Compatibility: A Waiting Game, Apps: Selection vs. Control, Gaming: A Growing Giant, GPS Navigation: Free Wins—For Everyone, Flash: A Difficult Choice, Battery Life: Consistent Improvement, Screen Size: How Big is Too Big?, Networking: Tied in 4G, and Carriers: 4 vs. 3.

Costello made extremely valuable and informative points on each brand during these categories, but in the end both models seemed to be equally successful.

Ratzinger stated that he was “well aware of the seriousness of [his] act” and that “with full freedom I declare that I renounce ministry of Bishop of Rome, successor of St. Peter….”

Elected into the papacy in April of 2005, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger not only holds the title of being the 265th pope but also the first pope to willingly resign since Celestine V’s resignation, noted as “The Great Refusal,” which occurred in 1294.

“The Pope is not any man. He is the Vicar of Christ. He should stay on to the end, go ahead and bear his cross to the end,” Alessandra Mussolini said, granddaughter of Italy’s wartime dictator.

According to the faithful, the Bishop of Rome is believed to be chosen by the Holy Spirit as the earthly representative of Jesus Christ.

Cardinal Pell claimed in a candid interview on the eve of the Pope’s departure that the German pontiff should have been “well aware that this was a break with tradition”.

So the question remains, Why would someone with such determination in maintaining the ways of the Vatican City call it quits? And how would someone known as “God’s rottweiler” for his stern stand on theological issues, who also believes the office comes from a divine authority, not find it an anathema to break traditions that have been around for millenniums?

“This is a huge sign of world destabilization that will weaken the Church,” stated Mussolini.

Ratzinger also stated in his announcement that in order to govern “….both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”

He ruled out any specific illness and said the decision was made “without outside pressure,” but like nearly any decision, Ratzinger’s was not without controversy.

Controversy was no new trend for the previous pope, seeing that scandals hounded most of his papacy.
It was the story of betrayal and blackmail at the highest levels of the Church, and, allegedly, a homosexual lobby organized within the Vatican to obtain and influence important decisions, all of which Ratzinger summed up as “stormy waters” in his public departure speech in St. Peter’s Square.

Bear Creek is the most successful ski resort near Fleetwood, and many people in the area prefer to go up there.  There are also a lot of students in ski club, as well as a lot of people who just like to go up with their friends.

“The snow was nice this year.  The terrain park changed a lot, which made each time different, and it wasn’t boring. We have the most fun talking to people on the slopes or the lift,” sophomore Jared Adam said.

“Sometimes I go down the terrain park with friends to see cool tricks,” freshman Tyler Knauer said.

This season was a very fun season at Bear Creek. The owners were always changing the parks but keeping them groomed well. skiers are anxious to see if next season will be as good as this one.

For a short period of time, the world was Popeless.

This chaotic stretch of time generated a lot of suspense as cardinals voted on whom to elect as the new Pope.

After several days of waiting anxiously, white smoke rose from the Vatican in Rome to signify the cardinals had come to a decision.

The new pope is Jorge Bergoglio, or Pope Francis, which surprised many. He is the first pope from South America as well as the first Pope to choose the name Francis.

Equally surprising was Pope Benedict’s decision to resign as pope. He is the first Pope to do this since 1406. Benedict made this controversial decision due to his old age and waning physical health.

Pope Francis has a rich history and a blue-collar background. Born in Argentina, his parents were Italian immigrants, and his father was a railroad worker. Barrack Obama has called Francis a “champion of the poor and the most venerable among us.”

In addition to being the first Pope from the New World, he is also the first pope to be a Jesuit. Also known as the Society of Jesus, this branch of the Catholic Church is known for being militaristic. In fact, their nickname is “God’s Marines.” They also take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Pope Francis will face many challenges in his new job. The Catholic Church has been beset by controversy in the past year, including sexual allegations made against priests.

Francis hopes to breathe some fresh air into the system and clear the somewhat tainted name of the Catholic Church worldwide.