HHS Indoor Track-and-Field Team Goes to States!

HHS Indoor Track-and-Field Team Goes to States!

Sydney Neuman

Everybody has heard the phrase, “practice makes perfect.” This was embodied no less by three Indoor Track and Field athletes who attended State competitions on February 15th!

Arielle Moheimani (senior) placed 4th in the weight competition with a record of 33-5.5 Brent McNeil (senior) jumped 5 feet and 8 inches in the high jump, awarding him 6th place. Grant Stokoe (junior) placed 3rd in the 1000-meter with a time of 2 minutes and 43.15 seconds.

Homer is extremely fortunate to have these athletes; great things are in each of their futures.

HHS Indoor Track and Field Team Goes to Sectionals!

HHS Indoor Track and Field Team Goes to Sectionals!

Sydney Neuman

There is a feeling you get, an adrenaline rush, when you are following your passion. That is how the members of Homer’s Indoor Track and Field Team felt as they left their competitors floundering in the dust during sectionals.

Excellence was certainly watching over the girls’ team. Caroline Riley, Delaney Hartnett, Lydia Sujkowski, and Kristen Rahner carried Homer to 3rd place in the 800-meter relay with a final time of 2 minutes. Ashley Tollner came in 4th place in the 3000-meter relay with a time of 12 minutes and 30 seconds. Harnett, Brianne Cooley, Tassie Fox, and Sujkowski placed 4th in the 1600 meter relay with a final time of 4 minutes and 50 seconds. Amelia Ponirakis, Alyson Witt, Tessa Yonta, and Tollner ran the 3200-meter relay, finishing 4th in 12 minutes. Arielle Moheimani completed the 55-meter hurdles in 10 seconds, finishing in 5th place. She also placed 3rd in the long jump with a 15-5.75 record and 1st in the weight event with a 30-5.75. Rahner placed 2nd in the shot put with a 30-9.5 record.

With regards to the boys’ competition, Andrew Swenson placed 4th in the 3200-meter with a time of 10 minutes and 20 seconds. He also placed 7th in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5 minutes. Paddy Fox, Derrick Fouts, Nate Potter, and Kollin Vanwagenen placed 2nd in the 1600-meter relay with a time of 3 minutes and 50 seconds. Grant Stokoe came in 1st place in the 600-meter with a time of 1 minute and 26 seconds. Vanwagenen finished 11 seconds behind Stokoe, coming in at 11th place. In the 55-meter hurdles, Fox placed 5th with a time of 9.3 seconds. Only 0.17 seconds behind Fox, Fouts came in 6th place. Vanwagenen, Nate Potter, Sam Pullman, and Joe Brady ran the 3200-meter relay with a final time of 9 minutes and 50 seconds. Dakota Wagner placed 7th in the Long Jump with a record of 17-11.25. In the weight competition, Marton Tozser placed 3rd with 39-2, Brent McNeil placed 4th, with 36-10.75, and Jacob Lyman placed 6th with 32-5.5. McNeil also brought 2nd place to Homer with a high jump of 5 feet 8 inches. Finally, Fox, Stokoe, McNeil, and Sebastian Justiniano placed 2nd in the 800-meter relay in 1 minute and 38 seconds.

The entire day left many schoolwide records broken. Some students actually qualified for State competitions! Those lucky few included Arielle Moheimani, Brent McNeil, and Grant Stokoe. Congratulations to all of these hardworking athletes!

Much Ado About Nothing Auditions

Much Ado About Nothing Auditions

By Stephen Hyde

   

The Homer Shakespearean Society is holding auditions for its spring play, Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare. This play will be set in the 1940s right after the end of World War II. Auditions will take place March 8th at 7 pm in the new auditorium. If you wish to perform on our new auditorium stage or assist a techie, you should be there. If you have any questions or concerns, you should talk to Mikaela Elkins, the Society’s stage manager.       

History of President’s Day

History of President’s Day

Skyler Powers

This year, President’s Day is on Monday, February 20th. Many lucky Americans receive the day off from work and school; students have the bonus of getting the entire week off. In all the excitement, however, many Americans forget the true meaning of President’s Day and how it came to be.  

President’s Day is an American holiday celebrated every year on the third Monday of February. The holiday was an informal day of remembrance of George Washington from 1800 until 1885, when it was officially established by the United States government. Until the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983, Washington’s Birthday was the only federal bank holiday dedicated to a single person. To this day, the holiday is still referred to as “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government.  It became popularly known as President’s Day in 1971 when the Uniform Monday Holiday Act was passed. This moved the holiday from February 22nd to the third Monday of the month.   

President’s Day also celebrates all American presidents, not just Washington. The federal government does, however, give specific recognition to Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  This makes sense especially since Lincoln’s birthday is approximated to be February 12th.

So, when you are enjoying your extra day off from work or school, remember that the holiday’s true purpose is to commemorate the American presidents and their contributions. It is a day that reminds of past presidents, our current president, and even the men and women that will lead our country in the future.       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

New Year, New Classes

New Year, New Classes

Molly Burhans

Midterms are over and we are now beginning a new semester. This also is the beginning of the process of choosing our courses for the upcoming school year. Many students, especially freshmen, are overwhelmed by the vast amount of courses and electives available to them. This can be a stressful process, but I am here with some great tips!

A primary concern of many students is whether or not to take Regents, AP, or Honors classes. First of all, you need to know your abilities, strengths, and study habits when making these decisions.

Let’s start with science; many of you have already taken Earth Science so you are going into either Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or AP Biology. Biology is more difficult than Earth Science, but I would recommend taking Honors if you are willing to study, as Biology is largely dependent on memorization.

This is not really applicable to math because you chose whether or not to take the advanced track in seventh grade.

English is time-consuming, but if you are willing to put in the time and effort, you should take Honors.

History is difficult because there is not simply an Honors option; there is only Regents and AP. In all AP classes, you should be expecting a lot of work because it is a college level course.

One benefit of AP courses is that you can receive college credit, saving you a lot of money in the future. I would highly recommend taking any required classes, such as Health and Economics, as early as possible, leaving time for electives that interest you.

Clearly, your strengths, weaknesses, and study habits are what is important in making these decisions. If you know yourself well enough, you will make the right decision. Another thing to keep in mind is that colleges look at the rigor of your high school classes; this can be a deciding factor in your admission. If you are willing to work hard, then you should be able to conquer any class that you wish to take. Happy studying!

Wrestlers Go to Sectionals

Wrestlers Go to Sectionals

Sophia Thomas

After a long season of wrestling, four Homer wrestlers were able to wrap up their seasons at sectionals. Noah Thomas, Reno Gaffney, Matthew McCumber, and Anthony Parker all competed on Saturday, February 11 at Onondaga Community College. Each wrestler had a great day of competition although none made it to the finals. Thomas, Parker, and McCumber lost in their first matches as Gaffney was able to win enough matches to take an overall position of 6th in his weight class. Although only Gaffney was left competing at the end of the day, his fellow wrestlers and other Homer wrestling fans remained to route him on. As a captain of the wrestling team, Noah Thomas wrapped up his successful season by stating that, “The Homer wrestling team showed class, character, and dedication throughout the season while continuing to represent blue pride.” Despite the results, Homer presented itself as a worthy opponent among the numerous other schools competing for a title that day.

Countdown to Seussical Has Begun!

Countdown to Seussical Has Begun!

Skyler Powers

In preparation for the annual Homer High School (HHS) musical, cast members and pit orchestra members are practicing frequently and diligently. With the musical less than a month around the corner, Seussical participants are rehearsing daily for hours at a time. While many cast and orchestra members complain about the extensive rehearsal schedule, they will certainly be prepared for their approaching performances.

This year’s musical is Seussical. Seussical debuted on Broadway in 2000 and features the best characters and storylines from the beloved children’s book author, Dr. Seuss. The main inspiration for the musical comes from Horton Hears a Who!, Horton Hatches the Egg, and Miss Gertrude McFuzz. HHS will be producing three public performances of Seussical this year. They will be given on Friday, March 3rd, at 7:00 pm and Saturday, March 4th, at 2:00 and 7:00 pm.  

If you like watching musicals, supporting Homer students and staff, or enjoying quality entertainment, be sure to come out and see the HHS production of Seussical next month. It is sure to be a great production!