The Hilight: Christmas Edition 2022

vol LXXXVIII

Christmas in Cullman, 1948

the hilight.

T H E C H R I S T M A S E D I T I O N

The Newspaper of Cullman High School

Christmas in Cullman, 2022

Who’s Cookin’ When We Aren’t Lookin’

The CHS lunchroom staff

Olivia Britton, Staff Writer

Every day, hundreds of students go to the lunchroom to get their lunch. However, the majority of students do not know the time put into preparing their food or the people who prepared it. It never occurs to some students to get to know the lunchroom staff like you would a math, English, or history teacher. There is no way for a student to understand the dedication the lunch ladies put in everyday to ensure there is plenty of food for every student at Cullman High School. At CHS we have a total of six lunch ladies, one of which is Charlene Booker, the man ager. Ms. Booker has been working in the cafeteria for approximately 25 years, and as the lunchroom manager, she does a lot of things that many people do not realize are extremely important. Ms. Booker has to plan the menu every month; order the food each month; keep track of production records; prepare food for the athletic teams; manage her crew; ensure the food is presentable and tastes well; help put up stock when it comes in; etc. Lunch rooms must obtain superb health standards as well as file a great deal of paperwork in order to prove those standards. On top of that, the food served is required to be at a certain temperature in order to serve it. These, too, are Ms. Booker’s responsibilities. Ms. Booker’s day doesn’t end when she leaves school, every day around 2:30, she heads straight to the bank to make the daily deposit. Although

Ms. Booker does a lot to ensure the lunchroom runs properly, preparing lunch for hundreds of hungry children is undeniably not a one-man job. Ms. Booker will be the first to tell you how spectacular her lunchroom staff is and how hard they work.

On a typical day, the staff is sched uled to clock in at 7:00 a.m., but many arrive before then. The staff is on a rotating schedule, and every month the staff each get a new responsibility. “We all have the standardized recipes to follow, so the food stays the same, but we do switch out people that cook it,” says Ms. Booker. The different “jobs” are as follows: salad and fruit, main dish, vegetables, A La Carte, garbage and cleaning the dining room.

Cookin’ is not the only thing that the ladies are in charge of. Cleaning is a crucial and mandatory part of making everything run smoothly. The jobs above coincide with a cleaning respon sibility as well (dishes, sweeping, mop ping, etc.). The lunchroom staff works as a team in order to get everything that needs to be done, completed. This year’s staff consist of Ms. Booker and five other ladies: Christa White, Tracy Wilson, Rachel Jimerson, Mallory Armstrong, and Suzanne (Vickie) Buckeleweach. Each of them has her own schedule depending on what job she is on that month. At the moment, Ms. Armstrong is on maternity leave caring for her newborn baby. Some days they need to cover for her, and

other days they’re just short handed.

When asked, the entire lunchroom staff said their favorite part of their job was the kids. “It’s really neat, espe cially for the ones that have been here for a long time. We have lunchroom workers that have worked at West and they have actually watched the kids grow up from such a young age, to middle school, then high school,” says Ms. Booker. For most, lunch is a time to see friends, eat, or maybe finally have some quiet time to think; but for the lunch ladies, lunch is a time where they get to see all of the kids and interact with them. “You always try and be really nice. There are sometimes students [whom] you can tell need that extra attention. As an adult you kinda pick up on those things.” Sometimes a smile can make somebody’s day, and the lunchroom ladies most definitely prove that statement. “I always tell all my girls, no matter what kind of mood you’re in, always be polite at the register because you never know what the kids are going through… It’s always nice to be nice.”

Through food shortages and COVID restrictions, the lunchroom ladies work extremely hard, and it’s important that we get to know them. This will help people have a greater appreciation for all that they do for our school. The Cullman High School cafeteria staff for the 2022-2023 school year is listed to the right.

Charlene Booker

Suzanne Buckelew

Tracy Wilson Mallory Armstrong

Rachel Jimerson

Christa White

Christmas Without Con sumerism

How to practice a more thoughtful Christmas

Mack Rudder, Staff Writer

While American consumption is a year-long problem that is hard to avoid under normal circumstances in our consumeristic society, these destruc tive habits seem to go into high gear during the holiday season. Every year from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve, Americans throw away 25% more trash than usual weekly. This percentage amounts to 25 million tons of extra garbage weekly during this time. So how do we ditch this extreme gift-giv ing culture and go back to the true meaning of Christmas? Here are some ways you can practice a more sustain able Christmas this year:

1) Instead of wrapping your gifts with wrapping paper, consider wrap ping them with old newspapers or pages from magazines you might have laying around. If you want to skip the paper altogether, you could put their present in a reusable basket or tub.

2) Consider more thoughtful gifts like experiences, gift certificates, or something more personal. Some great thoughtful gifts for this year could be something handmade, tickets to the zoo or to sporting events, or member ships to places they frequent like the spa, theatre, gym, or amusement parks.

3) Be more mindful of what dishes you use if you host Christmas parties or bigger events. Choose to use reus able dishes instead of disposable ones.

4) Educate yourself on where you are buying presents from and practice eth ical consumerism. While most people think this saying is a joke, voting with your dollar is a real thing. Support green companies that prioritize reduc ing their impact on the environment.

5) If you are gifted something unwanted, be considerate of where it goes. While no one likes to get a gift that you did not want, try to make the best out of it. Repurposing it into something new is a great option, and really in the season of giving donating it is another great option. Only half of the unwanted gifts that are returned to stores are reshelved and resold, the rest are thrown out and ultimately end up in landfills.

6) Another way to reduce your waste around the holidays most people don’t consider is to reduce the amount of mail-order magazines you get. You can do this by calling the company number usually located in the magazine and requesting to be removed from their mailing list.

What is Stress?

The facts and how to manage it

Ruby Hudson, Staff Writer

Almost everyone is familiar with the feeling of stress, no matter what your life is like. Stress usually stems from the feeling that you don’t have everything under control or that the things in your life just aren’t going the way they should. No one’s life is perfect, and sometimes, there’s nothing you can do about it. However, one thing you can do about it is to learn about what stress is and how to manage it.

The original purpose of stress is to help our survival. Think about zebras reacting to a cheetah running at them out of the bushes. The split second it takes them to begin running is be cause of stress and the flight-or fight response. After they (hopefully) escape the cheetah, their “survival stress” goes away and they resume peacefully grazing. The thing about humans is that since we don’t live in the wild any more, we no longer have threats to our survival that require reacting in a split second, as in the case of the zebras. We live in houses that keep us safe, and we have enough food available to keep us from going hungry. We no longer use such “survival stress”, but stress in other forms obviously still exists. In this modern world, we no longer use stress

Local Elections

Politics, local style

Mimi Lunsford, Staff Writer

On November 8th, local elections occurred. Cullman High School is home to some of the city’s newest vot ers and many of them participated in this election. In these elections, voters marked on their ballots their votes for things such as our governor, attorney general, and the Alabama United States Senator–this race was won by Katie Britt.

Not only were statewide positions voted on, but offices such as Cullman County District Court Judge, Cull man County Commissions Positions, Cullman County Sheriff, and Cullman County Board of Education members were also voted on.

This major election saw many peo ple in office and a lot of local citizens into new government roles. Yet, some such as Matt Gentry, Cullman County Sheriff, and Chad Floyd, Cullman County Judge, won their reflections at almost 100%.

Along with government elections, statewide and local amendments were voted on in this election as well. Citi zens could vote on amendments to the 1901 Alabama Constitution that dealt with reasonable bail under certain crimes, the death sentence, and many more important issues concerning the state.

for its original purpose, and instead project it onto different things that we encounter in our lives even if they’re not life-threatening. I’m talking about that presentation you have to give in your English class on Friday, that home work that’s due tomorrow, or that test in Biology that you definitely studied for. The stress we feel from these types of things are different from the stress that keeps us alive. This modern stress makes us miserable and worried about the things that we will have to do, no matter how unimportant it may be.

After learning about stress’ original purpose and realizing how it gets mis used in our day and age, I hope you re alize that we too easily become stressed about things that don’t really matter and that we really don’t have any con trol over. You’re going to have to do that presentation no matter what, and stressing about it will only make you miserable. Instead, see it as an oppor tunity to put yourself in an uncomfort able position, which will actually help you grow in your confidence. Also, that homework isn’t going to finish itself, so once you quit procrastinating and do it, your stress will go away. If you can do something about what is causing

your stress, then do something about it! If you just can’t seem to stop being stressed all the time, then use some of these strategies:

1. Think about what you’re stressing about. Is it something that should be bothering you this much? If not, take a few deep breaths and remind your self that there’s nothing to be worried about.

2. Talk to someone. Sometimes, it’s best to let your worries out, and it helps to get someone else’s point of view on a situation you’re in. They may be able to talk you through it and help relieve your stress, or just getting it off your chest might make you feel better.

3. Take time to do things you enjoy. If you’re stressed from constantly doing things that put pressure on you, then find something to do to take your mind off it. Take a walk outside to clear your mind, or do some exercise. Bake if it makes you happy, or curl up and read a good book. Make sure that you take breaks in general to keep yourself happy and healthy.

Locally, adults voted on 2 amend ments. The first amendment greatly affects Cullman High School and its students. It deals with the superin tendent position which has recently been an appointed position, but if this amendment passes it would make it an elective position where citizens of Cullman County could vote a superin tendent into office for a four-year term.

The second local proposed amend ment is related to the County Revenue Commissioner term. This amendment would set the Revenue Commission er’s term of office to begin on Decem ber 1st following the 2026 general election and every six years thereafter. The job of the Revenue Commissioner is to serve the governor by collecting taxes and duties and implementing custom controls.

Also found on the ballot is the proposed Constitution of Alabama of 2022. This constitution has been a major topic concerning this election. If this constitution is passed, it will be the first new Alabama constitution passed since 1901. This constitution will differ from the current state constitution in 5 ways. The first way is that the new con stitution will rearrange the constitution so that similar subjects are grouped together.

There are three other changes that deal with the clarity and organization of the Constitution. This includes, deleting repeated or repealed portions/ language; placing all amendments which deal with economic develop ment together; and arranging local amendments by county. The last dif ference in this constitution deals with the racial language used in the 1901 Alabama Constitution.

If you are not old enough to vote yet or if you were not able to vote, you can vote in the 2024 Alabama elections along with the 2024 Presidential elec tion. Make sure to vote and help elect local, statewide, and national leaders.

The Downward Spiral of Kanye West

The beloved rapper’s fall from grace

John Mark Johnson, Staff Writer

As of recent, beloved rapper Kanye West (now known as Ye) has caused controversy for antisemitic comments, and has seemingly lost everything as a result.

Last month, West posted to his Twitter that he was “going death con 3 on Jewish people,” and alleged he wasn’t anti-semitic because “black people are Jews also.” West would then add,“You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone who opposes your agenda.” These posts have since been removed. They would come after West accused record producer and fellow rapper, Sean “Diddy” Combs, of being controlled by “the Jewish people” in a post to his Instagram.

West’s comments were condemned by many, and numerous brands have distanced themselves. Among these brands, Adidas ended its long-stand ing partership with the rapper and announced that they would be dis continuing production of the popular Yeezy line of apparel. Clothing com pany Gap, which ended its ties with West in September, has also taken measures to remove all Yeezy products from its stores. The Creative Artists Agency has also cut ties with West as well as the Balenciaga fashion house. A completed documentary about the 45 year-old rapper has been shelved

Diesel Shortage

as well. West has also been involved in an incident at a Skechers corporate office in LA, where he was escorted off property for showing up “unan nounced and uninvited.” In a recent statement, the footwear company said that he had showed up and engaged in “unauthorized filming.” West’s motives for visiting the footwear company are unknown.

He has also had his Twitter account locked and has been restricted from posting, commenting, and messag ing on Instagram. In addition to his tweets, a former employee of West made a recent statement that the rapper allegedly praised Hitler and the Nazis during business meetings. These allegations were denied by West; how ever, several more of West’s former em ployees have stated that West had an “obsession” with the German dictator. West is no stranger to controversy, and starting feuds throughout his career. While performing at a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief in 2005, West criticized president at the time George Bush. He stated that Bush “doesn’t care about Black People.” In May of 2018, West recieved backlash when he stated that slavery was a choice during an appearance on TMZ. West would later apologize for these remarks during a radio interview with

What you need to know

Anna Beth Burleson, Staff Writer

It is no secret that President Putin’s war with Ukraine has had effects on many countries and their economies. One of the effects happens to be on the oil industry. Oil reserves that you use on a daily basis have been dwindling down recently. Jet fuel, heating oil, and diesel fuel are key to our economy and well-being. Jet fuel allows you to travel to see loved ones and spend time with your families on vacations. Heating oil keeps your homes warm in the winter. Both of these oils have become scarce. However, it is a lack of diesel fuel that would have the largest lasting effects. A diesel shortage affects you even if you do not drive a truck to school. It affects you because of the people driving the 18-wheeler trucks that carry things like food, liquids, farming supplies, and construction essientals that we need daily.

A local truck driver had this to say when asked about the diesel shortage: “If there is a diesel shortage, then I probably won’t have a job. My job as a truck driver would be devastating. The truck that I drive uses diesel. If there is a shortage of fuel then I can’t deliver the product to the plants that make housing to be sold to the public. I would not be able to make a living

for my family, which is very import ant. If there was no diesel, then this country would probably shut down. Look around you, everything that you put your hands on, diesel was used to get it to the store so you could pur chase, such as clothing, groceries, gas, building materials, I could keep going on. Yes, diesel is not only used in big trucks, it’s used in trains, tractors that harvest the food that we eat, generators that are used to power your home or business in case of disaster. Diesel is very important in our everyday lives.”

As you can see, the diesel shortage not only affects you, but the countless number of individuals who transport essentials all over the country. It is im portant to stop and think about what you use on a daily basis–food, self care items, shoes, clothing, cars. If these items cannot be delivered to where you purchase them, what would we, as con sumers, buy? The trickle down effect of a diesel shortage would bring our economy to a halt. Think of the supply chain for a moment: raw materials go to a manufacturing plant, a good is made, the good is delivered to a store, and you buy the goods at the store. The only factor that is not directly dependent on diesel fuel is you buying

107.5 WGCI Chicago.

West has also had a number of incidents during award shows, most notably interrupting Taylor Swift during the 2009 MTV video music awards. West’s mental health has also been called into question, with the rapper being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2016. West was also com mitted to the UCLA medical center after abruptly ending a concert, for hallucinations and paranoia.

The recent controversies of Kanye West have greatly impacted the rap per’s carrer and its uncertain future.

Christmas Traditions Around The World How students at CHS from around the world celebrate Christmas

Juan Fuentes, Staff Writ er

Christmas is the most universally celebrated holiday in the world. That being the case, the traditions around Christmas vary from country to coun try. For this article, a few students from different countries were interviewed to see how they celebrate Christmas back home.

the goods. But, if there are no goods available due to the lack of 18-wheel ers delivering both raw materials and finished goods where they need to go–there is nothing to buy. Our economy relies on trucks and truck drivers all over the country.

Unfortunately, we are currently in the largest diesel shortage since 2008. During the COVID-19 pandemic, refineries decreased their refining capacity by 1 million barrels per day. However, as the country has opened back up, our refineries are continuing to operate with the decreased capac ity. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, the U.S. encouraged other major nations to cut off trading with the Russian Government. As many countries have done so, many are now relying on the US for fuel, oil, and other commodities they previously im ported from Russia. Some argue that we simply do not have enough diesel to support this kind of exportation.

We will continue to see a shortage of diesel, jet fuel, and heating oil in the coming months. Hopefully, our refin eries will be able to keep up with the demand and get the country back to a place where our oil and fuel reserves are plentiful.

The first student interviewed was Nils Frohne from Germany. When asked about Christmas back home, Nils said, “In Germany, people cele brate Christmas with their families. You get a lot of presents. You often eat goose at Christmas and other German dishes. In Germany, Christmas is often celebrated in the evening on December 24th. And almost everyone has a real Christmas tree at home, from the for est. The Christmas trees are felled and sold by the vendors every year. And you have an Advent wreath. This is a circle that is beautifully decorated with many things and has four candles on it. Every week you light another candle. The be ginning is 4 weeks before Christmas. This Advent wreath should shorten the waiting time and increase the joy of Christmas.”

The other student we interviewed is also from Germany. When Beyza was asked about how Christmas was cele brated back home, she said “In Ger many we light a candle of an Advent wreath each Sunday starting off on the first Advent Sunday until Christmas. Everybody also has an Advent calen dar. We usually also play secret Santa with our friends and families and we also go to Christmas markets, which are basically like fairs but Christmas themed. A lot of Germans also drink Mulled Wine (in German “Guehwein”) during that time. On the actual Christ mas day we go to church in the morn ing and then spend the rest of the day with our families. In the evening we open all the gifts.” She also elaborated that she has not seen much of a differ ence from how Christmas is celebrated in Germany to here in the U.S. other than the tradition with the Advent wreath.

Trump Trials

An update on January 6th

Reilly Johnson & Anna Beth Burleson, Staff Writers

On November 3rd, 2020, the presi dential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump came to a close. Biden won with more than 81 million votes. After this, on January 6th, 2021, The United States Capitol was attacked by about 2,000 far-right extremists. They were in denial of the election results, so as a statement, they raided the capitol. Their goals were to disrupt and delay the Electoral College vote count and to pressure Congress and Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election of Joe Biden in favor of Trump. In order to do this, they caused civil disorder and rioting, and there was an attempt ed bombing. The demonstration resulted in 5 deaths and an unknown number of injuries.

Some notable sentences following the attack are Guy Reffitt, Howard Richardson, and Albuquerque Head. Reffitt was the first defendant to be convicted by a jury. He was found not guilty on all charges, although he was sentenced to 7 years in federal prison plus a $2,000 fine and 3 years of super vised release. Richardson was sen tenced to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after he struck a police officer three times with a flagpole, hard enough to break the flagpole. He was arrested in November 2021 and pleaded guilty in

April 2022. Head dragged Metropol itan Police Department officer Mike Fanone into the mob of rioters. This resulted in him being sentenced to 90 months (7 years and 6 months) in pris on. 946 others were charged but most were found not guilty on all charges.

The riot at the capitol was thought to be arranged by Trump and Pence. They held a rally before the attack and the former president made a comment that led people to believe he was asking his supporters for “help”. He is now supposed to appear before the House of Representatives to testify. To avoid this, he is suing the House. His lawsuit states that while former presidents have voluntarily agreed to provide a testimony or documents in response to congressional subpoenas in the past, “no president or former president has ever been compelled to do so.”

It was filed days before the deadline insisting he cooperates as well as his announcement to run for president in the upcoming election. It was voted to subpoena Trump to force him to give a testimony in-person or by video con ference. They also outlined a sweeping request for documents, including per sonal communications between Trump and members of Congress as well as extremist groups. His response to this was due the first week of November. It

was then extended by a week. Now, Trump’s family and team have turned their back on him. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner don’t want to speak to him and refuse to help him get back into office. His former Vice President, Mike Pence, called him reckless.“I mean, the president’s words were reckless,” Pence said in a pre view clip of his interview with ABC’s “World News Tonight” published Sun day. “It was clear he decided to be part of the problem.” Pence was referring to Trump’s tweet, posted while the insurrection was unfolding, on Pence’s refusal to reject the 2020 election results. The tweet said Pence “...didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done.” Days earlier, Trump and his allies had publicly urged Pence to overturn the election results for Trump, even though the Vice Presi dent had no legal right to do so. Pence told ABC anchor David Muir he was “angered” when Trump published the tweet. via The Washington Post. Trump then announced his upcom ing run for president on November 15. His new vice president has not been announced. Some of the candidates are Kari Lake, Rep. Elise Stefanik, and Gov. Ron DeSantis. Lake is a former local television news anchor. She has built a following and drawn consid

The Man Behind Premier Productions A Quick rundown

Destiny-Faith White, Staff Writer

Shane Quick is an inspiration like no other. He recently came and met with both the juniors and seniors to tell his story and provide them with advice, tips, and life lessons. He said the big gest advice he can give is to write out your goals and push yourself to reach them. He reiterated the importance of writing down your dreams throughout his entire speech. Quick believes this was key to his success. He also said to never keep your goals to yourself be cause you never know who is listening or what doors it could open to you.

Shane didn’t have the best childhood and due to immediate family problems, he was raised under his grandmother’s supervision. He made it a point for us to understand that whatever we go

through, we can still move forward and become better. When asked if he would go back and change what happened in his childhood if given the chance, he replied with no, saying that he believes he would not have made it to where he is now if he had not gone through what he did.

In his early 20’s, he had a dream. While working at the Louisiana Pacific sawmill, all he could do was think and for 12 hours every day, that’s exactly what he did. He dreamed of a life filled with music and after years of just thinking, and a little push from his friend’s constant nagging for him to “stop talking about it and actually do it” he finally did. With only $5,000 saved up, he emptied his savings and got to work. While looking for bands to invest in, he came across one called Casting Crowns. They just had a song on the radio and Shane decided to book them a show later that year.They went on to sell a million records. In just one day, Shane’s company made more money than he would have made in a year working at the saw mill.

Since then, Shane hasn’t looked back. In 2006 he got a call from one of

his biggest competitors, Premier Pro ductions. They asked if he would like to merge with them and he immediate ly accepted the offer. The company had grown more than 5 times than what it was and they went from doing 100 shows a year to 600.

Along with being a music producer, he also founded one of the biggest mu sic festivals in the U.S. Rock the South was started in 2012 as a fundraising re sponse to the 2011 tornadoes. The first year, more than 10,000 people showed up and Shane quickly realized that the market wanted the festival. Now, more than 10 years later, the festival went from a one-day event to a 3-day event and is named to be the “biggest party in the south” and received a rating of the

erable media attention. Stefanik has already endorsed Trump for president in 2024, becoming the highest-ranking congressional leader to publicly back the former president. “It’s very clear President Trump is the leader of the Republican party,” Stefanik said in a previous statement. “I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for Presi dent in 2024. It is time for Republicans to unite around the most popular Republican in America, who has a proven track record of conservative governance.” She launched her career as a more moderate conservative voice and as one of the youngest members of the House, is seen as a rising star in Trump’s orbit. Ron DeSantis has been on a collision course from the start with Trump. During the Coronavirus pandemic, DeSantis attracted national attention through his opposition to lockdowns, masks, and vaccine man dates. He then later demonstrated a willingness to seek consensus across cultural lines. Among a few other can didates, these are the most prominent ones.

Over 60,000 people flooded the streets of Cullman to attend the festival earlier this year. With Chris Stapleton head lining the event in 2023, the attendance is expected to blow last year’s atten dance out of the water!

6th Best Country Music Festival in the United States by Billboard magazine.

Tech Upgrade New and improved

Drew Williamson, Staff Writer

The entire Hilight staff would like to thank the Southerner staff for giving us new computers! These computers will definitely help us improve our paper.

The Southerner staff acquires their funding through the sale of yearbooks and senior ads, while we make ours from advertisers. Because of this, the Southerner often ends up with excess funds while we just have enough for printing. This year, the Southerner staff used those funds to purchase brand-new 2021 iMacs, and generously gave some to us as well.

We are very thankful for these com puters, which will certainly make our paper much better in the coming years!

Cullman Scholar’s Bowl

Finding use for useless trivia

Jonah

Jarrett, Staff Writer

Have you ever noticed how useless your mind is? How much extraneous information your brain tends to store? It is interesting how a brain can store so much information, and especially interesting how it seems only to store useless knowledge, and not the infor mation that truly matters. How can one forget to buy a book that is as signed to them for a grade in English, and yet remember all of the words to “SexyBack”? Maybe Scholar’s Bowl, led by Coach Harbin, could put that unimportant information to use.

Scholar’s Bowl is a club sponsored by Coach Harbin in which students compete in teams to answer trivia ques tions as fast as possible. Each student has a buzzer, which lights up when they press a button. Once the contes tant thinks that they know the answer to the question, they press the button. If they answer the question right, they win points. Topics for questions can range from pop culture to geography and anything else that you could find questions to ask about. A sample question from Scholar’s Bowl looks like this:

In one song, this artist declares

“your memory is ecstasy” and claims to “miss you more than life”. This singer of “Ghost” begins another song with The Kid LAROI saying, “I do the same thing, I told you that I never would” in “STAY”. This singer of “Love Yourself” is featured in a remix of Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito”. For 10 points, name this Canadian singer who became a super star at fifteen with the release of “Baby”.

answer the question faster but with less information. The question starts hard but becomes easier as the question goes on so that the teams may even tually answer the question if they do not know it at first. If you enjoy trivia enough to want to compete, try signing up for Scholar’s Bowl with Coach Harbin.

Yes, this is from an official set of Scholar’s Bowl questions. In Scholar’s Bowl, the contestant aims to answer a question such as this one as quickly as they can. As the question is read, the judge gives out more information. The contestant can interrupt the judge before he is done giving the question and included hints, allowing them to

And What A Miraculous Journey It Was

A play review of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Elley Atchison, Staff Writer

The Edward Tulane play most recently performed by our high school was nothing short of spec tacular. When I first sat down, I truly had no idea what to expect. I was delightfully surprised by the costumes; they fit the time period perfectly while still giving off a stylish look. The large poster sitting behind everyone was very pleasing and looked remarkably detailed.

The set design was honestly stun ning, and I was quite impressed.

To begin, one of my favorite parts of the play was the humor. I loved when the grandmother told her granddaughter a story and ended it with a harsh, “and the warthog died. The end.” I genuinely laughed out loud. The whole scene when the grandmother told the story was incredible

because it was so creative. For those who did not see it, they projected a light behind a thin, white sheet and performed with hand puppets as the grandmother told the story. This part of the play made it engag ing and memorable. Of course, I also have to mention the crows; this could have been my favorite part of the play. I, along with the audi ence, audibly laughed, and I was delighted by the cleverness of it all. Once again, this part in the play was engaging and a true delight. I also adored all the slow-motion scenes; they gave the show a movie-esque vibe, which I really enjoyed. Might I also add it was humorous as well, seeing people perform a fight scene in slow motion. The Cullman High School theater department was spot on with the humor in The Miracu lous Journey of Edward Tulane. Additionally, the performers in this play did an outstanding job. I

genuinely thought each person on stage played their role to perfection. Some notable actors were Grahm Waldrup, Ava Fales, London Philli po, and Bailee Henderson. Graham Waldrup is Edward Tulane. He did

the back.) Bailee Henderson outdid herself in this role. The voice she creates while onstage is always a favorite of mine; she does “whim sical child” exceedingly well. Then, she transferred into an adult in the end and did that exceedingly well too. I began thinking, “What can’t this girl do?” Outstanding job to the entire cast; I thought it was a peak performance.

an outstanding job doing that “oh poor me’’ whiney voice. Ava Fales took me back in time, and I felt like I was in the movie It’s a Wonder ful Life with her perfect old-timey, expressive voice. London Phillipo brought everything to the table with the time she had on stage. I could feel her anger (and I was sitting in

All in all, the Cullman High School Theater Department stunned me once again with its production. This play was by far my favorite one I have seen. It was filled with hu mor, snappy dialogue, and a heart felt story. This show was absolutely marvelous and I cannot wait to see what the theater department has in store for us this spring… Newsies, here I come!

Art Activities

Past and upcoming art events

Jonah Jarrett, Staff Writer

With projects always around the corner, the National Art Honors Society, or NAHS, never seems to catch a break. Across the school year, NAHS has done many things to help make the school look a little livelier. Starting with old news, NAHS made the posters during Home coming. Then, all throughout September they painted the gargantuan Cullman Ro tary Club parade float. The float was sev en feet tall and thirty feet long! Through out the fall season, NAHS painted faces at home football games. They hosted the count the corn fundraiser and made the posters for College Application week.

More recently, NAHS is making ornaments to sell at the band and choir Christmas concerts. With Mrs. Tuggle’s approval, they will also sell their art online in an auction. At some point in the spring, art will have an event to showcase all that they’ve made. All proceeds from their activities will go to Victim Services of Cullman. Art puts in much work to keep our campus festive and interesting, so make sure to thank Mrs. Miller and the art department for everything that they’ve done.

Universally Talented

CHS Gives Back

The season of generosity is upon us

Drew Williamson, Staff Writer

This Christmas season, many organizations here at Cullman High School are finding ways to give back to our community. The holidays are all about giving, and the clubs of CHS are embodying the Christmas spirit.

Every year, the Spanish National Honor Society packs gift bags for the Friends of the Children Guatemala charity. These bags go to orphans and other children in need in Guatemala. The plan was to pack at least 60 bags, but they packed 102 in total. Mrs. Cranford is very proud of the students who helped pack these bags.

FCCLA (future career and com munity leaders of America) partnered with National Honor Society, Future

Teachers of America, HOSA (future health professionals), National Art Honor Society, and Leo Club to col lect blankets for senior citizens. These blankets will go to NARCOG (North Central Alabama Regional Council of Governments), who will then distrib ute these blankets to senior citizens in Cullman, Morgan, and Lawrence counties. Several of these seniors are homebound and many have no visits from family. For some, this gift is the only one they will receive this Christ mas. Mrs. Rains is very appreciative of the students who participated because of their outpouring of support. They raised 275 blankets, the most out of any schools that participated.

Cullman High School Band marches to Universal

Mack Rudder, Staff Writer

Every year the CHS band goes on a 3-day trip for a special performance. The trips rotate out every four years to allow every band student the chance at a new experience each year. This year the band got to travel to Orlando, Florida, and was given the amazing opportunity to march in the Universal Studios Macy’s holiday parade. This year the band played a holiday tune entitled, “Caroling Down Main Street” as they marched in a loop around Universal Studios. Along with this incredible marching opportunity, the band students got to spend three days in both Universal parks. Both parks offered many different things to do including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Marvel Superhero Island, The Lost Continent, and Seuss Landing. While very busy and action-packed, this is an exceptional and once-in-a-lifetime experience for the band students.

“When CHAOS Reigns Create More CHAOS”

An inside look into the beginning of basketball season

Olivia Britton & Mimi Lunsford, Staff Writers

As the air begins to grow colder, a weird feeling fills the air. A sort of suspense begins to filter through the hallways and classrooms. Students be gin to get impatient until the suspense is finally diminished. On Monday night at 6:00, colorful students began to fill the gym to watch something they had been waiting to see again.

The Cullman CHAOS made its 2022-2023 season debut at home against Calera on Monday, November 7th. The girls came out strong to get the crowd started up. Starters Ella Collum, Ally Sharpe, Carly Mills, Ava McSwain, and Rachel Hoffman came out strong to get the Lady Cats off to a strong start. Sharpe and McSwain lead the team with 19 points a piece while Carly Mills held Calera off with 4 re bounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. Collum worked both sides of the court with 9 points and 5 steals. Hoffman and

Kadence Hanback had 4 points apiece and Morgan Grimmett added 3 points to the scoreboard as well. Overall, the girls came out defensively strong with a total of 23 steals that forced Calera into over 30 turnovers. New Coach, Jona than Hayes guided his girls to victory at the Bearcat Arena.

After the girls game, the lights were cut and green started to shine around the stadium. The 2022 6A State Champions began to enter the arena. CHAOS came out strong with senior Nate Zills winning the tipoff. Jake Dorough, Garrison Sharpe, Tucker Cagle, and Sam Duskin joined Zills on the court to start off the game. The boys ended the game defeating Calera by more than 50 points. Coach Stu has spoken very highly of his team this year including his seniors. Stu said, “Our Seniors this year have filled their shoes tremendously this season with their

experience from last year and their work ethic. They seem to possess the proper knowledge of when it’s time to encourage and when it is time to hold younger players accountable. They are also serving as great mentors for our younger players both on and off the court.”

As the season continues, the boys are now 8-1 and have a new trophy on their shelf. During Thanksgiving week, the boys won the Coach Mike Dean Turkey Shootout Tournament after defeating Springville and Moody. The girls have collected 2 more wins so far this season. Both teams have many more games and tournaments to play this year and both Hayes and Stu are very excited to see their teams continue to compete. Make sure to catch CHA OS in action soon at the bearcat arena.

Cross Country Wrap-up

Consider that country crossed

Drew Williamson, Staff Writer

The past few months hav been prime time for the Cullman cross-coun try team.

At the 6A, Section 5 meet in Octo ber, the boys’ team finished 3rd in the section after a very close race. Two points decided 2nd and 3rd place. The boys were led by Andrue Barnett’s 1st overall finish. Andrue was the individu al section champion and is now on the Wall of Champions in Coach Dean’s classroom. The girls’ team placed runner-up for the fifth time in seven years. They were led by all-section performances from Mabry Free and Bella Caretti.

At the 6A State Championship on November 5th, the boys’ team fin ished 9th place overall, led by Andrue Barnett’s all-state performance of 5th place overall. The girls’ team finished 13th place overall, led by Mabry Free’s

performance of 23rd place overall. When Coach Dean was asked about the team’s performance, he said, The teams demonstrated lots of grit on a muddy mess of a cross country course with everything on the line. The fire of competition was stoked and they loved it. We can’t become or reach our potential in the pools of comfort and ease. We are thankful for the ups and downs, the process, the triumphs, and the failures. We are thankful the jour ney continues. We love these young people and are excited and blessed to be able to continue working with them and guiding them in the process.”

As the cross country season comes to an end, track and field is getting started. Indoor track season starts on Thursday, December 15th at the Birmingham CrossPlex.

Cheer Champions of CHS

The success of CHS’s cheer squad

Alecia Scott, Staff Writer

Who gets a crowd going at a foot ball game? Who makes the audience go wild at a basketball game. Cheer leaders do, that’s who.

Our cheerleaders, however, do much more than yell for the football and basketball players. Cheer is actual ly a very intense sport that requires an immense amount of mental and phys ical strength, as well as skill. There aren’t many that can throw another person in the air and not get kicked in the face. It’s amazing. Our cheer team has won more state championships than any other team at Cullman High School.

Monday December 5th, the ladies plan to travel to Birmingham Cross plex to compete in the State compe tition once again. Previously, Varsity and JV Cheerleaders competed in the Magic City Regional Competition.

Varsity received 2nd place in Game Day and Traditional. JV won 1st place in Traditional and 2nd place in Game Day.

Our cheer squad makes the crowd go wild, no matter where they go. Any competition they go to, they are sure to succeed.

Danceteam Break Down Bearcat Dancers ready for the season

Anna Beth Mauldin, Editor-in-Chief

The Cullman High School Dance team, known as the “Bearcat Danc ers,” kicked off their 2022-2023 season this past November. The Bearcat Dancers perform at the Cullman Basketball games during the season, as well as compete in competitions.

Senior Captain, Ashton Henderson, comments on the uncertainty the team had when approaching the 2022-2023 season: “We lost nine seniors and our coach took on a new job. The program seemed like it was going to fade out and we knew that was not what we wanted.” When holding tryouts, 40 girls attended, yet only 12 were chosen for the Varsity team as well as 12 for the Junior Varsity team. “We are working out the kinks of having a JV and also being a young team. It has taken time, but our team has progressed greatly.” Both teams have already seen many

accomplishments, as they had several UDA All-Americans this past summer at camp and also received superior ribbons for their performance routines. “I am so excited to see how this team develops and grows not only over this season but for years to come. We love getting to be a part of bearcat basket ball and are looking forward to a great season!”

Know its Worth, Protect the Earth Why we need to take action

Elley Atchison, Staff Writer

“Reduce, reuse, and recycle” was al ways a phrase we heard growing up, so why does no one do it today? In 2018, the United States produced 292.4 mil lion tons of waste. Today, we are only recycling 32 percent of that. That leaves 68 percent of waste dumped into landfills. This number is daunting and leaves one feeling overwhelmed. There are actions we can take, how ever. Why not start now?

Above all, the phrase “reduce, reuse, and recycle” is listed in order of importance. Our priority should be reducing the amount of waste produced. Next, we should reuse the items that we obtained. As a final re sort, we should always recycle what we can. The issue is that numerous people do not follow through with the first two actions in that phrase, leading to excess trash. Reducing and reusing our items is such an easy fix. Be more mindful of how many clothes you are buying in a month. Reuse old clothes you may have; up cycle clothes possibly. To combat the amount of waste produced, we must first start with reducing and reusing.

Additionally, many people think landfills are the greatest invention since sliced bread. While they are a pro

ductive way of relieving waste in our everyday environment, they are far from perfect. People must under stand that as our waste grows, so do our landfills. The earth has a limited amount of space, and we are filling a

of their habitat. These landfills not only disrupt the animals’ habitat, but they also destroy their ecosystems and social structures. Next time you throw away a plastic water bottle, think about where it is going and the effect on others.

much we order at a restaurant, and even at throwing food away that would be fine to go in the fridge for later. Also, only 10 percent of plastic is recy cled. We can buy a large plastic bin for twenty dollars and simply recycle our plastic. There are solutions we can make at this school, too. Instead of just having black bins for trash, we can display another one beside it for plastic. We can also have a bin for metals located in a commonplace in the school. We can resolve this remark able problem facing us; we simply have to act on it.

large portion of that space. The earth holds 600 whopping acres containing landfill. According to Sweepstandard. org, we only have 15 more years until our landfill capacity runs out. Creating landfills also means kicking animals out

Effects of Social Media

The good and the bad of social media

Mack Rudder, Staff Writer

Even though some refuse to admit it, most people with access to a phone have some form of social media. As of October 2022, there are an estimated 4.74 billion social media users around the globe, which is equivalent to 59.3 %

YikYak have made their return to the top while apps like BeReal and Gas have made their debut. All three of these platforms seemingly blew up out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly.

Without a doubt, there are actions we can take to change these dire statis tics. For example, one-third of the food produced is disposed of later on. We can do better at identifying how much food we buy at the grocery store, how

In the end, the solutions to limiting waste are not challenging; humans are just exceedingly lazy and self-absorbed. We must grasp the idea that our actions are majorly affecting our earth. We must grasp the idea that our actions are affecting each other. We must grasp the idea that we need to take action! Reducing, reusing, and recycling are not just important, they are crucial for sustaining healthy life on earth. Change starts now.

of the world’s entire population. With half the world’s population on these sites, you have to wonder how these will affect our society as a whole.

Just like everything else, social media is a never ending cycle of sites and apps that go in and out of fashion. Some sites have remained consistent throughout the years but most pop in and out of popularity with a few moments of random internet stardom. This year alone, some platforms like

It’s hard to truly describe social me dia’s massive societal impact. Almost everything in society has been affect ed in some way, and it all just keeps getting more and more advanced. For the first time in history, people can now with a click of a button on an app change their entire face shapes, body proportions, and many other characteristics. These falsified photos can actually be extremely dangerous, even though most people assume what

can be done with a click of a button is harmless. The danger of these edits is that they can lead to a false sense of reality, especially for younger and more impressionable social media users. Eating disorders have been reported to have increased greatly over the last 50 years with 2 to every 5 young adults with some type of eating-related disorder. Not only is social media linked to bad body image, but some experts be lieve the use of social media can push your nervous system into fight-or-flight mode, which can make ADHD, anxiety, de pression, and other disorders flare up. Not all of social media’s effects are negative though and it is definitely possible to use social media platforms in a healthy way. Social media elimi nates barriers between countries and even languages. While this can be used in an unhealthy way, it can also be used in a way that helps connect people. In 2018, 81% of teenagers said social media made them feel more connected to their friends and 67% said social

media was like having a virtual support system that was always there for them. Overall, social media is a tool that can be used in a positive and negative way.

EDITORIALS

When Will the Fashion Industry Take the Hint?

The problem with women’s sizing

Alecia Scott, Staff Writer

16, 20 ,12, 18. Do you want to know what all of these numbers have in common? They are the different sizes of women’s pants I wear. American Eagle, Walmart, H&M, and Levi’s all have different sizes for women’s jeans. None of them fit the same. At a certain point, it is such a hassle so there is no point for me to even wear jeans; sweatpants it is. The absolute joke that is women’s clothing sizes is a blatant showing of fatphobia and sexism.

Let me give you a prime example of the mess that is clothing sizes from my experience. At American Eagle, I am a size 16. That is a 34.5” waist, and a 44” hip, that doesn’t even take into consid eration the size of my thighs, which I must say, fit very snugly in those pants. I can’t size it up though, because the pants won’t fit my waist or hips. Then let’s compare that to H&M. A 34” waist is a size 14, but a 44” hip will bump me all the way up to a size 18. What kind of joke is that? For those of you who might not understand how that would fit, that means I would have a pair of jeans that fit my hips, but there would be so much excess fabric at the waist, I would have to wear a belt. I wouldn’t wear the belt so the pants wouldn’t fall off; I would have to wear a belt because I would be swimming in waistband length.

Do not even get me started on pockets. The size of pockets on a pair of women’s jeans compared to a man’s is absolutely ridiculous. I could fit a whole house into a pair of men’s jean’s pockets. I can’t even fit my phone into my front pocket, that is even if I get pockets. Women are forced to either not be able to bring things that they need places, or they have to buy a purse. Purses aren’t just an accessory for women, they are a necessity. I have things that I need to bring with me that guys don’t. Guys will make fun of women who carry a lot of things in their hands, but they have nowhere else to put it if they don’t have a purse.

Red Ribbon Week

Mack Rudder & Destiny-Faith White, Staff Writers

Red Ribbon week is a week-long campaign to raise awareness, spread drug education, and promote drug prevention. The campaign was started in the 80s by the National Family Part nership in response to DEA Agent Enrique Camarena’s murder. The movement has grown and changed over the years, and now people are

there. People started forming drug-free coalitions using him as their inspiration and the red ribbon became a symbol for these coalitions.

The first national red ribbon week campaign was in 1988. Since then many schools have started to use red ribbon week as a mock homecoming or as a week to dress up and celebrate. Red Ribbon week is meant to be a campaign to spread awareness among youth about the dangers of drugs, not a celebration. Besides the dress-up days, most schools don’t offer anything else to engage students in Red Ribbon Week. While many schools choose to gloss over Red Ribbon week, this can be detrimental to students, specifically high schoolers.

Another thing that absolutely grinds my gears about women’s clothing is the insane amount of buttons. Why do I need six buttons to button up my pair of jeans? Zippers are a thing; use them.

It feels like there is a super easy solu tion to this problem. There is already a solution. Men’s sizing is that of leg length and waist size. There would definitely need to be tweaks made to this system to account for varying hip and thigh sizes, but a few more col umns to the corporations sizing graphs shouldn’t be too hard of a fix. The harder thing to do would be getting corporations to all get with the same sizing chart strategy. Truthfully, they would never do it until one company did and all of the women left the other companies to get their jeans from that company. The others would follow suit soon after.

Fashion has always been a way for women and men to express themselves, but it has been a way to stigmatize the way women look at themselves. “If I am not a size 0, I’m not good enough.” I am here to tell anyone who feels that way that they are more than good enough. They are great.

I am not saying that these compa nies are bad, it just feels very outdated. Regular numbers 1-38 aren’t going to cut it anymore. Women should be able to walk into a store, pick out a pair of jeans, and take them home knowing they will fit without having to try them on.

starting to forget the real meaning be hind it. Enrique Camarena was a Drug Enforcement Administration Agent who was brutally murdered and killed because of his line of work. After his death, to honor his memory his friends and people in his community began to wear red ribbons and it grew from

While in high school, many students make choices that follow them for the rest of their lives. The choice of what classes to take, what colleges to apply for, what career to focus on, who to be friends with, and eventually one choice that most high schoolers face at some point that could derail their entire future is the choice of rather or not to do drugs.

In our modern society, drugs are

much more attainable for younger people than they were in the past. Drugs have never been simple, but as they have evolved, they have gotten even more advanced and complicated. These advancements just add to the complications of this choice for high schoolers. This is why campaigns and programs (like Red Ribbon Week) that focus on drug education and prevention are important for students to experience.

Some schools that understand the importance of drug prevention campaigns have honored Red Rib bon Week by inviting guest speakers to their schools to educate students

about the harmful effects of drugs, hosting essay contests for students, and encouraging students to live drugfree through activities throughout the week. The main point is to get the message across to students that they have a choice and provide them with resources to make the right choice, and for students who feel like they have already made the wrong choice provide them with the help they need to turn around before it’s too late.

Why Red Ribbon week should be a campaign, not a celebration

Students at another school planting trees in honor of Red Ribbon Week.

Christmas Traditions That Have Gone Out of Style

The old ways of spreading Christmas cheer

Ruby Hudson, Staff Writer

- Caroling door to door

This Christmas tradition is often seen in older movies, but why hasn’t this tradition continued today? Carols were written in 4th and 5th century Latin commemorating the birth of Je sus, but weren’t associated with Christ mas until the 13th century. This tradi tion didn’t even begin with singing, but involved people going house to house giving out well wishes and wassail, a drink similar to our modern-day egg nog. Singing remained separate from Christmas until Saint Francis of Assisi began including songs of well wishes in his Christmas services. He encouraged members of his church to embrace music during the holiday season, and this soon spread into a tradition. Some people may be glad that Christmas car oling is not very common because they would probably turn off all the lights in their house and hide like Luther and Nora in ChristmaswiththeKranks , but hopefully not. Those of us who went to East Elementary were able to go Christmas caroling and deliver Christmas cards to those in nursing homes, and we had a lot of fun doing it. Being able to spread Christmas cheer in this way not only brings cheer to those who hear, but also to those who are bringing it, and this tradition is one that, if brought back, would bring more cheer to our community.

- Yule log

Originally, the yule log was an entire tree that a family would cut down. They would then bring the trunk into the house and stick one end into the fire. The tree would continually feed the fire from Christmas day to January 5, which are the 12 days of Christmas. Since cutting down a whole tree to use for firewood is not practical these days, some cultures use just a log from a yule tree to burn in the fireplace, and for other cultures, the yule log is a logshaped chocolate cake that is enjoyed as a dessert on Christmas.

oranges that were put in stockings could be symbols of the gold coins. A more historical explanation for oranges being used as stocking stuffers dates back to the Great Depression. Since money was scarce for many families, oranges and walnuts were often found in stockings on Christmas mornings. Finding an orange in your stocking was considered a special treat consid ering that in the 19th century, oranges were purchased from wandering mer chants from Spain.

- Roasting chestnuts

to roast chestnuts over an open fire or in your oven if that is easier.

- Edible natural ornaments

- Putting oranges in stockings

Oranges used to be a standard stocking stuffer, a tradition that refer enced St. Nicholas, and was prevalent during the Great Depression. As the 4th century story goes, St. Nicholas hears of a poor man who is not able to pay for his three daughters to get married, so St. Nicholas goes into the house and puts three gold coins into their stockings which have been washed and are drying by the fire. The

If this makes you think of “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole, then you must have wondered about the tradition of roasting chestnuts over an open fire. In the 18th and 19th centuries, chestnuts were one of the most popular ingredients in American dishes since there were almost 4 billion of chestnut trees growing in east Amer ica. When roasted, the nuts would have a nutty and sweet flavor. In 1904, a disease among these trees began, and within 40 years, nearly every American chestnut tree was dead. Scientists have been trying to create genetically modified trees that are resistant to this disease, so maybe in the future real American chestnuts can be used to re vive this tradition. Most of us have not participated in this tradition, but it is fairly simple to do. Just look up recipes

In the early days of Christmas trees, a tradition eginning in 16th century Ger many, people used nuts, berries, and fruits as ornaments. Strings of popcorn were also used, and can sometimes be seen today. Many early Christmas decorations came from nature, such as evergreen wreaths and sprigs of holly. Natural decorations such as these lost their popularity in the late 1800s when plastic and glass ornaments and fake plant decorations were made, but they can easily be brought back if you wish to decorate for Christmas with orna ments that are fun to look at as well as to eat!

- Making homemade gifts

Also prior to the 1800s, it was normal for people to hand make gifts. Rural Americans carved toys out of wood and made pieces of needlework to give to their friends and family on Christmas day. Because of the Indus trial Revolution, however, it was more practical to buy mass-made toys and gifts instead of making gifts by hand, which was very time consuming. The sentiment behind a handmade gift oftentimes makes it more valuable than anything store bought, and this is a tradition that I think we should all try to revive.

Anna Beth Mauldin,

Holiday Games Christmas themed games you can play with family and friends

John Mark Johnson, Staff Writer

Candy Canes

In order to play you will need a deck of cards and three or more people, circled around a pile of candy canes, one less than the number of players. Each player will take turns drawing cards in order to get a four of a kind. Once you do, take a candy cane as secretly as possible. After this, everyone else will race to grab one of the remaining candy canes. The person who does not get a candy cane is out. Repeat this until one winner remains.

Christmas Pictionary

Write down a list of Christmas terms on flash cards and place into a pile. Players will be divided into teams. One person will draw a card from the pile and will have one minute to draw the Christmas term on the card. If their teammates guess correctly, they get one point. The team artist will alter nate each turn. Each team will take turns, and whichever team reaches twenty points first wins.

Christmas Charades

First, make a list of Christmas terms to act out. Separate players into teams, and have one player from each team to do the acting. The actors are not allowed to speak or make any sound or signal any letters. Every time a team guesses correctly within the given time limit (2-3 minutes recommended), they get one point. The first team to get twenty points wins.

Stocking Guessing Game

First, you need someone to gather ran dom items and put them in a stocking. Once it has been stuffed, tie a string or ribbon around the top of the stocking so that no one can see inside. Pass the stocking around to let everyone feel what is inside. Give each player a note card so that they can write down their guesses. The person who guesses the most correct items is the winner.

Gift Wrap

Have participants group into pairs. Tie one person’s right hand to their team mate’s left. The duos will then attempt to wrap a gift using their free hands. Have an example gift for everyone to use as a template, the harder the gift is to wrap the better. Give a time limit of 1-3 minutes. Once time has passed have a judge pick the most accurate gift.

Christmas Recipes

Christmas recipes and recipes for those who can’t cook

Juan Fuentes, Staff Writer

Food is arguably the most important part of Christmas. So for this Christ mas season, The Hilight has some rec ipes for everyone, even if you can’t cook.

Roasted Turkey Ingredients:

- ¼ pound unsalted butter - 1 lemon; zested and juice - 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves - kosher salt - lemon, halved - fresh ground black pepper - 1 spanish onion - 1 head of garlic

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahren heit

2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the lemon juice and thyme to the butter mixture

3. Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash it inside out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with a bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey 4.Roast the turkey for about 2 1/2

hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes Ingredients: - Potatoes - Garlic - Butter - Milk - Cream Cheese - Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Cut the potatoes and then transfer them to a stock pan with cold water

2. Boil the potatoes. Once your pota toes are cut, make sure there is enough water in the pan to cover all of the po tatoes by an inch. Add the garlic and 1 tablespoon salt to the water. Then turn on high heat until the water comes to a boil. And boil the potatoes for about 10-12 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle of a potato goes in with almost no resistance and then carefully drain the pan

3. Meanwhile, as the potatoes are boiling, heat your butter, milk and an additional 2 teaspoons of sea salt together either in a small saucepan or in the microwave until the butter is just melted. Set aside until ready to use

4. Return the potatoes to the hot stockpot, and then place the stockpot back on the hot burner, turning the heat down to low. Using two oven mitts, carefully hold the handles on the stockpot and shake it gently on the burner for about 1 minute to help cook off some of the remaining steam within the potatoes. Then remove the stock pot entirely from the heat.

5. Mash the potatoes to your preferred consistency

6. Pour half of the melted butter mix ture over the potatoes, and fold it in with a wooden spoon or spatula until potatoes have soaked up the liquid. Repeat with the remaining butter. And then again with the cream cheese. Fold each addition in until just combined to avoid overmixing, or else you will end up with gummy potatoes.

Gravy

Ingredients:

- Chicken and Beef Stock cubes

- Hot Water

- Flour

- Butter

Directions:

1. Dissolve the stock cubes in boiling water

2. Melt butter in saucepan and mix in flour

3. Pour in stock water while whisking

and cook 15 minutes until thickened

Recipes If you Can’t Cook:

Publix Rotisserie Chicken Ingredients: -Publix Rotisserie Chicken

Directions:

1. Go to Publix 2. Buy the chicken 3. Go home and enjoy

Instant Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients: - Pack of Instant Mashed Potatoes - Water

Directions:

1. Go to your local store

2. Buy pack of instant mashed potatoes 3. Go home

4. Put instant mashed potatoes and in a bowl and pour water

Prebaked Walmart/Publix Cake Ingredients: Cake Directions: 1. Go to the store

2. Pick out a cake 3. Buy it 4. Go home

Holiday Outfits

Holiday outfit ideas that are grandma-approved

Mimi Lunsford, Staff Writer

1) Why pay for less? It makes no sense. And that is exactly what your grandmother will say if you walk through the door with holes in your jeans. Jeans with holes or rips are trending right now, and many people love this trend but would not recom mend trying to get your grandma to hop on this train. Jeans are perfect for holidays as they can be dressed up or down, just make sure they are all in one piece.

2) Baby, it’s cold outside which gives you the perfect excuse to bring out your favorite sweaters. Grandma loves sweaters. So make sure they are long enough to cover your stomach and that they are not too revealing. Otherwise, you might get some nasty looks from grandma. Turtlenecks are making a comeback and they are the perfect sweater to wear to any family gather ing. Another way to wear a turtleneck is under a shirt, and you can try out some layering techniques. Turtlenecks also pair excellently with a nice pair of non-holy jeans.

3) Dresses are an easy way to dress

up a casual holiday look. Now, if you are going to be celebrating outside, wearing a dress might not be the most logical option but it is an excellent choice for inside celebrations. Long and midi dresses can be worn almost everywhere now-a-days and are a safe, good option for Christmas get-togeth ers. These dresses reduce the risk of your dress coming up or your Grand ma commenting about the length of your dress. Also, to fit in the winter season these dresses can be dressed up with a pair of heels or they can be dressed down with a simple pair of sneakers.

4) For boys, khaki pants and a simple college shirt are always a good option. Grandma loves seeing you walk in her outside looking all clean and dapper. Or if you are looking for a more dressed up look, you might wear a button down with a blazer. Now if you have a more casual holiday gather ing, Grandma might let you slide with athletic shorts and a shirt, but you will be frowned upon when the rest of your family shows up looking dressed and

ready to eat some good food.

Christmas in Cullman

Great ways to get festive this year

Reilly Johnson, Staff Writer

1) A fan favorite to go to during the Holidays in Cullman is the long-lasting Christmas tradition of the Sports man Lake Park Winter Wonderland Christmas Light Display. This year celebrates 20 years of the annual light display. Each year it gets bigger and bigger but this year they have added over 10 new scenes, so you’re in for a real show! The display is located at 1544 Sportsman Lake Rd NW, Cullman, AL and opens November 18th and runs all the way through December 30th (weather permitting). They are open from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm on these days and admission is 10 dollars per vehicle. Along with the display, they also have many other fun activities available at the park such as a Christmas train, a photo booth, horse and carriage rides, and a fake snow machine.

2) A great option to celebrate that you can do from home is building a gingerbread house. Good places to find gingerbread houses to purchase are stores like Publix, Walmart, and Hobby Lobby.

3) Another great tradition Cullman has is Christmas in Cullman at the Warehouse District. This started sev eral decades ago as a way to celebrate Cullman’s German heritage around the holiday time. Christmas in Cullman is not just one event, but a series of them. The first event starts November 25th and is the lighting of the pyramid that’s located in downtown Cullman. The second event is on December 2nd with a Christmas parade that kicks off at 6:00 pm. This parade starts at Busy Bee’s Cafe and goes all the way down until it reaches Depot Park. Finally to wrap up Christmas in Cullman, and your holiday shopping is the Cullman Christkindlmarkt. This opens on De cember 9th and lasts until December 11th. On the 9th and 10th, the hours are 11:00 AM until 8:00 Pm and on the 11th they are 1:00 PM to 5:00 Pm.

4) On December 3rd at 4:00 pm Cullman will be hosting Ugly Sweater Bingo in The Warehouse District. The tickets are 50 dollars and all proceeds will be donated to Curt’s Closet. Tick ets are available to purchase on the Monograms website.

the powdery sub stance in a fireplace

the season!

a feeling of great happiness answers on page 18

5) Many groups and churches go caroling during the holiday season. Caroling is a great way to share and experience holiday cheer at the same time. A great way to find a caroling group is to check out your local Face book groups.

Christmas Catwalking

How CHS students celebrate Christmas

Anna Beth Mauldin, Editor-in-Chief & Elley Atchison, Junior Editor

1. What is your favorite Christmas Tradition?

2. What is your favorite ornament on your Christmas tree?

Lucas Sawtelle:

1. Getting together with my family and hugging everyone while getting that warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

2. A pickle woman in a nursing uniform.

Sophia Lambert:

1. Exchanging presents with my family.

2. Arts and crafts ornaments from elementary school.

Nora Sheffield:

1. When my dad plays a fireplace video on the t.v. while we open our presents.

2. My brother’s awkward drivers license photo as an ornament.

Evan Wilson:

1. Coming together with my family and everyone having Christmas trees.

2. A house with snow and Santa on the chimney.

Wilson Wood:

1. My grandfather makes all of his grandchildren unique wooden items every year.

2. An old world ornament that my great grandfather brought my grandmother back from WW2.

Emma

Richey:

1. Going to my grandmother’s house and opening up presents for the dogs first.

2. An ornament from 6th grade.

Emma Thomas:

1. Eating cinnamon rolls Christmas morning.

2. A cute little light up bear.

Luke McGill:

1. Looking for the Christmas pick le on my tree.

2. The Christmas pickle.