May 17, 2024 Alekhya Sasubilli Bear Country
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR BEAR COUNRTY | PAGE 2 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Written By: Alekhya Sasubilli ‹27 As the school year wraps up, the bears get ready for summer. During the 3 month break, students in berln high School are going to vacation with their familes, spending time with their friends, and getting ready for their next year at this school. as Principle Spinner always says, it is important to finish the school year strong. When we return to 3140BSR, we will be having a new principle, a lot of new staff. and a whole new class of incoming freshman. This last issue has a verity of stories written by me thriughout the school year. With less than a week left, the students wrap up their spring sports, take their finals, and say goodbye to the class of ‹24. Alekhya Sasubilli is a freshman at Olentangy Berlin High School. She plays girls Lacrosse for the school and takes part in many clubs avalible. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, trying new food, and travelings around the world. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TABLE OF CONTENTS BEAR COUNRTY | PAGE 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 - Personalty Profle 5 - Hard News 6 - Feature Story 7 - Review 8 & 9 - Sports Story 10 & 11 - Photo Spread 12 - Opinion
BEAR COUNRTY | PAGE 4 PERSONALITY PROFILE Berekly poses for the camera for her homecoming pictures. The dress is from Amazon. Permition to print by: Berekly Wallace ‘27. Freshman Berkeley Wallace loves life at OBHS and finds the school’s pride very special. Wallace was born in Delaware, Ohio. She went to Cheshire Elementary School, Berkshire Middle School, and plans to spend the last four years of school at Berlin High School. Wallace thinks she wants to be an attorney after college. “[I’m] going to college and I don’t know exactly what I want to be but I’m leaning towards being an attorney,” Wallace said. Wallace is on the tennis team and plans to swim and play lacrosse for OBHS. Like most high schoolers, she loves to go to football games. Her favorite part about games is the powder toss during home games and loves to spend time with her friends. “There’s a lot of things I like, mainly just Friday night football games, they get me through the week… I enjoy being around friends and having a good time and during home games I look forward to the power toss,” Wallace said. Wallace experienced her first homecoming on Sept, 23. She went with her friends and enjoyed it a lot. She wore a beautiful black and gold dress. She got to spend a lot of time with her friends which was her favorite part. She is excited for homecoming next year. “Homecoming was really fun and I’m looking forward to it next year. My favorite part was just being able to get together with friends and the set up for dance was really nice,” Wallace said. In her free time, Wallace likes to go outside and spend time with her family. Her favorite food is pizza and she loves to travel to the beach. Wallace wants her first car to be a two door jeep. She has three favorite colors. “I have multiple [favorite colors]. I like red, blue and purple but blue is the best because it represents Berlin,”Wallace said. She says her favorite thing about herself is her confidence. “I’m confident about myself. I don’t really care about what people think or say about me,” Wallace said. WALLACE COMMENTS ON LIFE AT OBHS Berekly and her friend Isabella Axtol ‘27 take a selfie at the black out football game. Berlin bears won the game against ornage 31-24. Permition to print by: Berekly Wallace ‘27.
15 different states across the country got to see totality on April 8, 2024. Delaware County and other areas within a 124-mile-wide span of Ohio was in the path of totality. Totality began at 3:08 pm EDT with the final exit of the moon’s shadow from the state at 3:19 pm EDT. In central Ohio, nearly 50 school districts have canceled school on April 8, while three districts decided to give their students an early release for safety reasons. On average, a solar eclipse happens somewhere on the Earth only once every 1.5 years. The next total solar eclipse in Ohio will be in the year 2099. Travelers started to fill up hotels in the path of totality just to experience the eclipse. On Friday, less than 350 out of the 5,000 hotel rooms in Lucas County are available, according to Destination Toledo. Safety is the number one priority when people view a total solar eclipse. Specialized eye protection was required during the solar eclipse. Eye damage can occur without proper protection because of the sun’s powerful rays. Eye protection needs to be worn the whole time except when the moon completely covers the sun. “In the beginning I didn’t believe that the glasses would actually work because they were so dark, but I’m happy the school gave out some because I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the eclipse without them,” Sam Finnegean ‘27 said. When the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth it completely blocks the face of the Sun and causes the sky to darken as if it were dawn or dusk. “I was surprised by how dark it became. The streetlights came on and the world gained an eerie feeling,” Finnegan said. All after school games and activities were canceled in the Olentangy School districts to allow students and staff to enjoy the eclipse with their family. BEAR COUNRTY | PAGE 5 HARD NEWS A total solar eclipsewas captured in central ohio. The sun was competly covered at 3:10 pm. Permission to print by: Universal Images. The photograph captures a group of people watching the total solar eclipse. The eclipse was a once-in-ageneration celestial event. Permission to print by: Luis Fernado BEARS EXPERIENCE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
Berlin High School had prom on April 21. Although there were many different styles, it all came down to a couple of trends. The theme ‘A Night in the Spotlight’ was meant to be grand and feel like a walk down the redcarpet. Although this theme did have an idea for what to wear, not everyone followed the theme. “I had no idea there was a theme [...] and no I did not pay attention to it, ” Madison Viser ‘25 said. All of the different styles came from many different places, but common stores were Windsor, and Amazon. Prices from most dress stores range from $50 to $350. “I purchased my dress from Lucy in the Sky,” Viser said. Prices from Lucy in the sky range from $40 to $120. However, common stores were not the only ones referenced, but so were boutiques. “I bought my dress from Baby Blue,” Gabrielle Wampler ‘25 said. Similar dresses from Lulus and Dublin Formal were found throughout the night. Before the dance nearly everyone goes out to dinner with friends or significant others. “I decided to go to dinner before prom. I went to Kitchen Social and saw many other people there that would be attending prom,” Wampler said. When asked, many attendants said that they went to Kitchen Social, Avenue, BJ’s, Brio and Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Prom also has many other costs. The lady bears would have to spend money on hair, makeup, nails, shoes, dress, food, and tickets. “I personally did not pay for prom, but it cost around $600,” said Wampler. To ensure that you will be able to wear the outfit of your dreams, it is often recommended that you save up money in advance. ‘A Night in the Spotlight’ was a night to remember, that celebrated ‘24 graduates and rising seniors. BEAR COUNRTY | PAGE 6 FEATURE STORY Madison Viser ‘25, Ava Fate ‘25 and Gabrielle Wampler ‘25 pose for a picture. The picture was taken in Inniswood Metro Gardens. Permission to print by: Instagram: madivizer A group of lady bears gather to take a picture before prom. Liv Jordan ‘24 (on the very left) was on prom court and won prom queen. Permission to print by: Instagram: paytonberry_ PROM TREDS AT BERLIN
RUN TO THE STORES NOW! Ilia beauty is owned by Famille C. This mascara thickens and defines lashes from root to tip. The ilia timeless lash mascara has a dual sided brush that lengthens, curls, separates, lifts and volumes. This product is $28 on their website. It can also be found in Walmart, Sephora, amazon, etc. Milk Kush is owned by Zanna Roberts Rassi. This mascara is infused with conditioning hemp seed oil for softer, healthier-looking lashes. Milk Kush mascara provides intense black pigment, lifts and curls, and volumes from the first application. This product is also $28 on their website and it can be found in similar stores like sephora, amazon, etc. Spend your $30 on... Even though Milk Kush mascara provides more volume, I still like the Ilia timeless lash mascara more. Ilia’s product smudges less on my eyelashes and doesn’t clump as much. Ilia mascara lasts longer and is easier to take off. Milk Kush mascara also made a few of my eyelashes fall off. In conclusion, it’s better to spend your money on the ILIA mascara instead of the Milk Kush Mascara. BEAR COUNRTY | PAGE 7 REVIEW
The Olentangy Berlin Boys Varsity soccer team finished their sixth soccer season this fall. The team’s longest winning streak was four games. The Bears’ record after their final game is 13-3-4. Josh Diehl works as the head coach for the Varsity team. The Bears are ranked #2 in Ohio Capital - Cardinal Conference and 19th in Division I High School Soccer. “My favorite part of playing soccer is playing hard to win games and feeling proud about my team and my hard work,” Liam Morrow ‘27 said. In the OHSAA tournament, Berlin lost in the fourth round. They played Franklin High School in the first round and won 8-0. In the second round, they played South High School and got the victory with the same score, 8-0. Next they played Westerville North High School and won 2-0. Their last game was against Olentangy High School. Olentangy High School won this game by a score of 5-1. With more teamwork, the Bear’s are likely to win State Championships next fall. “One thing we can work on is teamwork, everyone on the team plays very well individually but teamwork is also very important while playing soccer… I want our team to be more united and work as one so we can be a better team in general,” Morrow said. The boys continue to grow together and make a stronger team. As they spend more time together, they start to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and use them as an advantage to strengthen their team. BEAR COUNRTY | PAGE 8 SPORTS STORY BEARS FINISH SOCCER SEASON STRONG The boys varcty take a picture as a team for the yearbook. There are a lot of upperclassmen and a few underclassmen. Permission to print by: OBHSBearsSoccer The bears celebrate their victroy by taking a picture after their game. The team won majority of thier games this season. Permission to print by: jreoldsphotography_
The Olentangy Berlin Girls Lacrosse team had their first game of the season at Big Walnut on Tuesday, March 19. Chad Rice works as the head coach for the Olentangy Berlin Varsity Lacrosse team. Berlin’s players starting the game were Alexa Vigar #3 as right attacker, Marley Lewis #22 and Keneley Sherman #10 as center attackers and, Carlin Swanson #7 as left attacker. The midfielders were Madi McIntosh #9 as the center taking the draw, Lily Thompson #18 and Adison Hufstetler #12 in the circle as midfield. Defenders were Elizabeth Burke #21 right defender, Sierra Gavin #5 and Gracie Miller #4 as center defense, and Maddy Thompson #19 as left defense. Alivia Cook #1 was the goalie for the bears. Steve Palmer works as the head coach for the Big Walnut girls Lacrosse team. Big Walnut’s players starting the game were Liv Conover #1 as right attacker, Lila kate Reckner #11 and Elli Keck #14 as center attackers and, Maria Brehm #7 as left attacker. The midfielders were Clara Bowser #10 as the center taking the draw, Kyla Klaus #12 and Kennedy Stambaugh #13 in the circle as midfield. Caroline Weber #33 was the goalie. Weber broke the OHSAA state record for the most saves. The senior had 557 saves and made it challenging for the bears to score. The bears had a lot of turnovers, but the eagles had a dominating first half. Big Walnut had amazing and powerful shots at the goal. At the end of the first half, the score was 4-0. At the end of the second quarter the Bears had 2 goals, while the Eagles had 3 more goals. Leaving the score as 7-2 at half time. Third quarter was very physical and Berlin got 2 yellow cards while Big Walnut got 1. Gracie Miller and Lily Thompson were out for 2 minutes each. Both the teams got one goal in the quarter. The score was 8-3 by the end of the quarter. The bears did not give up despite the score. The end score was 11-3 with the eagles winning. The first game of the season did not go as planned but the girls won’t give up. Olentangy Berlin girls Lacrosse has their next only varsity game against Findlay Trojans on Saturday, Mar 23 at 12:30. BEAR COUNRTY | PAGE 9 SPORTS STORY BEARS TAKE ON THE EAGLES Senior Lily Thompson plays midfield for the girls lacrosse team. Thompson is going to continue playing D1 Lacrosse Sophomore Golie Alvia Cook broke the school record for most saves in a game. Cook has been doing golie training for 9 years. Permission to print by: Hannah Hancock
SPRING SPORTS WRAP UP BEAR COUNRTY | PAGE 10 PHOTO SPREAD Colin Halmagy ‘26 beats opponent to the ball and drives to net. Berlin Boys Lacrosse had a very successful season with a record of 12-3. Permission to print by: insta: obhslacrosse. Lady bears break it out with pride after winning their game against Hilliard Darby. Head coach Chad Rice works hard to build a strong team for playoffs. Permission to print by: Rylan Stone ‘27. Ascher Dent ‘24 celebrates his victory with his teammates. Dent is going to play baseball for Ohio State University next spring. Permission to print by: Scott Reed. Ella Erwine ‘24 and Adelynne Young ‘25 share a special moment after their last game. The bears had 17 wins this season. Permission to print by: Insta: adelynne_y.
BEAR COUNRTY | PAGE 11 SPRING SPORTS WRAP UP PT. 2 PHOTO SPREAD The bears play aggressively and beat New Albany in their match. The team is ranked 15th in state. Permission to print by: insta: obhsboysvball. Girls Track and Field pose for a picture after getting 1st place in their track meet. Track and Field had over 180 in their team this season. Permission to print by: Twitter: Berlin_TandF . Boys Tennis take a picture after winning their match. The team won over half of their matches this season. Permission to print by: Insta: obhsboystennis. Principal Todd Spinner smiles for a selfie at a softball game. Spinner has been the biggest supporter of all the Sports in Olentangy Berlin and encouraged the athletes to try their best and never give up. Permission to print by: Insta: olentnagyberlinhigh.
For years, adults taught assigning homework is beneficial for students and it is necessary. But research shows homework does more harm than good for students, especially students who are involved in extracurriculars. Excessive amounts of homework is causing students a lot of health problems as well as damaging their mental health. The National Sleep Foundation recommended 8.5 to 9.25 hours per night for healthy adolescent development but students only get 6.5 hours of sleep on school nights. 68% stated that schoolwork often or always kept them from getting enough sleep each night. The stress of having to complete homework every night can negatively impact students during school. Homework stops adolescents from getting involved in other extracurriculars like sports and clubs. Balancing High School sports and homework demands a lot of time. 2 hours of practice everyday and a game twice a week can demand most of your time and cause a lot of stress. A lot of student athletes quit their sport by the age of 13 due to stress and not having enough time. “I have to immediately come home after school and get to work and by the time I’m done, sometimes I don’t even finish, I have to get ready for Lacrosse practice,” Berkeley Wallace ‘27 said . Homework also stops students from spending time with their families and going on vacations and enjoying their young lives. “Normally I would have gone on a trip during Spring Break but was unable to because I had practice the whole break and even school work. I know a friend that had to stay home from a two week trip to India for the same reason,” Wallace said. Parents and tutors help with their child’s homework, so the students are not benefiting from all the extra work. 73% of parents reported helping their child with homework. Research has proven, homework does more harm than good for all ages as it causes extra stress, and lack of motivation for other activities. BEAR COUNRTY | PAGE 12 OPINION HOMEWORK SHOULD BE LEFT IN PAST The graph shows the amount of stress a teenager feels because of heavy doses of homework. Most common answer was between 6-10, which is very high. Permisson to print by: the Horizen
OLENTANGY BERLIN HIGH SCHOOL 3140 BERLIN STATION ROAD DELAWARE, OHIO 43015