December Edition 2024
Ice hockey gives fans chills
Stow hockey had their first season game against Kenston on Dec. 1.
In preseason they were struggling to catch a rhythm.
“We have a lot of younger talent this year. We lost a lot of key players that held our team together last year, so we have to rebuild our team this year,” senior Aiden Brebant said.
Hockey lost four starting players last season, all being key components on offense, as well as their goalie. As the team is working on connecting the puck on the ice to catch momentum during games to get ahead during preseason, they had previously played Kenston.
“They play dirty, and last time we played them they injured one of our players, and he’s no longer allowed to play as of now until he is healed. He was a strong player, and with him being out it is really hurting our team,” sophomore AJ Halsne said.
Liam Schelien had his clavicle broken last time Stow played Kenston, and with angry teammates, the game against Kenston was bound to be an aggressive game.
“We can win–we just all have to focus. We can’t get caught up in the anger. We have to play the puck and ignore Kenston trying to get in our heads and not stoop to their level of playing dirty,” senior Alessio Simpson stated.
Bulldogs headed to the Pond to face Kenston for round two, and they already did not have home rink advantage, so they really had to focus and work together. The game started at 8:50 p.m. The Bulldogs were out to avenge their teammate and take a win to start their season off on the right foot.
Each game consists of three periods, each 15 minutes long. When the first period started, they started off strongly attacking the Kenston goal and getting good opportunities to score, but nothing seemed to hit the back of the net.
Senior Alessio Simpson skates down the rink in the Dec. 1 game against Kenston. The team lost 7-4.
Kenston took the lead early in the first period. Towards the end of the first period, the Bulldogs fell behind 4-0. The first intermission started and both teams headed to the locker room to regroup.
“We were all frustrated, but we couldn’t get in our heads. We were still in this game–we just had to connect more on offense and not force shots that aren’t there,” senior Mason Schelien said.
They were falling behind, but there were still two more periods for them to get in rhythm with each other and come out on top. They hit the floor running in the second period. Schelien found the back of the net first and put Stow back in the game.
With a point on the board, the Bulldogs were out for more. Simpson found the net not too long after Schelien, and Stow was only trailing by two. Stow fans spirits were high in hopes they could keep up this momentum and come out victorious.
Kenston came back with some defense and scored for a fifth time. Both teams started playing dirty, and many athletes ended up in the penalty box.
Close to the end of the second period, senior Reed Surrena scored, which helped the Bulldogs keep their heads up as they headed into the third period.
Both teams were off to the locker rooms where they go to debrief the past period and get a game plan for the final period. The third period started, and it was back and forth, no scoring for the majority of the last period.
Finally, freshman Lex Watts had a big goal to get Stow’s energy back up. There was still time for the Bulldogs to come back, as they were only down by one. The game got very physical as both teams were going at each other. It became less about the puck and more about slamming one another into the boards.
Schelien got a penalty, which if he served, would have given Kenston an advantage; instead, Stow took a risk, and Kenston got to take a penalty shot. The goalie, freshman Seraphina Nyitray, could not let her team down.
With only minutes to spare and Stow only trailing by one point, it was a huge play that could change the energy of the game. The shot was taken, and saved.
A huge save from Nyitray, put the Bulldogs back even with Kenston as Shelien was still on the ice.
Even with the momentum of a save, Stow could not seem to find the net for a fifth time in the last remaining minutes of the game; however for Kenston, they were able to score two more times to end the game 7-4.
Stow battled to the very end, but struggled on offense to make something happen. They will face Kenston again later in their season and hope to have a better outcome.
Practice and Patience: Gorge Dam to be removed after 65 years of being inactive
Gorge Metropark in Cuyahoga Falls is home to the massive dam that once powered energy for street cars and lights. There are plans to remove the dam, and during the process, the park will be closed to the public.
Formed by retreating glaciers, the gorge has jagged rocks and edges, hiking trails and much more to offer visitors. People have been visiting the 155-acre park for over 150 years.
Put up in 1911, the dam powered parts of Cuyahoga Falls for 47 years before it was shut down in 1958. The dam has collected a lot of sediment through the years, the sediment contains numerous hazardous materials: industrial products, chemicals, heavy metals and grease. There are currently about 900,000 cubic yards of sediment, at certain areas, the sediment can reach about 34 feet deep.
There is an overlook at Gorge Metropark viewing the falls. Once the dam is removed, the entire landscape of the falls will be different and there is no telling what the falls will look like.
Many people have been involved in getting the project to take off, the planning began in the mid-2000s and has been worked on ever since. The United States Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA), Ohio Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), the City of Akron, Summit Metroparks, the City of Cuyahoga Falls, Summit County, First Energy and Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District are partners in the project. Many people also helped by “lobbying the EPA, our federal representatives and the White House to put this on the high list of projects,” Mayor of Akron, Daniel Horrigan stated.
This dam removal has been a long time in the making, many years of planning have been put into the project to bring it to where it is today.
“This project is one that involves patience and partners. Years and years ago this was talked about, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful to remove dams on the Cuyahoga River and other rivers across the state to restore free-flowing condition,’” Bill Zawiski, water quality supervisor for the Ohio EPA said.
Many other dams in the Cuyahoga River have been removed, and when the Gorge dam is removed, the Cuyahoga River will be completely free-flowing from Kent to Lake Erie.
There are two parts to the gorge removal: removal of the sediment–headed by Courtney Winter of the
USEPA–and the actual dam removal–headed by Heather Ullinger, the Akron city project manager.
Removing the dam would not be possible without removing the majority of the sediment prior because the hazardous material would flow into further parts of the river and end up in Lake Erie.
For about a mile and a half upstream of the dam, the sediment thickness ranges from 1 foot to 34 feet deep.
The dam pool goes from about a mile and a half upstream the dam to the dam. In this area, sediment ranges from 1 foot to 34 feet deep: the sediment in this area is harmful to the environment and people.
Within the sediment, there are health risks; however, the level of danger is not high enough to be categorized as hazardous material, making it easier to deal with for the EPA.
“The contaminants are at a level at which we need to address them and dispose of them to remove that human health risk, as well as risk to fish and wildlife populations, but the good news is that they’re not at as high of a level where it’s necessary for us to categorize them as a hazardous waste or waste that needs to be treated under [Toxic Substances Control Act] or [Resource Conservation and Recovery Act] which are regulatory programs,” Winter explained.
Sediment will be removed from the river bucket by bucket; put on a barge that will take it to the staging area, by the old power plant; sent through temporary pipelines, where the sediment will be mixed with cement, to Cascades Metropark and placed in the park before the landscape is reshaped by bulldozers to mimic the natural land. The cement-sediment mixture will have soil placed over it and native trees and vegetation will be planted on top of it in the future.
Project planners are being cognizant of the noise levels of the pumps taking the sediment about two miles to Cascade Park.
Placing the pumps spread out from each other will eliminate part of the noise issue, “We can hopefully avoid where placing them where it could potentially be a nuisance to folks that are living close,” Winter said.
There are no concerns about placing the contaminated sediment in another location, as it would be more harmful for it to remain in the river. Furthermore, the area in Cascades Park where the sediment mixture will be placed will be closed off to the public: no trails will go over the mound.
“We’re adding that cement in the other additives, it’s actually binding to the contaminants itself and there have been studies that have looked at leachate testing to look to see rainfall or groundwater flow if there’s potential for any of the contaminants to potentially migrate once they’re in there, and all of that has determined that it is safe,” Winter explained.
Sediment removal is to take place over two construction seasons: 2024 and 2025. The remedial project is planned to be completed in the winter of 2025-2026, and the dam removal will begin in 2026.
The dam can be seen from trails in the Metropark. The trails and Metropark as a whole will be closed during construction.
Removing the dam will cause an increased flow of water to the river, removing the dam all at once could be detrimental to the environment and animals in the area.
“The other thing that we have to accommodate is [Ohio Department of Natural Resources] is requiring us to meet a draw-down limit of one-foot-per-week, so we can only lower the water level one foot per week,” Ullinger said.
To follow the one-foot-per-week requirement, there are plans to utilize siphons to reduce the water level weekly.
There are five segments to the dam removal, each time the dam is removed, the siphons will be replaced, but when the fifth sequence comes, there will no longer be a use for siphons.
In total, the water level will be reduced by 40 feet, which causes concerns for the river bank and the Front Street Bridge. The team is going to keep a close watch on the riverbank as well as the Front Street Bridge to ensure no stabilization is required.
October 25 marked the signing of the project agreement allowing the removal to move forward.
“I am wearing my ‘When Pigs Fly’ socks because Steve Tuckerman and Bob Wisinski, the folks that mentored me, that would have been their answer had we asked this question 30 years ago,” Zawiski stated. “It is amazing to think of the work that has been done, it is even more amazing to think of the work that will be done and all the support that folks have given us to encourage this project to move forward to restore the Cuyahoga River to what was once the most visited place as a natural area in the state of Ohio.”
Could a four day school week be beneficial?
Currently, the high school, along with most other schools operate on a five day week: school from Monday-Friday, then a break on Saturday and Sunday. However, many have come to question the efficiency of this system. It is possible a four day week may be more beneficial for students and teachers.
Switching to a four day school week could reap numerous benefits. The National Conference of State Legislatures said, “with a longer weekend, students have more time to rest and engage in extracurricular activities, which can lead to better attendance during the week. This, in turn, can lead to improved academic performance.”
While a five day week does give teachers more time to teach their lessons, it may be overwhelming for students, especially those who are very involved.
“I feel like [a five day school week] is definitely a downside for those who have a really hard schedule because they can get burnt out easily,” Senior Daniella Vasquez explained. “Most students will get burnt out easily and like can affect their mental health in a negative way.”
Students with vigorous schedules and students involved in extracurriculars commonly feel spread thin with the five day school week. When accounting for academics, extracurricular activities, work and free time, the five day school week does not seem to provide students with the time they need.
Freshman Keira Sayre shared what she thinks of the current five day school week: “I feel like some of the benefits are that it gives teachers more time to teach us,” Sayre then continued sharing downsides, “But I feel like some of the downsides are it can over-stress students and we don’t have a lot of time to do our own things or do our own activities.”
A four day school week would provide students with more rest, leading to better performance during the school week.
Senior Allie Bloom stated, “I think [a four day school week] would definitely be beneficial so that people can get more sleep and be more productive on the days that they are in school.”
According to Healthline, research shows 73 percent of high school students regularly do not get a healthy amount of sleep. A lack of sleep leads to decreased academic performance.
Vasquez shared how she thinks students’ attitudes could change if switched to a four day work week. “I think it could definitely help improve mental health because kids would get more time to themselves
and, if you’re burnt out you can have more time to rest.”
Vasquez also introduces a teacher perspective, saying it will give [teachers] more time to plan out better work.
“The four day week could be beneficial to everyone, from students who say they are stressed and overwhelmed to teachers who could appreciate the extra time for lesson planning,” Vasquez explained.
There are many benefits to a four day school week, and many students would prefer it to a five day school week.
Sayre said, “I would personally like to switch to a four day week. I feel like it would be so much easier, especially because of a lot of homework being in honors classes, and I don’t have that much time because of activities after school, so it gives me a lot less time to do my work and it just leaves me stressed out.”
A four day week could exponentially decrease stress of students and increase academic performance.
SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING--Anyone can call the tip line: 1-844-723-3764 or email safehs@smfschools.org 