February

2021

Volume 2
	
Issue 5

STEELER Nation News

Thoughts on Black History Month and FHS stu-
Focus on Academics
	2
	
Tech Spotlight / Stey-Nevant Library
	3
	
African American Business / Hair
	4
	
Black Heroes
	5
	
Softball / Survey
	6
	
SNN Staff / Special Interest
	7
	
Valen-tings
	8
	
dents honor heroes through artistic expression	Inside this Issue

By ISAAC HUSBAND
Black History Month is a monumental celebration of

freedom and history. We use Black History Month as a means of remembering African American people and related events in his-tory. We need to dedicate this time to learn that treating people differently due to their skin color is wrong to do as seen in past failures. The United States, along with many other countries, celebrate Black History Month. In the US, General Ford oficially recognized it in 1976, and it was made oficial in the United King-dom in 1987, with other countries following soon after.
There is a theme for Black History Month each year, that recognizes what Afri-
can Americans have done for the country or	Above, Maya Ange-to spread awareness about what is happen-	lou, by Neveah
ing. This year's theme is, “The Black Family:	King, left, MLK Jr.
below, Chadwick
Representation, Identity, and Diversity.” This	by Cheyenne Felix, month is about fighting stereotypes and racial

ery.
bias that originated as or are a result of slav-	Boseman/T’Challa This year's celebration of Black His-	by Marcus Green.
tory Month may look a little different locally, with COVID restrictions still affecting our com-munity and schools. The elementary school is
“No act of kindness, no matter
how small, is ever wasted.” ~ Ae-
sop ~ Random Act of Kindness
day was Feb. 17. Don’t wait until
doing their annual reading, where they have someone from the community read a poem or piece of literature over the loudspeaker. In past years, the school has had people such as superintendents, mayors, and other key figures in the commu-nity read in person, but this year they will be doing it virtually.
next year, show kindness today!
FASD Survey participants
In the high school, several classes explore various themes of Black History, including the Art project examples on this page. Art students completed a study of a Black Hero,
on importance of honoring
including a significant quotation and a reverse painting on	STEELER Nation News acetate (transparency film). This project and others are                                                                                                                      Staff Writers highlighted throughout this issue of SNN.                                       Black History:                                    Photographers

Photo credit: Mrs. Munnal
Rosa Parks by Makyah Burns, Mary Jackson by Tyleigh Stinedurf.

“I feel that teaching and honoring African Americans from the past is extremely im-portant to discuss, not just in February, but all through the year. It is important to under-stand the struggles they went through and adversity that they have had to overcome and still overcome everyday.”
~Principal, Mr. Fowler	Continued p. 6

History.comEditors.(2010, January 14). Black history Month. Retrieved Febru-ary 18, 2021, fromhttps://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month’Blackhistory themes. (n.d.).Retrieved February 18, 2021,

Arianna Blanchard Isaac Husband Jacara Green Jaden Harrison
Anthony Jackson, 10 Jordan Jones Tylajea Karkoska Malachi Shepherd Michelle Stubbs

Volume 2 Issue 5	Page 1

Gary commits to Duquesne	Francophone African Studies

Photo credit: Mr. Fowler
French students, levels I-IV, honor African American History via exploration of the Francophone African Nation of Senegal. Students looked at the country’s colonial past, Gorée Island House of Slaves - a symbolic last stop for Africans forced into slavery in America and the Caribbean, to the modern day construction of the tallest monument in Africa: The African Renaissance Monument.

Students read, translated, interpreted and analyzed the poem, “Poème à mon frère blanc,” by former Senegalese President and au-thor, Leopold Sedar Senghor. They identified traditional literary devices such as repetition and literal versus figurative language in French. Eng-lish discussion consisted of tackling the poem themes of Black identity, race, and prejudice.

Cher frère blanc
Dear White Brother
(English translation)
When I was born, I
Quand je suis né, j’étais noir, Quand j’ai grandi, j’étais noir, Quand je suis au soleil, je suis noir,
Quand je mourrai, je serai noir.
When I grew up, I was black,
In a February ceremony, Senior, Gary Satterwhite, com-	Quand je suis malade, je suis noir,	was black,
Mrs. Smith’s Senior Sonnets
When I am sick, I am black,
When I die, I will be black.
mitted to Duquesne University. Good Luck Gary!	Tandis que toi, homme blanc,	When I am in the sun, I am black, Quand tu es né, tu étais rose,
Quand tu as grandi, tu étais blanc,
Quand tu as froid, tu es bleu,
Honor Class Students conclude Shakespearean Sonnet study	Quand tu vas au soleil, tu es rouge, While you, white man,
Quand tu as peur, tu es vert,
Quand tu es malade, tu es jaune,
One’s Desire
with the composition of their own Shakespearean Sonnets.	When you were born, you were pink, When you grew up, you were white,
When you are cold, you are blue,
By: Brice Butler	Quand tu mourras, tu seras gris.	When you go in the sun, you are red,
Alors, de nous deux,
Qui est l’homme de couleur ?
When you die, you will be grey.
Thy game of love we intimately know	When you are scared, you are green, It's laws and fate mastered by one's heart;	When you are sick, you are yellow, Therefore, I ask to be your only beau

So, between you and me,
Who is the colored man?
With devotions that no other could impart. These feelings that hold weight in my chest Should furthermore in your soul be grown;
I promise these oaths, most sincerely expressed, To make my buried desires truly known:
That never shall I abandon from thy side, Nor do I ever intend to sadden you hence, Nor will the day ascend that damaged pride Could surge from some unfaithful dalliance.
Taidon Strickland, Keyonna Lock-
My demeanor leaves your face unblemished by tears,
My Internal Monologue:
Confident that our future can remain clear.	hart (above), Jeremiah Jones, Jhailyn Richardson, Kennedy
Artists at work...
My Unamusement Towards Dating	Johnson illustrate the poem. By: Faith Zagotti

For I have had a few people question, Nosy, why I don’t date as a zoomer.
They have a far wondering perception,	From left, Cyncere Harden-Mann, Neveah King
Photo credit: Mrs. Munnal
They’re curious if I'm a late bloomer.	and D’Eryah Steward work on Black Heroes Art. Possibly there is something wrong with me,

Because it is not within my intent

I’ve always been independent, you see? I’ll just be an old maid, it could be meant. Or my soulmate could possibly exist,
It’ll just take me some undemanding time Let my oblivious mind get the gist Nevertheless, I am still in my prime.
It’s none of their business, anyway I’ll focus on myself, I know it’s cliché.

Page 2	Volume 2 Issue 5

Mr. Archie some questions about why he
Computer Tech Spotlight: Mr. Archie

thought it would be. You will have to get
ence between Computer Science and Infor-
By JADEN HARRISON                              life, he said that it was not as hard as he              chose a four year program as opposed to a I just had the best interview with one        used to adapting for a successful transition         two year or tech school option. The differ-
mation Technology (college versus trade
programs) is that in Computer Science you
work more with coding and software, while
Information Technology works more with
integrated business and technology.
I asked Mr. Archie, “Did you ever
think about changing your major or quiting
football?” He replied, “Never had the
thought about changing it, just because it
gets hard doesn't mean you should quit.”
of our recent Farrell High School graduates, Mr.	into college life. You will still have a social Tyrone Archie. He played football here at Far-	life outside of school, especially if you are rell. Currently, Mr. Archie is one of the Comput-	an athlete, because you get to meet people er Technicians, here at Farrell Area School Dis-	on the team and meet their friends. The trict. You may know him, because he is the one	pros about playing a sport is you're doing a who fixes your Chromebook issues. Mr. Archie	physical activity, providing balance, and you attended the University of Clarion to study	can get a lot of things off your mind. The Computer Programming, earning a Bachelor's	cons of playing sports is time management Degree in Computer Science and he also played	and less focus. If you're not focused on both football for Clarion.	your sport and school, college will be hard
Mr. Archie has said things like this my
whole life, and I am not surprised. Growing
up and seeing his leadership and his cour-
age in every situation, he inspires me. He
probably has his moments, but he never
showed it to anyone. If you ask anyone
about Mr. Archie, you will hear a different
He chose Clarion because it is close	and you will not make it but that's on you. to home and it was a small campus life, just like                         Financial planning, Mr. Archie Farrell. When it comes to the differences be-	said, is a main priority for college students tween high school and college, he said that the	just because that's the biggest part. If you professors give information in more detail than	don't have the money, or at least a good he was used to geting in high school. The pro-	strategy to pay off some loans and tuition fessors want things done in a certain way and	you shouldn't even go. The worst thing that
tions..
When I asked Mr. Archie if it was
ruin your life.
As a Senior student interested in
you have to get used to meeting their expecta-         can happen is that you can go into debt and        story every time, but in a good way, be-cause he has impacted a lot of people's
hard to transition from high school to college	the field of Information Technology, I asked	lives, and I don’t think he even notices.

The Battle to Save Stey-Nevant Library

BY Arianna Blanchard

The CLSV Stey-Nevant Branch Library may be closing its doors permanently within the next few months. For many, the library may have been where you go and do things such as expanding your knowledge, playing games, so-cializing, and more. The Stey-Nevant Library has been around for over 50 years. The closing of the library could cause a great amount of chaos in many people's lives. This is because many people use the library on a daily basis, some-times even multiple times a day. They tend to go to the Library to use the free internet, free Wi-Fi, the study space, and environment where you feel safe and calm and much more. With the closing of our local library, many of the people who come to the library are not going to be able to get some or all the majority of their necessi-ties. Because of this many of the board and com-munity members are attempting to change this.
Our own FHS Biology Teacher, Mrs. Victoria Latzoo, is one of the individuals on the CLSV Stey Nevant Library Board of Directors that has been trying to make something shake. She, along with others, are trying to raise funds to keep the library open and running smoothly within the next few months. The reason behind the closing of the library is that they could not meet the funds it takes to keep the library open. Mrs. Latzoo has been on the board since 2017.

Volume 2 Issue 5

To keep our local library open it will	2 to 3 week time period.
cost us a revenue of $20,000 for the quarter.	Mrs. Latzoo offered some
To get to this amount needed they will be	thoughts regarding the loss of the library. opening and creating activities for fundrais-	She reiterated that, ¨As I stated in my ers. They will also be writing grants and net-	email to Farrell City Council Members, as working with other institutions to collaborate	an educator and parent, I know that stu-
sales and spe	months.
our largest	even greater
normally held in	students, fam-
evening of live	our local li-
~Mrs. Latzoo
in doing this. Also, bulk donations are much	dents suffer from "Summer Slide" and lose appreciated. They will be holding cupcake	a lot of academic ground over those three cial craft les- -	“Farrell is a GREAT city. I'm very "COVID Slide" sons/ dates but	glad to be an employee and resi-	has taken an fundraiser is the dent. However, greatness doesn’t toll on our Spring Fling,	just happen. It's not promised. It students. Our April. This fund- takes energy and resources to at-	ilies and com-raiser is an	tain it and it takes interest, ener- munity need music, food, fun gy and resources to maintain it.”	brary. With-and basket                                                                                                                         out the City rafles.The tick-                                                                                                                 Library, Farrell ets are reasona-                                                                                                                residents (and bly priced and the event is alcohol free and	students) are at risk of worsening socioec-family friendly with children's activities in the	onomic challenges.”
basement.	Additionally, she would like the During the pandemic the employ-          public to know that, ¨Farrell is a GREAT
ees continued to work regularly and they	city. I'm very glad to be an employee and continued to provide services to our commu-	resident. However, greatness doesn’t just nity. The employees tried their best to keep	happen. It's not promised. It takes energy it ¨COVID clean¨, to help with this they start-	and resources to attain it and it takes in-ed doing curbside services. The only policy	terest, energy and resources to maintain was to return the borrowed book within the	it.¨

Page 3

businesses. I wanted to honor how black
help along the way. The
my brand out there,
When I asked D´Eryah Stewart about
When questioned about the inspira-
brand.¨
Local Black Owned Businesses

By ANTHONY JACKSON

making sure I have supplies and money to get This month, for African Ameri-	started!¨
opportunity to highlight Black owned
can History Month, SNN is taking this	her target audience, she replied, “I try to target all age groups and genders. TOODYEEFORR is
dye as well.”
businesses are booming in our local com-	not strictly made for women, men can wear tie munities. The following two Black owned
the most popular businesses in Farell and
Sharon.
TOODYEEFORR is an in person,
Tie Dye clothing business. It has been
around since May 23, 2020. When asked,
CEO of TOODYEEFORR, D´Eryah Stewart,
if she had any help along the way, she
responded, ¨Yes, I have had plenty of
and developed businesses are some of	tion for her business, she answered, ¨I got the idea for tie dye by just making tie dye outfits for my little cousin, Marae, and little sister, Delani. Then my cousin asked me to make shirts for him and his friend's business because they thought the previous samples came out nice. So, I made shirts for the brand called Big Money Brand. Once I did that, I started to blow up, I was geting orders left and right. After
help I have received	that, it inspired me to start my own
D’Ericka Stewart, cous-
ins Amarah Reed and
Marquette Coleman,
and Aunt Chloe Stew-
art. They helped me get
was from my mother		When asked if she had help with this journey of opening a successful business, she said,¨ It’s really only me and mother depending on what I’m selling. If I am making or selling the outfits or shirts I make them by myself, but if I am selling a
partner for that.¨
making me help with their businesses	crewneck/sweatshirt, I have a business and helping me get started. Basically                                D-Squared Wear is a second, Sharon
based business, that I had the chance to inter-

Hair Evolution	Photo: JACARA GREEN

view. The CEO of D-Squared Wear is Farrell Alumni Class of 1997, Darwin Dixon. When interviewed, I asked Darwin if he had any help along the way and he responded yes, ¨My friend Desmond Bell, that is also a CEO of another clothing brand, gave me vision and help on design.¨
His inspiration for his business came from, none other than, retired Farrell teacher, Mr. Rupert who gave him the nickname, D-Squared, because of Darwin Dixon.
When he first started his business, he often made short term goals which served to ad-vance his business in various ways. After achieving his short term goals, he realized he was growing his business beyond his expectations. He also hopes his son Darwin Dixon Jr ., his son, takes on the business and takes it to the moon. During the pandemic, business was definitely affected because there was not much to do and people could not go out how they used to.
Darwin Dixon had some finishing remarks for young entrepreneurs just starting out, ¨Don't be scared make sure to give everything a try so you won't have any regrets, and always believe that you can do it.¨
To contact Darwin Dixon, owner of Dsquared Wear, his Email is darwin_dixon@yahoo.com, his number is: 724-877-9213 and Instagram page name is @dsquaredwear1867. To contact D´Eryah Stewart the owner of TOODYEEFORR, her Facebook is D’Eryah Ster-wart, Snapchat @deryahstewart, Instagram

When thinking about natural African American hair, we all think about curls, and how different African American women are when they wear their hair out rather than in a ponytail. Yet what we don't talk about is how so many people get perms and relaxers in their hair, because so many females are under the impression that curly, thick hair is ugly, ¨nappy¨ and not classy.
When thinking of corn rolls, most peo-ple think of just a hairstyle you put in younger children's hair, or even a new cute style to wear for about a week. We would never think about why we use these styles in the first place. For example, back when people were enslaved, men were made to cut off their hair and make sure it was shaved off completely. Yet some of the men who refused to do this, just got their hair braided to their scalp for it
to be neat and to have a better ap-pearance.
Most importantly, en-slaved people used corn rows to

create maps to run away from the planta-tion at which they were held captive at. The tight braids to the scalp that had curves represented the roads that were to be used to get away. Then they put gold pieces in
the person's hair to represent different stations that helped the slaves live after they got away. Like today, when wearing different styles, we use beads, silver or gold jewels, and string in our hair to decorate the different styles that are put in hair. When the origin of these styles became more widely known, African Americans were made to believe that our way was ¨ghetto¨ or ¨inappropriate.¨ The reality is that we just did not know how to take care of our hair, what products to use, and what type of hair we have.
Read on to find out some other inter-esting facts about African American hair types, types and styles that you should know about.
• Hair porosity is important when considering hair products and routines.

• Low hair porosity is when it's hard for your hair to get moisture, and takes a while for the product to leave the hair and get dried out.
• High porosity hair has holes and it is easier for moisture and product to get into the hair, and to move out. Therefore, the hair gets dry and loses its moisture quickly.
There are also 4 different hair types, in each hair type there is an ¨A, B, and C¨ in each category as the letter goes higher the hair type gets thicker. For ex-ample:
•Type 1 hair is thin, soft and shiny. •Type 2 hair is wavy, which is never very
dry.
•Type 3 hair is always curly, with ¨S¨ shaped curl patterns.
•Type 4 hair is kinky, and full of tight coils.

Posted by Alexander on November 21. (2020, Febru-ary 04). Hair & history: A short story on the evolution of hair in the African American community. Retrieved February 18, 2021, from https://uhaihair.com/ blogs/news/hair-history-a-short-story-on-the-evolution-of-hair-in-the-african-american-community

Page 4	Volume 2 Issue 5

Black Heroes

Photo credit: Mrs. Munnal

Michael Jordan By: MALACHI SHEPHERD

Michael Jordan is a hero for today's young men. Michael Jordan is a 6’6 guard, who played in the NBA from 1984 to 2003. Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on february 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. Michael Jordan is the principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets, of the National Basketball Association, and a 23XL Racing in the NASCAR cup series. Michael Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan is considered by many to be the best basketball player of all time.
Michael Jordan won Rookie of the Year and is a five time NBA MVP and a six time NBA finals MVP. Accolades also include All time NBA First Team, nine time NBA All- Defensive First team and Defensive Player of the Year and 14 time NBA All Star. Jordan retired from the NBA and played Minor League Baseball, but returned to the NBA in 1995.
Michael Jordan made a big impact on the NBA and on people's lives in general. Generations of African Americans look up to Michael Jordan as their idol. He inspires people to grind harder and pursue their dreams. Many NBA players would not be there if it wasn't for Jordan.
I chose Michael Jordan because he is arguably the best player in the world. He has made a significant impact on my life. I wore his number 23 all the way up to my Freshman year of basketball, just because he inspires me. Michael Jor-dan also reminds me that hard work and dedication can get me anywhere. Michael Jordan made a big impact on many others as well. For example, Kobe Bryant said that Michael Jordan had an impact on his life because he showed him that anything is possible and he looked up to him. Lebron James also commented that playing against MJ is fun and competitive and that he looks up to him. Michael Jordan is an awesome hero and I hope to be like him one day.
Ananth Pandian Feb 22. (2016, February 22). Kobe Bryant talks about Michael Jordan's influence on his career. Retrieved February 24, 2021,
from https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/kobe-bryant-talks-about-michael-jordans-influence-on-his-career/

Photo credit: Mrs. Munnal
Student Art Projects of African American Heroes, nota-ble quotes and background information on display.

Volume 2 Issue 5

Farrell Elementary School display by Ms. Bridges

Tarana Burke By: MICHELLE STUBBS

Tarana Burke is a 47-year-old Afri-can American Civil Rights Activist from The Bronx, New York. She was the founder of the “me too” movement. Burke created the
movement back in 2006. Burke started using the phrase “me, too” to try to help other women who have suffered from sexual harassment or assault and let them know that they are not alone. Ten years later, the #MeToo hashtag became very popular all over social media. It started becoming popular when women started using it when they were tweeting about the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault allegations in early October 2017. That hashtag sparked the making of an international movement, being used in countries such as the U.S., India, France, China, Japan, and Italy.
The hashtag became popular and women felt empowered through the strength in numbers. On October 15, 2017, an American actress, Alyssa Milano, posted a quote on Twitter, “If all the women who have been sexual-ly harassed or assaulted wrote ‘me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.” Many celebrities and ordinary people soon followed her and spoke out boldly. Soon, large media platforms started to cover the discussion of sexual harassment. When Burke first start-ed the movement, she never thought that the hashtag would be used more than 12 million times. Because of the large impact the hashtag had on the world, Burke made Time's Person of the Year in 2017 along with multiple other women.
Although the movement was a good thing, there was also some backlash that happened as a result. Some “high profile men'' were losing jobs over the women speaking out. People were accusing the women of lying and trying to ruin their reputation. Activists were accused of creating a “witch hunt” that was targeting men. Surveys were showing how men were uncomfortable mentoring and working closely with women. There was a lot of bashing that was happening for a while, but it has seemed to dial down.
Burke never intended for the movement to blow up and take a toll the way that it did then. She is, and always has been open to criticism. She is open to other people's ideas and always finds ways to incorporate them into the movement. Burke said, “. “Sexual violence happens on a spectrum so accountability has to happen on a spectrum,” she said, “I don’t think that every single case of sexual harassment has to result in someone being fired; the consequences should vary. But we need a shift in culture so that every single instance of sexual harassment is investigated and dealt with. That’s just basic common sense.”
I personally chose to spotlight Tarana Burke because of how inspi-rational of a woman she is. She has gone through so much in her life and overcome it all. Burke has made a huge impact on all women, but African American women especially. While growing up in a low-income home, she was sexually assaulted as a teenager and child. Nobody should have to go through what she went through especially at such a young age.

Walsh, C. (2020, February 21). Me too FOUNDER tarana Burke Discusses where we go from here. Retrieved February 18, 2021, from https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/02/me-too-founder-tarana-burke-discusses-where-we-go-from-here/
Alexander, K. (n.d.). Tarana Burke. Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/tarana-burke

Page 5

he was a hero and a leader.
Tahj’Mere Gibson: LeBron James
American or Caucasian, can teach
raise them to be good citizens and
role models.
Black History Month Reflections… (from p.1)	Mrs. Sharper: Any parent, African SNN: Your thoughts on the im-	and I’m not just referring to slav-	their child right from wrong or portance of honoring Black History? ery. Our white-washed curriculum
because he is a leader.
Mrs. Kladitis: Family identifies
Mrs. Latzoo: Without Black History,     needs to change.
Mrs. Kladitis: Oprah Winfrey, who
is a self made billionaire who came
people, builds people and unifies
people. It is one place that people
there is no American History. To say SNN: Who are your African Ameri-Black Americans have contributed to can role models / heroes?
the success of America is a gross
Josephine Baker, MLK Jr.
with no scandals, followed the law,
and did it honestly.
Your family is your unit.
Mrs. Latzoo: It is here that we
understatement. America’s success     Faith Zagoti: Katherine Johnson,	from nothing and built an empire	belong whether they like it or not. came, “at the expense of Black	Mrs. Latzoo: The writer, poet, play-
Americans,” (James Baldwin). It wa
The pain and power of American
son, recognized as a math genius at
the age of 10 and was a leading
acter, develop and refine our val-
ues. I think family is even more
the ingenuity, problem solving and,s wright, activist Mr. James Baldwin.	Mrs. Allenbaugh: Katherine John-      learn our first lessons, build char-unpaid labor of Black Americans	(Black) History are so often so emo-
scientist at NASA.
Mrs. Fischer: Jackie Robinson, who
important now than in the past.
Mrs. Roberson: There is a deep
that harvested the crops, built the        tionally consuming that it is dificult railroad and thus, created the finan-     to put into words. Thankfully, Bald-
continues to enjoy today.
recognition to our past African
tions and present them from a
from a Black, Gay, man’s perspec-
Mrs. Rodgers: Madame C.J Walk-
MLK Jr., Jackie Robinson and Maya
Angelou. I am inspired by these
family member to family member.
regular basis. Often, these cele-
brations revolve around delicious
cial revenue base that this country	win is able to articulate these emo-      led the way to other African Ameri- level of loyalty that flows from Marcus Green: It brings light and	Black man’s perspective, and even	cans playing MLB and other.sports. Black families enjoy spending time American inventors, artists, and	tive. His poignant arguments (from     er, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman,	together and celebrating life on a leaders who have worked hard and	1965) still ring true today, giving us
where they are.
conflict analysis.
fought through racism to get to	a template for critical thinking and	individuals because they didn’t let	food!
honor people who ought for ou
Mrs. Roberson: It is 2021, and we
year, “Black History Month.” From
Marcus Green: As a huge comic
Storm from Marvel and DC Comics
superheroes in that genre.
what you want to, or be who you
want to be. They used their words
SNN: The 2021 Black History
ty.” What do you feel is the sig-
nificance of this theme.
Mrs. Rodgers: Students need to
selves and not discouraged by
FHS, we are our students
need someone, we want them to
know that we are here and we
Tahj’mere Gibson:fIt is great tor	book fan, I have always recognized	anyone tell them no, you can’t do	be encouraged to believe in them-rights.	Black Lightning, Black Panther, and	and actions, not fists or weapons.	others. They need to be taught still call the shortest month of the	because they were the first Black	theme is, “The Black Family: Rep-	that it is okay to be different. At September until June, all students	Mrs. Roberson: All four of my chil-      resentation, Identity and Diversi-	“extended family,” when they should be learning Black History,	dren.
care!
Demaris Crowder: My grandfather,
Farrell High School Softball Contributed by: CHYNA BUTLER	pacted
Neshannock, Monaca, and Western Beaver.”	every aspect of our lives for almost a year I inter-	Mrs. Harrison went on to explain the	and due to the virus, there will be neces-
viewed Mrs. Harri-	game of softball and what it means to her. She	sary changes and precautions taken to keep son (left), assistant	says “I enjoy being a coach and teaching a new	everyone safe as possible. We will follow coach of the 2021	generation of girls how to love a sport that I	school directives, as coaches, in regards to Girls’ Softball team.	have been loving all my life. I especially love	keeping our athletes healthy.”
She is a 1999, FHS	having my daughters on the team. Sports can	Their goals for this season in-alumni and also the	help grow self-confidence as well as team-              clude having a safe and healthy season and Learning Support	work.” The game of softball is very dear to              working hard, no matter the score. This Teacher for K-2 in	Mrs. Harrison. She and her husband want to           year, prospective players can anticipate the elementary. She     bring recreational softball back to the commu-       coaches who have a love and enthusiasm has been a teacher	nity so they started their own recreational              for this sport. If a student is interested in here at Farrell for 15 league in Farrell. All of her daughters were              playing, we welcome them. If you want to years and she has	able to participate with her and her husband          play, all athletes must have a Physical Form
been a Softball Coach since the fall of 2018.	on the recreation teams.	completed. These can be picked up from Mrs. Harrison coaches alongside her                           To learn any sport takes time and	the FHS ofice.
husband, the head coach, Mr. Harrison, who is a	dedication. To be a fastpitch softball pitcher,	Our schedule is a 16 game season 1997 alumni. Mrs. Harrison has been playing	it takes dedication, determination, and prac-          in District 10. We will play local teams such softball since she was 9 years old and continued	tice. Hiting is one aspect of softball that we            as Kennedy, Sharpsville, and Reynolds. We in college and community leagues.	will work on. The offense in softball includes           will play a total of eight teams, each team
I asked her about the softball team's	hiting, and eficient base running. Pitchers	twice. We will have eight home games on history. Mrs. Harrison provided me with the	and catchers will begin conditioning within a	our beautifully upgraded field. Our season following information. “Farrell's fastpitch softball couple of weeks. She is hoping to have 3-4	will start when the PIAA allows us which team started in 1998-1999. The coaches of the	girls learn to pitch this upcoming season. The	should be around the middle of February. I team that year were Mr. Cardamon and Mr.	2019-2020 season would have been the Harri-	then asked Mrs. Harrison if there was any-Meiss. At the time Farrell's Softball team was in	sons’ first year as High school softball coaches,	thing else she wanted to add and she said the WPIAL Class. It was a thirteen game season	but due to COVID 19, the season was can-	“Having been a Farrell Steelerette and now and the team played Rochester, Laurel,	celed. I asked Mrs. Harrison how COVID 19 has	a coach, is full circle for me, and I am truly
affected her and she said “COVID 19 has im-	appreciative for the opportunity.”

Page 6	Volume 2 Issue 5

Pit Bulls
Meet your	Special Interest Steeler Na-

tion News
Staff:
BY Tylajea Karkoska
the United States. They were originally bred with the idea of being hunting companions, gripping the hunted animal by the neck with their strong jaws.
chained or tethered to a post. But that’s not al-
ple turned to using them for dog fighting.
When most people think of pit bulls, they think of	But when laws made such techniques illegal, peo-stocky dogs with bulging muscles and bared teeth,           This stigma from the past has carried all the way
ways the case. The term “Pit bull” is a blanket
term used to refer to several breeds. The Ameri-
to today’s times, giving these dogs a bad rap. Pit bulls are even illegal in some places such as Ohio,
of this, they are often mistreated.
People still use the dogs for dog fighting, which
can Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terri-	Kansas, Iowa, Michigan, and Mississippi. Because er, American Bulldog, as well as several others,
The reason for these dogs being lumped together
is because of their shared physical traits.
are considered to be part of the “Pit bull” family.	was made illegal in 1976, because it involved the cruelty of animals for human enjoyment. They may
nanny dogs and protect children, but that isn’t
have a fowl temperament because of the way they
Pit bulls are shrouded with misconcep-	also be trained to be aggressive guard dogs, or just tions. Some say they were originally bred to be	were raised. But if a pit bull is raised well, they can
Isaac
actually the case. Though they typically aren’t
good guard dogs because of their friendly nature,
turn out to be really sweet. Organizations, such as the American Pitbull Foundation and Bella-Reed Pit
Husband,
9th
aren’t deserving of the bad name they have.
they are indeed protective of their families. Pit	Bull Rescue, work to help show others that pit bulls bulls were first bred around the 19th century, in

The history of pit bulls. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://love-a-bull.org/resources/the-history-of-pit-bulls/ Pit bull. (2021, February 21). Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_bull
How long have you
About us. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2021, from https://aspca.org/about-us/ascpa-policy-and-position-statements/position-
statement-pit-bulls been on Newspaper
spotlight
Entrepreneurship
Staff? 6 months Favorite topic(s) to write about: teacher

Favorite subject: Civics	By Jordan Jones	journey pulls Extra-curricular and or                     risks taking, money management, and flexibility.	me towards
are involved: Track and
sports in which you                           With those four concepts you have a perfect foun-       fashion. I love everything about clothes and differ-dation in order to start your own business.                     ent looks, which allowed me to start my own small
Football
Favorite FHS memory:
lock-ins
Dream trip: Alaska
Now for beginners, the main questions	business by designing and making my very own to start your own business are who, what, how	clothes. Once I realized my potential, I began to and why? Such as, who is my audience, am I a	direct my energies towards research. Google and service or do I sell a product, how far do I see	Youtube should be your best friends, because any
Jordan Jones
myself with this talent, and how will I fund my	questions or instructions you need will be all there. business? If you actually see yourself being suc-	You will just have to figure out what is suitable to cessful with your business it will be the best op-	your time and your budget requirements.
Do you hate working for
someone, reporting at certain
tion to get an LLC, which I, personally, have ascer-	The beginning stages of starting your own tained for my own company. A LLC is a limited               small business is that you will deal with many trials, liability company, which allows all of your work to        errors and failures. Small things, such as ordering be YOURS only, it is registered by the state and             products, items not selling, inventory not what you makes your business super oficial. Lastly, once             expected, etc. will challenge you on a daily basis. you have your what, why and how, you are off to         These things happen often and can put you down, a good start. A good tip is to write down your                but realize nobody is built like you and you have answers to those questions and any additional              designed yourself, just keep going! Keep in mind, thoughts. I personally have my own business book       that this also comes with a lot of success and
hours and punching a time clock??
Do you ever think what life would
where I write all my ideas and goals to keep every-	growth. A huge part of this industry is that you have thing in order pertaining to my business.	to know how to persevere, take losses as lessons,
be like if you were your own boss? I
have a word for you. Entrepreneur-
ship. Entrepreneurship is the cen-
ter of becoming your own boss, but
in order to do so, you must have
very strong, and clearly defined
That leads you to reflection, now reflect	and be sure you are learning from each experience.. on yourself and figure out what best fits you and	Also, always have a plan B and C. Plans may not go your personality. This will help you organize your	as planned, but work through it and find a way to thoughts on which type of business or entrepre-	bounce back. The best feeling is knowing you are neurial aspect you will like to pull yourself to-	working hard, knowing that your work has influ-wards. For example, I myself, am very stylish, out-	enced others, and your business is continuing to
goals. This comes, with discipline,	going and diverse in what I know how to do. My	flourish over time.

Volume 2 Issue 5	Page 7

FHS Valen-tings

Annual Science Club Flowers and Candy Fundraiser huge success
Photo credit: Marcus Green

Students write French love letters

Photo credit: Marcus Green
French II students (above), Demaris Crowder, Malachi Shepherd, and Tahj’Mere Gibson display French mes-sages to loved ones for Valentine’s Day.

Photo credit: Marcus Green
High School Principal, Mr. Fowler, Junior, Santana Banks, and Spanish Teacher, Señora Torres, receive roses and chocolates delivered before Valentine’s weekend by members of the Science Club.

FCS and Fashion and Design students work on ♥ themed projects
Madison Long, Chaurice Ousley, Zoee Mishata, grade 8, bake Val-entine cookies (left). Santana Bankston, Ivory Elerby, Jonathan Singh and Hailie Switz cut out and try cookies. Makyah sews pillow

FHS couples, Ja’laija Gregory and Amare Mason, and Shawtee Bratten and Dwight Allen-Gregory display French Valentines and flowers for Valentine’s Day.

Photo credit: Mrs. Bolyard
Photo credit: Mrs. Bolyard
Photo credit: Mrs. Bolyard

Page 8	Volume 2, Issue 5