First Spacecraft Touches Down on Comet

Mitch Lewis

Staff Writer

 On November 12, at about 11 am Eastern Standard Time, the spacecraft Philae, touched down on the surface of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, a comet 317 million miles away. This marked the first time in human history that a man made object touched down and landed on a comet. The mission chased the comet for over 4 billion miles and finally touched down on the comet after a decade long journey through space.  

 The 1 Billion Euro mission was named the Rosetta mission and was launched on March 2, 2004. The mission utilized many gravity assists to propel itself at a high speed through space. Its first flyby of Earth occurred on March 4, 2004. It then made a close flyby of Mars, getting as low and 250 Km (160 mi) above Mars’ surface documenting its surface and analyzing the atmosphere. The mission then returned to Earth for its second flyby on Nov. 13, 2007. With the gravity assist from the Earth, Rosetta flung itself towards Asteroid 2867 Steins. On Sept. 5, 2008 Rosetta reached the Asteroid and its instruments took pictures to analyze the Asteroid. Rosetta returned to Earth for its third and final flyby on Nov. 12, 2009. Rosetta then on July 10, 2010, made a close flyby of Lutetia 21, a large main belt asteroid, and recorded images of about 50% of its surface.

 Once these missions were completed, the Rosetta engineers set another astronomical body in their sights. This time a comet. In May 2014, Rosetta began a series of burns that decreased the relative velocity of Rosetta and its target. Rosetta’s target was 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, a comet that was at a distance more than twice that of Mars’ orbit. The comet orbits the sun every 6.5 years and it roughly 2.5 miles long at its widest and largest points. The comet is travelling over 80,000 mph through space and is also rotating. The surface of  67P was unmapped prior to Rosetta’s arrival. Upon arrival, the spacecraft documented the surface of the comet and by August 25, five landing sites had been found and proposed.

 On Nov. 12, 2014, Rosetta lander, Philae, touched down on the surface of the comet and was stable on the surface after two bounces due to a technical failure of the landers’ landing harpoons. The lander will search through the comet looking for organic compounds that could be evidence of how life came to Earth. Comets are some of the oldest objects in the observable universe and are usually compiled of ice shards and dust. This instance was the first time in human history that a man made object has landed on the nucleus of a comet.

New Hope Serves Lunch to Those Who Served Our Country

Victoria Siano & Claudia Kolinchak

Staff writers

  On November 11, 2014, Girl Scout troops of all ages, along with teachers and other local members of the community, met at noon in the district conference office in the New Hope Solebury High School to honor our local Veterans with a luncheon.

  At the luncheon, Veterans who served our country in various wars, including World War II and Vietnam, ate a delicious lunch while Girl Scout members sang a song. Every Girl Scout member in the New Hope Solebury School District got up in front of the twenty to thirty Veterans and sang “God Bless America” to thank them for their service to our country. The Veterans swayed and hummed along to the tune. Some of them even joined in the joyous singing.

  Also, the New Hope Solebury Girl Scouts banded together to recite the poem “Veterans Day” by Cheryl Dyson and to hand out gifts and pins. As Veterans were given their presents, the guests who attended shook hands and thanked them for their service. Some were even wearing their old uniforms, while others were wearing red, white, and blue.

  “It was a great luncheon to honor the people who have served our country,” says Autumn Marshall, one of the twenty Girl Scouts who attended the ceremony. Emily Goodyear, another Girl Scout who has been attending the luncheon for over 5 years, states “It was nice to see the smiles on all the Veteran’s faces and know we were doing something worth our time” .

  This annual event is a fantastic way to show the community’s gratitude for the service of our local Veterans. Every year it is a great success and enjoyed by both Girl Scouts and the men and women who have once served our country.

Early Snow Hits The US

Thomas Muzekari

Staff Writer

  Temperatures have been very cold across the U.S. as of late with snow occurring in many places. On Tuesday, November 18, temperatures were freezing or below freezing in all 50 states. Snowmobiles and snowplows were out as many places across the country had snow. This bad weather caused some traffic jams, closed roads, school closings, accidents, and cancellations of many other activities and such. Temperatures were 15-30 degrees below average on the whole eastern half of the United States.

  New York was a state that was pummeled with snow as snow piled all over the Empire State. An outrageous amount of snow came down In Buffalo. Buffalo is a place known for getting snow. There was a snowstorm there of over four feet of snow which resulted in a 132 mile stretch of the Thruway (main New York highway) being closed. Snow poured down at about five inches per hour. Almost 150 vehicles were stuck on the Thruway. State troopers delivered blankets on snowmobiles to motorists in stranded vehicles. This was all just in one day. After the next day, there was six feet of snow on the grounds of Buffalo. Elsewhere, in Lancaster, NY, there were also ferocious winds and a whopping four feet of snow. Heavy wind gusts and 18 inches of snow in Michigan resulted in cancelled flights at the Grand Rapids airport. Many flights were cancelled across the country. In parts of Wisconsin and Michigan two feet of snow piled on the ground. Icy roads in different places caused there to be accidents. Schools were closed in many places such as North Carolina, New York, and Georgia.

  Snow is expected to come in bunches this winter according to many meteorologists. With the snow already starting in November and being present in many areas across the U.S. already. With snow already piling in many places in the country, people should be ready for a snowy winter. It is incredible how Buffalo got almost six feet of snow Tuesday, Nov.18. Buffalo, of course being a place that is used to getting a lot of snow, had one of the biggest snow storms they’ve had in a while, and it came very early. There were not many snowstorms on the East Coast last year, but there could be many more this year. Snow has already came to many East Coast states (Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, etc). People will have to wait to see and will at least for now, be ready for a snowy winter.

Republicans take the Senate

Nick Damarodis

Editor-in-Chief

Election night was a sweep for Republicans after results from the November 4 midterm elections started to pour in. Voters across the country hit the polls with different intentions, but the largest area of concern was the economy. Many voters felt a need to vote for the Republicans to push against President Obama’s policies, in particular recent troubles with foreign policy and the difficult implementation of Obamacare.

Currently the Republicans have gained 8 seats in the Senate. Incumbents were defeated in Arkansas, Colorado, and North Carolina, and open seats led to GOP victories in South Dakota, Montana, West Virginia, Iowa and Alaska. Many of these states voted for republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012, but had popular democrat incumbent senators who either retired or lost in this year’s wave election.

On election night, candidate Joni Ernst’s victory was the seat that gave Republicans the majority in the Senate. She declared that evening, “We’re going to Washington...Let’s make them squeal” with thunderous applause coming from the crowd. Ernst’s rising national attention has many republicans excited to see her in action in coming years.

Colorado’s senate race also helped the GOP reach their goal of six gains that evening, with candidate Cory Gardner winning a race that experts suggested as safely democrat. “Tonight, we shook up the Senate. You shook up the Senate” Gardner told the crowd on election night after the projection for his victory came out.

The Senate result from Alaska came out on Nov. 12, after several days of vote counting gave Republican Dan Sullivan a slim, but important seat for the GOP’s new senate majority.

Of all the races election night, the Virginia Senate race ended up being the surprisingly close race. Republican Ed Gillespie nearly defeated once popular incumbent democrat Mark Warner. Several pundits have argued that the closeness of this race alone proves how big the republican wave truly was.

Several unexpected gubernatorial gains were brought to republicans on election night as well, with gains in democratic strongholds Maryland, Massachusetts, and Illinois. Another governor’s mansion was won in Arkansas, even after the democratic challenger brought in favorite son Bill Clinton to help campaign for him. Republicans did lose one gubernatorial seat, Pennsylvania, but held on to competitive seats in Michigan, Maine, Wisconsin, and the biggest swing state, Florida.

In the House, republicans also gained new seats in numerous districts with either democrat incumbents or districts that voted for Obama. In Utah’s 4th congressional district, the election of Mia Love brought the first black woman to ever represent the Republican party into the U.S. congress. In her historic speech, Love announced she “will return power back to the people and away from Washington” once she starts her term in office. Seats in Colorado and Virginia that were heavily targeted by democrats also stayed in republican hands election night.

Although there are not clear goals for the next congress, most republicans hope to make inroads in passing the keystone XL pipeline bill, corporate tax reform, and attempting to stop Obamacare. It looks like the President will be using the power of veto quite often for the next two years. Now both republicans and democrats will begin assigning leadership roles and creating legislation.

Gettin Your Lunch from Jamie Hollander

Madison Walsh

Staff Writer

It was surprising to hear that out of the 530 enrolled in New Hope-Solebury, a mere 13 students total took advantage of the Jamie Hollander lunch special offered on the last Friday of every month.

 Promised by the student government of the 2014-15 school year, all high school students are eligible for the opportunity to order from a select menu of the Jamie Hollander lunches on the last Friday of every month. While many people initially reported excited for this addition to our lunch menu, there was a major decline of people who actually took advantage of the opportunity.

 Students who did happen to order appeared to be exceptionally happy with their choice. A fan favorite of the selected menu choices was the turkey sandwich, which came with chips. Student Avery Jones reported, “I was really happy with my lunch.”

 According to Jones, an actual member of the student government, the process of attaining the lunch went smoothly and no complications of the receiving meal occurred.

 “The price was acceptable for not only the quality, but for the quantity too,” Jones claimed.

The meal itself costs $10.00 and a drink costs extra. The options for a lunch include a turkey sandwich or a tomato, mozzarella, and basil sandwich. Chips also come complimentary with your meal. Although the cost may seem a bit much for just one meal, they promise quality, quantity, efficiency in getting your meal.

 So, what are you waiting for? Go pick up a form as soon as they are available, deliver it to the office, and prepare to pick up your delicious sandwich in the lobby on your way to lunch on this special day!

Holiday Festivities in Peddlers Village

Karli Burns

Staff Writer

On Friday, Nov. 21, in Peddler’s Village at 6:15 P.M, it is the kickoff of the holiday season with the light show known as the Grand Illumination.

 “I went last year to see the Grand Illumination and it was so pretty; however, it was very crowded but definitely worth seeing,” said by Junior Madison Walsh.

 The Grand Illumination is free admission along with free parking and all stores will stay open till 10:00 P.M. There are free drinks such as cider as well as a marshmallow toasting that night. Many stores also have specials, discounts and promotions

 Other festivities happening in Peddler’s Village is the Christmas Festival on Dec. 6, from 10:00 A.M to 8:00 P.M and on Dec. 7th from 10:00 A.M to 6:00 P.M. There will be live entertainment along with free food, and a kick-off parade on Saturday to start off the weekend.   

 Lastly, there will also be a Gingerbread Competition and Display up until Jan. 3. The categories are Traditional, and Authentic Reproduction of a Significant Building. There are two  competitions, a students one (ages 13 to 18) and a kids one (ages 12 and under). The competitions offer over $3,400 in cash prizes. All these festivities are a great way to spend time with family and friends over the holiday season and a way to get involved in the community.  

Senorit15

Chloe Verwiel

Staff Writer

A disease is spreading the hallways of New Hope-Solebury High School. However, it is only targeting one fourth of the population. As the 2014-2015 school year continues, more and more are being diagnosed. This disease is known as senioritis.

 The disease is only targeting the seniors. They start the year doubting that it is actually a real thing. When they start to believe in it, they promise themselves that they will not get it. However, as college applications are sent out and college acceptance letters start rolling in, senioritis gets hard to resist.

 “I am waiting for the day it kicks in,” senior Zoe Russeck says as she notices seniors around her getting senioritis, slowly but surely.

 Senioritis starts with students getting sloppy with homework and assignments. They start to procrastinate everything and maybe even hand in an assignment or two late. Next, they lose motivation to come to school, barely dragging themselves in every morning. It gets harder and harder for them to concentrate. The incentive to work slowly decreases as the year drags on.

 Many seniors are experiencing these symptoms.

 Senior Kalie Berman explain how senioritis has affected her, “Every morning I can barely find motivation to get out of bed and every night I can barely find motivation to do my homework. I get lazier and lazier as the year goes on,” she states.

 There is only one way to cure this disease: graduation. Senioritis drags on and on till the day students are handed their high school diploma. Till then, the class of 2015 will continue to be diagnosed with and suffering from senioritis. Best of luck to all the seniors with seniorit15!

Marysville Shooting is the latest in a series of school shootings

Chris Brady

Staff Writer

In the past few years there has been a rash of inexplicable school shootings resulting in the loss of numerous innocent lives. The most recent case of this took place in the Marysville-Pilchuck High School cafeteria, ending in the death of two friends, and wounding four others. The shooting took place last friday, when Jaylen Fryberg texted five of his friends to meet him for lunch. Once they were situated in the school cafeteria, Fryberg opened fire, eventually taking his own life. The weapon was illegally obtained and registered to a relative’s name. There are still many questions surrounding Fryberg’s motive or how he came to have the .40 caliber handgun.  

This most recent shooting raises questions about gun laws and if they are effective. The investigation is likely to take months, with no sign of a note or any clues as to what prompted the attack. Most of these school shootings seem to follow a pattern: Fryberg was considered a “golden child”, he was well liked by all and a member of the football team. A week before the incident, he was crowned freshman homecoming prince, and many believed he would become leader of the Tulalip Tribes. The school is small, and close-knit, all involved in the incident were such close friends they were almost family. Some speculate he was having trouble with a girl, but nobody knows for sure. 

A teacher in a nearby office heard the shots and came running immediately. She saw the kids on the ground and ran toward the shooter. At that point, Fryberg committed suicide. In the aftermath of the shooting, the Marysville School District provided meetings to inform parents of what happened, and provide support for families.      

Obama Speaks Out on Net Neutrality

Jake Smith

Staff Writer

President Obama released a statement on November 10 regarding net neutrality in which he urged the Federal Communications Commission to “implement the strongest possible rules to protect net neutrality.”

  Net neutrality has been a hotly contested debate between the public and tech giants like Google, against internet service providers like Comcast and Verizon. If net neutrality is not upheld, Comcast and Verizon would be able to restrict the internet speeds on certain websites, forcing companies to pay money for faster speeds. A situation like this would favor larger companies able to pay the “bribe” and limit the growth of smaller companies residing on the internet.

 President Obama called for Title II of the Telecommunications Act to be applied to internet service providers. An application of Title II would regulate paid prioritization and prevent service providers from intentionally slowing internet speeds. Companies like Comcast, Verizon, and Time Warner Cable have spoken out on the issue. Comcast has publicly stated they support net neutrality but do not want Title II of the Telecommunications act to be applied. Comcast, and other service providers, would much rather have Section 706 of the act applied because the FCC would only be able to impose lighter regulations.

 In the past when the FCC imposed rules on net neutrality, federal courts determined they did not have the power to force I.S.P.s to treat all traffic equally. The courts ruled in favor of service providers because the are not classified as common carriers, who are required to pass information through their networks without preference.

 It will be difficult to predict how the FCC will choose to attack net neutrality this time around, but with the support of the president, the future of an open internet looks bright for users.  

NHS Students learn not to take chocolate chips for granted

Spencer Tinkel

Features Editor

In an unbelievable recurrence, the New Hope-Solebury cafeteria has once again taken away the original chocolate cookies and have replaced them with much smaller, less appetizing cookies.

 This is not the first time the chocolate chip cookies have been replaced, as last year, in a shocking discovery, the original cookies were taken off the market until they were brought back after students showed their anger towards the new, smaller cookies. In a classic “don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone” event (shout to all the Cinderella fans out there), students at New Hope-Solebury did not know how much the “good” chocolate chip cookies meant to them.

 “I took them for granted. They were so good and I thought to myself, ‘There’s no way something so good would be taken away from the students.’ I was shocked last year when the cookies were taken away, and I’m even more shocked this time around considering how much anguish was created within the student body last year when the cookies were taken away,” stated a solemn, anonymous New Hope-Solebury High School student.

 However, there are other options at lunch when contemplating dessert such as: sugar cookies, ice cream frozen treats, a piece of cake, or a 100 calorie Keebler Elves cookie pack. Yet, to the students at New Hope-Solebury, no other dessert can compare to the original chocolate chip cookie.

 “If you like chocolate, the original chocolate chip cookies were the way to go. The ice cream options are just too expensive and the sugar cookies don’t have the chocolate we want. And let’s be honest, it would take like three 100 calorie Keebler Elves cookies packs to satisfy any sort of sweet tooth. For 80 cents, I was able to get one of the best cookies, and now it’s all gone,” a distraught Matt Steele had to say.

 Clearly, the original chocolate chip cookies were friendly to the stomach and the wallet. As the school moves closer to Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, it will be interesting to see whether or not the school and the cafeteria open up their hearts and bring back the “good” chocolate chip cookies.

 “It’s absurd to think that they took them away once. But a second time? That’s mayhem. Absolute mayhem. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to bring back the greatest cookies that have ever been made here at New Hope-Solebury High School,” Ken Fest had to add.

 New Hope students can only hope that the cookies will end up back on the shelves. For the Class of 2015, time is winding down, which means with each passing day, one more day goes by without the “good” chocolate chip cookies.

 Ken Fest also added, “Not only did they take away from our lunch, but now they're taking away from our tradition.”

New Hope-Solebury "Leis" Off Drugs

Hannah Mui

Staff Writer

  New Hope-Solebury joined thousands of other schools across the nation in celebrating Red Ribbon Week from October 23 through 31. Since the start of elementary school New Hope-Solebury students have been signing the pledge to be drug-free. Red Ribbon Week began in 1985 after the murder of Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Enrique Camarena. Camarena was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by Mexican drug trafficker  After Camarena’s death, citizens from his hometown Calexico, California created red ribbons in honor of him. Eventually, the red ribbon became the symbol for the prevention of illegal drugs.

  Since, then the prevention of illegal drugs has grown larger each year. Now, schools all across America help to honor Agent Camarena and spread awareness of the dangers of illegal drug usage. New Hope-Solebury started off the week strong on Tuesday by wearing team sports gear in hopes to “team up against drugs.” On Wednesday, students and faculty came to school dressed in Hawaiian apparel to “lei off drugs.” Thursday was “staying drug-free is no sweat” day and almost all students wore sweatpants and sweatshirts to show their support to be drug-free. On Friday, Halloween, students “scared away drugs” by dressing in their Halloween costumes.

  Throughout the week two large posters stood in the main lobby. These posters informed students about the dangers of alcohol and marijuana. Also cards were passed out that showed students how to say “no” to underage drinking and the smoking of marijuana.

U.S. Army Personnel Quarantined in Italy

Hannah Loesch

Staff Writer

U.S. Army personnel are being quarantined in their home base in Vicenza, Italy, after returning from the Ebola hot zone of Liberia.

The American troops cannot have physical contact with their families and friends, and medical staff are being so cautious in an attempt to keep the virus contained that their plastic forks are being burned after each use.

According to Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams, none of his team in “controlled monitoring” have shown any symptoms so far. As of October 28, the troops are on day three of the 21-day quarantine period.

But armed forces quarantined in Italy have high spirits and are proud of their work to fight  the "silent enemy" of Ebola.

"The morale is high and very comfortable with the contribution we made," said Williams, commander of U.S. Army forces in Africa, who spoke to CNN via military video conference from within the isolation area.

Williams added that 75 more service members will return this week to quarantine on the base.

The military’s mobile Ebola-testing labs are top-priority in the Pentagon's effort to help the Ebola outbreak, according to Williams.

The decision to put the American soldiers returning from Liberia into quarantine in Italy rather than in the United States has been somewhat controversial in Italy.

According to Luca Zaia, the president of the region’s assembly, "They shouldn't have been sent here, they should do their quarantine for Ebola at home." He added that "it would have been more respectful [of the United States to have] thought about the risks posed to local citizens."

Currently, West Africa is the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, which has killed nearly 5,000 people. The often lethal virus is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person displaying symptoms.

Hope and Sole Cafe Gets an Upgrade

Brooke Black & Taylor Selbst

Staff Writers

Hope and Sole was the newest addition to our school last year, but it  has just been renovated and improved. A lot of hard work and time was put into the cafe to make it more convenient for everyone  in the high school. Each morning students come to Hope and Sole before first period and treat themselves to a variety of hot or cold beverages and now a huge selection of breakfast foods.

The Hope and Sole Cafe is no longer just a place for breakfast bars. They have added bagel as well as breakfast sandwiches. Students should take advantage of the new products being sold. The more Hope and Sole sells, the bigger their opportunity for adding more tasty menu items down the road. Sophomore Danny Doherty says: “Everything sold at Hope and Sole is scrumdidlyumptious!”

Hope and Sole was a great success from the start and it is only expected to become a bigger success. Don’t miss the chance to go because everyone is talking about it. Many high school students don’t have the time in the morning to make breakfast at home so the Hope and Sole cafe is convenient to everybody.

Chipotle Rolls Into Doylestown

Danny Doherty & Tommy Lupo

Staff Writers

A little more than a year ago, the Borough Council of Doylestown voted unanimously to install a Chipotle restaurant on North Main Street. The addition to one of the most popular and growing fast-food chains in America will be a big boost of revenue for all shops in the area.

The company which was founded in 1993 has gained an extreme popularity in the last few years with the younger crowd, as well as anybody who wants some incredible mexican food. It is the second Chipotle in the area, the first one being in Warrington in the Valley Square Shopping Center. A hike for most New Hope students, the new location will provide a quicker way to snack on their favorite burrito, taco, or salad.

 Connor Smith said about the recent addition, “Chipotle is my favorite restaurant around. My last trip was by far my best yet. The burrito included white rice, black beans, chicken and steak (this is the key), corn, sour cream, and guac.”

 Junior Steve Ratigan noted another benefit of the new Chipotle: “This is going save a ton of gas!”

 Steve’s favorite Chipotle meal includes a steak burrito with white rice, mild salsa, guac, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sour cream. A side of chips and guacamole are the perfect accompaniment for this amazing dish.

 In the minds of students and teachers, this is the best addition to our area since the addition of Giuseppe’s.

 Without a doubt, the new Chipotle will create a stir in Doylestown, causing the economy in stores around it to blossom. Before it was Burger King’s chicken fries, or possibly McDonald’s snack wraps, but Chipotle now has a hold of the reins and it is in their power to deliver the food to our mouths that we rave about.

Parents of Shooting Victim Offer Son's Killer a Home and a Job

Cailin Loesch

Staff Writer

Christopher Bazar, who shot and killed his best friend, Donald St. Laurent II, 29, back in 2011, has been offered a home and a job by the parents of the victim.

Bazar, who confessed that he was drunk and high at the time of the shooting, has long been supported in court by the parents of St.Laurent II, who consider him to be ‘like a son’.

Just minutes after the shooting, Bazar “sobbed uncontrollably” while on the phone with a 911 operator, frantically recalling what happened. He later said he had been drinking and smoking marijuana that night.

Bazar, now 30, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was initially sentenced to four to 10 years in prison. His sentence was reduced, however, after the parents of the victim begged the judge to lessen his punishment.

With only a few weeks left until Bazar is released from prison, Deborah and Donald St. Laurent continue to speak in favor of the killer. 'My son loved him, and I know it was an accident,’ said Deborah.

Once he is released, Bazar will move in with Deborah St. Laurent, in her home in Nashua. Donald St. Laurent will give him a roofing job at his construction company.

'It's the end of a long road and the beginning of a new one,' Bazar said, according to WMUR. ‘It's a good day. It's a great day.'

'Prison saved my life,' Bazar added. 'I’m very lucky, in an unlucky way.'

When asked about her motive to bring Bazar into her care, Deborah St. Laurent was self-assured.

'I know that this is what my son would want me to do.”

New Hope Students Prepare to Swarm Doylestown Chipotle

On November 7, 2014, well-known fast-casual mexican restaurant, Chipotle, will be opening a new location 569 N. Main St. in Doylestown, PA. Awaiting the opening, New Hope students are anxious to try and compare the food and atmosphere of this new location to other locations close by. 

When the creator of Chipotle, Steve Ells opened his first restaurant, he thought it would be the last. Although they are now considered a chain with over 1,300 locations, Chipotle still dedicates themselves to remaking the fast food industry through their “Food With Integrity” principle. 

Between their tasty food, fast and friendly service and overall atmosphere, Chipotle has become a favorite eating destination for students of New Hope-Solebury School district. Unfortunately, the closest venue in the past has been the Warrington Chipotle, located in the Valley Square Shopping Center, which is approximately a 25-40 minute drive, depending on traffic.

Now, with the opening of the Doylestown Chipotle, which is estimated to be about a 22 minute drive from school, students can cut down on the time and gas it takes to get to one of their favorite restaurants.

Students Prepare for Halloween

With October 31 approaching rapidly, students are now finalizing their costumes and making their plans for the nights of Halloween and mischief night. This year, Halloween is on a Friday, which gives students much more freedom in terms of making plans and celebrating the holiday. We asked the students of New Hope what their plans for the two nights were and the responded with the following information.
  13% of students were looking forward to mischief night more than they were looking forward to Halloween. 87% of students are more excited for Halloween out of the two nights. From this information, one could infer that mischief night will not be largely participated in by the students of New Hope. Still,families should be cautious of trespassers, and mischievous activities occurring on Oct. 30. We wish all students participating in mischief night a safe evening, and we warn all others and their families to be alert.
  The vast majority of the school will be participating in Halloween in some way, being that only 2% of students answered saying that they did not have any plans for Halloween. 70% of students planned on attending a Halloween party, 20% planned on going trick or treating, 8% planned on handing out candy to trick or treaters, and 2% said they were doing nothing.
  During the school day, students are being asked to dress up in their Halloween costumes to “scare away drugs” for the finale of Red Ribbon Week. Of all of the students asked what they were dressing up as for Halloween, 30% of students were wearing a scary or Halloween themed costume. Regardless of whether or not an individual’s costume is scary, students should dress up to show support for Red Ribbon week and to be spirited on the holiday.
  This year there are many fun activities that you can do, and many other peers to celebrate the holiday with. No matter how you chose to celebrate, have a fun, safe, and spirited Halloween.

New Regulations End Popular Food Sales at NHS

Anna Sirianni

Staff Writer

 Students are chattering about a rumored new law that affects New Hope-Solebury High School. This law has prevented the sale of certain snacks during the school day.

 The Future Business Leaders of America’s pretzel sales, National Honors Society’s snack stand, Junior Class’ Donut Wednesdays, and more clubs’ popular food sales were all abruptly halted for the 2014-15 school year due to the new rule. The infamous law, enacted in June 2014 by the United States Department of Agriculture, is taking course under terms to create a, “Healthier School Day.”

 National regulations have been set regarding the nutritional aspects of foods sold as fundraisers, or any foods not sold during a lunch period from the school itself. The rule remains in place for 30 minutes after the end of every school day; at NH-S, this is until 3 p.m. Among several other specific regulations, snack items sold must have equal to or less than 200 calories and be either rich in whole grains or have a fruit, vegetable, dairy product, or protein as its first ingredient. These requirements eliminate the existence of many annual food sales at NH-S.

 The junior class student government is scrambling to raise funds for Prom 2015, and is considering off campus fundraisers that don’t occur during school hours, such as last year’s Chipotle fundraiser, or a Five Guys fundraiser. Fundraising tactics involving food have proven to be most popular among students.

 National Honor Society President MacKenzie Cavanaugh believes that the “Healthier School Day,” is overall “beneficial to our school,”  but the NHS was “given no advance notice of these policy changes...we have to scramble to find other ways to fundraise. We are also left with all our extra snack stand supplies that we are now no longer allowed to sell."

 The law does, however, allow each state to designate a set number of days when school fundraisers can occur that do not follow the determined health guidelines.

 Cavanaugh states that, “students are going to eat junk food no matter what, especially since the vending machines are still operating just down the hall."

 The USDA’s new rule may be somewhat beneficial, but it isn’t solving any major problems regarding student health.

 Cavanaugh, along with her classmates, are questioning if the United States government should have such a substantial role in students’ health, since it already holds a strong stance on what schools provide for lunch. Whether or not it is politically ethical to interfere with snacks being sold in school, New Hope-Solebury must cope with the USDA’s “Smart Snacks in Schools” regulations for the 2014-15 academic year and beyond.

A New Fall Tradition for NHS?

Chloe Verwiel

Staff Writer

  It was a busy week at New Hope-Solebury High School. However, the week was coming to an end on Saturday Night, with the homecoming dance. Before the big dance, there was one last event: the Fall Fest. From 11 to 3, in the field next to the stadium, student government held their first annual fall fest. Each club and team was in charge of setting up a booth. There was a huge variety in the stands. Some did food sales, selling foods such as baked goods, pretzels, and caramel apples. Meanwhile, other groups held activities. Guests could decorate pumpkins, smash pumpkins, or try to win a pet gold fish. These were just some of the many things that people in the community could pay to participate in. “There were a lot of good stands and it was a great chance for all the clubs to raise money. Hope the tradition continues next year,” commented Bailey Hendricks. All the money raised went to whichever team was running the booth. Overall, it was a fun way for teams and clubs to raise money.

  Meanwhile, the junior class was having a fundraiser of their own. High school students were getting intense at the volleyball tournament. Three courts were set up on the field for the eleven teams to battle it out. At the end of the event, New Hope Fitness was crowned the champions. Fall Fest turned out to be  an exciting day for the students and community of New Hope-Solebury High School. Everyone had smiles on their faces while fundraising and had a great time!

New Hope’s Best News, Now Online

Lexi Anderson

Staff Writer

 Between groundbreaking world news to exciting local stories, the New Hope Solebury Lion’s Tale covers it all, and now with the online news website, access to the school’s paper has never been easier.   

  New Hope Solebury High School’s journalism students are hard at work covering all the best stories. But have you ever missed picking up the paper? Or maybe you want to browse through the stories on our new one to one devices? Luckily, our paper is available online. Readers have all access to the Lion’s Tale via the high school’s website. Simply go to www.nhsd.org, click high school under the “school” tab, and finally click on the newspaper picture located on the left side of the screen. Claire Dougherty, a member of the Lion’s Tale Staff, is excited over the website and states that, “it’s great and really convenient.” Staff writer Savannah Herring continues with the positivity by saying “all the latest stories will be posted on the website as soon as they’re ready,” a reassuring thought. Navigate through the different topics: news, features, opinions, arts & entertainment, sports, videos, and polls. There’s sure to be something that draws your attention. It’s a great new advance for our Lion’s Tale.

New Hope's First Annual Fall Fest Set to Replace Homecoming Parade

Mackenzie Garvin

Staff Writer

Over the past few years, New Hope-Solebury High School has held a parade on the Saturday morning of homecoming weekend featuring the school’s sports teams and clubs. Due to the recent cancellation of this year’s parade due to a lack of student interest and money for security, NHS Student government has created the idea of Fall Fest.

While the parade honored the students and faculty of New Hope-Solebury, the Homecoming Parade also created an event that the entire community participated in and enjoyed. Fall Fest is another event we can hold in order to bring the members of the school and the community together.

Weather depending, Fall Fest should be held outside on the main street soccer field where people can walk around to the different student run stands and activities. Some stands that will be included is the selling of hot chocolate, face painting and a volleyball tournament.

Homecoming is a week filled with fun events that aims to celebrate the start of a new school year. This year, homecoming is starting on Monday, Oct.13, and ending that Saturday, Oct. 18, with a dance starting at 7 p.m.

Plenty of Spirited Activities Set for Homecoming Week

Toni Suler & Bailey Jaronski

Staff Writers

 It's the start of a new school year, which means homecoming is right around the corner. October 12th is Homecoming Week, which means special activities will be happening each day!

 From intense sports matches to a laid back, friendly volleyball tournament on the weekend, Homecoming Week will be a fun-filled experience. To start off the week, field hockey has a 7 pm night game against Jenkintown.  Also on October 14th, the Girls’ volleyball has a home game against Mast Charter. Girls’ soccer takes on Christopher Dock at 7 pm  at home on the 15th. The week is not over yet; Boys’ soccer  plays against Princeton Day School on home turf at 6 pm. Last but not least, the boys’ football ends the week with a home game at 7 pm. With the week over, students will now get to enjoy weekend festivities. On Saturday, Oct. 18, there is a volleyball tournament at the high school from 11 am to 2 pm. Friends can get together to form a team to challenge their classmates in a game of volleyball. Then kids will go home, shower, and rest up so they can gain energy for the Homecoming Dance later that night from 7 to 10 pm (located in the middle school gym).

 Homecoming week is a time for students to get back into the swing of a new school year and bond with their fellow classmates. Make sure you go out and participate in the festivities! After all, it’s supposed to be an exciting week!

Indian spaceship orbits Mars and surpasses all other Asian nations in space exploration

Max Wagner

Staff Writer

On Dec. 2, 2013 India became first Asian nation to successfully launch a spacecraft that broke through Earth's orbit on its way to the red planet, Mars.

 On Sept. 24, 2014 India’s $72 million mission achieved its goal to orbit Mars. India triumphed in its first interplanetary mission, placing a satellite into orbit around Mars, catapulting the country into an elite club of deep-space explorers that includes the United States, Russia, China, and Elon Musk.

 Scientists broke into wild cheers as the orbiter's engines completed 24 minutes of burn time to maneuver the spacecraft into its designated place around the red planet.

 While this is a remarkable achievement for the nation of 1.2 billion. India, which possesses almost 1/7 of the world’s population, is still a low income country with an average wage of less than $400 per year. From a financial standpoint, the mission was the cheapest ever as Indian scientists relied on technologies they had used before and as Earth 2 Orbit’s Amaresh Kollipara said to NPR: “It’s essentially buying a Honda Civic versus buying a Mercedes S-Class.” The Indian craft has fewer cameras than the type of craft NASA would use.