The Maroon Report The s tuden t vo i ce o f Greenv i l l e .

December 21st, 2015

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Greenville Delegations Sweep Mock United Nations By Emily Fagan

At this year’s annual Minds-On Historical Mock United Nations field trip, ten Greenville students, ac-companied by their fearless leader Mr. Thela, journeyed to the Carey Institute to battle it out with four other schools in the capital region over the issues of Imperialism and Nationalism as they were in 1878. This event, held on November 19th, was the culmina-tion of several months of preparation, as each country was required to pre-pare a resolution that made sense for their country to support within the con-text of 1870`s imperialism, and stu-dents were also encouraged to re-search the historical background of their country to aid them at the conference. Greenville students

who attended the Mock United Nations were Elaina Spahmer and Olivia Baumann, representing Egypt; Scott Davis and Dan Mackey, repre-senting China; Grace-Ann Toledo and Liam Connors, representing Russia; Sean McAneny, Emily Fagan, and Jar-ed Spring, representing Unyamwezi (despite it not technically ever being a country); and Jacob Gorneau, who was President of the Security Council. These students managed to get all of the resolutions they presented passed by the formation of key alliances, and even convinced the United Kingdom to free China and Egypt about half a century ahead of schedule.

Continued on page 2

GCS Graduates Receive IB Diplomas

By Kelsey Gardner

Students from Greenville’s Class of 2015 recently were

awarded their IB Diplomas. English teacher, Ms. Hamilton wanted

these exceptional students to be recognized for their hard work

and dedication to their courses. A huge congratulations from The

Maroon Report goes out to the following 2015 graduates: Rachel

Co-Scharff, James Herbstritt, Caroline Bobrick, Zoe Rudloff and

Killian Black.

Bias In Athletics……………………....4

Taking the Varnish Off of Christmas…7

Student and Teacher of the Month….11

Holiday Pickup Lines……………...…12

Winter Crossword……….....................17

Musical Announcement…………...…..20

Art Showcase………………………..21

(Above) Olivia Baumann and Elaina Spahmer, present-ing their proposal for Egypt.

The Maroon Report Features page 10

By Kaitlyn Wright and Natalie Wysokowski Scrabble Letter Ornaments Difficulty: 4/10 It’s easy to make, especially if you have a Scrabble board game collecting dust in the closet! Supplies: -Scrabble letter tiles -Ribbon (preferably red or green for the holiday) -Scissors -Hot glue gun Steps: Make sure to decide on what word you plan on assembling with tiles. Some examples could be: love, believe, joy, holly, or noel. Taking your hot glue gun, glue your Scrabble tiles together. Let the tiles dry in a safe place for at least one hour. Cut your ribbon to your desired length and loop it. Glue the two ends of the looped ribbon onto the back of your tiles. Let the ribbon fully dry before hanging. If you want, you can add decorations, such as glitter. *Optional: Glue a piece of felt to the back of your ornament for extra sturdiness. For more help, visit www. iheartnaptime.net. Christmas Hot Chocolate Mugs Difficulty: 3/10 Throwing a hot chocolate packet into a cellophane bag is easy; it’s personalizing the mug that’s the fun part! Supplies: -A plain white mug (found at Walmart or the dollar store) -Sharpie markers (use green, red, and yellow for real Christmas spirit!) -Cellophane bag -Hot chocolate packet -Marshmallows -Ribbon (preferably red or green) -Peppermint stick or candy cane Steps: 1. Personalize your white mug with any colored sharpies accord-ing to who you plan on giving it to. 2. Bake your mug on 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 3. Add your hot chocolate packet along with the marshmallows and peppermint stick or candy cane into the cellophane bag. Tie your bag shut with your ribbon.

4. Let your mug cool, and then place your cellophane goodie bag into the mug. For more help, visit www. iheartnaptime.net. Mason Jar Snow Globe Difficulty: 6/10 A beautiful gift or decoration to make with the family. Supplies: -glue gun -glitter (preferably white) -glitter glue -mason jar -assorted sized trees Steps: 1. Take the glitter glue and decorate the trees. 2. Use the hot glue gun to glue the trees to the thin, inner metal lid of the Mason Jar; decorate with more glitter glue if desired. 3. Cover the bottom of the freshly glued tree with glitter so the glue is not visible. 4. Put glitter in the jar with the tree. 5. Carefully put the lid on the jar with the attached trees; flip it onto its base; then you’re done! Visit www.eatandrelish.com for more help. Kit Kat Sleigh Difficulty: 2/10 A fun and yummy gift to make with anyone of any age! Supplies: -10 mini candy bars -2 candy canes -a full size Kit Kat -glue -wrapping ribbon -wrapping bow Steps: 1. Glue candy canes to the bottom of the Kit Kat; this will look like the base of a sleigh. 2. Stack the candies on top of the Kit Kat in a pyramid, gluing them down. It should go four candies on the bottom, then three, then two, then one. 3. Wrap the sleigh with the ribbon as you would with a present. 4. Glue or stick bow on top. Visit www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com for more help.

Fun DIY Holiday Gifts

The Maroon Report Features page 11

Student Of The Month: Madisyn Woods-Heath

By Grace-Ann Toledo

What grades do you teach? “I teach mostly 12th grade, but I do teach two

elective courses which any person in the high school can take.”

How long have you been teaching for? “I’ve been teaching since 2001 here

at Greenville, and I taught one year at Niskayuna before coming to Green-

ville.”

Do you like your job here? “Yeah, I enjoy my job quite a bit, I have fun with

the kids, it keeps me young, and it certainly provides a nice lifestyle for my

family, so yes I do enjoy what I do.”

What’s your favorite food? “That’s a tough one, I like a lot of food.. I’m go-

ing to go with pizza, that’s a boring answer but I could eat pizza every day.”

Quotes about Mr. Gray:

"He's a good teacher, he relates to the students very well." -Travis Dum-

browski

"He's really engaging with his students, relaxed which is refreshing"-Gabriel

Patterson

“He's a very fun teacher!”- Rachel DeFranchesco

“He is a beautiful bald man!”-Kolby Caldwell

“He is a handsome man.”-Tyler Biernacki

By Grace-Ann Toledo What's your favorite activity? “Art or drawing” What do you want to do when you grow up? “I want to be an architect or a landscaper.” Do you have any special talents? “I guess you could say I'm a good artist.” What's your favorite subject? “Science, general physics is my favorite one so far.” Quotes about Madisyn: “I would say that she's very good at helping other students when they need assistance and she's polite. She has a very good and positive energy.”-Mr. Albright

Teacher of the Month: Mr. Gray

The Maroon Report Features page 12

By Carley Estep

There’s nothing people enjoy more than some cheesy

pickup lines. The following are not just saccharine, but laughable

too. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

∗ Call me a snowflake, because I’ve

fallen for you.

∗ You’re like my menorah’s candles,

getting hotter every day.

∗ If you were a tree, you’d be an evergreen, because I bet you

look this good year-round.

∗ I didn’t think I was a snowman, but you just made my heart

melt.

∗ Can you hold my gloves for a second? I usually warm them

by the fireplace, but you are way hotter.

∗ If you were a reindeer, you’d be Cupid, because your friend

is looking fine tonight. Can you introduce me?

∗ Your eyes are shinier than the oil in the menorah.

∗ I take romance to a new level- I

don’t cuddle, I hibernate.

∗ My love for you is like a fruitcake

during the holidays- nutty, spicy and

unavoidable, no matter how hard

you try.

∗ Black ice isn't the only thing I'm fall-

ing for.

∗ I like milk and cookies but I would rather have you.

∗ If you wake up in a box tomorrow morning, its cause I asked

for the most beautiful person in the

world for Christmas.

∗ You are all I want for Christmas.

Holiday Pickup Lines

Friday The 13th: Is The Superstition Real? By Ellen Hagan

Have you ever wondered where the fear of Friday the 13th came from, or why it originated? The superstition may have emerged during the middle ages, perhaps originating from the story of Jesus’ last supper along with his crucifixion. There were 13 people present in the upper room on the 13th of Nisan Maun-dy Thursday, the night before Jesus` death on Good Friday. It’s also possible the publication in 1907 of Thomas W. Lawson’s nov-el Friday, the Thirteenth contributed to the superstition. Hammura-bi’s code from 1772 omitted the number 13 in its list of laws. As you can see, the superstition dates back centuries, and doesn’t just have one single place of possible origin.

Many strange things have occurred on Friday the 13th. A Daredevil named Sam Patch jumped from Genesee Falls on Fri-day, November 13, 1829, with about 10,000 people watching him. Whatever happened that day, the jump ended up being his last. On January Friday 13th, 1939, a wild fire tore across Aus-

tralia’s province of Victoria, killing 36 people in the course of a day. Another tragedy occurred on Friday November 13, 1970, when a cyclone tore through Bangladesh killing at least 300,000 people. All of these obviously took place on Friday the 13th. Could it really be a coincidence?

Recently, other tragedies have occurred. The most talked about seems to be the bombing that occurred in Paris, France, which resulted in the deaths about 129 people. Three suicide bombers hit near the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, trailed by suicide bombings and mass shootings at cafés, restaurants and a music venue in Paris. Outside of Paris, more of these tragic events have occurred. Two earthquakes took place in Japan and Mexico. The Japanese earthquake happened to trigger a large tsunami. There were two additional attacks, also conducted by the same group of terrorists. Friday the 13th superstitions could be myths, but isn’t it strange that all this occurred on the same day? Is it possible that the superstition could be real?

The Maroon Report Features page 13

By Olivia Baumann

As the holiday season approaches, many of us go to the

mall to buy presents for our loved ones. While running through the

malls, we quickly pass the youth sports and holiday advertising

tables, often not even stopping to see what they actually are.

Well, one of those tables is bound to be the “Make A Wish” ta-

ble. Most people have some knowledge of the work that “Make A

Wish” does and quickly stop to buy an angel.” “Make A Wish” is

an organization that has been around since the 1980s however,

many of us, myself included, are largely unaware about how this

incredible organization started and the millions of wishes it has

made come true. So as this holiday season quickly approaches, I

thought it would be beneficial for everyone to know how the

“Make A Wish” program came to be one of the most selfless and

successful.

“Make A Wish” was not started by just one kind man, but

a group of caring people. It all started when a man named Tom-

my Austin told his friend, Ron Cox, that his wife had a friend

whose small son (Chris Greicius) was dying of Leukemia, and that

the little boy’s dream was to be a police officer and “catch bad

guys.” Ron Cox, as a member of the Arizona Department of Public

Safety, talked to his Department of Public Safety spokesman

about this, who then contacted the director, Ralph Milstead. To-

gether a group of officers at the Arizona Department of Public

Safety worked hard to be a part of making Chris’s wish come

true. Officer Jim Eaves volunteered the use of his patrol car and

soon after other officers, such as Frank Shankwitz, were volunteer-

ing their motorcycles to the cause. The Department of Public Safe-

ty even lent their helicopter and pilot to help Chris’s dream come

true. This just shows how many kind people there are in the world

and how willing people can be to volunteer to help someone. On

April 29th, Chris and his family left the Scottsdale Memorial Hos-

pital and arrived at the Arizona Department of Public Service’s

spare parking lot on Lewis and 19th Avenue. They were then giv-

en a tour and Chris was given a badge with “Smokey Bear” on it

and made an “honorary officer.” Eaves and Cox went so far as to

make Chris a uniform and allow him to drive the battery powered

motorcycle. This amazing experience was not only a positive force

in Chris` life, but of that of the volunteers. Unfortunately, Chris

died a few months after. Officer Shankwitz (who was involved in

giving Chris the tour) talked with Kathy McMorris (wife of a fellow

DPS officer) at the funeral and decided they wanted to try and

grant as many sick kids wishes as possible, and went on to form

the “Make A Wish” program. In November 1980 “Make A Wish”

officially became a tax exempt non profit organization. The first

kid to be granted a wish by the official organization was Frank

“Bobsy” Salazar who was granted three wishes. “Bobsy” was able

to fulfill his wish of becoming a fireman, traveling to Disney World

and riding a hot air balloon. Now in 2015 ‘254,000” kids have

been granted wishes. The foundation grants wishes to terminally ill

kids. Some common wishes include traveling to Disney World, oth-

er countries and meeting famous people and actors. “Make A

Wish” has become a way for people to donate money to help

terminally ill children get their holiday wishes. This holiday season

let’s us all become Santa by granting a sick child their biggest

wish so in the name of Christmas and the giving it should be asso-

ciated with, let’s all donate to “Make A Wish” to make as many

children's wishes as possible come true this Christmas.

The History Of The Make A Wish Program

Making Children’s Wishes Come True Since the 1980s

The Maroon Report Features page 14

By Chenoa Berg Cox

We started our eight day trip on a dark and damp Sun-

day morning. The coach bus soon pulled out of the school’s drive-

way and we were on the road, getting closer and closer to our

final destination. Six hours later, we made our first tour stop at

Lamb Farms, Inc. where they had 2,400 dairy cows! Before we

could get off the bus we had to put on plastic boot “sleeves” over

our shoes. The boot sleeves were used to protect the farm from

bacteria, or anything else harmful we might have been carrying

on our shoes. We were taken on a tour of the farm’s facilities,

which included a long barn

where many of the cows were

resting. The woman leading our

tour explained that the manure

was collected in a large vat

called a methane tank. The

tank collected bacteria from the

manure to convert into methane

gas. The collected gas is then used to generate electricity, which

is used to power the ENTIRE farm. We continued on our tour and

visited the milking carousel. This is a large circular rotating ma-

chine that has 60 stalls with milking machines and completes one

full rotation every 10 minutes. This time allows the cows to finish

their milking cycle and also rotates slowly enough for the heifers

to move on and off by themselves. After we finished the tour of

Lamb Farms, Inc. we piled back on the bus and travelled the rest

of the day to our hotel in Solon, Ohio.

We were up bright and early and stumbled sleepily

onto the bus. We were going to visit the Lincoln Electric facili-

ties. At the entrance we were given VIP name tags and shown to

a room where the guide presented an overview of what Lincoln

Electric provides. Something that we found especially interesting

was the interactive welding simulation. The machine allows the

user to improve their skills by measuring many of the aspects of

welding technique. We each tested our skill level to see how we

scored out of a possible 100. We were also able to see the au-

tomotive aspect of Lincoln Electric. They make robots that are

able to perform jobs faster and more precisely than humans

can. These robots also have safeties built in so that if there is an

object in the way of the equipment, the machine will shut down so

that it will not damage anyone or anything. One of the robots

that they made was used in the Iron Man 3 movie and was signed

by Robert Downey Jr. Next we went to another part of the plant

where the guides gave us headsets so we could tune into a certain

channel and be able to hear what our guide was saying into his

microphone. While we walked around the large, loud facility we

were still able to hear everything that the guide was say-

ing. After the tours finished, we all

gathered together and sat down for

lunch.

Reluctant to leave the comfy

break room seats, we all trudged

back to the bus and were on our way

to our next stop in our trek across the

states. We soon arrived at the North Coast K-9 Dog Training Fa-

cility. The couple who owned the establishment spoke to us about

what they do there and they paraded a few of the dogs for

us. One of the dogs was very well trained and would even refuse

an offered treat if the trainer told him to do so. We were able to

see a police dog search for a packet of drugs and a few of the

dogs go through an obstacle course. We also saw a training ses-

sion with a potential young police dog. The facility is also used as

a rehabilitation center for dogs. They brought out one VERY

large dog with a muzzle on its snout, however this dog wasn’t

dangerous. They were getting the dog adjusted to being around

groups of people and they didn’t want him to bite anyone out of

fear or aggression. Needless to say, we were impressed with the

skills these dogs portrayed. After saying good-bye to the over-

grown pups, we piled into the bus and made our final stop for the

day in Cleveland, Ohio.

Continued on page 15

The 88th National FFA Convention

“One of the robots that they made was used in the Iron

Man 3 movie, and was signed by Robert Downey Jr.”

The Maroon Report Features page 15

FFA Convention continued from page 14

Tuesday was an exciting day for all of us because we

were going to tour a Wilson Factory! We would be able to see

the making of a football from the laser cutting of leather to

pumping the ball full of air. While touring the factory we learned

something interesting about the Wilson football. If you look close-

ly you might be able to see that scattered sparsely throughout the

pebbled leather, there are small “W”s. This is their little trade-

mark and only Wilson has this on their footballs. As Jane, our tour

guide, brought us around the factory, we saw the different sta-

tions that everyone worked at. Whether it was stamping the de-

signs on the leather, sowing the leather pieces together, shaping

the football, or lacing up the football, we were fascinated by all

the fast-paced work that was put into making a football “game

ready.” While still at the Wilson factory we were able to see this

year’s 50th Super Bowl footballs! While the ball was passed

around one of the students decided to lick the ball before we

could stop him.

After collecting a complementary pebbled leather piece,

we scrambled back on the bus, excited for our last tour stop on

the way to Kentucky. We were off to the United States Air Force

Museum. This museum was filled with more than 360 aircraft and

missiles that were housed in several buildings. They had every

sort of flying machine, from the Wright Brothers to the World

Wars to the Cold War, from training planes to presidential air-

craft. They even had a blimp as well as pieces from space mis-

sions such as the Apollo 15 Command Module. After moseying

through each exhibit, we hopped on the bus once more and made

our way to the final stop in Louis-

ville, Kentucky.

The next day we were

up too early to comprehend any

thoughts other than it was before

the sun had fully risen and it was

pouring out. We arrived at the

exposition center only to be told

that we now had to walk to find

where we had to meet for the competition. After several wrong

turns, one that had us going in the completely opposite direction,

we were finally on the right path “across the street.” However

“across the street” turned out to be several parking lots

away. Well half way across the parking lot, Sam raised a ques-

tion that had all of us pause and listen. We had lost one of the

wheels to the suitcase holding our presentation supplies! However

because of the rain making the pavement a slippery surface we

were able to continue without too much of a problem. After final-

ly making it to the hotel where the Agricultural Issues competition

was being held, we darted straight to the bathrooms to mop our-

selves off from the torrential downpour. We took a picture as a

team, and then headed to the hallway where we would wait for

our next meeting. There we were read the rules of the competi-

tion and explained how we would be divided. The 36 states that

were competing were split up into groups of four or five and the

top two presentations from each group would move on to the next

round. Eagerly we looked to see who we were placed with…and

it was Texas, Utah, and Maryland. The thought on all of our

minds was “Really? Out of all the states you could put us with, it

was Texas and Utah!” They are two of the biggest agricultural

states in the United States. Still we put on a brave face and went

up to pick the time for when we would compete. We didn’t have

to compete until late afternoon so we decided to walk back over

to the convention. After walking around for a few hours, calming

our nerves and visiting booths, we walked back across to the hotel

to compete.

After setting up our presentation we stood in front of the

judges and a small audience, and gave it our best

shot. Answering questions was harder than we thought because

the judges didn’t seem to understand the different type of agricul-

ture in New York. After the questions were finished, we went out

to eat at the restaurant in the hotel and took time to unwind be-

fore going back and listening to the results. Utah and Texas both

moved on and Texas won first place. While we unfortunately did

not move on, we were pleased to be able to represent New York

at a national level.

Continued on page 16

The Maroon Report Features page 16

FFA Convention continued form page 15

Now we had to walk back over to the convention center

to join the rest of our chapter. The Sun was shining so we set out

for what we thought would be a pleasant walk back. As we start-

ed walking I sniffed the air and smelled burning rubber. After

quickly discovering that it was the suitcase giving off that smell,

our solution was to carry it. We realized that this solution was

unfortunately, also the most awkward and eye-catching. We

walked on, constantly telling people that passed us and gave us

weird looks that our wheel broke, and yes we know we look ridic-

ulous. Eventually we made it to the convention center and we

stored the dreaded suitcase in Ms. Scarlata’s rental car. After

accounting for everyone, we went into session and listened to our

first keynote speaker Rick Rigsby. He was a hilarious and motiva-

tional speaker that encouraged his audience to be “great people

who do great things.” After being in tears from his beautiful story

of his late wife, and giving him a large applause, we joined the

bus and made our way back to the hotel to get some rest for the

next full day.

Dressing in our corduroy jackets, we traveled back to the

convention center. The Kentucky Convention and Exposition was

over 228,000 square feet and had over 400 exhibitors and ven-

dors. We stopped by college fairs and different companies such

as John Deere, Case IH, Tractor Supply, Dodge, Chevy, Ford and

many others. After collecting many little goodies that ranged

from bags to stress-ball chickens we shifted over to the Hall of

States where a chapter from each state had a booth set up with

different food or items specific to their state. Wisconsin had

cheese and we searched for New York to find that they had

made maple syrup slushie. We also played games at the differ-

ent booths such as giant Jenga, can knockdown, bean bag toss,

and others. While there we also visited the FFA Shopping Mall.

We splurged on gifts for our family, friends and of course our-

selves. For lunch that day we had Kentucky Fried Chicken in Ken-

tucky! Next on our agenda was going to another session where

FFA National Officers spoke. Tired and weary from the long day

we arrived at the hotel early tonight only to settle in for a night of

homework.

We got up early to make it to another keynote speaker,

Amberley Snyder. She is paralyzed from the waist down because

of a car accident at the age of 18. Yet she was back on her

horse after 4 months because of the hard work and dedication

she had. Amberley participates in barrel races as well as cattle

roping in rodeos. We listened to her moving speech on making the

most of the struggles that life hands you. After her session we

walked around the exposition and the mall some more, picking up

the last few giveaways and gifts. Then the AG Issues team

walked back over to the Agricultural Issues Forum CDE Awards

Banquet for a delicious lunch. We were awarded a Bronze Team

Award. We walked BACK over and found somewhere to sit and

rest our aching feet before going to the next session. There we

listened to the next keynote speaker, Brad Montague. He is a

very moving speaker that had many of us in tears throughout his

presentation. Brad wants to change the word and wants people

to “be awesome,” as his little step brother says. He started Sock-

tober which has now spread across every continent and we were

excited to hear because we have that fundraiser in the Greenville

School District. Exhausted from our last full day at the convention,

we dragged ourselves onto the bus. We packed our lives away

into our suitcases to be ready for the loading the bus in the morn-

ing.

Waking up Saturday morning we made our way to the convention

for the last time before it was time to leave for good. Saying

good bye to Kentucky we began our trip home. The rest of Satur-

day and most of Sunday was spent on the bus with anxious chil-

dren, sleepy children, and bored high schoolers. Thankfully we all

made it back in one piece, just a few more hours and we might

have had some casualties.

The Maroon Report Features page 17

FFA Convention continued form page 16

Now we had to walk back over to the convention center

to join the rest of our chapter. The Sun was shining so we set out

for what we thought would be a pleasant walk back. As we start-

ed walking I sniffed the air and smelled burning rubber. After

quickly discovering that it was the suitcase giving off that smell,

our solution was to carry it. We realized that this solution was

unfortunately, also the most awkward and eye-catching. We

walked on, constantly telling people that passed us and gave us

weird looks that our wheel broke, and yes we know we look ridic-

ulous. Eventually we made it to the convention center and we

stored the dreaded suitcase in Ms. Scarlata’s rental car. After

accounting for everyone, we went into session and listened to our

first keynote speaker Rick Rigsby. He was a hilarious and motiva-

tional speaker that encouraged his audience to be “great people

who do great things.” After being in tears from his beautiful story

of his late wife, and giving him a large applause, we joined the

bus and made our way back to the hotel to get some rest for the

next full day.

Dressing in our corduroy jackets, we traveled back to the

convention center. The Kentucky Convention and Exposition was

over 228,000 square feet and had over 400 exhibitors and ven-

dors. We stopped by college fairs and different companies such

as John Deere, Case IH, Tractor Supply, Dodge, Chevy, Ford and

many others. After collecting many little goodies that ranged

from bags to stress-ball chickens we shifted over to the Hall of

States where a chapter from each state had a booth set up with

different food or items specific to their state. Wisconsin had

cheese and we searched for New York to find that they had

made maple syrup slushie. We also played games at the differ-

ent booths such as giant Jenga, can knockdown, bean bag toss,

and others. While there we also visited the FFA Shopping Mall.

We splurged on gifts for our family, friends and of course our-

selves. For lunch that day we had Kentucky Fried Chicken in Ken-

tucky! Next on our agenda was going to another session where

FFA National Officers spoke. Tired and weary from the long day

we arrived at the hotel early tonight only to settle in for a night of

homework.

We got up early to make it to another keynote speaker,

Amberley Snyder. She is paralyzed from the waist down because

of a car accident at the age of 18. Yet she was back on her

horse after 4 months because of the hard work and dedication

she had. Amberley participates in barrel races as well as cattle

roping in rodeos. We listened to her moving speech on making the

most of the struggles that life hands you. After her session we

walked around the exposition and the mall some more, picking up

the last few giveaways and gifts. Then the AG Issues team

walked back over to the Agricultural Issues Forum CDE Awards

Banquet for a delicious lunch. We were awarded a Bronze Team

Award. We walked BACK over and found somewhere to sit and

rest our aching feet before going to the next session. There we

listened to the next keynote speaker, Brad Montague. He is a

very moving speaker that had many of us in tears throughout his

presentation. Brad wants to change the word and wants people

to “be awesome,” as his little step brother says. He started Sock-

tober which has now spread across every continent and we were

excited to hear because we have that fundraiser in the Greenville

School District. Exhausted from our last full day at the convention,

we dragged ourselves onto the bus. We packed our lives away

into our suitcases to be ready for the loading the bus in the morn-

ing.

Waking up Saturday morning we made our way to the convention

for the last time before it was time to leave for good. Saying

good bye to Kentucky we began our trip home. The rest of Satur-

day and most of Sunday was spent on the bus with anxious chil-

dren, sleepy children, and bored high schoolers. Thankfully we all

made it back in one piece, just a few more hours and we might

have had some casualties.

All hot drinks are $1 for Seniors!

The Maroon Report Features page 17

Across

1. Hand warmers, protect hands from snow

3. Opposite of hot

7. Hanging spike of ice

10. A famous snowman

11. Fun sliding on ice in a tube

12. Santa goes down the

13. White and fluffy; precipitates

15. Things you put on your feet to them warm and dry

16. A man shaped cookie

17. A type of tree used on Christmas

Down

2. White flakes from clouds

4. A harsh snowstorm

5. A sport played on frozen water

6. Something you wear on your neck to keep it warm

8. Mix with hot water or milk

9. Things you hang on Christmas trees

14. a religious holiday celebrated on December 25th

Winter Crossword Puzzle By Claire Tolan

The Maroon Report Features page 18

By Kaitlyn Wright

One of the first things people think of when it comes to the holidays is either peppermint or just candy in general. This is the perfect recipe; whether if it is for you, a friend, or a fun fami-ly activity.

What you need:

-Parchment paper

-Oven

-Small heatproof bowl

-At least nineteen peppermint

starlight mints

-Baking sheet

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 2.Place parchment paper on the baking sheet. 3.Place one mint down as the center on the parchment paper,

then take six mints and circle around it. Take the rest of the mints and make more circles around the center. They should be as close as possible with little gaps between each.

4.Place in the oven. You MUST watch them as they cook. Take them out once they just begin to melt and fill the gaps between each mint. For me it took about 7minutes.

5.Take them out of the oven and let them sit for about thirty seconds.

6.Carefully flip the parchment paper onto of the upside down heatproof bowl. This will serve as a mold. Try your best to put the center mint in the center of the bowl.

7.Use your hands to mold it perfectly; you will only have un-der a minute before they harden.

8.Once it is hardened, take it off the bowl to cool. 9.Fill with candy and enjoy!

For more information visit www.princesspinkygirl.com

A New Way To Enjoy Peppermint

Missing Earring

Location: Path to student parking lot If found return to Room 1

BELONGS TO: MRS. PARVIS

The Maroon Report Features page 19

By Chenoa Berg-Cox

In late November going into early December the FFA had their annual holiday sale. After all the orders were gathered students and parents alike, gathered in the tech room. The youngest mem-bers were put to the task of cutting up the branches of pine out-side and bringing it into the others inside. Each part of the room had a designated job. Over by the paint room, Styrofoam balls hung waiting to be made into kissing balls, white pine was piled on another table while boxwood took over another. One table had a pile of balsam being constantly refilled. In all there were

12 small kissing balls, 14 medium kissing balls, (and even 1 mini kissing ball), 12 small wreaths, 64 medium wreaths,15 large wreaths, 22 small centerpieces, 17 large centerpieces as well as 4 boxwood trees and 153 feet of garland!!! Thank goodness for the many helping hands we had. With Christmas music playing in the background and all the bustling around it was a fun and unique experience that I was happy to be a part of. Whether you were working with a small of friends or going solo, picking the different assortment of branches was exciting and you were able to create anything. When handling the plants it was VERY helpful to have gloves on so you would not be constantly pricked

by every pine needle. The worst plants to be pricked by were the holly, berry branches, and the blue spruce. Ouch! Make sure to look for the advertisement next year and place an order for a pine scented decoration or show up to help with the organized holiday havoc!

FFA Wreath Sale Preparations

The Maroon Report News page 2

Maroon Report Staff: ♦ Bella Antonelli

♦ Olivia Bauman

♦ Killian Bates

♦ Danielle Caprio

♦ Bergen Criswell

♦ Garrett Delong

♦ John DuBois

♦ Carley Estep

♦ Emily Fagan

♦ Kelsey Gardner

♦ Ellen Hagan

♦ Niomi Papol

♦ Claire Tolan

♦ Grace Ann Toledo

♦ Kaitlyn Wright

♦ Natalie Wysokowski

Contributing Writer: Chenoa Berg-Cox

Continued from page 1

President of the Security Council, Jacob Gorneau, commented that the event was a “huge success, [with] many resolutions passed. Greenville[`s] representatives, hailing from several countries, add-ed valuable perspectives to [the] discussion” Many students cred-ited Greenville`s monumental success to the preparation and per-severance displayed by their representatives. “I observed proud-ly as our students demonstrated the ability to defend their ideas with reason and evidence while participating in various ways such as presenting, negotiating, and voting on resolutions and their amendments,” commented Mr. Thela, the Social Studies teacher and chaperone who was acting as a Security Council Peace Keep-er for the day. Overall, everyone involved in the Mock United Nations came back with a greater understanding of international diplomatic procedure and a high level of appreciation and enjoy-ment of the event as a whole and the food supplied throughout.

(Left) Sean McAneny, Jared Spring, and Emily Fagan, de-fending the fake nation of Unyamwezi.

(Upper Left) Security Council President, Jacob Gorneau, moderating the heated discussions.

(Upper Right) Scott Davis and Jared Spring, attempting to reach a diplomatic consensus.

(Pictures taken by Social Studies teacher, event chaperone, and budding photographer Mr. Thela)

The Maroon Report Arts and Culture page 20

By Danielle Caprio

Every year around this time, there is always a major

amount of excitement in the school community surrounding the an-

nouncement of the school's musical. In the years past, Greenville’s

productions have won Schenectady Light Opera Company’s

(SLOC) award for High School Musical Theater and many of

Greenville’s students have been

nominated for their Outstanding

Performance award. The an-

nouncement for this years show

has been long awaited for and

many people attended the in-

formational meeting for its an-

nouncement. Though many stu-

dents were buzzing with excite-

ment, there is no doubt that the

teachers involved with the musi-

cal program were also buzzing

with excitement.

The show that has been

chosen this year is titled Cur-

tains. According to stagea-

gent.com, Curtains is parody of

1950s "whodunnit" theater mys-

teries, where a lone detective,

Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, investi-

gates a series of murders that

take place behind the scenes of

a fictional 1950s cowboy musical, Robbin' Hood (eerily similar to

the classic Oklahoma!). The cast of Robbin' Hood is forced to stay

inside the theater while Boston police detective Cioffi unravels the

mystery, getting dangerously involved with the show.

In the past few years, Social Studies teacher Mr. Katagiri

has chosen and directed the school’s outstanding musicals such as

Oklahoma! just last year which placed 1st in SLOC’s High School

Musical Theater award, Spamalot in 2012 which place 2nd, and

also Once Upon an Island in 2010 which placed 3rd. Due to previ-

ous success, I asked Mr. Katagiri what his expectations were, and

he stated, “I expect the community to enjoy it. I expect this to be a

learning experience for the students and for them to develop an

appreciation for the performing arts.” In addition he also said he

is “excited to navigate the line between drama and suspense and

have students propel that.”

Mr. Katagiri chose Curtains be-

cause a lot of the show is based

around the development of Rob-

bin’ Hood which is — as stated

previously — “eerily similar” to

Oklahoma! and he feels that it is

“ a cool idea to reimagine Okla-

homa! as a murder mystery, fo-

cusing on the performers, not the

characters.” Furthermore, he

talked about a concept of thea-

ter called a meta-concept, which

is a show within a show style that

some Greenville students may

recognize from The Drowsey

Chaperone. Mr. Katagiri is also

an actor and has had a lot of

experience with murder-mystery

and enjoys it a lot. He is ex-

tremely excited to work with

students and introduce the con-

cepts of murder and suspense to them.

Overall, Mr. Katagiri says that his favorite part about

choosing and directing the school musicals is “envisioning how the

program will grow,” and stated, “I enjoy being an active part in

this process alongside students and colleagues. I feel fortunate

watching this process evolve year after year, and watching the

program be important to THE YOUNG PEOPLE.”

GCS Announces Curtains: The Musical

The Maroon Report Arts and Culture page 21

By Lily McQuillen

By Rachel Maffei

By Sarah Juzapavicus

By Zoe Mullen

Ms. DellaRocco’s Portfolio Class: Positive and Negative Paper Art

Compiled by Danielle Caprio

The Maroon Report Arts and Culture page 22

By John DuBois

Price: $9.99 Developer: Toby Fox Release Date: September 15th 2015 Platform: PC (via Steam) for Windows and Mac Undertale is an RPG with unique ideas and designs. Its advertised slogan is “The RPG where no one has to die!” The game certainly follows through with that promise, giving you the option of talking down the enemy, finding a peaceful, non violent solution to the problem, meaning if you want to, you could go through the entire game and never kill anyone. This game was so amazing that I recorded certain moments later in the game, so I can relive them over and over again. However, I’m trying to do the impossible by reviewing this game. How do I review a game that is not meant to be reviewed? Undertale is the greatest game I have ever played. Despite only coming out a few months ago, Undertale has skyrocketed to the top of the popularity charts, receiving a 10/10 on Steam, a 97% on the use review on Steam, and several awards from Game Informer, the Game Informer Gold award, the Game of the Month Award, and giving it a review of 9.5 out of 10. I love this game so much that my family is getting sick of me raving about how good this game is. But it is all that and more. But that puts me in a very hard position. How do I say how good this game is, without giving a single spoiler? The developer of this game has asked anyone who plays/reviews this game to avoid all spoilers, and for good reason. The game is designed that every single choice you make matters. Even the smallest of choices can have a huge im-pact of the story’s outcome. I desperately want to tell you about the game, about what it makes you feel, but I can’t, because that would spoil the game. No matter what, you should go into this game blind, without any spoilers. Your decisions should be your own, and the consequences of those actions should be yours and yours alone. So don’t talk to your friends about this game. Don’t Google this game. Don’t read posts people make on the internet about it. Don’t watch someone play it on YouTube. Play this game. It’s only $10, and believe me; I would have happily paid $25 for it. If you like fun, you will like this game. The game has something for everyone, featuring a great blend of action and humor, some points featured me crying from laughter, while others left my cry-ing with sorrow over the horrible sin I had just committed. Don’t

spoil the game for yourself. That’s what makes reviewing this game so hard. There are so many things I want to say about this game, but I can’t say any of it because it will ruin the game for you. I desperately want to tell you all the amazing things this game does, to tell you how great this game really is, and it kills me. If you want to hear what I have to say about the game, feel free to ask me in person, after playing the game yourself. Once you have completed the game at least once, it’s ok to look at oth-er playthroughs of the game, or Google the game to find what secrets you missed. But do yourself a huge favor and don’t spoil the game for yourself. The game is infinitely more enjoyable if you play it without spoiling it for yourself.

Concept/Story- With an amazing story, and unique themes and concepts, this game was a fusion of so many great ideas done right. The basic story is simple. Long ago, Humans and Monsters

lived in peace on the surface of this world. However, humans became afraid of mon-sters, and savagely attacked them without warning. War broke out between the two sides, and after a hard battle, the humans were victorious. They banished monsters deep underground, and then sealed them away using magic that they had stolen from the fallen monsters. Centuries later, you hear of a legend about a mountain outside your home. Legend has it that anyone who travels to this mountain never returns. Curi-

ous to see if this is true, you adventure to the mountain, and climb to its peak. However, you trip on a thick root, and fall into a huge hole on the surface of the mountain. You fall down deep into the mountain, only to awaken deep underground, in a dark cave. You must find a way out of the caves and back to the surface. Score: 5 out of 5

Execution- With an amazing execution of outstanding concepts, I was blown away with the story, and how much I was on the edge of my seat, anxious about what will happen next. Score: 5 out of 5

Graphics-With a simple, yet elegant graphical style reminiscent of classic RPG games like Earthbound and OFF, it gave it a very classical and sleek look.

Continued on page 23

Undertale Game Review

The Maroon Report Arts and Culture page 23

Game Review continued from page 22

A lot of people have complained that it isn’t up to date with

graphics, but that always gets a rise out of me to defend this

game. It isn’t designed to have 3D graphics. It’s a simple game

with great concepts and story. Score: 4.7 out of 5

Music/Sound- I could describe the entire soundtrack in one word.

AMAZING!!! I loved this game’s soundtrack with a burning passion.

This entire game has the only soundtrack that I can think of that I

would happily pay money for, with the exception of To The Moon.

I desperately want the soundtrack for this game, because each

and every song was unique, with every song fitting the situation it

is being used perfectly, whether setting an eerie atmosphere in an

abandoned laboratory, or an intense battle music to get your

heart hammering as you stand off against an insurmountable foe,

the feeling of your sins crawling down your back. Score: 5 out of

5

Control-Whenever you enter a battle,

you’re given the option to fight, act, item,

or mercy. Fighting will give you a timing

based attack, where you can deal more

damage the better you time your strike.

Choosing act will allow you to select a

wide variety of options to attempt to paci-

fy your foe. Each enemy is its own puzzle, as you attempt to find

the correct solution to calm your enemy down, without killing it.

Unless you want to skip the hassle and just attack and kill it. When

an enemy attacks you, you become a heart, representing your

soul, where you are tasked to dodge the enemy’s attacks, requir-

ing great reflexes and maneuverability. This led to some interest-

ing and fun moments in the game. These controls are fluid and

smooth, leaving you in total control of your character. You never

felt like the attacks of your enemies were unfair. Instead, taking

damage was a result of your inability to react in time, not be-

cause the game had unfairly attacked you. Score: 5 out of 5

Replayability- The moment after I had beaten the game, I restart-

ed it to play again. The game has three different core endings,

with over 44 variations of these endings, giving you a strong moti-

vation to replay the game again to see what you had missed.

Even after you have seen everything the game has to offer, the

characters and story that you meet are so well done that you can

play through the game again and again and still enjoy the game.

However, be warned. Just because you have reset the game, does

not mean that the game will forget everything you have done.

Score: 4.5 out 5

Immersion- This game shined extremely brightly in this area, and

here I will need to give a suggestion that I highly suggest you

take. When you are given the option to name the character at the

start of the game, give him/her your own name. This aids the im-

mersion factor immeasurably. You become the character you play

as, and you feel an emotional reaction based on the decisions you

make. I felt emotionally connected to the characters in the game,

and I truly felt like I was a part of the game. I was amazed at

how strongly this game made me feel. I was amazed at how much

I cared about characters in a video game. How determined I felt

to protect them. How willing I was to stand

against any foe, to protect those I cared

about most. How I was willing to die in

order to give them a better life. This is one

of the few games that have made my eyes

become teary from the decisions I have

made. Not because it is a sad game, but

instead because I felt like I held the lives

of my friends in my hands, and how every decision I made, no

matter how small, could have a huge ripple effect that could

change the entire outcome of the game. And that’s what makes a

game great. Score: 5 out of 5

Difficulty- Your decisions impact the difficulty of the game. The

game becomes easier or more difficult based on your actions.

Sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest, and taking the easy

way out only causes more pain and suffering. It’s up to you to

decide what the right choice is. Score: 5 out of 5

Genre Specific (Influence) - Undertale is a story driven RPG,

where the decisions you make have a huge impact on the game

itself. So the question is how many of your choices have an impact

on the game?

Continued on page 24

The Maroon Report Arts and Culture page 24

By Niomi Papol

Out of all the clubs and activities here at Greenville you might not be able to learn about them all. While some clubs and activities are boasted about, others go unnoticed. One of the un-noticed one is the Select Treble Choir. Select Treble is a smaller, more select chorus of girls that preform 3 times a year at the Winter, March, and Spring concerts. The select treble chorus has some of the most talented and dedicated singers that I have ever seen. We do more complex songs, like a Medium Ranked Area All

State song, Seal Lullaby, or songs we can do a spin on, like our rendition of “Hey Jude” by the Beatles, where one of the choir members beat boxed. To get into treble chorus, you have to do one thing: sing! Auditions are held with Mr. Meredith, the choir conductor. Whether you get in or not depends on that audition, and everyone that tries out doesn't get in. However, if you do make it in, you work hard because you know there' are other girls that want your spot. It’s amazing to be surrounded by girls that share your passion.

Spotlight On The Select Treble Choir

Game Review continued from page 23

based on, you guessed it, the game’s co-creator, Temmie. The fans of this game are amazing, with fan songs about the game’s characters, an amazing comic called Swaptale that is being writ-ten even now (don’t even think about reading it until you play the game first) and thousands of other fan comics out now, expanding on the already insanely deep characters. And don’t even get me started on some of the amazing fan voice acting that have been done for the characters. But that’s enough of my ranting. If after reading all of that, you still don’t want to play this game, WHAT

IS WRONG WITH YOU????? In all honesty though, I’ve heard some arguments that say the game isn’t as amazing as it sounds, and they make a fair point. The introduction to the game is a bit slow, and several people I’ve shown the game to have stopped playing about halfway through the game’s first level, because they were bored. If you can play through the first level, the game becomes amazing. So please please please, play this game. You’ll thank me later. Score: 5 out of 5

Overall score: 4.92 out of 5

UGLY SWEATER DAY

Tuesday, December 22nd Wear your ugliest Christmas

sweater!

Votes will be taken for the ugliest student and staff sweater.

Wednesday, December 23rd

Interact International Project

“Wear a Creatlively Designed Elf or Santa Hat”

Elf/ Santa Hat Day

Mar

oon

Rep

ort

Donate $1.00 to support Interact International Project

The Maroon Report Arts and Culture page 25

By Claire Tolan

My Lunchbox

My lunchbox came alive today

It really did I swear

My lunchbox came

Alive today

It even ate my pear

It ate my cheese and crackers

My yogurt and my bread

Someone please explain

I’m about to lose my head

It ate my cookies and cupcakes

Even apple pie

The one question that I cannot

Figure out is why?

It drank my water and my juice

Don’t mention chocolate milk

But hahaha the joke’s on her

Because it was made with silk

I look over my shoulder

Really just to see if I’m

Insane, un-normal, or even just crazy

As I look left and right

I see something bizarre

A tall, blonde boy with big blue eyes

Chewing from afar

As I think to myself really could it be?

But a boy I’ve known all my life

And looks just like me

My brother, the culprit I should have known

That look of suspicion he had shown.

My mind is truly blown

Lunchbox

GSA Holiday Party

Tuesday December, 22nd

See Dani Caprio for more information

The Maroon Report Opinion page 3

To the Editor:

I was impressed with Olivia Bauman's article "Buses vs. Bats"

that appeared in the November 18th issue of The Maroon Re-

port.

This article to me represents some of the best kind of report-

ing that can exist among student journalism. Bauman took an issue

that had been on many people's minds in our school community --

what had been causing the bus delays -- and found the story be-

hind that issue.

I was particularly interested in the fact that concern over

bats and bat mating grounds had factored into the bus delays.

This is a great example of the fact that interesting stories and

details are all around us and can be available to the student jour-

nalist when they ask good questions. I was also impressed that

Bauman had taken the initiative to contact a wildlife biologist to

get more bat background.

As someone who grew up somewhat locally I spent time as a

kid checking out caves in the Berne-Knox area, and I remember

the bat populations before white nose syndrome took its toll. The

massive die-off the last decade or so has been a sad thing. Its

nice to learn that there are bats trying to thrive right by the school

and that we are being sensitive to their habitat.

Additionally, Bauman's article has given me a thought ---

while I love the noble Spartan --- if Greenville ever needs another

mascot they should consider the Northern Long Eared Bat! I can't

think of another local school who uses that image and it could look

cool on our sports jerseys!

Sincerely,

Michael Morelli, Greenville English Teacher

Letters to the Editor

The views expressed in the Opinion section are solely those of the writer and do not express

the official position of The Maroon Report. Dear Greenville,

I just wanted to say a quick thank you to the students and faculty

involved in the Yellow Ribbon Program. Having the opportunity to

be involved in the little class on Friday, November 20th, 2015

was a huge eye opener for me. These kids did a phenomenal job

making sure everyone took this sensitive topic of suicide seriously.

They made it perfectly clear that everyone in our school has

someone to go to for help for anything. They made us realize that

it is important to reach out to others and more importantly, that

the little things we do now could change the life of someone else’s

life, and may not even realize it! Your videos, letters, and lessons

really moved me! The whole presentation made me proud to be a

part of Greenville School. Great Job everyone!

Sincerely,

Rachel Henderson

The Maroon Report Opinion page 4

By Bella Antonelli

There has been a heated discussion on the equality in the treatment and response to Greenville sports teams. Did you know that Sean McAneny and Olivia Baumann made it to states for Cross Country? The boys in Cross Country were 20-0 and first in the Patroon Conference. Or did you know that Kyle Schultze made state qualifiers? Does the Varsity girls’ Volleyball team making it to sectionals sound familiar? If you`ve never heard about one or more of those, don’t be worried, many people are unaware of our athlete’s accomplishments because some sports teams are publicized more than others. What might have been more of a popular discussion in the hallways is that the boys’ Var-sity Soccer team made it to states. You might remember having to leave your 5th period class early to see the Varsity Soccer Boys run around the hallways and take a victory lap for their accom-plishments, but what about the other teams in our school? Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of the boys for making states because states is a BIG deal, but I found it slightly irritating to have to leave band to see one team run around the hallways. We could've used that time in band to practice for our upcoming con-cert. I was told that we were cheering them on for their accom-plishments on making states, but Olivia Baumann and Sean

McAneny also went to states that day so why didn’t they take a victory lap? I mean running is what they’re going to states for. I don’t think it was fair to exclude them.

It has also been known that some administrators attend certain games more than others. I asked the Greenville athletic director, Mr. Warga if he’d like to comment on this. He stated that he feels sports bias is not a problem in our school and that he attends games for every kind of sport in our school, whether it is Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, etc. I played on the JV Volleyball team and personally, when I saw him come to our games it was very briefly and he only stopped by for a short amount of time. I only saw him come to a couple of games. I feel maybe instead of going to the all the games for a short period of time, he could've stayed for most of the time and just went to different games on different days.

I’m not trying to take away the Varsity Boys Soccer team accomplishments. I would just like you all to know that there are other sports teams in our school. All athletes should be recognized and their achievements should be publicized equally. Let’s make a change. Congratulations to all the athletes on your accomplish-ments!

Bias In Greenville Athletics

By Garrett DeLong

On November 13, 2015, ISIS shocked the world with a carefully planned terrorist bombing and attack on Paris, France. With over 130 re-ported deaths, the world realized that ISIS must be stopped. Russia and Ger-many have troops in Syria currently fighting ISIS, while Iraq is sending U.S. funded troops to Syria. ISIS has been terrorizing the Middle East and other parts of the world for well over a year now, but this is the biggest attack yet.

Worldwide security is at the highest it has been since Sep-tember 11, 2001. And, despite all of this, the hottest topic in the news right now is the antics of a republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump. If the world really wants to stop ISIS, it has to be the #1 priority. ISIS has been committing horrible deeds for a while, and though we have started to stand up to them, it took the bombing of a major city for the world to finally realize the threat of ISIS and that we need to stop them. Even though the attacks happened on a whole other continent, it has had a profound effect in our country. Many people either came from, have relatives/friends in, or have traveled to France. For

every one of these people, hearing about the attacks was nerve wracking. As someone who has friends in France, I know I was

worried when news of the attacks came to the US. If you know people in France or are interested in helping the victims of the bombings, you can go to www.ifrc.org, also known as the French Red Cross, which has set up a donation program where you can send money to France to help refugees get back on their feet after their homes were de-stroyed by the bombings. With a re-cent hash tag used by the ISIS twitter account apparently announcing the next bombing locations, the world is in as much trouble as ever due to the looming threat of ISIS. The biggest republican candidate right now, Don-ald Trump, has said that we should ban Muslims from entering this coun-try. However, that may be exactly what ISIS wants. One of their main recruiting techniques is that they say that Muslims will be forced to stay out of America in the near future, and

while this is not yet true, doing what Trump suggests will almost surely result in more people joining ISIS and more people helping in terrorist attacks.

ISIS– An International Problem

This symbol, the Eiffel Tower inside a ring, symbolizes peace in France after terrorist attacks disrupted society

and peace in Paris and the rest of France.

The Maroon Report Opinion page 5

By Emily Fagan

Following the recent ISIS attacks on Paris, levels of deep mistrust and fear have risen towards the Muslim community and Syrian refugees, and many use this horrific tragedy as proof as to why refugees should not be trusted nor granted sanctuary. How-ever, it is important to understand more about the reasons for the refugee crisis, and also take into consideration the historical (and also humanitarian) precedents and implications before turning away such a vast number of people in desperate need of aid.

First of all, it is important to have an understanding of who these refugees are, and why exactly they have been forced to leave their homes in the first place. Essentially, in 2011, pro-democracy protests that were met with violence by government forces escalated into a civil war. Overall, the conflict became largely between the Sunni Muslims and the President Assad`s Shia Muslims, which has been complicated by the rise of groups of ji-hadists such as ISIS who believe that all Shia Muslims must die to create a more pure form of Islam. Additionally, there are now other regional and global powers (including the United States, Iran, and Russia) involved due largely to the oil resources in the region, but also the enormity of the crisis as a humanitarian issue. ISIS, which has its extremist roots in al-Qaeda (from Iraq), now has taken control of an enormous portion of eastern and northern Syr-ia. Additionally, there are now tons of proxy wars (best described by the BBC as a “war within a war”) going on in the region which makes the whole thing much more complicated to fight than just sending in troops to get rid of ISIS, especially because of jihadists looking for a power vacuum to fill. So essentially, Syrian refugees are fleeing everything they've ever known to escape this insane mess of genocide and extremist rule. According to the BBC, over 250,000 Syrians have already died in the past four and a half years of fighting, and 11 million people have been forced to leave homes. In comparison, that’s about the same as the popula-tion of New York City (8 million) plus the entire population of the state of Mississippi. Refugees are already suffering enough, but even after the lengths they must go through to have a chance at reaching a better, safer place, those who do make the journey are now being ostracized due to anger at the actions of the very people they are running from.

The main reason people across the world seem to be so ter-

rified of allowing Syrian refugees stems from the fear that with them will come all of the turmoil perpetuating in the Middle East, and that by accepting refugees into your country, you're welcom-ing trouble. Many people would also point out that after the at-tacks in Paris, a Syrian passport was found on one of the orches-trators of the violence. However, after much investigation, it has been found that the passport is a fake, as it claims to belong to a 25 year old Syrian who was a loyalist in Assad`s regime, who died several months prior to the Paris tragedy. Therefore, should all Syrian refugees really face the repercussions caused by a hor-rible incident led by people who not only have caused them to flee their homes, but have taken advantage of it? After all, de-spite what many people fear, Syrian refugees aren’t the ones looking to impose their religion on others; they're only trying to find a safe place to live.

Currently in the United States, over half of the governors are against allowing refugees into their states. Despite the fact that legally, they cannot prevent refugees from entering (according to the United States Refugee Act of 1980), many of those opposed have been making hefty statements, such as Chris Christie`s decla-ration that he would not even want five year old Syrian orphans to enter the country. According to The Guardian, more than half of these much-feared refugees are under 17, and around the same amount are women. One would think that, as many people in the United States have no problem with their country going into the Middle East to fight ISIS, they would be more welcoming to all the people being displaced and harmed due to that fighting, who have been more personally victimized by ISIS than anyone in the United States. According to CNN, 1,500 Syrian refugees have entered the US since 2011, but in the next year, the Obama ad-ministration is allowing 10,000 refugees into the country. Some, who dismiss the 18 to 24 months of intense screening by the na-tional counterterrorism center before refugees are even allowed into the US, would suggest this as an omen of the end of times. However, for a country which boasts diversity and that used to take in refugees, such as those from Vietnam and Cuba, by the hundreds of thousands, humanitarian aid should be a greater con-cern. Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, in an appalled re-sponse to his fellow governor's anti-refugee statements,

Continued on page 6

Why Refugees Are Not the Problem And Other Debunked Misconceptions About Syria and Terrorism

The Maroon Report Opinion page 6

Continued from page 6

expressed that “If the day comes when America says ‘close the gates, build the wall,’ then I say take down the Statue of Liberty, because we’ve gone to a different place.” Cuomo, continuing in his newfound role as apparent defender of justice, went on to enunciate how admittance of refugees to the states was a federal decision, not a gubernatorial one. As it was up to the federal gov-ernment to screen people coming in, Cuomo also stated that they have the responsibility to “…do it right, do it exhaustively, but do so without giving up our soul as Americans.” Additionally, New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, responding in particular to Gover-nor Christie’s letter to block refugees from entering New Jersey, protested, “I find it absolutely hypocritical for anyone to say, ‘Let us shut our borders to people who are victims of violence’ — the innocent people who are fleeing a humanitarian crisis…that is un-American.” This is not the first time the sanctity of the inclusive and diverse image America tries to project was called into question due to the response from letting people seeking safety enter the country. In the late 1930’s, many Jewish refugees were met with a strikingly similar (as put by Peter Shulman in a recent interview with Time magazine) “heavily politicized, nativist” adversity when trying to enter the United States. Fortune, in 1938, responded to this uproar by simply stating, “So much, then, for the hospitality of our melting pot.”

Reactions to this crisis have been also largely targeted at and often in persecution of Muslims. Persecution, for instance, in the form of threatening phone calls to Islamic based institutions such as Salam School, an Islamic elementary school in Milwaukee. The school's principal insisted to the callers that the school did not sup-port the attacks, but due to the persistent and threatening nature of these calls, the students were forced to evacuate. Further evi-dence that persecuting Muslims in response to ISIS only escalates and damages situations lies in France's Burqa Bans that took hold in 2011. Many Muslim women were very uncomfortable and un-happy, because they felt that by removing the choice for them to wear their Burqas, which hold high traditional religious signifi-cance, the government was infringing on their personal freedoms. Many other mosques and schools around the country have been vandalized, threatened, and even burned down. Talal Eid, leader of a Islamic center in Massachusetts, removed his daughter from school because, according to the Wall Street Journal, he was afraid she was going to be attacked. In response, he stated, “We are not guilty of anything...we just happen to be citizens of Ameri-ca” Although some misguided “patriots” may not consider it to be so, these actions against Muslims are also extremism and forms of terrorism. Donald Trump has stated that he believes that there is “absolutely no choice” but to shut down some mosques, and has

claimed he wants to instate a registration for all Muslims in the United States, and even banning entry of people practicing Islam into the United States . When asked by NBC News if all Muslims would be forced to register, he simply replied that “they have to be.” Setting aside the unavoidable fact that this proposed Muslim registry, which would target people based solely on their religion, bears high resemblance to the Nuremberg Laws and the registry for Jewish people instituted by Hitler, it is simply atrocious that American people practicing Islam should be forced to close down their place of worship due to some extremists on the other side of the world. Not only is that infringing on their first amendment right to freedom of religion, censoring religion in the name of fighting a foreign threat would be ironically mimicking ISIS. Besides, when fighting other extremist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, which resides predominantly within our own country, the United States did not once hold all Christians accountable for the organization’s actions, despite the fact that the main purpose of the KKK is to spread their radical brand of Christian beliefs (much like what ISIS is doing with their radical Islam). As Joharia Abdul-Malik, an imam (Sunni worship leader) from Virginia, explained in a recent interview with the Huffington Post, “If I speak up against ISIS, it's because I’m a human being, not because I’m a Muslim.” Extremism hurts everyone, regardless, and responding to the actions of ISIS with the alienation and subjugation of all Muslims is just perpetu-ating the violence and inhumanity in a way no better than what ISIS itself is doing.

Terror, and the subsequent war on it, are innately modeled to fuel as much panic and anger as possible, which feeds the cycle of extremist reactions. Not allowing these tragic events to instill an-ger and panic, but instead using them to promote positive aid and change, such as taking in the refugees and victims, is the only real way anyone will be able to win a war on terrorism. Overall, refu-gees and the Muslim community at large should not be ostracized or held accountable for the actions of ISIS and other Islamic ex-tremist groups, and denying sanctuary to Syrian refugees on the basis of the world’s general fear of terrorism is completely inex-cusable.

Interested in games like Trivia Crack? Join the Greenville Mas-

termind Club!

Headed by: Mr. Drumma

The Maroon Report Opinion page 7

By Natalie Wysokowski

Christmas is the time of the year when families gather around the tree, crack open the chestnuts, sing carols, and ex-change gifts. Many people seem to have different views on the celebration of Christmas. Quite honestly, I feel the traditional meaning of Christmas is being pushed aside. The “true meaning of Christmas” is a phrase with a long history. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, when people really began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented the widespread celebration day, and changed it from a carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nos-talgia. The popular belief is that the true meaning of Christmas is celebrating the Nativity of Christ. I feel as though this reli-gious aspect of Christmas is often forgotten.

Many of us know that Santa Claus is a major character of Christmas. I’m sure we all remember wak-ing up with excitement, hoping we got presents rather than coal. Some blame St. Nick for putting the glaze on Christmas by “contributing to the commercialization”. However, Santa isn’t the problem to Christmas’s exploitation. Others might say giving gifts to each other is what the trouble is – it’s not. In fact, these kind acts were started by the Three Wise Men. Upon Jesus’s birth, members of a priestly caste of ancient Persia visited to offer their most prized treasures. The real catch to Christmas is actually the growing commercialization. Businesses see the holiday as huge

money signs. Statistics show that people start their Christmas shop-ping in October, continuing all the way through November and into December. Christmas should not be considered as an economi-cal benefit! Prices go up, and parents are left pressured into buy-ing expensive gifts at high demand. Not only are prices an issue, but so are the stores’ hours. I strongly believe that stores shouldn’t

be open on this family-welcoming holiday. The commercialization of Christmas does nothing but put a damper on this world-wide celebration.

Another matter that seems rather ridiculous is the argument on whether or not religion should be corresponding with the holiday of Christmas. You’d think that the answer would be somewhat obvious. Christ-mas is a Christian holiday, as Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday. Modern-day controversy has arisen regarding the celebration or acknowledgment of the Christmas holiday.

This usually involves governments or corporations avoiding the day's association with Christianity to be multiculturally sensitive. We all have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and reli-gion. Many celebrate Christmas not only for the gifts, but also for religious purposes. There shouldn’t be any sensitivity when it comes to appreciating this Christian day.

So, this year try to keep in mind what Christmas is really in reference of, when you sit by the fire with your loved ones. And remember, it’s not “Bah-Humbug!” it’s “Merry Christmas!”

Taking the Varnish Off of Christmas

By Bergen Criswell

Did you use it? Do you want it back? Did you notice it was gone? These are all questions that were answered in the salad bar elimination survey given the week of October 5th. Since the beginning of this year, the salad bar has been gone. The reason for this is because it is not “financially feasible,” claims Cook Manager, Mrs. Churchill. Mrs. Churchill also said she hopes to start opening the salad bar once a week starting in January, if everything goes as planned. Freshman Jude Kappel says, “The salad bar is good.” I per-sonally think we should try to get it back. Along with that, 60% of

people who took the survey used the salad bar. John Gergen, another freshman here at Greenville thought that “The sides were good at the salad bar.” It’s clear from the polls that the majority of stu-dents surveyed want the salad bar back.. A junior, Robert Mancuso, thought very highly of the salad bar and he stat-ed, “The lettuce was definitely good quality. Everything

about the salad bar was good.” Out of the many people I asked, the answer was a consistent “yes”; they do want the salad bar back.

Question 1-Did you use it?

Question 2-Do you want it back?

Question 3-Did you notice it was gone?

Salad Bar Drama

The Maroon Report Opinion page 8

Seniors, how does it feel to be a quarter of the way through your senior year?

Hall Talk

Freshmen, how are you adjusting to being a quarter of the way through your freshman year?

By Danielle Caprio

“I still hate the idea of leaving Green-ville High School, but other than that

it’s just like a typical year of school.” -Bethany Overbaugh

“I remember when three weeks was a long time…

Now it’s nothing at all. This year will be over tomor-row.” -Gabriel Patterson

“I’m getting used to having other high schoolers in my classes, and I’m making new friends in higher grade levels.” -Grace Statham

“I’m adjusting fine. I miss my old school, but this one is

nice.” -Riley Smith

“It’s different, but I got used to it.” -Ashlynn Peck

“It’s easier than middle school.” -Harleigh Anderson

“It’s a little more challenging than mid-dle school, I like it more. It requires

more studying, but the classes are more interesting.” -Ryan McAneny

The Maroon Report Opinion page 9

Hall Talk What is your

favorite

holiday song?

By Carley Estep

“All I Want for Christmas is You”

-Junior, Katie Koehler

“School’s Out for Summer” -Social Studies Teacher, Mr. Katagiri

“It Came On a Midnight Clear” -Senior, Gabriel Patterson