Author: Michela Soares

  • Semester 1 Art Show

    Semester 1 Art Show

    On January 14 our high school held its first semester art show. Work from the painting, ceramics, applied engineering, and drawing classes were showcased throughout the back hallway for students and parents to visit from 7am-7pm. 

    It was beautiful to see the talent of all of my peers showcased for everyone to see. From realistic to abstract, every piece had its own character, and the personality of the artist came through. Students worked hard throughout the first semester to prepare for this art show.

    Engineering and Art displays
    Engineering and Art displays

    Senior Allie Seifert was one of the most distinguished artists for this art show. Allie received hundreds of compliments on their art. They are currently in Painting 2 and Drawing 2, both of which have prerequisites, showing how fully dedicated to art they are. The amount of talent that Allie showcases is something that I truly admire. They are absolutely one of the best artists I have the pleasure of knowing. Some of their art can be seen below, but more can be found on their Instagram: @allie.trash.art if you are interested.

    Artwork by Allie Seifert (12)

    These seniors, along with every art and engineering student, should be extremely proud of themselves. Their months of hard work paid off, and their artwork made the hallways brighter and more enjoyable for everyone. Congratulations!

  • East York Elementary’s Holiday Shop

    On December 6th, East York held its annual Holiday Shop! The Holiday is an opportunity for 3rd-5th graders to shop for gifts for their families with the help of some high school elves. The event, led by Mrs. Rachel Fry, takes place at East York Elementary, and it includes an area for kids to shop gifts of prices between $1-$7, games and activities in the all-purpose room, and holiday snacks for the kids! The elves, York Suburban High School music students, volunteer their time in order to become an elf for the elementary students, aiding them in their search for the perfect gifts.

    The event starts off with an “Elf Training” to make sure all the elves are prepared for their night of magic. Once the students start arriving, they are lined up and matched with an elf by one of the volunteers. The elf takes them through the course of the shop, helping them with their money, and picking out the perfect gifts. Once all the gifts are chosen, students and elves proceed to the wrapping room, where more elves help wrap and label all the gifts, before proceeding to the checkout where they pay and are treated to a candy cane. 

    This year’s event was a blast. YS students showed up ready to shop. Some came with siblings; some were ready to set off into the shopping world alone. From budgets of $20-$62, our elves saw it all. Many kids came ready to shop for all their family members and some even came ready to shop for themselves! The all-purpose room buzzed with holiday cheer as kids ran around playing games, parents chatted with one another, and elves were in constant motion, providing the most elftastic service they could! With two hours of service time, the holiday shop tables were empty by the end of the night! It was a wonderful turnout that we are ecstatic to see every year. This event wouldn’t have been possible without the help of all of the magic elves that worked so hard to make the night special for each of the elementary school students.

    Being able to interact with all the kids is truly a hilarious experience. Some of them have no idea what their parents like and usually end up choosing fuzzy socks and a puzzle, while others have it exactly planned out. During the ‘quiet’ moment, all the elves shared stories about the funny interactions we had with students. From being told they were going to ask Santa for “an imaginary boyfriend,” to being hand selected by little kids to be their elf, we truly saw it all. Happy Holidays to everyone from the elves at YSHS!

    Written by Michela Soares
  • Dear Edwina Jr. – A YSMS Production

    Dear Edwina Jr. – A YSMS Production

    On November 22 and 23, the York Suburban Middle school put on their production of “Dear Edwina Jr.!” After the school’s last musical, “The Little Mermaid Jr.” during the 2021-2022 school year, students have been anxiously waiting for another production. Directed by Ms. Andrea Unger and Miss. Hannah Kuhn, the production featured 36 students on stage between 6th-8th grade, and many more backstage helping run crew, lighting, props, and costumes. This show features a young girl, Edwina, played by Maya Rolle, who gives her family and friends advice through 24 musical numbers.

    The synopsis of the show can be seen below (spoilers ahead).

    “Thirteen-year-old Edwina Spoonapple has very talented siblings. But because of this, she thinks that she isn’t special or talented. Yet Edwina has many talents including leadership, singing and advising, and she combines all of them by directing a weekly mini-musical out of her garage. The topic of these musicals is letters written to her by neighborhood kids who need advice. She gives them advice through songs and dances that she orchestrates with her friends. One of the main themes of Dear Edwina is Edwina’s desire to be in the “Advice-a-palooza” festival because she feels it will prove that she is as talented as her siblings. This is all going on while Edwina’s love interest, Scott, is trying to win her over. But, since Edwina is so concerned about her show, she doesn’t care about Scott. Scott wins her heart by singing her a seductive love ballad as an impromptu performance on the show. The talent scout calls, and asks for Scott to perform at the festival, not Edwina. She is heartbroken when she runs into Katie Spoonapple, who has just run away from the Summer Math Olympics because she was getting made fun of by the other girls. She tells Katie not to listen to those kids, and to do what you love to do. Katie hugs her, and Edwina realizes that love is far more important than getting a prize.”    – Wikipedia

    The cast worked extremely hard to put together this amazing production. Watching the future stars of YSSD was truly a wonderful thing to see. For most, it was their first chance to perform a musical on a stage.  Many of the kids played multiple roles, with only a few playing only one character. This is a big step for many, as not only were they memorizing lines and songs, they were memorizing lines and songs for multiple characters.

     

    This show would not have been possible without the help of the admin, teachers, parents, and adults that worked endlessly with the kids to put on a magnificent production.

    Great job everyone! This show was truly amazing. Watching all the young actors flourish and find their voice on stage is always a heart-warming experience.

  • YSHS Football/Band/Cheer Senior Night

    YSHS Football/Band/Cheer Senior Night

    Cover image by Ron Coursey

    On Friday, October 18, York Suburban held their Senior Night football game against Eastern York. The night began with the recognition of the Football 2025 Seniors: Steven Bowman, Clarence Cashour, Joe Hartman, Everett Heim, Alex Ballan, Rylan Bratton, Antonio Cruise, and Elisha Dennis. Following the football team, the cheerleaders were recognized: Tiffany Ma, Gabby Abdill, Hazelyn Ierly, Brayden Nolan, Sophia Grippi, Shellie Gomez, and Tatiana Wyche.  To end the celebration, the Marching Band seniors were recognized: Isabel Sarsfield, Alex Bien, Spencer Burns, Caseem Cross, Ethan Heiland, Nick Lobianco, Lynx Hogan, Marcella Rolle, Rowan Cooper, Nico Makowski, Meghan Martin, Jonah Gibson, and Clarence Cashour. All 27 seniors have put incredible amounts of work into their respective activity, and even though this is the first year that some are participating, families were created, and lifelong friendships were made. 

    As the game kicked off, Eastern York powered through, while our Trojans struggled to hold them back. It was a lively celebration of our seniors, as everyone worked together to send them off with a big goodbye. Unfortunately, the game ended with a score of 7-45, leaving the Easter York Knights with another win. 

    It was an emotional night for everyone. Underclassmen got to celebrate their seniors at their last home game, and Senior got to perform under the Dick May Field FNL one last time. They will all be missed by the coaches, directors, teammates, and most importantly, the crowd that gathered to watch them. While it is sad to see them go, we know they will all go on to do great things!

  • 2024 Homecoming Dance

    2024 Homecoming Dance

    Article by Michela Soares

    On Saturday, September 28, York Suburban High School had their 2024 Homecoming Dance. . The dance went from 7-9 in the High School’s gymnasium, which was decorated for the dance the day of.  The dance performance attracted about 600 students and the effect was excellent.

    YSHS Student Council worked endlessly to plan it, making sure everything from the DJ, to the photo booth was ready and set for the night of festivities. Our STuCo President, Sophia Scalet, trusted many students with committees throughout the homecoming festivities.  

    Many students, following unofficial traditions, went out for pictures and dinner before the dance! From South County Brewing Co., to Chilli’s, everyone chose their meal of choice to start off the night! Most students dressed up fancy and many were seen with flowers and corsages, matching with a friend or significant other. 

    Set in the High School’s gymnasium, laser strobe lights, and boom boxes created the perfect environment for a school dance. Whitley Kamarauskas (11)  says, “half of it I knew and loved it, and the other half I just had no idea what was going on.”  She also recounts that this was one of the best homecoming dances she’s had throughout her three years. Alex Bien (12) was on Homecoming Court, and he shared that being on it was a very fun experience. He was glad to be introduced to Mamoru Ikebe, the Japanese exchange student, someone he otherwise would not have met. As for the dance, one student said, “The music could’ve been louder, and choices could’ve been better,” he says, “they played Fein too early.”  Likewise, students recalled that they liked the before/after Hoco festivities, more than the actual dance. While students were given the opportunity to recommend songs, many complained about the song choices. One student says, “The DJ did excellent with the mixing, but a lot of the songs were hard to dance to, and often you could just see people standing on their phones.”  This seems to be a prevalent theme throughout students of all grades.  Samara Dalton, a freshman, shares that “it was a lot of one genre, and it could have been more versatile, because only a few people knew most of the songs.” Overall, mixed reviews were shared about the dance and music separately. 

    Considering 600 students attended, it is obvious that not everyone’s opinion can be voiced, but talking to several people and interviewing a certain few, a consensus was reached that some parts of the dance were extremely enjoyable, and others not so much.