CHELSEA BISI / Alum, Class of 2017 Originally published October 5, 2017 Six days a week, fifty-two weeks a year. This is the commitment that is necessary to compete at a high level in any sport. Since I was eleven-years old, this has been the type of commitment that I have had to the sport of softball. I learned early on that it is impossible for me to accept ever being outworked. This is my secret to success. Obsessing over the small details of the game has allowed me to refine my fundamentals and compete against the best players in the country. I’ve also learned that in order for me to reach my goals, sacrifice is necessary. Often, when invited to a social event, my excuse is, “Sorry, I can’t. I have softball.” This sacrifice isn’t hard to make, because for me, softball will always come first. However, my dedication to the sport is only one aspect of many that led to me receiving a division one scholarship. Sorry, I can't. I have softball. Joining a team with other division one players was a major role in my achieving this goal. My team has fourteen division one players from five different states. While I am friends with all of my teammates, we are constantly battling for a spot on the field. Being the best player on a bad team is more detrimental than competing with other top level players for a position. College coaches would rather come watch a team with ten potential recruits than a team with one or two. Exposure is something that I have been lucky to receive since joining the Ohio Outlaws. Many young athletes are looked over simply because they have not played in high caliber tournaments that attract college coaches. Over the past two years, I’ve played in tournaments in Colorado, California, and Florida. These tournaments allowed me to play in front of many SEC, BIG 10, PAC 12, and ACC coaches. If I had not traveled to these places, I would not have received my scholarship from Penn State. Last fall, the Penn State coaches came to watch me play two games. The coaches had seen me play before, but this was the first time they were watching me as a possible recruit. Thankfully, during those two games, I went four for five with two doubles and made three plays at shortstop. After they watched me play, things moved quickly. Within one month, I attended my unofficial visit, met the team, and negotiated my scholarship with the head coach. One month later, I officially committed to Penn State University. I learned early on that it is impossible for me to accept ever being outworked. Committing to a power five school put even more pressure on me to always perform at my highest level. While some of the stress was due to others expecting every play to be made or a hit every time, most was due to my high expectations for myself. My personality makes it very difficult for me to ever be truly satisfied with my results. I am very proud that my hard work was recognized in the form of the scholarship but I know that I can always improve… and every small improvement will help me as I begin my next journey at Penn State. CHELSEA BISI / Alum, Class of 2017
ERICA WEIMER / Alum, Class of 2017 High school is hard. Although the academic part is challenging and stressful at times, it’s really the journey that comes along with it that is the most difficult. High school is its own world where kids are completely absorbed in every aspect of it… the good and the bad. When you’re here, not much exists outside of it. From running to your locker before first period to the toss of our graduation caps, high school is four years of endless chaos. Small things seem like the end of the world, because that’s all everyone knows at the time, and they probably haven’t experienced too many “real” problems to understand this. In such a small school, drama gets around quickly like who did what, who talks to who, who just broke up, and so many other insignificant things that don’t need to be known by every single student. Too many times during these four short years we are pieces in someone else’s story, our personal details even coming out of strangers’ mouths. Unfortunately, this is the inevitable reality of a high school student today. From running to your locker before first period to the toss of our graduation caps, high school is four years of endless chaos. One day your life could be nearly over, or at least you think so, and then during fourth period everything is okay again. That’s the thing with high school stress, everything blows over fairly quickly, and then next week there are new stories to talk about… new things to be anxious over. High school is the onset of our lives, which is why it becomes not only important but also a challenging phase, and tells a lot about why you are the way you are as you grow up and move on. Between the prime moments of these four years such as school dances, relationships, and team championships, there are also the constant indignities and frustrations of being close to adulthood and independence but still so far away as a teenager. In high school, the days often start earlier than your body is primed for, and from there, you have to deal with stacks of homework, trying to fit in, worrying about college, refining your resume with extracurriculars, and maybe even attempting to juggle a job in the process, all while making sure your room is clean and your parents aren’t disappointed in you for some reason. Albeit growing up is stressful, high school is a part of your life that you should enjoy in all its messiness, triumph, and self-discovery. Life becomes more meaningful when you realize the simple fact that you'll never get the same moment twice. Teenagers also have a terrible tendency to overthink. Whether it’s about grades, sports, extracurricular activities, or our personal lives, we unnecessarily panic. Most of the time, kids even start to panic about panicking. Or they feel more stressed because they know they’re dealing with stress in that moment. Even if high school years aren’t the best of your life, try to make memories as if they’re going to be. Life becomes more meaningful when you realize the simple fact that you’ll never get the same moment twice. Life is too short to waste time feeling stressed about pointless things that happened in high school. After all, “in the blink of an eye, it’s all over,” so enjoy it while you can. Rather than worrying, live wholeheartedly. Instead of scrolling on your phone, embrace life with spontaneity. And lessen comparison with more presence. The world is so much bigger than your brain, so stop living inside your head. Without these stresses and experiences gained through high school, our lives wouldn’t be nearly as interesting… stress is essential to high school students. Challenges like asking someone out on a first date, socializing with other people you probably wouldn’t have before, or even learning something completely new might seem like a minute or major stressor to certain kids. The “problems” as a high school student can easily be turned around into a positive and could potentially change your life in a better way. The positive outcomes make the anxiety worthwhile. Using the “stress” to your advantage can motivate you to create memories that will make high school unforgettable. ERICA WEIMER / Alum, Class of 2017
RAEANNA PALMER / Alumnus / Class of 2013 Hi there, I hope this letter leaves you thinking a different way than when you first started reading this. By now the only thing that seems important is getting straight A’s, playing volleyball, getting involved in almost every club, performing on stage, having a large group of friends, having a boyfriend, and graduating with a good GPA. Little did I know that I was rushing away from my high school career, I started looking at colleges when I was a sophomore and committed to a college at the end of my sophomore year. Crazy right! At this point, the only thing in my mind was to keep getting straight A’s, remaining active in clubs and organizations, and running for almost every club that I could to become Treasurer. I wish my high school self would not have been so afraid of what people thought about me. I knew when I was a freshman that I loved math and wanted to either be an accountant or an accounting teacher. One of my inspirations was Mrs. Bushey the way she taught people and the way she interacting with her students really showed me how fun it could be to be a teacher. She inspired me to join Future Educators of America where I decided to help tutor 5th-grade math. I was so scared to step out of my comfort zone and teach these 5th graders. I thought, what if I didn’t know how to explain something well enough for them to learn? Instead of believing in myself to overcome my fears I backed out instead of trying again. I wish my high school self would not have been so afraid of what people thought about me. In high school, I walked the halls knowing that people talked about me and that they judged every move that I made. Sometimes you just have to keep moving even when it’s hard. Ever been around a group of people that you have known your whole life, but you feel intimidated to go up and say hi? If I could go back and just stick up for myself and say hi I guarantee that I wouldn’t be so shy and quiet as I am today. Don’t let other people put you down just because you weren’t “popular” enough to be in their group. To be honest, you will probably never see them or talk to them after graduating from high school. Secondly, I know you play some type of sport or do it outside of school and that is great. I encourage staying active but I would not let sports outplay your grades. If I could have done things differently I would have better managed my time. Instead, I was a-part of a few clubs, enrolled in the school musical, sang in the choir, and played volleyball. However, I wish I would have realized that giving your all for a sport isn’t entirely everything. I played volleyball for 6 years, 2 years of which I had severe concussions where my performance wasn’t so great that I missed some school, started slacking on work, and got myself in a very dark place. Part of the reason for the concussion is because I hated missing practice and I didn’t know how important it was to heal when something was wrong. Now I suffer from headaches almost daily and have a hard time remembering some things. If I would have just taken time to let the concussions run its course rather than rushing around because I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to get recruited in college. Getting recruited isn’t everything I personally was going to college to focus strictly on my career and then was planning on joining some sports team from there. I researched on Google, Big 4 Accounting Firms in Pittsburgh and I jokingly said, “I can dream can’t I?” I was going crazy from not being active that I tried cross country and I absolutely loved it. I wished that when I was in high school that I didn’t dread running the mile in gym class because I would have definitely seen my potential in high school if I would have given it a shot. If you are interested in something to go for it, just because your friends aren’t doing it doesn’t mean you’re not “cool”. Looking at colleges I wanted to start fresh and not be around the same people that I see for the past 13 years so I decided to move to Pittsburgh and attend a small Catholic college called La Roche College. Probably haven’t heard of it, but I found it by going to a job fair down in Pittsburgh. Probably one of the best decisions I have ever made was so I could start over to where I can be myself and not follow anybody else footsteps. Since being in Pittsburgh I have had 9 jobs throughout college that included tutoring, work study, Pittsburgh Steeler Marketing Ambassador, and three accounting internships. I know I talked about managing my time better, but I promise once you get started getting busier it makes managing your time so much easier. I graduated from my undergrad a semester early and went immediately into my Masters of Accountancy. I recently graduated this past December and I started at one of the Big 4 Accounting Firms in Pittsburgh as a Tax Associate. I vividly remember sitting in Senior Seminar where we were asked to write down where our dream job would be and why we wanted to work there. I researched on Google, Big 4 Accounting Firms in Pittsburgh and I jokingly said, “I can dream can’t I?” Goes to show if you take things seriously and work your butt off you can do anything. I will leave you here with your dreams are never too big if you take baby steps towards achieving them. Don’t let others pull you back just because they aren’t doing it too. It’s certainly not the end of the world to fall a couple steps back to get back on your feet and restart if you didn’t like the journey it was taking you. It only gets better from here. RAEANNA PALMER / Alumni Contributor
MARLEY SMARTNICK / Senior originally published April 11, 2018 On March 24th, 2018, I attended the biggest protest to occur on Washington, ever. With over 800,000+ people in attendance, there is no doubt that everyone there was demanding change, for a movement kids my own age started. Upon arrival I was met with one of the most unfathomable experiences of my life. Everyone in attendance was connected as a whole, and our voices rung all throughout Washington. This was my first ever protest, and it was a truly life changing experience. While preparing for the march, I never expected it to be as big as it was. Most people expected around 500,000 people, especially due to the fact they were unable to reserve the National Mall. When we got onto the Metro to get into D.C. there wasn’t many on the train itself. At every stop, more and more people began to flood onto the train. By the time we reached our stop - the Archives - we were swarming the station with a whole new energy. There was a woman who had attended not only this march, but both Women’s Marches, and said she already knew this was going to be bigger. She was more than right. As soon as we got up from the Metro station, we were met with hundreds of thousands of people. Chants were being sung from every corner, and some extremely eye opening signs were being held up, with a indescribable pride. For once in my life, I felt completely welcomed in a place, where everyone demanded action. There were young children holding signs they wrote themselves, and that image will never leave my mind. We are fighting for ourselves, but this is their world too. We need to put in the change so they don’t grow up with this senseless violence. As we began to worm our way through the crowd to approach the main stage - where everyone was speaking - I saw all sorts of people. We actually ended up running into a few people from Derry and met a lot more. Everyone in attendance was connected as a whole, and our voices rung all throughout Washington. When we finally got to the stage, we were surrounded by so much passion; so many emotions were shown that day. There was anger towards our senators for letting this come so far, a undeniable sadness because of these senseless tragedies, and an utmost happiness. There were countless speakers that day, including young kids who had stared down the face of a gun, had lost their families to this violence, as well as survivors of attacks of these extents. Many children who had lived through Sandy Hook, some who had lost their siblings during the attack, openly spoke about their experiences, and left many in tears. Many believe the trauma of these tragedies soften as the years pass, but with more time, comes more raw emotion. One of the most powerful speeches of the day came from Samantha Fuentes who has been shot in both legs during the Parkland attack. Not only had she been shot, but experienced damage from shrapnel from the bullets. As she got onto the stage, she began to read a poem written about the experience. When she began to discuss the shots themselves, she ended up throwing up, on international television. A huge gasp was released from the crowd, but moments later she returned to the stage. “I just threw up on international television, and I feel great!” She exclaimed, and then continued right where she left off. I have never been inspired more by an individual than in that moment. To end off her powerful speech, she sung happy birthday to her fellow classmate Nick Dworet, whose life was lost on February 14th. He would have been 18 that day. Once the speeches were coming to a close, Emma Gonzalez approached the podium to talk for the first time at the march. As she began her speech she stated the names of all the victims, and as we expected her to continue, we were left with silence. As the silence drew on, tears formed in the eyes of the crowd, and everyone began to understand. I had never seen a crowd brought to such a deep emotional level, with a connection to a moment. I was in an environment of intense power that had surged from the brains of some of the most politically powerful children has ever really seen. As we heard a timer ring, Emma began to say, that it had been 6 minutes and 20 seconds since she had come out on the stage. In that amount of time the shooter had done his damage, dropped his gun, and ran out of the school with the children. That’s when Emma finished by saying “Fight for your lives before it’s someone else’s job” and left the crowd in silence. This march changed my life in a way I can’t explain. I was in a environment of intense power that had surged from the brains of some of the most politically powerful children this country has ever really seen. Within our society we have been waiting for the change, and we must protest until we see the change we want. I personally want to thank Dale Hines, Linda Hines, and Carol Henderson for taking us to this protest, as well as Brennan Klimchock, who organized the whole trip, and Dan Henderson for coming along. They made my experience the best it could be. I can wholeheartedly say that this protest was the best day I’ve ever had, as well as the most memorable one. If you get the chance, stand up for what you believe in, and participate in these political movements because they aren’t going away. MARLEY SMARTNICK / Senior
MS. SMELTZER / Speech originally published April 30, 2018 My high school public speaking teacher told me that my problem would not be in figuring out what to do with my life, but what not to do. As I look back, I can honestly say, he knew me well. As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a teacher. What it was that I wanted to teach changed many times as I grew up. I wanted to teach physical education for a while. After falling in love with wood working, I wanted to be a woodshop teacher. I think somewhere along the way I may have thought about teaching English, but eventually, because of that same public speaking teacher I decided upon teaching communications. Why communications? The program meant I could teach a myriad of subjects, not just public speaking, but journalism, television, theater and film media. Much like my interests, it encompassed a lot of what I loved growing up. I graduated from California University of PA with a bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education-Speech Communications. The problem was, there were no jobs in PA for someone like me at the time. So, much to my parents’ dismay, I applied to the University of Pittsburgh to get a Master’s Degree in School Library Science. Why? As a student in high school I found a home in the library, not because of my passion for reading, which surprises people, but because I am a researcher. I love to learn about new things. ... I myself had no idea how to operate one, let alone design anything to print, but that kid who wanted to teach woodshop became curious. That brings me to why I am writing this article. At the start of the 2017-2018 school year I received a phone call from Mr. Ferencak. He wanted to let me know that the high school library would be receiving a 3D printer as a part of a grant. I was familiar with what Mr. Vinopal was doing with his 3D printer, but I myself had no idea how to operate one, let alone design anything to print, but that kid who wanted to teach woodshop became curious. Mr. Vinopal was charged with teaching me and a few others in the district how to set up the BoXYZ 3D printer during an in-service day in the fall. I have to admit, at first I was a little intimidated. Later, I would go to WCCC with Mr. Vinopal to a workshop on 3D printing and got my first taste at designing with computer aided drafting (CAD) software. I was pretty proud of myself after designing a pawn during the workshop, but that thrill was short lived. When I returned and printed my creation, the top broke off as I was trying to peel away the supports needed in the printing process. That could have led to my throwing my hands up in defeat, but instead I became determined to use this new-found piece of technology in my freshmen block class. I enlisted my first semester students to invent something that they could print, and then write a commercial for it. I knew from Mr. Vinopal that a part of the learning process would have to be trial and error. Designs would fail, but that was okay, that led to problem-solving. It took us a while, but the classes came up with different items that were printed, but I felt like the project itself could be better designed by me. So I went back to the drawing board. I bounced a few ideas off Mr. Vinopal before I settled on “Operation Dog Biscuit.” I challenged my second semester classes to design dog biscuit cutters that we could print with BoXYZ. Initially, my intentions were to have them draw their designs, print the cutters, try them with Play Dough, and then make a few biscuits. It soon grew into a full-blown Career Pathways project using science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM). Once students designed their biscuit cutters on graph paper, each class selected those that would go into CAD and be designed for printing. Each group had to present a pitch to the class as to why their design should be chosen. We then broke each class down into four groups: CAD design, packaging, advertising, and sales. Students were permitted to select the group they felt they would contribute the most to. As they began putting their energy into the project I decided to ask for permission to market the biscuits to the faculty and staff in the high school for a donation that would be given to Action for Animals. When I shared this idea with my students they were excited, citing that it made it even “more real” if they were going to actually use the biscuit cutters to make biscuits and fulfill orders. I too was excited by the idea, but at the same time, I was a little nervous. “What if no one wants to buy the biscuits?” I thought. “The kids will be heart broken if no one supports them.” Then suddenly it hit me, what if the opposite happened... What if we got more orders than we could fulfill? Meanwhile, the designs began rolling off the printer. One-by-one, 12 different designs. Some large, some small, some, I thought would be problematic. The print advertisements were impressive, as were the packaging ideas. The letters to the faculty explaining the project along with the order forms were ready to go. Slowly but surely the orders began to flow in. Mrs. Myers was our first customer, and before I knew it we were up to 20 dozen orders. I was getting nervous. Another five, and then before we knew it 50 dozen biscuits had been ordered. 50 dozen sounds like a lot, but when I realized that meant baking 600 Pumpkin Delights (our product name), I began to fret. As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a teacher. Mrs. Hower graciously agreed to allow me to set up shop in the home ec kitchens for a day to bake our biscuits. What I had yet to mention, I DO NOT BAKE! Up until last spring I had not used my own oven for more than 20 years! When the day arrived, two students agreed to meet me first period and begin our first batches. Abbie Bolen and Tyler Seirka thankfully knew their way around a kitchen and they became my forepersons. They were two of almost 80 freshmen who worked on the project, followed the recipe, packaged and cleaned up the mess we made. Truthfully, although we did make a mess, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I imagined it would be, and my students helped clean up without much complaining. Mrs. Markle, Broderick McIntosh, and Mary Trinclisti also helped clean up when we were finishing up, and I greatly appreciated the help. The results were one very tired teacher-librarian, and a donation to Action for Animals totaling $250. The Operation Dog Biscuit was a success. MS. SMELTZER / Speech
ALEXIS SCHEETZ / Alum originally published May 5, 2018 Hi, my name is Alexis and for those of you who don’t know me, you probably have no idea that I am fully blind in my right eye. A common misconception is that when you close your eyes, it’s like being blind, which is wrong. Anyone who can see cannot possibly imagine what it’s like not being able to. However, if you don’t see black then what do you see? Well, the answer is nothing. Surprising, I know. When I was born the doctors thought I had a lazy eye, so they put a patch over my good eye. The patch is a common “cure” for lazy eye; the doctor places it over the good eye attempting to strengthen the weak eye. Shortly after I started crawling the doctors realized that it wasn't just a lazy eye. After testing, they discovered that I had a condition called Optic Nerve Dysplasia, also often referred to as Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. I am one of the lucky ones... Optic Nerve Dysplasia is a condition that arises when the optic nerves go underdeveloped as a fetus and is the single leading cause of permanent legal blindness in children in the world. I am one of the lucky ones, because they know what caused mine, whereas most of the children go on questioning how theirs developed. Mine is caused by another medical condition called Growth Hormone Deficiency, which is like the seed to the tree of all my medical issues. Growth Hormone Deficiency, in simplistic terms, means the body can’t produce growth hormone on its own. Growth hormone controls growth as well as the regulation of sugar, fat metabolism, and possibly heart function. The growth hormone deficiency stunted my growth, which allowed for my optic nerves to go underdeveloped in the womb, which then caused my blindness in one eye. So by now, I’m sure you’re asking how this affects my vision in the good eye. Sadly, there's a high risk of it occurring in the future. My good eye makes up for the bad one. What that means is that my field of vision is stretched to compensate for losing such a large window of vision. However, because my good eye over compensates, it’s at huge risk for my retina to snap. If that were to happen, it would cause me to go blind in my other eye, which as you could imagine, would be devastating. Sadly, there’s a high risk of it occurring in the future. After all the science and the risk of it, is there anything that affects my daily life? Yes, there’s a great deal of it that affects my daily life. Without my full range of view, there are a lot of downsides. I have terrible hand-eye coordination and absolutely no depth perception. For most people, being blind would seem like the end of the world. I however, am extremely grateful and lucky to be able to at least see out of one eye. It’s given me the chance to educate people and learn more about others along the way. In the scheme of things, it’s not the worst thing. Besides, it’s always a great conversation starter. ALEXIS SCHEETZ / Alum
LAUREN ENOS / Class of 2019 The expression “time flies,” I found out was actually true as I am now a senior with 3 weeks left of school. There is so much to accomplish but such little time to do it. I have always wanted to grow up faster and faster so I could go to college. Now that the time has come, I’m excited but want it to slow down. Senior year definitely went by the fastest and if I could go back in time, I would have never wished it away. Although I can’t wait to get out of Derry and become more independent, college is a scary thought and way more difficult than high school. Being a student at Derry, I definitely feel prepared for college and to take on more responsibilities. There is something about maturing and “growing up,” that makes me excited to be on my own. I am going to miss having bonds and connections with teachers, because let's be real, in college professors don’t care about you like teachers do in high school. I appreciate all the extra help I got any time I needed it. Teachers here at Derry were always generous with their time with us students. Although all kids hate homework, I’m glad teachers teach us discipline with due dates. In college we won’t get reminded to turn in our homework, so I’m thankful that I learned sooner than later. Senior year definitely went by the fastest and if I could go back in time, I would have never wished it away. Extracurricular activities are huge here in Derry, and being able to be a part of several is an awesome experience. I want to thank Mrs. Bushey for all she does for us such as prom, providing several community service hours for us, and bachelor auction. Not only does she run all of these things, she makes them fun and enjoyable for us students. Chick-Fil-A-Leader Academy is a club I joined this year as a senior and we have gotten to impact so many people’s lives and we get free Chick-Fil-A, so it's a win win. Sports was a big part of my high school. The coaches here at Derry are the best of the best. I would like to give a big thanks to Mr. Smith and Mr. Spencer for making me into the person I am today. They have shaped me and taught me self discipline, patience, and mental toughness. I have learned to deal with situations in sports and in my everyday life the right way because of them. Mr. Long is the most supporting and encouraging principal and I am so appreciative of that. I know all the students here love him as a principal. He supports every student here no matter who they are. Not only is he supporting, he is accepting and determined. Mr. Long is every student’s dream principal. Thank you Mr. Long for everything you do for me! Your friends you choose impact the way you are and the way you act and it definitely shows. Friends and peers are a big reason for who I am today. Every school has “friend groups” and each and every one is different and great in many ways. My friend group has been the same since freshman year. However, as I got older, I chose my two best friends. In middle school, everyone was still trying to figure out who they were and who they fit in with. That is a part of learning who you are. Your friends you choose impact the way you are and the way you act and it definitely shows. Growing up in Derry, such a rural area, I appreciate all the land and space we have. I have no neighbors and I just now learned to appreciate that. My driveway is a mile long and I live in the middle of the woods. I used to complain when I was little that I hated Derry because I couldn't ride my bike in the neighborhood, or run over to my neighbors house and play. However, now I am so thankful that I can go outside and enjoy the peaceful town. Our school is easy to get too and not too big that you can get to know everyone. Our class sizes are also really small, for example I have 10 people in my Anatomy class and it is so nice. Derry, the town and school, has shaped me as a person and made me who I am today. I'm thankful for being able to experience life and being able to grow up in this town. I just hope football games are still as fun as they were for me after I graduate. Go Trojans! LAUREN ENOS / Class of 2019
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