Category: October

One of my favorite aspects of being part of the Newspaper Club is being able to connect with teachers and students to see what everyone is creating. That’s why one of the most special parts of the month is being able to see what the Art Faculty recommends as some of their featured pieces of the month. This month we have three featured artists that we are so proud of and honored to share their art and stories. 

The lovely Mrs. Fornadel has highlighted two students this month, the first of which is Weston Saunders. Weston is a freshman student at York Suburban, and he is currently in Painting I. He says that one of his many inspirations is a French painter, Claude Monet. Monet’s beautiful artwork often depicts a scenic landscape and Mrs. Fornadel says that Weston channels his love of nature in his artwork. Attached below is an image of Weston with his artwork “Autumn mountains”! 

The next student Mrs. Fornadel has chosen to feature is Jaidan Kopp. Jaidan is a senior that has taken several art courses, including painting, drawing, introduction to ceramics, art portfolio, and will be taking sculpture and an independent study later this year! Jaidan’s love of art has led them to apply to study Art Education at Millersville. Jaidan’s inspiration for art is based on both famous artists and family members. Jaidan says that Camila Salina’s self-portraits are inspiring. Here Jaidan is working on a self-portrait in oils – so beautiful!

Last but definitely not least is Star Jirtle, nominated by Mrs. Furjanic. Star is a junior and is taking Drawing I. Star says that her inspiration for her art is her mother! The Trojan Newspaper congratulates Star on her creativity and talent. 

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!

What are the haunted Hallways? The Haunted Hallways is a Halloween-themed event where the students and teachers of York Suburban decorate their doors and hallways and hand out candy to all the trick-or-treaters. Mrs. Oathout runs the NHS (National Honors Society), which coordinates this event with her officers Grace Connolly, Sophia Scarlet, and Aslynn Delridge. 

The Haunted Hallways event ran on Tuesday, October 29th from 6-7 pm. Many clubs decorated hallways and doors including, but not limited to Student Council, Model UN, NAHS, FCCLA, Mini-Thon, Hope Squad, French Honor Society, GSA, Spanish Honor Society, Science Honor Society, TSA, Puzzle Partners & Diversity and Activism. 

Some of the themes these clubs came up with were Founding Fathers by Model UN, Bluey by Student Council, M&Ms by FCCLA, Shine Bright Like a Diamond by Mini-Thon, Charlie Brown the Great Pumpkin by NAHS, Beach Barbies by Hope Squad, “Le Petit Prince” from St-Exupery by French Honors, Greek Mythology by GSA, Día de los Muertos by Spanish Honors, German Fairy Tales & Legends by German Honors, Mad Scientists by Science Honors, Wall-E by TSA, Pumpkin Patch by Puzzle Partners, and Coco by Activism & Diversity Club.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When in an interview with Mrs. Fornadel, the National Arts Honor Society’s advisor, I asked if she thought the students enjoyed the Haunted Hallways, her answer was,“Yes, I think they do. I think it makes the students feel like kids again, being able to hand out treats to the little children of York Suburban.” Ms.. Reider, one of the Mini-thon’s advisors comments, “I think the YS younger students enjoy this event, and the YS high school students enjoy dressing up.” After speaking with Niyah Peterkin, a student asking the same question, she responded, “Yes, this is an event I enjoy because I like seeing all the effort and different spins each club and group put into it.” Both perspectives: teachers and students seem to enjoy putting on the Haunted Hallways. These teachers and students worked together to create a fun & entertaining night for the families of YS to enjoy. 

Many clubs and groups put a significant amount of effort into making this event, and spend much of their own time preparing everything. Thank you to all the students and teachers who put the effort into making this event possible!

On October 17th York Suburban High School hosted its first official concert of the year where each musical group performed a series of captivating pieces that gave the audience a look into the exciting music-filled year ahead. The band presented a collection of spectacular numbers such as Rhythm Machine, Rain, The Haunted Carousel, selections from West Side Story, and Prelude to Firestorm. The orchestra also performed “Rock”-tobersongs including Back-in-Black, a medley of songs from the band Muse, Kashmere, Crazy Train, and Dust in the Wind. Following these instrumental ensembles was the chorus and their impressive presentation of songs like Stand by Me, Don’t Stop Me Now, and Song of the Lonely Mountain. The concert showcased Suburban’s best through its various music groups.. I had the privilege of interviewing someorchestra, band, and chorus members to get an inside look into how they prepared in the days leading up to the concert. The first person I spoke to was a second violinist, Bailey Phinney. She is a member of string ensemble and orchestra. When asked how she felt leading up to the concert, Phinney replied, “Rocktober is one of my favorite concerts! We’ve all been majorly hyping each other up during these final practices.” Though Phinney expressed some uncertainty and nervousness from the Muse medley because of the amount of string changes, the piece came together beautifully, demonstrating the orchestra’s skill when tackling difficult musical material. The next people I had the opportunity to interview were Ruthie Brown and Whitley Kamarauskas. They gave me an inside look into how the chorus organizes for upcoming concerts, saying, “We have double periods for chorus practice so we get to practice one to three times a week. The lyrics for some of the songs are a bit difficult but with this much practice we all should be good to go!” I also spoke with Reece Busse, a member of band and a talented percussionist. He explained, “The song selection we have for the fall concert is really good. We have some upbeat songs that are fun to play, and then some slower songs that are very moving.” Overall, the October concert was a phenomenal success because of the hardworking individuals who made the fantastic event possible.

October was a wild ride for all of our sports teams. The regular seasons were ending, and a majority of the teams made Counties or Districts. York Suburban also had numerous athletes recognized with a county award.

Field Hockey (6-11-1)

Field Hockey was not as successful as they have been in previous years. However, the girls were still able to place 3rd in Division 2, earning them a spot in the county playoffs. Grace Bramble had a standout season and broke the career saves record, ending her high school career at 656 total saves. They played Dallastown in the county quarterfinals, but were shut out 3-0.

Boys Soccer (9-7-3)

Compared to last year, the Boys’ Soccer team did significantly better, led by seniors Brayden Egger and Jackson Miller, among others. The team was able to make the county playoffs; however they lost to Northeastern 3-0. Although not as good as the County Championship season 2 years ago, the guys were looking for success in the District playoffs. Their opponent in the first round was 16-2 Shippensburg, who was able to hold off the Trojans in a 4-2 match.

Girls Soccer (13-6-1)
Earning YAIAA Division 2 Champion status was a big achievement for the Girls’ Soccer team, who haven’t had much success in the past couple of seasons. The girls were more successful in county playoffs than our other teams, and they had a 1-0 win over York Catholic in the quarterfinals, sending them to the semifinals, where the girls lost to South Western 4-0. In district play, the girls lost to Palmyra in the opening round.

Girls Volleyball (12-4)

It was another dominating year for the Girls’ Volleyball team in county play, as they were 12-0 against Division 2 opponents, earning them the division title and solidifying a spot in the county playoffs. However, in the County quarterfinals, Central York was able to defeat the Trojans in 5 sets. The girls found more success in the first round of Districts as they beat Bishop McDevitt in 3 sets. However, Big Spring was able to win in 3 sets in the next round, ending the Trojan’s season.

Golf (30-0)

Our golf team was County Champions for the second year in a row. In the county championship, Vivienne Powers came in first place at +5, and Andrew Ekstrom came in third place at -3. In the District Championship at Honey Run Golf Course, Andrew Ekstrom shot par for a first place finish, and Vivienne Powers placed 8th, shooting +15. With their results, both players advanced to the state round, where Vivienne Powers tied for third place overall and Andrew Ekstrom tied for 31st place.

 

Girls Tennis (8-7)

The Girls’ Tennis team ended their season with a winning record, but they weren’t done yet. Doubles pair Bryn Johnston and Julia Brozoskie made it to the first round of counties, but lost to Dallastown. In singles, Sophia Bottali, Bryn Johnston, and Julia Brozoskie all made the county playoffs but also lost in the first round.

Boys Cross Country (14-3)

The boys’ cross country team had a typical winning season, and were able to capture the Division 2 title. In the county meet, the team placed 3rd overall, and Neil Osteric (2nd), Carter Gingerich (19th), and Nathan Tedesco (24th) all placed top 30. In districts, Neil Oestereich placed 10th, qualifying him for the state meet this Friday. 

Girls Cross Country (16-1)

The Girls’ XC team also won the Division 2 championship with a 5-0 division record. In the county meet hosted at John Rudy Park, the team placed 3rd overall and Sarah Deal (19th), Abby Passerellio (22nd), Ashlyn Kline (28th), and Cambria Rice (30th) all placed in the top 30. At the district meet, our girls didn’t place or qualify for the state championship. This can be accredited to the increasing of our classification from AA to AAA in the past year. 

Football (1-9)

It was an exciting end to a disappointing season for our football team, as they got their first win of the season in the last game against Northeastern in a 1-point victory in what was dubbed the “Toilet Bowl” as both teams came into the game without a win. With the loss of key players from last season, the team was young and looking to rebuild, and the season wasn’t expected to be great. If you want to learn more about the specific games, visit this link to read detailed articles. 

Awards

Girls Soccer:

• Player of the Year – Stephanie Herrera 
• Coach of the Year – Tom Shugars
• First Team All-County – Addie Denenberg
• First Team All-County – Amelia California
• Second Team All-County – Sophia Sousa
• Second Team All-County – Mae Oestereich

Boys Soccer:

• First Team All-County – Jackson Miller
• Second Team All-County – Jonathan Stermer
• Second Team All-County – Brayden Egger
• Second Team All-County – Gehret Gentzyel

More awards will be announced within the next few weeks. Check back for updates.