November 2012
Batesville High School
Vol. 6, No. 1
Canned Food Drive Begins at BHS Join the competition to assist the community
Canned Food Drive Nov. 12-29
Coat Drive Nov. 12-21
The Christmas Brings Hope Food Drive is November 12-29. This year grades 10, 11, and 12 will compete (instead of 1A classes). Students will bring items to the teacher assigned to their grade: Mrs. Walker -10th, Mrs. Gillmore -11th, and Ms. Barnett -12th. The goal is for each class to reach or exceed 1000 items. The class that brings the most will receive a grand prize to be determined by Mr. Campbell. Donated items will be distributed to those in need to help with holiday meals. This is a good cause and a good opportunity to help others. Batesville Pioneers
are all about helping those in need and if each class can bring 1000 cans, its 3000 cans that can help feed 3000 people in our area. Show others you care, share the
love, and help out! Who knows? In doing this, you may decide to volunteer and help out all over the world!
Prom Committee Meets and Plans
By Hagan McIntosh and
Hannah Barber
BHS Art Wall A Work of Art
SHARE THE LOVE! Carol and Deaven read about Christmas Brings Hope.
Members of the Junior and senior class have recently met to discuss the upcoming dance of the year, prom. Ms. Keller and a selection of volunteers from the junior and senior class have been brainstorming ideas for decorating the location of the dance and the group has made a decision to make the theme Bollywood. The Bollywood prom will have tents and a combination of beautiful colors surrounding the
November 2012
dance floor. The prom committee still meets every Friday during lunch thinking of way to make this prom a memorable experience for all of the graduating class of 2013. Prom tickets will be on sale for the Batesville High Juniors and Seniors for $20 - $25, depending on the fundraisers that will soon be set up by the prom committee. Sophomores and Freshmen will be allowed to attend if a Junior or Senior
DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY! Mrs. Keller is very excited about prom.
signs them up. “Get ready to enjoy Bollywood,� said the English 11 class.
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Boxing Takes Hit at Batesville High Editorials By Hagan McIntosh Boxing is a sport that is growing in popularity in both professional and amateur forms. Even though its popularity is increasing, boxing is still controversial in schools because of the potential dangers. Both the pros and cons have really good points. The cons are that boxing is too dangerous with risks such as: disfigurement, permanent neurological damage and even death. The
youngest death was a 12-year old participant. Doctors are at ringside during boxing matches to assist with injuries. It would be far too expensive to keep a doctor on staff. Also, the violent nature of the sport teaches students that violence is okay; therefore, teaching them to fight in and out of the ring. Some argue that football is also a dangerous sport. The rules of the two sports are far different, for example, if a player hits another in the head while playing football he would
be sent off the field. It comes down to the intent of harm. There are just as many pros as there are cons. Boxing is not the only violent sport, and if a sport was banned because of the risks involved, there would be no sports. Boxing in a ring is in a controlled environment with the participants being trained in proper techniques, and if the participants are matched properly, the risk of severe injury is drastically reduced. Boxing also allows students to release some of their aggressions in the ring,
teaching self-discipline. So what do I think of boxing in the schools? Well if I were to give my opinion on this subject, I would agree to have Boxing in our schools. You are possibly wondering why I would want such a violent sport in our schools. To me boxing is more than just fighting to me boxing is a way to show skill and abilities. A student at Batesville high school, Kaleb Armstrong stated that boxing is just another very competitive, very contact sport.
President Obama Wins Again in a Very Close Race
By Hagan McIntosh
Tuesday (Election Day) proved to be the day when 51% of the people voted for President Obama to lead our country
again. Arkansas’ numbers proved to not be quite so supportive, with only one-third of the people voting Demotcratic. Within the next few days, the Stock Market dropped, businesses laid off workers to avoid Obama Care, East Coast residents became angry at the lack of assistance being sent their way, and reports concluded that Iran shot at an US drone, nearly missing, on November 1, which was not reported to the American public until after the election. Congratulations, President Obama. Now, please go to work. This time, please grant these two requests: 1) be an America, not a Democrat, and represent all your people and 2) please remember that it is the taxpayers only who pay your salary, so, please, give them ample representation.
Spirit of the Pioneer Staff
Bro, loosen your belt! Why wouldn’t you want to be stylin’ like I am? Don’t you know it’s cool to let your drawers show?
Kaleb Armstrong Hannah Barber Skyeesha Childress Autumn Edwards Hagan McIntosh Advisor Ms. Gillmore Page 2
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November 2012
The Tragic Love Story Comes to the South By Hannah Barber Imagine the two star-crossed lovers from Romeo and Juliet moving from Verona to somewhere deep in the south. Seniors Hannah Cummins and Austin Scott will attempt to do this along with the rest of their cast in November as they bring these characters to life on stage at Batesville School District. Auditions were held on August twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth. Twentyseven people auditioned but only twenty-five were cast. “After you’ve been involved for quite a while, it is a natural decision to audition,” explained Cummins. Scott also became deeply interested in this play after being involved in other
plays. Being involved in such roles also encourages the actors and actresses to think about acting as a future career, but one had to be comfortable enough to make something out of it. “Acting is very enjoyable to me, and I feel as if I am supposed to be on stage,” commented Scott. Wanting to become an actor or actress is something many people do every day, but actually doing it and following through requires a great deal of experience. Both Scott and Cummins have been in the previous Shakespeare play A Midsummer Night’s Dream and enjoyed it very much. Cummins has also done activities that were related to acting or could
By Kaleb Armstrong A foreign exchange student, Sarah Woitrin was born in Brussels, the capital of Belgium and Europe. Woitrin is only 18, yet she speaks many languages. “I speak French and Dutch perfectly. I am learning to speak English and Spanish,” Woitrin commented. People in foreign exchange programs think there are many advantages to being a foreign exchange student. “It’s great to be an exchange student because I like to travel a lot and discover new cultures. The American culture and the
west European culture are not very different, but it’s funny to discover the little differences like the light switches are flat in Belgium, and we do not use dollars. We use euro,” Woitrin summarized. Ms. Woitrin also believes that there are some disadvantages to being in a foreign exchange program. “As a foreign exchange student you have to be “flexible” and open to learn all the different habits of the country, the family you are living with, and the school you are attending,” Woitrin added A big part of the foreign exchange program is traveling around the world
MY ROMEO. Hannah Cummins and Austin Scott dancing in the play Romeo and juliet.
be used in plays such as dance lessons since she was three, Oboe lessons since sixth grade, and choir participation since the seventh grade.
Many people do things related to acting but never get the chance to do actual acting and being on stage, so they never experience what it is like to be able to act.
Woitrin Spends a Semester in Pioneer Land
November 2012
A JOURNEY ACROSS THE OCEAN. Sarah Woitrin reading during her time at study hall.
to learn as much as you can. “I traveled a lot, and I love to do that. I’ve been in more than 20 countries all over the world, most of them in Europe,” Woitrin explained. BHS appreciates having
Sarah Woitrin here in school as she learns more about our American culture. Sarah Woitrin is very excited to be here and hopes to continue learning more of our culture.
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Building A Foundation For A Better Education By Autumn Edwards Every day you come to school and you see the new building being built very slowly . If you’re wondering if the building will ever be done in time for you to roam its halls you are in luck. Mr. Campbell knows how slow the project seems to be coming along but he reassures that the building will be done soon. “The new projected completion date is mid November. We should be moved in and having class in the new wing by the second semester.” To answer the question that many students are asking, “what all is going to be built in the new building?” Mr. Campbell stated “Two different areas are being built. The main construction to the west of the campus is a
large addition of science labs and classrooms. When that portion of the project is complete it will house 3 science labs, 13 classrooms and a teacher workroom. The new wing will support all science, math and foreign language classes. The addition in front of the campus will house administrative and counseling spaces. All Science, Math and Spanish classes will be housed in the new wing.” Curious minds were wondering how the new building would effect the students. “The new construction should effect students in a positive manner. Our current building was built in 1969 and the new science labs and classrooms will be a bright addition to our campus. I believe the finished product will be
RISE OF THE PIONEERS The rising of the building is symbolic in the fact that we are going to rise into a bigger and better school.
great. The new space will allow for collaboration between teachers, departments to be housed together and a new and modern space for students I do not see a disadvantage to the new space. The new space will allow for collaboration between teachers, departments to be housed together and a new and modern space for students.” Says Mr. Campbell. Many concerned students are wondering where the money to build
the new wing came from. Some students wanted to know that the money did not come from their clubs or other activities. This was so they would not have to cut back on expenses because of lack of school funding. To settle the mind of those worried about cost Mr. Campbell explained “The funds to build the new wing and offices were collected by refinancing school bonds. This generated about 5.1 million dollars and did not required additional
up for our Angel Tree Christmas Stocking project. We are hoping to get other clubs on board to help us this
year. We already have over 200 names we will be filling stockings for,” declared Mrs. Hubbell.
Family Community and Career Leaders of America By Autumn Edwards
Mrs. Hubbell, the FCCLA sponsor, states “FCCLA has had a busy year!” The FCCLA club has been participating in many activities. Mrs. Hubbell explains what all they have already done for this year, “We sold cookie dough to raise money to help fund our annual service projects. We went on our yearly trip to Silver Dollar City, participated and placed 3rd in the Booster club Homecoming banner contest and had an entry in the parade.” This does
not include the wonderful things that FCCLA has done for red ribbon week. FCCLA also does projects that help our community and children come together. Mrs. Hubbell proudly proclaimed “We also provided children's games at the University of Arkansas Livestock and Forestry Research Stations Celebration.” Now FCCLA is getting ready to start a new project and this one is going to make a big difference. “We are gearing
ENGLISH 12 “LEAVES” DRUGS ALONE. Mrs. Gillmore’s door won the Red Ribbon Week door contest
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November 2012
Beta Club Welcomes New Members
BHS Beta Club welcomed 27 new members at its first formal induction ceremony on Tuesday, October 30 in the cafeteria. See chart below for a list of the new members. Beta Club won first place in the Homecoming Float Contest with their round-hay bale size cake. Beta Club will participate in Habitat for Humanity’s Tele-a-Thon on Tuesday, November 13. “Our club decided that Habitat for Humanity would be one of community endeavors this year. After making contact with them, I received an e-mail from Paul Bube from Lyon College and an active participant in Habitat for Humanity asking if we would help out with the Tele-a-Thon and work on the building project later in year,” explained Mrs. Gillmore, Beta Club sponsor. “I am very proud of the Betas, for 37 of them signed up to work the Tele-a-Thon. Go, Betas!” According to their Facebook page, the Habitat for Humanity’s mission is a “partnership with God and people everywhere, from all walks of life, to develop communities with people in need by building and renovating houses, so that there are decent houses in decent communities in which every person can experience God’s love and can live and grow into all that God intends.” Beta Club is now planning an active involvement in the Arkansas State Beta Club Convention held in January in Hot Springs. Junior Peter Okolo will represent the BHS Beta Club as he runs for state officer. As part of his campaign, the entire club will create and participate in a skit competition, performing in front of 3,000 other Beta Club members from across the state. Other Betas are planning a group talent performance and are signing up for individual academic competitions. A future fund-raiser includes a Silent Dessert Auction in January at one of the home basketball games.
Yearbooks On sale! $40 Each
If you wish to have your name printed on the yearbook, an extra $5 is added to the price. To order a yearbook, please see Mrs. Childress. November 2012
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BHS! Betas wait for the Homecoming Parade to proceed from Riverside Park on Friday, October 19.
BETA INDUCTION 2012. These students five new Beta members proudly recite their Beta Club pledge during their induction.
Beta Club Brandon Brock Austin Canard Riley Caraway Alyssa Chunn Caroline Dean Christina Dean Justin Gallant Emmie Gregory Nick Hardin Hailey Hastings Morgun Henson Ashlyn Hoggard Whitney Hopper Morgan Huff
Welcomes
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Madison Lewis Sierra Moss Nick Morton Kevin Pham April Qualls Mallory Reves Peter Roulier Jordan Russell Kendrick Shetron Bree Sikes Aimee Sparks Ellie Tidwell Davis Wadley Kate Wilson Page 5
FFA Attends National Convention By Skyeesha Childress During the latter week of October, the FFA Officers Isaac Davis (President), Logan Gleghorn (Vice President), Travis Swaim (Secretary), Samantha Fulbright (Reporter), Dylan Newman (Junior Advisor), and ninth grader Greyson Wyatt (Treasurer) traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana for the 85th National Convention. “Students gained valuable leadership/social skills in an effort to advance in our Parliamentary Competitions, where we competed on November 7,” responded Harber. To some people FFA sounds like a gardening club
but FFA is so much more than just some gardening club. FFA is not just another club in the Batesville School District. Once know as Future Farmers of America, FFA is now one of the largest National Student Organizations in the country, boasting 540,379 members nationwide. Batesville is proud to call 105 of those members our own stated Zach Harber. FFA does not just teach a person the meaning of hard work but more on a personal focus on leadership. The primary focus of FFA is promoting premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through competitions,
By Skyeesha Childress Most see Spanish Club as an impossilbe language where only Hispanics can join. Everyone is welcome to join, whether they speak Spanish fluently or only a few words informed Danielle Rowell. The Hispanic culture is wonderful to explore not only the language but all of the different festivities that they calebrate such as “Dia De Los Muertos” or Day of The Dead. Spanish Club is about celebrating the Spanish language and the culture of the countries that speak it commented Rowell. Powder Puff did not last long but while it was going on the Spanish Club held up the concession stand at all the games. “For the past few
powder puff games we ran the concession stand,” stated Rowell. “Everyone loves salsa and what better way to enjoy different types of salsa then to go to a salsa contest.” “The Spanish Club will be hosting a salsa making contest later this year,” replied Rowell. There are alot of people who need help, but there are not many people who will try to help others that go without food. The Spanish club will hand out food to the hungry across from Dollar General one Saturday a month to help with the homeless shelter stated Rowell. The Red Ribbon Volleyball Tournament was great everyone had a fun time. There was a lot of people playing for there club with hopes of winning the
NO HORSING AROUND. Jacob Till (left) and Ellie Tidwell (right) helped FFA celebreate 100 years of our proud Pioneer Nation.
leadership training, agriculture mechanics, plant science, and animal science commented Harber. “FFA supported BHS Homecoming week by participating in the Homecoming float
and decorations for the Homecoming ceremonies,” commented Mr. Harber. The FFA is an active organization on this campus. Please see Mr. Harber or Mr. Jones to become involved.
Spanish Club Welcomes New Sponsers
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COMPETITION ALIVE! Spanish Club plays for a win in the volleyball game during Red Ribbon week.
tournament. The Spanish Club were practacing hard for the Red Ribbon Volleyball Tournament quoted Rowell. In the spring the Spanish will go to World Fest at Silver Dollar City. Being an officer of any club is a great deal of responsibility and needs to be taken seriously. “The Spanish
The Spirit of the Pioneer
Officers are Petra Medina, (President), Kia Woodard (Vice President), Mary Muit, (Parliamentarian), Ashdon Allen (Secretary), and they all are very responsible,” commented Rowell. If interested in becoming involved in this club, please see Mrs. Rowell or Mrs. Keller for more information.
November 2012
Extra Extra Read All About Drama Club BySkyeesha Childress Acting is not just a hobby to some people, it is a career that they will pursue. Some people might start in high school and some might just take their talents to college where there hopes and dreams will come alive. Drama is all about the art of theatre. Theatre is the most inclusive of all the fine arts, as it includes visual art, dance, and music, as well as acting. “In Drama Club, we support the Drama Department through fundraising and publicity,” informed Amanda Pickett. During the Red Ribbon Volleyball Tournament, Drama Club hosted the “Hit
a Teacher with a Pie” event for their upcoming spring break trip to Washington, D.C. and New York City quoted Pickett. Drama is really excited to be joining with Art Club to go on this wonderful trip. “Last spring break, 14 adults and students spent five days in New York City. We had a great time, and I know that this year’s trip will be even better. It is important to travel because there is life outside of Batesville, Arkansas,” commented Pickett. All the actors in the Drama Department bring something great to the stage. The old saying, “There are no
ByAutum Edwards The masterpiece that use to sit out in front of the library was done by one of BHS’ many very talented students Kenneth Hernandez. Hernandez is a senior here at BHS but started drawing in Cancun when he was only eight years old. Hernandez’ aunt taught him to draw a duck, and it just took off from there. Hernandez was only ten years old when he got into graffiti art. Being a self taught artist is very difficult to do. Not having anyone to be a sort of mentor to, in a way, teach you or for you to look upon for quidance takes real skill to do that. However Hernandez found a way to learn this art form on his own without so much as
even a favorite artist. “I don’t really have a favorite artist. I didn’t use any artist as a base to learn it. I just learned it by myself and I’m proud of that,” explained Hernandez. Like all great artists, Hernandez has many insperations but one of Hernandes’ best insperations are the people that he pleases with his art. “To be honest, my inspiration is the people that I’ve been making happy by giving them graffiti drawings. People make me happy when I’m walking down the hallway and they say,“Hey, Kenneth!” and I don’t even know them. Also, I’m inspired by my city Cancun because I was born there and it’s the place where I learned it.”
The Drama Club helps celebrate the 100th year of Pioneer Pride.
small parts, just small actors,” has never applied to each of these actors. Each person involved in the productions gives one hundred percent. “We all know that everyone is important and necessary to make a production successful. It doesn’t matter if you are one of the stage crew, the House Manager, run lights, or an
extra in a crowd scene, or are Romeo, you are needed,” stated Pickett. For more information about the upcoming Spring Break trip, please see Ms Amanda Picket or Mrs. Sturdivant. You may still become involved in this organization, also.
The Modern Picasso Unveals His Masterpiece
November 2012
OUR OWN PICASSO. Kenneth Hernandez is known to some as the graffiti master.
A l t h o u g h Hernandez has a lot of inspiration and he is very talented, but as of now Hernandez does not believe that he will pursue his love of the art as a career. “I might be good at this, but I like to make shirts, body paints, spray paint, and designs by the computer, so
I really don’t know if I will peruse graffiti as a career, I would like it but I think it’s not going to be a good job.” To preview more art by Hernandez, please visist: Mrs. Board’s, Mrs. Penny’s, Mrs. James’, and Mrs. Walter’s rooms. Also Hernandez has his own website www. cancunstreetart.webs.com.
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Senior Dowen Picks His Hobby
By Hagan McIntosh Nathan “Musicman” Dowen is an upcoming singer and songwriter, singing daily ever since he can remember. His inspiration for becoming a singer is his own love for music. When asked, who is his favorite music artist?, he answered, “I don’t entirely have a single favorite music artist but I do have a few that I really enjoy. A few are the Beatles, Green Day, A Day to Remember and many many more”. He has a gift of learning musical
instruments quickly; therefore, purchasing his first guitar from All Star. Performing for the first time can be quite terrifying as it was for Musicman. The fear isn’t from the people but from making mistakes. It was only short lived because after a few songs he was confident and relaxed. On the average, he plays 15 to 30 songs depending on factors such as how much time he has on stage, how he feels, what the crowd wants, etc. Musicman can play more
Book Review: Fahrenheit 451
than 50 songs with his guitar. There are three covers he enjoys playing the most; “Viva la Vida” by Cold Play, “My Immortal” by Evanescence, and “Angles on the Moon” by Thriving Ivory. He has written at least 20 songs and is currently working on 5 others. His favorite is “Maria “which will be out for everyone to enjoy in approximately a month. Everyone is invited to listen to him perform in October at the Morningside Coffee House. Flyers will be posted with the exact date.
By Peter Okolo, Junior at BHS “It was a pleasure to burn.” Guy Montag, the main character, is a burning fanatic that loves seeing items “eaten, blackened, and changed.” Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 disappointed me due to my opinion on the poorly written book. What can I say about this book? The author’s style affects my reading of the novel because I did not enjoy it, never thought any part of the book was funny, and it barely gave me a sense of where the place is set. “Books were for burning along with the houses in which they were hidden.” I did not like reading a novel full of sin; writing a novel on book burning did not please me. “Do you ever read any of the books you burn?” Guy laughed, but I found that statement stupid. “He walked out of the fire station and along the midnight street toward the subway…” Throughout the book, it did not specify a location (like the U.S. or Europe). The book only states the house and fire station as the setting. I probably could not compare this book to any other book because of Mr. Bradbury’s unusual topic. “Forget them. Burn all, burn everything.” Currently, the novel does not compare to recent events or issues, but it does connect to the KKK burning the cross as an illegal act of crime. I do in fact understand the theme of the book. I understand not to burn books, get pure-pressured, and not to take people’s concerns into consideration. “…He laughed. That’s against the law!” “Oh. Of course.” Book burning is STRICTLY illegal! “He never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old who told him of a past when people were not afraid.” Clarrisa, the seventeen-year-old, pure-pressured Guy, the ten-year firefighter, into burning books because of her controlling attitude. “He met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think… and Guy Montag realized what he had to do!” The professor was concerned about the future. He told Mr. Montag and Mr. Montag took his idea into consideration; the future was not bright after what Guy did. Truly, I recommend the novel to the “late teens” because they might have a better understanding about book burning. The novel is ranked number eight on The Top 10 Teen Read, but I did not understand how well the book was written. I am sure the novel is a well written novel; however, I must do more growing and studying to understand Fahrenheit 451 to the fullest. This book review was published on Okolo’s blog for Mrs. Gillmore’s English 11 class. Page 8 The Spirit of the Pioneer
Giving Throughout the Season Find a need, and then conceed, Giving, Living, Never quitting. Sharing, Caring, Always giving. ______________ Beta Boxes for the Troops ______________ Christmas Caroling at the Nursing Homes ______________ Christmas Brings Hope Canned Food Drive ______________ Donate a Coat Happy Holidays!
November 2012
BHS Celebrates the Fine Arts This Fall
This fall at BHS students have connected with their creative natures in several of the classes. The BHS Pioneer Players just completed their fall performance of Romeo and Juliet the weekend of November 10-12. “Outstanding performance. Such gifted students we have. They truly brought this drama alive for me,” commented ESL teacher Kathy Walter. In art classes, students created selfportraits. “Dr. House is my favorite,” commented Hagan McIntosh. “I never BHS PIONEER PLAYERS. Seniors Nick Nail, Austin Scott, Nathan Dowen, Emily Eudy , and Junior Hannah Fielder entertain their four audiences. watched the show, but I have seen some commercials, and they got really close to what he looks like.” In EAST Lab students have created numerous projects and promoted several good causes. Mrs. Jeanne Roepcke coordinates all these many projects.
EAST LAB. Anna Heringer works on a project BHS ART CLASSES. Recently, students’ work was displayed in the hallway, causing much ooohing and ahhhing. in EAST Lab.
Homecoming Court 2012 November 2012
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Homecoming 2012: Tradition Meets Royalty
By Hannah Barber
During the Homecoming festivities on Friday, October 19, the Homecoming Queen for 2012 was announced. Senior Pamela Okolo and her escorts Jacob Hardin enjoyed their time as royalty during the Pep Rally. Later that evening, Okolo, escorted by her father, was crowned before the Homecoming crowd by Student Council President Stephanie Bolin. Unique this year was the family representation on the Homecoming Court. Okolo’s sister ChrisTina represented the sophomore class as maid. She was escorted that evening by her brother Peter Okolo. Other Homecoming Royalty were TSenior Maids Jayme Shell, Maggie Goodall, Maria Ponnath, Pamela Okolo, and Chelsey Johnson. Junior Maids include Scarlett Bentley and Makenzie McDonald. Sophomore Maids are Olivia Looney and ChrisTina Okolo. BHS students voted their choices for the 2012 Homecoming Court earlier in the month, with the queen run-off taking place during the week of Homecoming. High school students could nominate as many girls within their grade level as they wished. Anyone receiving five votes was placed on the initial ballot. This year the Homecoming Queen was not announced until the
THERE SHE IS! Senior Pam Okolo welcomes the crowd’s recognition of their choosing her as this year’s Homecoming Queen.
morning of Homecoming during the annual Homecoming Pep Rally, hosted by the cheerleaders. The escorts included the following senior football players: Hayden Anderson, Phillip Archuleta, Lucas Bachman, Brendan Bagwell, Jeremy Cox, Athan Dockery, Luis Guzman, Jacob Hardin, Nick Hardin, Jonathan
Hendrix, Jared May, Drew Moore, Mason Neaville, Gunnar Osborn, Javier Rodriguez, Wesley Rudd, and James Trotter. Batesville high School honers the homcoming tradition and thanks everyone who participated in school events and showed a lot of school spirit.
Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas to all Batesville High Pioneers! From all of us from BHS Newspaper
All the lady pioneers elected to homcoming court are: (left to right, top) Marie Ponnath, Pamela Okolo, Jayme Shell, Maggie Goodall, Chelsea Johnson (bottom) Scarlett Bentley, Makenzie McDonald, Olivia Looney, and ChrisTina Okolo.
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November 2012
Sydney Nail Drives for Batesville High School
By Hannah Barber Sydney Nail, a very experienced golf player, has played this challenging sport since she was a little girl. Golf is very important to Nail, and she continues to mature as an athlete and improve. “My goal is to carry on and play in college,” stated Nail. “Girls get golf scholarships all the time because there are so few of them who play well.” As for many experienced golf players, Nail has had great achievements that she is proud of. Playing golf takes a lot of hard work, and many people do not realize how much the players practice to learn the right techniques. The sport also takes work not only as a person
but as a team. If the team does not work together and raise each other up then the players are not a team, they are individuals sharing an interest. “My best achievement was when my team and I made state together,” commented Nail. “Going out there and having fun is something Allison, Brooks, and I love to do.” There are many different types of hits in golf, and a great player knows them all. Nail is best at driving, and for this reason Coach Fulks has nicknamed her “Killer.” When players mess up at a hit, the best thing to do is not be angry at themselves, move on, and keep going. Golf is a very intense
By Kaleb Armstrong An inspiring track star, Peter Okolo has a strong need for speed. As a BHS athlete, hard working, dedicating, and having fun are what drive some to great accomplishments, and Peter knows this as well as anyone. Many athletes choose track because they hope to beat speed records. “My parents did it in high school, and they said I was capable of it because I am a speedy guy,” commented Okolo. Track consists of other activities besides running that make it a very competitive sport. For example, these other activities include the pole vault, high jump, and
hurdles. Every athlete has something at which he/she is best. In Okolo’s case, he excels at jumping. “Jumping is probably my favorite thing about trace because it gets me a little bit more recognition than sprinting,” explained Okolo. Okolo has personal goals for improving this sport so that he may accomplish even more. “I want to improve in everything! Running, jumping. It'll make me a better athlete overall if I improve on all of it,” summarized Okolo. Meeting new people with the same interest in sports, but all uniquely talented are what Mr. Okolo
Ready? In position? DRIVE!!! sport. It requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and consantration. Batesville High School appreciates sydney nail “killer” and the whole Batesville high school girls golf team for representing their school with their hard work and dedication to golf. They serve as an inpiration to
younge pioneers today. Many hope the batesville high school girls golf team will “drive” Batesville pioneers to bigger and greater success. Also Batesville pioneers show great apreciation for not only the players, but for the batesville high school coaches as well.
Peter Okolo Leaves Tracks In Track at BHS
November 2012
RUN! RUN! AS FAST AS YOU CAN!
enjoys most. “Meeting the other athletes and seeing how talented they are at track is what I enjoy most about this sport,” stated Okolo. There are many team mates on track but they all represent a whole.
They win as a whole and they lose as a whole. “Losing is what I dislike most about track. I speak for the whole track team when I say that losing isn’t the greatest feeling in the world,” Mr. Okolo commented.
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Football Season Continues with Numerous Wins By Hannah Barber V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! Victory, victory, one more time! The BHS football team record is 5-3 and will continue to go up on the “wins” side. Last year, the team went to the State Finals and though they didn’t come home with a win, the student body and staff were very proud of them. “We have potential to win conference and make a deep run in the playoffs,” stated Dave King, the head football coach and athletic director for the Pioneers. The Pioneers have definitely proved Coach King right this season with
their playing and they will, hopefully, continue to do this with their skills of Football and sportsmanship. Senior football player Jared May stated, “ The season is going great! I couldn’t have asked for better teammates. We all have worked hard ever since last spring and we haven’t stopped yet.” Teams are not something that just happen; it is a privilege to be on a team that works together and does well while doing that. Something great about being a team is that not everyone is the same age, so they learn so many things from each
Childress has played football six years and playing two different positions might be hard and Childress also believes that he will not only play football but will expand to basketball as well. “Playing field back and corner back is a lot of work hard work to be exact but have the support of my family which makes it a little easier. I might expand, but to be honest, I cannot choose between football and basketball. I grew up playing both sports; so therefore, it is really hard for me to even pick one or the other. If I did choose football over basketball; it would be because I feel like there is a lot more action in the game of football than there is basketball,” Childress explained. “Childress is a fine young man. He gives 100 per cent at all times and he is a
other. “I love being around my team, and the underclassmen are being taught by a great group of seniors,” commented May. The football team has shown that they are great at what they do and are an awesome group of players. “As a first year coach, I have been very fortunate to be exposed to a group of seniors that understand what it takes to be successful on and off the field. Their influence will have an impact on me and be the standard future generations of players will be expected to follow,” says Coach Patrick Rowe.
GO LONG! A senior at BHS, Jared May runs to catch the ball and score a touchdown.
Childress Tackles a High School Career in Football By Skyeesha Childress
BHS is the home to many great football players; one in particular is Elijah Childress. It all started way back when Childress was about five years old sitting on the couch with his dad and uncle watching the big Super Bowl game in the year 2000 . “All I remember is asking a lot of questions about football, like what are they doing, why did they have to hit each other like that, and can I be one of them someday. Ever since that day I’ve learned more and more about football and worked hard for the Batesville Pioneers, but even in that hard work, I loved every minute I was on that field practicing or any other field that the team and I have conquered and brought home the trophy,” commented Childress.
READY TO RUN! During one of the many football games, Senior Elijah Childress waits for the kick off.
great role model for younger players,” stated Coach King. After football, Childress plans to continue on with football through college. “Honestly, I do not know what lies in front of me but I hope to live a full life with happiness and great goals that have
Page 12 The Spirit of the Pioneer
been triumphed,” stated Childress. Football may seem like a violent sport, or a sport with no meaning but in reality, to the people who play, it is a passion. It is something that you live for, not just a game.
November 2012