Senior EditionrbiterThe

Friday, May 20, 2011Streetsboro, OhioVolume 32 Issue 6

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Photos courtesy of the yearbook staff

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Congratulations Class of 2011Page 2

As our teen years skate by, I cannot help but reminisce about my former number one hang-out spot: the skate park.

Senior Natalie DiGioia understands. “I was there all day, every day, wheth-er it was snowing, raining or beautiful outside.”

DiGioia and fellow senior Alecia Blankenship both said they were hap-py to be part of the first generation of kids to hang out there.

The park was built when we were in Defer, and we were the first kids to start going there on a regular basis.

“We were just starting to get to the age where we could do things without our parents,” Blankenship said. “So, we went up there all the time.”

Senior Tyler Bunch said it was “pretty cool” being part of the first generation of skaters at the park.

“It was built just in time for us and we could go all the time without other people that were too old or too young being there,” DiGioia said.

We used to walk there every day, while our other friends skated up there from across town.

DiGioia and I would sit in the grass and watch our friends, or boyfriends at the time, skate.

“We didn’t have to do anything spe-cial,” DiGioia said. “We could just sit and chill without it being awkward.”

Senior Andrew Papineau said he went because “you didn’t have to deal with anybody but your friends. No-body bothered you.”

Blankenship laughed as she remem-bered, “I used to go there to flirt with all the boys!”

Papineau, who said he still loves the skate park, added “People come and go, but there was that one group of us that went all the time.”

About 10 of us would go up there every day.

Blankenship said, “I felt like I con-nected with everyone up there.”

Skateboarding was just one of the activities that went on at the park.

“We didn’t have to do anything,” DiGioia said. “We could just sit and watch and talk.”

Blankenship said, “I tried going down a ramp on a skateboard once and fell on my butt,”

but her fa-v o r i t e m e m o r y “didn’t even involve a skateboard.”

Instead, it was a day involving pouring rain, when we went to the park with fellow senior Angela Nunns.

The rain made the ramps slippery, so we climbed up them and slid down as if they were slides. We spent almost two hours running around and sliding before the rain stopped and the ramps started to dry.

“We used to have some fun up there,” Blankenship added.

Bunch told me: “Trying to teach you and Natalie to skate was pretty cool. I’d have to say that was a pretty good memory.”

I remember falling down repeat-edly, and he just kept laughing at me.

Bunch also said landing a kick flip off a ramp for the first time “was like, the best day of my life.”

Papineau and DiGioia said they could not think of specific memories as their favorites.

Papineau said

home later that night, because I was afraid to walk by myself in the dark.

As the years went on, fewer class-mates were going to the skate park.

“It sucks,” DiGioia said about be-ing one of the people who does not go anymore. “The skate park used to be our spot.”

She said she started getting too busy and ended up not having time to go anymore.

Bunch said he stopped going as of-ten because he was afraid of hurting himself and risking being able to run cross country and track.

Papineau said he thinks the at-tendance dropped because “people change, start getting into different things.” He said he started “going all the time” a few weeks ago.

Although most of our classmates who were “regulars” stopped going for a couple years, Papineau said more are starting to spend their days there again.

“It’s just where everybody goes to have a good time,” Papineau said.

Bunch said he is going to skate there this summer.

Even though some of us are going there again, the park has changed since our days at Defer.

When DiGioia and I went to take pictures last week, we were amazed at how small the ramps looked. Every-thing is still in the same place, but we see it through different eyes now.

Every time I think of the skate park, or walk past it on my walks home, I think about the summers I spent there with my best friends.

“I lived at the skate park,” DiGioia said. “When I think about everyone leaving next year, it makes me want to spend my last summer at home with my best friends at the skate park, just like we used to.”

Personal Narrative>> Courtney SackettEditor in Chief

Performing a grab off the spine is senior Andrew Papineau, who recently started going to the skate park again.

Photo by Natalie DiGioia

“any time

someone got hurt” was a

good memory. He joked about watch-

ing his friends get hurt, then just getting back up and skating

like nothing happened.“I have way too many memories

to pick a favorite,” DiGioia said.DiGioia, Bunch and I agreed it was

the little moments that were the best.I distinctly remember the times

our former classmate Nick Price and Bunch would tell DiGioia and me to go to the park. On our way there, we

would try to guess who was up there and when we started to get close, I

would receive a text from Bunch saying “I see you.”

When we would get up there, I would tell him how creepy he was, but we would all laugh

and sit around all day.Papineau said he liked going “just

to see who was up there that day.”It did not matter what time of day

it was, there was always someone at the park.

I would go up there as soon as I woke up and would need someone to walk me

Congratulations Class of 2011 Page 3

Senior Slideshow

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7. 8.

Alyse Golak & Taylor Dantimo

1. After being crowned queen and king, Kristin Monahan and David Tackett share a dance.2. John Lewis and Juran Hill show off their moves in the middle of a circle.3. Getting together after the crowning are the court and the junior prince and princess.4. Capturing a moment as they enter The Bertram are Deon Oliver, Lucki Swoope and Unique Bell.5. Senior couple Kyle Willa and Peyton Flanders share a dance together.6. While at the front of the crowd, Rob Fruscella does the “Cha Cha Slide.”7. Jordan Genovese and Da’Nae Redding take a quick break from dancing to capture the moment.8. Jeff Dowdall watches the prom senior slideshow, which was put together by classmate Angie DiAlesandro. Photos courtesy of the yearbook staff

Page 4 Congratulations Class of 2011

- “Young Forever” by Jay-Z,class song

United States Armed Forces

U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Air Force U.S. Navy>> Anthony Puleo >> Kenny Bish

>> Dan Corlett>> Randy George

>> Mark Treadway

Bryman School of ArizonaPhoenix, AZ>> Matt Fronek

Harding UniversitySearcy, AR>> Jacob Hatfield

Kentucky Christian UniversityGrayson, KY>> Ray Nevels

Pittsburgh Technical InstituteOakdale, PA>> Steven Balkovec>> Carter Lawson

Indiana University of PennsylvaniaIndiana, PA>> Kristin Monahan>> Shyanne Mortimer

Page 5Congratulations Class of 2011

University of AkronAkron, OH>> Alecia Blankenship>> Tim Burkhart>> Brandi Dailey>> Matt Reneau>> John Sulik>> Cody White

Bowling Green State UniversityBowling Green, OH>> Briana Cooper>> Bryant Helton

Hiram UniversityHiram, OH>> Devonique Henderson

Kent State UniversityKent, OH>> Reggie Bates>> Unique Bell>> Nicole Blom>> Dianne Brna>> Cody Cade>> Amber Churn>> Bobbie Charron>> Sam Cheatham>> Amanda Cobourn>> Sean Corron>> Taylor Dantimo>> Andrew DeLambo>> Cindy Deng>> Angie DiAlesandro>> Tim Fredd>> Alyse Golak>> Marissa Goodman>> Lauren Hawkins>> Craig Hoover>> Brittany Johnson>> Matt Knight>> Cody Krumlauf>> Alex Lesak>> Melanie Long>> Keith Martin>> Taylor Matusik>> Colton McCallum

Cuyahoga Community CollegeCleveland, OH>> Natalie DiGioia>> Frank Gant>> Kayla Howard>> Kayleigh Louis>> Frank Sims

Cleveland State UniversityCleveland, OH>> Kristen Belcher>> Lawrence Gray University of Toledo

Toledo, OH>> Briana Borden>> Quiana Borden>> Jamari Heard>> Tinea Johnson>> Stevie Magic>> Rameika Polk>> Lucki Swoope

College of WoosterWooster, OH>> Josh Foerst

Wright State UniversityDayton, OH>> Amanda Groff

Heidelberg UniversityTiffin, OH>> Rob Fruscella

Stark State CollegeNorth Canton, OH>> Joey Folan>> Leah Puskar

Ohio Technical CollegeCleveland, OH>> Michael Domzalski

Tiffin UniversityTiffin, OH>> Drew Kluchurosky

Lake Erie CollegeCleveland, OH>> Nate Mountain>> Chris Williams

Malone UniversityCanton, OH>> Chris Bennett

>> Kaitlyn McGinnis>> Mike Melice>> Cory Miller>> Chelsea Moore>> Bridget Mullally>> Angela Nunns>> Marissa Pavlick>> Hunter Petrie>> Joey Pettit (Geauga Campus)>> Wendy Powell>> Hannah Ragle>> Da’Nae Redding>> Katie Robinette>> Ivan Rodriguez>> Ryan Sedar>> CaLee Skulina>> Shawnee Spinks>> Paisley Stovall>> Vinny Valenti (Geauga Campus)>> Tyler Verma>> Emily Verner>> Tralynne White>> Niko Withers

Ohio UniversityAthens, OH>> Larissa Bradford>> Tyler Bunch>> Heather Davidson>> Lacy Dean>> Ryan MacMillan

Ohio State UniversityColumbus, OH>> Jordan Genovese>> Emma Mesojedec>> Courtney Sackett>> David Tackett

Paul MitchellTwinsburg, OH>> Lauren Freeman>> Amanda Selby

Muskingum UniversityNew Concord, OH>> Jaclynn Hess>> Brandon Violi

Miami UniversityOxford, OH>> Taylor Banks

College of Mount St. JosephCincinnati, OH>> Anthony Skulina

University of Rio GrandeRio Grande, OH>> Cory Ferrari

Pittsburgh Technical InstituteOakdale, PA>> Steven Balkovec>> Carter Lawson

Indiana University of PennsylvaniaIndiana, PA>> Kristin Monahan>> Shyanne Mortimer

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Congratulations Class of 2011 Page 7

Seniors share advice with underclassmenAcademicsGeneral

Involvement Sports

“Keep your grades up and have fun, because high school is all about

having fun.”

Niko Withers

“Stay out of trouble. Just do your homework, and don’t lose it. Be responsible, organized and life will be easier. Trust me, this is Juran, I know these mistakes.”

Juran Hill

“I want them to know, I’ll miss them, seeing them in classes. Just try to work hard on their

math, because they’ll get smarter at it. And I want to wish them

good luck.”

Danielle Wadkins

“Attendance is important, because if you’re not at school, your grades will

drop, a lot. I think throughout my entire four years, I’ve missed a hundred days and it noticeably dropped my grades.”

Ashlee Pitts

“Make friends with teachers. It’s nice to have someone to talk to

who isn’t your peer, someone with good advice. Start thinking of a

senior prank now. If you’re a guy looking for a lady friend, [school]

clubs are where it’s at.”

Josh Foerst

“Get involved in whatever you can, whether it’s a club or a sport, because it helps

you with college. I didn’t do it. I regret it now, because colleges really love that.”

Lucki Swoope

“Just do it. Be friendly to everybody. Make sure you’re on everyone’s good side and pursue your goals. I was nice to everyone and was voted

class president.”

Cody White

“Push hard in workouts, because it’ll pay off in the game.

Nothing feels better than having more endurance than the other

team. We played four long, tough games and won, because we were

in shape.”Jordan Genovese“Always keep your hopes

up, never quit fighting, and always keep your head high. I worked hard in the

off season and I tried to not let my team down.”

Frank Gant

“Try your hardest in the preseason, because once you get to regular season,

you don’t have as many practices, and you don’t have as much time to get in shape.

You need to be in shape, because once you get to games they’re long and hard.”

Shyanne Mortimer

“Always work hard and never give up and always keep a full heart in what

you do. I always practiced hard and I always had a

full heart when I stepped out on the field.”

Anthony Wheeler

“Don’t waste your time. Due dates come faster

than you think. I usually turn all of my stuff in on

time.”

Joey Pettit

“I advise those who are academically advanced to participate in the PSEOP

[post secondary] program, because you get to make a lot of new friends

and experience college life before you even get there.”

Melanie Long

“Academics are important. I screwed up my freshman year. It hurt my GPA. So,

the advice I’d give is to not slack off.”

Peyton Flanders

“Each year counts for college. I don’t want [the underclassmen] to find out the hard way. Even if you get one ‘C’ it can bring

your entire GPA down.”

Hannah Ragle

Compiled by Taylor White and Cindy DengPhotos courtesy of the yearbook staff

“When you become a leader, you find a lot about yourself. Being president of student

council helped me find who I am.”

Emma Mesojedec

Five seniors so far -- Chris Williams, Nate Mountain, Ray Nevels, Jaclynn Hess and Brandon Violi -- have con-crete plans to continue their academic and athletic career at local colleges.

As both Williams and Mountain signed national letters of intent to play football at Lake Erie College in Paines-ville, the two will not only share the same college but dorm room too.

“I’m glad I will not be rooming with a complete stranger,” Williams said. “It’s nice to know Nate and I will have good chemistry on and off the field…We’ve played together through-out high school and for the two of us to get to play together and dorm to-gether our freshman year of college is just unbelievable.”

Another member of the football team, senior Ray Nevels, will also be continuing his football career at the college level in the fall.

Nevels will head south to attend Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky, on a partial ride to play safety and major in business.

“I’ve already began doing my sum-mer workouts,” Nevels said. “The workouts are tough and the condi-tioning tests are challenging.” Nevels said the conditioning test consists of 18 110-yard sprints with 35-second breaks in between.

“I’m trying to prepare myself men-tally and physically for the challenge ahead. The game is going to be more intense with better competition. I’ve got to get myself ready.”

Four-sport letterman Jaclynn Hess is attending Muskingum University in New Concord, OH to play softball and catch for the Fighting Muskies.

Undecided on her major, Hess said she will miss her team the most as she heads to MU.

“I’ve played with some of the girls on the team from the very beginning… I’m sad this was my last year on the field with them,” Hess said.

While Hess is excited to start the “next chapter of her life,” she said meeting the new girls, getting to know them and learning how to play togeth-er as a team will be the biggest chal-lenge next season, but she is ready for it.

Senior Brandon Violi will also be attending Muskingum University to continue his career on the baseball field.

Senior athletes will always have high school memories to take with them wherever they go, whether or not they are taking their games to the next level.

Basketball player Leon Hedgepeth said his favorite sports memory was going to regionals in basketball in 2009 and winning the PTC title this year.

Hedgepeth is considering attending Columbus State College or Allegany College of Maryland to continue his basketball career.

“Winning a PTC title as a freshman and a sophomore was very fulfilling, but winning a PTC title my senior year was even better,” Hedgepeth said. “I was a bigger contribution to the team than I was in previous seasons, and that right there capped off my senior year.”

Two-sport letterman Jordan Geno-vese said her favorite high school sports memory happened in volley-ball.

“The success of our volleyball team

is hands-down the most important sports memory I’m going to be taking with me to college,” Genovese said.

“The times us volleyball girls had, and the relationships we built through our program and our success, cannot be built elsewhere. I’m going to re-member the volleyball team forever.”

The seniors have won the PTC title all four years for volleyball.

Williams and Nevels both said their favorite senior-year football memory was beating undefeated Woodridge 29 - 23, when the Bulldogs were pre-dicted to go to the playoffs and win the league title.

Cross country and track runner Heather Davidson said her favor-ite memory is from her senior cross country season.

“Getting voted captain by the oth-er girls on the team was my favorite memory. Knowing that I’m a good role model was a great feeling,” Da-vidson said.

Although the seasons have come to an end for most of these athletes, they agree the years spent participating in each of these sports will never be for-gotten.

Congratulations Class of 2011Page 8

Five seniors advancing in athleticsPhoto by Lacy Dean

Chris Williams Nate MountainPhoto by Lacy Dean

Ray NevelsPhoto by Taylor Walls

Jaclynn HessPhoto by Angie DiAlesandro

Brandon VioliPhoto by Natalie Pinkerman

>> Lacy DeanStaff Writer