2014 April

No Place for Hate “aims to

reduce bias and bullying,

increase appreciation for di-

versity and build communi-

ties of respect,” states the No

Place For Hate website.

“I don’t think it’s impacting

the school because no one

knows what it is,” said Sarah

-Jayne Freitas, senior.

Although students do not

realize it is present, the No

Place for Hate program is

still taking place at Freedom

High School.

“Is it like a club?” said Aly-

son Picione, senior.

No Place for Hate is not a

club at Freedom, but a dis-

trict-wide program that is

completed each year in the

elementary schools, middle

schools, and high schools.

“It’s a program that the

school runs, but I don’t spe-

cifically know what it is be-

cause no one does anything

with it,” said Freitas.

Students often misinterpret

No Place for Hate as just a

sticker a door or a banner in

an obscure hallway, which

not many students use.

“Just because they put post-

ers up everywhere doesn’t

mean we know what it

means,” said Taylor Lezak,

senior.

What most students do not

realize is that in order for a

school to be considered a No

Place for Hate environment,

certain criteria must be com-

pleted.

“Every year we have to do

three activities that affect

everyone,” said Mrs. Carol

Lee, guidance counselor at

FHS.

Some students, such as

Jaiden Coyne and Tara

Hathaway, freshmen, ques-

tion which No Place for Hate

activities have taken place

this year.

In fact, The Freedom Forum

has taken a small role in

bringing awareness to the

school through numerous

articles in each edition that

deal with issues such as body

image, diversity, religion,

cyber-bullying, anxiety, and

stereotyping.

But is that enough?

“It needs to go out to all

students. Just virtue of the

fact that it’s the school news-

paper, every student has the

opportunity and access to the

school newspaper. If they

don’t wish to read the news-

paper, it is not going to help

them out that much,” said

Mr. Michael DiBilio, Free-

dom High School assistant

principal.

When asked if No Place for

Hate is publicized enough,

Mr. DiBilio said he does not

think it gets enough attention

from the school. In fact, the

organization’s website and

requirements are so vague

that it may be difficult for

schools to determine what

activities to do and what

works for their students.

“This is something that a

club could really generate.

Maybe once a week or once a

month, they could have

something on [the announce-

ments] to just re-

mind the school

and the students

of the initiative

that we're in,”

said Mr. DiBilio.

In addition to

the newspaper,

what activities

have taken place

this year?

“Well, the first project was

by means of a newsletter that

went out to parents. [The

next] project [was] through

the newspaper. The next pro-

ject is actually going to be a

lot of word of mouth and a

lot of posters and advertise-

ments around the building,”

said Mr. DiBilio.

The final project this year

involves having a No Place

Hate month, which is April

15 through May 13, 2014 .

See the ad on page 2 for all

of the events that will be hap-

pening each week.

Volume 47 Issue 7

April 2014

Freedom High School - 3149 Chester Avenue - Bethlehem, PA 18020 - www.fhsforum.com - @fhsforum

Uncovering No Place for Hate Separating the facts from the fiction

By Elyse Sanford

Fyniss Frazier

The Freedom Forum

The S.T.A.R.s are among us

Chromebooks. Flipped

classrooms. Google docs.

Technology has progres-

sively become more evident

in classrooms all over the

world, and Colonial Interme-

diate Unit 20 (CIU20) has

recognized this.

Mr. LaPorta, principal at

Freedom High School (FHS),

nominated 5 faculty members

from FHS for the CIU20 Su-

perior Technology Achieve-

ment Recognition (S.T.A.R.)

awards. Mrs. Amber Chiafu-

lio, Mrs. Jennifer Cierech,

Mrs. Karla Erdman, Mrs.

Donna Roman, and Mrs.

Evon Zundel were the nomi-

nees.

From the nominations, the

CIU20 chose finalists based

on their classroom submis-

sion who were then invited to

the sixth annual S.T.A.R.

Awards dinner and ceremony

on Tues., Apr. 1.

The evening continued

with the theme of technology

as the keynote address was

given virtually.

Two FHS teachers were

chosen from finalists of 13

school districts to receive a

S.T.A.R. award.

Mrs. Chiafulio won the

“Best Use of Technology in

the Science Classroom”

award.

Mrs. Chiafulio has intro-

duced the concept of a

flipped classroom to her hon-

ors biology class this year.

Students watch pre-recorded

lectures and take notes at

home, so that the knowledge

can be immediately applied

the next day during class.

This approach to teaching

and learning allows Mrs.

Chiafulio to spend more time

in class doing labs. Interac-

tive whiteboards are also

used in order to keep her stu-

dents engaged in the lesson.

Additionally, Mrs. Erdman

won the “Best Use of Tech-

nology in the English Class-

room” award.

Mrs. Erdman is one of the

two first teachers at FHS to

teach an online course. Her

website has been adapted for

these online students to use

as their tool to the class. In

order for students to stay on

top of things, Mrs. Erdman

uses Remind 101, a one-way

communication tool.

Also, Chromebooks have

been piloted in Mrs.

Erdman’s classroom this

year. These tools allow stu-

dents to sign in with a unique

BASD email so everything is

secure.

Both Mrs. Erdman and Mrs.

Chiafulio use Google docs in

order for students to work

collaboratively and for

quicker teacher response to

questions.

Technology has come a

long way in the past decade,

and Mrs. Chiafulio and Mrs.

Erdman have successfully

demonstrated and been rec-

ognized for their accomplish-

ments.

By Samantha Lutz Editor-in-Chief

Two FHS teachers

win tech awards

Independence is something

that most teenagers strive for

throughout high school. With

online classes, students are

given the chance to work in-

dependently and manage

their own time.

There are 2 cyber courses

offered at Freedom High

School (FHS), Online Eng-

lish 12 and Online Human

Anatomy. For entry to the

class, students need to be in

12th grade and have access

to a computer with Internet

connection.

Through the use of a teacher

webpage, blog, and Google

documents, students com-

plete module assignments

based on the curriculum of

the course they have chosen

to take. Students are given a

due date for their module

assignments and work at their

leisure to complete the tasks.

“I enjoyed the freedom of

doing the work on my own

time,” said Cole DiGuiseppi,

senior online student.

This year, the online classes

take the place of a 4th block

class, so instead of going to

4th block students are able to

go home and work on their

assignments for the week. A

hidden beauty of the online

courses offered at FHS is that

it gives students their first

taste of independent learning.

“Cyber classes help prepare

you for college because you

are working alone,” said

Kasey Gallagher, senior.

Time management is an im-

portant piece of the puzzle to

succeed in a cyber course. (Continued on page 2-“ONLINE”)

Logging into online learning

By Alyson Picione

Journalism Student

Seniors are the guinea pigs of an

integrated online learning experience

Inside This Issue

Principals Corner (p.2)

#FHSselfie (p.6/7)

Autism Awareness (p.8)

Moe’s vs. Chipotle (p.10)

“Frozen” (p.11)

The S.T.A.R. award winners including Mrs. Chiafulio and Mrs. Erdman

(center). Photo: Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 ciu20.org

2 News The Forum April 2014

The Freedom Forum A Publication of

Freedom High School,

Bethlehem Area School District

3149 Chester Avenue

Bethlehem PA, 18020

(610)867-5843

www.fhsforum.com

Editor-in-Chief

Samantha Lutz

News Editor

Noah Gonzalez

Editorial Editor

Jack Ogozaly

Pates’ Post Editor

Logan Handwerk

Entertainment Editor Faarah Ameerally

Sports Editors Mitchell Coriell

Chase Hoover

Centerspread Editor

Erin Heaney

Web Editor

Anissa Vasquez

Columnist

Fyniss Frazier

Tweeter

Steven Singer

Adviser

Mrs. Karla Erdman

Principal Mr. Michael LaPorta

Superintendent Dr. Joseph Roy

For our editorial statement and

corrections policy, please go to

www.fhsforum.com/about.html

Any photo that is not directly

credited is from Microsoft Office.

Follow us on Twitter, send us an

email, and visit our website!

@fhsforum, #fhsforum

[email protected]

www.fhsforum.com

What happens every 15 minutes?

Every other year for up-

wards of 9 years, Freedom

High School (FHS) has

hosted the Every 15 Minutes

program the week before

prom for junior and senior

students. This year the pro-

gram will not be running, and

as of right now, it will not be

brought back.

According to Mr. Laporta,

principal at FHS, the Bethle-

hem Township Police Depart-

ment writes a grant to run the

program and that grant en-

ables a police officer in con-

junction with Freedom’s

SADD team to put the pro-

gram together.

“All of the coordination that

Officer Wilson used to do

with the county, hospitals,

courthouse and all of that

kind of stuff, he just doesn’t

have time to do it anymore.

There is no other officer at the

township who was willing or

interested in picking up the

slack for that, so there is no

Every 15 Minutes program

this year,” said Mr Laporta.

The Bethlehem Township

Police Department could not

be reached for comment.

FHS has no plans for a sup-

plemental program this year.

All students are asked to

make good decisions, and

parents are asked to have con-

versations with their children

about making smart decisions.

The program is said to have a

big impact on students. Al-

though the effects in the days

following the assembly are

not as emotionally riveting,

students are believed to re-

member that assembly when

someone is on the fringe of

making a dangerous decision.

“There’s not a weekend that

goes by that as principal I

don’t say I hope our kids do

good things. Are there certain

weekends in the course of the

school year that make me

more aware than others? Yes.

You hope kids make good

decisions at homecoming, the

night of the prom, senior

week, and the night of

graduation because those are

the nights that everybody lets

their guard down to some de-

gree and you just keep your

fingers crossed,” said Mr.

LaPorta.

Every 15 minutes someone

is killed due to an alcohol

related crash. The Every 15

Minutes program puts this

statistic into action by involv-

ing not only the students, but

also the entire community,

including a local hospital, the

township police, the county

coroner, and the county court-

house.

This emotionally, wrought

one-day program happens in 3

steps. First, a student is pulled

from class every 15 minutes

and an obituary for him is

read to the class where he will

later return with a painted

face, which symbolizes his

death. After lunch, students

gather outside around a mock

crash scene where students

are injured, arrested, and

killed. All of that comes to-

gether at an assembly the next

day where the students and

parents speak about their ex-

perience.

Even though the program

will not be running this year,

Mr. Laporta has faith in

FHS’s students.

“I have a lot of faith in our

kids. I’m not so naive to think

that our kids don’t do dumb

things. I think we have kids

though who do make good,

courageous decisions and so

from that stand point, we

weather it. I don’t think that

one assembly is the be all end

all. It’s just a piece to the fab-

ric of we have a pre-prom

event, and there’s post prom

stuff that goes on, and I think

that we’ve cultivated that over

time,” said Mr. Laporta.

By Alyson Picione

The Freedom Forum

Improving the SAT

Starting in the spring of

2016, the SAT will be adopt-

ing a new and improved stan-

dardized test. Changes are

focused towards making the

test linked to what is actually

being taught in high school.

College Board, the creators

of the SAT, have recreated

the test that college admis-

sions officers look at in the

decision process. According

to College Board, it will be

“more focused and useful

than ever before.” Unfortu-

nately, there are not any prac-

tice questions or book formu-

lated for the new test yet.

However, by April 16 of

2014, there will be clearer and

full specifications of what one

may see on this new test.

In print, and even in ap-

proved locations on the com-

puter, students will be tested

in evidence based reading,

writing, math, and essay

forms. The time allot for each

section will also experience

alterations. According to the

College Board, the test will be

about three hours, and fifty

minutes for the essay.

The biggest change is not

the timing of the test, but the

content. The new questions

will be sure to apply to what

research shows will determine

college readiness. Going back

to a 1600 point scale instead

of the 2400 point scale is one

major change in scoring.

Also, there will not be any

penalty for wrong answers.

“It is unfair that they tell us

about the new SAT but do not

give the changed test to us.

It is just a tease on how eas-

ier it will be for the younger

grades,” said Sierra Kalamar,

a junior who will not be tak-

ing the new SAT.

For the vocabulary and read-

ing portion of the test, there

will be a change in the diffi-

culty of words. Instead of a

“wall of obscure words,” like

College Board president

David Coleman describes,

there will be words used in

high school, college, and the

rest of everyday life.

The math portion of the test

will focus on three specific

areas: Problem Solving and

Data Analysis, the Heart of

Algebra, and Passport to Ad-

vanced Math, according to

Collegeboard.com. Some

parts of the math exam will

not allow calculators. College

Board is also attempting to

include other areas of learning

by incorporating historical

and scientific contexts in an-

swering questions on math,

reading, and writing.

“I think pairing the curricu-

lum to the test is going to be

much more of a better indica-

tor of how students will do in

college which is the purpose

of the test. I think it will help

students,” said Ms. Mikitka, a

reading and writing SAT prep

teacher at Freedom.

By Anissa Vasquez

Web Editor

College Board updates its test beginning in 2016

FHS Forum Animal Shelter

Drive

Throughout the

month on April, The

Freedom Forum will

be collecting sup-

plies to donate to the

local no-kill

animal shelter.

Here is the

shelter’s wish list:

-Cat Litter

-Used blankets,

towels, pillow cases,

and sheets

-Dry cat and dog food

(no color)

-Canned cat and

dog food

-Paper towels, laundry

detergent, and bleach

-Cat toys

-Buckle collars

Photo: every15minutes.com

It is too easy to procrastinate

and put off all of the work until

the last minute. For the first

time, a teacher is not constantly

reminding the class of due

dates.

“Time management is impor-

tant because no one is pushing

you to get your work done,”

said Devin Blattner, senior.

All in all, taking online

courses is a great benefit of-

fered to students at FHS. All

students should have the oppor-

tunity to experience the inde-

pendence of cyber course be-

cause it gives them a taste of

what the future holds.

“Everyone should take an

online course because it pre-

pares them for the challenges

ahead,” said Brian Burke, sen-

ior. Photos on page 5 of this issue.

“ONLINE” -- continued from

page 1

WEEK 1:

NP4H banner/pledge in

library for students and

teachers to sign. Current

events on cullying and

violence

WEEK 2:

Positive Quotes Display.

Students and teachers will be

able to add positive quotes to

the display as well.

WEEK 3:

LGBT issues.

Multimedia display.

WEEK 4:

Diversity.

Diverse clubs from college

visit.

News 3 The Forum April 2014

Mission impossible: searching for flight 370

A frightening search has

turned up nothing in the

search for the Malaysian Air-

lines Flight MH370 that was

carrying 239 people from

Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The plane disappeared on the

morning of March 8, 2014.

Since then, the search has

expanded North from the

Caspian Sea and South to-

wards west Australia.

The multi-national search

team has tossed around many

theories, terrorism not being

ruled out. Focus has now be-

gan to look at the cockpit. A

mysterious message that is

said to have been spoken by

co-pilot, “alright, good

night,” after a system called

ASCARS, a maintenance

computer that relays data on

the plane's status, said

reuters.com, shut down.

Investigators believe the

disappearance was deliberate

and the plane could have

been thousands of miles off

course.

As the search for evidence

continues, people are skepti-

cal of the truth about the

MH370 flight. UK's Air Ac-

cidents Investigation Branch

(CNN) has found the last

location of the plane to be in

the Southern Indian Ocean. A

Chinese plane has found

"parts" floating in the ocean.

(CBS News).

Another trouble experi-

enced while looking for this

plane is it being mistaken as

floating garbage. The gar-

bage has made the search

difficult to locate fragmented

plane parts.

On March 24, families of

the passengers on board were

informed through a text mes-

sage that all lives were lost.

Many families want proof of

the wreckage before they

reconcile with the statement

made by Malaysian airlines.

(New York Daily News) The

search will continue until

sufficient evidence has been

discovered.

By Erin Heaney

Center spread Editor

Missing Malaysian plane

MH370

On Mar. 12, in the East Har-

lem community of Manhat-

tan, an explosion rippled

through two apartment build-

ings, killing eight people and

injuring more than thirty.

“We do not determine the

probable cause until the very,

very end,” Eric Weiss, a

board spokesman of The Na-

tional Transportation Safety

Board (NTSB), told ABC

News. Although investigators

are hesitant to declare a set

reasoning behind the sudden

eruption, they believe it

could have been caused by a

gas leakage from a pipeline

that was located not far from

one of the apartment build-

ings.

“Plumes of thick smoke en-

gulfed the area like fog

around the building at 116th

Street and Park Avenue.,”

said ABC News. Prior to the

explosion, some residents of

buildings nearby reported

having smelled gas. How-

ever, it was only a matter of

minutes before an explosion

was heard from the adjacent

buildings.

Others from the East Harlem

neighborhood could feel the

building shake, see glass

s h a t t e r , d e b r i s f l y -

ing everywhere, and smoke

filling the air around

them. The gas leakage de-

stroyed the apartment build-

ings, both of which contained

about fifteen residential

units, according to ABC

News. Despite the physical

destruction the explosion

caused, it took the lives of

eight people, severely injured

at least thirty, and left heart-

broken loved ones behind in

its rubble.

According to the Chicago

Tribune, "The agency

[NTSB] said that preliminary

tests had indicated a high

concentration of gas," despite

having the gas pipelines pass

inspection without any prob-

lems just one month earlier.

At this writing, there is still

no official word on the ex-

act cause of the explosion,

and the pending report will

not be disclosed as America

waits for the completion of

the investigation.

Mayhem in Manhattan shakes city

By Cassie Sedler

The Freedom Forum

Gas leaks levels

two buildings

Photo: rt.com

Principal’s Message

As we approach the end of

our 3rd marking period (April

1), I am anxiously awaiting

many events approaching our

students and faculty. Please

allow me to list these excit-

ing days ahead.

These events for many of

you are the pinnacle to your

high school careers and are

the preamble to the greatness

that lies ahead of you.

As we get ready to close

this chapter in the history of

Freedom High School, try to

remember those who made

these events and your accom-

plishments possible. Thank

them at some point in time.

For those of you who will be

spending more time with us

over the next year or so, re-

flect upon our school and

your experiences and figure

out a way to become better.

Over the next few months

ahead, that is how I get ready

for our next year. Think of

this, figure out how to be-

come a positive influence,

expect success, and as our

school motto states, expect

“Excellence in All Things.”

Thank you all for the great

year!

Nearing the end

Michael LaPorta, Principal

Special to The Freedom Forum

April 1-6 “Crazy For You”

April 25 Spring Orchestra Pops Concert

April 26 BASD Mini Thon

May 1 French Night

May 6-16 AP Testing

May 7 Spring Band Concert

May 13 FHS Academic Awards Ceremony

May 16 FHS Spring Choral Concert

May 22 FHS Art Show

May 22 The Freddy’s

May 27 FHS Athletic Awards Banquet

May 27-28 Senior Exams

June 4-5 Underclassmen Exams

June 4 Graduation Photo courtesy of Christmas City

Studios

Block 1 & 2:

Mon. 5/27

Block 3 & 4:

Tues. 5/28

Make-ups:

Wed. 5/29

Photo: SANKOFAONLINE.COM

4 Editorials The Forum April 2014

See Mr. Bachman in 810 for details & forms

Fighting for the kids everywhere

Freedom High School has a

wonderful ability to be able

to raise thousands of dollars

each year for charity.

BASD MiniTHON is one of

the leading examples of stu-

dents working together to

raise money for a worthy

cause. But how worthy of a

charity is THON?

Now, before I start this arti-

cle, I want to clarify that just

because someone has oppos-

ing views to THON, it does

not mean that he or she is

opposed to helping children

with cancer.

During 2012, only 6 per-

cent of The Four Diamonds

Fund was spent on research

to finding a cure; however, 7

percent was spent on admin-

istrative expenses.

This does not sound that

bad, but for the last 2 years,

Four Diamonds has not re-

leased a detailed report of

their finances. Since Four

Diamonds organization is

under the umbrella of Penn

State, it is not required to

release this information.

“Neither THON nor The

Four Diamonds Fund files a

990 form with the IRS. That

form is typically filed annu-

ally by charities that have a

501c3 tax-exempt status, and

includes detailed information

about where the money is

coming from, and more im-

portantly, how it is being

spent,” said Anna Orso,

journalist for PennLive.com.

This is a big deal since no

one is here to verify the in-

formation The Four Dia-

monds is putting out about its

organization.

This is not my biggest prob-

lem with THON, although

not releasing expenses is a

very suspicious way to run a

charity. My biggest problem

is not actually THON; in-

stead it is the other charitable

organizations working to

save lives that have a definite

cure.

Kids in Africa must walk

miles each day to grab a

drink of water; this water is

impure and leads to casual-

ties. By devoting more time

to a disease that affects a mi-

nority of people, we are ne-

glecting millions of people

who need help.

“About 4,000 children die

each day due to sickness

stemming from unclean wa-

ter and the inability to prac-

tice proper hygiene. Approxi-

mately 2 to 5 million people

per year die due to diarrheal

diseases contracted by ingest-

ing contaminated water,”

said Nadria Tucker, author of

“How Many People Die Due

to Polluted Water”.

The problem is that when

people in THON say FTK

(For The Kids), they are for-

getting about the kids who

die every day of completely

preventable diseases.

This is not saying that kids

with cancer are not impor-

tant, because they are. But

when trying to make the

world a better place, people

would want to naturally start

with the ailments that affect

most of the world.

“I would say that although

there are probably diseases

on a more gruesome level,

these are children,” said Evan

Anthony, senior and captain

of BASD miniTHON.

Fighting pediatric cancer is

a commendable cause, but

when there are children dy-

ing of completely prevent-

able diseases, we should start

there. Just because the prob-

lem is not in our own back-

yard does not mean that it

does not exist.

By Jack Ogozaly

Editorials Editor

Pay your class dues! $40 per student

This pays for: Graduation, Cap & Gown, and Senior Breakfast

Room 210 or Room 114

Cash or Check made payable to Class of 2014

Note from the editor-in-chief: The viewpoints presented in editorials are not necessarily the viewpoints of the newspaper.

Networking a different kind of connection

It is a known fact that al-

lowing children to spend ex-

cessive hours on technology

is harmful to their health. It

can not only cause psycho-

logical difficulties, but re-

cently it has been causing

more problems than socially

awkward teenagers.

Using social media websites

has become a daily routine

for most Americans, includ-

ing adolescents. However,

the websites children are go-

ing on are not al-

ways healthy environments

for them.

“Social media has created a

sense of immediacy. Students

feel they can retrieve infor-

mation immediately without

any questions asked.” said

english teacher Mr. George

Ziegler.

Everyday thousands of kids

sign onto Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram, or Vine, and wit-

ness thousands of stories

about sex, violence, and

drugs. Kids are being cyber

bullied on a daily basis, but

who is really responsible for

these actions? Certainly not

only the ones posting and

sharing the information.

“Schools need to teach stu-

dents how to use social me-

dia appropriately. The blame

isn’t only on the kids, but

also parents and teachers. It’s

like learning to drive a car.

There are guidelines, rules,

and supervision that is re-

quired.” said Ziegler.

In recent years, the way the

world communicates with

one another has dramatically

been changed. It’s no longer

common to send a message

on pen and paper, instead we

email, or text each other. If a

message needs to be deliv-

ered, it is not done so in per-

son, but over voicemail. All

this technology is available

to society at the touch of a

button, so it is impossible for

kids to be filtered from it.

“Being exposed to drugs,

sex, and violence on social

media can’t be prevented.

The cat’s already out of the

bag. If kids are going to earn

about this stuff, it will hap-

pen regardless whether it’s

from their parents, movies,

video games or anything

else.” said Tommy Archer,

senior.

By Caitlin McCadden

The Freedom Forum

Photo illustration by Caitlin McCadden

Editorials 5 The Forum April 2014

If homework could kill

How much homework is too

much? This question un-

doubtedly has crossed over

every students mind.

“Researchers say that

american students have just

the right amount of home-

work,” said Mariam Wilde

from greatschools.org.

However, not everyone has

the same opinion as Wilde.

“The bottom line is this; stu-

dents have too much home-

work and most of it is not

productive or necessary.”

said Tony Herring, an attor-

ney and mother of 3. But

what constitutes as an appro-

priate amount of homework?

For this question we can go

to coopers 10-minute rule,

which is endorsed by the Na-

tional Education Association.

Coopers 10-minute rule calls

for 10 minutes of homework

a day per grade.

“Enough homework to help

you learn the concept, or to

help you research it on your

own. A lot of the time you

learn better when you re-

search for yourself.” said Dr.

William Feigley, guidance

counselor at Freedom High

School.

So is learning a concept a

good thing? Why would any-

one question that?

“When it takes up any of

my free time, it’s over-

whelming” said Steven

Wisniewski, a 12th grade

student at Freedom High

School

But when asked a similar

question Freedom teachers

have a different way of see-

ing things.

“I like homework, Its a way

for kids to learn what they

weren't paying attention to in

class, it really helps” said Mr.

Wiltrout, a Freedom High

school teacher.

A student will understand a

concept better if he has time

to work on five problems and

struggle, and then race

through twenty. Homework

isn't a bad thing, but too

much of it can be over-

whelming. So teachers

should consider what their

students feel is a reasonable

amount, but students should

never pressure their teachers

to stop giving homework.

Learning can be fun, inside

and outside the classroom.

By Ka’yon Ross

Journalism Student

How much homework is

too much?

What do you want to learn from the news?

The Bill of Rights was writ-

ten to protect the people of the

United States of America from

the government; it it is sup-

posed to prohibit the govern-

ment from overstepping its

allocated power.

This does not always stop the

government from trying to

make laws that violate the Bill

of Rights. One such action

was by the Federal Communi-

cations Commission, or the

FCC, labelled as the “Multi-

Market Study of Critical Infor-

mation Needs,” or CIN.

First revealed by Ajit Pai in

an article titled, “The FCC

Wades into the Newsroom,” a

commissioner of the FCC,

CIN is one of the boldest

moves the government has

made to try to control the

press, which is specifically

prohibited by the First

Amendment.

CIN is a plan to control what

stories the press covers. To do

this, the FCC first created a

list of eight categories, which

include things like the envi-

ronment and the economy,

they feel the public needs to

learn about through the media.

Pai explains the way he be-

lieves the FCC will ensure the

media covers their “critical”

topics. In his article, Pai

writes, “Participation in the

Critical Information Needs is

voluntary-in theory… The

FCC’s queries may be hard for

the broadcasters to ignore.

They would be out of business

without an FCC license, which

must be renewed every eight

years.”

This implies that the FCC

will revoke broadcasters’ li-

censes if refuse to cooperate

with their plan to spoon-feed

information to the public. It is

also insinuated that the press

will be prevented from airing

stories that the public should

have the option about which to

learn.

If the American people allow

the FCC to violate a basic

right of our country, what

other rights will the govern-

ment try to overstep in the fu-

ture?

By Alyssa Grube

The Freedom Forum

Freedom’s first online classes.

Top Left: Mrs. Erdman and Mr. Ayre’s online English 12 and Anatomy classes.

Top Right: Mr. Ayre’s fall semester online Human Anatomy class: Christina Scheetz,

Nate Deely, Mr. Ayre, Devin Blattner, Alyson Picione

Left: Mrs. Erdman’s spring semester online English 12 class. front left: Kasey

Gallagher, Devin Blattner, Alyssa Saggio, Alyson Picione; back left: Cole DiGuiseppi,

Mrs. Erdman, Brian Burke. Not pictured: Victoria McCaslin

Right: Mrs. Erdman’s fall semester online English 12 class. front left: Jessica Newman,

Victoria Posivak, Samantha Lutz, Christine, Myers; back left: Sam Liparini, Mrs.

Erdman, Steven Singer. Not pictured: Cristina Haller, Logan Handwerk

Selfies have taken the so-

cial media world by storm.

Selfies are not only taken to

show what you look like, but

also to tell your story.

At Freedom High School

(FHS), we use selfies to

document moments in time

with our classmates, teach-

ers, and teammates.

Recently, Ellen Degeneres

broke the ‘retweet’ record

with 3.4M retweets of a sel-

fie from the Oscar’s while

surrounded by celebrities.

Even President Obama

snapped a selfie with British

Prime Minister David Cam-

eron and Denmark’s Prime

Minister Helle Thorning

Schmidt at Nelson Mandela’s

Mr. Baltz and his AP Environ-

mental Science students snap a sel-

fie together on their last day of the

Mrs. Erdman and her journalism stu-

Some of Mr. Bothwell’s students

Lexi Keyser takes a selfie with Pi-

A few of Mr. Baltz’s APES students

Students take a selfie with an octopus Mrs. Cierech’s AP Spanish students

Mr. Young, the boys’ tennis coach,

Dr. Roy smiles for a not-so-selfie

selfie with some juniors.

Mr. Safranek and his students take a

Popular selfie hashtags










ers, and teammates.





















ers, and teammates.





















ers, and teammates.












Caitlin McCadden takes a selfie with

Peter Frey and Tommy Archer snap

The boys’ tennis team snap a selfie

Students in Mr. Baltz’s Anatomy class Ka’yon Ross snaps a selfie during

Mrs. Erdman and her English students

show their MLB gear on opening day.

Mr. LaPorta smiles for a selfie with

Selfie [sel-fee]

noun Informal. A selfie is a type of self-portrait

photograph, typically taken with

a hand-held digital camera or

camera phone. Selfies are often

Photo: quasysnews.net

Jason Hall takes a selfie of Joseph

8 Pates’ Post The Forum April 2014

Doing it all with a smile

This month’s student of the

month is Michael Brandle,

sophomore. He is actively

involved and invested in

many aspects of our school.

“Manage your time,” said

Brandle.

As a student, one should be

involved in both his or her

school and community. For

Brandle, managing time can

be a hassle, but he believes it

is very vital to being success-

ful.

He is a very studious indi-

vidual, taking all honors

classes: Honors Chemistry,

Honors English 10, Honors

Algebra 2, and Honors US

History 3.

Since his freshman year,

Brandle has been participat-

ing in multiple extracurricu-

lar activities. He is heavily

involved in various school

musical, choral, and theatre

clubs and organizations. Such

clubs and organizations in-

clude the Band, where he

plays the drums, the Choir,

which he is the president of,

Les Chanteurs, Corale, and

the Theatre Company, where

he is an actor and prop li-

ason.

Brandle is also involved in

Helping Hands Committee of

Bethlehem Area School Dis-

trict’s Mini-THON and Stu-

dents Against Destructive

Decisions (SADD) here at

Freedom.

Active in the community,

Brandle sings as part of the

Lehigh Valley Harmonics,

plays drums for the Lehigh

Valley Iron Pigs Drumline,

and he is involved with

“Relay for Life,” an organi-

zation devoted to funding the

fight to find a cure for cancer

through multiple fundraisers,

i n c l u d i n g a wa l k -a -

thon, which Brandle is help-

ing with.

For those trying to get active

in their school and commu-

nity, Brandle says, “Pick

three things you would enjoy

doing...and do them.” For

many, this advice would

prove worthy, especially for

those not involved at all in

their schools and communi-

ties, or in special cases for

those over-involved in vari-

ous activities.

If you are just starting to get

involved or you are interested

in getting more involved,

picking three things to do is a

great way to start. If you are

involved in too many things,

try to pick only three things

to do. Being over-involved

can be disastrous and will

eventually lead to failure in

your academics and extracur-

riculars.

Brandle offered two excel-

lent tips about managing time

and getting involved, which

we can all apply to our lives.

We can all learn a thing from

this excellent well-rounded

student.

By Josh Christiansen

Journalism Student

An interview with

Michael Brandle,

Student of the Month

April is for Autism awareness

Did you know autism is the

fastest-growing serious de-

velopmental disability in the

U.S? According to au-

tismspeaks.org, autism now

affects 1 in every 88 children

and 1 in every 54 boys. Au-

tism spectrum disorder af-

fects over 2 million individu-

als in the U.S. and tens of

millions worldwide so what

is it exactly?

A c c o r d i n g t o a u -

tismspeaks.org Autism spec-

trum disorder (ASD) and au-

tism are both general terms

for a group of complex disor-

ders of brain development.

These disorders are charac-

terized in varying degrees, by

difficulties in social interac-

tion, verbal and nonverbal

communication, and repeti-

tive behaviors.

Autism is defined as a

“spectrum disorder” because

it affects individuals differ-

ently as well as in varying

degrees. With autism affect-

ing millions across the na-

tion, it is important to recog-

nize the presence of au-

tism from young children to

even adults.

In order to highlight the

growing need for concern

and awareness about autism,

the United States recognizes

April as National Autism

Awareness Month. Because

their is no known single

cause of autism, the in-

creased awareness and fund-

ing greatly helps families

directly affected.

According to the National

Autism Society, Autism ap-

pears to have its roots in very

early brain development.

Characteristics usually be-

come obvious during early

childhood. Autism Speaks

continues to fund research as

early intervention has proven

to improve outcomes.

So what can you do to

make a difference? Aside

from donations, autism walks

take place across the nation.

The next autism walk in the

Lehigh Valley takes place on

April 25, 2014 at Dorney

P a r k . W a l kn o wf o r a u -

tismspeaks.org declares,

“Walk Now for Autism

Speaks is a fun-filled, family

friendly event that is our sin-

gle most powerful force to

fund vital research that will

lead us to the answers we

need.”

The national symbol of au-

tism is represented through a

ribbon of puzzle pieces be-

cause of the complexity of

the autism spectrum. As well

as this, the brightness repre-

sents hope according to the

Autism society. It is believed

that in increased awareness

of autism, and through early

intervention and appropriate

treatments, people with au-

tism will lead fuller, more

complete lives.

As March comes to an end

and those around us “spring”

into April, remember April is

for Autism Awareness. Au-

tism speaks, it is time to lis-

ten.

By Carly Pfaff

The Freedom Forum

Final steps against cell phones

Students have been in an

uproar about the new proto-

col coming to Freedom High

School. Say goodbye to using

your cell phone in class be-

cause new devices are going

to stop that for good.

In the past decade, cell

phones have created a huge

distraction in classrooms.

Administrators, along with

teachers, have since been

trying to figure out how to

control it. Due to a grant

awarded to the school, fund-

ing for small cell phone

blockers will begin to be in-

stalled into all classrooms

starting in May of 2014.

Cell phones work off of a

series of waves that transmit

information between your

phone, a satellite, and an-

other phone. Cell phone

blockers scramble those

waves. So, when a person

tries to use his or her phone

within the blocker’s range, a

network connection error will

arise.

This is the final step to

eliminate the distraction of

cell phones, but what do the

students think?

“Obviously, no one will be

happy about this. I guess, in

the end, it’ll force students to

pay attention,” said Saman-

tha Lutz, senior.

Lutz’s reaction is similar to

others, but she is quite for-

giving with it. Other seniors

that were interviewed are

extremely angry.

“Cell phone blockers?

What’s next, a buddy system

in the hallway? I think it’s

unnecessary,” said Faarah

Ameerally, senior.

High school is supposed to

be a preparation for college,

but it seems like administra-

tion just wants to treat us like

children. It is called Freedom

High School, but where is the

“freedom”?

“I get anxiety when I walk

away from my phone for a

second. I really don’t know

how I’m going to get through

a whole school day without

it,” said Alyson Picione, sen-

ior.

Picione is more concerned

for her mental well-being

than anything else. This new

protocol may be the solution

to this separation anxiety

many young people get from

being without their phones.

There will be no “safe

zone”, even the cafeteria will

have cell phone blockers in-

stalled. Looks like students

will be forced to actually talk

amongst themselves while

enjoying a break from class.

If you have yet to lose your

temper over this or start a

debate in class, you should

know something: April fools!

By Logan Handwerk

Pates’ Post Editor

Foolish idea about

cell phones

Photo: Wikimedia commons

Photo: Josh Christiansen

Editor’s Note: The above article is an April Fools’ joke.

He is your best friend, you

two do everything together,

you share common inter-

ests, and things are personal

between you two. I know

what you may be

thinking; however, this

is not your normal,

everyday relationship.

This is a “bromance.”

A bromance is de-

fined as a close rela-

tionship between two

men that is typically

non-romantic. This can

occur from the two of

you playing a sport

together, sitting next in

each in class, or living

in the same neighbor-

hood. Typically, a bro-

mance is easily identi-

fied from the behavior

of two male friends

towards each other;

they act like the have

known each other their

entire lives.

“A bromance is a

brotherly bond that can not

be broken,” said Jack Fried,

junior. “They form over

time from many years of

friendship, dedication, and

love.”

Fried is no stranger to the

concept of a “bromance.”

He and Doug Leeson, sen-

ior, can almost always be

seen together.

“Doug and I do a lot of

activities together and [we]

worked together; we have

bonded through high

school,” said Fried.

When asked, Leeson

agreed that he and Jack

spend a large amount of

time together including hav-

ing “poker nights, being co-

section leaders for band,

and playing tennis to-

gether.” However the bro-

mance does not stop there.

Often, Matt Henninger and

Evan Anthony, seniors, can

be seen tagging along with

this dynamic duo.

“Bromances” have be-

come a popular concept

in the 21st century and

can commonly be seen

even in tv shows or

movies. Characters such

as Spongebob and Pat-

rick, Harry Potter and

Ron Weasley, or Turk

and JD, from the popu-

lar medical-comedy

drama “Scrubs,” have

become icons of the

word itself. However,

viewers and women

everywhere still wonder

what makes a bromance

so strong.

“At the end of the day

if you have no one else,

you still have your bro’s

no matter what. They get

weird sometimes, but

nothing else matters over

friendship,” said Fried.

Pates’ Post 9 The Forum April 2014

Prepare to succeed for the AP exams

AP exams are on the

minds of many students. If

the score is good enough,

the exam can count for col-

lege credits.

When asked about her AP

exams, junior Morgana

Wallace, who is taking AP

Comparative Government

and AP Language and

Composition exams this

year, said, “I’m not nervous

unless I think about how

close they are. Like, if

they’re ‘at the end of the

year,’ I’m fine. If they’re

‘in ten weeks,’ I get a little

tense.”

AP tests are going to be

here soon, and each student

should know what to do to

be as prepared as they can

be. Preparing for the exams

starts in class. Teachers can

help go over the formatting

of exams and example

questions.

Madame Pazzaglia who

teaches AP French said, "In

class we speak in French

and listen to French in dif-

ferent contexts." She went

on to say that the class does

many cultural activities to

prepare for the exam.

Outside of school, students

have many opportunities to

prepare. College Board of-

fers past free response ques-

tions--also known as FRQs-

-and practice questions for

students to use on their

website collegeboard.org.

"I keep all the stuff from

my classes so I can look

over it. My English class

even assembled test prep

binders specifically for

studying key concepts. Be-

yond that, both College

Board and Kaplan offer re-

sources for test prep," said

Wallace.

Kaplan even offers free

online flash cards for some

of the AP exams at kapt-

est.com/ap.

During the test, it is also

important to carefully read

all of the directions, take

notes where possible, and

organize thoughts as

quickly as possible, accord-

ing to Pazzaglia.

Start preparing now for the

AP exams to be able to suc-

ceed and score well, and

make sure to go through the

AP booklet everyone re-

ceived when registering.

Most colleges want to see

students with the score of

either a four or a five.

By Hannah Young

Journalism Student

How everyone can do

well on their tests

Dear The Forum,

My family and I do not go to

church and do not identify with

a religion, and we do not know

if we believe in a higher power.

However, there are a lot of my

friends and classmates who do,

and are very faithful. I feel like

I am an outsider and that I

have to believe, or else I am in

the wrong.

-Praying For Assistance

Dear Praying For Assistance,

We honestly understand

where you are coming from

since religion is a very touchy

subject for everyone. We per-

sonally do not like discussing it

either, but we understand you

are trying to get a better feel to

help your friendship.

Not all people are in touch

with a higher power, and that is

okay. In our school, there are

people of all different religions

such as Christian, Catholic,

Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Mor-

mon, and more. No matter,

what one believes, the values

are the same.

Family, love, and respect are

core beliefs in all religions be-

cause they are morals that eve-

ryone believes in. Even if you

do not go to church, practice in

prayers, or participate in reli-

gious activities, what you have

in common with those who do

is morals. In the end, that is

what matters and what brings

everyone together; regardless

of what higher power you

praise or do not praise.

In America, because of the

First Amendment, every citizen

has the right to religious free-

dom. Also, in public school

schools, we can be taught about

religion in relation to its his-

tory, per se, but teachers cannot

force or persuade a student into

a certain religion. However, at

Freedom, there are clubs that

one can join if he or she is a

part of a religion. There is the

Bible Club run by Mr. Jones

and the Fellowship of Christian

Athletes run by Mr. Dunstan.

In the end, acceptance is

key. Even though many stu-

dents in our school are of dif-

ferent religions, we all accept,

respect each other and come

together.

Ask The Forum Freedom gets “bromantic” By Caitlin McCadden

The Freedom Forum

Enjoy writing? Taking pictures?

Conducting interviews?

Join The Freedom Forum

Meetings are on Wednesdays

@ 2:30 in Room 210

Doug Lesson left, and Jack Fried, right,

are co-section leaders for FHS saxo-

phones. Photo submitted by: Doug Leeson

Photo collegeboard.com

In science class, there are a lot

of hands on things to do while

learning new concepts.

Students in Mr. Eric Baltz’s

science class get to do labs and

try new experiments.

Recently, Mr. Baltz did a

really interesting lab with his

second block class, an air pol-

lution lab.

The air pollution lab is when

students place dishes around

the school to see what kind of

particles they can collect that

are floating in the air.

Before placing the dishes

around the school, students

drew circles in the petri dish by

tracing a quarter on the plate

and then put vaseline in it. Stu-

dents placed the dishes

throughout the school and left

them out for about 48 hours.

“They found that there was a

lot of fuzz and small pieces of

dirt, but there was nothing un-

usual found,” said Mr. Baltz.

Doing hands on things like

labs and experiments is really

good for students because if

they are just sitting there listen-

ing to the teacher ,they are not

really going to learn as much;

however, if they are doing

hands on activities, they can

actually do it independently

and learn more.

Investigating our air By Princess Newman

Journalism Student

By Fyniss Fraizer

Anissa Vasquez

The Freedom Forum

Web Editor

10 Entertainment The Forum April 2014

Are reality TV shows going too far

Over the past few years,

many of the more popular

shows have been all about

exploiting other people's

lives on low quality reality

television, but the question

is, how much is too much?

Everyone knows at least one

r e a l i t y t e l e v i s i o n

show. Some enjoy what they

see and watch it for the

trashy content while others

completely stay steer clear to

the television craze. The ob-

session with reality television

shows started with shows

like “American Idol” and

“Survivor”. This was only

the start as shows such as

“Jersey Shore” and more re-

cently “Toddlers & Tiaras”

and “Here Comes Honey

Boo Boo” stole the spotlight.

Some of these shows involv-

ing younger people are set-

ting them up for future men-

tal issues and lacking a sense

of reality.

“Most of the shows are just

watching dysfunctional peo-

ple live, it’s pointless,” said

Max Smith, sophomore.

A new show entitled

“Friday Night Tykes” got a

few coaches of a youth foot-

ball team in trouble for being

too rough on the kids, who

are in elementary school.

Also it showed the coaches

telling the kids to deliber-

ately hit other players in the

head. Both coaches are now

suspended.

“It takes control of their

lives and some of the shows

are completely scripted,” said

Smith.

The rise

of reality

TV show

the decline

in televi-

sion qual-

ity. Due to

the shows’

r a t i n g s

however, it

seems reality TV is no where

near its way out.

By Mitchell Coriell

Sports Editor

Battling for the better burrito

Both Moe's and Chipotle

specialize in burritos and in

tacos. Also, both restaurants

serve in The United States

with a few locations outside

of the country, but what

makes these different?

"I like the way [Chipotle]

handles themselves ecologi-

cally and they're also very

environmentally friendly. I

feel as though their food is

fresher," said senior, Kelsey

Clark.

Currently, Chipotle's web-

site features a section with a

description on what they are

doing to help the environ-

ment. They use beans that are

40% organic and although

they believe organic food has

tendency to be smaller, they

believe the food helps people

and the environment.

"The overall atmosphere

and [Moe's] quality of food is

comparable to that of a big

name store like chipotle but

overall is cheaper," said sen-

ior Steven Singer.

While visiting Moe's you

can expect complimentary

chips and salsa, as at Chi-

potle you need to pay extra.

Add on another $2 for Gua-

camole at Chipotle also.

Both Moe's and Chipotle

offer delicious Mexican style

food prepared fast and to

your liking. At both places

you are able to choose the

meat, beans, and all ingredi-

ents that go on your taco or

burrito. With burrito joints

popping up all over the Val-

ley these two appear to be the

winner in the better burrito

battle.

By Erin Heaney

Centerspread Editor

Moes vs. Chipotle

Singing and dancing with the Muppets once again

They have danced and sung

their way into all of our

hearts, a group that certainly

needs no introduction; it is

the Muppets!

Yes folks, it is the

“Muppets Most Wanted,”

and adjusted for inflation

with two talking frogs. The

“Muppets Most Wanted” of

course is the sequel to “The

Muppets.”

The movie starts off with all

the Muppets

singing a

song about

doing a se-

quel, we then

meet Domi-

nic Badguy

(Ricky Ger-

vais) who

c o n v i n c e s

the muppets

to go on a

world tour

starting with Europe.

Through this we learn that

the evil frog

Constantine has

escaped from a

maximum secu-

rity prison, and

is teaming up

with Dominic

Badguy to be-

come the great-

est criminal of

all time.

The viewer is

taken on a jour-

ney of prison

escapes, movie

cliches, musical

numbers, and the

Muppet humor we have

come to love over the years.

The best part about this

movie is that you do not need

to have watched the Muppets

before in order to enjoy this

movie. However long time

Muppet fans will enjoy this

movie more.

Although this movie is

good, it is far from perfect. In

order to achieve some stunts

in the movie the Muppets had

to be animated. This took

away from the experience of

the Muppets since it did not

look like puppetry.

Another disappointment in

this movie is that the musical

numbers are not as good as

they were in the previous

films. The songs aren’t terri-

ble but they are missing that

charm that Muppet songs

usually have.

Reviewing a Muppet movie

could not be complete unless

you added some of the guest

stars, those including Ricky

Gervais, Tina Fey, Ty

Burrell, and Lady Gaga to

name a few.

Overall this movie is good;

however, I would only re-

comend this movie if you are

a Muppet fan.

By Jack Ogozaly

Editorials Editor

Photo

lo

gos.w

kik

ia.o

rg

Left: American Idol; Right: Toddlers and Tiaras.

Photo simdb.com

A review of the new Muppets

film, “Muppets Most Wanted”

Photo imdb.com

Monday June 2:

Senior breakfast

Day 1 of practice @ FHS

Tuesday June 3:

Day 2 of practice @ FHS

Wednesday June 4:

Day 3 of practice @ Stabler Arena

Spring break is right around

the corner; however, there is

a problem. It is only three

days long, due to the snow

days this year. The important

thing is to make the most of

it, without focusing on how

short it is. Students at FHS

are doing different things

to make the most of the

three-day break.

“I’m going to catch up on

my work,” said Destiny

Rivera, sophomore.

A great way to be produc-

tive is by finishing home-

work and projects. Catching

up on work will help stu-

dents be prepared for when

they return back to school.

On the other hand, some

students are doing just the

opposite and using their

spring break as a way to re-

lax and forget about school.

“It will still be a nice break

from school,” said Megan

Palmer, sophomore.

Another way students are

enjoying their spring break is

by getting outside of the

house and enjoying the

warm weather outdoors.

“I’m going to go fishing,”

said Travis Galasso, junior.

Other students are spending

their break with the people

who matter the most, friends

and family.

“[Spring Break] is good

because I’ll be able to spend

time with my family,” said

Scott Rader, sophomore.

Students that are involved

in the FHS Band are going to

Boston, Mass. over the

spring break.

“We’re going to Six Flags

for the band trip this year,”

said Sahitya Mandalapu,

freshman.

Normally, the band stu-

dents do not miss school for

the trip because it is sched-

uled during spring break, but

this year, it was cut short,

due to the snow days.

“Even though we lost so

many days, I’m still going to

make the best of it,” said

Rader.

So, whether you spend your

days catching up on some

school work or outside ad-

venturing, be sure to make

the most of your spring

break!

No spring break(down)

Entertainment 11 The Forum April 2014

A “Frozen” treat warms hearts

Just months before

Bethlehem experi-

enced a frigid winter,

Disney’s “Frozen”

hit theaters on Nov.

27, 2013. It seemed

as though Elsa,

voiced by Idina

Menzel, trapped not

only Arendelle in an eternal

winter, but the entire North-

east.

The Academy Award and

Golden Globe

winning ani-

mated comedy

captured the

hearts of young

and old alike.

“A sisterhood

saga loosely

based on Hans

Christian An-

dersen's ‘The

Snow Queen,’

it is filled with heart and

heart-stopping action,” said

Betsy Sharkey of the Los

Angeles Times.

Spoiler alert: This is not

another story about how true

love’s kiss will save the day.

The true love that thaws

Anna’s heart is found be-

tween sisters, Anna and Elsa.

Throughout the movie, co-

medic relief is found within a

talking snowman named Olaf

(Josh Gad). A peculiar cama-

raderie between Kristoff

(Jonathan Groff), and Sven, a

reindeer, is introduced. The

pair helps Anna (Kristen

Bell), in her quest to stop the

winter Elsa has created in the

middle of Arendelle’s sum-

mer.

The catchy tunes, written by

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and

Robert Lopez, had people

singing along in the theaters,

and now at home. “Frozen”

was released on Blu-ray and

DVD on Mar. 18.

“I couldn’t help but dance

in my seat when I saw

‘Frozen’. Although, I did get

a little embarrassed when my

friend started singing along

proudly,” said Logan Hand-

werk, senior.

According to broad-

way.com, Bob Iger, Walt

Disney CEO and Chairman,

wants to take “Frozen” to the

stage. There is no time frame

announced yet for the Broad-

way version of the $398 bil-

lion box office hit.

Beloved fans of “Frozen”

can sign up to be “among the

first to receive news about

the stage adaption of

‘Frozen’ as it becomes avail-

able” at frozenthemusi-

cal.com.

By Samantha Lutz

Editor-in-Chief

Having fun in the sun…finally

Spring is upon us, and stu-

dents could not be any more

excited. With this warm

weather approaching, you

may ask yourself, what are

some things you can do in

the Lehigh Valley area?

“I love spring because it is

like you’re taking a little bite

of summer,” said Amy

Rehnert, junior.

With all the different sports

underway, there will be a

variety of games you can at-

tend. FHS spring sports in-

clude baseball, lacrosse,

track, volleyball, softball,

and tennis.

The warmer it gets, the

more open toed shoes we will

wear so why not go and get a

nice mani and pedi while you

are out.

Spring is a good time for a

new spring wardrobe and

some spring cleaning. You

can take some time to clean

out your closet and even your

car. When all your stuff is

cleaned and you are finding

things you do not need, there

is always the option of a yard

sale.

Date nights. With love blos-

soming in the new sea-

son, couples may won-

der what you could ac-

tually do in the Lehigh

Valley, but there are

many things. Try going

on a nice date to Rita’s

or even mini golfing.

Even a walk down Main

Street is a nice thing to

do in the spring.

In the Lehigh Valley,

there are different nature

resources that are enjoy-

able like taking a drive up

to the lookout and taking

a nice view of all of Bethle-

hem.

"I like driving up to the

lookout with all my windows

down and listening to music,"

said Gia Erie, junior.

One of my personal favor-

ites would be a hike up to

The Knob, it is a beautiful

view and a nice workout!

Another spring festivity is

fishing.

"I get so excited during the

spring because I can finally

go down to the Lehigh Val-

ley River and fish for hours,"

said Travis Galasso, junior.

The warmer the weather

gets, the more there is to do,

"I like walking up to the

park by my house and swing-

ing on the swings, pretending

like I'm five again," said Si-

erra Kalamar, junior.

Happy Spring!

By Aeisha Gauba

Journalism student

Things to do in

the spring

Photo: imdb.com

Jimmy Lutz, freshman, takes a cruise

with his friends to start off Spring

Photo taken by: Jon Corcoran

By Elyse Stanford

The Freedom Forum

The NFL free agency hap-

pens every off-season when

players get release or traded

to different teams. This hap-

pens to players who have con-

tracts that are up and

have completed four or

more seasons in the

NFL. These players are

free to sign with any

franchise and if un-

drafted these players are

eligible for the NFL

Draft.

The number one pick

for the NFL Free

Agency is Alex Mack

who was recently re-

leased for Cleveland

Browns. Mack is being

looked at by the Baltimore

Ravens, Indianapolis Colts

and also his recent team the

Cleveland Browns who are

looking to resign him.

He needs to sign to the Indi-

anapolis Colts because they

have a great quarterback, An-

drew Luck, who will be pro-

tected at all times if Mack

signs to the Colts,” said Joey

Smith, sophomore.

The number two pick of the

NFL Free Agency is Jermi-

chael Finley who was re-

leased from the Green Bay

Packers. Finely who plans to

sign with the Seattle Sea-

hawks is waiting for his medi-

cal clearance to come through

but until then he is in a hold-

ing pattern.

“Finely should go to Seattle

because it will be good for

the team. They will possibly

go to the super bowl once

again,” said Alkiohn Dun-

cans, sophomore.

The number three pick of

the NFL Free Agency is Jared

Allen who recently signed to

the Chicago Bears to a 4-

years contract. “ He should

sign to the Dallas Cowboys” ,

said Joey Smith. Superstar

Jared Allen was expected to

sign to the Cowboys after

their fear Defensive End

Damarcus Ware went to Den-

ver Broncos. Jared Allen

would be a good

fit for the Bears

after Julius Pep-

pers went to the

rivals Green Bay

Packers.

The number

fourth pick of the

NFL Free Agency

is Pat Sims who

patiently waiting

to go to a different

team like the Ten-

nessee Titans. “

Pat Sims will not

do good as Titan because they

got no future as team”, said

Alkiohn Duncans, sopho-

more. Pat Sims had 54 tackles

and 2 sacks last season by

playing Defensive End. Sims

maybe perfect for the Titans

next season if the Titans sign

him.

Taking a look at NFL free agents By Roland Cash

Fyniss Fraizer

Journalism Student

The Freedom Forum

Photo: insidethehuddle.tv

Volume 47 Issue 7 The Forum April 2014

It was one of the most his-

torical events in sports his-

tory which turned into a trag-

edy. A city turned upside

down for days. Now, the city

of Boston is trying to forget

the past and move on.

On April 21, 2014 it will be

the one year anniversary of

the Boston Marathon bomb-

ing. Boston is working to

move past the tragedy and

make this year’s marathon a

success.

On April 21, last year, terror

was brought to the marathon.

Two bombs exploded near

the finish line and the city

went into mass hysteria.

Jack Foley, who is part of

the medical staff in the ath-

letic department at Lehigh

University, was working at

the marathon when it all went

down.

“Upon the first blast (the

boom was felt by us at the

finish line) approximately 30

yards away just past the

grandstand. I initially thought

a transformer had blown, not-

ing a cloud of smoke visible

as well (as we had timing

troubles with the clock at

finish line in past few hours),

yet within seconds, there was

a second blast further now

down on Boylston street,”

said Foley.

“At this instant it became

very ‘surreal’ for me as chaos

unfolded directly in front of

me with the elder runner or

gentleman named Bill having

fallen in full view and police

now around him with guns

high. There were sounds of

fright, pain, disbelief, and a

smell pervading as I ran first

toward the fallen runner to

offer simple advice to both

Bill now looking dazed yet

without visible injury and the

race official standing with

him while just off to my near

right was Boston's finest mo-

tioning to me while yelling

loudly and dis t inctly

‘medical, medical......need

you now’ at which point I

quickly took off to the scene

of the first explosion,” said

Foley.

Brienne Smith, the head

coach of the women’s soccer

team at Moravian College,

was also at the Boston Mara-

thon when the bombs went

off.

“I am happy to report that

we had crossed the finish line

moments before the blasts

and we were far enough

away to escape any

harm. We did however, wit-

ness the horror that unfolded

in the aftermath. Words can-

not express how were are

feeling at this time. We are

so thankful for our safety and

the safety of all of those that

came out to support us on

Monday, but we are grieving

for those who were not as

fortunate,” said Smith.

For this year’s Boston

Marathon, many things will

be changed. The city of Bos-

ton is going to double the

amount of police and also

have over one hundred secu-

rity cameras throughout the

race course. The public is

warned not to bring any large

carrying items or more than

one liter of liquid to the race.

Col. Timothy Alben, who is

the commander of state po-

lice, talked to USA Today

about why it is so important

to report anything suspicious

to the police.

"In this world, you never

eliminate risk, you never

bring it down to zero," he

said, "but we are working

very hard at reducing that

risk level and managing it to

the best of our collective

abilities."

Things will be different for

the Boston Marathon this

year, but the city of Boston is

confident that they can make

this historical event just as

successful as it is every year.

By Christa Eaton

Journalism student

Boston Marathon: running away from the memories

It is that time of year again

for the Nation Football

League (NFL) mock draft,

where over 100 college ath-

letes attend the NFL Com-

bine in Indianapolis.

These athletes look forward

to attending the NFL Com-

bine to show their skills to

the NFL scouts and also have

a possible chance of getting

recruited into the first round

of the official NFL draft.

The top five teams that are

in dire need of players are the

following: Houston Texans,

St. Louis Rams, Jacksonville

Jaguars, Cleveland Browns,

and the Oakland Raiders.

The Houston Texans suffer

from not having a Defensive

End alongside JJ Watt. The

Texans possible pick is Jade-

veon Clowney out of South

Carolina. Clowney did a

splendid job at the NFL

Combine by running a blaze

4.5 official forty time.

“Jadeveon Clowney should

be first because he has the

most potential in the draft”,

said Nigel Long, senior.

The St. Louis Rams have

the second pick in the draft

and should pick up an offen-

sive lineman. For consecu-

tive years, Rams rushing was

one of the worst. To step it

up, offensive lineman Greg

Robinson is the man for the

job. Robinson is 6’5 , 332 lbs

and went to college at Au-

burn.

The third pick goes to the

Jacksonville Jaguars who are

desperate to get a quarter-

back. The Jaguars in the past

always needed a key figure to

win the game. Now that guy

is Blake Bortles of the Uni-

versity of Central Florida.

Blake passed for 25 touch-

downs for a season and also

passed for 3,581 yards.

“Jacksonville should get

Blake Bortles because he has

the most potential out of the

quarterbacks,” said Nick

Sharpe, senior.

No one can be sure of what

will happen in this years

draft, but there is no denying

that it will be an eventful

one.

By Roland Cash

Fyniss Frazier

Journalism student

The Freedom Forum

What to expect from the NFL Mock Draft

Spring time is award sea-

son, especially for basket-

ball. The Most Valuable

Player (M.V.P.) race is al-

most coming to an end, and it

is already in the process of

being decided now.

“The M.V.P. decision is a

tough one this year, but I

think Kevin Durant has it

sealed,” said Richard Caccia-

tore, of Bethlehem, an avid

basketball viewer.

ESPN is recording Kevin

Durant number one overall in

the M.V.P race. On

NBA.com they have a rank-

ing system on different play-

ers in the league, who are

getting the most votes. The

players are receiving votes by

the top notch sports and bas-

ketball reviewers on every

sports channel in America.

“I really think that they

should just pick Kevin Du-

rant for the M.V.P. Lebron

James has no chance, and he

should just face reality, and

also face the facts.” said Ty-

ler Muniz of Bethlehem, an-

other basketball fan.

The most important thing

for Durant this season is just

to finish the season and make

the playoffs.

“I would really be happy if I

won the award, but I would-

n’t

really mind too much if I did-

n’t win it.” Durant said.

Durant said that Lebron

James isn’t getting enough

praise either, and he feels he

is working just as hard.

Most of the people in the

NBA are keeping a close

watch on Kevin Durant, mak-

ing sure he keeps up his per-

formances, such as scoring,

passing, defense and basi-

cally keeping that number

one spot on the M.V.P. list.

“Kevin Durant should win,

because he had consecu-

tive 20+ scoring games,

and being a more domi-

nant player than Lebron

James,” said Roland

Cash-Mabry, a sopho-

more at Freedom High

School.

ESPN is going to an-

nounce the final stand-

ings on their website

when the award is pre-

sented to the player, and

put up the player’s stats

when the playoffs are

starting.

Profiling Durant for M.V.P. By Wil Cacciatore

Journalism student

Photo: Flikr Creative Commons

City of Boston trying to forget the past

Picture of the Boston Marathon during the bombing Photo: Creative Commons

Documents

2014 April