By: Devon Barnes Valerie Gray is more than just your typical McCaskey high school student. She got her start here only a few years ago after moving from the sunny shores of Florida, and isn’t hesitating one bit to make her mark. Valerie’s making sure her senior year goes out with a bang (or two!), setting a shining example for all of her peers. Her … Continue reading Student Profile: Valerie Gray
By Eleni King Martin Along with the excitement of fall sports and the start of the new school year, the fall play is rapidlyapproaching! Our very own theater department is getting ready to perform a hilarious retelling of theclassic, spooky tale of Dracula. Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors is a combination of the tale of Dracula and the humor of classic comedies.It follows the story … Continue reading McCaskey’s Fall Production of Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
By: William Looker-Fenn At J.P. McCaskey High School, there are many students who put their full effort into everything they do. These students can bounce between classes, succeeding in every single one, all while still smiling the entire way through. However, many students do not get to know the faces behind these hard-working students. These extraordinarily successful students deserve a shoutout for all that … Continue reading Student Profile: Dung Huynh
By: Jenny Ward Last March, McCaskey students performed for friends and family the highly anticipated “The Wedding Singer.” The musical, based on the 1998 film, tells the story of Robbie Hart– a wedding singer whose own wedding fails– and how he falls in love with waitress Julia Sullivan The 2025 musical was no different from past years when it comes to the amount of time … Continue reading Celebrating McCaskey’s Big Win at The Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards
By: Sofia Escudero Elisabeth Palacios is known as a kind hearted, hardworking student who is also thoughtfuland open minded, and plays an important role to the McCaskey community. As a senior inMcCaskey and the Vidette Editor, Elisabeth looks forward to spending her last year helping herpeers in McCaskey’s Vidette newspaper class. Most importantly helping her newspaper peersfind their own unique writing style. Around the McCaskey … Continue reading Student Profile: Elisabeth Palacios
By Jociel Colon Sometimes, the most colorful, vibrant, few-in-a-generation person is someone you walk by every day and never really notice. And they might be the same person substituting for your class for a day. One of these people here in our school community has definitely been a popular character among students since his start here at the school. Graduating in the class of 1974 … Continue reading You know Mr. Jones, right?
By Jociel Colon “I hope that I get to reach out to more people and that they feel more comfortable talking to me less as a leader, and more of a friend or a peer, or someone they can resonate with.” Very few people come around with a real passion for helping, including, and understanding- not only their peers in the student body but also … Continue reading Neveah Simson wants her peers to feel cared for
By Nora Schindler Olivia Houde is a junior at McCaskey, and deeply involved in the arts department in many ways. Over her three years here she has built her McCaskey experience on the stable music program we have on campus. Starting in the marching band at the very beginning of high school she worked her way up to drum major throughout her years here and … Continue reading Meet Olivia Houde
By Sofia Escudero Born in Cholula, Mexico, Berenice grew up with her parents and 3 older sisters. “My family was struggling. We had debt, a lot of my neighbors used those blankets that cover trucks as roofs, and we got our water from a well.” Around the age of 6, her mom made the choice to leave her family and go to America on her … Continue reading Asylum seeker: Berenice’s journey
By Caroline Ponticelli Mr. Bixler is McCaskeys brand new Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (AES) teacher, he’s new to McCaskey and the school system as he freshly graduated from Penn State in 2024! Mr. Bixler grew up about 30 minutes outside of Lancaster in a town called East Earl. In college Bixler studied a program called “Agricultural and Extension Education” (a hands-on learning program which specialises … Continue reading Meet Mr. Bixler
By Ada Kessler McCaskey junior Hasset Tesfaye has a plethora of passions. She has a love of films, books, and music. She has a strong interest in learning, especially about African culture and history. She is particularly interested in anything relating to her Ethiopian heritage. However, there is nothing Hasset is more passionate about than helping others. This passion manifests itself most often through community … Continue reading How Hasset Tesfaye is uncovering African American history in Lancaster
By Ada Kessler Elizabeth White, better known by her students as Miss Liz, is one of three social workers at McCaskey High School. Miss Liz has worked at McCaskey for six years and in the social work field as a whole for twenty-five years. Throughout her time in this field, she has predominantly worked in alternative schools. Her work at alternative schools, such as Buerhle, … Continue reading Miss Liz: a steadfast presence in a turbulent world
By Sofia Escudero Born in 1972 in Lima, Peru, Ramon Escudero was the 4th child born of a family of 7. Growing up, he didn’t have much in his life. Whenever his family ate, it was a race for food, never knowing when they would next eat. But he knew that he wanted to make a change in Peru. He worked hard throughout all of … Continue reading From Peru to Lancaster: Ramon’s journey
By Eh Kri Say Meet Jesse Bender! He teaches English for sophomores and freshmen. He has worked as a teacher for 3 years, but it’s his first year here at McCaskey! Before teaching here, he taught at Reading High School for two years. But since he has lived in Lancaster his whole life, he wanted to teach here because of the community. The diversity of … Continue reading Meet Mr. Bender
By Gabriel Brogan Sitting at a dining room table on a Sunday morning, McCaskey senior Annika Locke retains only traces of her larger-than-life stage persona. This year, she took on the lead female role of Julia in McCaskey’s ambitious production of The Wedding Singer. She smiles wistfully. “I only auditioned for Julia. I knew Mrs. Wolanin (the director) would find a place for me no … Continue reading Annika Locke’s illustrious theater career
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