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The Student News Site of Rock Hill High School

Hill Top Times
The Student News Site of Rock Hill High School

Hill Top Times
The Student News Site of Rock Hill High School

Hill Top Times
Gianna Ortner-Findlay

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Hill Top Times Editor-In-Chief

This is Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Editor-In-Chief and a senior enrolled here at Rock Hill High School. Originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. Gianna has lived in Texas for the last nine years, residing in Plano and Prosper, TX. She has been writing creatively since fifth grade and has won awards at a district level for poetry. More recently, she was featured through the Best of SNO, a national journalistic writing website, and hopes to get another story on the site. Besides the newspaper, Gianna also participates in theatre and hopes to be a part of as many productions as she can. This is her third year on staff, and she hopes that it will be her best. Although she can be a little intimidating, she is always open to new people and hopes they feel accepted and welcome. Gianna wants to continue her goal of connecting with her audience through her writing and on the stage and hopes to reach people personally with her work.

All content by Gianna Ortner-Findlay
A graphic created by Editor-in-Chief Gianna Ortner-Findlay features three women on a background of teal, the symbolic sexual assault awareness color. "I think from an outsider's point of view, I'm a big fan of asking questions," Rock Hill High School counselor Sarah Luce said. "If something feels weird, I think [in society] we have this-this feeling of like, 'that is not my business. I'm going to stay out of it.' I think you do still have to protect yourself." According to RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, an American is sexually assaulted every 68 seconds and every nine minutes- that victim is a child.

‘What was she wearing?’

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Editor-In-Chief
May 24, 2022
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V.E. Schwab is a young adult novel that explores the life of a timeless girl after she made a deal without naming the terms. "In addition," Ortner-Findlay said, "I connected deeply with Addie LaRue’s fear and deep-rooted anxiety about aging and not creating a life in which I’ve felt I’ve lived or done something that mattered." The book by Schwab was published in 2020, after being in development for a little over a decade.

A star amongst YA novels

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Editor-In-Chief
May 13, 2022
Do Not Display

Rock Hill Rewind: PISD hosts first annual Fire Truck Pull

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Editor-In-Chief
May 7, 2022
Prosper Fire Department lends the "Tha Dawg House" to show the target weight of the fire truck pull at 34 tons or around 75,000 lbs. "Athletes are put into competition with other athletes with similar abilities to make the competition fair and allow everyone to compete," transition teacher Tanya Barrios said. "Skills can also be modified to meet the differences among the athletes. Everyone gets to show off their ability within their skill level." The team check-in was at 9 a.m., and both pullers and attendees were supplied free Raising Cane's Chicken Tenders with sauce.

PHS Football coaches received second place at the first annual Fire Truck Pull with the second-fastest pull time. "A lot of people were very interested and excited about being [at the Fire Truck Pull] and supporting the Special Olympics," Doyle said. "So I'm thrilled that we will continue to do this event, and I'm looking forward to next year. I want to make the playoffs." At the end of the competition, Canes, the restaurant sponsoring the event, handed out leftover chicken and sauce to those still at the event.

Even though Prosper PD did not make it to the finals because of their last pull time, they solidified their place on the podium with a third-place win. "I would just like the kids of Rock Hill to know that our Special Olympics athletes are pretty amazing people," Barrios said. "They love going to Special Olympics and the feeling of pride they get when they earn a medal. Our athletes now even get to earn a letterman jacket for their sports in which they compete in Special Olympics." The proceeds made from the registration of the different teams and donations made through QR codes accessible around the event went towards costs to fund Special Olympics Texas events.

During the final face-off, PHS Coaches and Chief Blasingame played a round of "rock, paper, scissors, shoot" to see who would pull the truck first. "I would say [training would] just [be] like, pulling something that's like really heavy," Rodriguez said, "Like my bed, it's on carpet, and so it's easy for me in a way. But then, yet again, it's not 75,000 lbs." The winner of the brief game was the PHS football coaches, so they competed in their final pull first.

Huckabee Pogue was disqualified after their pull after unknowingly assisted by the truck being in drive. "Partner's PE is a class where partners help out [kids with] special needs," Rodriguez said, "So I help out with my athletes to do whatever the Special Olympics competition is." For a pull to be counted, the fire truck needed to be neutral so that the car was not aiding or hindering the puller's time.

During the playoffs, the Prosper Fire Department members were called away to a call, unable to do their final pull with their initial team members. "Special Olympics is important because kids with disabilities don't always get an opportunity to be a part of a team or compete in a sport," Barrios said. "Everyone wants to be included. Special Olympics allows athletes to compete with others on a level playing field." Chief Blasingame and members of Prosper PD stepped in to help the remaining members of Prosper Fire to complete their final pull, earning them their last pull time of 12.64 seconds.

Some of the teams pulling the fire truck included some Special Olympians. "I started the first Special Olympics here in Prosper ISD around 2010," Barrios said. "I became a certified coach and the head of the delegation for our district so that my students, who were middle school students, could participate." These teams also included volunteers from other teams to give the Olympians a helping hand in their pulls.

A Fire Truck Pull has several positions, including the photographed anchor. "I have never done [a fire truck pull] before," Rodriguez said, "So this is a new experience. Definitely. Super excited." The anchor of the pull starts the truck's momentum and is the foundation for a good haul.

Prosper PD had several successful pulls, under 20 seconds, making it to the semi-finals. "So I plan to attend a couple [Special Olympics events, and]," Rodriguez said, "Our last one is in March, actually at the Reynolds prosper stadium. And so I've been to all of them. I've been going to Special Olympics events since middle school. So really depends on if I have time to go." However, prosper PD did not make it to the finals with a finishing pull time of 16.69 seconds, 0.95 seconds slower than both final qualifying teams, PHS football coaches and Prosper Fire Department.

While PISD previously hosted Fire Truck Pulls, this event marked an annual tradition. "I've never done it before," Doyle said, "and I just thought it'd be kind of a fun thing to do. And it would help me build some relationships among the staff in my school, in the district and with a lot of the special ed students." During some of the special olympian pulls, Partners PE class members, Prosper Police Department and Prosper Fire Department provided a helping hand along the side of the fire truck.

Prosper Police Department made it relatively far into the competition. "I love being able to help kids gain skills to be more independent," Barrios said, "I love being able to help parents by helping their kids be able to do more for themselves. I love helping students have a sense of pride because they accomplished something that others thought they would never be able to do." Many teams came prepared, using specific tennis shoes and gloves to get a better grip.

Nearby firehouse, Weston Fire, participated in the fire truck pull with several members of their on-call company. "I am a Transition Teacher," Barrios said, "meaning that I work with students aged 18-22 years old that have completed their high school credits, but they still have some areas of growth to work on." The pull teams were made up of ten people, and the fee to pull was 10 dollars a person, or 100 dollars per team.

Several volunteers for the RHHS admin and teachers team included Principal Dustin Toth, social studies teacher Ryan Denham, tech director Timothy Doyle and assistant principal Dendrick Buckles, among many others. "[My favorite thing about] that day, "[was that it was] just like, Tim was just another guy who's out there, you know, having fun," Doyle said. "And so, I think that was really cool to kind of let the, you know, constraints of our different roles at school kind of go by the wayside and just have all kind of fun, prosper community people." RHHS's teams averaged a pull time between 16 and 21 seconds.

The RHHS teacher and admin team pulled the truck twice, unfortunately missing the time to qualify for the next level of competition by mere seconds. "Gosh, no, I was not selected," Doyle said. "I'm the last person I think that anyone would think could pull a firetruck. I didn't think I could pull a fire truck. Ms. Slade, the student council sponsor, sent out a staff-wide email and was looking for volunteers to join the team. And I put my name down." The majority of the teams comprised of volunteers representing different firehouses, police departments, schools, and programs in and around PISD.

Two teams came to the fire truck pull representing Rock Hill High School, including RHHS football and RHHS teachers and administration. "While earning my degree in Music Therapy, I worked with numerous individuals with disabilities, and I really enjoyed it," Barrios said. "While earning my degree in Music Therapy, I worked with numerous individuals with disabilities, and I really enjoyed it. Additionally, my mom used to work on a school bus transporting special education students, and she would tell me lots of stories about the kids and her day at work." Unfortunately, neither RHHS team made it to the final play-offs, but members from both the admin and teacher team and RHHS Football assisted with other pulls when there were not enough members to pull.

Prosper High School Football represents a team. They made it to the finals. "[My favorite part of that day] definitely wasn't after," Doyle said, "because I was pretty sore." The pulls were timed, and each team was given two attempts to pull the fire truck as a faster time to move on to the next level of competition.

Pictured at the tail end of their first pull are juniors and Hope Squad members Grace Quin (right) and Erin Lewis (left). "My favorite part of the day," Doyle said, "I think, was just getting to see the community impact and how everybody was just so happy to be there and so positive around it." Hope Squad had frequent assistance in their pulls from other teams as they did not have a ten-man team.

On April 9, Prosper ISD hosted its first annual fire truck pull. Prosper Fire Chief Stuart Blasingame calls the shots on when to start to pull. "[Special Olympics Texas] gives athletes who have special needs the chance to compete and be a part of something," Partners PE student and junior Bella Rodriguez said. The Fire Truck Pull event was hosted to raise funds for Special Olympics Texas, creating opportunities for special needs and disabled athletes to improve their sport.

Fire Truck Pull- FP

A graphic created by graphic designer Riley Gillum shows a silhouette of Black History Month pioneer Carter G. Woodson. "All American history is Black history, and so it needs to be addressed more throughout the entire year," social studies teacher Connor Galloway said, "but I'm glad that we at least have one dedicated space to talk about [Black History] and open up spaces for conversation." Black History Month is celebrated annually, and has been officially instituted in the United States for the last 48 years.

Featuring the voices of change

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Editor-In-Chief
February 9, 2022
Editor-in-Chief Gianna Ortner-Findlay snaps a shot of the Black History Month display in Rock Hill High School's library. "Black History Month is observed from Feb. 1st-28th," Ortner-Findlay said, "and is a month that highlights and celebrates the historical influence that Blacks and Black Americans have had." Black History Month is an internationally observed holiday month; however, recognized at varying times of the year.

Origins of Black History Month

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Editor-In-Chief
February 9, 2022
An infographic created by Editor-In-Chief Gianna Ortner-Findlay explains what the holocaust was, the first holocaust remembrance week, and what antisemitism is. “As a non-Jewish person, you can be aware of anti-Semitic behavior and report racist or anti-Semitic remarks.” Ortner-Findlay said. The week starts Jan. 24th, with International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27th.

Infographic highlights importance of Holocaust Remembrance Week

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Editor-In-Chief
January 24, 2022

Opinion- Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Editor-In-Chief
January 19, 2022
In a graphic created by Stamen Design and published on Prosper ISDs website, showcases the district zone lines for Rock Hill High School and Prosper High school respectfully. “We’re in a unique spot here at Rock Hill,” social studies teacher Frederick Nickens said, “our address is Frisco, we’re a Prosper school, and most of our kids live in McKinney.” Several students at RHHS spoke of concern regarding the term redistricting, and its relationship to the rezoning being done in Frisco ISD.

News- Rezoning Vs. Redistricting

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Editor-In-Chief
November 26, 2021
The logo variations of Meta are meant to showcase the constant reincarnation of the company and its encompassing reach, and was presented at the companies yearly Connect meeting. "Rebranding can help refuel any company," digital media teacher Taylor Mersmann said, "I think Facebook has gotten into a bit of hot water and they want to change their image." The name change occurred on Oct. 28th, and has come in light of another scandal that the company has befallen.

Opinion- Into the Metaverse

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Editor-In-Chief
November 9, 2021
An inspiring infographic created by improv member and junior Jocelyn Spence invites interested students to try out for the improv troupe. "[The goal is] for us to have fun and make people laugh, entertain and give a bright spot to people's day," tech director and improv troupe sponsor Timothy Doyle said, "as for the members, [the goal is] pushing them to think on the spot and expand to other audiences." The auditions for the troupe will be held in the Black Box on Wednesday, Sept. 29th, in room 1502, starting at 4:10 p.m.

Out of The Blue, Wants You

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Editor-In-Chief
September 29, 2021
Editor-In-Chief Gianna Ortner-Findlay captures Color Guard as they prepared to showcase a snippet of their competition piece, Dreams of Icarus. "I like that you can learn something and that there's always going to be another layer that's harder." senior Trey Berliner said. Rock Hill Band's first competition is on Oct. 2nd at the Plano Marching Invitational.

[Photo] Rock Hill Round-Up: August 30-September 3

Ananya Nandyala, Staff
September 2, 2021
Senior and Editor-In-Chief Gianna Ortner-Findlay takes a picture of the sunrise on the morning of August 10th. The event took place at the RHHS baseball field, surrounded by evaporating early morning mist. "It was really nice getting to connect back with friends I haven’t seen in a while and just get to know how they’ve been and what they’ve been doing with their summer." senior Mckenna Bowman said. Seniors were also able to write letters to their future selves to be given at the end of the year.

Sunrise, Sunset

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Editor-In-Chief
August 15, 2021
A collection of historical fiction books sits on a desk. Columnist Gianna Ortner-Findlay reviews these books in the following article. "As a person whose Jewish great-grandparents on my father's side fled from Germany to escape the Holocaust, I have always had an intrigue with World War II and the Holocaust," she said. "These are just a few books that I would like to suggest to help remember the strong individuals who made it through the awful war and to hear the stories of those who didn't."

Columnist remembers Holocaust tragedy through literature

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Assistant Editor
March 18, 2021
Editor-in-Chief Haley Medeiros captures Disney Pixar's "Soul" while reviewing sheet music. "Soul" forces the watcher to evaluate what their purpose is in life. "The scores by themselves were beautiful, and the show of a love for music and the arts was amazing to watch on screen," columnist Gianna Ortner-Findlay said. "Colorful visuals kept me engaged the whole movie, and following the storyline was like following a rainbow."

Review- Columnist praises Disney Pixar’s jazz-filled ‘Soul’

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Assistant Editor
January 21, 2021
soul

A louder volume image outweighs a soft volume image on a scale. In a visual representation of conversations, graphic designer Harvey Watkins shows how the louder voices in society hold more weight. "No doubt people who are afraid to share their views miss an important opportunity," junior Kate Carline said. "A person has to be open to changing their view when presented new facts."

Opinion- Power of Voice

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Assistant Editor
December 18, 2020
Infographic breaks down importance of Electoral College

Infographic breaks down importance of Electoral College

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Assistant Editor
November 7, 2020
Students decorate posters at the school's first ever Forthcoming Sign-Painting event last Sunday, Oct. 18th. Students were encouraged to attend and create posters for their organization. "I wanted to make the signs so that we can represent the soccer team," sophomore Callie Romero said. "It helps me connect with the school more."

Photo of the Week- Students gather for FOCO sign-painting event

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Assistant Editor
October 22, 2020
Assistant editor Gianna Ortner-Findlay looks at the Step Team flyer. Students online and in person can join the step team, but all practices will be in person. "They (students) can still come on Monday," Ballou said. "to kind of feel it out to see if this is something they actually want to do."

Stepping up

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Assistant Editor
October 7, 2020
A fountain at the World Trade Center Memorial flows in remembrance of those who lost their lives on 9/11. Advisor Taylor Mersmann captured this photo Feb. 2015. "During the 9/11 attacks, 2,977 people died," Assistant Editor Gianna Ortner-Findlay said. "Including 265 passengers and terrorists aboard the four planes."

Rock Hill Remembers

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Assistant Editor
September 11, 2020
Assistant Editor Gianna Ortner-Findlay eagerly awaits the arrival of the VMAs. "As well as these artists' accomplishments being highlighted," said Ortner-Findlay "frontline workers' work and accomplishments during the pandemic will be put on display during the awards show." This years VMA's will be streamed across multiple networks, making this the first time that the awards show will be simulcast.

The Show Must Go On

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Assistant Editor
August 30, 2020
Junior Gianna Ortner-Findlay settles in to her newspaper class after making the transition to in-person from her online classes. Prosper ISD planned for a hybrid-learning situation this year with some students attending school virtually and others going in-person. "Many of our students are online learners," said Ortner-Findlay. "A new task that we're becoming accustomed to is the switch between online and in-person classes."

Here or There

Gianna Ortner-Findlay, Assistant Editor
August 28, 2020
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