Hannah Stoughten In December of 2020, from the comfort of their own homes, Jacob Duriancik, Amber Earnest, and Hannah Stoughton filmed with the KDKA-TV team to produce an episode of Hometown HighQ. It was the contestants' first time appearing on the show, and each was extremely nervous to see the questions. After a rough start, the group of seniors managed to sweep the third round, scoring them bonus points – ultimately winning themselves the competition. “It was exhilarating to experience a win,” stated the trio. A win had never been clinched before by Apollo-Ridge, so another round of history was made in the 2020-2021 school year, adding to the plethora of history made in the year.
In April of 2021, the group of seniors were called back for the playoffs – unfortunately, Earnest faced the dilemma of a softball game occurring on the same day, so an alternate stepped into her place. Jeffrey Krug, another senior, filled her spot in the playoff round. They faced two challenging schools, falling in third with a solid score. The questions were significantly more difficult this time around, but the seniors found themselves answering quite a few correctly. The episodes are aired on KDKA-TV for all to watch. While the first has already been aired, the second was aired on May 1st at 11am. It was great to watch these seniors take on other schools and support our fellow Vikings!
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Hannah Stoughten There is no argument when people say, the Class of 2021 has faced a multitude of challenges during senior year. After missing a large majority of the traditional senior activities, including homecoming dances, normal Friday night football games, and many other senior activities, the school knew it was time to give these seniors something to do. Then, Mrs. Lukehart came to the rescue – let them smash some plates!
Mr. Consuegra gave the seniors free range on what they could write – anything was allowed. When he said anything, he meant ANYTHING, to help the class get their frustrations out. The shop classes built a booth and in the days leading up, the seniors were allowed to paint the inside of the booth with their names and other memorable drawings and words. Donations of glassware were made, and a table was set up. Then, on a wonderful Friday, the seniors were given permission to smash some plates, bowls, and mugs! “I enjoyed it, it was something unique, and as fun as it was, I really appreciated the thought from the teachers and those who organized it,” Amber Earnest offered. This is, of course, a sentiment shared by many others. Despite the pandemic having a large effect on the seniors, the staff at Apollo-Ridge has made much effort to make the senior class have a spectacular senior year – and we couldn’t be more thankful for them! Hannah Stoughten After much speculation on how PMEA would approach the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual auditions were held for District and Region concert bands. From Apollo-Ridge, Hannah Stoughton, Daniel Dunmire, Cole Rearick, Anna Sadowsky, Colton Nagg, Maddie Smoyer, and Adam Sproat played their best to try and advance onto the region band. Three students advanced – Dunmire, Rearick, and Stoughton.
The excerpts for the auditions were significantly more difficult than in the past, particularly for clarinets, with excerpts from Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger and Clarinet Concerto in A Major from Mozart for auditioning into state bands. Unfortunately, none of our region instrumentalists advanced onto state bands, but they submitted excellent auditions and played them quite well. Compared to the past, the “festivals” were quite different from the past, as there were no physical festivals this year. Multiple students had attended festivals in the past, and it is saddening for them, particularly the only senior, Hannah Stoughton. Band members did not get to experience them as students have in the past, but they look forward to the future of PMEA. Morgan Shupe After losing their entire season last year due to the pandemic, the Apollo-Ridge Vikings Softball team had come back stronger and more determined than ever. With only four returning starters, the girls knew this year would be challenging; but with a lot of talent coming up in the younger classes, they knew a good season was possible. The team roster includes the following A-R girls:
Seniors: Adeline Baustert, Amber Earnest, Morgan Shupe, Casey Weightman Junior: Bailey Zidek; Sophomores: April Earnest, Sydney Osan, Baleigh Sherwood Freshman: Marly Koleno, Camdyn Kowalczyk, Jaden Mull, Makenna Syster, Malea Veneziani. So far the team has played eight section games with a record of 6-2. The whole team has worked together to be able to achieve some big wins. When asked about how the season has gone so far, first baseman Adeline Baustert stated, “This season is for sure one to remember because we were faced with many challenges. We all stepped up to the plate, no pun intended.” Bailey Zidek was asked what she was most excited about for next year and she responded, “Next year will be different because I will be the solo senior. It will be different knowing I’m the one who is playing their last high school season. After seeing the talent this year, I’m excited to see how next year will be.” With playoffs coming up fast, the team has been practicing a lot and preparing to face difficult teams. However, the girls work hard to keep practices fun and keep their spirits up no matter what. Outfielder/pitcher April Earnest stated, “We sing and have fun together in the outfield. I am going to miss seeing everyone and I am glad we get to spend so much time together. Even though we see each other at practice, we are all friends also off the field and hangout together outside of practice, which helps us work together as a team.” The girls can’t wait to see how the rest of their season plays out and hope to make history in playoffs! Adeline Baustert This year may have been a crazy year, but our boys basketball team had a very successful season. The varsity boys are coached by Greg Fox who was also one of the other five players that is part of the “1000 point club”. Two of our senior players exceeded 1000 career points, making them the 6th and 7th players to achieve this in Apollo-Ridge history. Klay Fitzroy is the 6th player to hit 1000 points in his basketball career followed by his teammate Jake Fello as the 7th player to reach this. The boys were proceeded in the action by Mark Timko, Greg Fox, Eric Jackson, Alex Smith, and Michael Kolessar. Despite Covid, some of the boys’ family members were able to be there to experience this moment with these two very deserving individuals. Klay hit this when they were playing St. Joseph, and his parents, brother, and grandfather were there to watch him accomplish this. Jake achieved this against Steel Valley, which was their last regular season game, and his dad, mom, sister, and grandfather were there to watch him and celebrate with him. When the boys were asked how it felt when they hit their 1000th point and how the team supported them this is what they had to say. Jake said, “When I shot for the 1000th point, I knew it was going in, and I shot from the white line. I couldn’t be more thankful for my teammates, coaches, family, and the school board for letting us have a season.” Klay had this to say: “It was really exciting scoring my 10900th point, especially with my team and family supporting me!” What an incredible accomplishment! Great job, guys! Jennifer Mahyle High school is a critical time to learn values such as diligence, multi-tasking, as well as the importance of hard work. These essential values are both used throughout life and are key to successful careers. In addition to an academic setting, many students further their learning of these values by obtaining a job in their free time. Maintaining a job while attending school can be exhausting. Students wake up early in the morning and work hard during school only to leave from school and work jobs. One student, Hannah Stoughton, describes her experience working during high school as, “a lot of hard work and very tiring, but it is also an extremely rewarding experience.” She went on further to explain that it has taught her more than she could have expected it to do. Working as a teenager teaches responsibility to not only show up to one’s job on time but also maintain good grades and turn assignments in on time. Annabelle Casella said working and going to school has taught her both time management and how to multitask. Juggling schoolwork between working a night job teaches hard work and diligence. Working in high school is no easy task and while it can be tiring, the values one can learn from it are invaluable. It creates responsibility and a desire to work hard and achieve goals. Jennifer Mayhle On average, 1,627 law enforcement officers die in the line of duty per year. The lives of 1,627 families are disrupted and they are left behind picking up the pieces and asking why? Of these deaths, 14% are a result of domestic disturbance calls gone deadly wrong. April 4, 2009, my dad and two other officers responded to a domestic disturbance call and all three lost their lives in the line of duty that day.
Twelve years later, the Apollo-Ridge staff chose to show their support for the officers and the sacrifice made that day with shirts created by Mr. Traill. On April 9th, the teachers and staff gathered in the cafeteria, wearing these shirts, and greeted my sister and I as we walked into school. The remembrance by others of a loved one who has passed means the word to a grieving family. Whether it was your dad, mom, grandpa, their lives impact you, and their legacy lives on through memories. My sister and I will never forget the kindness that Principal Consuegra and the staff of Apollo-Ridge showed by honoring our dad. Losing my dad has been hard, but it has also given us the opportunity to meet people we might never have met, people like the Apollo-Ridge staff who care for their students and want to make a difference. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for caring and helping us remember! My sister and I are proud to be a part of the Viking Family, and we so appreciate all your thoughtfulness and for going above and beyond to show your support. Morgan Shupe Every year the entire student body comes together for a day-long competition called “Battle of the Classes.” Due to the consequences of the on-going pandemic, everyone in the high school knew this would not be able to happen. However, knowing how much the senior body has lost in these past two years, Mr. Consuegra knew he had to make something happen for these students. The following events started the senior competition called “Battle of the Class.” The competition consisted of four groups of five seniors as well as a team with five teachers. The teams battled against each other for points to keep their teams in the game. After multiple rounds of competition, there was to be one team that would then battle against another finalist. One of them would be crowned victorious. The team called “The Group” battled their way through the competition and became victorious. Out of the five members of the group, Olivia Stiffy, Taylor Kuntz, Morgan Shupe, Adeline Baustert, Ashely Dunmire, and Adeline Baustert won the final solo dodgeball battle and became the overall winner.
Due to the strict guidelines of this pandemic, all of the students were grateful that they were able to have a small piece of their normal lives back. We all appreciate the lengths to which the faculty and staff and our principal go for our high school experiences. Emily Bonelli The A-R Girls Volleyball team had a great season. For the first time in nine years, they advanced to the playoffs. It was a rough start to the season with Covid restrictions. The girls distanced and were not permitted to practice as a group. Under second year coaches Laura Daub and Josh Gartley, the team advanced to the playoffs with a 6-6 section record. The pandemic did not stop the volleyball team from playing a season. The team started off their season with a win against Riverview. Later into the season, the girls hit a spot where they could get into playoffs or not. They had to win their game against Trinity Christian, which was on their senior night, to advance to the playoffs. The Lady Vikings played their hearts out that night. With all the hard work they put in, the team pulled off the win and the Vikings were going to the playoffs--A feat that had not been attained in nine years!! “We all knew that game was going to be tough, and we all had to be on the same page and play together to win, and that’s what we did. We all played our best that night, and it paid off,” said sophomore Brinley Toland. “I think this past season was the best season of high school volleyball I have ever played, and I will miss the team very much,” said senior Madi Marks “This season was really fun being able to make it to playoffs for the first time in my high school career,” said senior Morgan Gamble. "I thought the season was really successful. We focused and put a lot of hard work in. I'm really proud of what this team was able to accomplish because we were able to make it to the playoffs. It's been a long time since the girls made it to the volleyball playoffs, and I am just really happy that we were able to do that. I have a lot of confidence that we will be able to continue to make it to other playoffs for years to come. This is a good step in the right direction," said senior Renee Tomiczek. Congrats on a great season, girls! Jennifer Mayhle Extraordinary does not begin to describe the year that has occurred since the middle of March of 2020. March 13th, 2020, students left Apollo-Ridge expecting two weeks off school! However, two weeks turned into the remainder of the 2020 school year, and nothing was quite the same. Students and teachers alike anxiously awaited to hear what the next school year would bring. School resumed on September 8; however, students remained virtual. Teachers worked hard to communicate their expectations for their students and recorded videos, Zoomed, and helped the students learn new material to help prepare them for life after high school. While no one can complain about the opportunity to sleep in, many struggled to adjust to learning from home. Once again, teachers came to the rescue, available to answer questions and assist in any way they could. In-person learning resumed on October 5th with coronavirus preventions in place. While many students returned, others chose to continue virtual learning. When asking students about their reasoning behind choosing virtual learning, some cited not feeling safe to return to school; others enjoyed the chance to learn at home and work at their own pace rather than by a bell schedule; and a few simply would rather be at home than in school. One student who chose to come back, Anabelle Casella, said, "Online schooling gave me a lot of free time to get extra things done, but I believe that in-person schooling gives a better education and opportunity for learning." Shauna Daley chose to stay virtual and said, "I thought it would be easier and was more sanitary than coming to school." Currently, only one outbreak of Coronavirus has occurred in the high school, causing a brief shutdown. Following Christmas break, students returned. Principal Consuegra, teachers, and staff have gone to great lengths to ensure school is safe and students can enjoy the privilege of learning. |