The Hilight: Back to School Edition

While coming back to school can be a bleak affair, something that is never dreary is the new edition of The Hilight. I am exceedingly proud of this edition of the newspaper. All of my staff members have worked continuously hard on this paper. They have put in so many hours to perfect this edition. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Welcome back to school!

Elley Atchison, Co-Ediotor

Welcome back, Bearcats! I am so excited to have the opportunity to be co-editor this year! I have loved being on this staff for the past two years and am super pumped for the rest of this year! This year’s staff members have worked hard on this paper, and I hope you all find something you enjoy! Thank you to Ms. Calahan for being a wonderful advisor, Elley for being a great co-editor, and the rest of the staff for generally being awesome.

Drew Williamson, Co-Editor

Drew Williamson Staff Writers

Anna Beth Burleson

Claire Dossey

Jonah Jarett

John Mark Johnson

Reilly Johnson

Sophia Lambert

Blyss Murphree

Mack Rudder

Aubrey Shaddrix

Jennifer Calahan

FEATURES 3

The Two Blondes That Have Ruled the Economy

The effect that Taylor Swift and Barbie have had on America’s economy Elley Atchison, Co-Editor

There is no doubt that two blondes have absolutely dominated our modern pop culture this summer, but they might have been doing something more than that. During the summer of 2023, Ms.Taylor Swift and Barbie- the Barbie movie- have heavily influenced our economy. Some economists projected the United States to be in a recession this year; however, that is far from the truth if you look at updated records. Why is that? Could we possibly owe this better-than-foreseen economy to the two fabulous blondes in pop culture?

Taylor Swift started strong this summer with her outstanding beginning to her Eras Tour. This tour encompasses so much about Taylor Swift, and for that reason, so many grabbed tickets to her concert. While some shows might be a oneand-done night, Taylor Swift does hers differently. She makes it an enchanted

night with a three-hour tour filled with absolute greatness. In order to match what Ms.Swift brings to the table, Taylor Swift fans come prepared. Before the concert, they must create an outfit correlating one of Taylor Swift’s “eras;” this, in consequence, causes

economy due to their elaborate outfits for the tour. Additionally, numerous fans make friendship bracelets to trade at the concert; this costs lots of money, depending on how intricate the bracelets are. Again, this boosts the econo-

Barbie movie. As we all know, pop culture can influence our economy because people will spend their money on things they enjoy doing or seeing. And, man, did people enjoy seeing Barbie. As of August 20th, this movie has made one billion dollars. Of course, all this is not going straight into the economy; nevertheless, it is boosting it. Think about all the money people spend on snacks at the movie theater, Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, etc. Also, consider the money people spend at the movie theater when viewing a movie. All of these factors contribute to our current economy.

many people to go out and buy materials for their costumes, further boosting the economy. Roughly 70,000 people attend Swift’s concerts, with about three shows every weekend. Almost all those people are pouring into the

Florida’s Most Controversial Law

my as well. So, knowing this, can we conclude that Taylor Swift is not only a lyrical genius but an economical one as well? I think we can.

Moving on to the outstanding

All in all, Taylor Swift and Barbie could be considered our economic saviors. They have given us such enthralling entertainment for this year and given our economy something even more. So, to give a little thanks, stream 1989 (Taylor’s Version) on October 27th and buy yourself an “I am Kenough” sweatshirt this weekend. We owe them our utmost gratitude. Thank you, Taylor Swift and Barbie.

How the parental right’s in education law affects Florida schools

Aubrey Shaddrix, Staff Writer

Florida has been receiving nationwide criticism for the ‘controversial’ bills passed regarding Florida’s education system. Specifically, the highly problematic laws such as the infamous “Don’t Say Gay’’ bill and the banning of AP psychology in Florida schools.

On March 28th, 2022, Ron Desantis signed a bill regarding the topic of LGBTQ+ in schools. The true name of this bill is The Parental Rights in Education Law but has been coined as the “Don’t Say Gay’’ bill by critics. Many of these critics question if the bill is blocking the instruction or the mere discussion of homosexuality and believe the bill actively targets gay students in Florida and ostracizes them, causing them to suppress their identities in school. Some believe Florida is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist and creating an attack on LGBTQ+ youths. People advocating against this bill worry that it could increase bullying and social isolation for gay students in Florida and create a mental health crisis for these students. Along with the banning of LGBTQ+ instruction, this bill also limits the mental health services students can receive. The bill itself states, “In accordance with the rights of parents … adopt procedures for notifying a student’s parent if there is a change in the student’s services or monitoring related

to the student’s mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being.” These lines from the bill require educators to inform a student’s parents of changes in mental health services, which could scare students from receiving help. The contents of the bill have been described as vague, but the Florida government states the goal is to limit the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity within all grades and to give parents more control over what their children are learn ing in the classroom.

Although the bill is widely hated, it also has many supporters who believe the bill shuts down the sexualization of their children and that there is no need for discussion of LGBTQ+ within their child’s curriculum. Parents in support of the bill believe that this bill is a positive step forward in a parents’ right to be informed of their children’s education and believe they should have higher power in how their children are brought up. Governor

Ron Desantis went on record saying, “Parents’ rights have been increasingly under assault around the nation, but in Florida we stand up for the rights of parents and the fundamental role they play in the education of their children,” and, “Parents have every right to be informed about services offered to their child at school, and should be protected from schools using classroom instruction to sexualize their kids as young as 5 years old.” Originally, the bill was designed for k-3rd grade, but a year later in April of 2023, the bill was expanded to k-12th grade. Due to the expansion of the Parental Right in Education Law, Florida took action to successfully eliminate AP Psychology within Florida highschools. AP Psychology is an advanced placement course touching on the topics of human behavior and thought. The course itself asks students to relate sex and gender and how they influence socialization and development. The course had many topics that were deemed against state

law, but the discussion of sexuality had been a part of AP Psychology for 30 years before the law was passed. The College Board refuses to modify their course in order to comply with Florida’s regulations stating, “Our policy remains unchanged. Any course that censors required course content cannot be labeled “AP” or “Advanced Placement,” and the “AP Psychology’’ designation cannot be utilized on student transcripts.” Due to the demand for restrictions, The College Board advises Florida districts to not teach AP Psychology until Florida reverses their decisions and lets students freely choose the classes they can take. After College Board’s announcement, Florida’s Board of Education went back on their decision and decided that the class could be taught “in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate.” Although the ban was released, many schools still refuse to teach it in order to protect their educators from felony charges. The effect of The Parental Rights in Education Law has created a ripple effect within Florida State schools, and this highly controversial law has been seen as a monumental moment for both education and LGBTQ+ individuals, both in Florida and throughout the nation.

FEATURES 4

The Modern Library

The importance of local libraries and the challenges they face

Mack Rudder, Staff Writer

Libraries have changed in many ways over the years. Just like everything else constant in our society, they have adapted to survive the many challenges they face. Things like technology, America’s political climate, and many other challenges have affected our libraries in major and minor ways. Laura Benton, Cullman County’s Public Library’s Circulation Manager, says “The challenge of the 21st-century librarian is staying relevant in a digitized world.”

Technology has majorly changed the way libraries are run, but contrary to popular belief of most librarians, these changes have been overwhelmingly positive. Cullman Middle School Librarian Tasha Meyer says “Technol ogy has definitely had a positive impact on the way students can find and use information,” and now due to online catalogs, “Students can access our catalog from anywhere which is definitely different than years ago when we had a few computers in the library for student use.. now they all have their own! Students also have the ability to download books and audiobooks straight onto their devices using the Sora app.” Most people who have the preconceived notion that technology is somehow damaging our libraries do not realize that these changes that libraries are experiencing are not new things. Libraries have always been affected by advancements, specifically in technology, in our society and they have always adapted to incor porate these changes into the way li braries are run. Josephine Harrington, the Cullman County Public Library’s Assistant Director, articulates this by saying definitively, “Technology has changed certain aspects of how the library is run” but it, “... really depends on the time frame you’re looking at to consider what has changed. If you look quite a ways back we could consider how we have moved from the physical card catalog to a digital one which makes searching for items in the library much, much easier!”

When most people say technology will eventually eradicate libraries, they once again do not consider that libraries have already dealt with and experienced and faced and overcame challenges due to societal changes and technology and that the libraries that we now know have now been almost completely transformed, in a positive way, due to “technology”, such as the invention of the digital catalog. Looking at more recent advancements

for public libraries, most libraries now have computers available for public use and public wifi accessible. Advancements such as these lead Harrington to say that, “Overall technology has been a major positive change for the library throughout the years and I imagine will continue to be such.”

While debatable for some people on whether or not this is a challenge that our community truly faces, book bans and challenges have been increasing across the nation in the past few years, and more recently they have been affecting Alabama specifically. At the Cullman County Public

other material which he/she may find inappropriate, he/she cannot exercise the right of censorship to restrict the freedom of others.” This aligns with a statement from Harrington, “As a public library, we offer resources for our entire community and seek to provide for everyone’s needs.” and that the “public library is a resource for all!”

This is not the same for the Cullman High School and Middle School libraries though. CHS Librarian Susan Boyd says that “Book bans have not been an issue at CHS,” and that “If a parent does not want a student to read a book that has been assigned, the parents

resources, and groups. For young adults and older, they offer many different things including a weekly yoga class on Thursdays at 9:30 a.m, a knitting and crocheting group that meets on Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m to 2:00 p.m, a monthly adult crafting session, called crafternoon, and two different book clubs. For kids, they offer story time on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. Recently they have also started doing a monthly 3-D Printing Pen session for ages 12-18. This is called 3-Doodlers and Benton says you can, “...essentially ‘draw’ a 3-D object using a pen and filament.” All clubs, groups, and other activities offered can be found on the Cullman County Library website and in the quarterly calendar put out by the library. These are also all completely free resources offered by the Cullman County Public Library in addition to the computers, book catalog, printers, and internet they also have accessible. This is the importance of local libraries.

Libraries are no longer just places to find a good book. They are now also places that offer many different completely free and indispensable resources to their communities. The Cullman County Public Library employees also do significant and regular community outreach. Laura Benton says she does, “outreach to a preschool once a month” and during her time there, they “read/tell stories and do a STEM challenge and/or craft. Sometimes [they] play games and sing songs.” Benton also says her colleague, Willette, “goes around to various senior centers and nursing homes. She provides special programs to the seniors and makes sure that those who are indisposed can get their hands on good literature through her efforts.”

rington and Benton say there have been recent challenges to materials available at the public library and that some concerns about content have been raised.

According to Benton, the Cullman County Libraries “stand ready with our policies and guidance from our board to make future decisions about our collection development.” A snippet from the Board’s policy on banning books reads like this, “A decision by the Board to keep an item in the collection will stand unless subsequent judicial decisions are rendered which prohibit housing the material in the library’s collections. The library’s philosophy is that censorship is a purely individual matter, and while anyone is free to reject for oneself any book or

that is equivalent to the original required reading assignment.” CMS Librarian Tasha Meyers says, “It has become “trickier” to find age-appropriate young adult books.” citing that the reason for this is, “the accepted content in books being published now is way edgier than when [she] first started purchasing young adult books. Boundaries have changed, and what publishers call ‘young adult’ now is sometimes very inappropriate content!”

When most people think of libraries, they think of just books that are available for checkout, this is not the case though. Due to advancements and the modernization of libraries, most now offer a wide range of resources for their patrons. Our local Cullman County Library offers many different classes,

The efforts made by our local librarians and the many resources and programs offered make the public library an integral part of our community. The biggest way you can support our local public library is by using it. Harrington describes the way the community interacts with the library as a “lovely cycle” saying, “The more we can prove our community needs us, the more we can provide for our community.”

Oktoberfest

Cullman’s kick-off to fall

Aubrey Shaddrix, Staff Writer

With fall just around the corner, it’s time for Cullman to look forward to our traditional festivities, including Oktoberfest! You won’t have to wait for long, Oktoberfest is starting on Thursday, September 28th and concludes Saturday the 30th. Enjoy plenty of annual traditions at this year’s festival such as the bratwurst eating contest, weiner dog racing, and the costume contest. Oktoberfest brought us many German traditions, including our yearly Burgermeister,

FEATURES 5

Changes in Cullman

New things coming to town

Anna Beth Burleson, Staff Writer

Cullman Fair Fun

Alabama’s best fair

which no, isn’t the hamburglar, but a long standing tradition where a member of the community is elected and chosen to act as the festival’s host; this year’s representative is Dale Greer. Our town’s Burgermeister is just one of the many long standing traditions we’re proud to keep, starting all the way back in 1982 with our first ever Oktoberfest here in Cullman.

Before the festivities end, make sure to stop by and enjoy the music, fun, and food the festival has to offer!

What was once a small, quaint, little town is now growing and expanding. Businesses and new construction are popping up all over town. Thanks to Susan Eller, Retail & Workforce Development Manager at the Cullman Economic Development Agency, listed below are some exciting things coming soon to the Cullman area.

Drew Williamson and Elley Atchison, Co-Editors

Cullman’s favorite time of the year is almost here, with the Cullman County Fair opening its gates in less than a month. The fair, voted best fair in Alabama last year, will be open from October 5th to the 14th. The annual fair queen pageant is also coming up, and is set to be held on Tuesday, October 10 in the Coca-Cola Theater at the fairgrounds at 7 PM. The contestants are as follows:

Kaylee Windsor - Cold Springs

Siddalee Drake - Cullman

Gracie Lee - Cullman Christian

Amy Elizabeth Latham - Fairview

Avery Flynt - Good Hope

Abigail Allison - Hanceville

Alivia Farr - Holly Pond

Skyla Pair - Vinemont

Haley Breanne Bearden - West Point

Ever want a burger and fries after a long day, and simply just do not want to get out of the car? Well do not worry because Whataburger is coming to town. It is located on the corner of Cherokee Ave and Swafford. They are now taking applications and have plans to open this fall.

Right beside everyone’s favorite place to be…the bank, a new Waffle House is coming. This is a perfect spot in town to come enjoy some breakfast or a post-football game meal. This

is going to be situated next to Doug Dougett Jewelers.

We all miss Chick-fil-a, it’s true, but it’s coming back soon. They purchased the lot next to them to provide more room for efficiency in the drive-through line to make your experience more enjoyable.

The construction for the new Civic

Center/Indoor Rec Facility is almost underway. Everyone grab your pickleball paddles and get to work on your game. This will be the perfect place to go and get some physical activity while having fun with your friends.

Depot Park is a town staple. The construction will allow it to hold the entire community of Cullman. This year there will be Oktoberfest, Christmas Tree, Christkindl Markt, an ice skating rink, Strawberry Festival and more!

What Does Taylor’s Version Really Mean? Look what Scooter Braun made her do Claire

Dossey, Staff Writer

In 2005, Taylor Swift signed with Big Machine Records in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 15. Since then, she has released 10 studio albums creating history with each one and breaking a number of records. However, in June of 2019, Scooter Braun purchased the record label from Scott Borchetta that produced her first six records for $330 million. Braun then became the owner of all of Swift’s music videos, artwork, and masters (the masters are the official recordings of her songs, sounds, or performances with the song). Swift tried to purchase her albums back from Big Machine, but instead was offered a deal to “earn one old album back for every one new one she turned in.” Ultimately, she decided to turn this deal down and signed a new deal with Republic Records in 2018. The new deal allowed her to own all of her new music going forward; however, her previous records would not be under her ownership. Here’s the twist, there was a loophole in the Big Machine Records contract. Since Swift writes all of her own music, she also owns the publishing rights to all of her songs. This allows her to ‘cover’ all of her old music without messing with the masters of it all. After a legal battle, Big Machine gave her the right to start re-recording all of her old music in November of 2020.

In April of 2021, Swift re-recorded her second album Fearless. Since then, she has re-released Red in 2021, Speak

Now in 2023 and recently announced the re-releasing of 1989 which will drop in October of 2023. By re-recording all of her albums and putting (Taylor’s Version) on the track titles and album names, tells fans and viewers that those are the songs she now owns, instead of Braun. It’s her way of taking back what was already rightfully hers. In true Taylor Swift fashion, she has announced the re-records in different ways to get her fans excited. She has announced them during concerts or even during a news broadcast. However, this is not the only fun she has with re-recording her albums. Many fans believe she has already completely re-recorded her first six albums and has been planning these drops for years. To tease her fans with these drops she will plant small “easter eggs,” or clues in her music videos, Instagram captions or even things such as specific words or phrases she says during interviews. Some “easter eggs” are easier to spot than others; for example, in the music video for her hit song “Bejeweled,” you can hear an instrumental version of her song “Long Live” from her Speak Now album at the end along with several other easter eggs pointing to Speak Now. This led fans to believe that Speak Now re-recorded album, and they ended up being right.

On May 5th, 2023, she announced during night one of her ‘Eras

Tour’ in Nashville that Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) would be released on July 7th, 2023. Another, more obvious easter egg related to her re-records is the date “8/9,” which was the final date of the U.S. leg of the ‘Era’s Tour.’ Since the date is the number “89,” which is the last 2 numbers of the year she was born and also the name of her fifth studio album, many fans believed she would either announce or release her version of the 1989 album on that date. Not surprisingly, the fans were right; Taylor announced at the August 9 ‘Eras Tour’ concert in Los Angeles, that she would be releasing her version of 1989 on October 27, 2023.

Since Swift loves to create new reasons for fans to love these new releases, she includes “Vault Tracks’’ on each new release. These tracks are songs she wrote to put on the initial album release, but her previous label refused to include. However, since she was very proud of these songs, she decided to put them on her version of the album. She wanted fans to hear some of her amazing work that they have been unable to hear for years because they have been locked in Swift’s imaginary ‘Vault’. Tracks like, “All Too Well

the ‘Vault Tracks’ collection when 1989 (Taylor’s Version) releases. Many fans are disappointed that only five vault tracks are being included on 1989 (Taylor’s Verison). Why? Because Taylor has mentioned in multiple interviews that she wrote over fifty songs for 1989 originally and is only releasing a total of 21 songs on her version of the album, and her fans want them all.

To make the re-releases Swift also featured artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Chris Stapleton, Fall Out Boy, and many other well known artists on her vault tracks. Not only does she feature celebrities in her vault songs but also in her music videos. In her most recent music video for her song “I Can See You,” a vault track on Speak Now (Taylors Version), Taylor Lautner and Joey King starred as characters in the video.

All of her albums have made a huge impact on the music industry and her re-recording her first six has just created even more things Taylor Swift will go down in history for. She will forever be known as an iconic artist who stood up for herself and any other artist who did not rightfully own their own album and get the profit from their streams and purchases. Stream all of her (Taylor’s Version) albums.

tracks on her most recent re-recordings. Five more songs will be added to

Summer Movies

Some of the craziest movies ever that aren’t Barbie or Oppenheimer

Jonah Jarrett, Staff Writer

On June 2, 2023, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was released to critical acclaim. This two-and-ahalf-hour-long animated sequel is the third-highest-grossing movie this year, just behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Barbie. The story of the movie picks up where the last one left off, but you do not have to see the previous film to enjoy this one (although I encourage it heavily). The movie sees the young, new Spider-man Miles Morales reunited with his friends from the last movie and thrust into an adventure to save his family, his love life, and the universe. Produced by the talented writers and directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, this movie is full of funny jokes, spectacular visuals, and catchy music.

Released in theaters across America on June 23, 2023, Asteroid City is acclaimed director Wes Anderson’s wildest movie yet. The film has an astonishingly large celebrity cast including Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Adrien Brody. Despite its famous cast, this movie is anything but ordinary. Set in a retrofuturistic version of 1955, the movie follows the story of a group of children and their parents admitted to a Space Cadet convention for their scientific inventions and what happens when the town is locked down after an alien appears. This entire world is set within a play within the movie, and the audience also sees how the cast of this play and the director interact. The movie’s scenes switch between monochromatic and colored in order to represent this change. The movie’s plot is a little nonsensical (likely on purpose) but the film’s esoteric themes do not stop it from having fun characters and good comedy.

Favorite Funky Socks

Element came out on May 27, 2023, and originally was shaping up to be the next movie in the rapidly expanding catalogue of Disney/Pixar failed films. (see our article on page __ for more information on that) Despite how it seemed, this movie ended up bringing it back and has actually raked in more money in the international box office than its animated competitor Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in spite of the differences in reception. This movie depicts the relationship between two lovers who aren’t meant to be. Water and fire are two elements that can’t mix together, but this couple manages to stay determined and make it work. Despite its lackluster story elements, this movie received praise for its beautiful animation. At least it’s not another live-action reboot.

On June 16, 2023, The Flash was released with mixed success; primarily due to its poorly received special effects, the questionable criminal history of the film’s main star, Ezra Miller, and the dubious use of AI to bring back dead actors for cameos. The plot follows Barry Allen, the Flash, as he goes back in time and meets his younger self. The movie also features the triumphant return of Michael Keaton as Batman. Overall, this movie is widely considered to be a box-office bomb.

Dipping our toes into some of the campus’s favorite socks.

Blyss Murphree, Staff Writer

Do you wear socks? I sure hope so!

If you do, what pair is your favorite?

Please don’t tell me your favorite is the crusty white pair of Nike socks you wear every other Thursday. C’mon, be interesting! I have conducted multiple interviews on this same topic. Each answer is very different but have one thing in common. They’re Funky!

I own many different pairs of funky socks. I have My Little Pony socks for all of the ponies, SpongeBob socks, HelloKitty socks, and multiple different, colors of tall striped socks. Now lets see what socks are some of CHS student’s, and teachers favorites.

Jay Lee : Junior “I really like my Count Chocula ones.”

Coach Johnsey “My favorite pair of funky socks are a pair I got as a gift from a student. It’s a pair that has a picture sewn into them of “Pistol” Pete Maravich. They got a LOT of purple in them which I don’t normally wear.”

Colter Drake: Senior “I’ve got one with palm trees on em, with purple palm trees. I like those a lot.”

Mr.Teuscher “I have socks with my dogs on them, They’re pretty funny looking”

Trey Mclaine : Senior “I like my soccer socks because I play soccer, but I really like my octopus socks because they’re the first ones I had”

Leah Hunt: Senior “My treat yo self ninja turtle halloween socks.”

Cash Woods : Freshman “Um, I really like my ones with bacon egg and cheese on them.”

Barbenheimer

A review of Barbie and Oppenheimer

Elley Atchison, Co-Editor

There was only one requirement for this summer: watch the Barbie movie and watch Oppenheimer back to back. If you complete that task, you have reached survival of the fittest. If you haven’t, what are you even doing?

Get tickets to watch these two movies as fast as you can. Barbiheimer, if you will, is a cinematic masterpiece that rocked my world, and I was not ready for it in the slightest bit. Now I know so many things that I did not before these two movies came out: I am kenough, I might be Weird Barbie, physics can be super cool, and Cillian Murphy deserves an Oscar win this year.

The Barbie movie wittingly encompassed the difficulty of being a woman today. However, it did it with such humor and charisma that you enjoyed every second. You didn’t feel like you were being preached to; they morphed it into the movie with style. The message was beautiful, and the clothes were even more beautiful. Margot Robby portrayed Barbie brilliantly and blew me away with her interpretation of this doll we have known for so long. While Robby offered the vital main role in the movie, the obvious comedic relief was Weird Barbie and our beloved Ken. The weird Barbie’s face popping up on the screen when Barbie is in crisis genuinely made me laugh out loud; I thought that entire facet of the movie was hilarious. Ken is a whole

other topic of discussion. Anyone who tells you this movie is anti-men, is lying to you, and Ken is proof of that. Both he and Barbie demonstrate that there can be a happy ending to a movie with-

This movie moves 90 to nothing, and it won’t stop to explain anything to you, so hang on. Throughout this film, the images change from color, to demonstrate Oppenheimer’s perspective, and

out the two clear love interests being together at the end. Ken found who he was and realized he was kenough, just like we all are. What a lovely little message. The “kens” performance on the beach and in the large room singing “I’m Just Ken” elevated the movie to another level; that was a highlight moment in Barbie. The ending was one of the greatest parts of the movie because it truly exemplifies the specific time when being a woman is real: going to the gynecologist.

Truthfully, I feel like I would have to see Oppenheimer fifty times to get a comprehensive grasp on this movie.

Back to School Crossword

then to black and white, to demonstrate Lewis Strauss’ perspective; this is a brilliant aspect of the film. While all this is happening, you can notice a slight change in the series of events when they play the same scene twiceonce in color and once in black and white. Because it portrays the different perspectives, the two characters view the situation differently. I thought this was such a neat element within this detailed film. Switching gears, Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer is such perfect casting; he embodied that role and made me feel like I knew Oppenheimer personally- sometimes a little too

Back to School Crossword

personally if you know what I mean; you too, Florence Pugh. Moreover, he was fantastic; because his role was ever so subtle, it created the character perfectly. His portrayal is Oscar-worthy, and I hope to see him there come March. What also must be noted is the impeccable score and auditory aspect of Oppenheimer. My favorite scene was when he was presenting a speech after the “success” of the atomic bomb, and he switched in and out of consciousness, with the sound switching with him. I was terrified and exhilarated all at the same time- it was pretty incredible. The score was another aspect of the movie I was not prepared for. What an absolute treat that was. Just when I thought Nolan couldn’t top the score from Interstellar, he came out with this. Now, I have learned my lesson: never underestimate the power of Christopher Nolan. All in all, this movie was genuinely just anything but boring. If you are a simple person in this world that breathes air, you will love this movie.

7.

8.

11.

12.

15.

16.

17.

Back to School Catwalk How much do you know?

Anna Beth Burleson and Reilly Johnson, Staff Writers

Star-Studded Smackdown

Who would win in these hypothetical celebrity fights?

5.

1.

2. 1/10

4. 200 years ago

can dance real good to

Young Juc”

1. When was CHS established?

1908

2. On a scale of 1-10, how well do you know the Alma Mater?

3. What part of school are you most excited about?

4. How old is the oldest “Yo Mama” joke? 3,500 years old

5. Do you have any hidden talents? What are they?

1.

1. Oh like 1860s for sure

2. 2/10, not a lot at all

3. Lunch...That’s about it

4. *laugh*... I don’t know

5. none

Hattie Graham Freshman

1886

3. hoco

“I

‘It’s Going Down’ by

Carson Stancil Freshman

1. 1925

2. 10/10

3. AG & baseball

4. 40 years ago 5. none

Allie Krigbaum Sophomore

1. 1928

2. 4/10

3. When the bel rings after 7th period

4. 1980

5. I can pop my shoulder blade out

Callie Smith Junior

1. 1906

2. 3/10

3. Hoco & Friday nights

4. 1734

5. No

Kameron Myers Junior

Jordan Browning Sophomore

1902

2. 10/10

3. Theatre tech.

4. 728 BC

5. “I can hit my 7-iron 195 yards”

Annalee Allen Senior

1. Umm...1926

2. Not that well

3. Basketball season & graduation

4. Umm...none

5. none

Trenton Clemmons Senior 1. 1875

2. 3/10

3. Being a senior 4. 60 years ago

5. Guitar...kind of

John Mark Johnson, and Jonah Jarrett Staff Writer

Snoop Dogg

Fight 4

Jeff Goldblum

Fight 3

Taylor Swift Ellen DeGenres

Fight 2

Jimmy Kimmel Jimmy Fallon

Fight 1

Christian Bale Keanu Reeves

ENTERTAINMENT 10

Summer Anthems

CHS student’s songs of the summer

Mack Rudder, Staff Writer

Everyone has that one song that they play on repeat all summer, whether it be while hanging out at the pool with friends or while driving in the car with the windows down. There is always just that one song that perfectly describes the overall mood. Here are what some CHS students would say was their “summer anthem” this summer break.

KneeDeepatATP-Lovejoy

ConeyIsland-SEB

Dreams - The Cranberries

Ooh La La - The Faces On Sight -Kanye West

The Way I loved You- Taylor Swift

Paint the Town Red - Doja Cat

ChakeWalkWithMe-Taba

Shut Up My Mom’s CallingHotel Ugly

Highway to Hell - AC/DC

Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

August - Taylor Swift

New Schedule

Making adjustments

Reilly Johnson, Staff Writer

In case you have not already noticed, there is a brand new bell schedule this year. Last year, first period began at 7:50 and seventh period ended at 3:05 on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday and 2:10 on Wednesday and Thursday. This year however, first period does not start until 8:10 although school is still released at 3:05 each day. On Wednesday the late bell does not ring until 8:40.

Class time has also been adjusted to 55 minutes. Some of the other changes include a full seven-period day Monday through Friday rather than block days on Wednesday and Thursday. Bearcat Enrichment has also been removed from the schedule as a whole.

Due to these changes, there has been quite a bit of discussion among students and teachers. Since there is no Bearcat Enrichment, students must make up tests and work in the morning at 7:40 or in the afternoon. There is also not a chance for longer class periods which has affected labs and other activities for certain classes. Several students have complained that the day feels longer than it did in the past years. Others have said they wished it would go back. Multiple teachers have said that they are accepting the changes with open arms and adapting to them.

There has also been a few changes in the yearly schedule. Christmas break dates have been adjusted. Last year school was released on December 20th and returned January 4th. Now students’ last day is December 15 and second semester starts January 3rd. Other days have been changed to remote. According to Mrs. Tuggle in the first week assembly, these changes have all been added to help students affected by the pandemic. This way they will get time with each teacher and subject every day of the school week rather than just four of the days. This is in the hope to get those struggling caught up and back on track with their academics.

New CHS Faces

New year, new faces. Drew Williamson, Co-Editor

A new year at CHS means many new faces. Here is a quick introduction to our new CHS faculty! Questions

1. How long have you been teaching, and what subject do you teach?

2. What are you most looking forward to about teaching at CHS?

3. What do you like to do for fun?

4.What is the best teaching adivce you have ever recieved?

5. What is one piece of advice you would like to give to your students?

John Bullen

been given is to focus on relationship first, then rigor. Having trust is vital to a successful classroom… period!

5. One piece of advice for my students is to be okay with asking for help. It doesn’t make you weak- it makes you BRAVE. Asking for help, in any capacity, means you are willing to fight for yourself. And that’s something to be celebrated. :)

Mike Gay

school head coach.

2. The students. The opportunity to meet, teach, and invest in so many incredibly smart, unique kids is something I look forward to every day!

3. I love watching and attending any sporting event, going to the lake, hanging out by the pool, and spending time with my family and friends and of course, spending time with Kobe, my Bernedoodle.

4. Give your students a chance to breathe, be heard, and be successful and also take attendance! :)

5. Everything great in life is on the other side of hard. In order to get the great things, you have to be willing to do the hard things. Always remember if you are going through something hard, keep pushing, greatness is coming up next!

Jonathan Haynes

1. This is my 4th year teaching, but my first at CHS. I will be the ISS teacher.

2. Being a part of the Bearcat community and football community.

3. I enjoy spending time with my wife, Amanda, who teaches at CCPS. I like hunting, fishing, and golfing.

4. The best teaching advice I have ever received was to treat everyone how you would like to be treated. Also the best advice I could give would be mentors matter. Listen to your mentors and take constructive criticism.

5. Strive for a good school-life balance. Take on leadership roles when they present themselves.

Cass Eliff

1. How long have you been teaching, and what subject do you teach? I’ve been teaching for 12 years; I teach engineering and robotics.

2. What are you most looking forward to about teaching at CHS? I’m excited to build a STEM program that our student body, school, and community is proud of. A program that exposes students to engineering and real world relevant learning.

3. What do you like to do for fun? I love spending time with family and friends, playing golf, camping, fishing, and college football.

4. What is the best teaching advice that you have received? Be flexible and put students first.

5. What is one piece of advice you would like to give to your students? Set yourself apart. Strive for perfection and settle for excellence. Anyone can strive for excellence and settle for mediocrity.

Jessica McBrayer

1. I have been teaching for 23 years. At Cullman High School, I am teaching Information Technology Fundamentals. This is the first course in the new cybersecurity pathway at CHS. Students in this class will learn the knowledge and skills necessary to take the CompTIA ITF+ certification exam and they will prepare to compete in Cyber Capture the Flag (CTF) events like CyberPatriot. I also teach cybersecurity and STEM at Cullman Middle School and I coach the VEX IQ robotics competition teams.

2. I look forward to preparing students for cyber careers so that they can be part of protecting our community from criminal threats as well as threats to national security.

3. I love spending time with my family, but I will admit that developing my knowledge of cyber skills is also fun for me.

4. Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

1. I’ve been teaching for 7 years! I teach English 10 and Mythology.

2. I am most looking forward to Homecoming! As fellow CHS Homecoming Queen 2011, nothing excites me more than to see our school and community come together for our beloved school and Boys of Fall!

3. I love to spend time with my crazy 4 year old twins, and watch the Taylor Swift concerts each week on a grainy TikTok livestream.

4. The best teaching advice I’ve ever

1. I am beginning year 1 of my teaching career. I am starting in CTE, teaching Business Applications 1, and Sports and Entertainment Marketing. So far, I am loving it! I am also in my 10th year of coaching, but my first year as high

5. I have found the following piece of advice from C.S. Lewis to be very true and I would like to pass it along to my students: “If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come.”

CAMPUS NEWS

New CHS Faces (continued)

Ben Heatherly

Macy and our 8 month old puppy, Winston. I also enjoy watching and playing sports.

4. Always be a good role model for students and always teach without showing bias to your personal beliefs.

5. Always do what you are supposed to do and anything is better than a zero.

Claudia Graves

1. I’ve been teaching for 14 years. I have taught physical education and health and wellness management. I am teaching the Education and Training program here at CHS

2. I really enjoy the culture and pride that everyone has and I am really excited about being a part of the family.

3. Spend time with my family.

4. (no answer)

5. Learn from your past, prepare for the future, but live in the present.~T.

Monson

Jarrod Helms

1. This is my first year teaching, and I teach Algebra 2.

2. I am looking forward to seeing the growth in my students both as learners and as people. Additionally, I am looking forward to seeing the growth in myself as a teacher and learner of mathematics.

3. I LOVE to travel any chance I get. If there is an opportunity to go to a new place and make new memories, I will go without thought. When I’m not traveling, I love playing with my puppy and spending time outside.

1. I am a brand new teacher in AAS but I have worked in the field for the past 5 years.

2. I am looking forward to getting to know my students. I love seeing all the amazing new things they can accomplish.

3. I love to travel. Any place tropical, Disney, and Universal Studios are some of my favorite places to visit.

4. Just be yourself and don’t try to get too fancy.

5. You are capable of great things so go be great.

1. School Nurse

2. Getting to know the students.

3. I love anything outdoors and going to the lake.

4. Coach Harbin encouraged new people to get to know the staff. CHS is like a family

5. As a nurse I would say always wash your hands lol. As a staff member, High School goes by really fast so have fun. GO BEARCATS!

1. This is my 18th year. I teach 9th grade world history.

2. Being a part of one of the top academic systems in the state.

3. I enjoy working out and running. I also enjoy reading.

4. It’s not about the content or the strategies; it’s all about relationships and people.

5. Life is a gift, enjoy every moment of it.

Carson Aaron

4. The best teaching advice I have been given is to keep in mind that my students will remember very little about what I taught or how I did, but they will always remember how I made them feel.

5. One piece of advice that I would give my students is to be imperfect. The only way to grow as a student and as a person is to make mistakes. If you never make mistakes, there is no room to grow, and growth is what makes us more well-rounded individuals.

Bradley Pounds

1. I am the new secretary here at CHS.

2. I am looking forward to watching CHS students grow and succeed.

3. I love going to the beach, but love to go camping with my family also.

4. The best advice I have received is never look down on others. You never know what they have been through.

5. The one piece of advice I would like to give is always be kind! Smiling is contagious!

1. I will be running the middle school weights program. Coaching the defensive line and coordinating the special teams skeems for the varsity football team.

2. The thing I’m looking forward to the most is a fresh start and the ability to have a positive impact in young men’s lives.

3. My favorite thing to do for fun is play chess

4. The best advice I’ve ever received is to seek the kingdom of heaven before seeking anything else.

5. The best piece of advice I would give to my students would be to find a way to be thankful for everything good and bad. Not everyone gets to experience life the way we do and it’s all a blessing.

Crossword Answers

1. This is year 12 teaching. I am a certified Physical education teacher and also teach ACT Prep.

2. Just being able to meet a new group of students and build relationships with them.

1. This is my first year teaching, I teach 9th Grade social studies.

2. Being able to make connections with students and making history as enjoyable as possible.

3. I like spending time with my Fiance,

3. Golf and Fishing

4. The best advice I have received is to have compassion for your students because you don’t know what each individual is going through.

5. Start planning for your future now.

April Borden

M’Kori Johnston

Reeta Morrow

Skyler Esmann

Conversations with Department Heads

A Q&A with the teachers of today

Anna Beth Burleson, Staff Writer

Department heads are a big part of core classes and career electives. I asked them a few ques tions to learn more about them and also get some insight into this school year.

Questions

1. What are you most excited about for this school year?

2. What is your favorite unit to teach?

3. What are you proudest of as a teacher at CHS?

Ms. Calahan, English

1. “I am truly excited for every school year; I always look forward to the new students and fresh start that a school year brings. I know this year will be full of memory-mak ing events from great pep rallies and sporting events to theater productions that captivate all who attend. Grease will be such fun to see on stage! I am also eager to find out more about the London trip for next June--if all goes well, I will travel with them.”

2. “Oh, my! How do I pick...every nine

weeks, I catch myself saying, “This is my favorite!” Since I need to give an answer, I will say Romeo and Juliet because it is

AP Physics 1 - Forces, because it is so foundational to the rest of the course and students learn to push through the

Mrs. Ray, Math

1. “I am most excited about getting to know all my students this year, building relationships with them, and watching them grow and learn. I love that I have some students I have taught in the past and I get to see all the growth since freshman year!”

2. “My favorite unit to teach would probably be inference in AP Stats, specifically chi squared tests and intervals. Students really seem to enjoy that unit the most.”

3. “As a teacher at CHS, I am most proud of the success of our students, both academically and in extracurricular activities. We have really great kids and they put so much work and effort into what they do.”

Mrs. Rains, CTE

Not avaliable at this time

Mr. Smith, Band

Not avaliable at this time

cause students get to see everything they have worked so hard for come together. AP Chemistry - Kinetics because we finally get to new material and it has lots of math.

New to Cullman High School

Interviews with transfer students

Mack Rudder, Staff Writer

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a new student? Well here are some interviews from some of CHS’s transfer students telling you exactly what it is like to be new to a school system.

Questions

1) What grade are you in?

my students get excited about the next chapter in their lives. You guys are our future, and I get to be a small part of your journey. It doesn’t get any better than that

2) From what school did you transfer? Did you move from another state, country, or part of Alabama?

3) Is Cullman a big change (Is it smaller, bigger, busier, etc.) from where you moved?

4) What would you say is the biggest difference between CHS and your last school?

5) Was there anything about CHS that shocked you when you first transferred?

Josh Byers

1) I am in eleventh grade.

2) I moved from Lehi, Utah, where I went to Lehi High School.

3) It is a smaller city, but the humidity is what got me the most.

4) There is more than one building.

5) There are seven classes in a day here.

Jayden Johnson

1) I am in tenth grade.

2) I moved from Boaz, Alabama, 50 minutes east from here.

3)Yes, Cullman is a big change; it’s a lot bigger and nicer.

4) There are a lot more students, and the faculty is stricter.

5) How we have different buildings for different subjects; everything was in one building where I came from.

Zarybeth Contreras

1) I’m in ninth grade.

2) I’m from Walker County, a little middle school in Jasper called Valley Junior High. It had no feeder school so it was a combined pre-k through 8th grade school.

3)Yes, it’s so much bigger than the high school I participated in band at. The auditorium is huge and has so many nice buildings.

4) Size and extracurriculars. We only had the basic sports at my old school like football, cheer, baseball, etc.

5) No lockers and the 7 periods were shocking, but then I realized how much better having no lockers is.

CAMPUS NEWS

New Programs

An overview of the new programs CHS is offering this year.

Claire Dossey, Staff Writer

If you are interested in physical science, engineering, and marketing, we have the classes for you!

Tonos de Rojo

Cullman band halftime show Sophia Lambert, Staff Writer

The Cullman High School’s Band halftime performance for 2023 is called Tonos de Rojo. This year’s show is directed by Christopher Smith and Doug Teuscher. For a chance to get a deeper look into this year’s performance, I interviewed Mr. Smith and Mr. Teuscher. Here’s what they had to say.

even if it’s just them as a section rather than as individuals.”

The new physical science elective is a one semester course and offered to students in any grade. This elective is taught by Coach Morris. In this course you will learn about the geology and geography of Alabama and work with meteorologists, such as James Spann and Jason Simpson, to teach how our physical structures affect the weather.

What inspired you to pick this show? Mr. Smith states, ”I try to have a variety of shows for the students as they go through their four years of school. Some of the shows are going to be pop-related, and some will tell a story like last year’s show about space and the journey of the astronauts going to the moon. Sometimes it is just going to be music for music’s sake and that’s kind of what this show is. I’ve always really loved Spanish shows from my experience loving drum and bugle core when I was a kid. Every few years I try to do one hopefully really good Spanish show to allow us to have great percussion parts, great brass parts, good woodwind parts, and really good visual ensemble parts. The inspiration is to provide a variety of shows throughout a student’s high school career, and this just happened to be the year that I wanted to do something Spanish.”

What is the show about? Mr. Smith states, “It is not about anything. Well, there’s at least a visual element. The show is called ‘Shades of Red’ or in Spanish Tonos de Rojo. We tried to incorporate that element by getting more intense as we go, but as far as a story, there is not one. It is more about music and the visual aspect of what shades of red look and sound like.”

How did you pick the name for the show? “The leadership team and I started with a lot of names, around 20+. We knew we wanted it to have a Spanish title so we went with English language names that we thought were neat and translated them. Then we narrowed it down a few times and voted; the band president Maia Pate helped me with that. We ended up finally with the title we’ve got,” Mr. Smith stated.

Another new elective CHS is offering is an engineering course taught by Mr. Gay. This is a STEM program that focuses strongly on the engineering aspect. In this class you will learn computer aided design, 3D printing, programming, robotics, mechanical engineering principles, mechatronics, and much more.

Who is going to be featured in the show? Mr. Smith revealed, “Everybody at some point is featured. We feature the percussion, we feature the visual ensemble in different moments, and we have several soloists that are featured throughout the show, as well. Hopefully, throughout the performance, everybody will get a little bit of a feature

What’s your favorite part of the show? Mr.Smith expresses, “I think there are some cool moments in the closer that I’m looking forward to that we haven’t set yet. I like the moments that we can just park in place and let the audience have it, where the percussion can do their visuals, and the visual ensemble can do all of the amazing things that they do. I like those cool moments where there’s just a great groove and we can just have a good time and entertain the audience. Anytime the audience is reacting positively is my favorite part of the show.” “The end of the opener is my favorite part,” Mr. Teuscher added.

How does this show compare to past shows? Mr. Smith disclosed, “I am not sure. I don’t know that I’m the person to answer that. I think that may be more of a question for the students. Everybody’s different as far as what they like and what their favorite is but it remains to be seen because we haven’t set the whole thing yet. Once it is a complete product and once we have the whole thing on the field and it is competition-ready. Then I will be better able to evaluate how it compares to other shows. So I don’t know the answer to that yet but stay tuned.”

Finally, if you are interested in marketing, CHS now offers a Digital Marketing class taught by Mrs. Morris and a sports and entertainment marketing class taught by Mrs. McBrayer. In these courses, you will learn things such as graphic design, sideline reporting, teaming up with local businesses, creating flyers, newsletters, public relations, and many more fun and exciting projects. If you are interested in any of these programs feel free to reach out to any of these teachers for more information!

Featured from left to right, top to bottom is Band Director Christopher Smith, Assisitant Director Doug Teuscher, and The Cullman High School Marching Band.

Get Involved

2023-2024 CHS Clubs and Organizations—Sponsors

Jennifer Calahan, Sponsor

Art Honor Society—E. Miller

BNN—Bearcat News Network—J. Drake

Book Club—S. Boyd Chess Club—B. Patrick

CHS Archery Team—B. Whitlock

CHS Fishing Team—K. Morris

FBLA—Future Business Leaders of America—A. Morris

FCCLA—Future …Leaders of America—C. Rains

FFA—Future Farmers of America—D. Benefield

First Priority—R. Cook Future Teachers of America—B. Heatherly

HOSA—Health Occupation Student

Campus Constuction

New additions To Cullman City Schools

John Mark Johnson, Staff Writer

Association/Future Health Professionals—S. Tankersley & B. Brumley Interact Jr. Rotary Club—M. Stephens Key Club—K. Williams Leo Club—K. Graves National Honor Society—C. Lunsford Scholar’s Bowl Team—B. Barnett Science Olympiad—K. Graves SGA—Student Government Association—K. Barnett & C. Elliff Spanish Club—A. Olmsted Spanish Honor Society—R. Cranford TSA—Technology Student Association—M. Gay

Over the past few months, Cullman Middle School and Cullman City Primary School have benn undergoing an extensive construction process for new additions to the schools. Cullman Middle has made the addition of a new academic wing with new office space, modern classrooms, and a spacious library/media center. These facilities have been designed to foster collaboration, innovation, and hands-on learning opportunities for the students.

According to principal Jake Johnson, the addition of this new facility will “undoubtedly enhance the educational experience for our students. It will provide them with the tools and environment they need to thrive academically and creatively.” Principal Johnson made note of the new library/ media center. With its extensive collection of books and new cutting edge technology, the new library/media center is set to become the heart of the school, promoting reading, research, and creativity.

Phase one of construction at Cullman middle School is set to be completed sometime in December of this year. As this first phase comes to a close, plans for future phases are already in motion. Plans for phase two of construction include the addition of

AI Classroom Perspectives

Teachers’ thoughts on AI Drew Williamson, Co-Editor

One of the biggest innovations of the decade so far has been the rise of artificial intelligence. Just in the past year, we have seen the rapid advancement of programs such as ChatGPT or AI art generators. Where in 2021, AI-generated work was filled with mistakes and easy to detect by humans, it is now nearly impossible for the human eye to tell AI work from authentic work. Naturally, these tools have significantly impacted academics. Many teachers have differing viewpoints on the subject, and I have interviewed a few of our teachers here at CHS on how they feel on AI.

Questions:

1. Do you believe that AI tools such as ChatGPT should be banned or implemented in the classroom?

2. What is your classroom policy on AI?

3. What role should AI play in the classroom in the future?

4. Finally, to what extent do you believe AI will continue to develop in the future?

Mrs. Burroughs (English)

1. I simply don’t see a viable way to completely ban AI in the classroom.

AI is one more stumbling block that teachers must figure out a way to work around. I believe AI can be productively utilized, but the abuses are likely to outweigh the benefits. I imagine students will be required to go back to more hand-written assignments completed in class.

2. Here is what I added to my syllabi this year regarding AI: Although AI does have some productive uses and there are viable ways to incorporate it in the classroom and in the workplace, submitting AI generated work as your own on any level is cheating and will be handled as such.

3. At least in the study of literature, I believe AI should play a very small role in the classroom in the future. The process of struggling to find the right word or communicate a thought to explain oneself or discovering the beauty of the written language is what inspires people to grow. Although this may sound dramatic, AI rips away the human element and brings us all closer to robotic replications. We are now living in a dystopian novel.

4. Unless regulated (which is highly

doubtful), AI will only get more sophisticated and more difficult to flag. Just consider the name “Artificial Intelligence.”

Coach

J. Drake (Computer Science)

1. AI should be implemented in the classroom.

2. I will allow it to be used, as long as it’s used responsibly. Using it responsibly would be using it between the parameters I set up. For example, if you’re coding, you could use it to help improve your code and make revisions. If you used AI to just write the program for you, that would be cheating and considered plagiarism.

3. It should enhance the learning process. It should be used as an assistant to complement and enhance your background knowledge. Theres no satisfaction in solely using AI, because you are not really learning anything.

4. The worst its going to be is right now, and its only going to get better from here. In the future, it’s going to help us in everything we do. For example, the AI in vehicles will help stop crashes, AI digital assitant devices will

several classrooms, two science labs, and the renovation of existing facilities. Construction at Cullman Middle School is expected to be finalized by January 2025.

Cullman Primary plans on adding a new cafeteria as well as 12 new classrooms. These purpose of these new additions is to add second grade to their existing campus as well as upgrading and adding to existing sections. A completion date has not yet been given.

become more popular, and even security could implement AI. More major things would be safety and efficiency. Time is money, so the more efficiently a task is done, the more cost-effective. For example, Walmart is already putting AI robots in the packaging industry to save profits.

Mrs. Nix (History)

1. I think AI is here to stay, so we as teachers need to learn more about it in order to teach students how to use it appropriately.

2. I do not allow plagiarism, but I have not created a specific policy yet. I am still learning about AI.

3. I think there are ways AI can enhance student learning.

4. I feel like we are just seeing the beginning, and AI will continue to develop more than we can grasp at this time.

New Year, New Standard

The cats are gearing up for a new season with a new coach

Anna Beth Burleson, Staff Writer

Coach Questions:

1. What new things are you doing in training

2. In your opinion has it become more rigorous?

3. What are you most excited about coaching for Cullman?

Coach Stiff

1. “As a coach, you are always looking for new ideas and ways to improve what you do. You have to be plugged into the landscape of what’s changing in the game and everything around it whether it’s X’s and O’s, strength training, equipment, it all improves from year to year. We try to look into the teams that do things best at the high school level, College, and even NFL and take from them anything we can. For example, I met with the strength staff at The University of Alabama this past April. I came back and adjusted our strength and conditioning program to incorporate as many methods as possible that matched what they were doing. The changes have really increased our functional power and improved our injury rate, especially when it comes to soft tissue injuries.”

2. “I’m not sure if it’s more or less than what they did before but I do know Coach Glasscock did an excellent job,

especially in the weightroom, so it’s really just building off the great foundation they already had. Just like next year, I’ll continue building off what we have done this year. As far as the rigor of everything, I know I work these guys hard; we do a lot. It takes a physical and mental toll on them; that’s why not everybody can do this. These kids are special and I appreciate what they do on a daily basis. At the end of the day, I do everything with the intention of helping us on Friday night. If that requires more of something or less of something, then so be it.”

3. “Everything, the city is awesome! The people are awesome! The administration is awesome! The coaches are awesome! Most importantly the kids are beyond awesome! I wake up everyday blessed to be the coach here and as long as I’m here, I’ll give everything I’ve got to make the people of this city proud of their football team.

Coach Pounds

1. “We have drills called EDD’s (Every Day Drills). Every day we do those drills during Indy. It directly correlates to how we want to use our hands, move our feet, and block. We just try to perfect those drills everyday.”

2. “Yes, I believe so. It always takes a few days to get acclimated to wearing

Jumping For Joy Getting ready for cheer competitions

Blyss

Murphree, Staff Writer

Our Cullman High School cheer teams both have yearly competitions. They are in Small Division II. I asked one of our Sophomore cheer leaders if she would walk us through a normal competition day. Sloan Nobinger, agreed to share.

“First thing we do is get ready and then we will all meet at CGCA early and practice our routines before we head off to breakfast or lunch, which depends on our meeting time, with our team! After we eat we go on the bus and we play music, sing, and just have fun. We will usually get to the competition an hour to two before we have warm ups so we have time to stretch and have the coaches talk and pray over us. Once we are backstage warming up that means we have about 30 minutes until we compete so we will warm up our stunts, tumbling, and then go through our whole routine. After that we go on stage and perform our routine!”

Important upcoming cheer activities:

• Cheer State Finals- Birmingham, AL December 11-12, 2023

• Nationals- Orlando, FL Febuary 9-13, 2024

the equipment daily and now you are able to be more physical in practice.”

3. “It’s always exciting to watch all the hard work put in throughout the off season and being able to apply it in the real game. My guys have made it awesome coming in and joining the Cullman family. They come in everyday and go to work. That’s a testament to their parents for raising such hard working kids.”

Athlete Questions:

-What are you looking forward to as a senior on the team?

-Has your work ethic grown under Coach Stiff?

Nick Holland

“Home games with the crowds cheering. I think the whole team has grown as athletes, and we’ve all realized our true potential.”

LJ Turner

“I’m mostly looking forward to just enjoying my last season and making memories with the team. I think I have grown tremendously as an athlete performance wise and also off the field. Coach Stiff makes sure to do drills that will make it easier for us in the game. Also, he has our backs and is there for us no matter what-on and off the field.”

Wyatt Buchanan

“I’m looking forward to one last football season with the guys I’ve grown up with. I can’t wait for the Hartselle game in particular. Yeah, I definitely feel that Coach Stiff along with all the other new coaches have strengthened my football IQ, and I believe they have helped everyone on the team become a better athlete.”

Cross-Country Goals

Pre-season interviews with the GOAT

Jonah Jarrett, Staff Writer

With the start of the school year comes the start of fall sports, and our cross-country teams are working hard to make every season better than the last. When asked what he was looking forward to this year, Coach Trent Dean simply replied, “Each day. Really enjoying the process each day.” With an outlook this optimistic, I would think Coach Dean might see a win in their future. But let’s see what he thinks. When asked what his predictions were for this season, Coach Dean kept it real: “I don’t make outcome predictions. Too many variables in play. We have a plan. We are capable of being a 6A contender, but we will decide that by the way we work the process daily. August is very challenging. They are being challenged daily at practice and the way they handle all the challenges and adversity is going to determine a lot in regard to whether we progress through the season and become a contender or whether we just hover around ‘good’ but not great.”

Our team has placed well in the meets so far, and this season seems to be shaping up to be a good one.

Sep 21: Versus Hartselle

Sep 30: Kudzu Hills

Oct 7: Jesse Owens Classic

Oct 14: Dew It on the Trails

The team set these goals:

Boys Team:

•16:00 team average season best which

•would be a school record

•Perfect score against Hartselle

•Be consistent as a team each race through the season

•Win NOALA Jr. High Championship

•Win 6A Section 5

•Win State

Girls Team:

•Read our team reading books

•Improve nutrition

•Prioritize sleep

•Positive mindset

•Prioritize practice and complete the work outside of practice

•Sisterhood growth

•R.F.E.O. (Run For Each Other)

•Less than 2:00 one to five split

•Perfect score Hartselle

•Win 4 races during the season

•Win NOALA Jr. High Championship

•Win 6A Section 5

•Top 5 at State

Oct 21: Oktoberfest

Oct 26: Last Chance Qualifier

Nov 2: 6A Section 5 Meet

Nov 11: AHSAA 6A State Championship

From left to right: Nick Holland, LJ Turner, and Wyatt Buchanan

CHS Volleycats

Volleyballs pre-season interviews

Mack Rudder, Staff Writer

The Varsity Volleycats started their season on August 24th where they beat Florence 25 to 16 and 25 to 23. The team is very excited for a great season to come. Here are what our Volleycats are looking forward to this season and what they would say are the team’s greatest strengths.

Karina Harris, Junior- “I am mostly looking forward to winning area and our biggest strength is how we are a family and not just teammates” each other and relationships that carry out on the court with us.”

JerriSue Godbee, Sophomore - “I am looking forward to creating fun memories with the people I love and our strengths are having good chemistry with each other and relationships that carry out on the court with us.” (pictured above with Lily Nixon and Maci Manning)

Sarah Baughn, Junior -“I am looking forward to tournaments and I would say our greatest strength is our willingness to work hard towards our goals this year.”

Blakely Brannon, Sophomore- “I am looking forward to playing together as a team and getting to play with my sister for her last year. Our biggest strength this year is our bond that we have with each other and having high intensity energy from practice to games”

What Are You Excited About This Football Season?

Football season interviews

Sophia Lambert, Staff Writer

“Dressing up for the student section”

-Kylie Gobble

“Pep Rallies”

-Logan Schuman

“Face painting at football games with the National Art Honor Society”

-Brandon Rodriguez

“Playing stand tunes in the stands”

-Lily Howze

“Hanging out with friends at football games” -Anna-Catherine Henderson

“Friday Night Lights”

-Lily Abbott

“The band halftime show” -David Speegle

“Cheering for the football team”

-Cary Fuentes

“The band’s performance”

-Deytan Ristine

“Riding the bus to and from away games” -Cash Woods

Juliana Brannon, Senior - “I am looking forward to playing with my friends while finishing my last year of volleyball. The biggest strength is our communication and bonds throughout the team and our willingness and efforts to putting each other first”

How to Ruin a Disney Classic 101 Woke Disney and its reaction from the public

Claire Dossey, Staff Writer

In 2019 Halle Bailey was casted to play “Ariel” in the live action version of The Little Mermaid. This alone caused an uproar of people saying she wasn’t fit for the role just based on her appearance. However, when the movie was released, people ended up loving her voice and acting in the movie and released, that she truly was the perfect fit for this role. Later this year, it was announced that actress Rachel Zegler was casted to play Snow White in the live action version of the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. People were immediately angry over this casting but this time not just because of her appearance. In multiple interviews Zegler has expressed her distaste for the original 1937 film. In an interview with Variety, Zegler states, “I just mean it’s no longer 1937… She’s not gonna be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming about love.” Not only are they changing the whole plot of the film but they are also putting a bad rap on girls who do dream about someday falling in love. It’s putting in little girl’s head that they have to want to be a “strong business woman” when that may not be the path they want to go down. People are also pressed about Zeglers skin color because snow white got her name because her skin was the

color of snow which completely gets rid of the meaning behind her name. In this new version of Snow White they also have gotten rid of the princes char-

who literally stalks her,” and “It’s not really about the love story at all,” this means that the producers of this movie have taken the original beloved movie

acter. Zegler also states in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, “There is a big focus on her love story with a guy

The Beginning of the End

The possible collapse of Hollywood

John Mark Johnson, Staff Writer

For many years, Hollywood productions have been a staple of popular culture in the Unitd States and worldwide; however, as of recent, the film and TV industry has been on a complete shutdown due to the dual strikes of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. Without writers and actors new productions have been placed on hold and upcoming productions have been postponed for an indefinite amount of time.

With the dual strikes and the quality of recent productions, the collapse of a former titan may soon be underway. With both actors and writers simultaneously on strike, studios are losing money from the lack of productions and releases. In addition, movies and TV series that have been released have proved disappointing in terms of box office success, with the box office being down 20% from pre-pandemic levels as of recent.

A possible explanation for these recent box office flops could be audience fatigue and disinterest. For instance, take the most recent installment of the Indiana Jones franchise. The film had a global opening of $140 million, with a reported budget of $295 million, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the most expensive installment of the franchise to date. If production costs

and theater revenue sharing are taken into consideration, the film would need to earn at least $800 million to break even, making it highly likely that the film will be another loss-making venture for Disney this year.

Disney has also taken losses with recent films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe such as 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which released earlier this year. But it isn’t just superheroes, Disney has lost money from animated movies such as Elemental and their recent trend of live-action remakes such as The Little Mermaid Whereas Disney has taken several box office blows, they are not the only studio suffering. Warner Bros and DC comics have also suffered a similar fate with The Flash. Despite its positive reviews, the film only managed to gross only $55.1 million in its opening weekend.

A possible explanation for the recent disinterest by audiences could be the current state of recent movies. It has lately been a trend that most movies are either a sequel or a remake to a previously beloved franchise made in an attempt to capitalize on the nostalgia of moviegoers, with most showing a decline in quality. Another criticism

and turned it into a completely different storyline. If Disney was interested in making a movie with a plot about

a powerful princess that does not fall in love then they should just make a completely different movie. Disney fans are also angry about the fact that there is only one biological dwarf that plays one of the seven dwarfs, going so woke that they ended up going backward and removing the only minorities in the original film. Like, if they wanted to be woke why not use actual little people in the film? Rachel has recently been put into the category of “annoying woman syndrome” in Hollywood for being ungrateful for her role in the film as her second movie ever. There have also been rumors that Jada Pinket Smith (a woman with alopecia) will be playing Rapunzel in the live action version of Tangled; however, those rumors were later debunked. Why are we taking amazing classics and ruining them when there is plenty of room to make a just as amazing movie, instead of destroying the originals? Disney has basically already done that with Snow White by taking away the prince, changing the seven dwarves to the seven ‘magical creatures’, making her “powerful” and “not searching for love.” This puts the wrong narrative on people and little girls who do dream about falling in love. Do better, Disney.

comes from political messages that most of these remakes and reboots seem to come with. It has proved a trend that movies that deemed “woke” by audiences have been financial losses for studios. As Hollywood indulges in “political corectness” without knowing when to stop and squeezing beloved franchises bone-dry, audiences grow increasingly fatigued. This coupled with ongoing strikes that have completely halted production could forebode a total collapse of the box office and Hollywood itself.

“Reverse the Face of Time, Now!”

Why our generation is scared of aging

Aubrey Shaddrix, Staff Writer

For generations, skincare brands have been producing and selling anti-aging products to women by using outlandish marketing tactics that promote some imaginary ‘battle’ against aging. For decades these industries have been profiting off of people, putting them in an internal struggle against aging. But this raises the question of why? Why are we so scared of aging?

Youth has been seen as the pinnacle of beauty in society, pressuring women to keep up with the ever changing standards put upon them. All the negative thought behind aging adds to the never ending performance women put on to please the world. Women receive little to no pro-aging media making it seem as if in today’s society we hold less value than we did at 25. Our generation absorbs so much media that we can’t help but

be affected by what is put in front of us, but we need to learn why getting older isn’t as scary as we’ve been conditioned to believe.

One of the highest contributing factors to this toxic ideology is the beauty industry and its cruel marketing tactics.

If you were to walk into any skin care aisle, you would immediately find ‘miracle products’ that are specifically designed to prevent fine lines and wrinkles; but are these products designed to help women or designed to prey on their wallets?

Some eye-catching marketing schemes these brands use sound almost comedic: “Join me in the battle against aging ‘’ What are these headlines meant for except to promote fear and hate towards the thought of aging? It’s not only adult women buying these

products, the ages of these brands are getting younger and younger showing how this “issue” is being passed on to young girls. Along with skin-care products, one of the hottest rising trends is anti-aging procedures, whose age demographics typically range from 40-60 years old; 90% of these being women. Ultimately, a woman should be able to decide for herself whether or not she chooses to undergo these procedures, especially if they make her feel more confident, but a woman should never feel pressured or shamed into them because she doesn’t feel deemed as beautiful. When we think of changing ourselves, we need to think “does this make me happy or other people?” Women aren’t at fault for trying to keep up with what’s pushed onto them, it’s the industries that teach them to fear

themselves.

Despite what these industries try to tell you, we shouldn’t be scared, we should be honored. Aging being a bad thing has been drilled into our minds, making us feel as if simply getting older signifies their life has already ended, but our bodies don’t define us, and our wrinkles do anything but belittle us. Every fine line is decades worth of expressions we’ve created. We shouldn’t hide our age or try to prevent the future, but embrace and reflect on everything we’ve experienced in our lives. The ability to grow old and change with the world around you is such a privilege. We can’t run from aging, and we can’t pretend like it won’t happen, but we can learn to love the people we’ll become and stop preventing and start adapting to what’s ahead of us in our lives.

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THE TOP 15 THINGS FRESHMEN SHOULD KNOW A remixed article from the 2008 Hilight

15. Don’t keep trying to win pep rallies, we promise you just got LUCKY. If, in fact, you do somehow win again, no celebration allowed.

14. The SENIOR section of the lunchroom is reserved for SENIORS.

13. Don’t congregate in hallways, sidewalks, etc. unless you wannt to get RUN OVER.

12. Respect your elders. Not only teachers, but also seniors, juniors, and sophomores.

11. Pick a lab partner that is smart. Not your BFF.

10. Don’t think you are too cool to dress up for Homecoming week. EVERYONE does.

9. If you see an upperclassman in the hall, step to the side, and let them walk by. Also, a curtsy or a bow wouldn’t hurt.

8. DO NOT WALK ON THE QUAD!

7. Try to be in as many clubs as you can. Yoy will meet new people, and it looks great on a college resume!

6. Pajamas cannot, under any circumstances, take the place of real pants!

5. Make connections with older people, preferably someone old enough to drive you places.

4. Don’t vape. It’s not cool or healthy!

3. Keep your cell phone turned off and in your bag.

2. Start taking honors classes. If you start now, you may be able to earn college credit as a senior!

1. Always read the Hilight!