The 44th Mountain State Apple Harvest Festival, held annually in Downtown Martinsburg, was held on October 21st and featured several Martinsburg High School students during the various festivities. The MSAHF celebrates and highlights the significance of the prominent apple industry in West Virginia as the community welcomes the harvest. The festival has grown to include a myriad of community-based events, including the coronation of Queen Pomona, the Apple Trample 5k, the Fall Classic baseball tournament, pop-up shops and arts fair, free pancake breakfasts, and the Grand Feature Parade which will include live performances from the Martinsburg Bulldog Marching Band, the Martinsburg High School cheer team, Velocity Dance Team, and Good Times show choir.

A focal point of the festival is the royal court, consisting of 12 princesses, 3 maids, and Queen Pomona XLIV. Martinsburg High School students Rylee Deleon, Lilliana Hannan, Lily Campbell, Mary McCune, Leila Sergent, and Hayden Lushbaugh were announced as princesses for the 2023 MSAHF court. “Preparation for interviews included a lot of studying about the Apple industry in the eastern panhandle, and knowing a lot of facts about the Apple Harvest Festival and its origin,” says Princess Leila Sergent, “I wanted to be a member of the Apple Harvest Festival court because I got to watch my sister and many other girls before me participate and see what an amazing and fun experience the weekend was.” The court participates in a variety of events and activities leading up to the festival, including the Royal Gala, the Queen’s Grand Ball, the Pomona Ladies Brunch, Ruby and Rhinestones, and many more. “Our first event, Ruby and Rhinestones, was just this past Thursday,” says Campbell, “It was so nice to get closer with girls my age from different schools within our district. I have really enjoyed being someone all the little girls can look up to at the events and just being a prime representative for my state and city. Being a member of the court meant being that person, or in this case princess, that younger generations can look up to. To me, that holds so much importance because feeding good into our young people is what will affect our own futures,” says Princess Lily Campbell. “My favorite event so far was the Ruby and Rhinestones event,” says Sergent, “We got to model clothes from Jordan and Hess and dance with other court members. There was also a heel decorating contest. We all wore red dresses and it was an exciting way to open the festival and get excited about all of the events coming up.”

Martinsburg senior Elliana Mosby has been announced as a maid on the court. “As a maid on the court my job is to assist our Maid Elect/Queen throughout the festival's activities. My position helps to support and promote apples in our community,” said Maid Elliana Mosby, “I have wanted to be a member of the court since about the 7th grade. I remember going to the Queen’s Ball and having such a great time. Being on the court isn’t just about wearing a gorgeous dress; it’s about inspiring and teaching young girls about the community that they live in and the things they can be a part of as they grow up. I am just grateful to have the opportunity to be on the court now, and be able to show the same kindness to the community that has gotten me this far.”

MHS Junior, Olivia Lewis broke the school record for the number of goals scored by one person in a soccer game! The game against Berkeley Springs took place Thursday, September 21st

with the Bulldogs winning 7-0. Olivia scored 6 of the 7 total goals. She has been playing soccer for 12 years, playing on two different travel teams, as well as our school team. Olivia said that she knew the game was winnable and promised herself that she would do whatever it took to win. Olivia said she was, “determined to take advantage of every opportunity given to me and have the result be the ball hitting the back of the net.” After the game Olivia’s coach, Katie Myers told her that she had broken the school record. She recalled finding out she broke the record saying, “I was in complete shock when Coach broke the news after the game. The encouragement I received from my team and the community afterward made the experience into something I will never forget.” Olivia wears jersey number 12, so keep an eye out for her at future MHS soccer games!

Lady Bulldogs versus Berkeley Springs game in action.

Mr. Gallagher's leadership class is resuming their program with the Boys & Girls Club this year. They will be volunteering the whole school year to plan different fun activities do with the boys and girls.

The whole class is excited to participate and create these experiences for them. They all got together in small groups and planned out different activities. Benson Marple said, "I'm doing a basketball camp with Zahir Richardson." Other activities they plan on doing are carving pumpkins, a lacrosse camp, and teaching first-aid. I asked Mr. Gallagher which one he was most excited about, "They're all my favorite, when kids get out in the community and try to serve and give back to the community that is my favorite." Once a month a group will go to the Boys & Girls Club after school and teach them about their planned activity.

This won't be a grade for the class, but it will count as community service. They are all volunteering their time to hang out with the kids and teach them a little something. Mrs. Rome from the Boys & Girls Club reached out to Mr. Gallagher about his class creating experiences with them. For the past 3 years they have been unable to do this due to COVID, but they've decided it's time to start the program again. The leadership class has already begun volunteering there after school. The latest activity was decorating pumpkins with Delacey Palmer, Olivia Volway and their group. Thank you to all the volunteers that will be visiting the Boys & Girls Club this year to organize these events for the youth in our community.

Olivia, Delacey, and their group prepping pumpkins for the Boys & Girls Club.

In August 2023 a group of students and teachers traveled to the Republic of Finland located between Sweden, Norway, and Russia. Cara Anderson, Charlotte Jordan, Josh Burton, Lexie Wietz, Chelsea Haines, Nathaniel Wilard, Ruth Bise, Mrs Haines, Mrs Whisel, and Mr Munley attended this weeklong trip. The trip began on August 9th and ended on the 18th of August; they also experienced a short layover in Iceland. The town they stayed in was called Hamina. The group also visited Ted Kotka and Helsinki, the capital and largest city in Finland. Junior Cara Anderson said, “I think my favorite was honestly right where we stayed in Hamina.”

While in Finland the group got to experience what it was like to be a student or a teacher in Finland. “We had an assembly at the school where students could ask us questions,” said Cara. Students took a tour of their vocational school and attended some of their host family’s classes. Each student got a different experience depending on their host family. Though their host family knew English, they taught Cara and junior, Lexie Wietz a few Finnish words. “Moi,” means hello, “Moi Moi,” means goodbye, and “Kiitos,” means thank you. Cara and Lexie Wietz went to an amusement park. According to Cara the amusement park was very tame compared to the parks here in the United States. The students went sight-seeing in Hamina and they attended a military parade. All of the students were able to meet the mayor of Hamina and the mayor gifted them Hamina themed memorabilia.

A total of 8 students and 2 teachers traveled to Martinsburg from Finland. In exchange for the Finnish families hosting our students and teachers the Finnish students and teachers came here to Martinsburg and stayed with some of our families. One of the students who hosted Finnish students is a senior, Phoebe Porter. Phoebe hosted Lyyti Haapanen, 2nd year and Siiri Leislahti, 3rd year. This was the first time Phoebe has ever hosted exchange students in her home. She was very nervous but also excited. Leading up to the exchange all of the students and teachers would have Zoom meetings and talk about each of their countries. In these groups they discussed broad differences like politics, seasons, and social norms.“They are very excited to meet Mr. Gallagher,” said Phoebe.

Neither Lyyti nor Siiri have ever been to the US. When asked what they were most excited for both girls said, “we are excited to meet new people and go to Target.” In Finland there is no Target, nor any large grocery stores so the two were very excited. “Everything is so big,” said Siiri. The Finnish students struggled to adjust to the time change, since the eastern coast of the US is 7hrs behind. Phoebe, Lyyti, and Siiri have gone to Tyson’s Corner and Shepherdstown. Their favorite part of the trip was Target and meeting their host families.

Fun Facts about Finland provided by Lyyti and Siiri, everything is free. They pay large amounts of taxes, but in return they have free healthcare, education (including university,) and school lunches. Their president is “a regular old guy and he had a super cute dog,” said Siiri. When the president’s dog passed many citizens mourned for him. Recently the president was spotted in a fish market “hiding” his face with a cap and sunglasses, and no bodyguards in sight. The last thing Lyyti said during her interview was “I hope they know where Finland even is.”

MHS senior and junior class are collaborating this Halloween season and hosting the second annual Trunk-or-Treat. Ruby Amores, the senior class president stated, “I’m excited to run this event again! I am glad I have a lot more support behind me this year; Savannah has done a great job with everything she’s done! We are hoping to have another successful year!”. Last year our Trunk-or-Treat event hosted over 200 kids across Martinsburg and we are hoping to spread it to more of the MHS community. Our event is open to any and all trick-or-treaters in Berkeley County. This year we will be adding a "Trunk Contest" where attendees will vote on their favorite trunk online. The winner shall receive a Bulldog Bumper Sticker for their vehicle. Results of the contest will be announced on the next day, Tuesday, October 31st. Set up will begin at 4:00pm and tear down begins at 7:00pm Monday, October 30th. Trick-or treaters will arrive at the student parking lot located at the back of the school at 5:00pm and leave by 7.00pm. All groups participating will be assigned one parking spot and provided with minimum of one 3lb bag of candy. however, it is likely you will need more than 3lbs, so feel free to bring your own as well. If you have any questions, please contact Ruby Amores or Savannah Malatt for more information. We appreciate everyone who has signed up to participate. We look forward to a spooktacular evening of Trunk-or-Treat!

It’s finally October! You know what that means… it’s time to visit all the spooky activities and shows around Martinsburg! These include the Orr’s Pumpkin patch, IWLA Haunted Trails, The Martinsburg Cooperative Parish Trunk or Treat, Apolloween Paranormal Investigations, and Apolloween Rocky Horror Picture Show. Attending these fall festivities is a great way to spend your time this spooky season.

Every year, Orr’s has their annual pumpkin patch. They have endless pumpkins to choose from. But, aside from pumpkins, they have even more fun activities to participate in! You can buy tickets to go on a hayride, find your way through a corn maze, play corn hole, and more! They have multiple different packages to choose from. The first being $7.99 per person, the second being $10.99 per person, and the third being $14.99 per person. You can check to see all the times that the patch is open on Orr’s website.

The IWLA Haunted Trails is a great way to get in the haunting spirit this October. Open every Saturday starting at 7pm, you can walk through 40 acres of a haunted forest filled with slashers, ghosts, ghouls, and even clowns! The trails can be found at 284 Izaak Walton Rd, and tickets are available at the trails. It’s $20 for adults and $10 for kids 12 years and younger. All details can be found on the IWLA Facebook page. If you like jump scares, this is definitely the trail for you.

Who doesn’t like free candy… Exactly! No one! On October 29th, Martinsburg Cooperative Parish will be hosting their annual Trunk or Treat! It will take place in 2 locations, one being from 3pm to 6:30pm at 700 New York Avenue, and the other being from 3pm to 5pm at 220 W Martin Street. They’ll have sweet treats, decorated cars, games, and food!

Lastly, a classic spot to visit during spooky season, the Apollo Civic Theatre! The Apollo is holding their annual Apolloween! The first event is called Paranormal Investigations. When asked about the event, junior Lily Ervin responded, “It’s an eerie interactive walk-through! We’re always very excited at the Apollo this time of year!” The dates are the 20th and 27th of October, starting at 10pm and closing at 3am. Tickets are $35 and are available online only. If you are 17 and under, you must be accompanied by an adult (ID required). The Apollo is also showing the Rocky Horror Picture Show! There will be a live shadow cast accompanying the movie! Doors open at 11pm and the show starts at midnight. Tickets are $20, and concessions will also be available for purchase! Show dates are the 21st and 28th of October. Audience participation packs are also available for purchase for $5. The movie is rated R, so if you’re 17 and under you must be accompanied by an adult.

It’s only spooky season for one month out of the year! Make sure to come out to all of these classic and spine-chilling events while you can!

Apollo’s Junior Artistic Committee hosted a spooktacular Monster Mash.

Click the link to the Microsoft Form below and answer a question about one of the articles in this paper. Answer correctly and be entered to win a raffle for a cute pumpkin!

Election season is quickly approaching! Are you prepared? Have you registered to vote? Do you know when elections are and what you’re voting on? Was your answer to any of those “no”? Don’t worry, you've got some time to prepare!

For the state of West Virginia, Primary elections begin in May 2024 and General elections are in November 2024. Primary elections are the elections where each running party, like Republican, Democrat or Independent, select the candidates they want to see in the General election. Typically, the candidates with the highest number of votes will run in the General election. General elections are typically larger than Primary. General elections are the elections that determine who will go into office. West Virginia has both Primary and General elections coming up in 2024.

In May, elections on who will represent West Virginia in the Supreme Court, Senate, and House of Representatives will take place. Board of Education elections will also be held in May. All of these elections are considered Primary elections. General elections will be held in November. Based on the results of the Primary elections, West Virginia will cast their final votes on who will end up in office during the General elections. In addition to all the fore-mentioned elections, West Virginians will also vote in the Presidential election during November 2024.

Registering to vote is also a large part of election season, especially for students who will be eighteen by the time election season comes around. When asked if he had any advice for young voters, State Delegate Michael Hornby said “Vote on everything. Your right to vote is one of the most important parts of being a citizen of America.” To register to vote, you can visit the West Virginia Voter Registration website. You also can register in person by visiting the County Clerk's Office, Secretary of State Office, DMV, or Public Assistance Office. Delegate Hornby also noted that “Getting to choose your leaders that affect laws are probably the most important [elections].”

Voting is a large event in America, especially during Presidential election years. The result of elections can shape the next few years of your life. Delegate Hornby stressed that young voters shouldn’t take the right to vote for granted saying “Even little positions matter, they affect everyone's’ lives in such a big way.” If you’re interested and able, register to vote and make sure to do as much research into candidates as you can before election season arrives!

Reporters: Isabel Banks, Kaylin Henry, Mary Kate MacKinnon, Savannah Malatt, Aden Reid

Co-Editors: Ruby Amores, Phoebe Porter

Advisor: Rhonda Foreman