The Leprechaun Gold - St. Vincent-St. Mary High School

Leprechaun Gold
Go Green
Jackson Ewing
Co-Editor-in-chief
After a nice break from
the school year, getting back
to school can be a difficult
thing to do. School supplies,
homework, and tests, among
others, require large amounts
of attention. It is easy to
forget that everything people
do can have an effect on the
environment. Each year,
approximately 240 pounds
of waste are generated per
student per year. So, here
are some simple ways to “go
green” and reduce that waste.
A good way to begin “going green” is to use the recycle bins around
the school. Recycling is the easiest way to cut down on wasted paper. If all
paper was recycled, about 250,000,000 trees would be saved. Recycling
one ton of paper also saves 7,000 gallons of water, three cubic yards of
landfill space, 60 pounds of air pollutants, and saves enough energy to
power an average home for 6 months. Not only does this include recycling
paper, it also means using papers and notebooks made from recycled
materials.
A quick and easy way to cut down on energy waste is to use compact
fluorescent lamps (CFL) as opposed to regular light bulbs. CFLs will
lower the carbon dioxide release by 800 pounds throughout its lifetime
when replacing a regular light bulb. If CFLs are used for an entire lifetime,
enough energy can be saved to drive a Toyota Prius from San Francisco to
New York.
Recycling aluminum cans is also a good way to reduce unnecessary
waste. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to power a
television for three hours. In addition to that, enough aluminum cans are
thrown away by Americans to completely rebuild the commercial airline
fleet in the United States. Recycling aluminum cans is a simple way to
conserve energy and be much less wasteful.
Water is something that is often not thought about, but reducing the
amount of water used can have a tremendous impact on the environment.
Less than one percent of the world’s fresh water is readily available for
human use. The average American household uses 300 gallons each day,
while the average U.S. citizen uses about 550 liters each day. Taking
practical steps, such as shorter showers and turning faucets off when not
in use, can drastically reduce the amount of wasted water.
Driving is a major contributor to air pollution. Burning one gallon of
gasoline creates 19 pounds of carbon dioxide, while the average mature
tree can absorb only 48 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. Cutting back
on gasoline use by participating in car pools or walking to more locations
is a simple way to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions.
Greenhouse gas emissions also pose a threat to the environment. If
greenhouse gas emissions continue the current pace they are now, average
temperatures could increase by 12 degrees Farenheit by the end of the
century. A large increase in temperature like that could eliminate many
species, bring natural disasters, and affect the world’s water supply. Using
fossil fuel wisely is the easiest way to help cut down on greenhouse gas
emissions.
In the world today, “going green” is becoming more of a necessity. If
the entire world lived as most Americans do, it would require about five
planets to obtain the resources. America’s carbon footprint is double that
of most other parts of the world. Reducing waste and conserving energy
may at first seem difficult, but with simple steps, one can truly make a
difference.
September 2011
School
The MACS are here
in the Art Room
Connor Wallace
STAFF REPORTER
This year the Art Department
received ten new iMac computers.
Right now only the faculty
and photography students are
allowed to use them.
So far the students really
like them, using them for editing
photos. Students can also be
more creative in detailing and adding effects to the photos. They can
also take photos from the dark room, scan them onto the computers,
and edit them. The students will be able to take portrait pictures. Hopefully,
in the next couple of years, this technology will be available for
everyone to use.
Art teacher, Mrs. Rita Lancianese, took Photoshop classes to learn
how to use the new iMac’s, and she has also been to the Apple store to
learn how to use everything else on the computer. She enjoys learning
from the students as well on how to work the new iMac’s. The best
thing she likes about the iMac is the Photo Booth and the resolution of
the camera and screen.
Senior art students are also impressed. “They’re great! They allow
us to have more opportunities for the arts. It has a really good operating
system and it comes with preinstalled software like Photo Booth that is
really cool,” said Tim Zupke.
Joe Coughlin said, “I like the new Mac’s for photography because
they’re much easier to navigate. They also run Photoshop very smoothly.
They’re perfect for looking up turtles, and I like turtles.”
Sean Poholski states, “They give the Art Room a professional feel
and open up new possibilities with programs such as Photoshop.”
Joe Wilde continues, “The new Mac’s offer a new form of learning
in our art classes. Not only do they work very well, but they look good,
too. The Mac’s allow us to do more in photography and give a modern
style of learning.”
Tori Zelch added, “The new Mac’s not only do film photography
but also digital photography.”
Opening Mass celebrated
Amanda Sollenberger
STAFF REPORTER
Former teacher, Father Franz Dool, celebrated the opening Mass of
the 2011-2012 school year. Father Dool grew up in Rocky River and
his home parish is St. Francis of Assisi
in Gates Mills.
He taught junior and senior
religion at St. Vincent-St. Mary for
two years.
Father Dool attended St. Mary
Seminary and was ordained for the
Diocese of Cleveland at St. John’s
Cathedral in downtown Cleveland in
May 2011.
He was honored to be asked to celebrate
the opening Mass. Father Dool
received a shillelagh and a blessing
from the faith community at STVM.
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