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The Villager

Volume 7, Issue 3 | Date: October 27, 2023
Preparing for the Second Quarter

By: McKenzie Orlandi

With the first quarter now over, it’s important to reflect on our successes and areas for improvement moving into the second quarter and second half of the semester.
When asked about his expectations for students, Mr. Napolitano’s response was, “Come into class prepared, have everything you need, and be prepared.” Bringing your Chromebook charged to class, having a pencil, and bringing your planner to class helps his students when they
are struggling in a subject.

IN THIS ISSUE

Prep for 2nd Quarter - Page 1

Prep for 2nd Quarter, Club Info - Page 2

MHS Sports Update - Page 3

Editorial, NHS Induction - Page 4

Outstanding Staff, Music Review - Page 5

Top 10 List, Story Review - Page 6

People on the Street - Page 7

Backpage Pics - Page 8

When discussing motivation, he added, “First I try and determine if it was just a lack of preparation or finding out what they were actually struggling with. It’s important to figure out what their academic goal is because you can't motivate every student the same way.”
Students also have a variety of ways they need to prepare as well. They may set goals after the first quarter such as study for a specific class that turns out to be more challenging than was anticipated.
The important thing for students to remember is that this is often a problem-solving process when met with a challenge of difficult classes. Junior Anabela Merola said, “It’s important to study a lot, make sure to understand your work, and ask questions if you need help.” Sometimes this may include reading the text book and understanding the terms the teacher is using, especially in higher level and CCP courses.

Juniors and seniors studying in the CCP lounge during fourth period

STAFF LIST

EDITOR STAFF: ANNABELLE SMITH

STAFF WRITERS: AIDEN BOOTH, SOPHIE JOHNSON, MCKENZIE ORLANDI

EDITOR IN CHIEF: MR. BACKUR

October 27, 2023

Continued... Another valuable strategy is staying organized and keeping a schedule. It can be difficult for students to balance school and their personal lives. One way to do this is to use study hall time wisely to get as much work done as possible instead of socializing. Planning ahead, particularly if a student has work, plans to hang out with friends, or weekend athletics that will take up most of their time is another useful strategy to get all work done and still have a little fun.

There’s Still Time to Join a Club By: Sophie Johnson

As the year continues to progress, more clubs and activities are becoming available for students to participate in. This is another great opportunity for students to get involved if they have not done so already. Clubs like Drone Racing and the Dice Devils Game Club are now available for students to join.
More hands-on students who love to build and tinker, who have a creative mind, and who have an interest in technology may want to consider signing up for Mrs. Ross’s Drone Racing Club. In Drone Racing, students work together to plan, design, and build a drone via 3D printing. Members assemble the drone with propellers, a motherboard, camera, battery, and payload. Teams consist of 2 to 6 students in grade levels 9-12. Meetings occur during lunch as needed, or students can go to the lab to work during a study hall.
The process leading up to the Drone Racing competition includes creating a design as a team to construct and race a first-person view drone. Each member is given a role in which they are the lead throughout the process.
Students interested in joining can expect lots of teamwork. Mrs. Ross, the club advisor, says, “Expect to be a team member. Everyone is working hard towards our common goal, winning the competition.” Sophomore Preston Ficeti says, “I like the teamwork and competition aspect of the club. Graduates Ty Agler and Kiona Serrano made it especially enjoyable as well last year.”
For students who like playing games and are looking for a more relaxed club, Dice Devils Game Club may be the best fit for you. Dice Devils Game Club is a newer club designed for students who enjoy different types of games such as board games, card games, and Dungeons and Dragons. This club was formed by Mr. Hecker to give students a place to hang out and engage with other students who have

similar interests across grade levels.

Last year’s Game Club meeting

Photo Credit: Mr. Hecker

Members of the club usually meet alternate Wednesdays in Mr. Hecker's classroom, from 3-4:30 p.m. During meetings, students will play a variety of games that have been donated to the club, or that students bring themselves. There are groups who play board games such as Battleship, groups who face off in chess, along with a group of students who play roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons.
When asked what can be expected, Club Advisor Mr. Hecker says, “Students can expect a low-pressure setting and try out different types of games.” He hopes to give anyone who has ever been curious about gaming a place where they can explore different types of games and hopefully have a good time doing so.

October 27, 2023

Homecoming Game Win for the Devils

By: Aiden Booth

Friday, October 6th, the football team played their homecoming game against Windham and won with a

score of 40-6. In the first quarter, we laid down the groundwork for the blowout game scoring 27 points. During the second quarter the team scored 6 while still keeping Windham at 0. In the third quarter, we scored another 7, but allowed Windham to score 6 on us. No points were scored by either team in the

fourth quarter.

Football coach of the Blue Devils, Dan Williams, said, “Since we had a rolling 2nd quarter clock, the game seemed to go very fast.” These boys performed excellently and were all smiles after the game.
When asked about the season so far, senior Zach Shobel said, “I feel good about this season so far. We have had our ups and downs, but we keep working hard and getting better every day.” When asked about the Ridge game and his thoughts before playing, he said, “It’s a big game, one of the biggest games of the year, and we gotta be ready to play and bring it to them. We have to make up for last year and show them who the tougher team is.” Sadly, we lost 40-7, however our heads are still held high as
we look forward to playoffs.

The football team celebrating their win against Windham
Photo Credit: Mrs. Sattarelle

The volleyball team faced off against Heartland Christian at home on Monday, October 9th winning 3-0. In the first game, the girls played hard and won 25-10. In the second, it was a battle to start but eventually, they pulled away and won 25-8. The third set was another breeze through where the girls clinched 25-15. This win puts their record at 10-4 in the conference and 14-7 overall.
Team leaders so far include Gianna Costantino who leads in hitting percentage and kills per set, Lauren Sierra who leads in blocks, Miley Titus who leads in digs per set, and Meghan Klockner who leads in serving aces and aces per set. It has been an amazing season so far and this team continues to prove their value each match.
The boy’s cross country team prepared for the district race on Saturday, October 21. Preparation time was not easy with the weather and included a lot of workouts. This team is determined, though, and did all they could to attain their team goal of making it to regionals. Sophomore Joey Cappuzello is on track to be a state pick this season. He is continuing to lead his team and has been getting better every day thanks to

his dedication and commitment.

The cross country team in a huddle moments before the gun goes off
Photo Credit: Corey Busch

The girl’s cross country team prepared hard for the district race on Saturday, October 21 and found success placing second place overall. It is looking good for this team as they have been placing top 3 in almost every race so far this season and they look forward to making it to Regionals and possibly to the state race. Leading this team has been Lily Cappuzzello, Kylie Flere, and Selah Sheesley.
After asking junior Emily Kawecki how she felt about the cross country season so far, she said, “I feel really good about the season so far. We have gotten better at pulling each other along through races and helping each other succeed. This has made our times closer which helps a lot with points. We have really grown closer as a team and even as a family over this season.”

October 27, 2023

Editorial: Are We Too Old to Dress Up for Halloween? By: Annabelle Smith

As we grow older, we start to lose that childhood love for Halloween. I remember I used to be so excited to dress up as my favorite character and go trick or treating around the neighborhood with my friends, or to go to school in my costume and see all of my classmates' outfits. Some people believe that teenagers are too old for that sort of stuff, but it’s hard not to miss dressing up and celebrating Halloween like we all used to. So, are we truly too old to dress up for Halloween?
Many people do think that teenagers are too old to dress up for Halloween. Some people think that dressing up is for children and that it is immature for teenagers to do so. Others say that everyone should be able to enjoy Halloween, not just children.
I feel that we should be allowed to dress up for Halloween, but we are probably too old to dress up as certain characters or in certain outfits. For example, when I was a child I went as Anna from Frozen for Halloween. Now, I would never go for Halloween as a character from Frozen, and I instead would dress up as a witch or something more generic than a Disney character.
Teenagers are definitely too old to go trick or treating, but there are some other fun activities to do while dressing up on Halloween with your friends. You can always go to or host a costume party, watch a scary movie, visit a haunted house, go on a spooky hayride, or even pass out candy at your house.
Just because we can’t go back and be a child again does not mean we aren’t allowed to have fun or dress up in costumes. A lot of adults are dressing up too; I know my mom is going as Leia from Star Wars. Dressing up in costumes is not a childish thing to do, and honestly, I think we all should still be dressing up for Halloween just for the fun of it.

McDonald, Briefly: NHS By: Annabelle Smith

On Tuesday, October 17th, the National Honors Society ceremony was held in the auditorium at 9:00 am. This induction ceremony was held to celebrate and welcome the new juniors who have been accepted into NHS. The new NHS inductees are Brooke Bosheff, Gracie Callow, Gianna Costantino, Tobias Domitrovich, Addison Edwards, Kayla Helco, Anabela Merola, Jack Reckard, Isabella Sallustio, Zoey Schneiter, and Katie Terela. Congratulations to all of the new NHS inductees!

October 27, 2023

Outstanding Staff: Mr. Barth

By: Sophie Johnson Mr. Barth is an Intervention Specialist here at MHS. He co-teaches in

math 9-12 and sciences 9-10. Mr. Barth has been teaching for 3 years, his first 2 years were spent at West Branch. Mr. Barth shared that his favorite part of working here is that he finally got a job as a high school math intervention specialist, which allows him to co-teach the many mathematics classes he enjoys.
When asked what made him want to become a teacher Mr. Barth said, “I want to have an impact on the future generation of students and young learners.” Before settling on teaching Mr. Barth had originally majored in Journalism and then decided teaching was where his heart really was.
Mr. Barth wants to see his students succeed and grow. He has learned that it is important to determine the kind of learners students are, whether visual or auditory or one of many combinations of learning styles. He
shared the best way to help struggling students saying, “You have to meet

the students where they are. As a teacher, you have to have goals.”	Mr. Barth sitting at his desk

Outside of the professional school setting, Mr. Barth shared that he enjoys spending time with family and attending church. He also runs his own business he often tends to after school.
When asked what his favorite thing about Mr. Barth’s teaching style was, junior Louie Bracco said, “I like how he's interactive with his students and is always willing to help.”

Music Review: Michael Jackson’s Thriller Album By: Aiden Booth

Yes, we are talking about the icon himself, Michael Jackson. His album titled Thriller is back in business as we approach the scary season. This album consists of nine songs including the titular “Thriller”. The song is iconic for the dance video consisting of Michael and his crew dancing in the dark of night in a dark and scary alley.
The story goes like this, Michael takes his girlfriend to see a scary movie and she ends up leaving early because she’s scared. Then, they take a walk and Michael gives his girlfriend a ring but tells her, “I’m not like other guys”. Michael then turns into a werewolf, which freaks his girlfriend out. However, that was all a movie that he and his girlfriend were just watching that night. However, they do end up taking a walk after watching that movie where Michael sings and has a scary zombie dance crew sing with him. This is when he performs the iconic song and dance “Thriller”.
Beyond this, the album consists of many other big hits as well such as “Billy Jean,” “Beat It,” and “The Girl is Mine.” However, the song “Thriller” will always be the most popular of this album, especially this
time of year with Halloween approaching.

The only thing I do not like about this album is it's shorter than most of

Michael Jackson’s albums and I feel he could have made one or two more songs to go with it. Even though the album is great with the songs he has, it could be better if he had made it just a few more songs longer.
I love this album and I would give it a 9/10. Now, would I recommend it to everyone? I honestly don’t know because Michael Jackson requires a certain taste in music to like. Overall, I love the album, though, and recommend you give it a listen and see what it might have to offer to your music taste.

October 27, 2023

Top 10 List: Help to Get you Through the Second Quarter
By: McKenzie Orlandi

1.) Get Organized. Make a plan for what you're going to do and when you're going to do it.

2.) Manage your study space by keeping it free of clutter and distractions.

3.) Try to get more rest/ go to bed earlier. Stop scrolling and put your phone down.

4.) Try not to multitask in every subject to prevent confusion.

5.) Take notes in classes and ask a friend if you miss a day.

6.) Ask teachers questions if you don’t understand the content. They’re here to help.

7.) Try not to procrastinate on big projects or you might find you don’t have the time to do your best.

8.) Stay focused in class on the task at hand, whether it be notes or group work or a lab.

9.) Get your work done when it is due/ turn in work on time to earn the most points possible.

10.) Read your emails. Many teachers communicate through email and Google Classroom sends reminders.

Story Review: “The Beast in the Cave” By: Aiden Booth

The story “The Beast in The Cave” by H.P. Lovecraft is a short story that talks about a trip to Mammoth Cave with a group of others and a guide. The narrator is arrogant and decides he is smarter than the guide, leaving the group and decides he is better off by himself in the dark. In the cave he encounters a scary beast while all alone and has to fight it off all by himself. However, the guide comes to his rescue and saves him, but not before he gets a look at the beast...
Overall, I loved the story and would give it a 10/10 rating because it touches on a very important theme being that we can’t always do everything alone. It is okay to admit we need help instead of thinking we know everything and can fend for ourselves. The reality is, that’s just not always the truth.
The only thing I did not like about the story was it is quite short and I prefer longer stories that take a while longer to develop a plot and the climax. However, with that being said, Lovecraft does a good job of developing the plot and climax, I just prefer longer stories.
I would absolutely recommend this story because it speaks to every generation of people. Kids especially need to learn from a young age that they are going to need help in certain situations throughout their lives, whether that be from their parents or friends or even a stranger like in the story whose main purpose in life was to help the narrator navigate through the dark cave. This story is a good life lesson for us all and reminds us to trust others in situations we are not familiar with and be recipients of help when we need it. I suggest you spend a few minutes and read this story and it may surprise you and speak to you in ways you never thought a short story like this could.

October 27, 2023

People on the Street! By: Sophie Johnson

What’s your favorite moment so far this week?

Senior Kallen Dye: “Benching 125lbs on Tuesday because
it was another big milestone.”

Senior Mariah Bregar:

“The NHS Induction because I'm excited for the new members.”

Senior Antonio D’Avanzo: “Preparing for the ridge game because
it’s the biggest game of the season.”

Senior Isabella O'Brien:

“Eating a turkey sandwich Tuesday after school because it made my day better.”

October 27, 2023

Backpage Pics! By: McKenzie Orlandi

Photo Credit: Mrs. Sattarelle