The Pirate Press Your News Straight From the Crow’s Nest. Volume:1 Issue: 1
Student Staff:
Student Editors: Dylan K. Koch Garrett L. Stoll Staff Writers: Dylan k. Koch Garrett L.Stoll Staff Photographer: Nate Bard
Sponsors:
Faculty Sponsor: Mylinda Blankenship Industry Sponsor: James Robinson 1
Table of Contents Page 2: PHS Student Press
Page 3: GAP the 30-Minute Wonder Page 4: January Event Calendar Sports NOTICE: in the following months of “The Pagosa Pirate Press” we will be accepting student submitted artwork, photography and writing. If you’re interested please send any work to us at: pagosapiratepress@gmail.com or see a student editor.
PHS Student Press By: Garrett Stoll
Nearly 13 years ago our own Pagosa Springs High School had a resident newspaper. The paper, called the “Pirates Parrot” was sponsored by Mrs. Hinger, at that time a faculty English teacher. The accounts from most of our interviewees are spotty, not merely because of the many years since the papers publication, but also because of the slightness of its duration. School councilor Mark Thomson was recorded saying, “I think they published three or four issues, and that’s it”. Needless to say the student publishers of more than a decade past underestimated the severity of the task they had undertaken. Even with the help of the late David Mitchell from the Pagosa Springs Sun they were overwhelmed. Thankfully the conveniences of modern technological fare should make the workload bearable for the present writers, editors, and staff. The current paper will function on a somewhat experimental basis. We will accept student input and even content until the editing team can derive a reliable system for publication; in other words we would like this paper to be very much driven by your ideas.Rather than making the paper a public forum for 2
livid prose and stimulating soliloquy, we want to report what you want to read. Many students were asked what sort of content they would enjoy seeing in a school wide publication, the majority were unsure about what they wanted to see. There were some however, that gave input: Senior Julia Adams recommended publishing stories about the various clubs and classes in our school, as well as material submitted by students from art and photography classes. Sophomore Nate Bard suggested we provide information about local and school events, as well as explanations about administrative decisions. Longtime student Jon Hudson requested human interest stories, as well as an art focus. Sophomore Zoe Fulco wanted to see a “just for fun page”. The faculty also gave substantial input based on what they wanted to see: Mr. Downing said he would like to see cartoons submitted by freshmen Isaiah Thompson, along with a calendar of events (non-athletic) for the month.
Mr. Rackham recommended that we print unusual items about the students, as well as articles about the rules, and regulations of our school Mr. Hershey suggested we cover extracurricular activities such as Knowledge Bowl, as well as publish stories on academic achievement. Mr. McCabe wanted a snow summary for Wolf Creek, along with student input on the snow on our mountain, he also wants a non athletic calendar of events. In executing our duties as writers and editors we will try to incorporate all of the requested content. We hope that this publication will be both successful and a pleasure to read. In addition we hope that it will last long after the current founders have left.
“In America the President reigns for four years, and Journalism governs for ever and ever”
-Oscar Wilde
GAP the 30-Minute Wonder By: Dylan Koch In the forefront of many Pagosa Springs High School (PSHS) students’ minds’ this winter, may be the 30-minute G.A.P (Growth Achievement Period) class that has recently been added to their schedules. And while some in the student body understand the intent of the class, others have given the period less than rave reviews. “It seems like they just made the stuff up.” Says PSHS sophomore Tyson Ross “It’s pointless”. In a recent interview, PSHS Principal David Hamilton said the idea for the G.A.P class grew from a meeting with fellow administrators, as well as the school’s psychologist. The meeting began, Hamilton said, with the intent to explore the key challenges Pagosa Springs High School students face, along with a discussion of possible solutions. Hamilton said the resolution became clear however, when he and his fellow administrators read the book The Leader in Me by Sean Covey — the author of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Hamilton said the books had such an impact that they decided to teach the ideas found in Covey’s books during the G.A.P class. When asked if other schools taught a class similar to G.A.P., Hamilton said, “Not at first. But I was surprised by the number of other schools that actually taught a class similar to ours.” He added that the school his niece attended required a class called “Lobo 101” which Hamilton said is similar to the G.A.P. class taught at PSHS. Hamilton was careful to note that PSHS faculty also played a key role in creating the G.A.P. class. According to Hamilton, PSHS faculty
met several times to discuss the most prevalent issues in the student body . After identifying the issues, faculty concluded that they either live with the challenges faces students or try to do something to change things. With that, G.A.P. was born. According to Hamilton, about two thirds of the G.A.P classes in the school are successfully up-to-date in their G.A.P teaching. According to Hamilton, although G.A.P appears initially popular with underclassmen, juniors and seniors aren’t quite sold. “The freshmen and sophomores seem to be enjoying the class much more than the upperclassmen that are already engrained in their social paradigm,” Hamilton said. Hamilton said despite mixed responses from the student body, faculty will continue teaching the class to students in grades nine through 12. In the future however, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens will not be part of the curriculum. Instead, teachers will briefly present the material at the beginning of the school year, while presenting real-world examples later in the school year. While some students say that adding G.A.P to their schedules has taken its toll, the new class period has also had an impact on certain clubs and events. For example, Student Council now has a one-hour meeting, as opposed to the previous half-hour meetings. While that bodes well for the council certain clubs and extracurricular groups can only meet after school, or on Friday, during the adjoined lunch.
“The smarter the journalists are, the better off society is. [For] to a degree, people read the press to inform themselves-and the better the teacher, the better the student body.”
-Warren Buffet
Mrs Blankenship’s G.A.P just after the last PHTV Broadcast.
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January Event Calendar Jan. 1st-13th: NWEA Assesment Window Jan. 7th: 6:00 p.m JV and Varisty Wrestling Jan. 8th: 4:00 p.m JV and Varsity Boys Basketball 5:00 p.m JV and Varsity Wrestling Jan. 9th: 9:00 a.m JV and Varsity Wrestling 9:00 a.m C team Boys Basketball Tourney. Jan. 12th: 4:00 p.m. JV and Varsity Girls and Boy Basketball Jan. 15th: End of Quarter Jan. 16th: 8:00 a.m JV Wrestling 9:00 a.m Varsity Wrestling 9:00 a.m C Team Boys Basketball 4:00 p.m JV and Varsity Girls Basketball Jan. 18th: Staff Workday; No School Jan. 19th: JV and Varsity Girls Basketball Jan. 21st: 3:00 p.m High School Musical Tryouts 6:00 p.m JV and Varsity Wrestling Jan. 22nd:1:30 p.m High School Musical Tryouts Jan. 23rd: 9:00 a.m C Team Boys Basketball 4:00 p.m JV and Varsity Girls Basketball Jan. 28th: 6:00 p.m JV and Varsity Wrestling Jan. 29th: 4:00 p.m JV and Varsity Girls Basketball Jan. 30th: 9:00 a.m. Varsity Wrestling 9:00 a.m. C Team Boys Basketball Tourney 9:00 a.m. Alive at 25 Presentation 4:00 p.m. JV and Varsity Girls and Boys Basketball 7:00 p.m. IML One Act Play
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Sports Boys Basketball As of December 13, 2009, the Pirates boys’ basketball team is off to a good start. They are 3-1, and have wins against Alamosa, Dolores, and Buena Vista. Returning starters for the varsity team include; Taylor Schaffer, and Jordan Caler, with new varsity starters including Tyson Ross, Austin Jones, and Zach Lucero. Coach Jim Schaffer says “the team is off to a good start” and has great prospects for the 2010 season. “there a great team this year, and are full of some good leaders” says Schaffer. With the talent this year of the entire team, we look forward to them having a strong season.
Wrestling This year the Pirate Wrestling team is a strong group of 40 members, with considerable numbers in both light and heavy weight divisions. As of mid December they were 9-3 in duel matches with the tournament season imminent. The team consists of many returning wrestlers as well as a good deal of new recruits, including state veterans Will Apenzeller and Preston Sandoval. Also returning is a group of seniors who make up the core leadership, guiding by experience and example. The training regimen this year is catered to the skill level of the group; it focuses on basics and fundamentals, while more advanced techniques are added daily. Coach Dan Janowsky said “They are a good group of guys; they work well together and seem to enjoy the sport.” With the bulk of the season remaining, we all wish the Pirate Wrestling the best of luck and continued diligence.