April showers bring May Good News to the Schreiber Times! With the school year winding down, here is some good news with which to end the year.

Mr. Joe Del Gais has been teaching at Schreiber High School since 1989, and has been teaching physical education since 1986, but his time as a teacher is now coming to an end; this year was his last year teaching before retirement.  Mr. Del Gais announced his retirement to the department he has influenced so greatly on the first day of school.  Like the staff of the school, many students were saddened by the news but were happy for Mr. Del Gais, who has put his time and dedication into the school and the physical education program for many years. 

“Schreiber High School is losing a legend.  Mr. Del Gais has left such an impact on so many students throughout his time here — he will certainly be missed.  He has shared so much of his knowledge and teaching experiences throughout his career to our department, and he is leaving big shoes to fill,” said PE teacher Ms. Lisa Castaldo.

The Our Ocean conference is an annual conference that showcases the need for a thriving ocean in cities and towns where the ocean is a main source for daily needs such as food and power.  Originally founded by former Senator John Kerry in 2014, the conference has since committed to over 1,800 projects worth $108 billion in total.  The seventh annual conference, which was co-hosted by the United States, recently met on the small island of the Republic of Palau.  Over 600 representatives of 70 foreign countries attended to discuss major issues regarding the ocean.  During this past conference, topics such as climate solutions, marine pollution, and ocean security were discussed.  An astounding $16 billion was raised this year, and 400 commitments were made by groups in the conference, showing the effort and awareness this conference is attempting to raise.

“It is very important to keep the oceans in our world clean and protected, so groups such as Our Ocean are great for the environment and it is awesome to see sixteen billion raised in a single year,” said junior Antonio Sottile.

Diabetes is one of the most common diseases in the United States, with one in every ten Americans having either type 1 or type 2 diabetes.  Scientists Dr. Masuko Ushio Fukai and Dr. Tohru Fukai from the Medical College of Georgia found that even a single 45-minute exercise session enables for more production of exosomes, a type of cell that contains proteins and secretes them into the body.  Exosomes are essential for the body to grow and function, and diabetes damages these important cells — along with others — while additionally hindering the growth of other cells.  The scientists then explained their conclusion through studies Fukai ran during his time at Emory University, where he found that exercise improved SOD3 and exosome production, in turn decreasing disease intensity such as diabetes.

Ben Miller, a nine-year-old boy from Boise, Idaho, raised an astounding $2,000 in one weekend for shelter cats, all by selling lemonade.  After the young boy went to visit his local shelter, he was disheartened to see that the cats had no toys with which to play.  Ben’s mom helped to promote her son’s lemonade stand by posting about it on Facebook, which gained traction and encouraged people to go to his stand.  Ben stated that he has no plans to stop his charitable actions anytime soon; the story just goes to show how much of an impact one boy can have on his community.

“It’s pretty cool to see how much a nine-year-old kid could do in one weekend to help support others, ” said sophomore Jack Stam.  “It shows that there is still compassion in the world, in many forms.”