Local Christmas tree farms struggle to meet seasonal demand

The Mytrysak tree farm has experienced a shortage of trees, which is causing them to only sell for short periods of time. This has been happening (to the best of my knowledge) this year and last year. This is because the family that owned the tree farm before stopped planting trees.

The Mytrysak tree farm has been in Indiana for years. Before being sold, the family that ran it before stopped planting trees. This is a big problem because now there’s a tree shortage. The Mytrysak tree farm is now only able to sell its limited available trees for about a week. From the first week that it’s opened. By the next it often sells out of trees. This is a big problem for families. People who can’t get there in that week might not be able to get a tree from them that year. However The Mytrysak tree farm continues to sell trees and continues to provide for our community. They host local events, including their “Trees for Troops day,” which happened on December 7 this year. “The event also serves as a ‘thank you’ to active-duty military members, “who selflessly serve our country,” according to a news release from the tree farm, says the Indiana Gazette, which did an article all about this event. 

The Mytrysak tree farm has gone through at least two owners, including its current owners, and it will continue to stay and grow in our community. We’re forever grateful for everything the Mytrysak tree farm has done for the community.

The Mytrysak tree farm has experienced a shortage of trees, which is causing them to only sell for short periods of time. This has been happening (to the best of my knowledge) this year and last year. This is because the family that owned the tree farm before stopped planting trees.

The Mytrysak tree farm has been in Indiana for years. Before being sold, the family that ran it before stopped planting trees. This is a big problem because now there’s a tree shortage. The Mytrysak tree farm is now only able to sell its limited available trees for about a week. From the first week that it’s opened. By the next it often sells out of trees. This is a big problem for families. People who can’t get there in that week might not be able to get a tree from them that year. However The Mytrysak tree farm continues to sell trees and continues to provide for our community. They host local events, including their “Trees for Troops day,” which happened Dec.7 this year. “The event also serves as a ‘thank you’ to active-duty military members “who selflessly serve our country,” according to a news release from the tree farm, says the Indiana Gazette, which did an article all about this event. 

The Mytrysak tree farm has gone through at least two owners, including its current owners, and it will continue to stay and grow in our community. We’re forever grateful for everything the Mytrysak tree farm has done for the community.

Winter holidays are celebrated around the world

Most of the American population celebrates American holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s. But most people don’t know of other holidays around the world. Liam Motto said, “I would like to learn more about Hannukkah.” And Ezra Wolf said, “Quanza would be cool to learn about.”

Yule 

Yule is a holiday celebrated by modern-day pagans, and it also has roots in ancient Germanic and Norse cultures.

 Paganism is a religion mainly practiced in places like the United States, the United Kingdom, and countries with a strong connection to the historical and cultural roots of specific pagan traditions, such as Iceland and other Nordic countries. 

 Yule is a celebration of the winter solstice; it’s celebrated for 12 days. Some Yule traditions included burning a yule log, Yule altars, decorating evergreen trees, feasting, and gift-giving. Many Yule activities focus on celebrating the return of the sun, such as bonfires, candle rituals, and sunrise meditations. 

Hanukkah 

Hanukkah is a holiday celebrated in the Jewish faith. Judaism is a religion practiced mainly in Israel and the United States. About 85% of Jews live in the United States or Israel. 

 It spans over the course of eight days and eight nights in the month of December. Every night you light a candle on the Menorah, prayers and blessings are said each night. The Menorah has nine candles, an extra candle called the Shamash is the candle in the middle and lights the other candles.

Hanukkah is a celebration of light overcoming darkness and the miracle of oil.

Families enjoy games, food, and celebration throughout the eight holy nights they celebrate. Games such as the dreidel, scavenger hunts, and menorah ring toss. 

Families will also enjoy traditional foods such as latkes (potato cakes), sufganiyot (jelly donuts), and chocolates, which are common throughout the celebration.

St. Nicholas Day

Saint Nicholas Day is a holiday celebrated mostly in certain parts of Europe, like France and Germany.

Saint Nicholas Day is based on the legend about Saint Nicholas, who is known for his generosity. Saint Nick is also known as the patron saint because in his stories, he has protected many people who needed help.

On December 5th, to remember Saint Nick’s kindness, children from around the world leave out their shoes, in hopes that when they wake up the next day, Saint Nicholas will have put presents in them. This tradition is to help show how kind and generous Saint Nicholas is said to be.

Indiana Players present The Velveteen Rabbit

With full seats on opening night, the Indiana Players’ most recent musical hops onto the scene and lands directly into the hearts of our county. With skilled youth actors ranging from ages 7 to 17, this production has skyrocketed.

We asked four questions: “What is your favorite memory from the Velveteen Rabbit?” “Did you feel awkward auditioning, and why or why not?” “What was the most difficult challenge that you overcame during the show?” Lastly, we asked, “What is your favorite line to say?”

Answers varied, but some funny and popular ones were told by Ali Nichol, Emerson, and the younger kids of the cast. Ali answered our first question with simplicity and humor, saying, “Pancakes.” But Nichol wasn’t the only one with a happy-go-lucky attitude, for Miss Emerson answered our final query with an amusing statement. “Being a man,” she announced.

This show has been one of tears, smiles, and costume hilarity, but they powered through. As 2025 ends, they go out with a bang! Let’s wish them luck as they continue their theatre journey!

IJHS hosts the Winter Dance

PA General election retention and results

On November 4, 2025, the Pennsylvania General election took place. While these elections seem minuscule compared to those of the president, governor, and Senate elections, these elections are often overlooked.

In 1970, two attorneys, Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington, filed a lawsuit against a woman under the pseudonym ”Jane Roe,” who argued that Texas’s anti-abortion laws violated her constitutional right to privacy. This case made it to the Supreme Court in 1971, for two years it was fought over, and in 1973, in a 7-2 vote, it was ruled that abortion was legal, that’s it, that’s the end. We all lived happily ever after, for about 50 years. In 2022, in Dobbs V Jackson, the Women’s Health Organization overturned the law, leaving abortion rights to the states. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court currently includes three justices: Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht. These justices maintained their power and kept abortion legal in Pennsylvania.

The current justices also want to fund a $914,000 voter education program paid for by the National ACLU to raise awareness about state Supreme Court retention elections.

The Justices have also spoken on LGBTQ+ rights. Donohue stated, “As judges, we must educate ourselves on all LGBT issues, including the insidious nature of crimes directed at members of the LGBT community.” Dougherty wrote, “We have hundreds of thousands of children sitting in out-of-home placement, wishing they had a permanent and loving family. That one decision permitted many, many, many, many, many children to find loving homes. That’s phenomenal, the impact of one decision.” Wecht wrote that he was a “firm believer in equality” and was “personally thrilled” when same-sex marriage was legalized.

But, during the election, the GOP challenged that over a million voted to remove the incumbent judges, but, more than twice as many people voted to keep our judges, the reason this decision is important is because in PA a two year gap is put in place until the following happens, The governor chooses new replacements and then the state senate has to approve, if the senate doesn’t approve the governor has to choose again, if the seats remain vacant this can lead to ties in cases and backlogs.

How do students and staff feel about the fairness of the results? Mrs. Adams said, “I’m happy about the retention of the Supreme Court justices.” Then, 7th-grader Dean Preite said, “I think they were fair, and I like who got elected.” Eighth grader Macy Evans said, “Yes, it’s fair.”

Supreme Court same sex marriage case

On November 7th, a petition to end same sex marriage legality was privately considered in the Supreme Court for the Davis v. Ermold case. On November 10th, it announced it would not hear the case out, letting same sex marriage stay legal.

In 2013, a man named James Obergfell wanted to get married to his partner, John Arthur, Who was terminally ill with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) but the state of Ohio banned same sex marriages, so they got married in Maryland, but due to John’s condition he passed shortly after, once James arrived back in Ohio, He found out that the death certificate wouldn’t even have James mentioned as his spouse. So he took the state to court. And in a 5-4 decision, Same sex marriage was legalized by the Supreme Court, leading to more access to healthcare and car insurance for those in the LGBT+ community.

“Changed understandings of marriage are characteristic of a Nation where new dimensions of freedom become apparent to new generations, often through perspectives that begin in pleas or protests and then are considered in the political sphere and the judicial process,” said Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Another quote is from Justice Clarence Thomas: “Our Constitution—like the Declaration of Independence before it—was predicated on a simple truth: One’s liberty, not to mention one’s dignity, was something to be shielded from—not provided by—the State.”

A woman named Kim Davis, former county clerk of Rowan County, was unhappy with the ruling, so she started refusing marriage licenses to same sex couples. When she was sued by those couples and lost, (being ordered to issue them anyway and comply with the Obergfell case), she refused, leading to her being put in jail for 5 days. She tried appealing to the court a few dozen times, her most recent being this November. But she was continuously barred.

Anne’s Avonlea

The Indiana Drama Club will be showing their production of Anne’s Avonlea during Flex on October 24, 2025. The official showings will be on October 24, 25, and 26. The five main characters are played by Annie Stubbe, Trinity Douglas, Avery Schneider, Daelyn Freyvogel, and Henrietta Stroup.

The time and place of the play are the early 1880s in Canada. The production is about a red-headed girl who thinks she is ugly, but she is very intelligent and has friends to guide her on the way. The cast and crew have been working for 6 rough weeks, including auditions, trying out costumes, and memorizing lines. A challenge that the actors have to deal with is that the play does not have microphones, so they have to project but make it look casual.

“The play is decent, but there are some things that the newer kids could learn to make the show better, and the older kids should show more authority to make it a safer environment,” said 8th-grade Drama Club President Rositsa Besseti. After asking her about the play, 7th-grade Quinne Evans said, “ I really like the play, but it’s definitely not ready for showtime yet.” This was said one week before the production

The kids worked so hard memorizing their lines and trying on their costumes. The backstage kids have been working hard too, learning to work the lights and carrying props on and off the stage. It has been revealed that the spring musical is Annie. Anne’s Avonlea, and then Annie. Dr. Rummel asks all students to try out for the musical. 

This picture was taken by the Indiana Gazette before the show

The effects of AI 

AI has become a big part of the world and is growing more advanced every year. But AI is using lots and lots of water every day to cool its databases, which causes major problems for the environment. AI can have positive effects too, like helping children learn.

 AI (artificial intelligence) is a technology that can perform human skills such as learning, problem-solving, and perception. AI is used in everyday apps like virtual assistants, recommendation engines, and facial recognition. Sometimes people take the use of AI too far, like asking it to generate facts you could easily find somewhere listed already on the internet, or asking it to generate your schoolwork. People can also use AI to purposefully harm someone else and generate inappropriate images, sometimes to the point where authorities can be involved.

AI relies on water to keep its massive data systems cooled down. In fact, every AI-generated prompt uses about 16 ounces of water. The production of AI relies on mined metals and other resources, which can produce e-waste. Eventually, e-waste can contaminate soil and water if not properly recycled. Some educators believe AI is a good tool for education, while others believe it does more harm than good. Some also believe both. Frau Geletka said, ”It’s a cool tool to supplement what you’re learning, but the temptation for teenagers to cheat with it is hard.”

AI has grown very advanced over the past few years, and it may be hard to know what’s real or what’s generated. AI-generated texts may have hallucinations, which means incorrect information or a monotonous tone. Using an AI checker tool may not be the best idea, because most are also AI. AI checkers also may flag things as AI that aren’t even AI-generated, like oxford commas or em dashes. AI-generated images are different and easier to spot. AI has a hard time with hands and faces, and usually creates a distorted version, like it may add an extra pupil in the eyes or an extra finger on the hand. AI images also usually have odd lighting or shadows and strange textures. 

Instead of using AI to replace human intelligence, using it as a tool is a better option for education and the environment. Using critical thinking skills and problem-solving is something almost every human should be able to do, and can be done without the help of AI, which school, college, and other educational institutions are intended to provide people with over an average of 12 years of enrollment. Relying on copious years of knowledge instead of using an AI chatbot can not only increase people’s motivation but also open new passageways of vibrant possibilities for the future and help the environment. 

The next time someone is typing something into an AI website’s search bar, remember there are under 3 years to undo global warming, states are going through droughts, and putting those requests and commands into the database is actively putting the world through irreversible damage. In 30 years, children might be asking parents what inches of snow fall were like, how it feels to be skilled in something, how having a job was like, and even how it was, being capable of doing certain things without the influence of AI.

Droughts in Texas caused by AI usage, image from Google.

A week of tragic shootings

In the span of September 23 through 29, there were four school shootings, one church shooting, one bar shooting, 15 deaths, and 34 injuries from these situations. Two of the schools were Henderson Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois, and CAS Center Academy for Success in Kansas City, Missouri. There was also a school shooting in Evergreen, Colorado, at Evergreen High School, and in Pinetops, North Carolina, where two teenagers were injured at Southwest Edgecombe High School. There was a church shooting in Michigan. There was a shooting at a bar in Southport, North Carolina. This week was also the week that Charlie Kirk was assassinated.

What has our country come to? The fact that so many people have been injured or killed in so little time is disgusting. People think that if they are hurting, it’s okay to hurt others. That’s not how that works. When you do this, you are taking a life, and people don’t stop to think about that. If you or anyone else has reason to believe that someone may hurt themselves or others, contact the nearest adult as soon as possible. Even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal now, it can become a huge deal later. It may be difficult at first to tell someone what you think is going on, but it will always be worthwhile, and it’s always better to be safe than very, very, sorry.

Knowing whether or not someone is planning to shoot the school is important because it could save lives. If your friend tells you to not go to school, or you see a vlog of someone saying they are going to shoot a school, tell an adult, or use the Safe2Say’s anonymous app. Using the app is easy to protect yourself and others.

Alexis Scott said, “If there were a shooter, I would run down the hall and run home.” 

Mrs. Haggerty said, “I wish that all schools would get metal detectors.” 

A typical American Public School (stock photo)

Indiana Junior High welcomes new faces and fresh perspectives

To kick off the 2025–26 school year at Indiana Junior High School, the Indiana area school district welcomed the new middle schoolers to the building with interviews designed to encourage reflection among the 6th graders. Several students from each 6th-grade homeroom shared feedback about their first day of middle school. In addition to welcoming the newcomers, Rosita and Libby asked returning 7th graders about their first day and how it compared to the previous year. The responses were both surprising and interesting, especially noticing how often certain answers were repeated across both grades. 

Starting with the sixth graders, Libby interviewed many of them and asked how their first day of school went. Hadley Lawer stated, “… my first day of school was kinda scary and cool at the same time, and it was hard getting to class on time. And the bell… I’m so used to ignoring the bell from last year that it feels weird having to get up to the bell.” Secondly, Hannah Hutcher and Alison Nichol agree on the first day of school being fun and getting to see friends after the summer. Lastly, Penelope Fink and Taylor Redinger unite on the fact that school was a new experience (and a great one at that).

Next, two 7th graders told Libby how their first day went and how it was different from last year. Brooke Boychuck stated, “…Seventh grade was different from sixth grade because I got into Builder’s Club, so I had a club for my homeroom. The teachers were a lot different and new!” On the other hand, Griffin Swank had a completely different opinion. “The first day of school was absolutely hideous. I do not like these new classes, it feels so much slower, sixth grade was so peak, everybody in the class has not grown up and still says ‘mangoes and mustard’ like it’s funny. Like, if you genuinely find that stuff funny, you’re a cornball.” 

Among these, many other kids gave their input on what they felt. A lot was remarking how “good the day was” or how “scary” it was to be at a new school. In total, l we interviewed around 40-50 kids at our school. This school year looks like it’s going to be very successful and fulfilling.