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Foodie Palooza

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Maya Cooper / Staff Writer

     The annual Foodie Palooza fundraiser returned to the high school for another event which filled the commons.

     On Sunday, Feb. 2 from 12 p.m.-3 p.m., local business participated in the event formally known as Pizza Palooza, which began in 2017 as a way for local pizza restaurants to showcase their foods to the community. 

     This year, the event had more than just pizza. There were a variety of cuisines from all different kinds of restaurants for the attendees to enjoy.

     β€œWe have since brought the Palooza back with this year’s event including more food varieties such as chicken sandwiches, beef kabobs, hummus, spring rolls and fried rice, pasta, tacos, doughnuts, fruit, sweets, and of course, we had to have pizza,” Gary Aleman, the organizer of the event said.

     Admission into Foodie Palooza was free with a price of $10 for 8 tickets. Each ticket could be used to try a food item from a booth or an inflatable in the lower gym. There were also other free experiences for children such as face painting and temporary tattoos.

     Junior Zowie Stanley worked at the Malley’s Chocolates booth. This is the second year Malley’s has come to Foodie Palooza, and Stanley believes they will likely return next year.

     β€œWe had chocolate hearts and Betty Lou’s, which are pretzel caramels dipped in chocolate. We were happy with the amount of people that came to our booth, and I think it was a successful event,” Stanley said

     There were also many student volunteers who helped the event run smoothly. Some volunteers helped at different food booths to help the vendors, while others helped set up before the event and clean up after it ended.

     Junior Terah Bentley volunteered for three and a half hours. She was stationed in the lower gym.

     β€œI collected tickets for the kids to go on the inflatables. The kids seemed like they were having a good time, and the parents were happy” Bentley said.

     As people entered the school, they received a ticket they could use to vote for their favorite food booth.

     β€œThe Favorite Food Winner this year went to Pancho & Lefty’s,” Aleman said.

      Additionally, guests were also presented with a brief questionnaire with questions like their zip code and how they heard about the event.

     β€œThe most interesting was the zip code question, of course most were from Stow, but we had many come from Cuyahoga Falls, Akron and even West Akron and Portage County,” Aleman said. 

     Aleman, as well as the others who helped put the event together, were very happy with the turnout at this year’s Foodie Palooza.

     β€œThe crowd arrived right before twelve noon and the ticket process went very well with the introduction of our new credit card readers. We are estimating anywhere from 1300 to 1700 people total including volunteers, vendors and support staff,” Aleman said.

     Foodie Palooza is expected to return to the high school again next year as Aleman’s role as part of the Stow Munroe Falls Community Foundation is to coordinate events and fundraisers. 

     β€œIt takes months of planning for this event to go off as planned. We have follow up meetings and will coordinate with the SMF School System to reserve the Gym and Commons for next year which will be on Sunday, February 1  from 12 noon to 3 p.m.,” Aleman said.

     Next year’s event may also include some new features and improvements.

    β€œWe are also considering adding a Judges Choice Award. We will also seek out additional seating for people eating in the cafeteria area,” Aleman said.

     Foodie Palooza is enjoyed by many because of its effect on the local community.  

     β€œOne of the main reasons we hold the Palooza is bringing people together. There is nothing like food, a universal common thread, to bring people together to enjoy great food treats from local restaurants and to give back to the community with much needed funds that we contribute to Teacher Grants and Student Initiatives,” Aleman said.

Community, Feature, Front/Home

BSU Club

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Mira Woodward / Business Manager

      Black Student Union is a new club now being offered at the high school. Belonging to a club is the difference between going through high school and being involved in high school. For some people, it is hard to find a club that is diverse enough, which may drive some people to start their own clubs so others do not have to feel that longing for a group in which they feel comfortable being themselves. That is exactly what students senior Bryana Arnold and junior Rhyan Todd strived to do. 

      Their first meeting was on Jan. 28 after school in the library, and students were treated to free pizza, snacks, drinks and played fun games in order to get to know each other. 

     Martin Poder, one of the BSU advisors said Arnold and Todd wanted to start some community because they felt the student population was β€œa little bit scattered among the school” and there was not a place for them to get together. 

      Their goal for the meeting was to β€œbreak bread and socialize with each other. They also wanted to talk about doing some community service projects, some social events together,” Poder said.

      Poder also talked about how Arnold and Todd wanted to feel a sense of togetherness because β€œthey felt there were a lot of Black students throughout the school, and they haven’t talked or communicated with one another, and they want to kind of bring it together.”

      Just like any new club, this one went through a long process to be officiated: finding a teacher administrator, running it by the Board of Education and promoting the club and its meetings. 

     β€œRhyan and Bryana–I’ve known them for the last three years–came to my room a couple months ago, probably in November, saying they wanted to start Black Student Union. They asked if myself and Coach Sheppert would be advisors for it,” Poder said.

     While Poder agreed to advise the club, he wanted to be able to sit down with the girls to find out what their goals and objectives were. 

     β€œThat was how it kind of started, and then we got Bryce [Sheppert] involved,” Poder said. 

      Arnold said one of the goals they want for Black students is to have a β€œsafe space for students to connect, grow and thrive.”

      Both girls made sure to stay focused on the purpose of the organization by creating a vision for which they will use as a guide for the running of things: β€œOur mission is to promote unity and academic success, cultural education and community engagement while advocating for equality and inclusion within our school and community.”

      One of the first Black Student Unions was founded back in 1966 at San Francisco State University. From there many schools adapted one in order to make students feel more comfortable in their schools. 

     β€œWe will meet once a month to discuss relevant topics, plan events and build a community for cultural celebration, events such as Black History Month, programs, cultural showcases, and we were trying to do guest speakers. We also want to incorporate community service projects into it such as partnering with local organizations to make a meaningful impact on the community,” Arnold said. 

      The Black Student Union club’s name may stray some students away from joining; however, club members have made it clear that anyone who wants to be supportive of the Black community in their school can attend any of the meetings.

    β€œIt’s a Black Student Union, but that doesn’t mean that it’s strictly for black students. Anyone is welcome–[it’s an] open door,” adviser Bryce Sheppert said.

Sports, Sports Opinion

Pro Sports With Gabe

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Gabriel Chaney / Staff Writer

     NBA is making some blockbuster trades this year. 

     The main trade everyone seems to be talking about is the three-team trade that included the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks. 

     Big names were moved around such as Anthony Davis and Max Christie to the Mavericks.  The Mavericks also received a 2029 first-round pick. The Lakers received Luka DončiΔ‡, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris. 

     The Jazz got Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2025 second-round pick from the Clippers and the Mavericks 2025 second-round pick. Many people believe the Lakers benefit more from this trade, but diving deeper it’s not as good as it seems. 

     The Lakers gave up Anthony Davis who is averaging 25.7 PPG, 11.9 RPG and 2.1 BPG. Davis is a key piece to the Lakers puzzle, and losing him will loom large. When healthy, Davis is a top-five defender in the NBA; he is also a great rebounder. 

     The Lakers received Luka, who is averaging 28.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG and 7.8 APG. Luka is an offensive mastermind, and where he struggles on the defensive side of the ball, he is a mediocre defender. Luka has also played in just 22 games this year due to injury. The Lakers defense will be struggling without Davis. 

     The Jazz received Jalen Hood-Schifino who has played in only two games this year and is averaging 2 PPG, 0.5 RPG and 0.5 APG. The Jazz seem like the overall loser of this trade. The Mavericks getting Davis is a huge piece, and with the addition, they could very well make it deep into the playoffs this year. The winner of this trade is the Mavericks as they push for a championship with Davis. 

     The next trade was another three-team trade that involved the Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs received De’Aaron Fox and Jordan Mclaughlin. The Kings got Zach LaVine, Sidy Cissoko in three first-round picks and three second-round picks. 

     The Bulls received Zach Collins, Tre Jones, Kevin Huerter and a first-round pick. The Spurs new lineup looks scary as they pair Fox and Chris Paul in the backcourt. The duo of Fox and Victor Wembenyama will be scary and make the Spurs a deep playoff team. The winner of the trade is definitely the Spurs as they added a key player to the roster. 

     The Kings also improved by adding LaVine to team back up with Demar DeRozan. LaVine also joins Domantas Sabonis, Malik Monk and Keegan Murray making the Kings lineup a lot more fierce. The Bulls add size in Zach Collins and a great 3-point shooter in Kevin Huerter. Tre Jones has been a not-so-great bench piece for the Kings, but moving him to the Bulls alongside Josh Giddey and Nikola VučeviΔ‡ might just unlock his full potential. 

     The winner of the trade is the Spurs, but all around, it’s a fair trade for every team involved. Overall the power rankings have shifted significantly due to these trades, which heavily influences the outcome of the playoffs.

Front/Home, News

Winter Formal set to be a fun night on the dance floor

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By Riya Bhattarai

     Dances are one of the most anticipated events of the school year for many students. 

     Homecoming occurs at the beginning of the school year, often in September, while the Winter Formal tends to happen mid-year. 

     Although this year, the date has changed a bit, and the dance is occurring later than previous years as it is being held March 1 according to Student Council adviser, Dana Kester.

     Usually like previous years, dances happen in the school gymnasium, and this year’s winter formal will keep the same tradition. 

     Β¨SMFHS Commons and Gym [is where the dance will take place],” senior Elena Kimmich, chair of Student Council said. 

     Food and drinks are also another important factor in a formal dance. 

    Β¨We will have free cookies and water, [and] Kona Ice and Rowdy Beans will be there for purchase,Β¨ Kimmich stated. 

      This year’s Winter Formal date has had some problems in the planning area as it was changed β€œa few times this year due to building scheduling issues,” Kester said.  β€œWe had to work around basketball schedules, Speech and Debate tournaments and Foodie Palooza.” 

     Planning and creating an event may seem like a semi-easy thing; however, once a theme is chosen, there is quite a bit of work that goes into finalizing everything in order for the event to be successful. 

    β€œOnce they choose a theme, they create a vision board for inspiration and also to ensure their design is cohesive. From there, they think about the different areas that need to be decorated: the staircases, lockers, trophy cases, windows and tables. The committee chairs oversee the decor decisions, but committee members work on their own areas,” Kester said. 

     Kimmich discussed how each committee member is given an area of the commons to decorate, and she is in charge of designing that part of things.  

     Β¨This year, each are is a different part of β€˜Wonderland,’ so the entrance staircase is themed β€˜The Garden’ where Alice is seen, and the lockers are themed β€˜Mad Hatter.’ We work with Mrs. Sedor to sell tickets and make purchases. The committee makes sure all of our advertisements are approved and fit the theme,Β¨ Kimmich said.  

     Student council members will be busy the morning of March 1 preparing the commons and surrounding areas for the dance later that evening. Kester said about 40 students will participate in the decorating from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m., and will work in their designated areas to make the commons suitable for a magical night. 

      β€œStudent Council is a well-oiled machine on the morning of a dance,” Kester said.