Entertainment
Infographic of the Week: The Ultimate Summer Bucket List
by Paula Stachuletz, staff writer
Volume 12 Issue 8: Senior Issue
Volume 12 Issue 8: Senior Issue was released on June 1, 2018 (click here to read)
Spanish students celebrate Hispanic culture
by Hannah Nicholson, opinion editor and Hillary Twiford, news editor
Pottery by a Spanish student
A dress by junior Hillary Twiford
A flute by senior Maddie Stevens
Throughout the school year, Spanish students worked on projects commemorating the 21 Spanish speaking countries. Each nine weeks, a set of projects was assigned. The finished products will be compiled into booths for the Hispanic fair, which takes place the morning of June 1 in the gymnasium.
“It is important for students to be culturally aware,” said Spanish teacher Mrs. Nova Dinsmore. Dinsmore assigned this project as a culminating activity to wrap up and tie together the all of the projects the students completed all year.
While the projects required a lot of time, students feel positively about the project. “It is important for other kids so they can learn about Spanish speaking countries,” senior Madison Stevens said. “And I liked the craft we had to do. I restored a pan flute and painted it.”
Each booth features a different hispanic country alongside multiple projects, including a facts poster, map, country flag, travel brochure, article of clothing, craft, recipe book, and a sample of an authentic food. The students were given lots of freedom with the projects, which created a wide range of results. Maps are made from many different materials and the clothing, crafts, and food vary from group to group. The final projects display the diversity of Spanish speaking countries and shine a light on cultures that may be unfamiliar to Saegertown students.
Students from the elementary school will check out the booths and complete a scavenger hunt. Teachers in the high school are also welcome to bring their classes to the fair. Everyone who completes the search has a chance to win a prize, so make sure to check it out.
“Avengers: Infinity War” smashes box-office records in a snap (Spoiler-Free)
by Dustin Steiger, broadcast director
Ever since “Iron Man” landed in theaters in mid-2008, kicking off the box-office giant known as the MCU (also known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe), hardcore comic book fans have yearned for the Infinity War story-arc to reach theatres. Now, it’s here.
Hinted at for years, “Avengers: Infinity War” is the culmination of everything the MCU has built towards. The story follows the Mad Titan Thanos’ quest to obtain all six Infinity Stones, powerful gems that control Space, Reality, Power, Time, Mind, and Soul. Most of these stones have been seen before in the Marvel Universe (The Tesseract in Captain America: The First Avenger and The Avengers; The Aether in Thor: The Dark World; The Orb in Guardians of the Galaxy; The Time Stone in Doctor Strange; and the Mind Stone in Age of Ultron, as well as other various Marvel films), although one- The Soul Stone- has remained mysteriously absent… In order to stop Thanos from obtaining all the Infinity Stones and becoming an unbeatable god, the world’s mightiest heroes and the Guardians of the Galaxy must team up to bring down the Mad Titan and his children, the Black Order.
With this movie comes an impressive cast of new characters and old favorites, and, due to the incredible risks and twists the story takes, it provides moviegoers with a fresh take on the superhero genre. There’s nothing quite like it. It shocks and dazzles its audience with an impressive story and spectacular graphics, proving once again why the MCU is the box-office it is today.
Speaking of which, Infinity War is made all the more impressive by its box office dominance. It’s currently the number one movie worldwide, holding this title for two-weeks and counting, with the film pulling in over $250 million on its opening weekend. In comparison, the original Avengers made slightly under $210 million for its opening weekend, and Avengers: Age of Ultron made around $191 million. Infinity War even managed to beat out the newer Star Wars films, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Overall, it’s already grossed over a billion dollars worldwide, and these impressive numbers continue to climb.
All in all, Avengers: Infinity War is a powerful must-see movie. However, due to its massive plot-threads that can tend to convolute those unfamiliar with the current state of the MCU, it might be best for those that aren’t caught up with franchise to wait before going to theaters (Here’s a list of movies it’d be best to watch beforehand, some of which can be streamed on Netflix). It’s a complex and emotional rollercoaster, with powerful moments and painful consequences, so be sure you’re ready for it.
Infographic of the Week: Spring Flowers
by Paula Stachuletz, staff writer
New York City’s Backtrack Vocals coming to Saegertown tomorrow
by Nick Archacki, staff writer
On Thursday May 3, Backtrack Vocals (an award-winning New York based, five-person a cappella group) will perform for Saegertown High School students at 1 p.m. in the auditorium.
In addition, the group will offer workshops for students in Mrs. Susan James’ chorus classes on topics including movement/stage presence, group vocal improvisation, beatboxing, and singing solos.
Backtrack Vocals performs around the United States at universities, concert halls, festivals, high schools and private functions. Noteworthy locations they’ve appeared at are Carnegie Hall, Apollo Theater and Beacon Theater.
Mrs. James is excited for the opportunity. “I hope it will help them [chorus members] see the possibilities of where singing could take them. I want them to have a different perspective than just their music teacher,” Mrs. James said. “As for everyone else, I just want them to have a good time and see something they don’t usually see live.”
The group’s web site states: “Backtrack explores the power of the human voice through unique vocal arrangements, tight harmonies and world-class beatboxing. The group pushes the limits of a cappella, creating impressive covers of past and present pop music, writing inspiring original compositions and daring to take on unexpected genres such as classical and electronic music.”
Backtrack has won multiple awards such as the 2017 Steve Harvey’s Sing Off Winner, 2017 International Championship of A Cappella Open (Final); Best Beatbox, 2017 International Championship of A Cappella Open (Northeast Semi-final); First Place, Best Arrangement, 2017 Aca-Challenge; First Place; Audience Favorite and 2016 YouTube Next Up competition Winner.
Backtrack has accumulated almost ten million views on their YouTube page ‘Backtrack Vocals,’ with 109,800 subscribers. You can visit them at their website, www.backtrackvocals.com, Facebook, Instagram, or download their music on iTunes.
Pa. Business Week wrap-up video
Art students create cover for Alumni Banquet
by Hannah Nicholson, opinion editor
From left to right, Meadow Campbell, Carla Conrad, Melanie Twiford, and Paula Stachuletz
Several weeks ago, Saegertown art teacher Mrs. Papinchak assigned her students to create a cover for the program of the Saegertown Alumni Association’s annual banquet. This is a yearly assignment for Papinchak’s students, but this year the outcome was unusual. While there is usually just one winner chosen, this year there were three: Paula Stachuletz, Melanie Twiford, and Meadow Campbell.
“I thought it was really nice that they picked three winners this year. There were a lot of entries,” Papinchak said. Carla Conrad, a representative for the alumni association, met with the students personally to deliver the checks for their contributions to the banquet. Each student received $25.
by Paula Stachuletz
by Melanie Twiford
by Meadow Campbell
The students were all happily surprised to have won. “I was very surprised. I did not expect to win, so it is a pleasure that I actually did,” Campbell said.
The banquet will be held at Smith’s Country Garden on August 4 where the three art pieces will be displayed.
