Pirate Press_April 2024 (Vol. 10, Issue 5)

P IRATE PRESS

Streaming Services

Senior Ava Laury

TV serves as a major form of entertainment in the lives of many. Now, with seemingly endless options for streaming, anyone can watch anything, anywhere, anytime.

With that being said, the sheer number of options available may seem overwhelming at times. I personally find myself searching and scrolling through the options longer than I spend watching a show or movie, sometimes across multiple streaming services.

An aspect of modern television that I find frustrating is that nothing is on just one platform anymore. If you cannot find a show you are looking for on one streaming service, chances are you may have to start a trial or pay for another one in order to watch it.

There is some convenience to streaming, sure, as you can watch uninterrupted shows at any hour without having to wait for them to air. However, some of that convenience has been siphoned from the viewer as well; many platforms now have an option to pay for premium and regular subscriptions, with the cheaper option allowing ads to appear.

Some students have expressed their frustration with various flaws that streaming services face. “I think many of them have their pros and cons,” freshman Breckin Spence said. “Hulu is great because it has all the best movies and great shows that are nostalgic from cable TV days; however, the commercials are obnoxious and the expiring mechanism is quite confusing.”

This begs the question: is convenience worth the money? With the number of strings attached to some of these deals, it may seem as though it would serve one better to simply pay for cable. I have sought to discover the validity of this statement.

Currently, it seems as though the best deal on the market for cable is Xfinity, which, according to AllConnect, offers up to 185 channels starting at $20 per month. This comes with the ability to “record up to six shows on once on the DVR, watch on the go with the Xfinity Stream app, and customize your channel lineup.”

While this is a seemingly very affordable, fruitful option for those who want to experience cable, there are some drawbacks to consider. First, the price listed as Xfinity’s starting rate is simply that, meaning it will increase by an amount depending on how long they are your cable provider. This starting rate has additional fees added, such as fees for the remote and cable box, and the basic package appear to only come with 10 channels.

However, if one is able to find a way through these hurdles, they can obtain many popular channels for a price not much more expensive than a few streaming services.

On that note, the best streaming service for your money seems to be Max, in which you can receive an ad-free experience with a large variety of shows and movies for $15.99 per month. There are also bundles that you can purchase that will give you additional streaming services to fill in the gaps that Max may not be able to provide, as a frequent pulling of shows across different platforms to find a home elsewhere has become increasingly common.

In addition to the convenience Max provides, many students have cited Netflix as another one of the best and most affordable options for streaming. “Consumers are most willing to pay for a service like Netflix because they have such a unique platform,” freshman Eugenia Craig said. “They have shows that are only shown on their platform such as ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Bridgerton.’ They are popular shows too.”

Overall, it seems as though streaming services are a better deal, as you can buy multiple for the price of a cable provider and watch a vast quantity of shows at any time, but there are ways to make your cable TV experience affordable and worthwhile. You just have to know what you are looking for.

Choir Step-Up Day

Senior Ethan Sallee

Choir step-up day isn’t just a concert. It’s a bridge connecting junior high students from various schools to high school students looking to add to the Choir group. Choir step-up day occured on Thursday, March 7. Interested 7th and 8th graders from local schools came to Ottawa High School to see if they want to participate in choir in high school.

Benefits of attending the step-up day included pizza and ice breakers to get to know everyone. “All the kids were talking and laughing with each other, even the kids who were scared to interact with the high schoolers laughed along with us,” freshman Camila Navarro said. If these middle schoolers would sign up for choir in high school, at least they would know someone they met sharing pizza.

The high school choir and various middle school choirs learned a song together called “Be the Light.” Navarro said, “We were able to learn the song very quickly.” The choir group received a lot of compliments and interest from junior high students. “A lot of junior high students seemed really excited about choir, I heard some of them saying they wanted to join choir next year. They also said they are going to tell their friends to join choir,” Navarro said.

After all the ice breakers and getting to know each other, the students got ready for the concert. The choir students made sure the junior high students had a place in the stands. “We all had so much fun dancing and singing together on stage,” Navarro said. The junior high students were “very attentive when [the director] was speaking,” Navarro said.

As step-up day ended, middle school students left with new friendships and a sense of excitement for high school. “Choir Step-Up Day is my favorite concert of the year because not only does it give future Pirates an opportunity to see what choir at OTHS is all about, but it also becomes a celebration of all of the things that current members love about being involved in choir,” Choir Director Ali Stachowicz said. The second year of doing choir step-up day was a success, and it creates a foundation so choir will continue to be an option for students attending OTHS.

Members of the Ottawa Choir singing to middle schoolers for Choir Step Up Day.

Photo Credit: Kara Power.

BFFs

Junior Maddie Kerestes

Oldies but Goodies. OHS is home to some awesome dynamic duos, but chief among them is the decades-long friendship of teachers Jennifer Borkowski and Tracey O’Fallon.

The friendship of Borkowski and O’Fallon goes all the way back to childhood, spending summers at the Ottawa pool doing some impressive feats off the diving board. A rambunctious young O’Fallon often clashed with authority, namely Borkowski’s mother, and after calling her some expressive names, the two became fast friends.

They say opposites attract, and that must be the case for this duo as O’Fallon’s adventurous spirit combined with Borkowski’s “hermit tendencies,” O’Fallon said, work well for them. “I love her confidence, her craziness. We are opposites, but also the same,” Borkowski said.

After losing touch in high school, the two reconnected years later through a mutual friend and rekindled their friendship. O’Fallon said, “True friends are like that: you just pick up where you left off.”

They go together like bacon and eggs. Social Studies teacher Tracey O’Fallon and German teacher Jennifer Borkowski are all decked out in costumes for homecoming week in 2023. The theme for the day was dynamic duos, and it’s safe to say the two hit the nail on the head. “We never get any pictures of us together, but I’m glad we got this one,” O’Fallon said. “We look so cute.”

Magician David Anthony Senior Ava Laury

Is this your card? Magician David Anthony made an appearance on the second day of the Fine Arts Festival to mystify and amaze students and staff.

His act contained a variety of card tricks, including one in which a card was picked by an audience member and later retrieved out of a freshly sliced orange.

Mentalism was heavily utilized as well, involving multiple students randomly picking numbers only for them to appear in a trick again at some point during the performance.

Anthony created an exciting environment by having several opportunities for audience participation, allowing individual students to experience the act personally.

“I always thought tricks on stage could be understood by being a volunteer, but participating makes you even more confused,” senior Malachi Snyder said. Many of the other volunteers seemed to share this same sentiment, while proving that the confusion adds to the fun.

David Anthony is seen enthusiastically holding up an orange, in which a card was found when the fruit was cut open. This card was one a student had chosen out of a deck earlier in the performance, leaving the audience in a state of wonderment and awe.

Students outside on the bleachers watching the solar eclipse.

Solar Eclipse

Senior Ethan Sallee

Don’t Look! On Monday April 8, anticipation buzzed through the classroom of Advanced Biology as students awaited the solar eclipse. With the sun finally breaking through the clouds, hopes were high for senior Christina Snook and her classmates, for a clear view of the solar eclipse.

Biology teacher John Atchley surprised the class with eclipse glasses, which excited the students. “When it started to get dark, we got to go sit in the bleachers by the football field and watch the moon do its magic,” Snook said. “We were expecting it to get a lot darker out, but it was still cool how eerie and dim it got outside.”

Experiencing the event was better than watching it on YouTube, Snook said. “I’m really glad we got to go see it during class and it’s a day I’ll remember for a really long time.”

Faculty Showcase

Sophomore Gianna Jacobs

After last year’s reenactment of Rihanna’s Superbowl performance, nobody knew what was going to happen this year for the falculty showcase. Even with the underlying suspense, we all knew it was going to be an enjoyable experience.

The showcase started out with English teacher Steve Johnson’s incredible introduction to fine arts sponsor Sally Taliani singing Gloriana Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” And, of course, there were back up dancers: our very own teachers. They were a comedic addition to the performance. It was a fantastic way to get people on their feet and start the show. In between every act, there was Johnson giving his usual comedic relief and keeping people intrigued.

One of the performances that everyone was hoping for was the song “free bird” performed by social studies teacher Bob Bradish and Dave Rhoades. They put on a great show and surprised people while doing it.

There was a well-rounded variety of faculty talents shared on Friday. Social studies teacher Tracey O’Fallon sang to her daughter senior Rylee O’Fallon, and the O’Reilly’s theme song was coveed by autos teacher John Hladovcak and his auto students. It ended with a great tribute to Mr. Bill Myers, the founder of fine arts.

Founder of Fine Arts, Bill Myers, speaking to students.

Gretchen Hauger Leah Green

Rebecca Graman Oliver Spence

Photo Credit: Leah Kuhn

Ottawa Honor Society

Junior Maddie Kerestes

Character, Scholarship, Leadership, Service: The pillars of Ottawa Honor Society are upheld by another generation of OTHS students as they take part in the traditional induction ceremony. The ceremony includes inductees taking the pledge of upholding the standards of Honor Society and lighting candles to symbolize the eternal light of knowledge. Junior inductee Sienna Banushi said, “I’m so honored and proud to be a part of Honor Society, and also to get my hand burned by candle wax.”

FAC Presents

Junior Maddie Keresetes

A celebration of humanity’s creative spirit since 1975. 50 years ago, the tradition of the Fine Arts Fest began, and today the Fine Arts Club still carries on the legacy of the club and sets the standard for all those that will follow in their footsteps.

With this being the 50th anniversary of the festival, the pressure was on for the club to deliver, and they didn’t disappoint. Opening the festival every year is FAC’s take on SNL style sketch comedy and, though faced with the challenge of appeal to a wide audience and still maintaining school appropriatness, FAC had the crowd belly laughing the whole time. Senior FAC member Peyton Bryson said, “There was a lot of hard work put into it, and we’re so proud of the product.”

In the spirit of honoring the history of the festival, FAC gave nods to the past by adding past pictures of the club to their introduction video and remastering some old video sketches with current club members like “Ottawa Serious Fun” and “5 Nights at Sudsy’s.” However, the club is still inventive and timely, creating sketches that play on modern TikTok trends like “girl math” and “girl dinner.” They also created sketches that are relevant to student life at OHS, joking about the rigorous climb up the never-ending stairs and the struggle to find a bathroom that isn’t closed for cleaning.

Athlete of the Month

Senior Ethan Sallee

Weston Averkamp’s journey through the world of track and field began at Milton Pope School with coach Juanita Peterson. Eventually, it was an encounter with his defensive football coach told him to try out for track due to his strength and speed.

Averkamp’s prior experience has led him to be successful, “I have been doing track since 5th grade. I started hurdles freshman year. Track is definitely my favorite sport, so I do enjoy it,” Averkamp said.

Averkamp loves beating his own time and is motivated by those records and his family and friends. Averkamp does not see track as a waste of time. “You do not have to be the most athletic kid, because no matter what, you will be able to run. You get to run against your own time, and that’s what makes it so much fun is you’re always improving.”

His coach, Trent Swords, said Averkamp is a “great student-athlete” and “does a great job at handling and excelling in both areas.” Specifically, Coach Swords is excited because Averkamp has “continually improved his hurdling technique and is making great progress in lowering his times in the 300 intermediate hurdles but now also in the 110 high hurdles.” Coach Swords is optimistic for Averkamp’s season, “We are really excited to see how the season goes as he attempts to qualify again for state in the 30 hurdles and now also in the 110 high hurdles.”

Although Averkamp is a junior, he plans to go to college to further his education and potentially play track professionally. Averkamp previews this season as his soon-to-be best yet. Averkamp is determined to “beat the people that beat me last year, and winning as many meets as possible.” Coach Swords has all the confidence in the world for Averkamp. “With his work ethic and drive, I am sure he will accomplish the goals he has set for himself this track season. Good luck, Weston!”

Musical Duet Senior Ava Laury

During the third hour performance from Jason Levasseu on Friday of the fine arts festival, D.J. Lee made an appearance in a duet, playing the tambourine. The rendition of “Wonderwall” by Oasis excited the crowd, with one junior student commenting, “I was surprised when [D.J. Lee] came back and played. Both artists are very fun and really know how to hype up the crowd.” This was definitely one of the highlights of that hour for many of the students who

Weston Averkamp (left) celebrates State 2023 with Michael Mills (right)

Photo Credit: OTHS Track Instagram page