reeds spring high school
winter sports car recalls
strings of talent
ways of the wolf
PULSEIn This Issue
December 2014
nhs induction 2014 6 how to meet the parents 7 car recalls 8 party time video vs. redbox 10 interstellar movie review 11 14 strings of talent 12 nixa warzone 14 spotify 16 teachers’ best stories 18 staying out of a bff battle 20 alex from target 21 talent show 22 december recipes 24 winter sports 26 12 4
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nhs induction 2014 abby williams
On Monday, November 10th,
were inducted to the National Honor Society. The induction ceremony was held at Reeds Spring Middle School auditorium at 7:00 pm. The ceremony went very smoothly, with wonderful speakers and an enthusiastic audience. After the induction, cookies and punch were served to all
To become a member of NHS, you must be inducted by a NHS leader and there are several eligibility requirements. Every chapter has different qualifications but the minimum standards include:
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incredibly exciting and successful.
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all across the nation. NHS honors students not only for their academic excellence but also their excellence in areas such as lead-
standard of excellence
• •
students are part of NHS and participate in NHS related activities. NHS is broken up into chapters and there are chapters in all 50 states if the United States, Canada, and
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our school for students to get these service hours. Many students get their hours by working at our local recycling center on the weekends, helping with concession stands for school events, score keeping at sporting events and other things of that nature.
Spring High School is sponsored by Linda Holt and Bob Lynch at RSHS; National Honor Society is taken very seriously and while some people might describe the organization as ‘strict’, Reeds Spring High School
Demonstrating volunteer or ser-
makes it clear they have high expectations
vice hours
for members because they know what they
Preserving an excellent record of behavior in and out of school
ership, character, and community service. Today, it’s estimated that about one million
Maintaining a cumulative grade 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), or equivalent
ganization that was established in 1921 to
ter. There are many of opportunities within
The NHS organization at Reeds
point average of 85 percent, B,
National Honor Society is an orrecognize outstanding high school students
Attending a school in grades 10 through 12
guests as a celebration and reward for the newly inducted members. The night was an
minimum of 5 service hours each semes-
other US territories.
2014, thirty-one Reeds Spring students
Participating in leadership roles in school and/or community activities. Reeds Spring High School requires
that each member of NHS volunteers for a
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are capable of. They encourage the students to strive to be their very best. As a school and a community, we are incredible proud to welcome the newly inducted members and are excited to see what the future holds for these students, and for the National Honor Society itself.
How to meet the parents courtney bullis
When it comes to meeting your significant other’s parents, it’s important to make sure you are ready. This is a good way to move your relationship forward, but be patient and don’t rush into this stage until you feel it is appropriate.
dinner, you can’t go wrong with a simple dress. Boys, think more casual, but classy. For almost any occasion, whether it is dinner at home or a night out, jeans and a nice shirt maybe even with a light jacket is a good way to go.
Meeting their parents is a big step in a relationship. You’re leveling up, and getting your partners’ parents’ approval is almost as important as getting your significant other to like you. If you get past the “getting their parents to like you” stage with an A+, you’re less likely to have relationship problem down the road. You only get one first impression and it’s important to know the do’s and don’ts.
Meeting his or her parents is the relationship form of a job interview. Anticipate topics of conversation that you may be asked; where you work, your plans for the future, and other similar topics. Know the things you enjoy and the qualities of yourself so that if or when you are asked questions, you always has a straight forward answer. Don’t spend your time in hesitation. It’s also important to have some questions of your own. Have some topics in mind for conversations like family, sports, or even things like pets.
The first and last part of your day (or night) meeting the parents will need to include manners. Make sure you introduce yourself if your significant other hasn’t done so. Be polite and have a kind, yet firm handshake. It’s always important to be confident. And ALWAYS remember to use Mr. and Mrs. Do dress to impress. Think sophisticated and not “attractive.” Your partner’s parents don’t want to see too much, but at the same time you don’t want to overdress. Choosing the right clothing to wear depends a lot upon weather, and where exactly you may be going. If you are planning on a casual night, jeans and a nice top is a pretty safe bet for the ladies; if you are planning on going out to nice
Everyone is different, so are everyone’s parents. It can help to learn about your significant others parents. Find out their occupations and some things they enjoy to do, this way you have some topics of discussion and questions to ask as well. Avoid talking about any problems you and your partner have had, sad stories, and specially avoid comments on ex-boyfriends or girlfriends. Keep conversations positive. Be yourself and stay calm. It’s obvious when someone is trying too hard, so be relaxed and enjoy yourself. Being over excited can be distracting. Seeming less flustered will help others become more
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comfortable around you. Know your relationship limits when in front of parents. Holding hands in most cases is okay, but try to keep it to a minimum and keep your lips to yourself. Try focusing on the parents and carrying a conversation, but don’t forget to be attentive to your partner. Don’t leave your partner out or act as if their invisible, but make it known that the two of you have public respect. Your significant other will appreciate the focus you put in their parents instead of trying to get your flirt on. It may not hurt to consider how you’ll be compared to past boyfriends or girlfriends. Maybe talk to your partner about your parents reactions to their past relationships. Find out the things they did and didn’t like about them. It’s a good way to learn what you shouldn’t do. After the date, it would be smart to do things like offering to help with the dishes if you spent the date at your partner home, or just ask if there’s anything you could do to help. And don’t forget your manners. Things like “please” and “thank you” never fail to impress. When leaving, let them know the things you enjoyed and that you had a wonderful time. And Just like you would at a friend’s, thank them for having you.
car recalls josh tate
Many brands of cars are being recalled because of air bags going off, and possible metal shards that are ejected at the same time. There is also a problem with ignition switch; the switch can slip and will cut the power to air bags and brakes. Some other big problems are transmission issues, tire pressure issues, fire hazard, seat belt defects, and so on. Cars for recall and their problems are: Audi—there is deployment issue with air bags not going off when crashing BMW—the brakes are failing to work. Chevrolet—torqued fasteners may cause the steering intermediate shaft, steering gear, or the lower control arm and the lower ball joint to separate which will cause loss of steering. Chrysler—the alternator failing and the vehicle may stall without warning, causing a crash. Another problem is that the service fuse may blow; the car will have loss of propulsion while driving. Ford—the restraint control module may crack and become exposed to humidity, which could cause short circuits in the air bags and seat belt pretensions; this prevents them from functioning like they should when its necessary.
GMC—if the chassis electronic module is internally contaminated, it could result in an electrical short. Also, floor mats may shift and interfere with the pedals causing an accident. Honda—the anti-lock brake system may malfunction, allowing the wheel to lock up and skid to an accident. Also, when mounting the tires, the tire bead may have gotten pinched and could cause tire damage and cause it to lose air. Infiniti—the occupant classification system (OCS) would not detect passengers, making the passenger air bag be deactivated. Another problem is the disablement of the steering system, which results in a loss of steering.
Mitsubishi—the brake vacuum pump stops functioning, the distance needed to stop the vehicle may be lengthened which increases the chance of crashing. Due to abrasion and rust, a hole may develop in the power steering tube allowing fluid to leak. Nissan—the inverter may fail, causing the vehicle to shut down. OCS won’t detect occupant in passenger seat and the air bag will be deactivated. Missing welds may affect the vehicles integrity in event of a crash. Porsche—the intermittent plug may cause the front passenger face and knee airbags to be deactivated.
Kia—the pinion gear can separate from the steering gear assembly, causing loss of steering.
Subaru—the parking rod that detaches the transmission may not be able to be moved from park, which prevents the vehicle from being moved or driven. Even with the transmission is in park, it still may roll.
Lincoln—seats may become loose or lean while driving. Also, without the brake being pressed the vehicle may be unintentionally become shifted out of park, allowing it to roll.
Toyota—A fuel leak in the presence of an igniting source can increase risk of fire, and the seat does not fully lock into the inboard seat track, causing the seat to move while driving.
Mercedes Benz—without the lower anchor points, a child restraint may be insufficiently or improperly anchored to the seat, increasing the risk of injury to the child.
Volkswagen—Transmission fluid leaks and could hit a hot surface, causing a fire.
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party time video vs. redbox abby williams Unless you are new to the community, you have probably seen or heard about Party Time Video. Party Time Video is a video rental shop located in Branson West next to the Lakeland Family Pharmacy. The shop is owned and operated by Justin and Ashley Ferral since May of 2012. Many people in our community are regular customers, and PTV is their go-to for anytime there is a new movie out or they are in the mood for a movie night. Some people often question how Justin and Ashley keep their business running ever since Redbox has become so popular; it has taken most movie rental companies clear off the map. Redbox came out in early 2005, and is a company that rents out new movies for $1 a night. Located just about anywhere and everywhere, Redboxes are literally giant red boxes outside places such as McDonalds, Walmart, Walgreens, etc. Redbox is fast and easy; all you have to do is choose your movie, swipe your card and wait for it to vend to you. It works very similar to a vending machine. Since Redbox has been around, how does something like Party Time Video stay in business? Well, it’s all about customer service. When you go to Redbox, there is no interaction and
it is very impersonal. At PTV, Justin knows almost all of his customers by name and has a friendly relationship with all of them. This makes things easier for you because you can ask him for reviews on movies in the shop, ask to be notified when a particular movie is available for rent, and if you are wanting to see a movie that Justin does not have in his shop, you can let him know and he will try his best to get it! That personal connection is what keeps people coming back. Another extremely important factor that keeps customers coming back to PTV is the fact that the variety is much better than Redbox. For example, Redbox usually only has a small section of movies that are fairly recent releases, and PTV has hundreds of movies that date back as far as the 1940’s, as well as new releases. Party Time Video has something for everyone. Not only do they rent out DVDs, they also rent out TV series and video games. No matter what age you are or what type of genres you like, you should be able to find something to enjoy. Another service that PTV offers is disc repairs. For a fair price, you can bring in any disc with minor scratches and they can repair it right there in the shop. Also,
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not only can you rent movies and games, but you can also buy and trade them too. Located in the shop, there is a whole section of movies available for purchase. For trading, you can bring in your used video games and trade them in for another game at a similar value. There’s so much that Party Time Video has to offer that Redbox does not. Party Time Video is great because it’s a local business, so the money stays in our community unlike with Redbox. In a way, it brings our community closer together too. I encourage you all to stop by some time and at least have a look around. It is affordable rentals and they have tons of categories to choose from. Like I stated before, it all boils down to fantastic customer service. It’s hard to find in most places these days, but it’s guaranteed at Party Time Video!
interstellar Movie Review wyatt cooper hole in search of a new home. Now, what’s beautiful about Interstellar is that Christopher Nolan, Director of the Batman Trilogy and Inception, is a lead writer and director. Nolan blends awesome special effects with his brain twisting, thought-provoking plot ideas. There has clearly been months, if not years, worth of research done on all of the information provided through this movie. For instance, at one part of the movie, the team lands on a planet; one hour on the planet is seven years back on Earth. When the team returns to the ship, one of the scientists has aged by twenty three years. The special effects used for space scenery can be compared to Star Trek, or even Guardians of the Galaxy.
Imagine a world where food is scarce, and people are dying right next door. Imagine waking up and having to clear the dust out of your house and off everything you own. Imagine a world with no hope. This world is Earth in the near future. An Earth where food is running out, air is becoming poisonous, and dust storms tear through the country. The world is in its last great depression. In this great depression, Cooper (Mathew McConaughey), an engineer who is also a pilot and farmer is struggling to raise his kids, and find to a meaning to his life. One day, after repairing his field machines which were ruined due to an anomaly, his daughter discovers a gravity field in her room that is pulling books from a shelf in a specific order. After learning that the code is Morse, Cooper is able to discover that the message is a set of coordinates. The next morning, Cooper and his daughter leave the farm in the hands of Grandpa and Cooper’s son to search for the coordinates’ location. Driving all day and night, the two find a dirt road leading to a barbwire fence. After attempting to cut
through the fence with bolt cutters, Cooper is illuminated by an old Marine combat robot and is electrocuted. Waking up, Cooper meets Dr. Brandt (Ann Hathaway) daughter of a thought to be dead scientist Dr. Brandt (Michael Caine). Dr. Brandt (Caine) explains to Cooper and his daughter that they have discovered NORAD, the compound that used to act as Americas nuclear missile defense headquarters. NORAD now houses the remnants of NASA, America’s cancelled space program. The program has been conducting missions in secret to locate a new, suitable planet for humans to live on. With time running out for the planet and the Human species, (Caine) asks Cooper to pilot the last shuttle for one last mission through a black hole that has mysteriously appeared on the far side of the Milky Way. Thirteen other ships were sent through but none have returned. With pressure to save his children, Cooper decides to take the job and is soon in orbit with Dr. Brandt (Hathaway) and two other scientists. I leave you with Cooper and his team heading for the Black
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I have to harp on the science aspect of the movie as it brought out the best for the film. The idea of time travel is almost impossible, but the movie makes it almost real. With the introduction of the black hole the team is able to travel somewhat faster in time. Also, the black hole acts as a portal from one part of the universe to another; this is key because what could take thousands of years to reach, only take a few years. The movie takes place over many years, for some characters their whole lives. The movie has a real focus on physics as it is a heavy influence on the idea of traveling through space and time. The last thing I have to mention, which I thought was the most important part of the movie, is the emotional aspect. You have to understand that Cooper is leaving his children and does not know if he is coming back. He has to watch his kids grow up through video messages, and is powerless to act in their lives. Cooper’s children finally come to believe he is dead since he has been gone so long, and eventually give up on him; this brings an emotional toll on him. Viewers should be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster that they will ride throughout the movie. Finally, to say that this movie was good does it no justice. Like anything else amazing, one has to experience it for themselves.
strings of talent Darrian Arnold & Aisha eby
There are many students in our high school with hidden talents, but not many of them play twelve different instruments. Mica Bolling is the player of the: violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, piano, ukulele, trumpet, banjo, xylophone, drums, harmonica, recorder, as well as vocals. She first learned to play by ear, then by sheet music. Mica actually taught herself to play many of these instruments. Mica plans to go to college. She wants to go to College of the Ozarks because her grandfather went there. Mica says “Plus, working for my tuition would be pretty awesome.” She just wants to get a music education degree so she can have something to fall back on. Mica wants to open a private music studio for dedicated musicians. Her mother has influenced her more than anyone. She is musical as well, so she wants Mica to follow her dreams because she never did. Mica tells us, “My mom has been there for me through everything and has been super supportive. She has helped me to be involved in singing, piano, guitar, and violin lessons. I love her more than anything. My dad probably wants me to be more practical, but he has been pretty supportive over the years. All he wants is for me to have a good life and be happy. Personally, I try to make the most out of every day. I try to find a reason to love life. I feel like we focus on the bad more than the good sometimes. If I stay positive, I am happy. Everything we
do and the way we feel is based on our outlook of life. I try to feel that way about music. Life is full of competition, which could easily get a person down if they think about it too much, but I try to think hey; maybe I am the one that people want to hear. Maybe I can make it. If not, there is more to life and I can still go on. I will never fail until I stop trying. To me, giving up on anything is not an option. Over the summer, I would practice my violin every single day, all day long—I also had lessons. Productive practice is the best way to better you in anything. I like to switch between instruments because I get distracted easily. Now, I practice about two hours a day on my violin. The other instruments are more of a hobby. I wish I could play my guitar more, though, my sister crushed my wrist a few years ago, so it hurts if I use it too much, which is a little disappointing.” Mica has a very unique talent because for most people, you have to read music on a sheet; she can hear something and then play seconds after she heard it. One of Micas favorite instruments is the violin. She likes this one because it has a unique sound and you can add it to any genre. Mica says that the bass is just like the violin accepts it has the opposite high and low notes of a violin, but has the same note pitches. The first instrument she played was the piano. She started this when she was 8
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years old. She also plays the cello, which is just the viola but twice the size. Because it is bigger, the sound will be deeper. Mica started playing this instrument when she was 12 years old; the reason behind why she started was because she liked to fiddle around with things that didn’t belong to her. She was very curious about other instruments when she was younger, so she would pick them up and learn their sounds and try to play them by ear. We know this was successful for her due to the wide range of instruments she plays. Micas’ inspiration comes from Lindsey Stirling. Lindsey was born September 21, 1986. She is one of the biggest artist development breakthrough stories within the last couple years. Lindsey is a classically trained violinist from Gilbert, Arizona. The guitar is one of the most played instruments, other than the piano. Most guitars have 6 strings, but some have a different number including popular 4 and 12 string versions and rare guitars with 7, 8, 9, and even 10 strings. “For me, music is a stress reliever.” When she was little, Mica started going through a lot of family problems. She would get involved in orchestra, or stay in her room and play music, listen to music, and sing. Mica could spend hours being alone with her only company being music.
You could say it takes a lot of my time. For the violin, she used to practice nine hours a day over the summer, and on a normal schedule she would try to do two hours at the least. The violin is a tedious instrument. There are so many factors that can affect her sound. Mica likes coming up with new ideas. She will be in public around different cultures, and it gives her an inspiration, or a muse. “I am always thinking of new things to do.” With other instruments, she doesn’t practice as much; she plays them just for fun more than anything. For the guitar and piano, Mica can play for hours just finding chords and songs. She likes to listen to the radio and learn the song she is listening to at the moment. She says, “I have a pretty strong ear.” “Lindsey inspires me because she is very unique and talented.” Mica has always wanted to do her style of music. Lindsey has helped her to create her own style. Also, Lindsey was on America’s got Talent. The judges told her she needed to be in a group because what she was doing wasn’t quite right yet. She didn’t give up, and now she is extremely successful. “A Capella didn’t really work. Courtney, Kati, and I wanted to start a group and sing a song we found on YouTube. People were interested and showed up the first day. We went on for a couple of weeks, but people
stopped showing up without even giving us a notice and other things of that nature. I had already written most of the music. But we ended it after about a month; it was really sad. Mica was born in Springfield, but lived here in Reeds Spring until she was 8.Then, she moved in with her dad back to Springfield while Mica’s mother still lived here. She joined orchestra at the age of 10. Her dad had an electric baby grand piano, so she had the opportunity to learn that right when she moved there. Mica played her grandpa’s guitar a lot. She never really dedicated herself until 6th grade. Having loved her grandparents, she always spent time with them. Mica would cook with her grandmother and pretend to be Cinderella. Her and her grandpa would play ball and hike; they loved being outside. “I hated Springfield, honestly. Moving with my dad was the hardest thing ever.” She says she never really had that many friends here or there. That she was always considered eccentric and around here, it isn’t really embraced. So being social was kind of hard for her. “I was never afraid to be myself. I rode my bike a lot and was always outside with my dog. We loved to exercise and play soccer. I was on a soccer team for 3 years. I have always been pretty artistic, I suppose. My grandmother on my dad’s side died when I
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was in 4th grade. I never knew her, but she was a professional artist. She oil painted and taught my great grandmother, and she taught me after my grandmother died. I oil paint, draw cartoons, and other stuff like that. My mom painted my wall with chalk board paint because I used to love drawing on my walls. I used to write songs, and I have recently started song writing again.” Her dad had a pool and she loved to swim. Mica always thought she was a mermaid. Mica’s dad actually took her to a place in Florida called Wiki Wachi Springs. There was a place you could go to called mermaid camp. You could wear tails and swim with manatees. “It was amazing!” she says. She also had a huge mural painted on her wall at her dad’s house; it had mermaids all over it, and the ocean. The biggest mermaid had a pink tail and was supposed to be Mica. “I used to read a lot. I never watched much TV, and I still don’t. I loved Disney movies, though. I was obsessed with opera. The phantom of the Opera was her favorite movie. “I wanted to be an opera singer.” Mica’s mom told her she was actually pretty good. Mica used to play dress up, a lot! She wanted to be a princess. Mica says “I am actually related to Pocahontas.” That is pretty cool. The last thing Mica wanted to share with us, and you, was: “no matter how big your dreams are, you should never stop believing in yourself.”
Nixa Warzone mackenzie daily Everyone is talking about the war that is going on across seas, and how we are sending our troops over to protect our country. But, what we aren’t doing is paying attention to what is going on right here in our own community. There are bullet-proof, armored vehicles that were strictly built for war being sent to different cities around the United States; how would it make you feel if they were coming back into your community? I got the chance to interview a man who works on the Nixa Police Department, the same police department that received the MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush-Protected) or what as we call it the armored vehicle. Matt Sloan the police officer that I got the chance to interview, he has been a police officer for ten years in Nixa, Missouri before he became a Nixa police office. Of course the most popular question asked when talking to police officers are, “what is one of the most interesting calls you have been on?” Matt’s response was, “I have several to choose from. I got to pull a man out of a burning house once. Anytime we deal with mentally unstable people, it makes things interesting. I once got dispatched to a naked guy walking down the street in 10 degree weather. He was having issues with his medication and
kept telling me he was going home to heaven to see his father, God. I work the night shift and spend a lot of my time looking for drunk drivers and drugs. Every time you pull over a drunk driver, it is different. Some fight, some cry, and others are the nicest people you would ever meet.” Of course there are going to be more, this is just a few of his favorite calls. After asking Matt about his most interesting calls, I went straight into the questions about the armored vehicle. My first question about the tank was, “how do you feel about getting this new tank?” Matt responded, “The new tank is a mine resistant ambush-protected vehicle, or commonly referred to as a MRAP. Ours is more of a personnel carrier and has no offensive weapons. There is a turret (hole in the roof) that we could mount a large gun to, but that will never happen. The armor on the truck is bullet proof to include the windows. So, to answer the question, I really like having it around.” When thinking of a vehicle this big, you would think you must have to get licensed or a special certification to drive it. You must have to do something to do so you can drive it, right? This made me wonder who is able to drive such a big, armored vehicle like this. This lead me to my next two questions, “are you certified
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to drive the MRAP? And if not, do you plan to become certified to drive it?” Matt said, “I am not certified to drive the vehicle as of yet. It is assigned to the SWAT unit and several of the SWAT guys are certified to drive it. We had to send them to a separate school to learn the ins and outs of the vehicle. I am a negotiator now, and generally sit in a command post and talk to people instead of kicking in doors with SWAT. Someday, I will probably get certified to drive even if for no other reason than to drive the truck to where it is needed for the SWAT team.” Before I started the interview process, I did some research and I found out that Matt served some time in Iraq. This really works out for him that Nixa has received this armored vehicle; he has been around these vehicles before while serving for our country. I knew that asking him some questions that tied in his time across seas and getting this MRAP would lead to some awesome answers, and might answer others’ questions as well. So, the next question I asked him was, “I heard that you spent a year in Iraq, how does it make you feel that we are bringing these vehicles back to the US to defend our cities and towns?” Matt responded with, “As a tax payer, I am very happy to know we are able to reuse these tools the military no longer needs. We spend a lot of money
for these vehicles and at least now they can get some use out of them. As a cop, I like having the vehicle to use in case we ever need it.” I then asked him, “knowing that the war is coming back into the city that you’re living in, how does that make you feel?” Matt said, “I see a lot of differences between the war in Southeast Asia and what we deal with here at home. The wars we fight here have been here for a long time. We have always had the crazy people who want to shoot each other or the police. As of now, we don’t have to worry about IED or RPGs when we drive down the road. Just because we now have the MRAP doesn’t mean we have the same war here at home.” And one of the last questions I asked him was, “when did you know that protecting your country and protecting your community was what you wanted to do?” Matt had this to say, “I’m not really sure. I don’t know if it was from watching G.I. Joe as a child or watching too many Military movies. For as long as I can remember, I had a drive to join the military and do my part. Your teacher also played a big part in me joining the army, by answering my questions about signing up and how basic training went. He joined the army before I did and had already been through the training. So I thought: if he could do it, surely I could.” “As far as becoming a Cop, I like being involved in the excitement. When people are driving down the street and see all the cops on the side of the road, they are wondering what is going on. Well, I know what they’re doing and I get to be in the middle of it.” Nixa, Missouri is not the only city that has or is going to receive the MRAP. The city or towns listed below are also
going to receive one as well. It is definitely crazy that we have to protect our small cities with these big, armored vehicles now because of the violence, or the violence that is to come to them. As you can see, next to all of the towns the population is listed next to them; none of them exceed 20,000 people, and to me this is crazy. This is nice that we are getting to reuse what we have paid for as taxpayers, but we are bringing them back to our small towns. The MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush-Protected) is a $700,000, 60,000-pound, heavily armored, bulletproof monster with a gunner’s turret originally designed for war in Iraqi battlefields. Now, local law enforcement agencies across the country are getting them for next-to-nothing.
● High Springs, Fla. Police Department, pop. 5,350
● Lewisburg, Tenn. Police Department, pop. 10,413
● Nixa, Mo. Police Department, pop. 19,022
● New Mexico State University campus PD
● Ohio State University campus PD ● Madison, Ind. Police Department, pop. 12,083
● Willimantic, Conn. Police Department, pop. 17,737
● Justice, Ill. Police Department, pop. 12,926
● Roanoke Rapids, N.C. Police De-
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partment, pop. 16,957
● Dundee, Mich. Police Department, pop. 3,957
The Pentagon reportedly plans to offload some 13,000 MRAPs. In addition to MRAPs, over four billion dollars in surplus military equipment has also been handed over to U.S. law enforcement agencies through the Pentagon program. President Obama has promised to bring home the troops from Afghanistan, and with the troops, the surplus of equipment. Nixa Police Department has wanted to add an armored vehicle for safety, but they found they are too expensive. Nixa applied for the MRAP through the Departments of Defense, and got it. The only payment made was to a gas station, and that was $800 for gas from Texas. “You have situations like school shootings and active shooter situations, and this gives us the ability to move police personnel out of those areas safely, and to rescue citizens that are involved in the incidents as well,” said Lieutenant Joe Campbell with the Nixa Police Department. The police department said the vehicle is for defensive purposes only and is primarily to carry officers safely in and out of hostile situations. They said it can also be used in the event of a tornado to drive through debris. Police said in the last five years, there has been two incidents where they could have benefited from the vehicle. In one case, an armed subject barricaded himself from police. Several thousand MRAPs are available for different law enforcements across the country. Joplin and Christian County also have surplus armored vehicles.
spotify kaitlyn green Entering a classroom, more
Spotify is a completely free music software.
ed about things, because I do think it’s
teenagers then not have headphones in
It is almost like Pandora, unless you pay
important to be a part of progress,” Taylor
and are listening to music. Music is a part
for premium. As the owner of an Iihone, I
continued telling Yahoo. “But I think it’s re-
of our generation’s everyday life. Most
pay the ten dollars every month to be able
ally still up for debate whether this is actual
places teens go with their friends have
to listen to anything I want. Ten dollars a
progress, or whether this is taking the word
music playing in it. Restaurants, The Track,
month seems a whole heck of a lot cheaper
‘music’ out of the music industry. Also, a lot
bowling alleys, and even in the classroom;
than paying over a dollar per song on
of people were suggesting to me that I try
music is all around us. We look forwards to
iTunes.
putting new music on Spotify with ‘Shake It
going to concerts, and involving music in our everyday life.
She didn’t take her music off anything else,
We all know to access music,
Most of us are aware, but we can
no longer listen to Taylor Swift on Spotify.
Off,’ and so I was open-minded about it. I thought, ‘I will try this; I’ll see how it feels.’ It didn’t feel right to me.”
whether if that’s on YouTube or an app. If
including Youtube. Taylor Swift believes
you are an owner of any android phone,
her music shouldn’t be free. She made 55
‘If you create music someday, if you create
you are eligible to all the free music you
million dollars last year. Obviously she isn’t
a painting someday, someone can just walk
want. You download a music app and can
hurting for cash, so why can’t we listen to
into a museum, take it off the wall, rip off
download any music you feel like, and with-
her music free? People are still going to
a corner off it, and it’s theirs now and they
out paying anything. If you are the owner
buy her albums; this just makes it easier for
don’t have to pay for it.’ I didn’t like the
of an iPhone, then your options are limited.
many.
perception that it was putting forth. And so
iPhone owners have iTunes, but who really wants to pay over a dollar for a song? Music apps are available, but you have to pick through your pros and cons. On most apps it doesn’t let you download more than ten songs, and on apps like Pandora it’s a random selection of songs, you are not allowed to pick which song you want to listen to.
At school, our computers are
blocked form iTunes, so unless you upload music, Spotify became the next big option.
“Music is changing so quickly, and
the landscape of the music industry itself is
“I felt like I was saying to my fans,
I decided to change the way I was doing things.”
changing so quickly, that everything new,
As sad as it is to not be able listen
like Spotify, all feels to me a bit like a grand
to all of Taylor Swift’s music on Spotify, we
experiment,” Taylor told Yahoo! Music.
will have to respect her wishes, and stand
“And I’m not willing to contribute my life’s
by her on her decisions. Without her music,
work to an experiment that I don’t feel fairly
though, there are still plenty of great artists
compensates the writers, producers, artists,
out there. Spotify has almost every artist
and creators of this music. And I just don’t
there is, and you can still enjoy them all for
agree with perpetuating the perception that
free!
music has no value and should be free.” “I try to stay really open-mind-
16
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teachers’ best stories darian arnold & aisha eby
We all have those funny stories that we love looking back and laughing at, right? Well, teachers have those too, all the time. Some of them are so weird that you wouldn’t think they were true! Then there are some that are just flat out hilarious. One year in August, Mr. Walker had quite an unusual experience with one of his students. “A young, senior football player had discovered his truck had engine problems,” Walker begins. “So, being the resourceful young man he was, he rode his horse to school and chose to tie it up outside my room. It didn’t take long for me to hear the horse and then during the day, to smell the horse. Funny stuff, the young man did get the opportunity to clean up after his horse!” What a day that kid must have had! Coach Yocum had a pretty strange experience to share, also. There was a class of students that loved playing jokes on the teacher. “Students found out that the TV’s hooked up in the classrooms can be changed with a programmed remote. So, while the teacher was lecturing, the students turned on sports center and muted it; they enjoyed some TV and he never turned around.” If that isn’t bad enough, it gets worse. “The students got to class early one day and removed the tiles in the ceiling and placed a cell phone in the ceiling,” starts Yocum, “then throughout
the class the students called the cellphone and texted the cellphone, and the teacher couldn’t find out where the sound was coming from.” Everybody has those moments where they lack common sense; it happens all the time, no big deal, right? Well Walker had another experience with a student that he just could not forget. “A student in a geography class I was teaching began to cry during a test that over the US; it covered the states and capitals. She could not find Alaska because ‘it is always right where you have Mexico!’” Of course there are those times when you just want to make your point, and instead you just make a bigger mess. “A drama teacher had gotten a young man somewhat upset with some comments we teachers had made without thinking,” Mr. Walker says as he begins his story. “While painting a prop for the play that fall, the teacher continued to upset the young man. When the student was putting his lid back on a gallon of paint, he waited until the teacher was standing directly in front of him. The student put the lid on and then hammered the lid about as hard as he could. Paint had gathered in the lip of the paint can, and the hammered lid shot a stripe of paint straight across the front of the teacher’s shirt!”
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You should always try to make your first impression a good one. Well, what happens when you make a complete fool of yourself? A few of Coach Walker’s old students know how that feels. “During the first week of school, it’s always nice to let the kids to get to know each other. Two freshman boys began chatting with a senior girl that had moved in. She was from California, and both boys were amazed with this ‘Foreign Exchange Student.’ She then informed them that she transferred and was not a Foreign Exchange Student. They argued a little with her and she finally said ‘You know California is part of the US, right?’ The reply was ‘Really?’” Talk about an embarrassing first impression. At the old high school, they had to add trailers to house classes and students. “Kids seemed to think the fire alarms in those trailers did not operate,” says Walker. “One young man was so positive they didn’t work that he chose to pull the alarm. Three days later I saw him in class and asked about the incident and sure enough, ‘Man, the fire chief didn’t think it was funny at all, coach,’ the kid replied.” A lot of people don’t believe that school can be fun, but obviously there are times that school isn’t all serious. Don’t let people tell you that you can’t have fun while getting a good education.
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staying out of a bff battle courtney bullis
There’s no worse feeling than being caught between two friends. Especially when you know they both are expecting you to take a side. This means a whole lot of stress, irritation, and drama. So what’s the best thing to do? Stay out of it. If you find yourself caught in a BFF battle, the best way to avoid getting involved is to distract yourself. Even if you want to be the peacemaker, it’s important to give them their space and keep your distance. So in school, focus more on your school work rather than focusing on the “behind the scenes” of math class. Stay positive and focus your energy toward the good things instead of getting dragged into the conflict; and this just might mean spending some time alone. Another very important thing is to remember not to leave social network footprints. If the fight logs on to the online world, log out. Don’t leave any traces of side taking, and because of the feud that is occurring between your two friends, any comments you make can be twisted and turned and used against you. Next thing you know, you’re involved; and just a little reminder, the internet is forever. Don’t do anything that would make any of you look
bad, or anything that might come back to get you later.
be objective; if you ever feel like you’re being put under negative pressure, just leave.
At the same time you CAN have an opinion. Whether or not you believe one of your friends is wrong and the other is right (or even if they are both, one or the other) is allowed. But keep that to yourself. If it’s something you feel is utterly important to talk about, talk about it with a sibling or your parents, because discussing this with your friends is a very bad idea. Don’t let your feelings drag you into a dilemma that has nothing to do with you.
It may be hard, but you have to remember it will back fire on you if you give either of your friend’s sympathy. It could cause them to go back and forth with “he said she said” conversations and you definitely don’t want that to be you. The only advice you should give either of them is to try working the situation out on their own.
Defending one friend over another can cause the loss of one of them, so if the fight isn’t worth losing one of your best friends, just avoid the situation all together. If there are any, think of past fights and if they ended fine, or if your friends got over whatever it was that was happening. Why get involved in something that may be nothing in a week or so? Let both of your friends know your policy and that you don’t get involved in other’s fights, and if they argue for you to take a side explain how that isn’t fair for you. Remind them that you care about them both and that you value each of their friendships, and because of that you cannot
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You could even try reminding them of good times you have had together. Talk about your memories together and about the past. This could help them realize that their friendship is more important than the fight, without you having to getting massively involved. If the argument or fight is ongoing, just make the decision to give each of them space and time to figure out where exactly they stand with the situation. There is only so much you can do to fix something that doesn’t involve you without hurting yourself. Keep positive conversation and vibes flowing whenever you’re around them and if you’re feeling the heat, stay away.
alex from target alley grant Ever wonder what it would be like going to bed one night, and then waking up the next day and being famous? How would you feel? Would you be happy or upset? Do you honestly think you could handle the threats and hate? Think about it. Recently, the internet has been flowing with information about this kid from Texas named Alex LaBeouf. Alex was having just a normal day that any other teenager would have. After him and his family went to church, his father dropped him off at Target for a day of work. He clocked in and then got ready to have a great day. As it was said, a girl had seen him at work and taken a picture of him, and she tweeted it.
legedly tweeted the photo was a fan girl of their company. The company had claimed that Abbie, who was the girl who tweeted about Alex, had gotten the photo from one of Breakr’s employees and then they said that they were in contact with Target about making Alex one of the people who would feature in a holiday shopping advertisement for Target.
Another rumor that was going around was that two girls who also live in Texas named Alanna Page and Brooklyn Reiff were the ones who first took the picture and tweeted it. It was also said that Abbie was just the girl who retweeted it and then the picture became noticed because of her retweet. So, why weren’t the two girls who apparently started everything involved more with the drama about it all?
After the commotion that was spreading, a lot of girls who were once fans of Alex were now not so happy with the whole ordeal. The story that Breakr had told the news began to have some holes in it and some information that didn’t necessarily match up. Frist, Abbie tweeted claiming that she had no involvement with Breakr at all, and made it pretty clear that she had no clue what the company was. Then, Alex jumped in and made his claim that he had no clue what Breakr was. Another tweet that Alex tweeted had shown that Breakr wasn’t behind Alex getting famous, the tweet was, “My family and I have never heard of this company. I didn’t know the pic was taken or tweeted until my store manager showed me.”
A lot of people were confused on how he became so famous in such a short amount of time, and then again a lot of other people really didn’t care. The real story is that a girl found the picture on Tumblr, liked it, and tweeted it with the caption of “YOOOOO”. A business called “Breakr” had put out there that they were the creation of how Alex got famous. They claimed that the girl who al-
Finally, a spokesperson at Target got in on all the buzz. This person had stated that “We value Alex as a team member and from the first moment we saw this photo beginning to circulate, we shared that the Target team was as surprised as anyone. That remains the truth today. Let us be completely clear, we had absolutely nothing to do with the creation, listing or distribution
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of the photo. And we have no affiliation whatsoever with the company that is taking credit for its results.” So the real question is, was Breakr really behind Abbie and Alex’s fame or were they just trying to take the spotlight? Well, later on, a person who is a spokesperson for Breakr said, “Update: Abbie (@auscalum) and Alex Lee (@acl163) were never employed by Breakr. A side from Abbie being a follower and tweeting the photo, we jumped on it with the hashtag #AlexFromTarget”. This person’s name is Leonares and he was actually in an interview with Yahoo Tech when he began to claim all of these things about Alex and Abbie. He was initially the one who was saying that Breakr was involved with the two teens. He was also employed by a company called “LinkedIn.” All we know is that somehow this kid, wholet’s face it- was nobody to most of the world because they didn’t know him at all, and just became famous overnight. As of right now, Alex has appeared on Ellen and gotten interviewed by certain, popular TV news casts. The answers behind his fame are still unknown by many people and my things all over the internet. Nobody honestly knows how a simple boy could have gotten that famous overnight. It’s confusing, yes, but what’s even more confusing is how businesses are trying to take action and be the reason behind his fame. Now, Alex really isn’t all that famous anymore. Everything that involved him has mostly calmed down.
talent show darian arnold & aisha eby
The talent show before break was spectacular! There were so many good performances. This year’s host was Mr. Yocum. Mr. Yocum had sixteen performances this year. Our judges were Joey Ash, Jenna Hembree, Kassi Bayliff, Tony Miceli, Ms. Vandiver and Mrs. Pryor. This event was hosted by FCA. They took donations for Christmas families in need. The talent show raised money to help out families during Christmas time. Joining the talent show is risky for students. It’s hard to get out in front of your peers and have them judge you. I know I could never do anything like that. The students who shared their talents with us were terrific. They really kept the crowd pumped up. First, we have two very talented voices from Courtney and Keenan. They sang Disney’s song “I see the light” from the movie Tangled. Courtney commented “Well, we didn’t sign up until the very last day so we didn’t have time to really find a song. We just did the song we did for our choir magic moment. I really wanted
to participate. I wanted to do it because I never have, and it was my last chance because it’s my senior year. At first I was super nervous, but then I just felt happy that we decided to sing together.” Anny Campbell put on a terrific performance. Anny rode her unicycle to Weird Al’s song “Tacky.” We asked if it was hard to get up in front of your peers, she replied, “For me I wouldn’t say that it was hard because I have always loved preforming in front of people.” We then asked her why she joined the talent show. “I thought that it would be just as fun as it was last year, and I also thought that I could get a good laugh out of people. I just love putting myself out there and showing the school what I can do. I also wanted to get a chance to show a lot of our new teachers how there are people that like weird stuff like that, and that it is okay to be yourself.” I thought it was a great experience. Next we have Alicsa Wilson with an amazing voice! Alicsa sang “At the Cross” by Hillsong United for the Talent show. She says “It wasn’t hard to get up in
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front of my peers. I don’t really get nervous singing in front of people. I joined the talent show because I enjoy singing and I have participated in it every year since my freshman year. I thought the talent show went well. There were a lot of talented people this year and it was nice to have some variety instead of 30 people singing.” Next we have a unique talent, but really cool to watch. Corbin danced in the talent show. We asked if it was hard as a freshman to get up and show his talent in front of his peers. Corbin says “Not really, because I really enjoy dancing.” Corbin joined the talent show because he loves dancing and he thought it would be a fun challenge. He said it was very nerve racking, but he had a lot of fun preforming. Then we have Sara Pinion for the Talent show. She sang Skinny Love by Birdy. Sara says “It wasn’t hard to get up in front of everyone because it’s something that I wanted to do. Also, if I get scared then I won’t be able to pursue my dream. It’s not the first time I have sang in front of a big group. I joined the Talent show
so that I could show people that I am not that quiet girl that everyone sees; I want to get out there not only because I can sing, but to meet new people that actually know what I have and what I can do. My experience for the talent show was pretty funny because people were interacting with me while I was singing, I said one small word and they just went crazy! I loved how I could make eye contact with the audience because they were the ones that kept that confidence in me to continue with my song.” Next we have Wessa Corn. “I contortioned for the Talent Show,” Wessa says, “it wasn’t very hard for me because I had done the Talent Show the year before.” She joined the Talent Show for fun. Wessa loves doing what she does, and sometimes other’s do too. We asked: How was your experience? “My experience was okay. I was nervous at first and slipped a few times. I also forgot my whole routine, so I had to wing it. I repeated some of the moves, but people still enjoyed it. (Most were grossed out). I felt good about it.” Now we have Shannon Milhoan. The song she did for the talent show was “If Love Is a Red Dress” by Maria McKee. She found it from the movie Pulp Fiction, which is a really great film if you haven’t seen it. We
asked her if it was hard to get up in front of your peers. Shannon said “No, not at all. It used to be really nerve-racking my freshman and sophomore year, but by now it’s just something I do. I perform, and in fact it’s actually easier for me to perform to a large group rather than a small amount of people; somehow it takes some pressure off in my opinion.” Shannon joined the talent show just to showcase what she’s got. Shannon writes her own music, and aspires to be an appreciated and hopefully successful musician one day. In order to do so, she has to have people know what she sounds like in so they can support her. Shannon states “Standing in front of everyone and playing guitar beats sitting in that cruddy fold up chairs. Though my scores weren’t what I expected, I sure did get an awesome reaction from the crowd. To me, I got a lot of appreciation from those that watched. I was happy with how I performed and I think I really poured a lot into my last act at the school. Just hope everyone had about as much of a good time as I did during my act.” Lastly, we have Mica Bolling. She won first place at the talent show! Mica played her violin. She played the song “Crystallize” by Lindsey Stirling. Mica tells us her experience was amazing. Mica says “surprisingly it was not hard to get up
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in front of everyone. It was actually a lot easier than performing in front of a small group of people. I went out very excited and I kind of just zoned out when I started to play. I was flooded with adrenaline, and I do not really remember playing. I looked up and got nervous after I started to play, though. That was when I messed up and started laughing. I feel like I should have gotten points taken off, but I am very thankful I didn’t. It was the most amazing experience of my life. I have never won anything before, or played in front of such a big group, so I was very happy. I learned a lot about myself that day. I realized that if I would get up in front of the whole school and not be afraid, then I can do anything and really pursue my career in music. It was the best day of my life. I decided to do the talent show because a lot of my friends told me I should. I thought, ‘why not?’ It’s my senior year and I have nothing to lose. I will never see these people again anyway! I love doing new things, and it was a test of my abilities. I could not be more thankful to everyone for being so supportive and nice. I got so many compliments after the show, and it really boosted my self-esteem. I think I am able to take more risks now, and I can’t wait!” Congratulations to Mica, and to everyone else who participated in the talent show. You all did great, and we can’t wait to see what talents next year’s show holds!
december recipes Harley Watson
Crock pot white hot chocolate: Ever just wish that after a long time playing in the snow you could come inside to a hot delicious drink just waiting for you? No having to wait to make it or heat it up? Here is just the thing! All you have to do is start it and when you come in its all ready to go just grab your favorite mug and turn on the endless Christmas movie marathon. Ingredients: • 8 oz. white chocolate, broken into small pieces • 4 cups half and half • 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
6. Pour mixture over crackers, and then bake for 6 minutes. 7. Remove from oven; pour a bag of milk chocolate chips on top of crackers. 8. Cool, then break up into bite size pieces Extras: add nuts, sprinkles, or M&Ms Christmas Crack: Ever want a new addiction? Don’t worry it’s not bad but it is hard to stop eating once you start. It will be the easiest recipe of your life that will make people think you’re a high end chef. Ingredients:
• 7 oz. jar marshmallow crème
• Saltine crackers
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 stick of butter
Instructions: 1. Place all ingredients in a crock pot on low for 2 hours or on high for about 1 hour, stir occasionally. 2. Serve and Enjoy! Extras: For a spice of flavor add a few cinnamon sticks but don’t forget to remove them before you serve.
• 1 cup light or dark brown sugar • 1 tsp. vanilla extract • 1 bag milk chocolate chips Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 2. Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil, and spray generously with cooking spray. 3. Cover cookie sheet with one layer of saltine crackers. 4. In a sauce pan bring butter and brown sugar to a boil, stirring continuously for 2 to 3 minutes. 5. Remove from heat; add one tsp of vanilla extract.
White Chicken Chili Why settle for the same ole boring chili every time it’s cold outside? Why not spice it up a bit and heck why not make it match the amazing snow right outside?
Ingredients: • 3 cups cooked, diced chicken • 3 16-ounced cans Great Northern Beans, drained • 1 8-ounced can chopped mild green chilies (use hot for a spicier version)
• 4 cups chicken broth or stock • 16 ounces grated Monterey Jack cheese, divided • 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 stick of butter
sugar • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions:
Directions:
1. Cut the biscuits into 4 sections.
• 2 medium onions, chopped
2. Mix together ½ cup sugar and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon.
• 4 garlic cloves, minced • 2 teaspoon ground cloves
3. Cover the cut biscuits in the cinnamon sugar mix.
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
4. Heavily grease the Bundt pan and place the biscuits evenly.
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper • Salt and pepper to taste, if needed Directions: 1. In a large sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. 2. Add onions and cook until translucent. 3. Stir in garlic and remaining spices except salt and pepper. 4. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. 5. Add check, beans, chilies, broth, and 12 ounces of cheese. 6. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 7. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. 8. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. 1. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and ground cloves and stir to mix. 2. Spread ½ of the brown sugar mixture on the bottom of the crock-pot. 3. Place ham, cut side down, on top of the brown sugar mix in the crock-pot. 4. Rub the remaining brown sugar mixture all over the rest of the ham.
Everybody makes out the Christmas ham to be the hardest thing to master and cook. Why not make it easy and let all the family thinks you’ve been taking cooking lessons behind there back. All you have to do is put it in the pot and leave it alone the ham will do everything on its own. Ingredients: • 1 (4-5) pound ham (spiral sliced ham for easier serving) • 1 cup light or dark brown
6. In a sauce pan melt the butter on medium heat. 7. Add ¾ cup of sugar and ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon. 8. Stir until the sugar is melted. 9. Remove from heat and pour into the Bundt pan on top of biscuits. 10. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes.
5. Cover and cook on low 4 hours
11. Remove and let sit for 10 minutes.
6. Turn crock-pot off and let sit for 30 minutes so that the ham can reabsorb some of the juices that will come out when cooked for a moister meat.
12. Transfer the bread from the Bundt pan to your favorite platter or stand.
Monkey Bread Crock-pot Brown Sugar ham
• A Bundt pan
Who doesn’t want to just monkey around a little bit? With this bread you can’t mess up! Breakfast, a snack, or dessert you can basically get away with having it anytime you want. Ingredients: • 2 cans jumbo biscuits • ½ cup sugar • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon • ¾ cup sugar • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
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winter sports paige pritchard
Hard work, determination, teamwork, and a lot of practice are some of the major key characteristics to being a good athlete. No matter what the sport, you’re able to do anything as long as you try and keep your mind on it. Winter is just around the corner, and with it is wrestling and basketball. This year there is a new wrestling coach: Coach Teed. Teed has been a wrestling coach for about four years now. He used to coach at Marshfield. “I had watched with admiration as some awesome wrestlers went through the program here. The potential and talent here is something I wanted to be a part of,” says Teed. This year the most important goal Teed has is that they always make daily improvement as a team. He believes that if they focus on day to day and match to match improvement, the conference and district championships will take care of themselves. Coach Teed has high goals and expectations, but he is really focused on improvement. “I plan on pushing these wrestlers hard and giving them all the tools I possibly can to help them be successful,” he says. Teed was a wrestler in high school. He grew up in a town in New York where wrestling is extremely popular. “The only
thing that beats coaching is being able to go out and compete,” Coach believes. He is a very competitive person that loves a challenge. When the opportunity rose for him to come coach at Reeds Spring, he looked at it as a challenge that he could learn from and a chance to help the program continue to grow. Coach Teed has had the chance to work with quite a few of the wrestlers already; during their offseason weights and open mat sessions. They also took a crew up to a wrestling camp in Illinois. There have been many wrestlers working hard in the offseason to get ready for the 2014/2015 season. He’s looking for some big things from the upper classmen. “I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m not making plans to leave any time soon,” says Teed when asked how long he plans on staying. “This is a great school and a great district to work in. I think I’ll be here for a while.” Along with wrestling, we are also getting ready for basketball season! Coach Yocom is our boys’ basketball head coach. He was a coach at East Newton for 3 years, he was assistant coach here for 2 years, and has been head coach at Reeds
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Spring for 3 years now. Yocom moved from East Newton schools to here because this is his dream job. He went here as a kid, and was a 13 year senior. He is very passionate about this school and the students in it. He believes it is a very good community to raise a family. “This year, our main goal is up holding our motto #EverydayGuys. In doing this we hope that every player takes care of their responsibilities both on and off the court every day. If we do this, success will take care of itself,” Yocom explains. This year, we are anticipating 14 incoming freshman, which is a very good number. “I think how they contribute will be based on how quickly they adjust to the high school game,” says Yocom. We also have ladies basketball! The head coach of our ladies basketball team is Coach Spooner. Spooner has been a coach for 12 years. He has coached at school such as: Missouri Baptist University, Aurora, Plato, Conway, and Crocker. Spooner has been a coach at Reeds Spring for 5 years now. He moved to this school district because of the great opportunities that it offers. “Our goals are simple: compete every day, improve every day, and represent our school to the best of our
Boys Basketball
abilities,” says Spooner.
girls.”
Coach Spooner is very excited for this years’ ladies basketball season. “I think we will be a different type of team with its own strengths and weaknesses, but we look forward to the challenges that we face to improve our team and program,” says coach. The upcoming freshman will be a nice addition to our program, and he looks forward to seeing the improvements that they make this year and over the next four years that he will be coaching them.
While we are sad to see the seniors play their last high school season, we are excited for the new freshman players! It’s sometimes difficult for the freshman to be able to go from the middle school set up to the high school. “There was definitely a big change from the middle school to the high school,” states Hope Mcclain, a freshman playing for the Reeds Spring High School basketball team. “We work a lot harder and are pushed a lot more. We are training to win, not just to play.”
For a lot of seniors, it can get very emotional for them knowing it’s going to be their last year playing in their sport. “With this being my last year playing basketball for a real team, the effect has certainly set in,” Tony Miceli begins explaining. “I am going to miss the feeling of running out and hearing the crowd and the warm up music, and going through difficult obstacles with others around me. The feeling of this is a feeling of disbelief and despondency.” Katie Murray feels about the same. “I’m actually really sad about it,” she begins. “I know that I’ll miss playing. High-school ball has been a lot of fun despite the up’s and down’s. I know on senior night I’ll cry a lot, and I wouldn’t want to play on any other team or with any other
We are looking forward to this season and hoping for the best! Go Wolves!! Here are the teams and their members: Lady Wolves Basketball Joey Ash (12), Katie Murray (12), Jamie Booth (11), Caitlin Gault (11), Darian Morris (11), Julianne Morton (11), Shianne Strailey (11), Karri Johnson (10), Keri Johnson (10), Dyllan McGinness (10), Amanda Russell (10), Rachel Bagg (09), Jewell Dover (09), Jennifer Essary (09), Nicole Longstreet (09), Hope Mcclain (09), Tara Sampson (09), Ashley Winn (10), and managers: Megan Strayer (11), Katelyn Lambert (10), Lauren Hustead (09)
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Josh Kent (12), Hunter Verheyen (12), Cole Bradfield (12), Tony Miceli (12), Alex Jenkins (12), Jarod Cole (11), Reno Randle (11), Dillon Neels (11), Adam Taylor (11), Eric Rasmussen (11), J.P. Gardner (10), Ben Reents (10), Joel Gertson (10), Ransom Allphin (10), Hunter Turner (10), Lane Carroll (09), Logen Plumb (09), Austin Bradfield (09), Kyle Modlin (09), Cole Nordin (09), Kelly Newton (09), Mike Wilson (09), Cole Crutcher (09), John Zachary (09), Tom Cooper (09), Noah Crosson (09), Nathan Crosson (09), William Burk (09), and managers: Kaileigh Verheyen (12), Kaitlyn Daniels (12), Maggie Daniels (09), Morgan Essary (09) Wrestlers Nathan Stallings (12), Hank While (12), Tate Johnson (11), Broden Lemaster (11), Matt Kahnert (11), Adam Gasper (11), Nathan Yeager (11), Austin Wooley (11), Conner Shafer (10), Ian Stallings (10), Dustin Bibens (10), riar Crain (09), Logan Crim (09), Kameron Place (09), and manager Lydia Gasper (10)