Right as I stepped into Ms. Polanco’s quaint office she was absorbed in something else. She was moving in and out, going on her phone or one of her computers to do something and informing Mr. Reese of a visitor he was having. She’s been working here for seven years. She met her husband as students at McCaskey and graduated in 2001. Previous to this … Continue reading Attendance Matters: An Interview With Ms. Polanco
As a Senior at McCaskey Oliver Saye had no idea what he was going to do with his life. When given the opportunity to sign up for CTC he browsed through the options; Carpentry, Masonry, Nursing, the list went on. Nothing caught Saye’s eye until he saw Culinary Services. “I cooked in the home growing up, I didn’t know anything about carpentry or masonry, but … Continue reading Chef Turned Historian: The Story of a McCaskey Grad
McCaskey students might seem normal to you. You may look at the student body and view a normal group of students. In my quest to find and befriend truly heroic individuals, I’ve stumbled upon a few truly Enlightened people, who use their profound intellectual fortitude to bring out the best in those around them. Xavier Smith is a Hegelian, Anti-moralist, pantheist alternative educator, who seeks … Continue reading Conversations with an Intellectual: the Xavier Smith Story
After an arduous trek to the D floor from the humanities hallway of JP, I come to room D115 to meet Mrs. Brumbach, a kindly middle-aged language arts teacher. She is standing outside her room already chatting with a student, so I head into her room and take a seat by her desk, on which is propped a light-up “Brumby Loves You” sign. Rachel Brumbach, … Continue reading Mrs. Brumbach Has the Best Job in the World
For McCaskey chemistry teacher Mr. M’Mugambi, America wasn’t always the dream. Growing up in Kenya, he never thought he would take his teaching career to America, but he is grateful that he did. As a recent college graduate teaching in a remote school, Mr. M’Mugambi took a chance when he heard the Philadelphia School District was recruiting teachers from Kenya. He applied as a joke—he … Continue reading Mr. M’Mugambi and the Beauty of Education
Shamani Norales is in her 12th grade year of high school at McCaskey, which comes with various challenges. “It’s not easy to try and balance everything all at once, especially having a life outside of school.” In her free time however, she’s found her escape from the stress of it all with fashion. “I really liked how unique clothes could be; it wasn’t anything you’d … Continue reading Shamani Norales: Passion for Fashion
During the holiday season McCaskey likes to donate to local organizations, embracing traditions new and old. For the first year, the Mitten Tree Project will be run in the JP and East IMCs by one of the school’s new librarians, Mrs. Cashdollar. She got the idea for a mitten tree in McCaskey from other libraries in Lancaster having one; it comes from the children’s book, … Continue reading The McCaskey Way of Giving Back
Image Credit: Gabrielle Mappone At the beginning of the school year, the McCaskey Performing Arts Department set out to put on a production of Murder on the Orient Express. About three weeks into the rehearsal process, however, McCaskey students were faced with the cancellation of the show due to issues with securing the rights to the script. Saddened, the cast and crew said goodbye to … Continue reading Murder on the McCaskey Mainstage: Fall Play Overview
In everyday life at McCaskey High School, students face a problem when it comes to a long-running system between J.P McCaskey and McCaskey East. An issue not only affecting their ability to learn, but their motivation to go to class on time and in general. At McCaskey, ‘traveling’ is the system where you leave four minutes before the bell and walk to another building to … Continue reading Student Traveling: Why Do We Deserve the Change?
Room A124 has, for a long time, been the place where students go to serve in-school suspensions. But it’s not called the ISS room anymore, and it’s got a new teacher: Frank Albrecht, more commonly known as Brother Albrecht. “I don’t think Dr. Reese was taking a gamble of putting me down here, but he was thinking outside of the box,” said Albrecht. His … Continue reading Reflection in Suspension: Brother Albrecht’s Impact on ISS at McCaskey
Image Credit: WMCC’s Hector Martinez Rewards are a big part of our lives. We go to work to get paid, we eat better to be healthy, and we keep up with hygiene to stay clean. In the same way, students are expected to go to school and learn in order to be successful. For some students, however, the natural reward of learning is not enough … Continue reading PBIS Points: Practical or Pointless?
A lot of rules we have to follow may seem like an annoying waste of time. Administrators in the halls can seem like they’re nitpicking or chastising students for no reason. It’s obvious that many rules exist for good for a purpose, like rules against illegal activity or hate speech in the classroom. The motive behind others however, may seem unclear. Why do we have … Continue reading Why Do We Have So Many Rules?
This article was written by Vidette Staff member Ellery Cravey. Over the years, McCaskey has had a multitude of clubs that pertain to certain activities and hobbies. However, there’s a particular club that is relatively new, and has piqued the interest of many. It doesn’t revolve around fun activities; in fact, this club talks about scary, but very real, topics. It’s called the Sexual Assualt … Continue reading SAAY Club: Spreading Awareness of Sexual Assault
There are various advanced courses offered at McCaskey High School, such as honors, AP, and IB classes. As an AP and honors student, my classmates and I have noticed an obvious lack of diversity in some of the advanced courses. This is seemingly more so an issue in J.P McCaskey rather than East- this being something I discovered talking with fellow classmates and teachers. I … Continue reading Advanced Courses Lack Racial Diversity
McCaskey High School currently has an attendance rate just above 90%. Of absences, most are unexcused. And over 50% of them come from freshmen, said Kathy Lutz, an Assistant Principal at the high school. “When ninth graders come in, they don’t understand that this is the real deal here,” said Thomas Toczek, a guidance counselor at East. “You have to get credits to move on … Continue reading McCaskey Has an Attendance Problem
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