April 2011 Bear Facts

Read the club news on p. 4-5.

Catch up on MHS athletics on p. 8.

Check out the senior wills, p. 11.

Bear Facts

The

25¢

A PUBLICATION OF MENA HIGH SCHOOL

Volume 1 Number 6

April 2011

700 S. Morrow St., Mena, Arkansas 71953

MHS introduces Archery Club

by Manda Ham

MENA HIGH SCHOOL students take part in the state archery contest in Hot Springs. (staff photo)

Bryan Maye and Mike Collins, agscience teachers at Mena High School, decided to establish a competitive Archery club to generate interest in the field. “This was an idea of mine to increase class enrollment in that area. It worked!” said Maye. The club is limited to students who are currently enrolled in or have previously taken the Natural Resources of Study in Agriculture course.

Team members include Danny Arceneau, Rachel Collins, C.J Crowley, Dakota Downs, Lucas Head, Lacie Keener, Taylor Maechler, Reed Mendoza, Paul Miner, Julian Parnell, Kolten Summit, Chance Strother, Brandon Sweeten, and Jamie Thacker.

These members competed against 40 other schools at the Hot Springs Convention Center during the State Archery Tournament on March 19. Each contestant was required to shoot three rounds of five arrows at 10 meters and again at 15 meters, with each round being scored.

The Mena team placed fifth with a total of 3,052 points. Arceneau received seventh place overall in the senior boys division.

Rachel Collins was awarded third place overall in the senior girls division. She then qualified for competition in the top shoot off where she placed fifth and was awarded a $500 scholarship.

For its premier year, the Archery Club, proved successful.

Agriculture students conduct colorful experiment

by Justin Sattler

The Biological Animal Sciences class in the Mena High Agricultural department recently hatched a group of chicks. Unlike every other year they have done this, they decided to make things a tad bit more interesting by dyeing the chicks a week before they hatched.

The process began by injecting eggs that were acquired from the Tyson company with regular food dye found at the supermarket.

Using various colors, the students of the class, instructed by Ms. Wilcox and Mr. Maye, filled syringes normally used for infants, provided by the Mena Regional Health System, with the food dye, made sure the area of injection was completely sanitary

by using an alcohol prep pad, made a hole with a probe a half inch from the tip of the small end of the egg, and injected close to a half of a milliliter, or cc, of food dye into it.

Just as expected, the baby chickens hatched the day students arrived after spring break.

Though stated in The Journal of Wildlife Management Vol. fifteen, the coloring of the chicks is said to be harmless to the chick’s health, appetite, and growth, unfortunately not all of the chicks hatched out of their eggs.

The hatchlings that did come out entered the world chirping and blinking their eyes for the first time. After two weeks, juvenile plumage will replace the colored down they were born with, and the chickens will return to normal, healthy chickens like they were meant to be.

SUNNI WILCOX SHOWS her students the proper way to inject food dye into a chicken egg. (photo by Justin Sattler)

Page 2

The Bear Facts - Editorial

April 2011

When is too much really too much?

by Flannery Wilson

Having overly protective and overly demanding parents can be a real drag. Who wants their parental unit constantly down their backs, hovering over their shoulders, and always pushing them to do more? Not any high schooler that I know, that’s for sure. There seems to be a thin line between control freaks and parents who could care less about their kid’s actions. So which is really worse?

With parents always striving for their teens to do more, their kids are actually more likely to rebel--or worse. If a student’s parent constantly wants straight As, MVP team recognitions, or officer positions of whatever club their child is in, the stress might be too much. As for a lot of teenagers, the high school experience is enough as it is, let alone having a pusher parent to handle as well. While parents think they’re doing their kids a favor, actually they’re pretty much doing the complete opposite. According to David Elkind, a professor of child development at Tufts University, kids need some structure in their lives, but parents who make most decisions in their children’s lives can “make kids a little more passive intellectually.” On the flip side, many parents don’t care at all.

Some parents let their teenagers get away with whatever they want, whenever they want. While teens might think they deserve to be treated like adults with tons of freedom, the reality is that it can be overwhelming. After all, we’re really ONLY teenagers, with the majority of us not even legal adults yet. With lenience to do as they please, kids become involved with the wrong crowd and start doing things they really shouldn’t. They sometimes might stay out all night, start dressing like they normally wouldn’t, form bad habits, etc. A lot of teens also feel like their parents are neglecting them because they seem to not care, and just turn their backs on them.

I think parents need to try and find that happy medium with their children—they should watch out for them, but at the same time not always be breathing down their back. They should also care for them enough to know what’s REALLY going on in their kids’ lives; they’re their own child after all.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Morgan Fletcher; NEWS EDITOR: Kyle Saulsbury; NEWS REPORTERS: Heather Eikenberg, Morgan Fletcher, Manda Ham, Ashton LaCoste, Dani Lindsey, Mat Meade, Justin Sattler, Kyle Saulsbury, Courtney Shaw, Leonna Smith, Flannery Wilson; EDITORIAL COLUMNIST: Flannery Wilson; FEATURE PAGE EDITOR: Kyle Saulsbury; VARSITY SPORTS EDITOR: Mat Meade; SPORTS COLUMNIST: Mat Meade; SPORTS PAGE EDITOR: Mat Meade; SPORTS REPORTER: Courtney Shaw; CLUB PAGE EDITOR: Dani Lindsey; ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR/COLUMNIST: Heather Eikenberg; CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER: Justin Sattler; ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHERS: Heather Eikenberg, Morgan Fletcher, Manda Ham, Dani Lindsey, Mat Meade, Kyle Saulsbury, Leonna

Smith, Flannery Wilson; ADVERTISING MANAGER: Manda Ham; CHIEF TYPIST: Dani Lindsey; ASSISTANT TYPIST: Flannery Wilson; EXCHANGE EDITOR: Manda Ham; CIRCULATION MANAGERS: Manda Ham, Leonna Smith; STAFF ARTIST: Flannery Wilson; PAGE DESIGN by Desktop Publishing Students: Alex Atchley, Nicole Bobo, Ethan Campbell, Nick Crawford, Jasper Davis, Aly Decoux, Melody Dedmon, Cassie Gear, Katelyn Graves, Manda Ham, Bradley Howard, Jennifer Howard, Aaron Johnson, Dani Lindsey, Ashley Maechler, Jordan Newman, Kyle Saulsbury, Kaitlyn Schoeppey, Phillip Schuller, Leigha Smith, Sammie Talamantez, Cecilia Thulin, Stephanie Vidrine, Daniele Williams, Marissa Willis, and Flannery Wilson; ADVISER: Lisa Schuller

The Bear Facts, a publication of Mena High School, is published monthly October through May by MHS journalism students and is printed by the Mena Star. The Bear Facts is a member of the Arkansas Scholastic Press Association, the American Scholastic Press Association, and the Southern Interscholastic Press Association. Editorials and letters to the editor reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff or school. All letters must be signed, and all published letters will include the author’s name.

Advertising rates are $10 per column inch. For advertising or subscription information, address all correspondence to Bear Facts, Mena High School, 700 Morrow St., Mena, Arkansas 71953.

Editorial: A minor problem, with a simple solution Are you tired of spending time sitting in a line that seems to last hours on end, just to leave school? How does wasting gas sound when gas prices are so outrageously priced?

Not very appealing, now, is it? For the students at Mena High School, that is how the post school day begins.

Although there is an alternate path by pulling out to the left instead of the right, this route takes students way out of their way, but in turn does beat waiting in line. Basically what causes the roads to be so congested is the fact that high school is let out of school the same time Holly Harshman Elementary is; therefore, along with high school car-riders and drivers, there is a mass amount of HHE car riders’ parents on the roads to pick up their kids, not to mention the buses cause quite the traffic jam. On most days a cop comes and makes an attempt to direct traffic. This does help for the most part, but it is still an unorganized and very slow process.

A very simple resolution to this problem would be to put in four stop lights; one for each street. One would need to be installed by the entrance/exit of the student parking lot and three on the opposing streets of the four way intersection. This is probably one of the most efficient solutions because traffic lights would keep traffic moving smoothly.

Stop lights would make leaving school safer and easier for kids who walk to get across the streets, they would make the whole area less accident prone, and also the lights might keep people from speeding through the intersection at all times not just after school.

So, all in all, the problem is minor, just aggravating and the solution is simple, just expensive.

April 2011

The Bear Facts - Feature

Page 3

Then and now

The Bear Facts tips hat to last seniors of MHS

by Kyle Saulsbury

This year’s series of tributes to Mena High School comes to close with a final salute to a graduating class that will leave a lasting mark in MHS history as the last to graduate from this high school: the class of 2011. In months past, this run of praises has been directed to the school itself, its policies, its academic and athletic programs, and even its teachers, so it’s only fitting that this series come to a close by addressing the last graduates of this MHS. The seniors of 1977 were the pioneering seniors of a high school that was newly founded in 1976, the first to graduate from MHS. On the other side of the coin, the class of 2011 will be the last class graduating from what will be known for only a few more months as Mena High School.

Much has changed over the thirty-five year difference between these first and last graduations, and, at the same time, much has stayed the same. For instance, the class of ’77 never had a class song, and although this elected feature was installed for seniors some years later, class songs were eventually removed; senior classes no longer have class songs, after a song that was selected by the class of 2009 contained lyrics that were deemed unsuitable.

The school board refused to defend a song which failed to meet the ethical code promoted by the school, and as a result, there was no more trust given in the discretion of seniors to choose an appropriate song, and class songs were removed. The name of the song chosen in ’09 was not released from interviewed MHS faculty and administrative members. It can be seen that there has been a major shift in the pop culture of these two time periods, but this is not the only defining difference that can be noted between the classes of 2011 and 1977.

Over thirty years ago, graduating from a new high school was a major event to the seniors of the ’76-’77 school year; being the first to do anything always seems to instill a sense of pride. However, this stigma of, “We’re the first!” seems to have faded over the years, as a recent survey of seniors indicated that the majority of the class of 2011 would prefer graduating at the current high school, the one in which they have spent all their four years of high school, rather than the brand new one; the pride now seems to come from being last. The trend leans more towards leaving behind an academic heritage instead of commencing one. Clearly, the majority of this year’s seniors have a sentimental connection to this school and the history that they’ve had together in it that outweighs the prospect of having gone to a new school and experience all that it would have to offer. This same survey indicated that less than one in five seniors had actually gone to inspect the new high school for themselves, despite the fact that several tours of the new high school have been provided for both students and the general public by the MHS teachers and administrative members.

There’s no question that being either the first or last graduating class of any school will have a sentimental impact on the graduates. To explain exactly why it is that most seniors have preference for being the last class of this high school, Michael Cabello, a senior, said that “As the last graduating class, we want to be the ones that leave our legacy, our footprint, last.” It’s become apparent that with this year’s seniors, the nostalgia lies with being the last rather than the first.

May 6 will be the seniors’ last day of school this year—almost a full month before the normal last day of school—with the graduation ceremony being held on May 13, the same date as the awards assembly, at the CMA building at 8 pm. All graduation speech submissions

were given to Jessica Kropp, Oral Communications teacher here at MHS. Presentations of speeches were given on Wed., April 20, to a panel of judges, a great portion of which consisted of English teachers, who decided whom would be the speaker for this year’s graduation.

Krystal Saulsbury will be addressing the seniors at the graduation ceremony with her speech.

So, with just a few weeks of school left for them, The Bear Facts gives a special farewell to the last class that will exit these doors as the graduates of MHS. As for the class of 2012, they will be the opening “act” in a series of “plays” that will pass through the new high school. Who knows when this same scenario will come about again, when the new Mena High School will be sending off its last graduating class?

SENIORS MEET IN the cafeteria for graduation instructions before the last day of school. (photo by Kyle Saulsbury)

Page 4

The Bear Facts - Clubs

April 2011

MHS EAST team attends conference

by Kyle Saulsbury

The 12th Annual EAST Conference was held March 1-3 at the Hot Springs Convention Center in Hot Springs, AR. The Mena High School EAST Conference team consisted of Matt Horner, Taylor Rook, Kaitlyn Schoeppey, Megan Atchley, Zeke McPherson, Joby McPherson, Tyler Lane, Lauren Henry, and Larry Lindly as the team facilitator.

The purpose of the EAST Conference is to bring together students of EAST Labs across the nation in order for them to share with other students projects that have been created and carried out for the community.

Last month, around 2,000 students from 194 schools met in Hot Springs.

The MHS Conference Team members received a Superior ranking for the quality of their projects at the conference and

presented as its top project the Queen Wilhelmina State Park Trails Map Project.

MHS EAST Lab students marked trails and park areas using Trimble GeoExplorer III GPS units and created a map from the collected data using ArcGIS software. Other projects the MHS EAST Lab has undertaken are the Mena Fire Hydrant Map Project, the map of the Wickes Daniels Cemetery, Adobe After Effects training classes for MMS students, M*A*S*H posters, Stamp Out Smoking (SOS) PSAs, and a sports highlight video.

The MHS EAST Lab plans to continue working and expanding on some of its GPS software-based projects, such as the Queen Wilhelmina State Park Trails Map Project, which will ideally spread across the entire Rich Mountain area, and the Mena Fire Hydrant Map Project. Hopefully next year’s MHS EAST Conference team will perform as spectacularly as this year’s.

SENIA GARCIA, KATIE Lance, Megann Matejek, April Ganster, Allison Austin, Ayla Powell are the new Drama Club officers. (photo by Krystal Saulsbury)

MHS Leadership

Mena NHS chapter attends leadership conference

by Ashton LaCoste

NATIONAL HONOR Society officers for 2011-2012 include Manda Ham, Sasha Zavala, Dani Lindsey, Britain Morris, and Flannery Wilson. (photo by Justin Sattler)

A Leadership Conference for National Honor Society and Upward Bound students from different schools was held at the Old Armory from ten in the morning to around three in the afternoon, March 12, 2011. The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society organized and hosted the conference, and the members took time from their busy schedules to empower the next generation of leaders to become better leaders. Two guests, Allen Falk and Dr. Wayne Hatcher, encouraged everyone with their presentations.

The leaders of this conference gave participants instructions to begin learning how to distinguish between good and bad leaders by asking certain questions. Four stations were set up to test the members on their leadership skills. Each station consisted of various challenges to determine whether

the members could use the leadership skills efficiently or not. The members found that working together as a whole made them more successful as opposed to working in smaller groups.

During the second half of the day, the leaders had two lecturing speakers.

Falk spoke to the group, emphasizing selfawareness, and instructed participants to speak positively and practice more often in front of a mirror. He said, “Feedback is what the members need to eat for breakfast.” He made being a leader sound fun and easy, and gave everyone three easy steps to be a better leader: Find a mentor, meet the right people, and read the right books.

Dr. Wayne Hatcher, RMCC President, told the members how to distinguish between good leaders and bad leaders. According to Hatcher, and empowerment is what is need when dealing with both good and bad leaders.

April 2011

The Bear Facts - Clubs

Page 5

FBLA members compete at state level

by Dani Lindsey

LAUREN SHUFELBERGER, HADLEY Dahlem, and Connor Purvis will travel to the FBLA National Leadership Conference this summer. Accompanying them will be newly elected FBLA District I Treasurer Dani Lindsey and adviser Molly Lindsey. (photo by Flannery Wilson)

Future Business Leaders of America members from Mena High School, who previously placed in the top of their events at the FBLA District conference in February, attended the state conference.

Members placing in the top six of their event at district conference are eligible to go on and compete at the state level. Early in the morning of Mon., April 4, thirteen FBLA members loaded the bus and headed to Little Rock, Arkansas, to compete for their chance at attending FBLA National Leadership Conference in the summer. Of those thirteen, Connor Purvis placed 3rd in Healthcare Management, Hadley Dahlem placed 3 rd in Introduction to Business Communications, and Lauren Shufelberger placed 1st in Hospitality Management. These students, along with newly elected District Treasurer Dani Lindsey, will attend the National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida in June.

Upon arrival at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, the members were registered and ready to compete. When students were not competing, they were attending workshops or meeting new friends. At the opening session on Monday night, guest speaker, Amy Gallimore, was there to motivate members to do their best and become better leaders. Tuesday morning, members packed up their belongings and set out for McCain Mall in Little Rock.

After a bit of shopping and some lunch, the members traveled back to the Peabody Hotel and attended the awards ceremony.

Outgoing state officers inducted their newly chosen officer team and proceeded to hand out awards. Mena FBLA adviser, Molly Lindsey, said, “I’m very proud of all of the students for achieving even the right to compete at the state level. They are all winners. And I’m especially proud to take these four students to compete at the highest level for all Future Business Leaders of America.”

Students achieve Photoshop certification

by Kyle Saulsbury

Students of Molly Lindsey’s Desktop Publishing II classes partook in an online Adobe Photoshop Certification test provided

by Certiport on May 6. For several weeks prior to the test, Lindsey’s DTP II classes had been working on Photoshop exercises and watching video tutorials that demonstrated use of different tools and methods of editing images.

The test is divided into five different domains, each of which assessed students’ general knowledge of several Photoshop

basics, ranging from familiarity of certain design elements to how to correctly manipulate and edit images.

The students who passed the test and received certification are Brad Howard, Daniele Williams, Kaitlyn Schoeppey, and Kyle Saulsbury.

This achievement is to serve as a means of broadening students’ computerized business knowledge and also open up the way for future career opportunities. These students will be given an official certificate at this year’s awards ceremony to recognize their accomplishment.

CHRIS PENNY WINS the Golden Shoe award at the Annual Emperor/Empress Games. (photo by Krystal Saulsbury)

Page 8

The Bear Facts - Sports

April 2011

Bearcat and Ladycat track season in full swing

by Mat Meade and Courtney Shaw

The Mena High School Bearcat and Ladycat track teams have been competing very hard recently. The teams traveled over Arkansas’s western half to participate in several different meets. The teams in the 4-4A West division have all been running, jumping, and throwing with all their might for a spot in the state track competition to be held in Pocahontas on Thurs., May 5.

The Bearcats and Ladycats have taken part in seven different track meets.

The track teams have traveled to DeQueen twice so far this season, once on March 3, and again on March 31. The teams have also traveled to Paris, Booneville, Mansfield, Prescott, and Nashville two weeks in a row. Mena has not had a home track meet this year, and will not get the opportunity to take advantage of home track because the conference gave Mena no home meets. Despite the lack of home track advantage, the Mena Bearcat and Ladycat track teams have been successful this season.

The Bearcats and Ladycats will be competing in the senior sigh district track meet on Thurs., April 28, in Clarksville.

Upon the completion of the district meet, the teams will advance to the state track meet on Thurs., May 5, in Pocahontas, Arkansas.

The Meet of Champions will be held on Sat., May 14 at 4:30 pm. The location will be announced upon the completion of the state championship, and the only way to attend is to acquire an invitation. Only individuals who are ranked high enough in the state will receive an invitation based upon their performance during the regular season and their finishes in the state championship. The Meet of Champions location and time will be announced upon the completion of the regular season.

The Mena track teams have two more meets this year to round out the season. The final two meets are to be held at Nashville.

The Scrapper Relays and the Coca-Cola Relays both give Nashville home track advantage, but the Bearcats and Ladycats should be able to overcome the disadvantage and be successful in the two meets.

THE MENA BEARCAT and Ladycat Track members surround Coach Forga in preparation for an upcoming meet. (staff photo)

Bearcats and Ladycats are sliding through the season

by Courtney Shaw

Mena High School Ladycats softball team came out swinging Wed, March 9th against the Horatio Lady Lions. The Ladycats’ run ruled the Lady Lions in the 6th inning, defeating their opponent 10-0.

Sophomore Ladycat Kate Self knocked one out of the park Wed. night running two girls into home while also scoring the first homerun of the Ladycat’s 2011 season. The team later charged the field for the Horatio Invitational capturing the coveted 1st place trophy. The Ladycats faced off against the Lady Lions once again in a nail biting showdown. Alyssa McCleskey slammed one to score the money in the bank run to win the tournament for the Ladycats. These talented

girls played their first conference game on Tues, April 5th against the Waldron bulldogs.

The Bearcat baseball team hosted their annual hit-a-thon on Saturday, April 2nd to raise money for their 2011 season. The team also had VIP hitters including Clint Craig and our very own Mark Shumate. The Bearcats are also selling t-shirts for $15.00 at every home game.

Competition-wise, the Bearcats are off to a great start! Mena dominated Subiaco Tues, March 29th in a phenomenal 16-0 win over the Trojans. The Bearcats also demolished their rivals, the Booneville Bearcats, Tues. April 12th in an unparalleled 21-4 win. The Bearcats are more than half way through their 2011 season with district just around the corner. The Bearcats hope to go all the way this year.

Key to senior baby photos

SENIOR AUSTIN HURST pitches against the Dardanelle Sand Lizards while Ty Venable looks on from the outfield. (photo by Adrienne Rose)

1. Ty Venable 2. Courtney Shaw 3. Daniel Wood 4. Emily Callahan 5. Jusitn Drager 6. Shelby Phillips 7. Kyle and Krystal Saulsbury 8. Chris Williams 9. Derek Cox 10. Michele Zimmerman

11. Jarrod Ryan 12. Dustin Pitts 13. Aaron Miller 14. Jordan Fuchsberger 15. Anne Beckel 16. Dustin Carnes 17. Alex Castro 18. Myranda Vaugn 19. Haily Guire 20. Jennifer Howard

April 2011

The Bear Facts - News

Page 9

Censoring the media, should it be done or not?

by Krystal Saulsbury

The 1st Amendment to the U.S Constitution grants those who live in the U.S the freedom of religion, speech, press, the right to peaceably assemble, and to petition the government.

These freedoms are not absolute; each of these freedoms has a boundary. The founding fathers knew the importance of this amendment, its power to shape opinions and beliefs.

Without freedom of the press, news from the media becomes biased and one sided, yet in some cases in the media, the full story is not told due to censorship.

Nearly 320 MHS students were polled on March 16 with each grade represented. Each student was asked, “Should the media be allowed to publish freely without censorship?”

When MHS students from 9-12 grades were polled, many did not know the meaning of censorship. Some thought it only meant to take out curse words. Yet the Encarta World Dictionary defines censorship as, “the suppression of published or broadcasted material or something objectionable: the suppression of all or part of plays, movies, letters, and publications considered offensive or a threat to security.”

Saying no, 47% of students believe government information should be censored to protect people and the U.S government, and that freely publishing information would be an invasion of privacy. Still others said, “You don’t have to watch it.” That thought was spoken many times by students of different grades along with the 6% of students who were

apathetic. This shows that some students do not realize what is going on beyond their own community or backyard. Yet another 47% of MHS students who were polled voted yes.

These students know what censorship is.

The definition of censorship is the ‘suppression of something objectionable.’The government defines what is objectionable and what isn’t, yet what is objectionable varies among people. Most define it by how they were raised and what they were raised around.

The AM GOV book on the regulation by government of the media says, “The general rule is that government can exercise no prior restraint or censorship over the press. A court may waive these restrictions if it finds that a story raises real national security concerns or violates public decency. Print outlets can also be sued for stories that constitute libel…”

Students who said, “You don’t have to watch it,” need to recognize that even if they do not watch the media, world events will still take place. If the public is able to see what is happening, then the public can learn and form opinions from what they learn. This helps people to keep in touch with what is going on and to make decisions; otherwise they do not become an educated people.

Both sides of this debate have good points. Some may say there are no absolutes, only shades of gray in the media world, and the debate about media and censorship is a shade of gray. Students can only decide responsibly if they take the opportunity to learn more about the U.S. Constitution and the media.

MHS students and faculty cruise on Spring Break 2011

by Leonna Smith

STUDENTS AND FACULTY anticipate a fun-filled adventure. (photo by staff)

During Spring Break 2011, five members of the yearbook staff and their guests participated in the yearbook’s annual cruise. The trip is always a great way to unwind and have some fun after a long year of hard work. The Mena High School students involved are Holly Brewer, Emily Callahan, Lacie Keener, Josh Marshall, April Page, Rachel Roberts, Lauren Shufelberger, Tiffany Sides, and Daniel Wood. Pat Flanigan, Pam Gross, James Maestri, and Charles Morgan were the attending faculty.

During the seven day cruise, the group visited Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Cozumel, Mexico. The students and faculty had a great time and stayed busy with all the activities the cruise had to offer. Going to clubs, singing karaoke, and playing volley ball were just a few of the many things to do. “I was a karaoke star! My favorite part was walking around the boat and people

knowing my name,” said Marshall. There were also many activities that took place off the ship. “In Jamaica, we went snorkeling.

We saw a lot of fish and touched the coral reef!” Sides said. The students and faculty also went to Paradise Beach in Cozumel.

They encountered many types of animals.

“We saw a giant lizard, a monkey sat on my head, and we were even attacked by a parrot!” another cruiser explained. Some even showed their more adventurous side by going para-sailing.

All the students and faculty who attended the cruise greatly enjoyed the experience. Seeing all the different places, meeting new people, and participating in all the many activities made the trip truly unforgettable.

Page 10

The Bear Facts - News

April 2011

Lindsey pages for Senator Larry Teague

by Dani Lindsey

Dani Lindsey, a junior this year at Mena High School, recently paged for the State Senate. On Wed., March 23, Lindsey traveled to Arkansas’s State Capitol in Little Rock to page for Senator Larry Teague, a former State Representative.

Lindsey, accompanied by her mother and sister, arrived early in the morning and met with other high school and middle school students also paging for their senators that day. According to the page directors, there were sixteen pages on Wednesday, a very large group compared to other days.

After Lindsey and her fellow pages checked in and received their name tags, they were led on a tour of the State Capitol.

They were shown stations for certain tasks and given a tour of the Senate floor and the first and second floors. Paging in our State Capitol provides students with more knowledge about our state government,

allowing pages to meet the senators and Governor face to face. It also allows students to see what really happens inside those white marble halls.

Lindsey stated, “Many people are not aware of what paging is. Being a page means you are allowed on the actual floor with the Senators and you must do as they ask of you. Basically the pages run errands around the Capitol for the Senators.” According to Lindsey, only senators, guest speakers, and the President Pro Tem, the highest ranking official of the Senate who is elected by the other senators and presides when the legislature is in session, are allowed on the Senate floor.

Senator Teague was recently elected to be President Pro Tem for the next session which will be held in 2013. “It really is a privilege to be able to actually be down on the floor with them during the session, where even the Governor cannot go without being invited,” said Lindsey.

SENATOR LARRY TEAGUE introduces Dani Lindsey as his page for the day in the 88th General Assembly of the Arkansas Senate. (staff photo)

National Autism Awareness Month

Arkansas adopts Autism Bill

by Flannery Wilson

A MULTITUDE OF neon-colored chicks are evidence of the agriculture students’ experiment. (photo by Justin Sattler)

Just in time for April, National Autism Awareness month, Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe signed House Bill 1315, also known as the Autism Bill. The Bill was signed into law on March 4, 2011.

For many Arkansas families, this is a huge breakthrough. The new law requires Arkansas insurance companies to provide coverage of screening, diagnosis, and treatment of Autism disorders. The bill also states that the age cut off for coverage is 18, and it does have a cap for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA, which is to be set at $50,000).

Autism can be extremely bankbreaking for families, with multiple doctors’ visits, therapists’ charges, and many other

necessities. Because there isn’t a cure for Autism YET, attention is always needed, and to pay for all the therapy and other things, it can be very burdensome.

Jake Plunkett, a 4th grader at Holly Harshman Elementry, suffers from autism.

His parents, P.T. and Christy Plunkett, were very involved with the passing of the Autism Bill. Christy said, “The new bill will help other families like ours, and we’ll get better treatment for Jake, and it will require therapists to move into Arkansas, which is a great thing because otherwise we would have to go out of state.” With the new Autism Bill, money won’t be as big of a problem, and therapists will hopefully become more accessible to Arkansas families. The new bill will formally go into action on Oct. 1st, 2011.

April 2011

The Bear Facts - Entertainment

Page 11

Rodeo shows off some of MHS students’ talent

by Manda Ham

High school students have proven themselves to be competitive in nature; however, some activities they’re involved in are not school related. One such venue is rodeo competition. Manda Ham, Taylor Maechler, Ethan Ross, Chance Strother, Dillon Vaught, and Trent Vaught all compete in rodeo events. Usually they participate in competitions every weekend in the summer and compete yearly in one or two big events.

Rodeos are held all over, so traveling is something they know well.

An event in which the rider and horse attempt to make a fast cloverleaf pattern around three barrels is called barrel racing.

Ham and Maechler love the fast pace of the event. It is a timed event like most rodeo events, so the fastest time wins. “Having a great horse that works well with you is the only way you are going to win or at least do well,” said Ham. “Most of the time we travel together to save money. Even though we compete against each other, competition just drives us to do better,” said Maechler.

Strother and the Vaught brothers are team ropers. Team roping requires a header and a heeler. The header is the first one to rope; he will rope the steer’s horns or neck.

The heeler then ropes the two back feet. It is the only partnered rodeo event, but it is still the fastest time that wins. “Working hard on getting consistently fast is a good strategy to win,” said Strother.

Ross competes in the most risky rodeo event, bull riding. It is known as the most dangerous eight seconds in sports, but that doesn’t change Ross’s mind about getting on that big bull. “It’s an adrenaline rush,” he said. To win he must stay on for the entire eight seconds. After the eight seconds have ended, the two judges will score the ride.

Each judge will score the bull from 0-25 points, and the rider from 0-25 points. The ride is scored from 0-100 points. The highest score will win.

“Rodeo was natural for us to do. We live for it! Hopefully one day you will see us all at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas,” said Ham.

Skinned Trilogy takes a byte

by Krystal Saulsbury

Lia Kahn is a regular human, with anything she could want, but that was before a horrible accident occurs and she becomes a custom-made human android by the hands of Bio Max. Her memories are scanned and then transferred into an android body that looks just about the same as she did when she was human.

When Lia wakes up she realizes she is now a ‘skinner,’ ‘mech,’ something unnatural that wears skin and tries to blend into society like it is human like those around it. It cannot blend into society because it does not have a heart that pounds blood through its artificial veins. As Lia tries to understand who and what she is, so does her family. Religious extremists continually harass her for being unnatural and soon a foundation is put together called “Brotherhood of Man” which believes that if one isn’t made from God one shouldn’t exist.

Lia begins to think she shouldn’t even be alive but then meets other skinners out there who live together. She meets Jude, a ‘skinner’ whose way of thinking isn’t the norm for their kind, who thinks that ‘mechs’ are the better humans. Auden is a natural born human in a world of custom made humans who meets Lia and is the first to truly accept who she is. Riley is a ‘mech’ without a personalized body, just a standard robotic body, but who sees the best in others and sees Lia for what she is, and who Lia is starting to see as more than a friend.

If you want to find out what happens between Bio Max and Lia, Lia and Riley, and Lia and the “Brotherhood of Man” you should read the Skinned Trilogy by Robin Wasserman. This book, although futuristic, has many themes teens face today like: peer pressure, challenges of making friends, and on finding out who you are. Robin Wasserman again shows readers that not everything is cut and dry.

MANDA HAM TURNS and burns at the Memphis Lucky Dog Production Finals. (staff photo)

MHS seniors leave legacy

by Krystal Saulsbury

Upon leaving Mena High School, the 2011 graduates are leaving behind just what the rising senior class needs.

Kaitlyn Mitchell wills Adrienne Rose her awesome yearbook skills in the sports section because, “I love her!!”

Brittany Moon wills Susan Bissell her basketball skills because, “You’ll need it.”

Alex Castro wills Megann Matejek and Jordan Hooper her percussion skills because, “I love you and you’re a G”, and “Cuz you’re adorable!”

Alex Castro wills April Castro all her stuff, her room, and her share of the toilet paper because, “I’m moving out.”

Taylor Rook wills Nay-Nay a social life.

Julian Parnell wills Kyle Gibson his left corner shower in the b-ball locker-room.

Myranda Vaughn wills Flannery Wilson her awesome volleyball skills because, “I am confident she will carry on the tradition!”

Justin Sattler wills Emily Badgett lots of hugs because, “Hugs are nice.”

Rachel Roberts wills Megan Byrd her soccer skills.

Kenna Robinson wills juniors her extreme caffeine addiction used to stay alive because, “They’ll definitely need it.”

Jordan Fuchsberger wills Heidi Faught and Dani Lindsey her guard funny voices, “Up, down, turn around!”

Danielle Skinner wills Jade Ferguson her awesomeness.

Kyle Saulsbury wills next year’s trig/pre-cal students his ‘Trig Identity Notebook’ because, “God knows you’ll need the notes.”

Lake Philpot wills Andrew Moore all of his random knowledge about aliens because, “The ladies dig trivia.”

Krystal Saulsbury wills all MHS students Josh Marshall’s “Teach Me How to Dougie” dance because, “It is one of the most hysterical things I’ve ever seen.”

MHS faculty members reflect on this year’s seniors.

Jessica Kropp’s memorable moments was when Aaron Armstrong was made up as a mime acting like an orange was a bomb outside the OLT. She also enjoyed most of the Theater Arts II improvs.

Jessica Kropp had advice for seniors, “Have a nice life. No really, I hope that you will persevere in whatever you decide is your gift. Don’t be afraid to be yourself; be real. Someone once told me, ‘Find where your deepest passion meets the world’s deepest need, and do that.’

And that is the best advice, and to always be kind to everyone. All deserve respect and dignity.”

Earl Roberts also had advice; “Get back on track. Don’t slack off; get back with the program. Try different things. Learn a foreign language. Be adventurous. Challenge yourself.

Take risks. Save for retirement.”

Page 12

April 2011

The Bear Facts - Entertainment Seniors

April Birthdays

Juniors

A N A M A X A L X L Y D E N H V H H G K X O F U L F Y I W G U F B C V L X N E L Y L K M G O C I T L E I N A D C M L S J Q B C Q Y P Q C N L E P H I P R S L G D I I Y H K X P O L R S A C N D K U X P U E V N V L S U V S S N G Q J F I A D R X S Q O D Q A K S U M Q U P R F O K S C C E C Z Z

M S J B F S F R M H H W Z C D C H A V E Z R X R E H B R O Y L P A E I E T O E E O V L H Q L W H N E Y S E F J E S L N C A P V S R Z R D N I P T M P C L G E S E S M J E A E F M C O B B H E A L L Y D Z K B O H L T Z F A E M A N A S C O R U P T F M H B N V M F O C R H L V T R O N X S G Q H

Sophomores

Freshmen

Y R D Z G P O W E L L K R E Q M A G R M M O N C E K R L N N Z O U P M Q W C E L S Q V O L A P W O U E E T M V R B G B D L T V S E P Y E H E U R R H E S R G O R D O N I R U S I L S I S R K L K V K V B M M O T O W B K O R T S A C S Z M R N K D O L L A R H I D E Z F K D M S H E W M A K E G

L R B S Y V F E B N C V R N B C O M Z K W O L P T M W E M M C L I T P S E H C U Y O Z Q L L P W U J P C L H W J L E E Q P P U U A R T K I H P R E T R O R U B F A S P Q W T V V J J L V M E E U G G I O R S B E S E R S Z U S S G C O K Y L S G C Q F Q S D R Y G A U L X S R D D T Y E X H N S

Amanda Fox 04-02 Anthony Laxamana 04-14 Rachel Collins 04-19 Makenzie Davis 04-20

April Castro 04-07 Howard Blumé 04-11 Kristen Shewmake 04-11 Ayla Powell 04-12 Cheyenne Moore 04-22 Chris Gordon 04-25 Kennedy Reeves 04-26

Robert Lyle 04-04 Steven McGregor 04-17 Jordon McDaniel 04-19 Alexis Null 04-28

Jacob Tucker 04-10 April Page 04-11 Ashley Stroud 04-11 April Ganster 04-20 Susan Bissell 04-23 Ryan Lowery 04-26 William Dollarhide 04-29

Shayln Chavez 04-01 David Rutherford 04-13 Carolyn Cobb 04-15 Kaitlyn Schoeppey 04-16 Amanda Gortemiller 04-21

Layton Mohr 04-02 Connor Purvis 04-12 Damien McCauley 04-20 Trevor Hale 04-23

Kristen Manasco 04-06 Samantha Talamantez 04-14 Matthew McBee 04-15 Morgan Fletcher 04-19

Madison Peppers 04-08 Bradley Trulock 04-15 Austin Williams 04-22 Bryan Shelton 04-23