Support the Community With Holiday Cheer

By: Sofia Escudero With the recent administration, there has been a surge in deportations and the Trump administration has had the highest amount of deportations since 2019. Families all over America have been living in fear of possible deportation, whether they are a citizen or not. New policies have been put into place, such as the ability to be detained based on appearances to determine … Continue reading Support the Community With Holiday Cheer

SNAP benefits: How have they affected our student body? 

By: Eleni King Martin During the 43-day government shutdown, SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, were cut for families across the United States. SNAP benefits is a federal funded program directed towards providing families in need with money for food and groceries. This program gives money to families in need, however this money can only be spent towards food and beverages. Food stamps are … Continue reading SNAP benefits: How have they affected our student body? 

PA Budget Withheld: What About McCaskey?

The Pennsylvania State Budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year is being withheld due to an impasse—meaning that the state government was unable to finalize and agree on a budget plan by July 1st. This has caused a plethora of problems statewide, and education was no exception. PA’s public schools have missed out on $3.76 billion in payments just in the span of three months (July, … Continue reading PA Budget Withheld: What About McCaskey?

All About Our Newest IB Class: IB Language and Literature SL

Elisabeth Palacios The International Baccalaureate program here at McCaskey is a highly revered one, and new classes are often being introduced, such as last year’s IB Marine Science course that will be back in rotation next school year. This year, it’s IB English A: Language and Literature.  This is only a one year course, so there is no higher level course to accompany it like … Continue reading All About Our Newest IB Class: IB Language and Literature SL

No Future Nation Without Education

By: Sofia Escudero Across Lancaster, students are speaking out for something bigger than themselves; the future of public education. What started as a Global Politics Internal Assessment turned into a powerful, student-led movement calling attention to the government’s ongoing state budget and funding crisis. On October 8th, students from McCaskey participated in a peaceful walkout organized by junior Thomas McCoy. The goal was simple: to … Continue reading No Future Nation Without Education

McCaskey phones: Ban or No Ban

By Sofia Escudero  Recently schools all over the country have been using YONDER pouches to preventstudents from using their phones. As many administrations believe that this is a way to reducephone use, others disagree. As far as McCaskey goes, views vary. Students in McCaskey overall rather have their phones in their hands for many reasons. Withthe unknown dangers in schools all over America there is … Continue reading McCaskey phones: Ban or No Ban

Meet the New Head Coach of McCaskey Football Dr. Mealy 

By: William Looker-Fenn       Over the years, the J.P. McCaskey High School football team has become notorious for losing. This is exacerbated by the fact that they have had a losing record for the past 14 seasons, with their last winning record being an impressive 7-4 in the 2010-2011 season. However, the 14 straight seasons of losing could not be ignored and this would end … Continue reading Meet the New Head Coach of McCaskey Football Dr. Mealy 

Celebrating McCaskey’s Big Win at The Hershey Theatre Apollo Awards

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

Haim’s new singles spark anticipation for fourth album

By Nora Schindler Made up of three sisters from the San Fernando Valley, the rock band known as Haim is back from a four year release drought and we’re ready. Two singles have arrived on the scene and have started the anticipation for their fourth studio album expected later this year.  No official announcement has been made regarding a new record, but fans are fair … Continue reading Haim’s new singles spark anticipation for fourth album

Wisconsin’s Tale of Anti-Musk Triumph

By Gabriel Brogan Elon Musk has faced his first reckoning with the American people. On April 1st, the Wisconsin Supreme Court race went to liberal candidate Susan Crawford, despite Musk throwing over twenty million dollars behind conservative candidate Brad Schimel, according to BBC News.  It was the most expensive judicial race in history, with 100 million dollars being spent to support candidates in total, according … Continue reading Wisconsin’s Tale of Anti-Musk Triumph

James Malone’s surprise win for PA senate seat

By Gabriel Brogan On March 25th, Democratic State Senate candidate James Malone flipped PA’s 36th senate district blue for the first time since 1890, according to ABC news. Where is the 36th senate district? Right here in Lancaster County. Malone ran against Josh Parsons in a special election triggered by the resignation of republican Ryan Aument last year, who took a position with PA senator … Continue reading James Malone’s surprise win for PA senate seat

Meet Mr. Bixler

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

Annika Locke’s illustrious theater career

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

Which federal employees has DOGE fired under Trump’s “effeciency” efforts?

By Jociel Colon Donald Trump, the 45th and now the 47th President of the United States, has had quite the “welcome back” ceremony since being inaugurated in January, changing the Gulf of Mexico into the Gulf of America, and announcing the abolishment of the Department of Education. Now, with him appointing Elon Musk as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, it seems like … Continue reading Which federal employees has DOGE fired under Trump’s “effeciency” efforts?

A short history of the US government’s attempts to ban TikTok

By Ada Kessler Social media has grown to have a large role in modern day life. In fact, the average person spends roughly 2.5 hours on social media every day according to soax. These social media platforms offer an easy form of communication among not just friends and family, but people all over the world. There are many different social media platforms people can engage … Continue reading A short history of the US government’s attempts to ban TikTok