Adeline Baustert As all fall sports were faced with Covid-19 affecting their seasons, the Apollo-Ridge Girls Soccer team was one forced to adapt as well. The girls made sure to make the best of every moment this season. Even with all the uncertainties this season, they were always able to keep each other motivated and remembered to appreciate every second of the season. The Vikings Girls’ Soccer team is a Co-op with Apollo-Ridge and Leechburg. This provides the opportunity for girls from both schools to form relationships with players outside of their districts. This was the 3rd season of the Co-op. Despite all the hurdles, the ladies came together for another successful winning season. They finished with a 6-4 section record, good enough for a 3rd place finish. Seniors; Emily Bonelli (A-R), Gracie Schuffert (L) and Delaney Shaffer (A-R) led the scoring this season netting a combined 34 of the Vikings 41 goals. Senior Goalkeeper, Adeline Baustert (A-R) finished the season with 98 saves and a 77% save percentage. Other Seniors Delaney Ashbaugh, Kenzie Groff and Ana Rabickow provided a solid defense, only allowing 28 goals against for the season. The freshmen were asked how did they felt about the first season and their impression of the team. Freshman (and first time soccer player) Sophie Yard replied, “I was very nervous going into my first year, but the girls on the team really helped me out.” She expressed that anytime she had a question the girls were there to help her out. “I feel like my first year went really well! I’ve grown to be in love with the sport.” Sophomore Defender Kyra Myers was asked which game was the toughest for the team and why. She replied, “The away Springdale game...because we were not mentally ready and knew it early on. Giving them a big lead early really weighed on us mentally, and we never recovered.” The Vikings lost the game 4-2 but bounced back later in the season and beat Springdale 3-1 in their second meeting. The ladies are looking forward to next year and can’t wait to get back on the pitch!
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Anastasia Rabickow During unprecedented times, the Apollo-Ridge Marching Band faced many uncertainties, like all activities and sports in the district. Usually, their season consists of travelling to away games, competitions, and a yearly trip to a Drum Corps International show, but this year, due to Covid-19, it was unlike every other year as a member of the marching band. The band camp, held every year to prepare the band for their season, was cut in half with four hours of band camp every day for two weeks instead of eight. The marching band had minimal time to prepare for the show, originally supposed to be Wicked, so they provided their audience with a Journey show consisting of songs such as “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” and a stand-still performance due to the inability to march because of social distancing. Along with a shortened band camp and the inability to march, the marching band could not travel. The four seniors were cheated of their last away games, competitions, and the many parades that brought joy to the eyes of the Apollo-Ridge community. Although during the regular season they could not travel, light was at the end of the tunnel when they travelled to the playoff game at Geneva College and marched the Halloween parade at the end of the season. Marching band members are required to be in concert band for at minimum a semester. The pandemic may have conned the students involved in the band, but they were able to play inside of the building, given social-distancing rules. The members of the band were unable to have a Christmas concert, but, assuming Covid-19 is decreasing in cases, they will be having a spring concert, along with the chorus, Friday, April 30th at Owen’s Field. Ashley Dunmire The infamous coronavirus has taken away many things from students all across the nation. From graduations and proms to sport seasons, many students are left feeling hopeless. However, students in our choral program are feeling hopeful. Every year our school district sends a select number of students to PMEA District Three Chorus. Here the students audition to attend PMEA Region Two Chorus. The next step after that is All-State Chorus. This year there are no festivals due to Covid-19. However, students still have the opportunity to audition and advance to the next level. Because the auditions were all virtual this year, our school was able to send a few more students than usual. The students that had the opportunity to attend District Three Chorus this year were Daniel Dunmire (11th grade), Kate Myers (11th grade), Emily Bonja (11th grade), Greg Klingensmith (11th grade), Tracy Weng (12th grade), and Ashley Dunmire (12th grade).
Even with a tougher competition and the abnormal scenario, all of our students moved onto Region Two Chorus. To move onto Regions, the student has to chair in the top ten. Daniel (Bass I) chaired 3rd, Tracy (Alto I) chaired 5th, Ashley (Tenor I) chaired 5th, Emily (Tenor I) chaired 6th, Greg (Tenor I) chaired 7th, and Kate Myers (Soprano II) chaired 1st! The students now have the opportunity to audition for All-State Chorus. Although things are not completely normal, there are still events that are keeping our spirits alive! Author: Hannah Stoughten After an extremely successful season, the Apollo-Ridge Vikings have made history. Once they claimed the section champions title for the first time since 2001, the mighty Vikes fought their way into the semi-finals – a feat never before done at Apollo-Ridge. “I think we knew coming into this season that this was going to be a pretty big year for us,” offered sophomore Nick Curci. Curci and his fellow teammates have some big shoes to step into after the current senior class graduates. ”The group of seniors we had this year were awesome, and it will be very sad not to have them [for] the next couple seasons. As for the next group of kids, I think we’ll be able to fill those spots lost by the seniors. Everyone’s already getting to work for next year,” he noted. These seniors are difficult to overlook; as Lucas Yard offered, these seniors made a dream team. “It’s all 11 of us on that field.” The memories from this season are unbeatable. Yard remembers his favorite moment during the first-round playoff game. “My favorite memory was when Curci and I drove a kid from Washington back ten yards and dumped him on his back.” Logan Harmon, a notable player, said, “I just loved being able to play with my boys for the last time,” a sentiment shared by many. Klay Fitzroy, another whose name has circulated for multiple sports, said that his favorite memory was making the semi-finals. Making school history is always a great feeling. The loss against Beaver Falls was a very emotional moment for every senior and senior parent there, including cheerleading and marching band members. Singing the Alma Mater after each game is a tradition that never fails to evoke tears from members, especially if it’s their last time on the field. Apollo-Ridge had an extremely successful season and made a statement for the next, and the community can’t wait to see what these boys bring to the playing field next year. Author: Amber Earnest This school year has been very different for the students of Apollo-Ridge High School. So many things have been cancelled or changed, and the same goes for the school’s academic competitions. Lead by Ms. White, students usually travel the area to compete in math, science, and trivia competitions. However, all of these events, such as Math League and Quiz Bowl, have been cancelled for the year. Still, one has been able to adapt with the times. The Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) competition is still being held, giving students a bit of hope life may eventually return to normal. PJAS is a statewide science competition for students from seventh to twelfth grade. Students are allowed to research any scientific topic they want and conduct an experiment. In late February they then attend the PJAS regional competition at Slippery Rock University where they present their completed projects to a group of judges and peers. Awards are given out based on the scores the projects received. Those who receive a first-place award travel to Penn State University in State College in May to compete in the state competition. However, much of this routine has changed this year, making it a whole new experience for all of the participants. COVID-19 safety protocols must be observed during the experimental procedure. There are also no in-person presentations. Participants instead upload audio recordings of their presentations and a PowerPoints. Judges use both to give scores to the final projects. There will also be no in-person state competitions for the second year in a row. It is another reminder of how long the world has been different. I have participated in PJAS since I was in eighth grade, and it has always been a rewarding experience for me. Not only do I get to research something I am interested in, but I can also feel proud when it is over, knowing I did the work myself and presented it in front of others. I am, of course, disappointed to hear how different the competition will be this year, especially my senior year. However, I believe that when I finally upload my project, I will feel that feeling of accomplishment that has always come with PJAS, even if the feeling is a little different. Still, as a senior, I have had my opportunity to enjoy opportunities such as PJAS. My hope now is that things may soon return to normal for the younger participants. Author: Morgan Shupe As we started the second month of 2021, the holiday of Valentine’s Day was quickly approaching. Everyone deserves to feel special and thought of on this day of love. That is the reason members of the Apollo-Ridge High School Leo Club made and decorated cards to give out to veterans. To continue, the cards were sent out to veterans and their spouses that currently reside in veteran affairs hospitals or nursing homes. The high schoolers spent their mornings for the past weeks decorating and putting together cards that will be sure to put a smile on the faces of the veterans receiving them. As their imaginations and creativity ran free, the students created some wonderful handmade cards. The cards were decorated in pink and red hearts to show appreciation for the bravery and courage of these veterans. The card decorating was organized by Leo Club leader, Ms.Wenckowski. She has provided all the material needed to create such lovely gifts. The cards were sent out starting on February 9th. Author: Annabelle Casella There’s no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic took a toll on people everywhere, but some had it harder than others. Many other countries became frustrated with Americans as they complained about their lockdown, but the truth is that America had a very easy lockdown compared to the rest of the world. As you all know, Americans were allowed to get take out, go to the mall, and do many other things during the pandemic, such as hiking and enjoying the outdoors. While some may think that not being able to dine-in is a harsh form of lockdown, it is far from what other countries endured. One place that had a significantly difficult time with the pandemic was Europe, specifically Italy. With its small land mass, dense population, and 22.8% of citizens being above the age of 65, Italy was a hot spot for COVID-19. One former Apollo-Ridge student, Courtney Casella, experienced the backlash of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy for herself. Courtney graduated from Apollo-Ridge in 2015 and continued her education in the United States Air Force. She was stationed in Aviano, Italy, in January of 2019 and is there until December of 2021. Courtney updated her fellow American citizens on life in Italy during the pandemic frequently. On March 8th, 2020, Courtney posted that all flights were shut down and she could no longer receive Amazon packages. The next day, on March 9th, she shared a post saying that the whole of Italy was on a lockdown, meaning they couldn’t leave their houses. On March 12th Courtney posted, “You are only allowed to go to work, grocery store and hospital. When going anywhere, you need documentation stating why or where. When grocery shopping, only one family member can go shopping at a time. This means your spouse cannot shop with you.” She also stated that it was mandatory to keep a meter distance between yourself and others. Schools were shut down, along with restaurants, stores, and barber shops. “Pretty much 99% of things are closed,” she said. “If you’re found disobeying these rules, there is a hefty fine (500 euro for not having your documentation).” She clarified that even military personnel on base were being fined. The next evening she posted that her TDY (business trip) to Iceland was cancelled. The same day she posted about people all over Italy making pretty signs with the saying “Andrà tutto bene,” meaning “everything will be okay” in English. People were putting these signs anywhere they could to spread happiness. Some people even carried that tradition from Italy to the U.S. Things were steady for awhile until March 20th, when she updated again. She said that situations were still the same, and people could only go to work, the hospital, and the grocery store. The new news was that teleworking was highly recommended. She also explained that many people were being charged for not following the lockdown rules. She also said, “The only thing that’s really changed is now there isn't any kind of outdoor sports, running, walking or riding your bike (unless you’re in your yard).” Fortunately for Courtney, she was living off base and had a yard while most other military personnel in Italy were living on base in small dormitories. “And out-numbers have skyrocketed,” she said. “We have 41k cases and of those cases, 4.5k have recovered and 2.5k are critically ill, and adding around 4-6k cases a day. Italy now has the most deaths from this virus, and the morgues are completely overwhelmed as are the medical staff.” She then asked that the people living in the States take this seriously and be kind to one another. At that time United States citizens were becoming furious with the shutdown being implemented. On March 26th she updated again, stating that people were going crazy with not having any contact other than the people with whom they lived. The next time she posted was April 6th, stating that their lockdown was extended until April 13th and that things were still the same. She also explained that everyone had to wear gloves and masks when leaving their houses. Then, on April 13th, she posted that the lockdown was extended until May 3rd. She also said that they could only buy essential needs from the store on base and that she “thinks we’re nearing the end of this madness.” |