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The Villager

Volume 7, Issue 1 | Date: September 15, 2023

MHS Sports are off to a Great Start

IN THIS ISSUE

MHS Sports - Page 1

By: Aiden Booth
The boys golf team is off to a great start. They faced off against

Lowellville at Mahoning Country Club on August 28. They put on a show in front of a large audience beating Lowellville by 46 strokes with the final score being 166-212. This was their best round of the year so far. Senior Avery Maley led the way with a score of 40, sophomore Christopher Ragazzine with a 40 as well, and sophomores Brady Flere and Josh Srock followed closely in their footsteps, both shooting a 43. Now the boys will prepare for next week to take on Ridge and Jackson Milton.
McDonald Cross Country hosted the Billy Goat on Saturday, August 26. The junior high girls got off to a great start. They placed 5th as a team led by Naomi Sheesley who placed 1st followed by Addison Callow, who was 11th, then Noelle Lytle, Samara Fabian, and Elyse Evans being the top 5 on the team. Sheesley had a special day and broke the meet record with a time of 12:36!
On Tuesday, August 29, the girls continued their positive momentum and won as a team overall. The boys' team was missing their lead runner Joey Cappuzzello, however, they still ran well individually. Trace Dehner ran a 21:02 and Garek Deluga followed soon after with a 21:15 rounding out the top 100 racers.
The girls tennis team had a fantastic 5-0 win on Tuesday, August 29, over Warren JFK. Ava Kuntz, Jenna Helco, and Allison Batchelder all won singles matches. Doubles teams included Amanda Monk with Emma Bundy and Isabella Sallustio with Anabela Merola. The Doubles
teams were also victorious. Article continues on page 2

MHS Sports, What’s New in School - Page 2

Ways to Get Involved - Page 3

Growing Up, Outstanding Staff - Page 4

Music Review, Top 10 List - Page 5

Game Review, Recipe - Page 6

People on the Street! - Page 7

Back Page Pics - Page 8

Tennis Team poses after big win against JFK
Photo Credit: Mrs. Price

STAFF LIST

EDITOR STAFF: ANNABELLE SMITH

STAFF WRITERS: AIDEN BOOTH, SOPHIE JOHNSON, MCKENZIE ORLANDI

EDITOR IN CHIEF: MR. BACKUR

September 15, 2023

Continued... When asked how she felt about the tennis season so far, junior Anabela Merola said, “I think that this season has been really good! It’s a lot better than last year and I feel our team is better and has worked together a lot more.” Her personal goals are to get to the level of playing varsity singles and overall climbing the varsity ladder.
Merola continued, “Being undefeated is definitely exciting. Being undefeated and growing a lot as a team this year makes state-bound sound a lot more like a reality.”
On August 29, the girls volleyball team took on a tough Western Reserve team at home. Despite putting up a fight and trying to get momentum back into their hands, they lost 3-0. However, the team has shown a lot of success this year with a record of 2-1 in the conference.
When asked how she felt about this season, senior volleyball star Megan Klockner said, “I think we have played pretty good so far, but we still have stuff to clean up for bigger matches. We are getting there, just gotta keep working at it.”
When asked about this year's team goals, she said, “As a team, our big goal is to make it deep in the tournaments and get back to district championships and winning the big games.” Klockner has personal goals, too. She already achieved one of her big ones, which was getting 1000 assists, but she also wants to get better every day to be college-ready.
Friday, August 25, the boys' football team took on the Columbiana Clippers at home on Senior Night and won 21-14. Down 7-0 in the second quarter, they got back on their feet and scored, making it 7-7. It was a battle after that and Columbiana scored again in the third, but when the fourth quarter came around, McDonald knew it was closing time. They scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter making it 21-14 which would carry out to be the ending score.
They continued their dominant streak through their first three games before falling a bit short to Western Reserve. However, the team is hungry for another victory this week.

What’s New in McDonald High School By: McKenzie Orlandi
It's a new year of school and a lot has changed over the summer. This year, Mr. Barth is our new Intervention Specialist for 9-12 math and science. He always enjoyed learning as a kid.
When asked why he decided to become a teacher, Mr. Barth said, “I just had the opportunity to help other students or younger kids and I like learning.”
At West Branch, he was an 8th grade teacher. Math is his favorite subject to teach, specifically Algebra One. What he likes about McDonald is how welcoming everyone was when he arrived.
Along with new staff, the dress code received an overhaul last year and is in full effect. Some new changes include ripped jeans and shorts must be at finger-tip length. Facial hair is now allowed, but must be neatly trimmed, groomed, and clean. No visible tattoos are allowed. If you have a tattoo, you will have to cover it up.
Students have mostly reacted favorably to these changes. While there might be room for a little more leniency, Junior Anabela Merola said, “The dress code has gotten better than it was before.”
Another major change is the Chromebook policy. This year, the high school is 1:1, meaning every student has a school-issued Chromebook. This ensures all students have equal access to technology and every lesson a teacher assigns is compatible with the same device.
It’s important to remember to use your Chromebook as a learning tool and students should refrain from playing distracting games in class. Also, it’s important to keep the Chromebook in its case for protection and charge it every night. A pro tip is to keep the charger by your phone charger and charge both before
bed.

September 15, 2023

Ways to Get Involved By: Sophie Johnson

It’s that time of year again with many of the club sign-ups starting. Students should look to get involved in one of the many offerings including Spanish Club and Art Club. Other opportunities might include French Club, Game Club, Drone Racing, or a sport.
If you're a creative and artistic person, or you're trying to get out of your comfort zone, Art Club is a great choice for you. The club is advised by Mrs. Mills. Students who join Art Club often think its fun and enjoyable.
Senior Unique Helms joined Art Club last year. When asked what she enjoys most, Unique said, “Out of everything I enjoy being able to have a good time and laugh and smile. That is really what makes me love Art Club.”
When asked about her favorite memory Unique added, “When we went on the Pittsburgh trip and we were all at Ikea. It wasn't the fact that we were there, it was that we could all just have a good time and have fun with each other.”
If Art isn't something your interested in, then perhaps you’re a current Spanish student interested in joining Spanish Club. Our Spanish Club is advised by Señora Ronghi.
Señora said, “Spanish Club intends to bring Latino culture to MHS students.” Students who join Spanish Club always have a great time and enjoy going to the meetings.
Sophomore Juliana Krumpak joined Spanish Club last year. When asked what she enjoyed about the club she said, “Something I enjoyed about Spanish Club was all the fun activities we did. Señora had us make friendship bracelets, but the bracelets had a specific meaning. If you and your best friend had a bracelet you weren't able to take it off until it fell off. It was bad luck and ‘against your friendship’ if you took it off before it fell off. We were able to pick whatever colors we wanted to match our friend.”
It is strongly encouraged to get involved in one or more of the many clubs offered here. Be sure to listen to announcements for more opportunities.

Photo of Art Club’s first meeting Photo Credit: Mrs. Mills

September 15, 2023

Editorial: Growing Up By: Annabelle Smith

I’m not sure it has completely registered in my brain that I am now a junior in high school. It feels like there are so many new responsibilities being shoved on me all at once. Now is the time to start learning to drive and get a job. I also need to start thinking about what I want to do for the rest of my life and what I want to study in college. It feels like I have so many things that I have to do and not enough time to do it.
My childhood passed in the blink of an eye, and I know I'm never going to be able to go back and relive those wonderful moments all those years ago. Last year it felt like I was still trying to stay in my childhood; I was putting off getting my driver’s license and trying not to think about what would happen after high school.
Although it's terrifying to think about the future, I've learned that it can also be a good thing. I’ve been trying to think of it as starting a new chapter, instead of ending one. Figuring out what you want to do can be scary, but if you take it one step at a time, it is a lot easier than you think.
Everything feels a lot more special when you know the end is near, so treasure those weekends hanging out with your friends or the time you spend with your family. It will all be over soon, so try your best to make the most of it.

Outstanding Staff: Mr. Napolitano By: Sophie Johnson

Mr. Napolitano is an intervention specialist here at MHS. His job is to support the diverse needs of students in special education. Mr. Napolitano has been in this profession for 11 years and has been working at McDonald for 10 years. He says his favorite part about working here is getting to work with coworkers who are equally as motivated as him.
When asked why he decided to be a teacher, Mr. Napolitano said, “I knew from a young age I wanted to help people. As I got to college I found that helping students achieve their goals was what I loved most.” Before settling on teaching, he changed his major twice from pre-med, Physical Therapy, and then ultimately deciding teaching was the career he wanted.
Mr. Napolitano makes it his mission to help students who are struggling so that they can better understand. He believes that getting to better know his students at the beginning of the year is half the battle for helping them. He says, “Figuring out a student's specific learning style is far more important than the actual content you’re trying to teach them.”
Outside of school, Mr. Napolitano enjoys golfing, exercising, reading books, and spending quality time with his wife and son. He shared that the accomplishment that fills him most with pride so far this year is teaching his son how to roll a ball back and
forth.

Mr. Napolitano in front of his

classroom

When asked for his favorite qualities about Mr. Napolitano, Senior Nolan Evans said, “He’s excellent. Very professional and very intelligent. He is very influential to his students. And I appreciate him.”

September 15, 2023

Music Review: Morgan Wallen By: Aiden Booth
This past Saturday, Morgan Wallen performed live at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and he featured his new single “One Thing at a Time” from his March album. Now, many people are in love with this song while others dislike it. The song is about a break-up, it’s a country song so of course, and it has to do with the guy not being able to just stop liking the girl.
I like the rhythm of the song because it is more of an upbeat heartbreak song, which makes it more enjoyable. I also like Morgan Wallen’s voice. Most of his music is more upbeat which flows well with his voice. He stays true to his voice in this song, too, when he elongates some words in his country accent which is very appealing to me. However, I am not too big on the chorus because it's not very catchy
because the upbeat tempo doesn’t match the lyrics. It also has a contradicting chorus which left me confused as he shared conflicting emotions. I guess it makes sense, though, in a breakup song.
Overall, I would not recommend the song only because there are better break-up country songs out there that are much better, including ones that are better and even still sung by Morgan Wallen. An example would be “Wasted on You”. Still a decent song, but I would not recommend adding it to your playlist simply because there are many better songs out there.

Top 10 List: Things to do during Fall By: McKenzie Orlandi

1.Decorate your bedroom for fall

2.Go to a pumpkin patch and carve pumpkins with friends or a significant other.

3.Go to a haunted house or enjoy a hay ride

4.Bake some Fall sweets

5.Go to a high school football game on a crisp Autumn Friday evening

6.Rake leaves and jump in them

7.Get excited for Sweater Weather

8.Go out with friends for a Pumpkin Spiced Latte

9.Enjoy pumpkin everything

10.Put on a scary movie or have a general movie night

September 15, 2023

Madden NFL 24 Game Review By: Aiden Booth

Madden NFL 24 is a video game that can be played on either Xbox or PlayStation and contains all of the NFL teams and players, as well as stadiums. The game has many things different ways to play: you can practice and work on your player skills, you can compete in an exhibition game against another team, you can play a game against your friends online, and you can even start your own custom career.

I like this game a lot. The graphics are good and the passing plays are much better than in Madden NFL 23. In addition, the graphics are absolutely incredible. In Madden NFL 23, you can tell the players look like they are from a video game whereas in Madden NFL 24, they almost look like real players. It is also a game you can sit down with your brothers, sisters, friends, and family and enjoy playing football with your favorite teams.

I would say, however, I do not like the background music in the game because it’s mostly hip hop music, which can tend to be inappropriate for certain ages. Thankfully the game does give you an option to shut off the music and sound.
Overall, I would most certainly recommend this game because it is wonderful for all ages, and the quality is very good. It is also a good way to constructively play a video game with friends and family and enjoy the time.

Recipe: Buckeyes By: Annabelle Smith

Ingredients Needed:

4 ½ cups of sifted powdered sugar 2 sticks of butter
1 18 oz jar of smooth peanut butter bag of chocolate chips

Roll a mixture of powdered sugar, butter, and peanut butter into small balls. Refrigerate overnight. Then, melt the chocolate chips and dip the balls into the melted chocolate using a toothpick. Put them on wax paper and then refrigerate until the chocolate solidifies. Take them out and enjoy!
This recipe is fairly simple, but it tastes delicious. It was always a fun small treat to make over the holidays with my family. These are also fun to snack on during Ohio State football games. My family and I still sometimes make them for games as well as some poppers my dad makes on the grill.

September 15, 2023

People on the Street! By: Sophie Johnson

What are you most afraid of and why?

Junior Olivia Colarich:

“Losing a family member because I’m very close with everybody in my family.”

Senior Rowan Wolford: “Spiders because they have eight legs
and they look weird.”

Junior Anabela Merola:

“Falling from a high place because I don’t have control over my body and I hate the sinking feeling in my stomach.”

Junior Louis Bracco: “Failing in life because I have big
dreams in life that I want to accomplish.”

September 15, 2023

Backpage Pics! By: McKenzie Orlandi