Tuesday, December 2, 2014

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!