1215 Longvue Avenue Aliquippa, PA 15001 Volume 53 Issue 8

Take a Look Inside

News ..................... 2

Perspectives ................ 3

Sports .................... 4-5

Entertainment .............. 6

Features................... 7

Fun and Games............ 8

Hopewell Hi-Lites

May Day 2010Courtesy of the class of 2010

Hopewell Girls are OutstandingBy Kate McCallan

On Saturday, April 24,2010, the Beaver Area Jayceespresented their 49th annualscholarship program, BeaverCounty’s Outstanding YoungWoman Scholarship Program, atBeaver Area High School. Here20 female high school juniorsfrom all over the area repre-sented their high school as wellas the county. This year fourgirls represented the HopewellArea School District at thepageant; 3 contestants,Cassandra August, KelseyHovanec, and Kristen Rupnik,and last year’s winner, AmyKerlin. The competition’s themewas in honor of recently de-ceased celebrity, Michael Jack-son.

To become BeaverCounty’s Outstanding YoungWoman, a female must be aca-demically inclined. She must be inseveral clubs, various activities,and be a well-rounded person. Allof these traits were already presentin abundance in August, Hovanec,and Rupnik. At the start of theperformance, all 20 girls danced to

Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til YouGet Enough.” The next segmentwas for aerobics and fitness wherethe girls did a routine to a JacksonMedley. The show progressed topresentation. August, finalistnumber 2, did a gym routine to thesong “Calabria.” Finalist 14,Hovanec, did a lyrical dance to“Smile” while Rupnik, finalist 19,sang Nat King Cole’s “OrangeColored Sky.” Lastly, all thecontestants did a small dance to“Will You Be There” and did onstage interviews which were partof the presence and presentationportion. Their pre-show interviewand SAT scores were also in-cluded into their overall score thatevening.

During the event, Kerlinmade her onstage appearance bydancing to “18th Floor Bal-cony.” Both Mr. Allison andKerlin prepared speeches inwhich both talked about her pastyear as the winner. Kerlin waslater presented with her Out-standing Young Women’s por-trait. As the evening progressed,the obvious was near. Only one

out of many young ladies wouldbecome the winner. Unfortu-nately, none of the girls fromHopewell won any of the schol-arships this year; however, theseyoung ladies passed manyobstacles that others could notjust to become a finalist.

Bob Barrickman led theceremony with help from manythroughout the county. This showwould not have been possiblewithout all the efforts from theBeaver Area Jaycees, manycolleges providing scholarships,

small businesses donating andpatronizing, and numerous com-munity members participating tohelp the cause. This year peoplewill say good-bye to last year’sOutstanding Young Woman,Kerlin, and praise the efforts madeby these three Hopewell girls whoshowed hard work and dedicationduring the course of the competi-tion.

(Left to Right) Kelsey Hovanec, Cassandra August, Amy Kerlin,and Kristen Rupnik

Academic & Merit Awards

Chelsea BelcastroHonors Scholar Award—OhioNorthern University

Ellen ButtsWest Hills Area Women’s ClubScholarshipOutstanding French Student Award—French ClubAmerican Association of UniversityWomen ScholarshipAcademic Achievement in SpanishAward

Ryan CarsonThiel CollegeLeadership AwardThiel College Merit AwardThiel Faculty Recognition Award2010 Wrestling Booster ScholarshipWendy’s High School Heisman SchoolWinner

Nicole DiPietroUniversity of Pittsburgh HonorsScholarshipAliquippa Elks Lodge Local AcademicScholarshipElks National Foundation 2010 MostValuable Student ScholarshipHopewell High School Class of 1959ScholarshipBurzese Nursing Scholarship

Tyler DowiakCommendation in the 2010 NationalMerit Scholarship Program

Brian FoyHopewell Wrestling Boosters Scholar-shipHopewell Youth Wrestling ScholarshipBlue and Gold Level Two Scholar-ship—West Virginia University

The 2010 May Day Court

Dr. DanDear Dr. Dan,In the past few weeks I have beenreceiving some very forward textmessages from a friend that tend tomake me feel uncomfortable. I havetried numerous times to confront thisperson about how I feel, yet theseefforts have been unsuccessful. Heis attempting to become friendlierthan I can tolerate or appreciate. Tobe honest, I think that I may havetaken too kindly to some of hisprojections, and now I am in toodeep of a hole to get out. I wouldlike to nip this in the bud before itbecomes too much of a problem.Sincerely,A Student Concerned Over Offen-sive Cell Phone Harassment

Dear Student,It’s never an easy thing to confrontsomeone about the way you feeltowards them; especially if thatfeeling is not even remotely mutual. Youhave a friend, he likes you quite a bitbut you don’t have reciprocalfeelings or wishes. That’s never ajoyous thing to deal with; though Iam sure with a few simple actionsyou can diffuse this ticking timebomb. First, you must contact him andlet him know why this just cannot be.Do not falter in your assertion of thatfact, because any crack in the façadewould just bring him rushing back formore. Be blunt and frank, and if thiscontinues to get worse, losing a friendmight be better than maintainingsomeone like that who simply cannotgrasp the reality of the situation. In yourletter you say that you “may have takentoo kindly to some of his projections.”To be perfectly honest, the time forniceties and just laughing off this matteris over. Take no more kindliness to hisusurpations and find great offense inthem. If it comes to it, block his cellnumber or un-friend him on Facebookso that he would have little to no way ofcontacting you. At the end of the day, itdepends on how willing you are to shuthim down. If you are willing, which Ihope, then you should be advance-ment-free sooner than you think.Good luck, and keep in touch.Sincerely,Dr. Dan

News

Nicole HamiltonLatin Award—Latin Club

Amy KerlinAerobics and Fitness Award for theBeaver County’s Outstanding YoungWoman Program 2010Beaver County’s Outstanding YoungWoman of 2009Comcast Leaders and AchieversScholarship

Kayle KlesserPresident’s Scholarship—Kent StateUniversityUniversity Award—Kent StateUniversityTrustee Scholarship—Kent StateUniversity

Brittany KressGeneva Scholar Award—GenevaCollegeFirst Year Technology (Engineering)ScholarshipCharles Sterrett ScholarshipWolves Club Scholarship

Andrew PappasBill Smith Scholarship—Scarab ArtClub

Jessica PickensDelta Epsilon Phi—National HonorSociety for High School Students ofGerman

Bethie PierceHopewell Education AssociationScholarship

Shikira QuaminaProminence and National BuckeyeScholarship—Ohio State University

Dan ReftMerit Scholarship—U.N.A. Branch#120, Ukranian Club of Aliquippa

Mark RossHopewell Football Mothers AcademicAward$5000 WPIAL Scholar Athlete Award

Yvette Simoni“The Future of Nursing” Scholarship—Beaver County School Nurse Asso-ciationKathleen Johnston Memorial Award

Jason Ford Memorial ScholarshipElizabeth Pierce

Judge Francis J. D’Eramo ScholarshipRyan CostanzaJoshua HribarRyan McGovern

Brian Barkovich MemorialScholarshipRyan Costanza

CTC AwardsBrandyn McKnightTransportation/Logistics—First Place(State)Materials Handling/Logistics—SecondPlace (District)

Roland McLaughlinOutstanding Student Award PCMA—PA Masonry Association

Nate VitaleHVAC-R Competition—First Place

John Philip Sousa AwardMichael Bufalini

Hopewell High School BandBooster ScholarshipTyler Gaydosik

2010 WPIAL Scholar/AthleteAward NomineesElise FarrisMark Ross

VFW Voice of Democracy SpeechCompetitionKayla Losco—First PlaceDan Gladis—Second PlaceDan Reft—Third Place

Penn State Beaver ScholarshipsGarrett CovaltCommander Doyle W. Lynn MemorialScholarshipAliquippa Wolves Club Trustee Blueand White ScholarshipJames FigasTrustee Fund Blue and White Scholar-shipMatthew HartwickBlue and White ScholarshipJeffrey HredzakAliquippa Wolves Club Blue andWhite ScholarshipTaylor PaulsBlue and White ScholarshipZachary PrawuckiBlue and White ScholarshipAshley SchoedelBlue and White Scholarship

Shawna SheltonAliquippa Wolves Club Blue andWhite Scholarship

Department of ArmyAbigail McFarlandUnited States Army Award

United States Military Academy atWest PointSean RiderWest Point Leadership Award

United States Marine CorpsPaige AlvianiUSMC Distinguished AthleteEllen ButtsScholastic Excellence AwardShikira QuaminaSemper Fidelis Award for MusicalExcellenceMark RossUSMC Distinguished Athlete

United States Air ForceKayla Cook—enlistedKevin Garrett—enlistedSean Rider—enlisted

United States Army ReservesBenjamin Tolfa—enlisted

United States ArmyCordaven Hollis—enlisted

PA Air National GuardTom Cogis—enlistedJason Gerard—enlisted

Underclassman AwardsROTC RecognitionSean RiderShane PotterAnthony Gray

Brian BucciMembership into the National MeritScholarship Program

Bobby Catley“Get Ur Good On” Grant for Commu-nity Service Project—Youth ServiceAmerica

Hopewell Hi-Lites StaffBest Newspaper 2010—SecondPlace—Point Park University

The Rachel Carson Book Award—Chatham CollegeTheresa Domitrovich

Keep itSafe with

RegistrationBy: Dan Gladis

The third rail of Americanpolitics has always been con-sidered Social Security and theMedicare/Medicaid programs.However, it is safe to say thata new ‘fourth rail’ may beadded to the issues that electri-cally define a candidate orpoliticians chances of winningan election. Gun rights. Let mebe clear that this reporter hasno intention of denouncing theownership of guns or offeringplans for their excising in thisarticle. However, the registra-tion of guns is a simple taskwhich should not be removeditself from the way our societymanages our addiction to guns.The system of registration offirearms in America today is ahodgepodge gathering of manydiffering and conflicting statelaws and databases which arein desperate need of reform.However, their existence is stillvital to the safety of everysingle American.With the registration of fire-arms, a database is createdthat allows guns to be kepttrack of. Without it, gunswould just flow freely throughthe US which in many caseswould allow those guns to fallinto the wrong hands. Unfortu-nately now, this is the case inmany places partially due tothe relaxed guns laws of certainareas. Also by having a registryand database, those with

criminal backgrounds or otherlikely candidates to use fire-arms in a manner other than forsport and recreation can benoted and prohibited frombecoming a danger to societyby owning guns.It is claimed by many pro-gunactivists that it is not the gunitself that kills; it is the personwielding the weapon that kills.Following that logic, thoughthis reporter finds it question-able, there is no reason whythere shouldn’t be a registra-tion process to make sure thatpeople who are likely to be thekillers are disallowed fromowning guns. As to the logic of‘people killing people, notguns’: it would be much harderto regulate the former, so thelatter is left as America’s onlyoption to make sure that hercitizens are not endangeredfrom that one guy who happensto snap right then and killseveral innocent bystanders.So we have a choice America,let’s continue to register ourfirearms and provide a basisfor a safe society, or we canhurdle off the cliff into the pitof trusting every single personin the United States with a gun.Considering the ‘caliber’ ofmost of the people we electedto high office, the Americanpeople might want to thinktwice about trusting them-selves.

Let theGuns Flow

FreeBy: Amy Kraus

With a history characterized byrevolution and the frontier, theUnited States is often labeled asa “gun culture.” Today, cowboyscarrying six-shooters or moun-tain men lugging flintlocks areno longer ordinary sights, butthe hunting and the militaryethos of the nation’s beginningstill survives. While the UnitedStates faces the threat of terror-ism and careless firearm acci-dents, plans for gun registrationsystems are emerging. Althoughthe majority of Americans do notdepend on firearms for huntingand self-protection on a dailybasis, firearms should not haveto be registered.One of the main concerns withhandling guns is the amount offirearm related deaths. However,the National Center for InjuryPrevention and Control reportfrom 2006 affirms that moredeaths were caused by heartdisease with 631,636 thanfirearm homicides and uninten-tional firearm injuries with14,791 and 642 individualsrespectively. Even thoughregistration may seem like aneffective way to reduce crime,an underground market forillegal firearms will always exist,and criminals will resort tocarrying other weapons likeknives. Moreover, will thesecriminals register their back-ground or just conceal them? Ifa national gun registration isenforced, police officers would

have to spend their time hector-ing innocent people with unreg-istered gun violations whichwould result in more paperworkand less community surveillanceto prevent these deaths.Financially, gun registrationappears to be a waste of govern-ment funds. Since thousands offirearms are bought and soldeach day, registration would turninto a drawn out process com-prised mainly of forgottenpaperwork or databases. Fur-thermore, a registration systemwould involve an enormousamount of fees that would haveto be paid by gun owners.Considering the added cost ofammunition and other huntingparaphernalia, guns are expen-sive enough to keep recklessbehavior to a minimum. Initiat-ing an inevitable chain reaction,firearm registration would affectnot only the gun industry but alsostate game commissions, huntingoutfitters like Cabela’s andGander Mountain, and wildlifepopulations. Once the price ofguns outweighs the enjoymentand supply of meat garneredfrom hunting, the industries thatrely on firearms will vanish andtake many jobs with them.Consequently, sportsmen shouldnot be penalized with a registra-tion system for the actions ofcriminals. According to the Billof Rights, “A well regulatedMilitia, being necessary to thesecurity of a free State, the rightof the people to keep and beararms, shall not be infringed.”Once this right is combined withthe safe gun handling skills, thenumber of firearm related deathswill most likely decrease. Tradi-tionally, parents teach theirchildren to respect the powerthat guns hold over life andhandle weapons with a tremen-dous level of maturity. Since themajority of people living in theUnited States are responsible fortheir actions, the benefits offirearms prevail over the negli-gent use of guns and emphasizethe futility of a registrationsystem.

Perspectives

Top Ten Hopewell Athletes 2009-2010By Paul Rosenstern

This is a list of my top 10athletes at Hopewell here in the2009-2010 sports seasons. Manyof the Hopewell sports teams hadoutstanding seasons thanks tothese players, each of them in theirrespected sport or sports, as someof these athletes were participantsin multiple sports throughout theschool year.

10. Starting off the list atnumber 10 is senior Brian Foy.Foy was a captain on Hopewell’sboys’ soccer team, a wrestler, andhe played tennis in the spring. Foyhelped lead the soccer team to anoverall record of 11-7 as theyended the season just one winaway from a playoff appearance.Foy then moved on to wrestling inthe winter where he competed atthe 160 and 171 pound classes.He placed eighth at 171’s in thePowerade Christmas tournament,and placed second in the section inthe 160 pound class. In the springFoy played tennis and placedsecond in the MAC double’stournament with teammate RyanCostanza. Foy will be attendingWVU in the fall.

9. She’s was only afreshman but Shatori WalkerKimbrough made a huge impacton both the girls’ volleyball teamand the girls’ basketball team, andshe also runs track. WalkerKimbrough played middle hitteron the varsity volleyball team, andhelped the girls’ to a winningrecord. Yet volleyball is notWalker Kimbrough’s best sport,the freshman then moved on tobasketball. Walker Kimbroughstarted as a freshman alongsidefour seniors. She led the team inrebounds and helped the girls goundefeated all the way until theWPIAL championship gameagainst New Castle.

8. In the eight spot isnumber five Matt Rubino of theHopewell baseball team. Thejunior catcher has been a key tothe baseball team’s 19-1 overallrecord and their section title.Rubino is tied for the team leadand WPIAL lead in homerunswith 10, and leads the WPIAL in

RBI’s. He was also honored by theBeaver County Times and thePittsburgh Tribune Review as theathlete of the week after he hit twothree-run homeruns against sectionrivals Moon in a 10-7 Hopewellwin, and came up the next gameagainst Keyston Oaks with twomore homers in a 10-2 route. Thebaseball team is heading into theplayoffs as the number one overallseed in class AAA.

7. If there’s one person atHopewell High School youwouldn’t want to pick a fight with,it’s Brandon Fedorka. The solid215 pound Fedorka was a captainon the football team, a wrestlingPIAA all-star in the 215 poundclass, and a WPIAL qualifier inthrowing the javelin and the shot-put. Fedorka played defensiveend and tackle on the footballteam where he led the team insacks for the second consecutiveyear, and will be playing in thePenn vs. Ohio all-star game as aWPIAL all-star. In wrestlingFedorka competed at the 215pound weight class. He placedsecond in the section, third in theWPIAL, and placed in the top 12in the PIAA tournament. Fedorkawas then selected as a PIAA all-star and he wrestled in the DapperDan all-star tournament. In trackFedorka threw the javelin over151 feet to qualify for the WPIALgames which will be held on May20.

6. Scott Dierdorf hasbeen a dominant force forHopewell’s baseball team fromboth the pitcher’s mound and thebatter’s box. In his senior seasonDierdorf has accounted for overhalf of Hopewell’s 19 wins withhis 10 pitching victories. His 10-0pitching record is the best in theWPIAL, and he is among theleague leaders in strikeouts with71. At the plate he sports a teamhigh .479 batting average, and isin a tie with teammate MattRubino for most homeruns in theWPIAL with 10. Dierdorf is alsoamong the WPIAL lead in RBIs andruns scored.

5. In his senior year Mark

Ross once again played key roles onHopewell’s football team andHopewell’s boys’ basketball team.The 6’3 Ross was one of the topreceivers in the WPIAL as he wasselected as a West all-star for theEast-West All-Star Game, andhelped Hopewell go all the way tothe WPIAL championship game.In basketball Ross averaged over15 points per game, second beston the team, as the boys’ basket-ball team won their section. Rossis also a stellar student, and he willbe attending Lafayette in the fallto play football.

4. In her senior year PaigeAlviani led the Hopewell girls’basketball team to the WPIALchampionship game, and in trackshe will be competing in theWPIAl games coming up on May20. Alviani was the leading scoreron the girls’ basketball team, aswell as a leading scorer in theWPIAL. She ended her highschool basketball career with over1000 points. In track Alviani is astar in throwing the javelin, as shequalified for the WPIAL gameswith a throw of over 100 feet.

3. Coming in at numberthree is sophomore running backRushel Shell. In just his secondyear of high school, Shell led theWPIAL in rushing yards with over2700 yards. Nine times in the2009 season Shell rushed for over200 yards, including the WPIALchampionship game where herushed for 274 yards inHopewell’s loss to West Allegh-eny. Shell also led the team andthe WPIAL in touchdowns on theseason with 36. He was selectedas a WPIAL all-conferencerunning back as well.

2. Elise Farris may haveaccomplished more than any otherfemale athlete at Hopewell HighSchool in 2009-2010. She was astar on the girls’ basketball team inthe winter, and in the spring sheshined even brighter on the track.A four year letter winner inbasketball, Farris helped take thegirls this year all the way to theWPIAL championship game withan average of over 15 points a

game. As good as she was atbasketball she was even better intrack. For the second year in arow Farris won gold medals in the400 and 800 meter runs. She willbe looking to defend her WPIALtitles in these events coming up onMay 20.

1. My 2009-2010Hopewell High School athlete ofthe year is Matt Hundenski. Thethree sport star Hundenski wasthe quarterback on the footballteam, a WPIAL and State finalistin wrestling, and the shortstop onthe baseball team. Hundenski wasa captain on the football team, andled the Vikings into the WPIALchampionship game. He wasselected as an all-conferencequarterback, and will be playing inthe East-West All-Star Game.After football Hundenski movedon to wrestling, where he wasgoing in as the defending WPIALchampion in the 152 pound class.Hundenski wrestled most of theregular season at 160’s, where heplaced third at the PoweradeChristmas Tournament. He thendropped back to 152 poundswhere he won the section, andplaced second in the WPIAL.Hundenski then moved on tobaseball where he has helped leadthe team to a 19-1 overall recordgoing into the WPIAL playoffs.Hundenski has played a gold-glove caliber shortstop for theVikings baseball team as well ashitting four homeruns through theregular season. Hundenski hassigned with WVU where he plansto continue his wrestling career.

Congratulations to all ofthe athletes who competed forHopewell High School thisseason. Thanks to all of theseplayers Hopewell continues toexperience great success in theWPIAL and the PIAA. 2009-2010 was a year that will go downin Hopewell sports history as oneof the best yet.

Sports

Summer PlansBy Megan Sirko

Newspaper SeniorsBy Kate McCallan

Picture of Olivia Skal on her trip toAfrica last year. Image CourtesyOlivia Skal.

Throughout the schoolyear the Hopewell Hi-Lites staffputs out many newspapers. Thestudents, faculty, and staff read thearticles; however, these people donot see the hard work and effortthat goes into each composition aswell as the memories that havebeen shared among these report-ers. Whether it has been years ormonths participating in JournalismII, the class has bonded and becomemore like a family and less than anelective. With the end of the yearrapidly approaching, the staff willsoon have to say good-bye to thefollowing seniors:

Sarah Bohy has beenwriting for the Hopewell Hi-Litesfor three years and currently holdsthe position as Features Editor.Her favorite journalism memorieswere with good friend JenniferSipes and with other staff mem-bers last year. Bohy’s favoritearticles were the college previews.While researching for the paper,she discovered a future at SlipperyRock University where she willmajor in Public Relations next fall.Bohy loved working on the staff.She said it helped her grow aswell as aiding in her decision inher future after Hopewell. Shewould like to remind her under-

classmen to enjoy every minute ofHigh School because it goes byvery quickly. As well as being onstaff, Bohy also participates in theband as section leader, is the VicePresident of French Club, and amember of her church youth groupand venture group.

Tricia Marsick is new tothe staff this year. She does nothold any official position on staff,but usually writes feature articlesher favorite being book reviews.She says her most beloved memoryin Journalism II deals with herclose friend and staff member,Catey Burget, whom she is tryingto help run for class president.Journalism II has taught her thatone can write almost anything. Herwords of advice to all underclass-men are “Complete your seniorproject early.” Marsick is a mem-ber of the Fellow Christian Ath-letes (FCA), Student Council, andClass Club as well as being em-ployed at George’s Family Restau-rant. Because she loves kids, shewill major in education at WestVirginia University next year.

Paul Rosenstern is theSports Editor on staff and has beenwriting for the paper for two years.His favorite memories from thisclass occurred at the fieldtrip at

Point Park University.Rosenstern’s favorite articleswere about Major League Base-ball. This class helped him workunder pressure when performingtasks such as working towards adeadline. He would like to remindall underclassmen to concentrateon their grades and put in 100percent to get the most out ofhigh school. Next year,Rosenstern will also attendSlippery Rock University inhopes to become a gym teacherlike his favorite teacher, Mr.Hack.

These three students havespent countless hours writingarticles for the paper. Their hardwork and dedication did not gounnoticed. Rosenstern carried the

Hopewell Hi-Lites with his sportsarticles writing an average of fourper issue. Bohy wrote regularadditions to a series of featurearticles that brought crucial insighton colleges. She also regularlywrote the “Teacher’s Pet” articlewhich brought a variety and flairto the paper. Last but never least,Marsick will be remembered forher clever feature articles and herwitty personality. To Bohy,Marsick, and Rosenstern, yourfamily on the Hopewell Hi-Litesstaff wishes you the best of luck inthe future. Each one of you will bedeeply missed, but your legacy onstaff will live on.

Here at Hopewell, it’sprobably safe to say that June 4can not come fast enough forboth students and teachers.Many fellow classmates havealready made plans for theirsummer vacation. Junior Olivia Skal will bespending her summer in Africawith Teen Missions Interna-tional. On June 12 she willbegin her trip with two weeks oftraining in Florida. She will thenfly to the airports of Washington,Rome, Ethiopia, and finally willreach Lusaka, Zambia. Last year,Olivia made this same trip. InZambia, she and Teen MissionsInternational will build a bridgeover the Luswish River, andspend time with the children on

the rescue area. Olivia says thather favorite part of this trip ismeeting new people and playingwith the kids. Junior Juli Bosley will bespending part of her summer inMassachusetts, visiting her dad.She will also be visiting hermom’s side of the family inMinnesota. She says that sheplans on canoeing and taking aphotography class at CCBC. Shewill spend the rest of her summerpracticing soccer, which starts inJuly. Ashley McCoy’s first plan forthe summer is to graduate. Shewill spend part of her summerworking. Monday throughFriday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,she will babysit 10 year old Sean

and 12 year old Griffin. Also,she will be working at the 5-Points McDonalds a coupletimes a week. When she is notworking, Ashley will be spend-ing her weekends riding her2005 Yamaha ttr 125 dirt bike.The last week of June she willattend Conservation Campwhere she volunteers as acounselor. She commented,“This year is my fourth yearvolunteering. At the camp thekids learn about the outdoorsand it is an amazing experi-ence.” Ashley also has a countrymusic Mega ticket, and will beattending the concerts of BradPaisley, Toby Keith, Brooks andDunn, Rascal Flatts, and Tim

McGraw.

Features

Book Review: A Child Called “It”By Tricia Marsick

Movie Review: Letters to JulietBy Alaina Altieri

A Child Called It, a novelwritten by David Pelzer, was avery unique read, and the wholestory line caught my attention.The obstacles the main characterhad to overcome in his child-hood startled me but kept meinterested. The hardest part tobelieve is that the book trulyhappened. The title relates tothe book because the boy’smother calls him “It.” Themother does not refer to her sonby his name, who authored thebook, David Pelzer. She demon-strates no respect for him andacts as if the boy is just an objectto boss around and abuse. I likehis choice for a title because itmakes the reader wonder whatthat entire phrase has to it andreally clues the reader in to thestoryline.

The main point theauthor portrays is how muchpain and suffering he had gonethrough in his childhood and thathe still made it out okay. He didnot become a patient in aninstitution, not a serial killer, butan author who told his story in

such a way that touches each heartwho happens to read it. Pelzerthoroughlygoes throughevery terriblething anyhuman couldimagine andpaints thepictureperfectly inhis writing.His mother isportrayed asan evil,inhumanebeing and itmust havebeen hard towrite suchtruth.

The story begins in the1960s when Pelzer first experi-ences his cruel abuse. Bothparents were good to Pelzer in thebeginning until alcohol came intothe picture. Her drastic personal-ity changes emerged from herbinge drinking. In the kitchen oftheir home, Pelzer is busy doing hischores and his mother sets a time

limit for him to finish washing allthe dishes. If the boy did not

make the time limit,he would not eatsupper that night.His mother seesthat he takes hishands out of thewater and slapshim brutally acrossthe face. Inaddition to beingunable to eat,Pelzer also receivesa beating. Pelzermade this sceneinto a huge atten-tion grabber for thereaders and it drewme in close to thestoryline.

Some other cruelties hismother demanded him to performwere sitting on his hands for anextended period of time, having todo triple the amount of chores hissiblings were told to do, and a lotof verbal abuse. One quotationthat really sunk my heart was hismother saying soberly, “You are anobody! An It! You are nonexist-

ent! You are a bastard child! Ihate you and I wish you weredead! Dead! Do you hear me?Dead!” That was the first time inthe novel that Pelzer’s motherstated the hatred stored in herchest for her son. I found this tobe the saddest point in the book.

Overall, A Child Called Itwas an excellent read. I wouldnot recommend reading it in apublic setting because therewere quite a few times I gotemotional. This true story ofDavid Pelzer’s childhood willstick with the readers in theirlifetime and hopefully teachesevery one of them to treatpeople with kindness. In the endDavid Pelzer finally gets rescuedfrom his mother into a lovinghome of his foster parents andhad someone to call him “son.”

In the new movie, Lettersto Juliet, Amanda Seyfriedplays Sophie, a young womanwho goes on vacation toVerona, Italy, the city whereRomeo and Juliet lived, andfinds an unanswered love“letter to Juliet.” She is sointrigued by this letter, which isdated 50 years ago, that shetakes it upon herself to help thewriter of the letter, Claire,played by Vanessa Redgrave,find her long lost love Lorenzo.

Along the way, Sophiefalls in love with Claire’sgrandson Charlie who alsohelps find him. Charlie isplayed by Christopher Egan.Another important character

includes Franco Nero whoplays Lorenzo Bartolini.

This is a romanticcomedy with some dramaintertwined. Mostly it is aboutthe romance. It is rated PG forbrief rude behavior, somelanguage and incidental smok-ing courtesy of The InternetMovie Database.

The movie is full of loveand happiness that has a veryhappy ending. Italy is a greatchoice for the setting of themovie because it really cap-tured the elegance and beautyof the city of Verona and hillsof Tuscany. It is a great movieto go see.

Two main characters of “Letters to Juliet”, Claire and Sophie.Courtesy Google Images.

Entertainment

Teacher’s PetBy Sarah Bohy

Student of the MonthBy Catey Burget

Picture of Milo and the Keeble. Courtesy Ms. Rice.

Ms. Rice, an EnglishTeacher at Hopewell for the pastten years, is the very proudowner of a Miniature Dachshundnamed Milo. Milo is ten yearsold and was rescued by Ms. Ricewhen he was approximately fouryears old. A Hopewell studentwas spending time at a huntingcamp when he found Milowandering around. The studentbrought Milo home and askedDr. Dreshman, a GuidanceCounselor at Hopewell, if sheknew of anyone who would beinterested in taking him in, andshe immediately thought of Ms.Rice. “I’d wanted a Dachshundfor years”, Ms. Rice said.

One of Ms. Rice’sfavorite memories of her be-loved canine took place just lastsummer when Milo first learnedto play fetch with his Keeble.The Keeble is Milo’s favorite toy

which he got from his cousinSadie, Ms. Rice’s brother’s dog.

Milo’s years with Ms.Rice have been filled withabundant love. Ms. Rice rescuedMilo a second time after ascuffle with another neighbor-hood dog a few years ago, andhe can always be found picturedon Ms. Rice’s computer monitor.In addition, Ms. Rice can alwaysexpect a warm welcome fromher favorite pup when shereturns home from work. “He’susually dancing at the doorwaiting for me”, Ms. Riceexplained with a laugh.

Aside from teachingEnglish, Ms. Rice sponsors theClass of 2011, Newspaper, andPA Clubs. She attendedBrentwood High School andreceived her UndergraduateDegree from Penn State Univer-sity.

Kayla Losco was chosenfor the upperclassmen student ofthe month award. Kayla waschosen for her strong work ethicand outstanding achievements.Kayla’s favorite subject duringher senior year has been APGovernment because Mr.McConnell is has become herfavorite teacher this year.Throughout high school, Kaylahas been apart of the cup team,Beadling while leadingHopewell’s varsity team for twoconsecutive years as captain.She won the first place prize inthe VFW Voice of Democracyspeech competition this year.Kayla said, “The thought thatafter June 4th, I never have tocome back” is her biggest boostof motivation to get her throughthe rest of the year. After highschool, Kayla will attendBaldwin-Wallace College tomajor in Physical Therapy andAthletic Training. She plans toget her Doctor of PhysicalTherapy Degree and an AthleticTraining degree. After college,she would like to have her ownsports rehabilitation and physicaltherapy practice. Good luck inthe future, Kayla!

Erika Kraus, the under-classman student of the monthwas selected for the awardbecause of her hard work inschool. Erika, a freshman thisyear, loves riding and taking careof her horse, Bud, outside ofschool. She always has enjoyedreading and playing the gameCanasta. Watching movies andplaying multiple sports are otherhobbies of Erika. Erika is also inFrench Club, 4-H Club, and sheworks in the library. Her favor-ite book of all time is Gone withthe Wind by Margaret Mitchell.She also loves Art and French.Erika said “I really like Art andFrench Class. I like Art becauseI’m good at it, and I like todraw. I like French class be-cause French is a fun language.Mrs. Masley and Mrs. Shadleare amazing teachers!” Erika’sgreatest accomplishment ismaking highest honors the 3rdnine weeks we a 3.8 G.P.A. Shealso came in second place in thePA Department ofTransportation’s Bus SafetyPoster Contest.

Kayla and Erika havedemonstrated an extremelywonderful work ethic. They areboth great leaders to the school,and the community. Congratu-lations girls!

Features

Congratualtions to the May Studentsof the Month:

Upperclassman Shikira Quaminaand

Underclassman Dan Weiland

Look for their feature profiles in theHopewell Area School Districtsummer newsletter

Summer Fun

X F I S H I N G K N V U E K S

E H I S E H C A E B L F L E C

B W R R A L U X P C O T T N I

C Q B D E R A Q S U I O S N N

A D T G C W G N R B B R A Y C

M K V N N N O T A L T N C W I

P P Z V I I H R D N D A D O P

I A C T T O B G K R E Y N O S

N E A A F E P U N S I S A D C

G O C J Q Y T R T I R V S N Z

B A U U X M M J A H M C E M W

V L E N M L Z D U D F M Q I P

Y S U N S C R E E N E M I E N

Y A D L A I R O M E M C X W R

C H F Y N F L O G I N I M F S

BARBEQUE BEACHES BOATING

CAMPING CEDAR POINT DRIVE-IN

FIREWORKS FISHING FOURTH OF JULY

KENNYWOOD MEMORIAL DAY MINI-GOLF

PICNICS SAND CASTLE SUNSCREEN

SWIMMING TUBING VACATIONS

Bring PeaceBring PeaceBring PeaceBring PeaceBring Peace By: Branden

DrummerWhy must wefight over our

reasonWhy must we

kill to settle ourcreed

Enough of thisfoolishness

Sheath yourswords

Shake handswith each otherEnd these wars

When this isdone we’ll eludeour damnation

Then live insanctified bliss

forever more

BaseballBy Dan Gladis

With the regular seasonover, Hopewell baseball can takea short break from the top notchseason they have just completed.However, the baseball team hasno time to rest on their laurels asthe playoffs are just around thecorner and the stakes look to behigher than ever this year.Having finished the season with19-1 record, Hopewell is look-ing to extend their winning waysdeep into the playoff season.

This season saw manyups for Viking baseball. In agame versus Montour, theVikings were down by three inthe bottom of the sixth inningbut managed to score six runs inthe very same inning to win 11-8. However, Hopewell fell justshy of perfection when they fellto Moon by a score of 7-1. Dueto the fact that the section

record between Hopewell andMoon was tied, the sectionchampionship was shared by thetwo teams as well.

A few stellar studentathletes have helped the Vikingsto reach their current record.These include, but are notlimited to, Scott Dierdorf, whohas a 10-0 record from thepitcher’s mound and MattRubino, who along withDierdorf is tied for the WPIALlead in homeruns with tenapiece. The Vikings baseballteam would love to continuetheir winning ways into theWPIAL playoffs, with theultimate goal of winning theWPIAL championship. As theFacebook group says, it is timefor Hopewell to “end the streakof silver.”