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The Villager

Volume 7, Issue 2 | Date: October 6, 2023

Juniors and Seniors Seek Options

for Future College and Career Plans
By: Sophie Johnson

IN THIS ISSUE

College and Career Plans - Page 1

College and Career Plans, MHS Sports - Page 2

MHS Sports, Homecoming - Page 3

Homecoming, Editorial - Page 4

Outstanding Staff, Music Review- Page 5

People on the Street - Page 6

Juniors and seniors: Have you considered the immense and diverse array of opportunities to expand your education after high school? Over the next few months, several colleges will be visiting MHS as an excellent opportunity for students to start exploring their interests and options after high school.
Sign-ups for the latest college visits from the likes of Kent State, Youngstown State, Walsh, and Mount Union are available in the office. Students who sign up will be provided with more information
regarding that college or university.

Top 10 List, Book Review - Page 7

Back Page Pics - Page 8

Many seniors and juniors have also begun visiting college campuses

outside of school. Senior Isabella O'Brien visited Southern Illinois based on an opportunity to play softball. When asked about her impressions of the school, she said, “I liked It. It was smaller so it wasn't a big city feel; it was in its own little town and was 30 minutes from St. Louis. They have a good softball team.”
However, some students also visit colleges for academic opportunities as well. Senior Kallen Dye has visited colleges in hopes of pursuing a major in accounting. Kallen shared that his favorite college so far is Mount Union. When asked why he liked Mount Union the best he said, “I liked the overall feel of it because it felt a lot like
where I grew up and I like the overall style of it.”

Juniors had many hands-on experiences, including operating
a bucket truck

STAFF LIST

EDITOR STAFF: ANNABELLE SMITH

STAFF WRITERS: AIDEN BOOTH, SOPHIE JOHNSON, MCKENZIE ORLANDI

EDITOR IN CHIEF: MR. BACKUR

October 6, 2023

Continued... Some students may be more interested in pursuing a skilled trade after high school. Juniors had the opportunity to look into potential career ideas at a Trades Expo at the Canfield Fair Grounds with many other schools also in attendance.
Students were able to go to many different stations and learn about the many trades available to them including dry-walling, painting, heavy machinery, plumbing, basement waterproofing, and roofing among a host of others. Students who attended seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves.
Junior William Van Meter said, “My favorite part about the trip was working the heavy equipment and getting to talk to people about the different trades and getting to job shadow someone.”

The juniors posing for a group photo underneath the Trades Expo Center banner Photo Credit: Mrs. Evans
Happy Endings to Finish Fall Sports Seasons By: Aiden Booth

The girls’ golf team ended the season with an exciting team performance where all six girls scored no higher than the 50s, with one golfer in the 40s. Addison Edwards led the way against Lowellville with a 49, followed by Caroline Alcantar with a 51, Lyric Culp with a 53, and Riley Mills with a 57. They took down Lowellville 210-224, which makes their record 5-5 for the year. It was a promising year of girls’ golf here at McDonald High School.
On Tuesday, September 19, the boys’ golf team beat Waterloo and gained the league title. Then, on Wednesday, September 20, they won the conference tournament. There were some spectacular moments Wednesday including Chris Ragazzine shooting his second hole-in-one of the year!
The boys all gained titles as well including Chris winning the Player of the Year award, Avery Maley and Gavin Schriner earning first-team all-league, and Josh Srock earning second-team all-league. Brady Flere received an Honorable Mention. These boys spent another week proving what McDonald Golf is all about.
The girls’ volleyball team faced off for the second time this season against Western Reserve on Thursday, September 21, and just barely lost 2-3. They had good momentum the whole game and put up a big fight, however, Reserve pulled away in the last match. It was a back-and-forth match where McDonald lost the first game, then won the second game, then lost the third, then again won the fourth. In the fifth match, they lost 7-15 giving Reserve the win for the night.
Team leaders so far this season have been Lauren Sierra, Gianna Costantino, and Megan Klockner. Their record stands strong at 7-3 in the conference and 9-5 overall. There is a bright future ahead for this team and they continue to work hard day in and day out.

October 6, 2023

Boys cross-team getting ready at their home course before the gun goes off.
Photo Credit: Corey Busch

Continued... On Friday, September 16, the football team played Jackson-Milton and lost 28-21. It was a very close game but Jackson-Milton pulled ahead by one touchdown in the end. Sophomore Drew Zajack scored a touchdown and put up great stats all game. Junior Elias Tingler also had a great game, in particular, a great receiving game.
Junior wide receiver William Van Meter said, “I think we are having a good season and the hope is to go 7-3 or 8-2.” When asked about team goals, Van Meter continued, “A team goal for us would be making it through the playoffs, probably going 2nd or 3rd round.” They look forward to Friday, October 6th, for the homecoming game against Windham.
The boys’ cross country team is progressing more and more each meet. On Tuesday, September 19, the boys raced at the Canfield Fairgrounds for the Suburban League Championships. Joey Cappuzzello placed 26th, Trace Dehner and Garek Deluga 84th and 85th, Caleb Lytle 96th, and Eddie Baldwin in 136th. As a team, these runners placed 9th out of 22. These boys are doing their best with what they have and that
will be rewarded!

When asked how he felt about the season so far, Sophomore runner Joey Cappuzello said, “At the beginning of the season it was rough for us as a team to find our place. As the season has gone on we have gotten better overall and I think we have found our place in the league.”
Cappuzzello continued, sharing some of his personal and team goals, “Qualifying for the state meet is a big one and then placing top 30 at the state meet. I also wanna beat my goal of running sub-16:20 minutes before the end of the season. As a team we really wanna qualify for regionals.”
The girls’ cross country team ran at the Suburban League Championship Meet on Tuesday, September 19. They finished 2nd place and had 7 runners who finished in the top 50. Kylie Flere led the pack with a 9th-place finish with Lily Cappuzzello finishing 12th. Selah Sheesley was right behind Lily finishing in 13. Rita Domitrovich finished 22nd, Emily Kawecki in 31st, Brooke Bosheff in 39th, and Grace Shriner in 48th. Great performances all across the board. These girls are ready for whoever is next.
During the week of September 17, the girls’ tennis team faced off against Beaver Local and Niles and won both matches. Their record now stands 15-0, keeping the undefeated streak going. Jenna Helco, Amanda Monk, Allison Batchelder, Isabella Sallustio, Anabela Merola, Emma Bundy, and Ava Kuntz all won their singles and doubles matches!
Students excited to Celebrate Annual Homecoming Traditions By: McKenzie Orlandi
Homecoming is around the corner with the game taking place October 6 against Windham and the dance on October 7 at Enzo’s Banquet Center at 6pm. Tickets were on sale for two weeks and were $25 each. The theme is “Dancing on Route 24.”
Homecoming week began with a Spirit Week to build excitement for both the game and dance. Some of the more festive days were ‘Merica Monday and Barbie vs Ken. Students wore a wide variety of pink to channel their inner Barbie while other students wore sunglasses, fur coats, and neon colors to channel their “Kenergy”.

October 6, 2023

Continued... Be sure to attend Friday’s football game as the homecoming court will be announced as well as the king and queen.
When asked what makes her most excited about the dance, Junior Olivia Colarich said, “Having fun with friends.” Olivia said her go-to place to find a dress is The Winner in Sharon, Pennsylvania and she hopes they play Taylor Swift at the dance.
When asked about some of the best places to go for pictures, Olivia continued, “At any country club or Mill Creek Park.”

This year’s Homecoming Court in contention for King are Avery Maley, Zach Shobel, Wyatt Wolford, Logan Presco, and Anthony Pecorelli. Those in contention for Queen are Jenna Helco, Mariah Bregar, Lily Cappuzzello, Megan Klockner, and Michaylen Lewis.

Editorial: The Importance of Reading

By: Annabelle Smith

I started reading from a very young age and quickly fell in love with it. It wasn’t just reading I fell in love with. I also adored writing stories like the ones I read. I tried to improve my own writing by analyzing the books I read. I started reading faster and doing better on homework assignments. Improving my reading and writing skills helped me in all of my classes, not just in my stories. I feel like reading is so important and can help you in so many different ways, like it has helped me.
Reading different books and novels helps to expand your vocabulary and learn grammar rules. This will help you identify words on your English assignments as well as on major tests like the ACT. Your English skills will better develop when reading; you will learn to write well-structured
sentences and have a better understanding of the English language. Reading doesn’t just help you in your academic life, it can help you in other areas as well. In books, you

get to read about thousands of different people and lifestyles. This helps you to see things from a different perspective and put yourself in someone else's shoes.
Reading various books and novels is the reason I have become who I am today. As an aspiring author, I use reading as a tool. I learn what my favorite authors do well and try to improve my writing with that knowledge. I also can see what I don’t like about an author’s writing and make sure I do not make that same mistake.
Many authors have helped me improve my own writing, some of which being Rainbow Rowell and TJ Klune. Reading Rainbow Rowell’s books has helped me build more complex characters by giving all of them both strengths and weaknesses, just like real people have. TJ Klune’s books have helped me be more descriptive and expanded my vocabulary. There are so many other authors and books that have helped me as well, and they can help you too.
Although reading has many benefits, it is not for everyone. Some people just haven’t found a genre they like or maybe their only real experience with reading is books assigned to them by teachers. You do not have to like reading, but if I were you I would at least give it a try.	October 6, 2023

Outstanding Staff: Mr. Hecker

By: Sophie Johnson
Mr. Hecker teaches 7th grade Reading and 8th grade Reading and English classes. He has been teaching

at McDonald for eight years. Prior to working here he was a substitute who traveled around the county for two years. His favorite part about working at MHS is the many friendships he has been able to create with his fellow colleagues.
When asked what encouraged him to become a teacher, Mr. Hecker said, “Many of my high school teachers inspired me to become a teacher so that hopefully I could also help a student in my class become more motivated to learn and expand their horizons.”
Mr. Hecker also shared that he was close with many of his high school teachers and they all influenced him to do and try his hardest and pushed him to be more motivated in topics he may not have liked. He
hopes to do the same for the students he teaches now.
Mr. Hecker's top priority is to make sure that students know they can go to

him for help if they are struggling. He tries to be observant when grading students or looking over their work and takes note of areas in which students are struggling the most. He said, “When I know that a student is struggling on a topic, I will offer different methods of approaching the material that may be easier to understand for the student. Everyone learns in a different way, so what may work for one student may not work for another.”
Outside of the school setting Mr. Hecker enjoys reading the many novels he has throughout his house, along with spending time with his family. Another interest he shared is playing tabletop and board games with his friends, which is why he volunteered to advise our newest club the Dice
Devils Game Club.

When asked what her favorite thing about Mr. Hecker’s teaching style was, Naomi Sheesley said, “I like

that Mr. Hecker always has a story to go along with his lesson to help it make sense.”

Music Review: The “Lauren Daigle” Album By: Aiden Booth

Back in May of this year, Lauren Daigle released her new self-titled album, Lauren Daigle. The album features the songs “Ego,” “These Are The Days,” and “Don’t Believe Them.” I love the album because it features songs for every life situation. Anything you could think of that you may be going through is almost guaranteed to be in this album. For example, the song “Don’t Believe Them” talks about having trouble forgiving people that you are struggling to do so, and standing up to the world and doing what is right.
In my opinion, there is nothing to not like about this album. Something I really appreciate about the album is the Christian morals, references, and
beliefs.

The songs have a great tempo to go with what Daigle is singing about and her voice is incredible with

each and every song. I would absolutely recommend this album to anyone because it is relatable for all ages and she shows her passion in the album, which may just help any listener get through something they may be going through.
Overall I would give this album a 10/10. If you feel you are going through any trouble in your life, or have any problems or stressful situations, listen to this album from top to bottom! I assure you it can help in more ways than you might think.	October 6, 2023

People on the Street By: Sophie Johnson

What’s your favorite place on earth and why?

Senior Megan Klockner:

“Florida because I go every summer and it’s

warm there and it makes me happy.”

Senior Jenna Helco: “Taylor Swift concert because I
can be surrounded by people who relate to the same things as
me and she means a lot to me.”

Senior Lauren Sierra:

“Barnes and Noble because it’s quiet and I can read all the books I want in there.”
Senior Wyatt Wolford:

“Raising Cane’s because it tastes good and

the sauce is superior to Chick-fil-A sauce.”
October 6, 2023

Top 10 List for Homecoming By: McKenzie Orlandi

1.Go to the Homecoming Football Game

2.Find a nice dress with your friends

3.Ask someone to go with you to homecoming dance in a creative and special way

4.Get your hair styled

5.Get your nails done

6.Find a good location to take memorable pictures before the dance

7.Buy a nice pair of heels/shoes

8.Find a nice restaurant to go to before or after homecoming

9.Get a corsage/boutonniere for your date

10.Dance like nobody is watching and have an AWESOME time at the dance.

Book Review: A Court of Mist and Fury By: Aiden Booth
The book A Court of Mist and Fury is the second of a five-book series called A Court of Thorns and Roses written by Sarah J. Maas. This book is amazing and talks about taking on more than you sometimes can, yet still succeeding. It also talks about figuring out your path and choosing the right one.

In the novel, Feyre explores and learns her way through a dark web of politics and great power, but in the midst, a greater evil is lurking. She is not sure if it is her place to stop this greater evil, but so long as she can learn to use her gifts, learn to heal from the past, and make a decision about what she wants her future to look like, then she will find the answer to what she is searching for.
The only downside to this book would be that it mentions anxiety attacks and reflects on a few people going through depression, however, it is vague and is not specifically “singled out” and made a main topic in the story. We know how “love” can get if it’s forced and that's what happens to cause those things.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book and if you are going to read this one then you might as well read them all. It is a wonderful book and series and can be relatable to many people.
I would rate this book a 9/10 and the overall series the same. The author does a great job of making every scenario in the book seem like it's happening right in front of you. Maas has dedicated her time and a good portion of her life to this series and you will see that when you read it.

October 6, 2023

Backpage Pics! By: McKenzie Orlandi