Currently Browsing: Sports
Frisbee–The “utlimate” team sport
.
Written by Caley Donovan, The Eagle Senior Writer
i’m sure that everyone in school heard the announcements earlier this year about ultimate frisbee and its intrepid captains, Dan Goldstein and Rina Matsuda. I had the opportunity to talk with the two frisbee afficionados recently to get the scoop on their teams for the coming season and their thoughts on the sport they love.
Rina, the girls team captain, has been playing frisbee for fun since middle school and on a team since her freshman year. Meanwhile, Daniel says that he has been an ultimate frisbee player for, “well, I’m going to say 4 years..maybe 5.” Dan started the ultimate frisbee program for boys at Obama and Rina has continued the girls legacy, which was begun by Anna Maddama.
“No one else was going to step up,” she says.
Dan started the program so that he too could play, and he knows that playing the roles of organizer, coach and player often is problematic. Still, this year should be different. “We have a coach for the first time this year,” he adds.
Rina also has known the difficulties of wearing so many hats and like the boys, the team struggled this year. “You don’t want to know,” she says. “Let’s just say that we’ll be better this year.”
Both teams will undoubtedly improve this year under the guidance of the two “fris-geeks” (Rina’s term). Dan says, “I try to be a leader for my team, not only in the sport aspect but in conditioning, as well.” For her part, Rina works to get the team motivated and excited about frisbee. She describes the model frisbee player as “someone who is committed and one that I can count on to be involved.” She adds, “Sure, it would be great if they were amazing players, but that would come second to being committed.”
Both teams are under way, with the girls already notching an impressive win and the boys showing great potential.
I asked Dan about his favorite aspect of frisbee and he was quick with an answer: “It really is the ultimate team sport.”
Email This Post
Print This Post
Currently Browsing: Uncategorized
An early look at college selections–Obama’s 1st graduating class
.
Written by Tayaunna Jackson, The Eagle Staff Writer
At pressent, here is a look at where some of our seniors will be going for college. We will be updating this list in the weeks ahead:
Angela Perfetti–University of Pennsylvania
Niger Little-Poole–Columbia
Erika Mangual–Florida
Naomi Purnell–Pepperdine
Lea Lipowcan–George Washington
Taylah Pipkin–North Carolina State
Solomon Ilochi–Southern Cal
Dan Mietzner–Temple
Karla Reed–Penn State
Tayaunna Jackson–Penn State
Luke Brunsvold–Penn State
Brittany Evans-Conner–Penn State
John Howell–Penn State
Tessa Mastalski–Pitt
Sam Conturo–Pitt
C J Abenes–Pitt
Arnold Rose–Pitt
Julian Einhorn–Pitt
Gina Wilson–West Virginia
Renata Aleman–Allegheny
Maleejah Irwin–Robert Morris
Taylor Williams–Robert Morris
Asia Millender–Drexel
Aman Milliones Roman–Drexel
Rachael Deis–Drexel
Maria Benjamen–Drexel
Ajanee Logan–Clark Atlanta
Leeza Tokarski–Point Park
Melissa Suhoski–Point Park
Amber Patterson–PSU Greater Allegheny
Myron Taylor–PSU Greater Allegheny
Majerica Rainey–PSU Greater Allegheny
Nyjel Brown–PSU Greater Allegheny
Raihoz Johnson–PSU Greater Allegheny
Lenal Mar–PSU Greater Allegheny
Mike Peterson–PSU Greater Allegheny
Taylor Smith–PSU Behrend
Rob Pell–PSU Behrend
Trinity Washington–Pitt Titusville
John Jackson–CCAC
Trenette Wilson–CCAC
Davonn Thompson–CCAC
Taylor Blair–CCAC
Phillip Bova–Slippery Rock
Andrea Pugh–Slippery Rock
Brittany Terry–Slippery Rock
Andre Reese–Slippery Rock
Shamauri Phillips–Slippery Rock
Diamond Davis–IUP
Saif Shareef–IUP
Imani Milliones Roman–Lincoln
Danisha Drewery–Lincoln
Jackie Clarke–Howard
Cierra Willie Johnson–Tuskegee
Jenna Neal–Chatham
Alexus Young–Chatham
Tytionna Hill–Spellman
Paul Dolby–Geneva
Dionna Jones–Carlow
Justin Davis–Art Institute of Pittsburgh
Kris Owens–Art Institute of Pittsburgh
Congrtaulations to all. More are coming soon.
Email This Post
Print This Post
Currently Browsing: News
First person: Obama students support Trayvon Martin and family
Photo Credit: Azurai Phillips
.
Written by Azurai Phillips for The Eagle
To show support for Trayvon Martin, Obama students wore hoodies on Wednesday, March 28. Some even brought Skittles and tea to make the statement that random acts of violence seem to kill more and more people every day.
Racism plays a role in some acts of violence, of course, whether it is overt or hidden. Few people want to admit it. In the case of Trayvon, it went a step too far and it would appear that George Zimmerman—the neighborhood block watch shooter—should be thrown in jail for his shoot first and ask questions later actions.
Instead, he is free to walk the streets and free to kill another “suspicious” person that happens to be wearing a hoodie.
Zimmerman’s action has caused outrage throughout the United States. To many, the equation seemed to have been that since black people often wear hoodies, Zimmerman made the decision to shoot after surmising that Trayvon simply must be up to no good.
It’s the 21st century and in a civilized country, we like to think that we have come a long way where race relations are concerned but still, the question remains: Here at Obama, students of all colors wear hoodies. Does that mean one of us could be next thanks to old school stereotypes?
Email This Post
Print This Post
Currently Browsing: Sports
Softball team looks to improve this year
.
Written by Sarah Parker, The Eagle Staff Writer
So far theObamaGirlsHigh schoolsoftball team have played one game, and lost. “We lost, we made a lot of errors that we shouldn’t have”, stated Ms. Wagner the coach. Ms. Wagner wants to improve the mistakes they made in the game: overthrows, missing ground balls, and opponents stealing bases.
Kayla Hitchcock, freshman at Obama, is a rising player on the team. “She’s the most well rounded player, and has the experience”. Kayla and the seniors (Tiffany Ralston, Monique Wilson, and Taylah Pipkin) are the leaders of the team. “Kayla really helps the younger girls on the team. The team is mostly made of younger players.
By the end of the season Ms Wagner hopes “to improve the overall performance”. She also wants “fewer errors”.
Email This Post
Print This Post
Currently Browsing: Student News
tumblr. explained.
.
Written by Ivy Ryan for The Eagle
What is Tumblr? How did it seem like all of the sudden everyone is using it? If you have a certain obsession or you love something to death, you’ll definitely want to check this website out. On Tumblr, there are no limits, and no one cares if you freak out about something that seems stupid.
All Tumblr is, is your blog. But it’s a pretty fantastic blogging website. On tumblr, you can find and follow blogs by what they post. For example, if you really enjoy art or dancing, you can search that, and up will come suggestions for blogs to follow. The whole structure and workings of the website are really easy to handle, so it isn’t hard to look through pictures and blogs to follow. Once you get to your actual blog, the fun part comes. There are hundreds of pre-made designs for you to choose from! Most of them are free, but there are more premium themes for your blog that cost money. You go to the ‘customize your blog’ page, and you can go on for hours editing. You can change the colors, putting in pictures and links etc.
Now the secrets of Tumblr will be unveiled. The main people that use tumblr are teenagers at this point, so it may sound weird for all of these kids to be using a blog. The main reason that kids of our age love it is that we usually get obsessed with things, and it’s a way to vent it. I know I do. You hear about a TV show and think about watching it. Then you watch the first episode and it becomes your LIFE. Absolutely everything is now related to it even in the most stretched way. You get excited if you somehow resemble a character in a single episode. Others think it’s a problem, but to you you’re being completely normal. You can become part of the fandom, or fan base of the show, on tumblr, and it’s extremely exciting! There are sort of inside jokes with everyone, and things can spread across the internet at insane speeds. Like Kony 2012, the kid after the dentist, and many other viral videos.
At this age, we don’t really have anything that is rightfully ours, you know? Our parents mostly give us the money to buy things, and it all comes from them. Only if you get a job and start buying things with your own money is it really yours, but a lot of teenagers don’t have enough of it. So if you want something to own, tumblr is perfect. You have your own blog that you came up with, the design of it is unique with all of the color options etc, and it’s something to call yours.
This may not be the best reason why teenagers like it, but you can spend an insane amount of time on it! The main page is endless, so you can keep scrolling and scrolling to your heart’s content. I’ve once spent literally 2 or 3 hours on it just scrolling and re-blogging pictures and videos. If you’re a procrastinator and enjoy having a couple hours of your life magically pass, then tumblr is your go to place!
Email This Post
Print This Post
Currently Browsing: Student News
Who’s your inspiration?
.
Written by Rachael Zielmanski, The Eagle Staff Writer
Everyone has their own inspirations. Whether it is a person, place, thing, or ect… We all have some form of inspiration. Me personally; I’m inspired by nature, and smart and strong people such as; Taylor Swift, Rachel Carson, Tim Tebow, and many others. OtherObamaAcademystudents told me their inspirations.
Kiera Roberts is inspired by mostly people she said.
“My friends inspire me to be myself and my family to be my best and reach for my goals.”
Another student; Anna Bowin is inspired by authors because she wants to grow up to be a writer. Her mother has also inspired her to not to repeat stupid mistakes.
“I don’t want to make a repeat of my family’s mistakes.”
I also asked Rhonna Ly about her inspirations. She is inspired by her mom, her friend, and Audrey Hepburn.
“They inspire me to grow up as a great person.”
In conclusion, everyone is inspired by someone or something.
Email This Post
Print This Post
Currently Browsing: Sports
Akrie’s love of baseball provides drive, commitment to excellence on the diamond
.
Written by Rhonna Ly, The Eagle Staff Writer
The Sports of Our Lives is dedicated to the meaning of glorious sports through sweat, blood, and tears of the spectacular players. One of those players is Joel Akrie who strongly believes that baseball is everything to him.
Joel Akrie, a freshman here at Obama, is a part of Obama’s baseball team. Being able to experience sports constantly, he remembers fondly as a child being introduced to the sport by his father. His dad introduced baseball to him at the age of 4 and since then, he has absolutely adored it.
Growing up with baseball made him look at inspirations of Roberto Clemente simply because he was an amazing player. To an extent what really appealed to him is everything especially hitting.
But there’s still improvement and obstacles you have to face to better yourself in this sport. The most challenging thing is “if you don’t know the fundamentals then you’re screwed. You need hand-eye coordination. And most of all, you must know how to hit, catch, etc.” Playing one game so far, he feels that “the team is great but on the downside, there are things to fix… but we are a tough team.”
Email This Post
Print This Post
Currently Browsing: Academics
April HS Teacher Feature–Ms.Kiesel
Photo Credit: Rhonna Ly
.
Written by Chloe Mobley, The Eagle Staff Writer
For this month’s teacher feature we have chosen Ms. Kiesel. She is a kind and nice woman who enjoys her job as a teacher as well as her time at home. When she is
not at school, Ms. Kiesel spends her time quietly in her house. “I like to garden, cook, and read,” she says.
Ms. Kiesel has been working as a teacher for fifteen years. She is one of our teachers that came over from Schenely. Her favorite thing about being a teacher is interacting with the students.
Ms. Kiesel wasn’t originally a psychology teacher. She originally taught social
studies, and replaced the psychology teacher, and in the process, taking on a new challenge. “I’m glad that it happened how it did,” she said. Compared to other subjects, it seems like psychology is one of the hardest to learn, but even harder to teach. Over
the years Ms. Kiesel has spent her time perfecting her teaching skills. “My
goal is to make it understandable.”
As always we just have to ask the question, do you like our school? Well, Ms.
Kiesel said, “ I like the school. The students are wonderful and there is more
order here than other places.”
You may know that Ms. Kiesel is one of our teachers that will be retiring after this year. “I’m happy, but I’ll miss teaching,” said Ms. Kiesel when I asked her how she felt about retiring. She doesn’t know what she wants to do with that extra time, but is ready to enjoy the freedom.
Email This Post
Print This Post
Currently Browsing: Uncategorized
Just what is Tumblr?
.
Written by Addison Williams, The Eagle Staff Reporter
Just what is Tumblr?
Not too long ago, I was asking myself the same exact question. I’d heard my friends talking about the site for months and months on end, never bothering to check the site out because, like much social media can be, the idea of adding another social app to my life just didn’t appeal to me in the least. Now, I check my Tumblr about three or four times daily. I subscribe to a few photo and writing Tumblrs, and the content on each of the Tumblogs is greatly entertaining, and you don’t see annoying ads for other blogs popping up non-stop.
So, what is Tumblr, exactly?
Tumblr is, in essence, a blog website, although it’s become more than that. Tumblr is a platform for sharing your ideas, your passions, your creative works and your soul. You can bare anything and everything you want to the world, and getting noticed is easy. After my first post, I had three people following me, and my post had four likes within ten minutes. Granted, compared to the tens of thousands of likes some posts garner in the same time, it’s not that impressive, but the point is that people there listen and enjoy listening to you and everyone else. Tumblr is a kind of reminder that yes, you are special, just like everyone else.
Email This Post
Print This Post
Currently Browsing: Student News
Carnegie Library of East Liberty lists spring programs
.
Written by Tamia Turner for The Eagle
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in East Liberty is hosting spring events starting the end of March and running until May. All the events are free and open to all ages.
- Glitter Shoes – At this event you bring any kind of shoes and transform them into shiny wonders. There will be a movies playing for the moments the glitter is drying. This meeting will be held in Room 3B on March 30, 3-5pm.
- Writing Workshops at Assemble-This is event will be held at 5125 Penn Ave. Along with Literary Arts Boom (LAB) they’ll be holding informal workshops for writers of poetry, short stories, and bloggers. There is anticipation of the Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest. You can bring a piece of your own or you may choose to participate in our other activities. This event will be held April 12 and 19, 4-5 pm.
- Shadow Lounge- Teen Open Mic Poetry Slam! You can sign up for a slot to read your own work, or just read a piece by one of your favorite authors. Make sure you bring your friends also to come watch you. This event will be held May 1, 5-8 pm.
If you have any questions contact 412-363-8232 and talk to Tessa Barber or you can email her at barbert@carnegielibrary.org. The address to the Carnegie Library is 130 South Whitfield Street Pittsburgh PA, 15206. We hope to see you at our spring events coming soon and don’t forget to bring your friends.
Email This Post
Print This Post
