Cornell Raider Pee-Wee Football still going undefeated

By: Mckenna Griffith

Oak Glen, WV - Pee-Wee football played their hardest game yet on Sunday, September 29, when they took home the win. The Pee-Wee football team has been doing very well for themselves these past few years. They are always making it to the championship, even if they are runners-up. They played a great game against the Oak Glen Bears, taking the win home 6-12. Close call and it was hard to take the win, but they pulled through. 

Even with the small number of 12 players, the Cornell Raiders still manage to impress everyone with their high-scoring games. With the head coaches of Frank Teamor and Buddy Griffith, those boys have the best chance they have. The Pee-Wee football teams need good coaches to keep the program going and to make the kids want to come back. But also being able to lay down the law and make sure the kids are well disciplined. This group of boys we have this year is a group that hasn't worked much together before. Definity has mostly new kids. Most are either young or old for the team. Not too many kids in the middle.

2021 All-Section Champs  (Left-Frank Teamor, Landon Teamor, Kellen Griffith, Buddy Griffith)

With two starting players injured, their numbers were sure to affect their chance of winning. Starting running back, Antonio Jackson, and starting tight end, Kellen Griffith, both have injuries. But with the low number, Kellen Griffith had to step up and play. Although he couldn't run too much, he still managed to go out there and play to his best ability. These boys have a bright future ahead of them. Come back weekly to see the stats of each game.

Cornell High School’s Green Space

By: Marissa Crowe

Coraopolis, PA–During April and May, Cornell High School students have diligently been working at the outdoor green space area by preparing the landscaping for garden work. Kevin Quigley, the biology, economics, college ecology, and psychology teacher at Cornell High School, is in charge of the green space and prepares the area every year.

Every year, Mr. Quigley prepares and replants all of the green space. He does so by gaining assistance from students who have his class or a study hall during the times that he is outside. Students help out by doing various activities such as raking leaves, pulling weeds, raking and placing the mulch, digging holes, planting plants and trees, and also watering the plants. Many students go outside as much as they can to help out even with small things like dumping the weeds. Mr. Quigley expresses his gratitude toward the students and also is very proud as he says, “Students typically enjoy the change of pace and the fresh air while we are outside working.” He loves how the students will come out whenever they have the chance to help out and be able to get a change from the classrooms. He, along with other teachers and school officials, provides water for the students throughout the day, for their hard work.

This year, Mr. Quigley had lots of help, especially from seniors. Many seniors this year created teams and decided to take the completion of the green space into their own hands. The seniors worked together to decide what plants or weeds needed to be pulled before the new ones were planted, and some of the seniors also decided on what plants to get and where to put them. The green space is coming together very beautifully with various flowers sprouting with colors of whites, purples, and greens everywhere, along with a new tree or two. With all of these plants coming to Cornell High School, it is looking very refreshed and gives the students a sense of tranquility as they walk into school.

Spanish Honors Society 

By:Yasmine Alvarado Garcia

Coraopolis, PA - At Cornell High School, the Spanish Honors Society club recognizes students who are currently learning and/or are fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. This includes students who are currently taking Spanish classes as well as those who are fluent in the language. Students will be recognized in a formal ceremony on April 23 and a small celebration will take place afterward. 

The purpose of this organization is to recognize the students who maintained excellent grades learning a new language or overall maintain good grades. During the ceremony, students read small passages, welcoming and congratulating the candidate into the program. While the President of the group read an oath to the candidate, she held a candle repeating after him. She got a certificate for the dedication and hard work she has put during school and on her school work. After welcoming the candidate, we congratulated the Seniors who are in the club.

Congratulations to seniors Hanna Navarro, Angelina Valencia Teran, and Luis Romero Ojeda for keeping up with their good grades and being involved with the group.

Special Olympics

By: Jersei Ramsey

Coraopolis, PA–The Cornell Special Olympics was held Friday, March 22, 2024, at Moon Park. The Cornell Organizer was Megan Gorecki. Gorecki had seniors Jersei Ramsey and Hanna Navarro get seventeen high schoolers to pair up with seventeen special education students to help them participate in the Olympics. Ramsey and Navarro decided to take this organization and turn it into their senior project.

Before the official Special Olympics event, Gorecki set up a pre-Olympics event in the Cornell Elementary gym. This event ensured that the elementary students could meet their buddies. They had free time in the gym where they could play whatever game they wanted. Navarro took pictures of the event while Ramsey and her buddy played on the scooters. The elementary special ed students immediately clung to their high school buddies. The elementary teachers who supervised noticed that the students who normally wouldn’t play in their gym class felt more comfortable playing with the high schoolers as they didn't feel judged and left out; they felt normal.

The official special Olympics was held on March 22, 2024. The elementary students were excited to finally play the big games out at the park. When they arrived, they met other schools where they gathered around and had hot chocolate. The organization gave the students gift bags which the kids loved. The students split up having the younger kids play basketball, and the older kids play volleyball with their buddies. The high school participants encouraged their buddies while the kids played their games. The organization ordered pizza as their lunch and the high schoolers got to chat it up with their elementary buddy. After their lunch, they had a quick bus ride to the school. Cornell School District thanks the Special Olympics organization for coming to the school and having their students participate.

Annie Jr. 

By Sage Ospina

Coraopolis, PA--An upcoming showing of Annie Jr. is scheduled for March 22 through 23 and will be directed and produced by the Cornell High School Drama Club. The Drama club is led by director Gillian Kokai and her colleague Jacob Jordan. With this musical, the Drama club is facing a behemoth of a task due to the decision to attempt a well-known and well-loved musical. For this musical, there are a variety of grade levels, from grade 4 to grade 12.

Gillian Kokai is a student of RMU who took up the position of theater director of Cornell's drama club. She has been performing since she was a little girl at her local theater. This allowed her to have the perfect personality to lead the gaggle of children who wanted to try their best to produce a musical production out of sheer love and joy for the craft of performance. This has led to a variety of other opportunities for the club's promotion, and with that resulted in a free dress performance of the show being performed for the elementary school on March 22, 2024.

Annie is going to feature the story of a young girl, Annie, who is orphaned by her parents when she was an infant. Her caretaker, Mrs. Hannigan is a cruel woman who wants nothing but wealth and fame. On a two-week Christmas vacation with Mr. Warbucks, the richest man in New York,  Annie tries her hardest to find her parents and make that Christmas one to remember. While ticket prices and cast list are not confirmed, the musical production is underway.

Cornell High School Drama Club

By: Marissa Crowe

Coraopolis Township, PA— Throughout the past two months of January 2024, and December 2023, the Cornell High School Drama Club has been working extremely hard on their upcoming musical production, Annie Jr., which is set to be performed on March 22 and March 23 in the Cornell High School Auditorium. Director Gigi Kokai, a student currently at Robert Morris University, has been working very diligently with the students to be ahead of the game and ready before tech week hits. 

So far this year, the drama club has been having two to three-hour rehearsals two to three times a week. The students go over songs, choreography, set placements, and so much more with every rehearsal. There is no time for breaks in the Drama Club at Cornell since the cast has more than half the show memorized and ready. This is just in time for the longest and one of the most important rehearsals this year, line testing. The cast will be going through line and song testing on Monday, January 29, 2024, along with stage crew members meeting and getting ready to start with props, backgrounds, and costumes. During that time, crew members are creating everything for the show; they will all be considered for several crew lead opportunities. These crew lead positions will include the makeup lead, costume lead, prop lead, and many more. Decisions of who will be selected for a role will be up to Director Kokai and the two crew managers, stage manager Zoey Kaczmarek, and booth manager Marissa Crowe.

Last year, the Drama Club performed two plays with mainly upperclassmen, but this year Kokai decided to change things around. After all of the auditions were over, Kokai chose seventh grader Natalia Hoover to play the lead character. Natalia will be playing Annie in the upcoming musical, and working with some of her classmates and upperclassmen to create this musical. Along with Natalia, Allen Langston will be playing Oliver Warbucks and Clara Joranger will be playing Miss Hannigan.

On table left to right: Mina Code, Cheyanne Labance, Dinah Burton

Underneath table: Luna Croyle

On the couch: Mariah Rohrbach

Remembering Dr. Robert Michael

By Vanessa Geist

Coraopolis, PA - On January 21, 2024, Moon Area School teacher and drama director Dr. Robert Michael passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. The superintendent of the school district wrote that Michael had a heart attack. The school district community mourns this loss, and many students will remember him as someone who brought students together.

Dr. Robert Micheal was a three-time graduate of Point Park University, having completed his doctorate last year. He was someone who was active in his community and constantly involved with the students. “He connected the football kids, the basketball kids, the theater kids,” said student Sarah Rock. “It was a community in his room where everyone could feel welcomed and respected.” Rock was involved in many of his theater productions at the school and says he was always hard at work in the auditorium.

“He always went above and beyond to support and encourage his students and help them achieve success,” Superintendent Barry Balaski wrote in a statement. “I’m confident he will be remembered for the positive impact he had on countless lives.” Many staff members recognize how impactful he was in their school district. Niko Moore, vice president of the Moon Area High School senior class, wrote “Dr. Michael brought 100% commitment to everything he was a part of. What I hope people remember about him as a whole are his irreplaceable leadership skills and captivating dedication.” The school district had counselors available to students and offered resources for parents to help their children with grieving

By: Kenya Tench 

Coraopolis PA,- On January 30, 2024, The Cornell Raiders took on the Union Scotties and had a tough loss. Although the Raiders played hard, the results were polarizing. The score at the end of the first half was 11-45. The final score was 20-70.

The game was a home game for Cornell, and in the previous JV game, the young Raiders won which gave the Raiders some confidence going into this game. The Scotties were consistent and unrelenting; their roster is also deeper than Cornell's, so their ability to substitute players a lot made it easy for them to keep their players fresh and ready throughout the game. 

The Raiders are looking forward to the next upcoming games to hopefully make a turnaround from this past game.

Breakfast with Santa

by Yasmine Alvarado Garcia

Coraopolis, PA - On December 16, 2023, the Cornell Key Club hosted the “Breakfast with Santa'' for the students in the Coraopolis and Neville communities once again. We got to see joyful kids going around to each station painting ornaments, making reindeer food, decorating cookies, writing a letter to Santa, taking a picture with Santa, and lastly visiting the book fair.

The kids got to eat breakfast and chill out for a while until Santa and the Grinch arrived to meet them. Later, they got to go around and visit all the different stations there. The first station they could visit was the painting ornaments. They got to choose an ornament and paint it any way they wanted. A second station they could visit was reindeer food, where they put the reindeer food in a small plastic baggy. The third station they were able to do was cookie decoration, where they received a sugar cookie and were able to decorate the cookie however they wanted. The fourth station they got to do was writing a letter with Santa; they either wrote a list or a small note to Santa on what they wanted for Christmas and then they got to mail it to Santa in the special mailbox. Another station they could participate in was taking a picture with Santa. While waiting to take their picture, they saw the movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. Lastly, if they wanted they could have visited the book fair.

Lastly, thank you to the Cornell Key Club for hosting this event for everyone who helped make this a special day for the families in the Neville Island/Coraopolis community. This was truly a magical day for everyone.

Giving To Our Heroes

By Vanessa Geist

Coraopolis, PA - On Friday, November 3, 2023, a local Coraopolis veteran receives free home improvement thanks to a project that helps give back to veterans. The program started in 2016, and all that is required is proof of military service. This project has already completed nearly 500 builds across the country. 

U.S. Air Force veteran Terry Steadman stated that his roof must’ve been over 80 years old, with leaks throughout the upstairs and the ceiling. Steadman is grateful for the volunteers removing his 100-year-old roof and fully replacing it with a new one. The gift to this veteran couldn’t have come at a better time, while Steadman had just recently had a heart attack. “Those gentlemen who are up there doing the job – they are heroes, too,” Steadman said.

Volunteers for Nasco Roofing Company joined the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project. This project is in partnership with Purple Heart Homes, which gives back to veterans. These projects began in 2016. Roofing contractors volunteer their labor to help heroes who have defended our country. To qualify, a veteran provides proof of their military service and fills out an application. Steadman’s neighbor, who is also a veteran, helped him fill out the application. The roofing project will only take two days. Afterward, the volunteers plan on replacing the gutters of the Coraopolis home.

Hispanic Culture in the Borough of Coraopolis

By Sage Ospina

Coraopolis, PA -Within the Streets of Coraopolis, there is a large and growing population of Hispanic and Latino people migrating from their home countries to this rural area. There is a population of just under 5,400 people. In recent years, the Hispanic population has risen from indiscernible to well over 3%. This is heavily reflected in the rich cultural spots gracing the once industrial town. Not only are there dining spots such as La Pablonita, 5 Stars Honduran Restaurant, and the upcoming Las Palmas that is to arrive; but there is also a generous benefit to the community with the participation of economics and education.

There is much to be said about the cultural significance of things such as Mass or sports within the Hispanic and Latino communities, and that reflects in the economics of our prospering town. The local churches are gaining membership, so much so to which it has been reported to see people singing with tambourines on church stairs. There is life, love, and worship in the community. On top of this, the recent AHN Montour Junction Sports Complex has allowed countless free opportunities and offers for free soccer field days, sign-up baseball games, endless free family events, and more. With a mixing of people working together to win a common goal, it allows acceptance to prosper and the blooming community to grow.

The Cornell School District itself has also faced benefits from the families who have moved in. There was a large dip in the number of students in the high school due to families moving away or people n

o longer choosing to attend a school with only around 500 students in all. Now that there is this boom of people, the elementary school is packed with new, fresh minds. Most of these students will become bilingual in the early ages of their lives. This is an extremely valuable skill to allow the entirety of the community to have the opportunity to communicate. Cornell is one of the only districts in the area to have college-level classes in the Spanish language. It is a receptive and safe environment where people have the opportunity to share their culture and banter.

It is clear that the effect of the Hispanic and Latino population is a positive influence on Coraopolis. Considering the new grocery stores, new restaurants, and new connections that have been established, there is no doubt that the economics of the town is gaining just as much traction.

Robert Morris University Immersion Experience

By: Marissa Crowe

Moon Township, PA—On Thursday, November 9, 2023, Cornell High School AP class students went on a field trip to Robert Morris University to learn about career paths that they have in mind. RMU held six different immersion experiences for the students to go through and explore a career they would like to pursue during their visit.

During the field trip on Thursday, RMU had six different immersion experiences for the students to choose from; “How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse as a Nurse or Engineer,” “On The Fly Productions Presents: Multimedia Storytelling,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Invention Academy: Show Me the Money,” “It’s Not a Box: Things Are Not Always What They Seem,” “Your Future is a Slam Dunk.” Out of the six options, the students had to pick two they were interested in, or that were directed towards a career they were interested in.

One of the immersive experiences the students could pick from was especially exciting and interesting for them. This activity was “How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse as a Nurse or Engineer”. The activity took place first in a gym, but the large group of students that had chosen the experience were divided into three groups, nursing, bio-med, and engineering. The group of students interested in nursing went through to learn different nursing skills that would be useful in the zombie apocalypse. Noah Slinde, a student from Cornell who went on the field trip, stated, “I was in the nursing group for the Zombie Apocalypse activity, and we learned that if you have to do chest compressions on someone, you should form a line then each person takes two minutes performing said chest compressions.” Another student from Cornell, Sage Ospina, had also chosen the Zombie activity for the bio-med learning opportunity and stated, “We were taken to a lab where we had to track down ‘Patient Zero’ who will infect us after a process of three trials. We had a personal vial and a pipette for the activity, and we were instructed to pick up liquid, place it into someone else's vial, and repeatedly track down the five infected. It was very fun and exciting to see who was patient zero!” Along with the bio-med and nursing options, there was also engineering where you were taken around the RMU campus to see different machines they have including mechanical arms and 3D printers. From there the students had to build a working light with wire, a switch, battery, and other parts. After all the groups were done, they met back up in the main gym.

After all the different immersion activity groups were completed, everyone met back up in the original room where all the schools were first. From there, RMU gave out a delicious lunch of wraps, chips, juices, coffee, and baked goods. As the students ate, RMU representatives talked about different opportunities at the school and also had student representatives come in to answer questions. Many of the high school students asked questions about how big the classes were, what certain classes were like, and many more. At the end of the day, while the high schools attending were leaving, RMU handed out bags to each student. The bags had a keychain and many papers about the school, how to apply, and many papers giving more information about the school.

Raiders vs Chargers

By Vanessa Geist

Coraopolis, PA - On Friday, October 27, 2023, the Cornell Raiders played against the OLSH Chargers, and won a tremendous victory with a score of 40-9. It was the fourth quarter, the clock was counting down, and the Cornell Raiders had concluded the night with an amazing touchdown, sealing the game for all. This victory is so important to our school because the OLSH Chargers are Cornell's rivals and for years they’ve fallen two points short of beating them. This year, however, the school’s fate changed for the better.

This victory is even more important, as it was Cornell’s senior night game and also was their last game leading them into the playoffs, for the seniors in the band, it means that they get to continue to play at the games and support our team. The band goes to every game, and no matter what the weather is, how far the school is, or how good or bad the opposing team is, the band still supports the players and cheers them on in the stands with stand tunes and the half-time performance. To the band seniors, these games are important, as it is their last year to be able to do the things that they love. The band has few members, but each person puts in a huge amount of effort, especially the seniors who have been there the longest.

This is a very memorable year for both the football and band seniors, because of how favorable each game has been for Cornell. We have a steady winning streak going, and now being led off into the playoffs helps bring that memorable experience for all. The band welcomes new people every year, and each year they bring in new techniques to help improve the half-time shows that they perform. The band will continue to show up for the Cornell Raiders and continue to play on and bring positive energy to the viewers and to the team.

Cornell Raider’s Volleyball Team

By: Marissa Crowe

CORAOPOLIS, PA - On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, Cornell had their Senior Night volleyball game against Bishop Canevin. This year Cornell had a small volleyball team consisting of nine players, Sonni Krall, Gianna Gracyk, Zoey Kaczmarek, Shaylee Barrett, McKenna Griffith, Madeline Hoffman, Laila Lee, Aaliyah Turner, including their one graduating senior, Marissa Crowe.

This year, the Cornell Raider’s volleyball team consisted of just nine players. Not only did this pose a challenge for the team, but also it became a challenge for the coach. As the season began, the team’s coach, Coach Alexis, announced that she was pregnant and going to be bringing on another coach. Since Coach Alexis was pregnant, she didn't want to take a chance of anything happening in the middle of the season making her unable to be there, so her mother, Coach Steph, and a good friend of hers, Coach Nicole, became assistant coaches. Not only did this help the team, but it also helped Alexis. The season started bright and early in the late summer with practices, and soon the games started in late August. The team then started running into major challenges as the season went on.

With only nine girls playing, there weren't many options as to rotations or playing positions. Luckily, the coaches came up with rotations and various practicing techniques, but even though the girls tried their very best, they didn't have the best success rate. At the end of the season, the girls had won two games, but they all had fun while playing. By the end of the season, the girls were having fun and bonding as a team. Even with major losses, they still pushed through the season strong and never let any of the losing games stick in their minds. 

On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, the girls celebrated Senior Night and played one of their last games against Bishop Canevin. The girls started headstrong with the spirit of Senior night in mind for their one senior, Marissa Crowe. The girls pushed themselves and tried their hardest, yet they lost the game.

The girls are destined to have a much more successful year next year, especially with eight of them continuing and many more to join.

Coraopolis and Neville Community Development Corporation 

By:Yasmine Alvarado Garcia 

October 2023

Coraopolis, PA - Coraopolis Community Development Corporation is an organization that is creating a lot of buzz around the Coraopolis and Neville Island community by hosting festivals and other events as well as supporting the local food bank and a “grow your own vegetables” garden.

The vegetables that they grew over the summer go to the food bank. The food bank helps the community in a variety of ways. One of them is helping the elderly people get their food. That's where the food bank comes in. They get the food they grew or bought and distribute it to them. They also help people who can't go out and buy food because they don't have transportation by going to their houses and delivering the food. Another group that they help are those with financial issues where they don't have enough money to buy their own groceries, so the food bank helps them get the basic supplies that they might need from food to toilet supplies.

In conclusion, the communities of Coraopolis and Nevile come together to help their residents who live in their community. With a variety of events, like the fall festival and the two spring/summer festivals that are coming up. Finally, the corporation also has a food bank that helps a lot of the Coraopolis Neville Island community residents.

The Neville Roller Drome 

by Sage Ospina

Coraopolis, PA --The Neville Roller Drome has a vast and rich history. It opened in 1948 and is located on Neville Island in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Now in its  75th year of serving the general public in skate sessions, this piece of modern history is a passion project that is gleefully upheld by the Township of Neville and its patrons. With a steady flow of customers every single night for years, this roller rink has excelled in becoming one of the best places to take your skates for a fun night. As said per their website,¨ For more than 70 years, Neville Roller Drome has been all about family-oriented, multi-generational fun for kids, teens, parents, and grandparents.¨ In this establishment, people of all ages and skill levels are seen skating in tandem. With constant upkeep of flooring, AC, safety measures, and renovations, it is very obvious that this place is well-loved.

The Roller Drome is currently owned by Sophie and Jim Park, who took the rink over after the Deramo brothers -- Tony, Vic, and Donny-- passed away. These three brothers owned the rink for just shy of 63 years before the Park family took ownership in 2011. In an article published by Gazette 2.0, Park is seen stating, “We have a mission statement – to build joyful friends and healthy communities.” No matter if you use blades or skates, front or backstops, or even jam-skate on the regular, there is no judgment. All patrons of any skill level can skate, and a variety of safety devices are sold within the rink. Helmets, toe stops, and even walker devices are available for purchase.

This roller rink offers a variety of classes and services such as sponsoring the Pittsburgh Derby Brats, along with the adult team, the Pittsburgh Undead. With seven sessions a week and admission ranging from $6-11, there are often packed times on weekends. There is a fair rule system and dress code, along with many referees on the skate floor at all times. The rink is open for personal rent on multiple days and can host a variety of events from birthday parties to graduations. They also offer private lessons for all ages in order to give one-on-one advice about skating. At a humble price of $85 for five weeks of lessons, with an average of an hour each time. This requires no prior skate knowledge, just a commitment to learn how to skate in five weeks. All in all, the Neville Roller Drome is a faithful experience of true sentiment for the art of skating.

Upcoming Events at Cornell High School

By Heidi Stephenson 

APRIL 28– As the 2022-2023 school year comes to an end, there are several exciting events planned in the month of May as Cornell School District celebrates students for their accomplishments and hard work throughout the entire year. 

The National Junior Honors Society (NJHS) and National Honors Society (NHS) are organizations that recognize students who demonstrate excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. Members must meet the requirements, which include keeping their grades above a certain GPA, as well as completing a minimum of ten hours of community service. Each year, students who demonstrate these skills are given a chance to apply to become a member. This year, Cornell School District is proud to celebrate a total of eighteen new members who will be inducted into NJHS and NHS. The ceremony will start at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2 in the high school auditorium.

At the end of each year, students in middle school and high school are recognized for their academic achievements and efforts during the awards ceremony. One student from each grade will receive an award for academic achievement. Additionally, one student from each grade will receive an award for going above and beyond in the classroom. High school seniors are also awarded any scholarships they earned. The Academic Awards and Senior Awards Night will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9th in the high school auditorium. 

The prom is a time for juniors and seniors to relax and have a fun night full of games, food, and dancing. This year, the Cornell High School Prom theme is Hollywood. To show off their fancy attire, students who attend prom will participate in the Grand March. After the students walk on stage, the prom princess, prince, queen, and king will be announced. The Grand March will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 12 in the high school auditorium. After the Grand March, students will head directly to the dance, which will end at midnight. 

The Class of 2023 Graduation ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 26 in the high school auditorium. All of the events listed above are free to attend. Please come out to support the students. Congratulations to the graduating class and to all of the students for another successful school year!

A Playful Play

By: Malia McShane Langston

CORAOPOLIS, PA - On March 24 and 25, 2023, the Cornell High School Drama Club put on the plays “Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz” and “Cinderella, Cinderella”. The Drama Club struggled to put on a production for two years due to Covid-19 and a lack of a Theatre Director. Fortunately, students were able to get a sponsor just in time for a spring show. Gigi Kokai, a student at Robert Morris University, came to be the director and brought quite some energy to Cornell. The students were given six weeks to put on both 30-minute productions. With 11 cast members and four stage-crew members, the students all worked together to put on these amazing shows.

Kokai and Jacob Jordan, a long-time friend, worked together to direct the students. Jordan worked with the stage crew to navigate the new sound and lighting system Cornell recently had installed. With that, students were able to have cue-based sound effects, creating an ambiance for the audience. In addition to the amazing light and sound effects, the cast and crew created a few props; despite the program not having any funds, the students were able to come together and produce the show through their acting. It also could not have been possible without the audience’s help. Both D.W.O. and Cinderella, Cinderella were interactive plays, meaning the cast openly socialized with audience members. After D.W.O. , there was a 15-minute intermission for the cast to get ready for the next show; outside of the auditorium, parents sold home-baked goods and drinks to the audience. The sale raised around $1500 total and will be used to put on the next production.

Cornell is known for being a small school however this does not affect the students negatively. A majority of the cast and crew were part of other school activities, whether it be sports, clubs, or even a job. Due to this, there were a number of members in and out of rehearsals. Considering it is regular for Cornell students to be in multiple activities, it only came to be a surprise for the new director. Although it was difficult to work with limited members, the cast and crew were still able to make do and practice, despite the conflicts. Ultimately, the students were able to manage their lives while acting, repeating and remembering lines, and attending late show run-throughs. These students worked hard to put on their shows. As a result of the show, Ms. Kokai was hired and asked to return the following year. She hopes to put on a musical for the next production and even open the club to 6th-grade students. She also wishes that these outstanding shows will be used as a foundation for Cornell’s Theatre/Drama Program, ensuring that students will have opportunities to express themselves on the stage for years to come.

8th Grade Class at Washington D.C.

By: Malia McShane Langston

WASHINGTON, D.C. From April 11 to 14 the eighth-grade class took a trip to the nation’s capital. With a number of monuments and museums to visit, students were able to learn and explore America’s history firsthand. Mrs.Fuga, civics teacher, Mrs.Klein, librarian, and Mr. Laue, math teacher, were accompanied by 7 seniors to help chaperone around 25 eighth graders during the trip. The students took a coach bus early in the morning to start their tours in DC. Scholastica Travel Inc. organized the tours that students took part in for the duration of their trip. Each student was in charge of fundraising the money to go on the trip; businesses including Jenny Lee Bread, Pittsburgh Popcorn, Joe Corbi’s, and Eat’N Park all helped students fundraise.

On day one, students visited Arlington National Cemetery, paying respect to soldiers who served, and to former presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy. The students then took the bus to the U.S. Memorial Holocaust Museum, where they learned of the tragedy that took the lives of around 6 million helpless Jews. Afterward, they visited the International Spy Museum, putting their spy skills to the test and viewing the thousands of spy gadgets used during secret missions. To end off day one, they had dinner at Uno’s and returned to the hotel.

On day two, students walked around Capitol Hill and toured the Library of Congress before lunch. Following lunchtime, they toured the Smithsonian National Museums of Natural and American History, as well as the National Archives. After dinner at the famous Hard Rock Café, they continued to pay respect at the National World War II Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

With one day left, students continued their trip with tours of Mount Vernon and George Washington's Mansion. At Mt. Vernon, students saw the home of the Nation’s first President, his farm, slave quarters, their graves, and Washington’s grave itself. On the last day, students visited the White House, the home of current President Joe Biden. After viewing the White House, students toured the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and ended their trip with food from local food trucks.

The 8th Grade Trip to Washington D.C. was filled with fun, educational lessons, and lots of walking. Seniors who took part in the trip had a blast; however, the eighth graders found the walking a bit extreme. Hopefully, for years to come this educational trip continues at Cornell High School.

Remake Learning Days at Cornell School District

By Heidi Stephenson 

MARCH 30– Remake Learning Days is a month-long festival for schools, communities, and organizations to hold collaborative and educational events for students, parents, and teachers. The events are intended to help youth learn about a variety of subjects, including arts, sciences, and technology, and to offer free family-friendly learning outside of the classroom. The events are held in schools, libraries, recreational centers, and museums. The Remake Learning Days festival was originally created in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but is now held in several states, and three international regions. 

This year, Cornell Elementary School will be hosting a Remake Learning Days event: Cornell Family STEAM Night. This will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10 in the high school cafeteria. The STEAM Night consists of hands-on activities and projects for students to gain exposure to STEAM learning. The STEAM teachers at Cornell will be special guests throughout the night as they help run the lessons and projects. 

To help promote the Remake Learning Day events around the Pittsburgh area, high school students are chosen to participate as Remake Learning Student Ambassadors. The students will work with SLB Radio productions in Pittsburgh to create promotional videos and thoughtful reflections after attending events throughout the festival. This year, Cornell High School senior Heidi Stephenson was selected as an ambassador. In addition to the experience gained from the program, the ambassadors will earn a stipend for their hard work.

The Remake Learning Days festival started in 2016 and has been growing ever since. With over 150 events held in Southwestern Pennsylvania, there are many different events to choose from based on a diverse number of interests. The Remake Learning Days festival continues to expand each year and shows no signs of stopping.

Mr. Cornell 2023

By: Brooklynn Vandine

On March 16, 2023, Cornell High School hosted the third annual Mr. Cornell competition hosted by seniors, Malia McShane Langston and Heidi Stephenson as well as juniors Marissa Crowe and Sasha Cucu. Mr. Cornell is a competition between our upperclassmen boys in which they must complete a series of challenges in order to be crowned Mr. Cornell. As a fundraiser for prom, the guys and their escorts dress up for this competition in outfits provided by our sponsor, David's Bridal. The participants were Malia McShane Langston and Hunter Wegley, Kaylee Kennedy and Owen Barrett, Larry Lee and Jersei Ramsey, Emillio Gonzales and Heidi Stephenson, Kenya Tench and Camille DiCicco, Liam McLaughlin. and Graci Farbacher, Leif Barwell and Sharlyn Barrett, Dominic DeAngelis and Alyssa Carter, Luis Romero Ojeda and Sasha Cucu, and finally, Ciara White McShane was escorted by both Lily Brown and Eryiah Goosby.

The first category was best dressed. Our boys all looked great in their David Bridals suits, but Larry Lee placed first in this category while wearing all black. Larry Lee won the following category, talent, with his front and backflips, while most of the other boys delivered jokes. Not everyone cracked jokes; competitors Ciara White McShane sang a song while dancing and Dominick D. played a song on his guitar. The interviews came next, with one of our hosts asking each boy three questions, which they answered to the best of their abilities. Emilio Gonzales won this category for his amusing responses to the questions. There was a brief break between the interview and the people's choice to count the money in the contestants' boxes, so former Mr. Cornell winner Michael Smith and senior Brooklynn Vandine sang “All of Me” by John Legend in between.

Finally, it came time to choose the winner of Mr. Cornell 2023 by people's choice. After MJ and Brooklynn were finished, they gathered all the boys and escorts on the stage to announce the winner. Mr. Cornell 2023 winner was Larry Lee! As a summary, Larry won best dressed, talent, and people's choice while Emillio won in the interview. Larry was crowned by MJ, and Mr. Cornell 2023 came to a close.

Ohio’s Train Derailment 

By: Brooklynn Vandine 

East Palestine, Ohio, a community near the Pennsylvania border, saw the derailment of a Norfolk Southern Railway cargo train on February 3, 2023. The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the accident, claims that a total of 38 cars left the tracks, 11 of which contained hazardous chemicals. They discovered a wheel bearing that looked to have overheated which was most likely the cause of this incident.

Following the derailment, a fire started, and huge black smoke clouds ascended above the town. Authorities and the corporation claim that they made the decision to vent and burn chemicals being transported on the train in order to prevent an explosion. Cars transporting shipments of vinyl chloride, a chemical used to make plastics that can have a range of detrimental health impacts, were among them. On February 8, those who had been evacuated following the disaster were permitted to return. Although no human deaths or injuries associated with the incident have been documented, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources believes that 3,500 fish may have died as a result. On social media, people have posted pictures of dead dogs, foxes, and chickens. They claim to detect chemical scents across the city. Cancer, headaches, and sore throats are a few human impacts.

People in East Palestine want to know about potential chemical hazards even when the possibility of explosions has passed. Representatives from Norfolk Southern identified butyl acrylate, vinyl chloride, and a tiny quantity of non-hazardous lubricant oil when asked what had spilled. “Vinyl chloride, however, has a specific and important risk in that it contains a bunch of chlorine molecules, which can form some really awful combustion byproducts,” said Richard Peltier, an associate professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

The Cornell High School 3rd Annual Mr. Cornell Pageant  

By Heidi Stephenson 

FEBRUARY 26– In March 2019, Cornell High School Prom Committee held the first-ever Mr. Cornell pageant, raising hundreds of dollars to support the costs of the high school prom. Unfortunately, the Mr. Cornell Pageant had been halted for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, in March 2022, students were thrilled to participate in the pageant for the first time since 2020. With the excellent turnout after the big return of the Mr.Cornell pageant, Prom Committee sponsor Sarah O’Brien is hopeful for another great outcome for the upcoming pageant.

This year, a total of ten juniors and seniors will be Mr. Cornell contestants and will participate in three events throughout the night. First, they will be introduced to the audience as their short biographies are read. Next, each contestant will perform a talent. Last year’s talent portion winner, and overall Mr. Cornell winner, MJ Smith, won with his outstanding musical and dance performance to the song, “Man In the Mirror” by Michael Jackson. To finish out the pageant, the contestants will each answer two questions, and then participate in the evening wear portion, escorted by their dates. The participants will wear suits from Men’s Wearhouse, and the escorts will be wearing attire from David’s Bridal to advertise outfits for the upcoming prom season. At the end of the night, awards for best dressed, best talent, and people’s choice will be presented, and the 2023 Mr. Cornell winner will be announced. Senior Emillio Gonzales, the winner of both the best dressed and people’s choice awards last year, says he is ready for the competition this year and is hoping to be crowned Mr. Cornell.

The 3rd annual Mr. Cornell pageant will be held Thursday, March 16, 2023, at 7 p.m. in the Cornell High School auditorium. In the auditorium lobby, there will be a bake sale and a table to vote for the people’s choice award winner. Admission to the event is three dollars for adults, and two dollars for students. In addition, there will be voting for the people’s choice award, and the contestant with the greatest number of votes, in the form of cash, will win. All of the money raised throughout the night will help support this year’s Hollywood-themed prom. Students are excited about another Mr. Cornell pageant and are hopeful to raise enough money to help make this year’s prom a success.

Cornell Victory 

By: Kenya Tench

Coraopolis, PA - On Friday, January 20, 2023,  the Cornell Raiders high school basketball team earned their first win against Propel Montour at home. In the first half, there was good competition; but in the second half, the Cornell Raiders pulled forward for a final score of 53-28.  

In the beginning, both teams came out ready for the game ahead of them. As the game went on, the Cornell Raiders played hard and together, having little slip-ups here and there, but overall the Raiders looked like a solid team. Propel Montour is in a similar position as our Cornell Raiders, small in numbers and size. So the game was pretty evenly matched, but the Raiders came out with a new fire and intensity that the Propel Legends weren’t ready for.  

Over these last few games, we can see big improvements in the Raiders' effort and competition levels. It seems like they are reeling and coming together as a team. Things seem like they could be looking up for our Cornell Raiders. Congratulations Raiders for the victory and good luck going into future games. GO RAIDERS!!!

The Return of the Cornell High School Drama Club

By Heidi Stephenson 

JANUARY 24– In 2017, ten middle and high school students from Cornell acted in the first school play in several years, a short Shakespearean play directed by Ryan Collins. In the following years, Cornell drama club members put on the productions of “Trial of the Big, Bad Wolf,” and the first ever musical at Cornell, “High School Musical Jr.” Unfortunately, the musical was the last production for two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

In February 2020, the pandemic shut down schools and activities, creating lasting effects for years to come. With pandemic restrictions and the difficulty of finding a new director, students were saddened to hear there would not be a drama club. However, this January, students were excited and surprised to hear that a new drama club sponsor, Gigi Koki, will rebuild the drama program.

In past productions, the students had to work extra hard to produce a play with only ten to fifteen students. This year, however, returning members were excited to see many new faces at the informational meeting, and are optimistic that there will be more drama club members than before. “I am really excited about how this is going to go, considering we haven’t put on a show in two years. But, with the number of people interested, I have high hopes that we are going to put on a great production,” says Malia McShane Langston, a senior at Cornell and a returning member of the drama club.

This year's production consists of two smaller plays: “Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz”, and “Cinderella, Cinderella.” The drama club cast and crew will have to work on a time crunch, only having about two months to rehearse and get ready for opening night on March 24. The students are already thrilled for the opportunity to perform again and are hopeful to continue the drama club for years to come while sparking new interests in the performing arts at Cornell.

Cast of "The Trial of the Big, Bad Wolf"

Cornell Prom Committee

by Marissa Crowe

January 2023 - Every year, Cornell High School's prom is paid for with fundraisers from the Cornell Prom Committee. The prom committee consists of juniors, who decide on activities and decorations for the prom. This year the Cornell Prom Committee consists of around 14 students.

This year the Cornell Prom Committee has a goal to raise $5,000. So far, they have raised $1,200. The members of the committee have also started discussing other fundraisers to help raise money. So far, the members have sold candles, Cornell HS clothing, and pies, but they have done other fundraisers as well. Even with all those fundraisers, they are always selling Sarris candy bars and chocolate-covered pretzels. Fundraisers coming up for the prom committee include: hosting a concession stand for the dance shows that will be at Cornell HS, and they will be hosting one of Cornell's biggest events, Mr.Cornell! Mr.Cornell is where boys in eleventh and twelfth grade go up against each other by showing off their best talents to be voted for Mr.Cornell. The Mr.Cornell event will be held on March 16, 2023, so make sure to be there.

Not only do Prom Committee members have to fundraise for the prom, but they also have to decide on themes and decorations for the prom. This year the prom committee has let juniors vote on the theme. The options for the theme were between Hollywood, Ancient Greece, and Enchanted Forest. The juniors voted on the theme "Hollywood" for this year. So far, the prom committee members have decided on having activities like a photo booth, tarot card readings, caricatures, and possibly an escape room or murder mystery event!

Big Changes for the Cornell High School Basketball Program

By Heidi Stephenson 

DECEMBER 21, 2022– Last year, the Cornell Girls high school basketball team finished the season strong with almost ten non-section game wins. Although there were only six players on the team, the girls worked hard to rebuild their program after a three-year losing streak. However, things took a turn for the worse for the basketball program this winter.

With only three returning players, the team struggled to recruit students to play. After gaining only two more players, the girls practiced and prepared for their upcoming season. Unfortunately, five players would not be enough to compete or have a team, so the Girls basketball program had to be shut down for the next two years. The two returning seniors, Brooklyn Vandine and Heidi Stephenson, are sad to see the program dissolve, and are disappointed that they were not able to play in their final year of high school basketball.

McKenna Griffith, a freshman at Cornell, was determined to play basketball this season, despite the disbanding of the Girls basketball team. She recently joined the Cornell Boys basketball team with the help and support of the coaching staff and the athletic director, Bill Sacco. By the time McKenna joined the team, they had already played several scrimmages, but she was ready for the challenge. McKenna said, “I was motivated to join the team because I really enjoy basketball, and I would love to continue playing in college.” McKenna explained that the games and practices are a completely different experience than playing with the girls, but she knows that this will allow her to become a better player. McKenna, and the rest of the remaining Girls basketball players, are optimistic that the Cornell Girls basketball program can be rebuilt over the next two years as they have time to practice and recruit players to have a team. Hopefully, the Cornell Girls basketball program will return, giving all students the opportunity to play high school basketball again.

The 2021 Cornell Girls basketball team.

Cornell Breakfast with Santa

By: Marissa Crowe

On Saturday, December 3, 2022, Cornell Key Club will be hosting a Breakfast with Santa event for elementary students. This event will include multiple different activities for the students and their families.

Cornell students in the Key Club will be setting up the school for the festive breakfast. They will be setting up the activities throughout the school. These activities will include ornament decorating, making reindeer food, participating in the book fair, and getting pictures with Santa. The Key Club students will also be providing breakfast for families before the activities begin. The school’s Journalism and English teacher, Mrs.Dahmen, will be taking the photos for the families.

Cornell’s Key Club has decided to open the Scholastic Book Fair at the same time as the Breakfast with Santa. This book fair has always been a major event for elementary students to buy books or miscellaneous items provided to the school by Scholastic. Cornell holds the book fair in the Library, where elementary students are able to go and shop during the Breakfast with Santa.

Cornell High School Participates in the Future Ready Leaders Program 

By Heidi Stephenson 

NOVEMBER 23– Fourteen Cornell High School students were selected by teachers and faculty to participate in the Consortium for Public Education’s Future Ready Leaders Program. This is the first year Cornell has participated in the program, so the students will be learning alongside their teachers. As members of the program, the students will gain exposure to working with businesses, explore career options, and develop essential skills such as communication and collaboration. 

Every few months, the 14 students will rotate in groups to attend one in-person meeting at the Consortium's headquarters in McKeesport, PA. Along with Cornell, 10 schools from across southwestern Pennsylvania will be at the meetings. Last week, Heidi Stephenson, Noah Slinde, Eduarda Korb, and Nick Bennett went to the first meeting. The main focus of this meeting was to introduce the program to the schools and have mini breakout sessions to teach the main goals of the program. The target for each school is to have a project by the end of the school year that aims to help all the students at Cornell to be more prepared for their futures.

The students are excited to start this new program and are ready to make a difference at Cornell. Although this program is new to Cornell, the students are already brainstorming ways to spark change in their school. The teachers, faculty, and students all hope that Cornell can continue participating in the Future Ready Leaders Program for years to come.

Image from the Consortium for Public Education’s facebook page.

Fall Food Drive at Cornell High School

By Malia McShane Langston

October 30– Cornell High School is holding another food drive for the Coraopolis Community Food Bank entering the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Each year, the Key Club holds a competitive food drive between grades 9-12 to donate to the food bank. There is a list from the food bank given to the Key Club, and the grades have around a week to retrieve all the items. The first grade to collect all listed items will be rewarded with a movie day before Thanksgiving Break. The food drive is a clever and generous way for Cornell to give back to its community; the food drive is unquestionably successful each year.

The food drive collection is separated between grade home rooms, meaning if the senior class has three homerooms, all homerooms need to have all items listed. If the homerooms fail to work together to gather items, they will lose the competition. It is an effort made for the community, so homeroom teachers are permitted to assist the class. Last year, the junior, now senior class took the win and completed their lists within the first two days of the drive. 

Feeling confident, Senior Class President Malia McShane Langston asserted the class would claim their throne again. “I know we’ll win because we are all competitive little monsters,” she joked. “Plus, we have no choice but to participate, it’s for a good cause.”

This year, the food bank asked for pantry snacks to provide for the Snack Packs the school offers to select students. What is in the Snack Packs is pretty self-explanatory; however, the food bank aims to be able to provide more to others. With the donations provided, the Coraopolis Community Food Bank will be able to provide meals and food support to those who cannot afford it. If you would like to donate to the food bank please call (412) 299-8247 or stop by their building at 1108 4th Ave, Coraopolis, PA 15108.

Cornell High School Senior Night Football Game

By: Marissa Crowe

Coraopolis, PA - On Friday, October 21, 2022, Cornell had their Senior Night football game against Chartiers Houston. Cornell had ten graduating football players, will the Raiders still be able to play as well as they did this season?

On Friday, the Cornell Football team played at home against Chartiers Houston. With the spirit of senior night in the crowd, the team played their best. After many flags, the team pulled through and won 52-7. With that spirit in their hearts, they continue the season playing OLSH next week (Friday, October 28, 2022) away at Moon. If the Cornell Raiders win against OLSH, they continue to the playoffs just like in the previous year. Good Luck Cornell Raiders!  

Cornell Raiders and Chartiers Huston players saying good game to the other team after Cornell wins 52-7.

Before the game started on Friday night, the Cornell Marching Band marched down the street onto the field. From there they lined up and played Cornell Alma Mater, Far above Cayuga's Water. As the band played and the color guard waved their flags, seniors walked through with their families as their names were called. We congratulate our cheerleader Seniors: Ashlea Phillips, Malia McShane Langston, Heidi Stephenson, and Eriyah Goosby. Along with our band seniors: Sharlynn Barrett and Ciara White McShane. Lastly, we congratulate our Seniors from the football team: #8 Emillio Gonzalez, #28 Raequan Troutman, #80 Hunter Wegley, #21 (and #3) EJ Dawson, #72 Dontae Chiappino, #55 Cagney Smith, #57 Eric Dennis, #58 Jamiere Jones, #6 Kevin Caldwell, and lastly #15 Ryan Singleton. Congratulations Cornell Graduates!

Cornell Raider Marching Band lined up to play Cornell's Alma Mater for senior night.

Cornell Senior Service Project

By: Ashlea Phillips

September 2022

The Cornell School District requires its students to complete a service project where they make a contribution to the Coraopolis/Neville Island community.  The service project gives students the opportunity to plan, implement, and share their experiences with their service project.

For my service project, my group has planned to do a military donation drive. There will be boxes in different locations both in the community and at the high school for people to make donations. We are partnering with (tell me about the group you are working with for your project)

The reason we chose this project is that soldiers overseas keep us safe, so it would be nice to give back to them and give them some of the basic necessities that we tend to take for granted. 

We will be collecting the following items for the soldiers overseas: 

Don’t forget you will be able to find me on November 12 and November 13, at, the Neville Island Fire Department and you can make a personal donation. 

Cornell High School First Annual Powderpuff Game 

By Heidi Stephenson 

OCTOBER 22– Last Saturday, Cornell fans gathered in the unexpected heat at the Frank Letteri Stadium for the first-ever Cornell High School Powderpuff game. Heidi Stephenson and Malia McShane Langston held the game as their senior service project, successfully collecting money and ample non-perishable donations to help stock the Coraopolis Food Pantry.

Powderpuff is a flag football game organized to be played by under versus upperclassmen girls in order to build unity, friendship, and teamwork. Members from the Cornell High School football team helped by coaching the teams. The upperclassmen team, the Flag Snatchers, was coached by Emillio Gonzales, Hunter Wegley, and Larry Lee. The team had 7 members: Heidi Stephenson, Malia McShane Langston, Brooklyn Vandine, Jersei Ramsey, Hannah Hoffman, Lily Brown, and Sharlyn Barrett. The underclassmen team, named D1, was coached by CJ Jackson and Santana Lee. The team had 8 members: Calleigh Hoy, Graci Farbacher, Mckenna Griffith, Shaylee Barrett, Aaliyah Turner, Mackenzie Janeda, Zoey Kaczmarek, and Laila Lee. The referees for the game were EJ Dawson, Isaiah Dawson, Drevon Newton, Jamarcuz Pierce, and Eric Dennis. For the first half of the game, the Flag Snatches had the lead, quickly scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter. After an impressive interception by Laila Lee, D1 came back after halftime, winning the game with a score of 24-21.

Heidi and Malia asked the spectators to bring canned goods or feminine hygiene products for entry to the game. They received over 100 cans of food, many cereal boxes, and menstrual products, and raised almost $40 in donations. Heidi and Malia are grateful for the community’s generosity. They would like to give a special thank you to Dr. Szokoly for his guidance and support, Coach Dawson for the jerseys and footballs, and Coach Sacco for helping to coordinate the event. They would also like to thank Nicholas Rice for working with them to design and create a pink t-shirt to commemorate the first-ever Powderpuff Game. The girls are hopeful that the Powderpuff Game becomes a new annual tradition at Cornell High School and are excited to see how the event grows in years to come. 

  Coraopolis–On Saturday, October 24, Cornell held its first Powderpuff football game.  A Powderpuff game is where the young ladies of the school join in a game of flag football between upperclassmen (juniors and seniors) and underclassmen (freshman and sophomores). Members of the Cornell Raider football team were referees and coaches. For admission to the game,  you had to bring non-perishables and toiletries which were being donated to the Coraopolis Community Food Bank. The game not only was a fun time for those who watched and participated, but it also was helpful for the community. Many students and football players participated and just made it a good time.

Players from the Cornell Raider football team helped referee and coach the girls for their Powderpuff game. The teams were upperclassmen vs underclassmen; the upperclassman coaches include Emillio Gonzales, Hunter Wegley, and Larry Lee. The underclassman coaches include Christopher Jackson and Santana Lee. The Upperclassman came out fast and full of energy, but the underclassman stuck with it and came back for victory. The final score was 24-20 with the underclassman on top. 

At the end of the day, the 2021-2022 Cornell Powderpuff game was a huge success. People brought toiletries and non-perishables to help the food drive and the students and spectators enjoyed the time to hang out with peers and engage in some friendly competition. It may have only been for one day, but the memories shared from this day will stick with everyone for years.   

Powderpuff for the Community

By Malia McShane Langston

OCTOBER 29, 2022– For the first time ever, Cornell will be hosting an annual Powderpuff Football Game. Seniors, Heidi Stephenson and Malia McShane Langston have come together to plan an entertaining and engaging event for their senior project. The event is planned to take place on October 22 at the Frank Letteri Stadium, with two practices to take place on October 8 and October 15. 

After receiving approval from Dr. Doug Szokoly, the high school principal, Heidi and Malia immediately began planning the event. The seniors plan to charge canned goods for admission, which will be donated to the Coraopolis Community Food Bank. The organization is non-profit and works to provide less fortunate citizens of Coraopolis with necessities cost-free. 

The girls chose to host a powderpuff to promote women empowerment, school spirit and caring for the community. They will have sign-ups available for the next week, with hopes to get 12-20 girls.

“I hope the event will bring girls in the high school together to have a fun night,” Heidi said when asked what she hopes the event will accomplish. “I think if we communicate with underclassmen about our process, it can be a successful night. I personally believe this will be a fun, eventful night.” 

“I totally agree,” added Malia. “If we can have a decent crowd, we will have a good amount of donations ready for the food bank. It would be a fantastic event for the community! Plus, powderpuff is just flag football; everyone has played it in our gym classes.”

If you would like to make donations to the Coraopolis Community Food Bank, come out to the game! You can also donate to the food bank by calling (412) 299-8247 to see

Big Homecoming Win for Cornell High School Football 

By Heidi Stephenson 

SEPTEMBER 23, 2022– Last Friday, the Cornell High School football team swept the floor, adding another big win to their record on Homecoming Night against Carlyton with a score of 42-0. At halftime, the homecoming king and queen were announced. Senior football player Emillio Gonzales and senior cheerleader Heidi Stephenson were crowned winners.

Cornell currently has a 3-1 record overall and a 3-0 conference record. The Raiders were led to a victory on Friday by junior quarterback CJ Jackson and senior running back Raequan Troutman, who averages an impressive total of 220 rushing yards per game. Currently, Cornell is ranked third in their section, trailing close behind Bishop Canevin and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

This Friday, September 29, the Raiders face the Burgettstown Blue Devils for their next section game. The game is scheduled to be played away at the Burgettstown field at 7 p.m. The Blue Devils have a 2-2 record, so the odds are in Cornell’s favor. 

Tua´s Terrifying Injury 

By Emillio Gonzales

Last night, there was a huge matchup between the 1-2 Cincinnati Bengals and the 3-0 Miami Dolphins. A week before, on September 25, the Miami Dolphins had a huge win, beating the Buffalo Bills 21-19. During the Buffalo Bills game, Tua Tagovailoa had a huge injury, causing him to stumble and shake his head when trying to get up. After the dangerous injury, Tua was examined and was told it was a lower back injury. 

Tua was cleared to play in the game last night. However, during last night‘s game, Tua was scrambling around and cut back into a defender. The defender violently swung him into the ground. First Tua´s elbow and then the back of his helmet made contact with the ground. A motion known as a "fence reaction," which can be an indication of brain damage, was made by Tagovailoa when he immediately raised his hands with his fingers spread wide.

Next Sunday the Dolphins will face the 1-2 New York Jets on their home field. It's going to be a tough one losing their starting quarterback Tua, but the backup Teddy Bridgewater is very experienced. He's been in the NFL for eight years.

By Jada Jenkins

March 27, 2022

The Oscars- a night of glam, awards, and now apparently UFC approved. “King Richard'' star Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the award ceremony Sunday night after the comedian made a joke about Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith while presenting the feature’s award. “Jada, I love ya, G.I. Jane 2 can’t wait to see it,” Rock quipped in reference to Jada’s baldness.

Jada has been open about her struggles with hair loss due to her alopecia- a condition that causes patchy hair loss. While footage shows Smith initially laughing at the joke, Jada rolled her eyes at the quip. This appeared to prompt Will’s actions.

“Will Smith just smacked the s— out of me,” a stunned Rock said after Smith returned to his seat.

“Keep my wife’s name out your f— mouth!” Smith shouted at Rock after returning to the audience.

“Wow, dude,” Rock said. “It was a ‘G.I. Jane’s joke.”

“Keep my wife’s name out your f— mouth,” Smith repeated.

“I’m going to, OK?” Rock said.

Expectantly, Twitter blew up following the altercation. It seems there was one thing the stars in the building and the internet had in common- no one knew whether it was a joke or not. Throughout the altercation, there were many laughs coming from the stunned audience and Twitter was immediately filled with people wondering if the events were a joke or P.R. stunt.

Later on, Smith won the Oscar for best actor in a leading role for his performance in “King Richard.” 

In Smith’s acceptance speech, he acknowledged the incident with Rock as tears streamed down his face. 

“In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and to be in this world,” Smith announced.

He also apologized for his altercation with Rock,

“I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment. I’m not crying for winning an award…it’s about being able to shine a light on all the people, the entire cast and crew of King Richard, and the entire Williams family. I look like the crazy father…but love will make you do crazy things..”

One thing is for sure, the 2022 Oscars will be remembered.

by Nooch D'Alessandro

April 6, 2022

Pittsburgh, PA – The Pittsburgh Steelers signed the second overall pick in 2017, Mitch Trubisky.  He was drafted by the Bears and played four seasons with them. Trubisky also played one season with the Buffalo Bills where he sat behind an all-pro quarterback, Josh Allen. Most people say that he was a bust because he didn’t have that much success when he was playing with the Bears, but he has a record of 34-23 in his career. If your quarterback has a winning record for his career, then I don’t think you should say he’s a bust. The head coach at the time when he played for the Bears was Matt Nagy, and he was recently fired this offseason. That opened up the conclusion that Matt Nagy is not a good coach and didn’t use Trubisky to his full potential. It shows because Mitch Trubisky is a mobile quarterback who can run very well, but he was hardly used in his time in Chicago.  When he played for the Bears, he led them to the playoffs two times. As a young quarterback, it's not easy making the playoffs. Trubisky also is a pro bowler. I don’t think people should write Trubisky off because he has the stats to prove that he should be a starter in this league. With the Steelers signing him, I think he can make the Steelers contenders for the Superbowl.

Mitch Trubisky will fit well with Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s scheme because of his mobility. Canada likes to do a lot of rolling out, and I think that is one of Trubisky’s strong suits. The Steelers barely showed that last season because of former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s lack of mobility. Trubisky will also do better in Pittsburgh because of the offensive weapons around him. In Pittsburgh, he has a better running back and better receivers compared to the Bears. During his time with the Bears, the offensive line was a bit of a struggle. He is going to deal with that in Pittsburgh; but hopefully, the Steelers can rebuild their line to protect Trubisky. Trubisky is going to work with an amazing head coach, Mike Tomlin. In his fifteen years of coaching, he has never had a losing season. Trubisky is also playing with a great defense. During his time in Chicago, he had a solid defense and that helped the Bears get to the playoffs. I think Trubisky is in the same situation in Pittsburgh that he was in Chicago. Compared to his time with the Bears, he has better offensive weapons, a coaching staff, and a better defense. I think that the Steelers are going to have a winning record even if Trubisky wasn’t there. Trubisky is definitely going to be a part of the Steelers' success because of his talent at the quarterback position. With Trubisky’s mobility, it is going to make their offense way more dynamic.

The signing of Mitch Trubisky doesn’t mean that the Steelers won’t draft a quarterback in this year's draft. We don’t know that Trubisky is going to play well. In this situation, he is most likely going to be a bridge quarterback until the Steelers find a franchise quarterback. If he plays well, then he will probably be the Steelers' franchise quarterback. He has played long enough to mentor a rookie quarterback. I think that the Steelers should not draft a quarterback in the first round because they need to draft either a lineman or a defensive back. If a decent quarterback is still on the board in the second round,  then I think the Steelers should draft one. People should have confidence in Mitch Trubisky, he doesn’t have a losing record in his career. He just didn't show what he is capable of because of his old coach.

Two Cornell star players win Beaver County athlete of the week!

by MJ Smith

March 2022

Coraopolis, PA-- Both the Cornell boys and girls Varsity Basketball teams improved from their records last year. The boys, once WPIAL runner-ups and section champs in 2019, ended their season last year 1-13, with their only win in an intense game against Avella. The boys improved to a 6-16 record, which is five more wins than the previous year, with the help of Star Senior, and WPIAL leading scorer, M.J. Smith.  As for the girls, they ended their season last year with a 3-14 record, and improved to a 7-9 overall record, winning 4 more games than the previous year with the help of sophomore forward Leiana Rucker, and senior guard Nevaeh Lee.

Cornell Senior Boys and Coaches: (Left to Right) Coach Chuck Crummie, Craig Pulford, Jason Keene, Nooch D'alessandro, MJ Smith, Micah Dickerson, Coach Sam Calhoun, Coach Sean Crummie. 

Cornell Girls Basketball: (Left to Right) Heather(Senior) and Heidi Stephenson, Laila Lee, Brooklyn Vandine, Nevaeh Lee(Senior), and Leiana Rucker. 

 Recently, the Beaver County Times news article nominated four boys and four girls across the WPIAL for Athlete of the Week for the week of February 14th to 19th. The boys' poll consisted of three basketball players and a wrestler. Markus Frank(QV), Brandin Cummings(Lincoln Park), and Smith are all basketball players. The wrestler was Ambrose Boni from Central Valley. Corynne Hauser(Rochester), Payton List(Beaver), Mikayla Newsome(Lincoln Park), and Rucker were the nominees for the girls' poll. In the girls' section, there was no competition. The only people up for grabs were Hauser and Rucker, and Rucker was in the lead at all times by at least 300 votes. As for the boys, there were also only two competitors up for grabs. That was Boni and Smith. For two days, Boni had the lead by at least 200 votes. That is until Smith put his foot on the gas. Smith began catching Boni. From being down 200 votes, he cut the race down to 45 votes. Boni took it up to 800 votes, and that’s when the even tighter race began. The two went back and forth for the entire last day of the poll. We didn’t have an obvious winner until thirty minutes before the poll closed. Smith was up by 200 votes and won by 170. This is the first time in history, that two Cornell players were both up for Athlete of the Week, and both were successful.

The two Raiders teams will have some trouble in the upcoming season. But Coaches Frank Deutsch and Sean Crummie are both hopeful that with the hard work and determination of the boys and girls, their seasons can work out for the good.

Bridge Collapsed in Pittsburgh

by Angel Matuke

March 13, 2022

On January 28, 2022, the Forbes Avenue Bridge collapsed hours before president Joe Biden was supposed to come to Pittsburgh and talk about his new infrastructure law. People became more aware of what was going on and then discovered that there was a Pittsburgh transfer bus hanging on the bridge at a 45-degree angle, and a pickup truck with a crumpled front end was sitting on top of the collapsed bridge deck, along with a black sedan and two other overturned cars.

Joe Biden ended up meeting with the police and greeted them by saying that they deserve a lot of credit for what they do. Joe Biden also mentioned how he has been to Pittsburgh many times, and that it has the most bridges in the world. The officials said that they weren't quite sure if the collapse happened because of the explosion in the gas line or that the gas leaked after the bridge collapsed because there was a smell of gas lingering through the town.  

Ten people ended up being injured but not in critical condition. Three people were transferred to UPMC Presbyterian hospital for treatment, one person was transported to UPMC Shadyside for treatment. Witnesses say that the sound of the bridge collapsing was like little planes crashing into the bridge.

In order to be able to repair the damage to the bridge, it would cost about 23.5 million dollars.

Coraopolis, PA - At Cornell High School, students Malia McShane Langston and Eriyah Goosby are both taking part in the Spring 2022 LAUNCH program. LAUNCH stands is an acronym that stands for learn, aspire, understand, navigate, connect, and highlight. This program offers guidance to young women who want to take part in STEM in their adult years. 

Both students are excited to see what this program can offer them. Malia says she’s “excited and nervous” about the program. 

“I get excited when I meet new people, so this is definitely something I’m looking forward to. However, I am nervous as well, excited and nervous,” Malia exclaimed. Eriyah on the other hand is pleased by the opportunity; however, she wishes she was “on a nice vacation.” She could go on a small dinner date after the program because the students will receive get $250 as compensation for completion of the program.

Good luck to Malia and Eriyah on their new adventure!

Whether you’re an occasional social media user or an avid news watcher, you’ve undoubtedly heard something about the brewing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, and as a consequence, you probably have a lot of questions. What’s the beef over? How involved is the U.S.? Will there be a World War? And what the heck is NATO?

It’s important to not be informed only on what’s happening right now, but also on what happened in the past that ignited this flame, as well as America's role in all of this.

When Did It Start?

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine date all the way back to December 1st, 1991 when Ukraine voted to declare independence from Russia shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. This marked a huge loss for Russia, seeing as Ukraine is the second-largest country in Europe and contains a large population of ethnic Russians. It’s no secret why Russia is so desperate to regain control of the country.

However, Russia conceded and the two countries had a semblance of peace for a while. On December 5th, 1994 Ukraine signed the Budapest Memorandum which was an agreement from Ukraine to transfer all nuclear weapons from the Cold War to the Russian Federation. This made Ukraine a non-nuclear power and solidified the country's sovereignty and right to its territory. It’s important to note that this agreement was also signed by Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

What The Heck Is NATO?

One might think that Russia would leave Ukraine alone following the agreement, especially with the threat of nuclear power diminished. However, on April 3rd, 2008 an intense debate began about extending a Membership Action Plan to Ukraine. This would allow Ukraine to gain membership in NATO, a military alliance dedicated to preserving peace and security in the North Atlantic area. Putin outright opposed the idea.

Putin continued his violence against Ukraine between February and March 2014, when he seized Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula with a predominantly ethnic Russian population.

In December 2021, Putin continued his demands for a security guarantee from NATO and the United States that Ukraine never is admitted. The Biden administration outright rejected this request. Tensions continued brewing until February 24th of this year when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It’s important to note, however, that not only were Putin’s actions condemned across the world, but also within Russia. As of now, there are anti-war protests within the country, and hundreds of citizens are being arrested for their opposition to Putin’s decision.

Possible World War III?

Whispers of a possible war have been floating around America for the past week, uncertainty increasing with every new event. It’s impossible right now to say for certain whether or not a World War or even a war involving America at all will result from the events. All that can be said for certain is that Putin is making his aggression towards any countries that intend to help Ukraine on a military level very clear. Putin continues to take steps that unnecessarily escalate the situation to a nuclear level. 

With this scary information in mind, it’s important for us as Americans to recognize our privilege in this situation as of right now. We have a responsibility to do what we can to help the thousands in Ukraine suffering the effects of war. I urge those who can donate to crisis relief organizations in Ukraine and share information with others, so they can also do what they can to help.

In school, you might do a reading about global warming or climate change, see it on your news feed often, or maybe even just hear about it passed down from other people. Now I know what you are thinking, what the heck is even global warming and why do we care so much? 

Well, I want you to know exactly what it is, how it is affecting the earth, and why you should care about it.  

According to the Oxford dictionary, global warming is a gradual increase in the temperature of the earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide. In an article published by NASA in a time period between the 1850s and 1900s, due to human activities and the burning of fossil fuels, global warming was on a rise.

Global warming is always being confused with climate change, climate change is a change in global or regional climate patterns. Also in the NASA article, it is said since the pre-industrial period human activities have increased global warming temperature by 1 degree Celsius, but currently, it has been raised by 0.02 Celsius.

According to Earthday.org, within the next two decades, global temperatures will rise 1.5 Celsius degrees. The last seven7 years have been the warmest the Earth has ever been, and more than a million species are at risk of extinction. Now, that you know about global warming:, get the facts and evidence.

I want you to ask yourself, why should I care and what should I do to save my planet? 

It is proven that carbon dioxide is the planet's worst enemy. Carbon dioxide is released when fossil fuels are burned for energy, but we need the energy to power our cars, homes, and smartphones.

Now, I know you're thinking well how am I going to charge my phone or drive my car to work and school. There are other outlets to help use the power that is healthy for the planet. You can choose a utility company that generates energy from wind and solar power. Also, you reduce water waste, invest in energy-efficient appliances, drive a fuel-efficient vehicle, and shrink carbon life.

Global warming won’t just impact forests and ocean life, but it will affect us, humans. We may not know it, and we may brush it off, but we need to take action now if we are going to live on this planet. We live in a beautiful world that needs to be taken care of just the way it takes care of us. I hope you take action and speak up against global warming.

Pittsburgh, PA - With soon-to-be Hall of Famer Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retiring, the big question every Steelers fan wants to know is going to be the quarterback next season. Should the Steelers draft a quarterback? Should they pick one up from free agency? Should they stick with who they have on their roster? Should they trade for one? The Steelers have a lot of choices, but they have to make the right choice because this team has the defense and the offensive weapons to go on a Super Bowl run.

This upcoming draft is not a quarterback-heavy draft like previous last years. There are not that many quarterbacks projected to beget picked in the first round. There are some quarterbacks that the Steelers can draft in the first round. Kenny Pickett from Pitt is a quarterback who the Steelers could potentially draft. He was one of the finalists for the Heisman Trophy. Another quarterback who they have talked to is Malik Willis from Liberty. He had 2,857 yards through the air and 27 passing touchdowns. I could see the Steelers drafting him and sitting him for a year. There are a few other quarterbacks who they could draft, but the question is, do they need to draft one? Their offensive line struggled the whole 2021 season, so they could draft a lineman. They might not have defensive back Joe Haden for the next season, so maybe they draft a defensive back in the first round. In my opinion, I think the Steelers shouldn’t draft a quarterback, especially in the first round. I think they should draft an offensive lineman or a defensive back. If they do decide to draft a quarterback in the first round they should draft Kenny Pickett if he’s still available.

There are many quarterbacks entering free agency. There are many a lot of interesting names who are going to be free agents. Marcus Mariota is a mobile quarterback who is on the Las Vegas Raiders. He played as a backup behind Derek Carr. Mariota could fit well with the Steelers' offensive coordinator Matt Canada's scheme. He has not proven yet that he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL, but maybe he can if the Steelers sign him. Another quarterback is Jameis Winston. He suffered a torn ACL in the 2021 season and couldn’t finish the season. In the seven games he played, the New Orleans Saints record was 5-2.  He has the potential to lead the Steelers to a playoff berth with offensive weapons around him. There are a lot of options that the Steelers can go with, but they don’t have to sign a quarterback. If they do sign one, I think they should pick between Mariota or Jameis Winston.

There is some speculation on quarterbacks in the NFL who might beget traded. Some of those players include Jimmy Goraopolo/49ers, Russell Wilson/Seahawks, Carson Wentz/Colts, Deshaun Watson/Texans, Aaron Rodgers/Packers, and Kirk Cousins/Vikings. These quarterbacks have had a lot of success over the past couple of years and are able to lead a team to success. Some of these players are going to be very challenging to attain to get in a trade because the Steelers don’t have much toa lot to give up. It is going to take a lot of money to either acquire Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers. These quarterbacks are excellent veterans in the league. There have been rumors that the Colts don’t want Carson Wentz, so there is a chance that the Steelers can trade for him. The 49ers drafted a quarterback last year in the draft with the 3rd pick. It depends if they are ready to start him or not. Jimmy Goraopolo might beget traded if they decide to start Trey Lance. The Vikings have not gotten anywhere with Kirk Cousins so they might want to trade him and have a fresh start. We really don’t know what the Vikings might do, but don’t be surprised if the Steelers sign Kirk. He finished with over 4,000 passing yards with not-so-good pass protection. Deshaun Watson didn’t play last season because of his sexual assault allegations. Watson has said he wanted out of Houston, and the Steelers could make a move to acquire him. It’s going to be hard to get him because he is a good young quarterback.  The Steelers could make a trade, but it's going to be hard because they can’t afford to give up anything good on their roster for a quarterback. They could give up some draft picks, but I think they should use those picks to rebuild their line.

The Steelers don’t have to do any of those options, they can stick with who they have on their roster. The two quarterbacks who are most likely to be their starter for the next season if they don’t get anyone else are Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins. Mason Rudolph was drafted in the third round of the 2018 draft. He’s 5-4-1 as a starter. He’s been in the position before to play a full season when Ben Roethlisberger got hurt in week 3 of the 2019 NFL season. The only downside of Mason is that when he was a starter they averaged about 13 points. He really had to rely on the defense to help with the game. Dwayne Haskins was drafted in the first round with the 15th pick to the Washington Commanders in 2017. He didn’t do that well in Washington and only lasted three3 years. The Commanders said that Dwayne had a lack of focus there and wasn’t giving it his all. They released Dwayne during the 2020 season, and the Steelers signed him during the 2021 off-season. If the Steelers stick with who they have on the roster, then Mason or Dwayne are going to have to compete for the starting position. If I had to pick between them I would choose Dwayne Haskins. The reason why I’m saying Dwayne is because even though he had a chance to prove if he’s NFL ready in Washington, he was in a bad situation. They didn’t have the superstars that they have in Pittsburgh. He has good talent, and he is with a good head coach in Mike Tomlin. I want to see what he can do with the Steelers as a starter. Mason Rudolph already had his chance and didn’t show us that he can lead the Steelers to the playoffs. I think Dwayne is better than Mason Rudolph talent-wise.

The Steelers have many lots of decisions to make in the off-season. It’s going to be hard to find a quarterback to fill in the spot of future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger. Ben has done a lot for the Steelers franchise bringing home two SuperBowls. In my opinion, out of all of the choices the Steelers have, I think they should trade for Deshaun Watson. He’s proven himself in the NFL, l and he’s also young. In 2019, Deshaun led the Texans to the AFC Championship, but they lost to the SuperBowl winning team Kansas City Chiefs. If Deshaun is the Steelers quarterback next season, he would do well with all of the offensive weapons around him. I don’t think he will ever be better than Ben, but he will fill in the spot that the Steelers desperately need for their franchise.

Coraopolis, PA - The death of a local elementary secretary broke the hearts of many students, teachers, and staff at Cornell School District, in Coraopolis, Pa. Edith L. Shoecraft(61), of Coraopolis, passed away peacefully at Allegheny General Hospital, with close family by her side. Hearing of the passing of Ms. Shoecraft shattered hearts all over the Coraopolis Community. 

“I feel for Mrs. Edie’s daughters,” says Cornell Superintendent, Aaron Thomas. “I’m just heartbroken by everything.” Before the passing of Mrs. Shoecraft: thoughts, prayers, cards, and love flowed through the hospital and through her family. The Cornell High School football team all sent cards, dedicating their 46-18 Quarterfinal playoff game win against Leechburg for Mrs. Shoecraft. “Mrs. Edie was one of those people that was there for every aspect of our childhoods, and was a huge part of our lives,” MJ Smith, Senior at Cornell, and neighbor of Mrs. Shoecraft said. “I called her my secretary, and I was her, “Mr. President.”  I would go to her for anything, and she would give me advice, show me love, and even take me on random trips to Mcdonald's for dinner. She just had one of those personalities that made you love going to school, and made me look forward to going home after school.”

The school district reserved parking spot #2 of the pool lot in honor of Mrs.or Mrs. Shoecraft, displaying her Pittsburgh Steelers and Cornell Raiders hats, a candle, a sympathy bear, and flowers. Students in the district are discussing the different ways to honor Mrs. Shoecraft to highlight her hard-working skills, her love for the students, and her dedication to the district. Grief counselors are located in elementary and high schools for students, teachers, and adults in the district. Mrs. Shoecraft will forever be missed by the Coraopolis Community.

pictured Eddie Shoecraft, Mj Smith, Sue Wilkinson

Pittsburgh, PA -  Depression is quite common among teenagers in high school, but it isn’t always noticeable. Teens with depression often show minimal symptoms like isolation, sleeping in class, disinterest in things they used to enjoy, etc. Unfortunately, untreated depression can sometimes lead to self-harm and possibly suicide. In 2019, the U.S. reached 11.2 deaths per 100,000 kids aged 15-19, which is the age range of high school students.

It is often hard to tell whenever someone is struggling with depression because of a lack of noticeable external symptoms with that comes the proposition of reaching out to your friends more than you might already. Simply asking how their day has been could significantly affect them positively. Feeling as though they have a friend who cares could change their overall mental health, and make a turn for the better. If your friend is isolating themselves or doesn't seem as interested in activities they have previously, the best option would be to ask them how they’re doing. Feeling withdrawn is a common symptom of depression, so try to spot that from your friends.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

800-273-8255

In Southern Africa, a new variant of the Coronavirus has been discovered, which is represented by the greek letter of Omicron.

Cases of the Omicron variant have been found in four countries, including the United States of America. Scientists have stated that it seems like the variant has more mutations than what we’re used to, and it may be more able to evade our bodies' natural virus elimination system.

World leaders have been placing more travel restrictions following the discovery of the variant, and some have said that they may have to go back into lockdown depending on how infectious the variant is, and how fast it spreads.

President Joe Biden has made a statement that the variant is ”A cause for concern, but not a cause for panic.” He told Americans “We have more tools to fight the variant than ever before.”

Along with that statement from President Biden, the Chief Executive of Pfizer Albert Bourla has said that a fourth booster might be needed, to specifically target the Omicron, around 12 months after the third shot.

Around 40 Americans have tested positive for the variant, so it may be necessary for people to get the booster shot sooner than expected, we must wait for further information before we as a nation make a decision.

Want to join the softball team, well I have a few reasons why you should follow through with it. If you have never played before that's okay because we are here to help you. Jada and I have a good season planned out for the girls who are willing to play softball. Jada and I have been trying to get our pitching and catching under control before the actual season begins. Jada and I are the most experienced on the team, and we are willing to help out in any way we can. Jada and I’s sophomore year got canceled because of Covid 19. We both were very devastated, so this year is why we are taking our sport to heart.

I have been playing softball for about nine years now and I have been pitching for about three3 years. My three years of playing softball for Cornell have been very exciting for me. My freshman year playing was stressful at first because it was hard to find girls who would want to play. Coach Sacco had made a statement saying, “if you don’t have enough players by the beginning of the season I am going to have to cancel the season for this year and for the next two years.” I was very devastated because that meant that I wasn't going to be able to play until my senior year. Jada and I went around our grade and convinced our friends to play with us and they enjoyed it and played for years after.

Jada has been playing softball since she was eight years old and has been a catcher ever since.  Jada and I have played with each other for a long time even before school ball came around. Jada has shown her love and passion for this sport by still finding time to practice pitching with me, even though she has cheerleading practice every day. Jada’s passion for softball is amazing, even with her juggling multiple sports at a time she still shows us how much she loves to be a part of softball.

Jada and I plan on trying to get our Cornell softball team to the playoffs. Last year, we were only one game away from qualifying for the playoffs. We were very devastated but also happy because that was the only time in our life we made it that far. This year's season is going to be a lot better than last year. We are going to have a positive attitude the whole season. Jada and I are excited to bring back the love for softball to Cornell High School.

In 2020, YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, also known as Mr. Beast, launched the worldwide “Team Trees” campaign with the goal of planting 20 million trees. Not only did the campaign surpass its goal, raising over 23 million dollars, but it started a global push to save the environment. This year Donaldson shifted his focus to another major environmental issue, sea pollution. It’s estimated that there are 200M tons of plastic already circulating in marine environments, with an estimated 11M tons entering the ocean every year.

The Team Seas campaign increased last year's goal by an entire 1 million, with the goal of removing 30 million pounds of trash by January 1st. As of today, the campaign has raised over 18 million dollars, putting them over halfway towards their 30 million goal. Every single dollar Team Seas raises will go to independently verify pounds of trash that have been removed from beaches, rivers, or the ocean.

The campaign is simple- one dollar equals one less pound of trash in the ocean. You can support and learn more about the Team Seas movement at https://teamseas.org/ or on the “Mr. Beast” YouTube channel.

Can’t donate? That’s alright! You can still do your part by sharing the message with friends and family, sharing the donation link, and recycling your trash!

Pittsburgh, PA - Steelers mounted a huge comeback against the Chargers, but they fell short and lost 41-37. The Steelers played without key players due to injuries and Covid protocol. They played without linebacker T.J. Watt, defensive back Joe Haden, and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. It was a big scoring game for both sides, Chargers running back Austin Ekeler finished with 4 touchdowns, 2 through the air, and 2 on the ground. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 3 touchdowns and 382 yards. He also finished with 90 rushing yards. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 3 touchdowns and 273 yards. Steelers kicker Chris Boswell was 3/3 on field goals which helped the Steelers come back.

On the Steelers' first drive, they marched down the field, but they could only settle for a field goal. On the Chargers' first drive, they drove down the field with ease tearing apart the Steelers' defense. Chargers running back Austin Ekeler ran the ball for 6 yards which got them the touchdown and made the score 7-3 Chargers. On the Steelers, next drive quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a 40-yard pass to wide receiver Chase Claypool which put them in the red zone. Chase Claypool finished with 5 receptions and 93 yards. The Steelers couldn’t get into the end zone on their three attempts. They go for it on 4th and goal and try to shovel pass it to tight end Pat Freiermuth, but fail. Steelers turn the ball on downs and the Chargers get the ball on the 2-yard line. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert led down the field on the ground. He picked up key first downs when he ran the ball. Austin Ekeler gets another touchdown, but this time a receiving touchdown making the score 14-3 Chargers. Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson did most of the heavy-duty on that drive. That seemed to be Ben's favorite target on that drive. Ben threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson which made the score 14-10 Chargers. Diontae Johnson finished the game with 7 receptions and 101 yards. With a minute left in the first half, the Chargers sneak their way downfield and get a field goal. The score at the end of the first half was 17-10 Chargers.

In the second half, the Chargers receive the ball and get down the field through the air. Charger wide receiver Keenan Allen was a big target on the opening second-half drive. He finished the game with 9 receptions and 112 receiving yards. Austin Ekeler scored again with a 17-yard touchdown reception. With Austin Ekeler’s third touchdown of the game, the score was 24-10 Chargers. The Steelers couldn’t get anything going on their next drive and had to punt the ball to the Chargers. The Chargers went down the field and only managed to score a field goal. The Chargers led 27-10. The Steelers had to answer back on that drive and did so by getting a field goal which made the score 27-13 chargers. The Steelers defense forced the Chargers to punt the ball on their next drive. During the punt, the listed safety Miles Killebrew blocked the punt and gave the Steelers good field position with the ball on the 1-yard line. On that drive, Steelers running back Najee Harris ran the ball in for the touchdown. The score was 27- 20 Chargers. Chargers get the ball back on offense and march down the field. Herbert got a huge run putting them in the red zone. Austin Ekeler scored another touchdown getting a 5-yard run. The score was 34-20 Chargers. Steelers also marched down the field with the help of Diontae Johnson who got a 32-yard reception that gave them a good field position. The play after Johnson’s 32-yard reception, Roethlisberger completed a pass to tight end, Eric Ebron, for a 24-yard reception. The Steelers ended off that drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass back to Ebron. The score was 34-27 Chargers. On the Chargers' second play of their drive, Herbert tried to throw the ball to Keenan Allen, but it was deflected by Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward. During that same play, the ball was in the air and then intercepted by defensive back Cameron Sutton.  With all the momentum on the Steelers' side, Roethlisberger threw a screen pass to Freiermuth and he scored. The game was tied 34-34. The Steelers defense was not letting up and made it hard for the Chargers. The Steelers' defense stopped them on all 3 downs. The Chargers try to go for it on 4th down, but they don’t get the first down. The ball turned over on downs and it was the Steelers ball. On their drive, they could only manage to get a field goal, and they took the lead 37-34.  The Chargers got the ball and got a couple of first downs. Herbert ended up completing a 53-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Williams. He finished the game with 5 receptions and 97 yards. With 2:09 left in the game, the Chargers led 41-37. The Steelers needed a touchdown to take the lead. On that drive, Roethlisberger gets sacked by Chargers linebacker Kyler Fackrell. In the very next play, Roethlisberger gets sacked again. This time it was linebacker Joey Bosa. Roethlisberger threw two incomplete passes and turned the ball over on downs. The Chargers went on to win the game 41-37.

It was a huge comeback from the Steelers, but they couldn’t get the job done. You could tell that they needed their star players on defense. Those players were: T.J Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Joe haden. With that loss, the Steelers fell down to 5-4-1 and the Chargers were 6-4.

Pittsburgh, PA - Pollution has been a problem for 2,000 years. Before the Industrial Revolution, our planet’s atmosphere was still untainted by human-made pollutants. Until now, scientists have discovered that when bubbles get trapped in Greenland’s ice, we start emitting greenhouse gasses for nearly 2,000 years.

Pollution can have different effects; it can harm the heart, and create smoke, mold, pollen, methane,  and carbon dioxide. Air pollution occurs when harmful or excessive amounts of substances including gases, particles, and biological molecules. The biological molecules are released and can cause diseases, allergies, and death in humans. It’s also harmful to crops and animals.

Pollution has caused 1 in 8 deaths, killing 4.3 million people in one year. 92 percent of the global population lives with unhealthy air quality. Scientists from the NOAA state “We quantified how past emissions reductions saved lives, improved human health, and provided economic benefits.

Coraopolis, PA - It’s that time of year when the children of Coraopolis put on their quirky costumes and go Trick or Treating. Halloween this year lands on Sunday, October 31, but trick or treating is on Thursday, October 28. For a reason unknown, Coraopolis has always had the tradition of having trick or treating for the kids the Thursday before October 31, the official date of Halloween. This year, students of Cornell are lucky enough to have the day off Friday, which is a teacher-in-service day, to enjoy all of their candy at home.

With an ongoing pandemic, it is still urged for trick or treaters to still follow COVID-19 guidelines to stay as safe as possible. Since vaccines are still unavailable to children 12 and younger, it is recommended that children should still wear masks over their noses and mouths and social distance themselves. Although, with the weather being between 50° to 60° around 6 pm tomorrow, a mask might be pleasant to keep your face warm!

Keeping the weather in mind, trick or treaters should make sure they have warm layers under or on top of costumes. Wearing too many layers is better than wearing none, especially during a windy fall night. It would be best to wear a good pair of tennis shoes to trek the steep hills the town consists of. Seeing as Coraopolis is full of hills, it would be best to keep what shoes you are wearing in mind.

If you plan on trick or treating this year, make sure you stay safe and go in a little group. Something to keep in mind, there is a haunted house every year at the corner of Hiland and the Maple Street exit, it’s sure to give you a good scare as well as a reward at the end!

Coraopolis, PA-  In the past year, kids have had to pause their childhood due to the covid pandemic. No sports, online school, and normal everyday activities have had to be paused. Not just kids, but everyone, has been trapped inside the house for over a year. 

This year, things have started to open up. This means kids are allowed to enjoy themselves and have a trick-or-treat. Why is this important? Kids for the past year have been trapped inside their houses. No physical activities, no physical interaction between other kids, and no school has deteriorated kids' brains. They’ve been attached to a screen for either school or zoom classes for other activities.  Trick or treating is the perfect opportunity for not only allowing kids to converse with other people but also allowing them to dress up and enjoy themselves for one night. Not only that, but they get to sugar up which is the most important part of trick or treating.

I'm positive everyone is excited about the world starting to regain normalcy. Concerts are starting to happen, seniors in high school are able to do everything, people are able to begin working again, and a lot more is happening. Kids are the most important. They are in the middle of developing. When they are sitting there and looking at a computer screen all day with no physical interactions, their brains are not going to be able to process everything correctly. 

Trick or treat is the perfect way to start off the opening of our world! 

Coraopolis, PA - On Friday, October 15, 2021, Noah Hiles, a reporter for The Times, published an article stating how the Cornell Raiders won Friday’s game against the Rochester Rams. The article states, “Last season, a young but talented Raiders group struggled to keep up with its opponents in the 

Big Seven Conference, finishing the year with just one win. After a year of misery, Ed Dawson’s team entered the 2021 campaign looking to return the favor. The victory is Cornell’s sixth in a row, punching its ticket into the WPIAL Class A Playoffs. Somewhere along with the win streak, Dawson’s team found an identity. The cliche, scrappy underdog label fits Cornell (5-0, 6-1) well, but that’s not how the Raiders identify themselves. They find more joy in being the villain.”

Hiles also states that Cornell is the worst team to play on your senior night. “Everyone wants to play Cornell for Homecoming and senior night,’ Raiders head coach Ed Dawson said.’’ We’re fine with that. We accept that. We like it. We talk about coming in, ruining a good night. We want to make sure the other team leaves, not wanting to go to the dance the next night.”

As Cornell heads into the playoffs, Dawson hopes to continue to win and make it to the championship.

Their first playoff game is on November 5, 2021, at the West Allegheny Football Stadium against Monessen.

Video created by Nooch D'Alessandro

CORAOPOLIS, PA - The Cornell Raiders Girls Volleyball team is known for having struggles, every season. But, could those struggles finally be over?

Last year, the team was coming back from yet another rough season from the previous year. But, the future was looking bright for the Raiders. With high hopes and a new coaching staff, the Raiders entered the 2020-2021 season eager to get payback on the teams they once played before. Alexis Hamm took over as the new Head Coach for the Lady Raiders, and she was not sure what was in store. That is, a team composed of juniors, a handful of sophomores and freshmen, and one senior. The Raiders ended the 2020 season 2-8, with their only wins against Sto-Rox (0-10). They hoped to come back the following season and change things around.

The Lady Raiders were tired of constantly losing seasons, so they did something about it. The Lady Raiders, who are now in fourth place in the single-A, section 3 division, knocked off Hillcrest Christian Academy, 3-2,  to qualify for the 2021-2022 WPIAL Playoffs. The win wasn’t easy for the Lady Raiders, as small mess-ups continued to get in their way. The team was becoming frustrated. That is until Junior Captain, Hannah Hoffman, served five straight aces over the net to catch the team up and cheer up her teammates. “I like to keep up the morale by being positive,” said Hoffman. “I offer feedback and focus on the good things instead of obsessing over the things going wrong.” And by doing just that, the Lady Raiders won the match after a tough dog fight.

Coraopolis, PA - On Friday, October 15, 2021,  the Cornell Raiders versus their biggest rival, the Rochester Rams.  Last year, the Rochester Rams beat the Cornell Raiders with a score of 35-7. Cornell is looking to dethrone the Rams. The Raiders and the Rams both have an overall record of 5-1.

Early before the game, I interviewed Coach Edward Dawson. I asked him a few questions about his thoughts and feelings about the big game. Coach stated, “I’m excited”, and he mentioned “I hope they perform at their optimal level, and everyone does well and doesn't get too nervous. Have fun playing tonight.”

In the first quarter with 11:40 left on the clock, Timmy Henderson (8) scores an 80-yard Raiders touchdown. 

Cornell gets a stop on Rochester's first offensive which makes a turnover and Cornell gets the ball on the 39. 

• Cornell punts in the 1st quarter with 9:48 on the clock.
• Rochester with a pickup with 8:08 in the 1st quarter.
• Rochester picks up 20; Rochester fumbles but recovers the ball.
• Rochester broke free for a 57- yard touchdown to tie the score at 7-7.
• Rochester’s running back Sal- Laure fan for 117 yards rushing on 21 carries.
• Timmy Henderson (8) took the opening kick-off back at the end of the third quarter, now making the score 14-7. 

The Cornell Raiders dethroned the Rochester Rams on their homecoming night. The final score of the game was 14-7. Making the Cornell Raiders record 6-0. The Rochester Rams have a record of 5-2. The Cornell Raiders did a wonderful job coming out on top. 

I interviewed Coach Dawson after the game. Coach Dawson mentioned that he was very excited to see everyone who came out to support the Raiders. I asked Coach Dawson how he thought the boys performed and he responded, "We did enough to win and fight through adversity which is good.”

Coach Dawson also mentioned,¨There were a lot of things we could have done better, but that is every week.¨

Coach Dawson specified that he is always proud of the boys, every day they show up I’m proud, just putting in the effort and showing that they are committed to playing and being there for the team.

Coraopolis, PA - Cornell sports have a huge impact on the Cornell community. Sports have been an important aspect of Cornell culture for the past 50 years. This year will be year fifty. There are many programs for children and teens to join to be a part of the school from sports to clubs. 

Cornell has numerous sports and clubs you can join which include Girls Basketball, Boy Basketball, Football, Student Council, yearbook committee, color guard, band, gay-straight alliance, and many more. By joining these programs, you don't only benefit the school but also benefit yourself. If a student planning on going to college, they can put this on their application and it could make them stand out or a student could possibly get a scholarship. Now if a student doesn't plan on going to college, they can put these on job applications and gain more experience than they know.

It's very important to keep Cornell sports going because it keeps the kids busy and teaches them teamwork. Not to toot Cornell´s horn, but they are pretty good with sports. Every single person that plays for the Raiders has spirit and heart; that's what makes a good team. The football team is section champs. The boy's basketball team made it to the championships in 2020. The girl's basketball team made it to the championship in 2017. The band is actually going to Disney this year to perform.

Now for the clubs, it's also very important to keep going. This is a good way for the students to participate in school. The clubs do so much for the school such as making plans for the senior activities, having a safe and supportive environment, creating friendships, and helping the school all around.

Cornell High School takes pride in its sports and clubs. It's a big part of the school. Cornell knows that it's not only about the programs looking the best from the outside for others. They make sure it's great for the students and comfortable for the staff.

Every year more and more people struggle with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is an illness that produces dramatic swings in mood with other symptoms. A person with bipolar disorder will alternate between periods of mania and periods of depression. In between these two extremes, a person will have periods of normal mood. According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million adult Americans, or about 2.6% of the U.S. population age 18 and older every year. Bipolar disorder results in 9.2 years reduction in expected life span and as many as one in five patients with bipolar disorder completes suicide. Cite your source- you need to attribute where you learned this information

I have struggled with bipolar disorder since I was 14. My aunt, Lynn Trimmer, and my father, Mark DiVito who is no longer with us, have struggled with bipolar disorder as well. From my point of view and theirs as well, bipolar disorder affects or has affected our daily lives. Something as simple as sitting at a family function can be difficult because you never know what mood you will be in or how you will talk to somebody. Having bipolar disorder is simply like riding a roller coaster. You never know what's going to happen until it actually happens. This is not something that’s easy to deal with. One day you are on top of the world and other days you are in a dump and hate every part of yourself. 

Bipolar disorder is something that is taken too lightly. It can lead someone into feeling not normal or an outsider in the world, especially at a young age. According to Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation, When manic, children and adolescents, in contrast to adults, are more likely to be irritable and prone to destructive outbursts than to be elated or euphoric. When depressed, there may be many physical complaints such as headaches, stomachaches, or tiredness; poor performance in school, irritability, social isolation, and extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure. More light needs to be shed on this disorder.

Every day people struggle with this disorder but aren’t sure where to get help or who to talk to. From personal experience, start with someone who you trust to talk to first. Someone like a family member, a friend, a teacher, or anyone who you look up to that you are comfortable with talking to is very important to have. If you feel that you have no one to talk to, there is a hotline. If you feel that you are in danger to yourself or others, I encourage you to call 911, but if you just need someone to talk to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is my recommendation. They can be contacted at  (800) 662-4357.  Questions like what are the symptoms of bipolar disorder, how is it treated, how else can I manage symptoms,  will I have to go to a treatment program, and how long does treatment last are great questions to understand more. Remember, you are not alone.

On January 6, 2021, history was made when rioters stormed the United States Capitol building in a brutal attack against the 117th United States Congress. The attack was carried out by Trump supporters in an attempt to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss. This dark day for America resulted in the evacuation and lockdown of the Capitol, as well as five deaths.

It took no more than an hour for the rioters, bearing Trump flags and clothing, to gather, overtake police, and breach the Capitol Building. The pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol Building, breaking windows, attacking police, and ransacking lawmakers’ offices.

The morning of the Capitol breach Trump spoke to his supporters at a rally outside of the White House. Thousands of supporters cheered as he voiced his claims of election fraudulence. Trump’s accusation of election fraud lacked evidence, and to this day, Trump has yet to show any proof to back his bold accusations.

“We will not let them silence your voices,” Trump told the rioters. "We’re going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue. I love Pennsylvania Avenue, and we’re going to the Capitol," Trump said. The speech began at 11 a.m., and by 1:47 p.m., the rioters had surrounded the capitol and began their clash with authorities.

America watched anxiously on social media as thousands of Pro-Trump rioters overwhelmed authorities and breached the Capitol. By 2:20, both chambers of Congress suspended the debate for the count regarding Electoral College votes for the presidency.

Members of Congress were told to wear gas masks and lock themselves in their offices as authorities threw tear gas into the Capitol Rotunda. By 3 p.m., the mob was able to breach the lawmakers' offices, ransacking the rooms, and breaking furniture.

It wasn’t until after someone was shot by police that Trump released a video asking for the “very special” mob to stop. “I know your pain,” Trump empathized. “I know your hurt, but you have to go home now.” The mob however didn’t settle, in fact, authorities found an explosive device near the Capitol. Thankfully, the explosive was stabilized and deemed harmless before any more lives could be lost.

President-elect Joe Biden urged Trump to go on national television and end the violent attacks on the U.S. Capitol. “This is not dissent, it’s disorder. It’s chaos,” Biden affirmed. "The words of a President matter, no matter how good or bad that president is. At their best, the words of a President can inspire. At their worst, it can incite,” Biden stated.

Finally, authorities were able to attain some control over the mob, and by 5:30 p.m. authorities declared the Capitol secure. Many supporters remained on the streets in defiance, but by now the physical violence of the breach had ended. Officials reported that 30 people were arrested that evening after being found after the 6 p.m, curfew.

On January 13, 2021, the House voted for the second impeachment of Donald Trump due to this incitement of the deadly breach; the vote being 232 to197. The vote to impeach the President just before he is set to leave reflects many Americans' and lawmakers' deep anger and betrayal at Trump's move to challenge the election fraud. It’s important to note Trump’s bold claim that thousands deemed worthy of domestic terrorism has still yet to be backed by evidence.

On January 6, 2021, a group of Trump-supporting rioters stormed the capital because they believed that the election was rigged against them. The rioters were carrying Gadsden flags and Confederate flags. If they weren’t decked out in Trump gear, they were wearing QAnon shirts, Oath Keepers hats, or even American National Socialist pins. One man was even spotted wearing a “Camp Aushwitz Work Brings Freedom” shirt. It’s so crucial that we look at things like this. None of these symbols straight out say, “Hey, I’m a Nazi,” but they definitely allude to this.

A dog whistle is effective because dogs have a different range of hearing than humans. They can hear things that we don’t. Dog whistle statements are used to have one meaning to other members of a group and another to the general public. For example, the "OK" hand symbol is used by the Proud Boys, who are a well-known far-right, neo-fascist organization. When they use the hand symbol, it looks innocuous and makes the people who call it out appear crazy to someone who doesn’t have any prior knowledge. White supremacists use this plausible deniability to their advantage. We, as Americans, have to kick this habit of giving these hateful people the benefit of the doubt. It’s important to remember that white supremacy doesn’t always manifest itself in the form of a swastika.

People find power in symbols. Whether you like it or not, Trump and his MAGA brand have become symbols for white supremacists to empower themselves with. This was not an act of stochasticism. This has been building up for hundreds of years, and as scary as it is, there’s probably more to come. This is the result of a system that has failed. People are mad. They’re losing jobs; they aren’t getting a liveable wage, and can’t afford medications that can save their lives. However, this isn’t an immigrant’s fault or a Jewish person’s fault; it’s the result of a deteriorating system, which was founded on the best interests of rich slave owners. It needs serious reform. An insurrection on the Capitol isn’t going to fix this.

This attack was premeditated by Trump and a direct attack on our democracy. The rioters didn’t storm the Capitol because they were fed up with government corruption; they did it because they didn’t like the result of an election. Rioters walked into the capital with guns and American flags, but it will never be patriotic to be against our democracy.

image from: nationalgraphic.com,

PHOTOGRAPH BY SHAY HORSE, NURPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES

Coraopolis, PA - T-Salvie Photography is an independently owned and operated business in the small town of Coraopolis, PA. Mr. Salvie has been photographing for decades both on location and in the studio. He has a wide range of skills that allow him to photograph sporting events, products, advertisements, senior portraits, weddings, and so much more!

Mr. Salvie does all the photography, editing, and finishing of his pictures. He’s self-employed which means he has a very flexible schedule and can work both in the studio and on location!

If you're looking for professional work at an affordable price, Mr. Salvie is your guy! Plus, he has a studio cat (Miku), and who doesn’t want to get kitten cuddles and affordable photos? To book an appointment simply call 412-269-0449 or stop by the office at 1004 5th avenue!

Your image is our image!

Curb Event Center, Nashville, TN - The Final Presidential Debate between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden took place in a much cleaner battle. This debate featured new rules after the messy first debate which was plagued with interruptions; the microphones would now be muted between candidates between their turns speaking.

This debate featured topics regarding coronavirus, medical insurance, the economy, potential election interference, and social issues. Biden throughout the debate seemed to focus on Trump's failures as president, most notably his COVID-19 response. Biden stated, “Anyone that is responsible for that many deaths should not remain president of the United States of America. We’re in a situation where there are a thousand deaths a day now.” Donald Trump on the other hand focused on pointing out flaws in Biden's plans as president and his mistakes as Vice President and in the Senate, “You were vice president along with Obama as your president, your leader, for eight years, why didn’t you get it done? You had eight years to get it done, now you’re saying that you’re going to get it done because you’re all talking and no action.”

The debate proved to be much better than the first in terms of being able to show the visions of each candidate and their criticisms of each other. The debate slightly raised Trump’s odds of winning in a few states, but overall Biden still has the advantage of going into election night. This was the final interaction between the two candidates before the election, and we will soon find out who will be president in January.

Many high school students dream of prom and graduation, but those dreams all came crashing down due to the Coronavirus. At first, the school was only supposed to be closed for a short period of time. There were still hopes for prom and graduation. As time went on, those hopes and dreams quickly decreased. Schools are now closed for the rest of the current school year. Prom and graduation were canceled as well. Seniors worked hard for those twelve years of their academic career, just for it to be taken away from them so suddenly. The current situation is quite upsetting, but other plans are being made for the 2020 seniors.

Most schools are set on virtual graduation. While it is not ideal, it is at least something that can be used to honor these students. Some schools even brought up a drive-in idea for graduation, where students' pictures would be shown on the big screen and their names would be called. A lot of schools are planning on regular, physical graduation when things return to normal. Prom will most likely not happen this year. Maybe school districts will allow seniors to attend next year’s prom.

These cancellations are disappointing to students, but at least there are alternative plans to honor them in some way. When things clear up, we can give them the graduation and prom they deserve. For now, all we can do is stay safe and continue to adhere to the quarantine guidelines. Hopefully, Coronavirus will not stick around much longer.

The sports world has hit an all-time low in new things to talk about.  With all sports and sporting events being closed, some of the largest companies are losing millions if not billions.  They are not able to bring in any new attractions to help pay for the thousands of dollars in bills that they owe each month.  According to Forbes, the U.S. sports leagues are bound to lose over 5 billion dollars just this year alone.  If this continues over multiple seasons, then they could lose a lot more.  There is talk about starting the NBA back up and MLB with no fans in the stadium but even then they would still have to wait about a month till all the players are back to their professional standards.  Some players do not want to play if there are no fans.  But due to the contracts that they have, if the NBA wants to have games then they have to play.  That is only the professionals though. High school and college athletes do not get that advantage.

High school and college athletes are missing out on one year to prove themselves to the next level that they can play.  That is not even it.  Sports players will not be able to get the final experience that they deserve.  These kids have been working for years to prove that they are capable of it.  They wanted to lead their teams to higher standards and show the growth that they have made in the last years.  The seniors will not get to have their senior nights and get to live that glory of being honored by the team as well as the community. and everyone else.  This is the worst thing that could happen on top of all the other things that the seniors are missing out on. 

The coronavirus has messed up everything that anyone was looking forward to over the last 5 months and the next 7.  Sports hurt the most because of the money and memories that are being lost.  People want to witness the sports happen and see the things that people can accomplish in that part of the game. 

Right now, there are 163,539 cases of Coronavirus in the United States. 2,860 people have died in the U.S. dating March 31, 2020. Pennsylvania currently has 4,843 cases, with Allegheny county containing 325 of those cases. These numbers continue to climb in the U.S. without any sign of slowing down. Just over two weeks ago, there were no cases in Allegheny county. Now it’s nearly 600 cases. People are scared and panic has come along with this fear.

All non-essential businesses and schools have been closed during this madness. PA governor, Tom Wolfe, has also placed an 8:00 pm curfew. People should not be out unless it is considered essential. Essential businesses include banks, hospitals, supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations, and post offices. People should practice social distancing, which is staying at least 6 feet away from another person. President Trump has extended the social distancing guidelines until at least April 30th. People are advised to practice social distancing, wash their hands, clean commonly used surfaces, and avoid touching their faces. These all decrease your chance of getting COVID-19.

CORAOPOLIS, Pa - Basketball star Kaden Divito gave Washington and Jefferson University a valentine's day gift by verbally committing to the

Presidents a few weeks after he visited the school. The 5-foot-10 standout has been a star at Cornell High School throughout all four years of his high school career. “He is a great player to play with and constantly brings energy to the team on a daily basis,” his teammate Isaiah Langston says.

During his Junior year, DiVito was the 2018-2019 TribLiveHSSN Boys 1A basketball player of the year after averaging 26.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game. DiVito also considered going to Waynesburg University, The University of Pittsburgh, and Slippery Rock University. He made his decision once he saw how nice and updated W&J was. DiVito will be fighting for a spot in the starting lineup at the point guard position.

This year Kaden has been efficient for his team, leading the Cornell Raiders to the WPIAL Championship. Even with the Championship loss, the Cornell Raiders are looking forward to continuing a good run in the PA state playoffs. The Raiders will play Friday vs Saltzburg at Kiski Area High School.

The minimum wage in many states is currently $7.25. Is that enough to really live on? Wyoming and Georgia have the lowest minimum wage coming in at $5.15, while Washington D.C. has the highest at $14.00. Yearly earnings for a full-time worker is $15,080 at the current federal minimum wage of $7.25. That is barely enough money to support oneself, so how can one support their family? People need to make more money to survive and support others. There have been multiple pushes to raise the minimum wage across the country. The change from $7.25 to $15.00 is a dramatic change that will affect everything from people to the economy. An increase in minimum wage will have its positives, but some negatives will follow.

The raising of the minimum wage will positively affect families. With independents making more money, families will struggle less and possibly even pull themselves out of poverty. It will also help families keep up with price inflation. People are also always willing to spend money, so giving them more money to spend will help increase the economy. Workers will stay with their employers longer instead of leaving jobs in search of higher pay. Increased wages and spending raise demand and create more jobs for people. There will be a lower unemployment rate and rely less on government programs.

A negative of raising the minimum wage would be the loss of some jobs. Some employers or small businesses do not have a big enough budget to pay each of their workers more. This leads to people being laid off and having no money at all. Businesses also might stop hiring because they cannot afford to take on more hires. College students would be greatly affected because they are searching for jobs right after graduation. Big corporations could outsource their jobs to countries with little or no pay.

Overall, a raise in minimum wage could lead to great effects. There will always be a bad side to things, but in this situation, the positives outweigh the negatives. This is a chance to help people and their families. A chance to improve the economy and lower the unemployment rate. The minimum raise should be raised federally.

Pittsburgh, PA- In what was anticipated to be a past faced, a high-scoring game between two of the most explosive offenses in Single-A, turned into a defensive-minded masterpiece. The Single-A championship featured teams who were both from Section 1-1A and had split their conference matchups in the regular season. Vincentian vs. Cornell has turned into a rival over the years with the Raiders being able to triumph over the Royals at least one time in the past two years. Vincentian coming into the game as the number one team in the state was highly favored over the Raiders whose tallest player is only six feet two inches tall. The Royals feature three six-foot-six-inch players in Angelo “Boom” Reeves, Ethan Embleton, and Priest Ryan with a solid backcourt in Matt McDonough, Alex Griggs, and Nate Cullo. With a strong frontcourt attack in their bigs, their guard play was the only worry they had. The Raiders have had a solid team the past four years due to three, four-year starters in Kaden DiVito, Isaiah Langston, and Zaier Harrison. The rest of the rotation consists of Blaine Sams, Je’avontae King-Walden, and Drew Lopez.

The Raiders have been a running team all year long, blowing teams out with their speed and defense. The three-headed monster in DiVito, Langston, and Harrison has given teams fits all year on how to guard all three. Each of the three averaging at least 17 PPG and usually all three averaging 80% of the team's points. Vincentian has worn every team down with their height and defensive consistency. This was going to come down to which team hustles more and in the long run, who wanted it more.

The game was played at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA at seven on February 27th. “It was definitely a different atmosphere and experience,” Senior Forward Isaiah Langston said. The bright lights and big stage wasn't something that Cornell was used to. The last time they played in the title game was the 2011-12 season while the Royals were in the finals the past three years alone. Starting out the game, the Royals got up early and never looked back. Getting DiVito into foul trouble early into the game, played a significant role and slowed down the Raiders scoring dramatically. The weight was carried on Isaiah Langston and Zaier Harrison’s shoulders who scored all three points in the first half.

Going into halftime the Raiders were down nine, but the game was all in Vincentian’s favor. Coming out of halftime, they pushed the lead to as much as 20, and the Raiders were depleted. DiVito, Harrison, and Langston had no match for the monstrous team of Vincentian. Size was too much in this match as the Royals cruised to a 63-51 win over the Raiders. Although the Raiders lost, their season is not over as they enter the state playoffs on March 6th.

CALABASAS, CA- On Sunday, January 26, 2020, the death of former basketball player, Kobe Bryant, was reported. Kobe Bryant was on his way to a youth basketball game with his daughter Gianna Bryant, age 13 when the helicopter crashed. Sources say that baseball coach, John Altobelli, his wife (Keri Altobelli), and his daughter (Alyssa Altobelli) were also on the helicopter during this incident.

The Los Angeles Police Department’s Air Support Divisions didn’t let their helicopters fly until later in the afternoon due to some heavy fog. Sources say the crash was due to weather conditions and the likelihood of a catastrophic twin-engine failure was unlikely. Bryant was scheduled to coach Sunday in a game at his Mamba Sports Academy. Christina Mauser, Bryant’s top assistant coach on the travel basketball team, was also killed when the helicopter crashed. Sarah and Payton Chester were the last two people on the helicopter reported dead. Sarah and Payton were two highly involved people in the community and were said to be very welcoming people. Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife, spoke out three3 days after the incident to thank everyone for the love and support during this horrific time. She talked about what amazing people Kobe and Gianna were and how she and her daughters were grieving for the others who passed during the accident.

The nine people who passed on Sunday, January 26 were the pilot, Ara Zobayan, Kobe and Gianna Bryant, John, Keri, and Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, and Sarah and Payton Chester. Each person holds a special place in someone’s heart and will be deeply missed.

Thoughts and prayers go out to each family as they grieve and mourn the death of their family. They all will be deeply missed and will always be remembered for the amazing things they accomplished.

For years, cable television has been the way to go for watching tv shows or movies. You’ve probably had cable television once in your life or maybe still do, but have you ever noticed the outrageous price companies charge? Now, there is a new way for you to watch your favorite shows and movies. 

Online streaming has become the new wave. You can stream anything as long as you have some type of internet. Netflix and Hulu are both streaming services that you can use for a relatively low price. Netflix’s cheapest plan starts at $8.99 a month, while Hulu’s starts at $6.99 per month. There are many other alternatives for online streaming as well.

There are also streaming devices you can buy that include apps, such as Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, and many other services. Roku and Amazon Firesticks are some of those devices. They require the internet as well. If you own a Playstation or an Xbox, you can download streaming apps onto them. Your phone can do the same if you don’t mind watching it from a smaller screen.

Comcast and Verizon are two of the major companies that provide cable television. Many people have complained about their prices and have decided to make the switch. Nearly, 800,000 Americans in the last three months have gotten rid of cable television for streaming services.

If you do not have internet but still want to cut your cable services, you can always buy an HD antenna. TV antennas do not have a lot of options for what to watch, but they’ll offer some channels. You can buy antennas in most stores, such as Walmart or Target.

If you are tired of paying for cable TV, try making the switch to online streaming. It’s cheaper and maybe a better option for you. Many people are making the switch, and it is possible that cable TV may not exist in the future.

CORAOPOLIS, Pa - At Cornell High School on Friday,  December 13, 2019, Cornell Raiders went up against Nazareth Prep Saints. This game was truly an event to go to! With the Raiders winning 76 to 54. Nazareth Prep is a private school with the Saints as its mascot, while Cornell is a public school with a mascot of the Raider. During this after-school event, many events transpired: cheerleader rivalry, basketball battles, and roaring fans!

Cornell Raiders went up against the Nazareth Saints, and it was a battle to see!  In the first quarter of the game, Cornell was down losing badly. As the game continued, Cornell was able to swoop in with a win over Nazareth Prep. The rivalry was strong: player against player and cheerleader against cheerleader. The cheerleaders were in strong competition with each other as they had a dancing battle. Nazareth Prep had strong cheerleaders going against our cheering Raiders. The battle was intense with move copying and heavy cheers. The basketball game became intense after halftime, with many of the boys smack talking and playing their best. Winning the game was on all of the players' minds. 

With roaring fans chanting the Raider's names, Cornell ended up winning the game! The competition was wild compared to most games. This was the fourth game of the season, with sixteen games left, the Raiders are holding strong! For most of the boys, this will be one of the last few games they play at Cornell High School, so they are giving it their all! The game ended with the Raiders holding 76 points and Nazareth Saints keeping 54 points. This was a shock to many Nazareth supporters, but to the Raider fans, they already saw it coming. Cornell holds their boys close to their hearts and can already sense the winnings they will achieve.

WASHINGTON, D.C - On Wednesday, December 18, 2019, Trump’s impeachment voting took place on the account of him abusing his own Presidential power and obstructing Congress. This six hours long discussion resulted in the House of Representatives impeaching Donald J. Trump. 

Trump will not be removed until after the “final decision;” therefore, until then he will still remain in office. Many fear that the final decision will be very biased based on Trump being a Republican and the amount of Republicans versus Democrats in the Senate. However, no matter what happens, Trump will be facing major consequences after his presidency for his actions.

This will be an ongoing discussion amongst the federal government until the election in 2020. If for any reason Trump is re-elected, then many fear that this behavior will most likely continue. 

All-Conference Banquet

By Kaden DiVito

December 20, 2019

Monaca, PA - Cornell High School football had one of its most memorable seasons this year. Started out with beating Rochester for the first time in 40-plus years, to winning its first-ever playoff game in school history. Everyone in Coraopolis has been astonished by these recognizable accomplishments. With all this being said, it was capped off by a truly remarkable get-together with teams from all over Allegheny and Beaver County. Cornell has six players being named to the all-conference team, with some players getting named all-conference on offense and defense, and with a surprise to us all, an all-conference punter. The six Cornell students included Isaiah Langston, Kaden DiVito, Zaier Harrison, Tylor Godfrey, Blaine Sams, and the Nazareth Prep students who Co-op with Cornell: William Dank and Savon Wilson. They all gathered at Monaca Brothers in Monaca, PA on a fairly rainy Saturday on December 14th.

The banquet was listed to start at 12 P.M. but didn't really get rolling until about 12:30 P.M. with food and time to enjoy with your family, coaches, and teammates. The food selection ranged from pasta, chicken, to any type of salad, with limitless drinks for everyone to enjoy. Soon after everyone was finished with their food, the all-conference players were soon to be called up and recognized for not only their unbelievable seasons on the field but also for those who were amazing scholar-athletes with a GPA above a 3.0. Cornell is in the WPIAL 1A classification which meant that those were the athletes to be called up first. With athletes from Rochester, Laurel, OLSH, and Cornell to be called up and recognized. They called everyone up by school in order, and as it turned out Cornell was one of the most decorated teams present due to the amount of recognition they received. Zaier Harrison led the bunch with four trophies including; Offensive Player of the Year, Quarterback, Defensive Back, and to his much surprise, Punter. Next up, Kaden DiVito and Isaiah Langston were both named all-conference wide receivers for their section. Next, Blaine Sams and Tylor Godfrey were one of the most dominant forces at the middle linebacker position where they both received all-conference linebackers. Savon Wilson came home with two trophies which included an all-conference running back, as well as a defensive back. William Dank took home the only lineman award of the night for the Raiders. 

While Cornell was one of the most recognized teams there, it was no small event. Ranging from 20-30 teams at the banquet, each athlete brought their parents which filled up the whole banquet hall by the time it all began. Teams from all around were present including the 2019 WPIAL champions, the Central Valley Warriors who had at least 13 athletes named to the all-conference team.

This is an annual banquet that the athletes will remember for the rest of their lives. Being in a room with all these talented scholar-athletes is a very special place to be, and to enjoy this time with family, friends, and coaches is a very special time and should be cherished by all. Cornell has been on the rise within the past two years and plans to continue to grow on these all-conference players to make Cornell football a better place to play and to gain more recognition for our student-athletes. 

Although the banquet only lasts a maximum of two hours each year, it's very exciting to be able to meet other athletes from other schools who maybe you've heard about in the newspaper or on TV. For all you know, one of these kids could make it big time, and then you have to tell the stories to tell your kids about how you were able to meet that athlete before he made it big. This is an amazing event and should continue to recognize the outstanding student-athletes in our area.

Coraopolis Economic Boost

By Vanessa Geist

Coraopolis, PA - On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, Coraopolis was chosen to receive $120,000 worth of an economic boost to help turn the little town into a destination people will want to stop in, and not just drive through. It’s making a considerable impact on businesses in the area. The money is being used to spruce up storefronts and bring in new businesses and restaurants. “New restaurants are coming in,” said Project Angels Boutique owner Alana Welch. “New boutiques.”

This grant will help make windows pop more for travelers passing by, and will actually grab people’s attention. A few businesses have already benefited from this money, with the whole town being dressed up. “They’ve been working with businesses, giving them new facades, dressing up the town,” said Coraopolis Borough Manager Raymond McCutcheon. “We got a lot going on, and we’ve been very fortunate to get a lot of grants.”

As of now, sixteen stores have had adjustments and upgrades. Another eight businesses have just been given the grant money and will be able to start making interior and exterior renovations. Some of these businesses include Queen Beans Cafe, Anthony Jr’s Pizza, Cobblehaus Brewing Company, and H&R Block. This is a six-year program. By the end of it, 48 businesses will have benefitted from the $120,000 in grants.