In the midst of the brave individuals that have called out and spoken up about sexual assault (SA) in our McCaskey community, it is more important than ever to believe and support them. Speaking up about rape or SA is not something that comes easily. There are times where the individual will feel alone, depressed, and not speak up because, “who would believe me?” It … Continue reading How Should We Talk About Sexual Assault?
Wednesday’s active shooter training had McCaskey students abuzz with opinions. Two weeks after a Michigan school shooting killed four high schoolers, and in the wake of multiple shooting threats in our own community, fear of a school shooting is at the forefront of our minds once again. This has reignited debates about how to best prepare for a school shooting, and the ethics of said … Continue reading Active Shooter Drills Do More Harm than Good
Education is essential to ensure that a child has a successful future. But, how can you expect black students to excel if they don’t feel as though school is a safe environment for them? First off, it’s not the black community’s responsibility to explain why the n-word should not be used by non-black individuals. By now, most of us should know the harmful history behind … Continue reading (Obviously) Teachers Should Not Use Racial Slurs
As October comes to a close, so are McCaskey’s fall sports. Although a few teams such as boy’s soccer are going into playoffs, it’s time to look ahead to the winter sports season. Last year, winter sports occurred under heavy pandemic restrictions, so teams are looking forward to an increased sense of normality this season. The McCaskey girls wrestling team is especially excited, McCaskey having … Continue reading It’s Almost Time for McCaskey Winter Sports
Image credit: Molly S. Photography In the summer of 2021, Starleisha Gingrich was hired to direct McCaskey’s 2021 fall play. It’s a dream come true for the actor, director, and current education and outreach coordinator of the Fulton Theatre, who has wanted to work at McCaskey ever since she moved to Lancaster in 2015. “I love directing in general,” says Starleisha, “but directing high school … Continue reading Accurate Representation in Theatre: the Mission of McCaskey Fall Play Director Starleisha Gingrich
Cassidy Reddig is a 25 year old from Ephrata with a passion for pushing herself in all fields. This past year, she joined the teaching staff of McCaskey High School as an honors and IB history teacher. In high school, Reddig took every higher level class available to her, participating in swimming and soccer, but her main focus has always been teaching. “I wanted to … Continue reading Cassidy Reddig: Ephrata Athlete to McCaskey Teacher
Image Credit: MSC Photographer McCaskey cheerleaders are the school’s pride and joy when it comes to getting our crowd fired up and having school spirit. Sadly, McCaskey will have 12 senior cheerleaders leaving us this year. A few of them gave their thoughts and experiences on what it’s like being a McCaskey cheerleader. As students who represent McCaskey in and out of school, cheerleaders know … Continue reading Saying Goodbye to McCaskey’s Senior Cheerleaders
If you’re a McCaskey student, teacher, or community member, chances are that you have heard of the IB diploma. The internationally recognized program allows students to take college courses while in high school and “aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help create a better and more peaceful world.” Students who decide to pursue this path will graduate with an additional diploma, … Continue reading The Complex Nature of the IB Diploma Program
The 2021-22 school year at McCaskey High School has gotten off to a chaotic start, to say the least. We’ve had bathrooms closed off with spiderwebs of masking tape, broken pipes, sewage problems, and hallways smelling like poop. We’ve had haphazard announcements from the administration explaining new policies. Why? Because of “devious licks.” The “devious licks” trend began on September 1st, 2021, when a student … Continue reading TikTok Trend Plagues Campus with Chaos and Confusion
On Tuesday, August 24, 2021, the entire McCaskey student body came back to school. The conditions were far from ideal: the Coronavirus pandemic, once thought by administrators, teachers and students alike to be a two-week stint, was far from gone. Cases of the virus had been steadily increasing amidst the new and more dangerous Delta variant, and a world that had been mostly maskless just … Continue reading September 2021: McCaskey Perseveres
For me, and many others, this school year has been excruciatingly difficult. Between having a constant flood of assignments and a severe lack of motivation, my junior year has been a rollercoaster. Until now, I’ve always been an A-B student, and it was one of the most frustrating things to experience. Seeing my grade drop but having no motivation to fix it was hard, but … Continue reading What I’ve Learned as a Student during a Global Pandemic
While this school year has been different and nothing close to “normal”, I learned things about myself that may not have come up in any other situation. This school year has brought challenges, learning curves, new opportunities, amazing friends and many other positive things.. I learned things about myself that may not have come up in any other situation. Being on your own the majority … Continue reading 2020-21: a Real Learning Opportunity
This year I learned how to cornrow, distinguish how my laundry should be done correctly, and face my horrendous sleep schedule. But what did this year teach me about myself personally? Well, if you haven’t been able to tell, I’ve been focused on the external things rather than the internal. After acknowledging that this has been going on during this pandemic and possibly before it … Continue reading 2021: a Reflection
2021 was a year of many things. I, like many others, have felt lost this year. I also learned a few things. For starters, it was hard to remember that mostly everyone around the globe was experiencing the same things as me. And this helped me a lot this year, because though I did have a really hard time, everything could always have been worse. … Continue reading Finding Unity in Struggle
This year was a wild ride. I learned many things about myself and who I am, even though my identity is still hazy. This year pushed me a step further to achieving who I want to be. I learned that I needed to change myself, not for others but for myself. I struggled to put consistent effort into being the best version of myself. I … Continue reading Working Towards Self-Love
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