Can we help you find something?
The Student News Site of Altoona Area High School

Mountain Echo
Online newspaper of Altoona Area High School in Altoona, Pennsylvania
What You Need To Know
  • May 3005/30/24 - Last Day!
  • May 29Lunch for 05/29/24 - Cook's Choice!
  • May 29Breakfast for 05/30/24 - Cook's Choice!
  • May 28Breakfast for 05/29/24 - Cook's Choice!
  • May 28Lunch for 05/28/24 - Cook's Choice!
  • May 27Breakfast for 05/28/24 - Cook's Choice!
  • May 27May 27 - Memorial Day, No School
The Student News Site of Altoona Area High School

Mountain Echo
The Student News Site of Altoona Area High School

Mountain Echo
Mattie Baker

Mattie Baker, Reporter

My name is Mattie Baker, and this is my first year on staff! I've always loved reading and writing. My goal this year is to write a complete book. My dream job, at the moment, is to work at Barnes & Nobles and drink Starbucks on the daily. I'm obsessed with action movies like "Bullet Train," "John Wick" and "James Bond." I also have a passion for art. I've been taking extra art classes for over 10 years! Later in my life, I hope to be a storyboard artist and author.

All content by Mattie Baker
Senior sneak peek. A senior decorates her parking spot during the 2023 Senior Week. Parking spot and car decorating have been a key part of the schools Senior Week (photo courtesy of Megan Shultz).

Senior week to take place week of May 20

Mattie Baker, Reporter
May 9, 2024
Smile. The student council poses for a quick group picture after packing their holiday baskets. The students filled laundry baskets with donated goods, including food, cleaning supplies and toiletries (courtesy of Jessica Hogan).

Student council to take field trip to Hershey Park

Mattie Baker, Reporter
May 8, 2024
Women in business. From left to right, students Leah Petrunak, Rhea Liss, Miley Naugle, Kenly Bennett, and Cadence Ellick pose with their YEA plaques. After committing to weekly classes and growing their business plans, all the YEA students attended an investor panel and a graduation ceremony.

The YEA experience

Mattie Baker, Reporter
April 29, 2024
Rivals. Spotify and Apple Music are the most even on the streaming-service playing field. Spotify was officially launched in 2008, and Apple Music in 2015. [Made with Canva]

The superior streaming service

Emmalee Martyak and Mattie Baker
April 17, 2024
Gutsy. GUTS (spilled) is former Disney star, Olivia Rodrigos second album. Her first, SOUR, won her three Grammy awards in 2022.

A punch to the guts

Mattie Baker, Reporter
April 2, 2024
Amazing art. These glass flowers are handmade by skilled artisans. Corning Museum of Art has held pieces like this and more in their gift shop.

Art society to go on fieldtrip

Mattie Baker, Reporter
March 28, 2024
Thrilling. The Only One Left by Riley Sager is his most recent release to date. Readers can look forward to his next book, which will be released in the summer of 2024, Middle of the Night.

Murder Mystery March

Mattie Baker, Reporter
March 28, 2024
Unethical. BookTok is one of the most popular and widespread subcommunities of TikTok. Still, no regulations were put on it or its participating creators.

BookTok: one mess that needs to be fixed

Mattie Baker, Reporter
March 15, 2024
Women in STEM. Sophomore Natalie Duffy works on her chemistry homework while at a study session with friends. Duffy used the Starbucks iced coffee for a much-needed burst of energy.

[Photo]

A memorable memoir. Educated by Tara Westover stands as one of the most well received memoirs of the 21st century. Westovers novel was originally published in 2018 and has won many awards, including two National Book Critics Circle Awards.

“Educated” teaches what school cannot

Mattie Baker, Reporter
March 4, 2024
Students of the National Art Honor Society gather around one of the many unique art displays at Corning Museum of Glass. They ventured through the fragile artworks with the help of one of the museums experienced tour guides.

How Corning Museum of Glass shatters expectations

Mattie Baker, Reporter
February 20, 2024
Sweet treats. Dunkins most recent release is the Pink Velvet Macchiato, perfect for the Valentines season. They also released a brownie batter heart-shaped donut to continue the trend.

The Dunkin’ Details

Mattie Baker, Reporter
February 5, 2024
Twinning. Health teachers Amy Palfey and James Dangelo bond over their shared lesson plans. The health classes cover a variety of topics, including mental health, CPR and diseases.

[Photo]

Terrifying. The cover is much more horrifying than the pages that lie beneath it. It was Nat Cassidys most recent release after the popular novel, Mary: An Awakening of Terror.

January Book of the Month

Mattie Baker, Reporter
January 31, 2024
Case closed. The mock trial team celebrates another victory. The team has competed in both tournaments and singular trials throughout the season.

Mock trial season underway

Mattie Baker, Reporter
January 25, 2024
By trial and error. Sophomores Grace Hovan and Lillian Megahan pose together after a court victory of the mock trial team. The team travels all around PA to compete in a variety of competitions and trials.

[Photo]

The best of the worst: worst and best movies of 2023

The best of the worst: worst and best movies of 2023

Makenzie Closson and Mattie Baker
January 8, 2024
Made with Canva

Have a cup of cheer

Mattie Baker, Reporter
December 12, 2023
Chistmas cheer. Health teacher and girls basketball coach Amy Palfey shows her holiday spirit with her classroom decorations as well as her wardrobe. Aside from the bright lights and miniature trees, Palfey also plays holiday music in the mornings to celebrate the season.

[Photo]

Vibrant. The Great Gatsby and its colorful cover represent the liveliness of the time period. The book was first published in 1925 during the Roaring Twenties.

“The Great Gatsby” is far from great

Mattie Baker, Reporter
November 28, 2023
Happy fall. This pristine lake in central PA stands as a perfect representation of the autumn season. Its dark, reflective waters and the colorful leaves that fall atop them showcase the beautiful flora of the area.

[Photo]

Get set, go. Boys and girls junior varsity cross country runners wait for the gun to go off at the start line. The teams raced at the Grove City Invitational on Oct. 7, their fifth invitational of the season.

Cross country season comes to an end

Mattie Baker, Reporter
November 8, 2023
Enthralling. The cover of the book Mary is much more pleasing than the book itself. The cover art was done by David Palumbo.

“Mary: An Awakening of Terror” is terrifying for all the wrong reasons

Mattie Baker, Reporter
October 24, 2023
Swiftie spirit. Sophomore Natalie Duffy poses in her The Eras Tour outfit before the show. The surprise songs of the concert were The Last Time and Mr. Perfectly Fine (photo courtesy of Natalie Duffy).

Life of a Swiftie

Mattie Baker, Reporter
October 24, 2023
All new teachers hired by the district gathered at the high school for the week prior to school starting for training.

Sixteen teachers choose high school

October 18, 2023
Death on the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express, and A Haunting in Venice by Agatha Christie form the basis of their respective movies. Murder on the Orient Express was originally published in 1934, with the others released not long after.

Murder, betrayal and the supernatural

Mattie Baker, Reporter
October 12, 2023
Muy bien. Writing infinitive endings on the board, teacher Kayleen Czankner explains how to conjugate them to her sixth period. After the lesson, her students practiced in pairs to gain a full understanding of the topic.

[Photo]

Representing AAHS! Altoona has held this conference many times prior. They even did the first ever PASC conference in 1934.

Student council holds conference

Mattie Baker, Reporter
September 19, 2023
Golden Smile Abigail Herncane smiles as she is being crowned as the Homecoming Queen. Herncane was announced as the Homecoming Queen on Sept. 30.

Seniors run for Homecoming

Mattie Baker, Reporter
September 15, 2023
Cheering for the four by four team, Coach Eli Mencer helps motivate the runners. At the meet, Altoona faced State College, and the four by four team finished second in their heat.

Hurdlers face coaching situation

Mattie Baker, Guest Reporter
April 26, 2023
If “Bullet Train” sounds familiar, that is because a movie adaptation starring Brad Pitt came out in August of 2022. Each the movie and book offer an exciting experience and I recommend trying both.

“Bullet Train” moves just as swiftly as its namesake

Mattie Baker, Guest Reporter
March 8, 2023
Editorial cartoon - Lunch

Editorial cartoon – Lunch

Mattie Baker, Contributor
March 6, 2023
Working Hard. Typing away on her keyboard, freshman Gabrielle Beldin works on an assignment for her civics class. The assignment is on the parts of Congress, which could appear on the Citizenship test.

Civics classes to take Citizenship Test

Mattie Baker, Guest Writer
January 24, 2023
Smiling brightly, the Student Council shows both their holiday and school spirit. The club members have planned a variety of other activities to give back to the community around the holidays, such as the holiday food basket drive.

Student Council to host staff kids holiday party 

Mattie Baker, Guest Reporter
December 9, 2022
Introduction to Publication students designed magazine covers to feature journalism students. Mattie Baker designed this cover to feature Lillian Roberts.

Roberts shares writing journey

Mattie Baker, Guest Reporter
October 25, 2022
Load More Stories

Mountain Echo

The Student News Site of Altoona Area High School
1415 Sixth Avenue
Altoona, PA 16602
© 2024 • FLEX Pro WordPress Theme by SNO • Log in
Menu
Activate Search
Home
Mattie Baker