AHS students found themselves at home to end April and start May in 2025. Not virtual days, not a pandemic – completely closed. An intense storm brought wind damage, downing trees, disrupting power for over 140,000 at one point after Tuesday afternoon’s storm. Here are a few reflections from students, in summaries and in direct…
Author: avonews_admin

2025 NFL Draft: Steelers Earn B+ For Additions Without Annoyances – Guest Writer Luke Janicki
The 2025 draft saw one of the biggest draft slides I think we’ll see in our entire life with Shaddeaur Sanders dropping to #144 to the Cleveland Browns. It also saw improvement for many teams. One of those teams is the Steelers. Round 1 Pick 21 – Derrick Harmon, Defensive Tackle, OregonDraft Grade- A-Great pick…

Seniors Recognized at Duquesne University for Award Winning Essays on AI
Seniors Brandon Smidl, Lucy Studebaker, Lexi Mannion, and Sydney Savatt (pictured below, left to right) enjoyed a special lunch, private tour, and small awards ceremony at Duquesne University on Friday, April 25th, to recognize their winning submissions in the inaugural Youth Ethicist Essay Competition. Sponsored by the Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics at Duquesne,…

Avonews Sends 5 To PSPA State Finals At Penn State
Editor in Chief Emma Noss returned to Penn State Main Campus to compete in the PSPA State Journalism Championship on Tuesday, April 1st, two years after she joined another Avonews EIC Zion Shenck at the same event. But in 2025, Emma brought the second largest field of Avonews staff along with her to aim for…

Officer Chris Retires After 17 Years as AHS School Resource Officer
Photos of the walk through celebration on March 14th as Officer Chris Simcoviak finished his 17th year working as an SRO. Staff especially Officer Chris for conversation, sharing meeting time in the Student Assistance Program, in-service sessions, and classroom visits to talk about law enforcement as well as rising trends in criminal behavior. What…

WPIAL Gold and Over 10 State Qualifiers for AHS Swim
Sam Cavanaugh won the 200 Individual Medley on Thursday, Feb 27th at Trees Pool on Pitt’s Campus. Photograph from Ethan Woy, WPIAL Cavanaugh will join 10 other team members as they compete in the state championships at Bucknell the week of March 10th: Sam CavanaughJakob VranickNate ParkerLiam JoyceNate CampbellAddison HaseJoann CookBridget CampbellClaire BoughtonKatie PetrinaRachel Buzzard…

Lopes Basketball Update – Boys Continue, Girls Wrap Up WPIAL Playoff Run
Boys Basketball held off a persistent Knock squad to win their home quarterfinal WPIAL playoff game on Wed, February 21st. Lady Lopes Basketball started by winning with an over thirty point margin against the Tigers of Beaver Falls, with senior Greta O’Brien topping 30 points. before losing by 6 to OLSH. Meanwhile, the Lady…

Blood Drive Assembly Encourages Donations
One blood donor can save three lives, according to the videos from Vitalant, the organization who provides staffing and equipment for school blood drives. After watching two short videos, 12th and 11th grade came to the auditorium to hear Lila Seback and Mrs. Barkaskey share background and encouragement to sign up. IMG_6040 IMG_6041 IMG_6042 IMG_6043…

Dating at AHS in 2025: Is It Worth It?
Valentine’s Day around campus on Friday, February 14th, 2025, included over 900 Good Lovin cookies going to friends, family, and significant others through a very successful sophomore class fundraiser. While some students were delivered a cookie from a special someone, many others preferred to date someone not on Josephs Lane, avoiding judgment and rumors. “Me,…

Interview with Conor Lamb, former US Representative
Conor Lamb is a lawyer and politician best known for his time as the former United States Representative for Pennsylvania’s 17th congressional district, I interviewed Mr. Lamb on his personal opinions, life experiences, and hobbies. (Avonews) “Who is your hero or heroes and why?” (Conor Lamb) “I have to say that one of my heroes…