The Falcon Quill, Issue 1 | Spring 2023

Casper Balch

Editor-in-Chief

Articles

Elijah Ball

Casper Balch

Alyssa Bates

Ad Britton

Juan Francisco Pedro

Anabel Gaspar Jose

Joshua Krajnik

Tyler McNew

Camila Miguel Francisco

Antonia Ntaconayigize

Reese Reiley

Mateus Vigander

Tyree West

Matthew Wolford

Gavin Womble

Elijah Ball

Assistant Editor

Photographers

Alyssa Bates

Juan Francisco Pedro

Reese Reiley

Tyree West

Gavin Womble

Style

Guru of Fashion Tyree West

Administration

Barker of Orders Sandra Campbell

Keeper of Budget Summer Roark

Psychologist to Ms Campbell Sharon Rasch

The Falcon Quill Is a publication of Fulton High School

2509 N. Broadway

Knoxville, TN 37917

All contents are those of the students and the Digital Arts & Design III class in the FulCom Academy of Communications.

Ups & Downs

Academy of Communications

The Falcon Quill

Tim Childers—FulCom Principal

Welcoming Back An Old Friend

by Tim Childers FulCom Principal

It is with great pleasure that we announce the return of The Falcon Quill, our school magazine, after an extended hiatus. And not just any return, but a grand one at that, as we celebrate over 70 years since its beginnings.

The Quill is a magazine that serves as a platform for our students to express themselves creatively and share their unique perspectives on a variety of topics. It is a space where the students of the Academy of Communications can showcase their talents and share their experiences with one another.

The fact that the Quill has been around for over

70 years is a testament to its importance and relevance to our school community. Throughout the years, it has served as a voice for students, allowing them to share their thoughts, feelings, and ideas with their peers and the public.

The magazine has undergone several transformations over the years, starting in print and later moving to digital.. This latest transformation is especially exciting because it allows for even more accessibility and reach. Our students can now share their stories with a wider audience, both within and outside our school community.

Of course, we cannot talk about this important return without mentioning the challenges that we faced along the way. The pandemic has disrupted our lives in ways that we never could have imagined, and it certainly impacted our ability to produce the magazine. But despite these challenges, Mrs. Campbell and her students have persevered and found new ways to create and share our content.

It is our hope that this magazine will continue to serve as a platform for students to express themselves and share their stories. We hope that it will continue to foster a sense of community and provide a space for dialogue and exchange.

To our readers, we want to say thank you for your support and encouragement throughout the years. We hope that you will continue to read and engage with our content, and that you will find inspiration and meaning in the stories that we share.

To our contributors, both past and present, and this year’s editor, Casper Balch, we want to say thank you for your hard work and dedication. You are the backbone of the Quill, and we are grateful for your creativity, passion, and commitment to this magazine.

As we move forward, we have big plans for the Quill. We want to expand our reach, collaborate with various organizations and universities, and continue to innovate and experiment with new formats and styles. We are excited to see where this journey takes us, and we hope that you will join us for the ride.

Dear Reader, Welcome to the Falcon Quill: a magazine making a comeback. Initially a crucial part of the communications magnet program at Fulton High School (FHS), the magazine lost its momentum over time. However, Fulton Alumni and Digital Arts and Design teacher Mrs. Campbell, along with students from the Academy of Communications at FHS, have recently revived the magazine. The Falcon Quill, like all Fulcom programs, strives to deliver the best to everyone. Whether you are a part of the Fulton community or simply enjoy a

good reading, the Falcon Quill has something for you. The magazine’s staff would like to express their hope that you enjoy their work and extend their gratitude for your readership.

Sincerely,

Casper E. Balch, Editor-in-Chief

The Falcon Quill has played an integral part in the storied history of Fulton High School. I am proud of the work that has been done to revive this student magazine.

Welcome back, Falcon Quill, we have missed you and can’t wait to read. A huge shout-out to Sandi Campbell and the Digital Arts & Design III class, Casper Balch, and all who contributed.

Seth Smith Executive Principal

Casper Balch —Editor-in-Chief

by Sandra Campbell

Every Wednesday Balch signs on to his afternoon show Ghost Hits on WKCS 91.1. Listeners may be soothed with a mix of jazz, contemporary and vintage one show and invigorated by the next filled with an upbeat mix. Balch is driven to share what inspires him and his love of music. This show gives him the opportunity to highlight obscure musical styles and artists.

Starting a favorite song list in middle school, Balch named it The Ghost’s Hits. Playing upon his first name and the fact that most of the songs were ethereal and rare. After settling into high school and taking Mr. Mayes’ radio class, Balch pitched the show. Teachers are always happy to allow eager students the opportunity to learn and grow within

the course. It was agreed this was a winning show that had potential to grow and evolve as Casper’s skills increased. The decision was a good one.

We sat down with Balch for answers to our spirited questions beginning with the show’s unique name.

“The show’s title originated from a playlist that I crafted in middle school, called “The Ghost’s Hits.” When I pitched the title to my dad during the creation of the show, he found the possessive to be redundant when pronouncing the title, so to make things less confusing and easier to pronounce, the possessive was removed. Additionally, my name’s “friendly” counterpart influenced

“

Good afternoon, I’m Casper Balch and this is Ghost Hits. Today we will be sharing.... So sit back and enjoy!”

the title.

Casper had the idea for the show while he was still a freshman playing stuff he liked. He wanted a way to become more involved in his sophomore year. So what started out as The Ghost’s Hits became Ghost Hits and a show was born. We were curious about his favorite albums and artists.

“Interestingly, I don’t have a single favorite writer, composer, or musician. Instead, I favor multiple artists, including Herbie Hancock, The Grateful Dead, ACDC, Stereo Lab, Fania All Stars, Stan Getz, Mongo Santamaria, Czarface, Sly and the Family Stone, and many others. Often, I listen to a wide variety of artists throughout the year, which influence the show’s themes and overall feeling.” Casper replies.

The show has been a hit on the Wednesday afternoon timeslot. The radio show isn’t Casper’s only interest in high school. He is a dedicated

member of the marching band. In the spring you will find him on the tennis courts playing for Fulton’s tennis team, all while maintaining a healthy grade point average.

Stepping in to work on school videos for the Senior video and other projects keeps him busy in FulCom’s Academy of Communications as he prepares for his post-secondary education at UTK.

As graduation day i s close we wondered about where he hopes to land after UTK, Casper is keeping his pathway open for now and not declaring a major or definite career just yet. He has interests in communication, architecture, engineering , and a few more.

What began with a favorite song list in ninth grade has given him another creative outlet and great opportunities to learn more about writing and producing a radio show. We expect to hear

him on the air in the future. WUTK and UTK’s Vol Network,we are sending him your way.

WKCS-FM 91.1

@WKCSradio

wkcs@knoxschools.org

wkcsradio.org

70 Years of WKCS 91.1

by Russell Mayes

Fulton

High School is the home of one of only four high school radio stations in Tennessee, and is one of only a small number of high school radio broadcast stations in the country. The call letters, WKCS, were originally chosen to stand for Knoxville City Schools. Now that the school system has merged with the Knox County Schools, the call letters are still fitting. WKCS went on the

air on December 18, 1952. The station broadcast from 4 PM to 5 PM on that first day. WKCS broadcast its first basketball game on December 23, 1952, as the Fulton Falcons faced the Rule Golden Bears. 1952 was the second year for students at the new Fulton High School. The station originally began under the direction of Oma (Penny) Wendham. Penny taught English and one radio class daily. WKCS aired many live and pre-recorded news, drama, and variety programs, as well as a lunchtime music show during its early years. In addition to the radio speech classes, Fulton High School offered a radio engineering class taught by Mr. Noel Alexander.

In the days of radio’s block programming, the students wrote and produced their own programs. As the industry changed, so did the programming at WKCS. This block programming gradually gave way to the new type of programming with music as its staple.

With the retirement of Penny Wendham in 1963, the radio station and classes became the responsibility of Joanna Huffman. Miss Huffman was a radio student at Fulton, and worked in radio and TV in Knoxville. The radio program also

became a part of the Vocational Department at Fulton High School. For the first time, radio broadcast classes were offered throughout the school day. Miss Huffman introduced the “Good Music” format to WKCS. “Good Music” featured a combination of Top-40, adult standards, and country music.

Ron Cassady held the duties of radio broadcast instructor from 1971-74. In 1974 he turned the responsibilities over to another Fulton graduate and local broadcaster, Lynn Davis. Davis switched the music format to a more modern rock sound during his tenure. Lynn held the position until 1976. He returned to WKCS in 2005 to host a series of community affairs programs entitled “Fulton Focus,” in which he interviewed suc-

cessful Fulton graduates.

The station was originally licensed to serve the community with 310 watts of effective radiated power at the frequency of 91.1 Mhz. However, the station was never able to operate at the maximum limits of its power because the Gates transmitter, used from the early 1960’s until 1996, had only 250-watt capability.

In the fall of 1976, local air personality Allen 12

Johnson, known locally and nationally by the professional stage name Dr. Al Adams, took the managerial and teaching position at Fulton High School. Johnson had both a radio and television background as well as management experience. Dr. Al became one of the most loved and respected instructors in the history of the radio program. Johnson trained many successful broadcasters such as Jeff Jarnigan, Randy Miller, Butch Johnson, and Chris Wade. WKCS switched from an

Adult Contemporary music format in 1995 to its current Oldies format. In 1998, WKCS moved into

Photos: Fulton Archives

its brand new studios located on the 2nd floor of Fulton High School.

In 2004, Al Johnson turned over the reigns to Russell Mayes, one of his former students. Mayes graduated from Fulton High School in 1995, and after graduation worked at radio stations WLIL in Lenoir City and WKZX in Maryville. Mayes hopes to continue training professional broadcasters that will be very attractive in the job market, while striving to make WKCS an attractive listening alternative and an active member of the community. He believes that two major strengths of WKCS are the station’s diverse oldies format that has attracted many new listeners, and the live broadcasts of Fulton High School football and basketball games.

In 1996, the old 250-watt transmitter was replaced with a modern state of the art stereo transmitter with an 1100-watt capability. WKCS began operating 24 hours a day during February 2005, with the installation of a digital automation system. While most other stations have abandoned the Oldies format, WKCS continues to play hits from the last 6 decades. During 2007, WKCS and Knox Co. schools launched a new website for Falcon Radio located at www.wkcsradio.org.

Listeners can now interact with WKCS radio, and listen to all their favorite hits 24-hours a day anywhere in the world!

1950s

What Was On the Air?

“Tennessee Waltz” Patti Page (1950)

“Cry” Johnnie Ray & the Four Lads (1951)

“You Belong to Me” Jo Stafford (1952)

“Your Cheatin’ Heart” Hank Williams (1953)

“Mr. Sandman” The Chordettes (1954)

“Only You (And You Alone)” The Platters (1955)

“Young Love” Sonny James (1956)

“All Shook Up” Elvis Presley (1957)

“Johnny B. Goode” Chuck Berry (1958)

“Mack the Knife” Bobby Darin (1959)

1970s

What Was On the Air?

The Beatles “Let It Be” (1970)

Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” (1971)

Stevie Wonder “Superstition” (1972)

Roberta Flack “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (1973)

Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama” (1974)

Pink Floyd “Wish You Were Here” (1975)

Eagles “Hotel California” (1976)

Bee Gees “How Deep Is Your Love” (1977)

Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta “You’re the One That I Want” (1978)

Blondie “Heart of Glass” (1979)

1960s

What Was On the Air?

“It’s Now or Never” Elvis Presley (1960)

“Stand by Me” Ben E. King (1961)

“I Can’t Stop Loving You” Ray Charles (1962)

“Be My Baby” The Ronettes (1963)

“The House of the Rising Sun” The Animals (1964

“Yesterday” The Beatles (1965)

“Good Vibrations” The Beach Boys (1966)

“Respect” Aretha Franklin (1967)

“(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” Otis Redding (1968)

“I Want You Back” The Jackson 5 (1969)

1980s

What Was On the Air?

“Funkytown” by Lipps Inc (1980)

“9 to 5” by Dolly Parton (1981)

“867-5309/Jenny” by Tommy Tutone (1982)

“1999” by Prince (1983)

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper (1984)

“Material Girl” by Madonna (1985)

“Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins (1986)

“Walk Like an Egyptian” by The Bangles (1987)

“Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses (1988)

“Love Shack” by The B-52s (1989)

TheBeat

Music playlists - what gets you through the day. Students share their favorite playlists that helps them study and work efficiently.

Music can sometimes be helpful, but distracting at the same time. It is important to me because it helps me to focus, be calm, and can give great ideas. I usually listen to music when I’m at school to give me a peaceful day and to not think of anything else. There are times I can’t listen because some things may be important that I need to hear.

If you listen to Spanish, music a artist you could listen to would be, Ivan Cornejo, but everyone has a different taste in music so someone may want rock, country, rap or just songs with no lyrics

YouTube and Spotify are most likely where I tune in to listen. - Ana

Why is this music important to you? It is important to me because it helps me get through tough times How does it impact your day? It improves the mood of the day and can even make me more emotional Where do you find your music? Spotify and Youtube

Who, and/or what are your favorite musicians and/ or songs? I’ll do you one better, my top 3 artists and my top 3 songs from each, 1st Kendrick lamar with my top 3 songs being Alright, Money Trees, and m.A.A.d City. 2nd we have The Weeknd with my top three songs being Blinding lights, Sacrifice, and Out Of Time. 3rd and finally we have Denzel Curry with my top 3 songs being Walkin’, GOATED, and X-Wing. - Matthew W.

Music is can be important to me because it helps me think of ideas for the stories I tend to write. It helps motivate me to draw as well, as the music I’m listening too can give me even more motivation to do whatever I’m doing at that moment.

2. Like I’ve said before, it can help motivate and give me ideas for drawings.

3. Lo-fi music is a great example of something that’s “chill”. There’s been a bunch of livestreams that tend to play this very calm, very chill, and very relaxing beat. The music is soft beats and it helps a lot of students focus. It helped me in the past, not as much now because I don’t need music to do my school work anymore.

4. For working out Phonk, but for school and getting your work done the Lo-fi

5. I found all my stuff from Tik-Tok to be perfectly honest. - Mattie V

Songs that help me include pop, electronic, indie pop, alternative rock/pop

Artist include Melanie Martinez, Taylor Swift, Casada, and any song that feature Alan Walker.

This music is important to me because it makes me happy, allow me to daydream just about anything, and calm my nerves

It helps me keep my positive feeling due to the upbeat music

3. Lo-fi or soft classical music because research says music without words helps one focus

I would recommend lofi music. Personally music with words distracts the student from doing anything and might daydream the entire time. If someone wants to be inspired in art or needing story ideas will be whatever their music taste relies on. For physical activity: Metal, pop, and/or electronic I find my music on youtube. - Camila

I don’t listen to music while I at school but when I’m working I usually listen to jazz albums, partially because they don’t include any lyrics (which distract me if I’m working). This is usually music from Pat Metheny Group just because my dad got me into their stuff. I listen to other miscellaneous jazzy/instrumental music but I can’t really remember the names of other groups or people. The few times I actually do listen to something while doing school work it’s usually white noise because it helps me focus better.

It’s not for everyone because it’s kinda experimental and boomer-y, so if you don’t like it you should probably just listen to one of those lo-fi streams, or even just white noise.

I download all of my music because I don’t want to pay for Spotify Premium or iTunes :/ - Elijah B.

The songs that help me focus in school are the songs that have a relaxing or happy vibe to them. My favorite song writer is Mac Miler, but I like a lot of lo-fi streams, because they help me focus on doing my work better. I recommend any lo-fi type steams or anything instrumental to people that are struggling. I find my music from enhancing the playlists I already have, or by going to other publicly shared playlists on Spotify. I find that people have their own interest in music, so find what genre of music you like and expand on that. - Josh K.

Music helps me be in my own space. It helps calm me down or get excited! The right music can change my whole day!

I would recommend Ghost and Pals’ instrumentals, they’re nice and quiet or can be great background noise if you just want something playing!

I mostly find my music from random videos I watch, movies, and just browsing around Tiktok or Youtube.

My top 3 artists are Ghost and Pals, Kikuo, and Michael Abels. My top 3 songs right now are Worldend Normopathy, Pokkan Color, and Telecaster B boy. - Ad B.

by Matthew Wolford

TheWeeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, Was born on February 16, 1990, in Toronto, Canada. Before he became this Icon in the music industry he had a dark past, like when he was in 11th grade he dropped out of school so he could party more as well as doing some substances which now he is mostly clean of and says he doesn’t do it as much as he did when he was younger. When he first started back in 2009, he was dropping anonymously on youtube where people thought that The Weeknd was a band instead of just him.

Trilogy

So how this is gonna work is when I do my rating for trilogy it’s just gonna be the average of all

the parts and I’ll put my favorite song from each part. But anyway when listening through Trilogy you don’t only just get updated versions of the songs you also get a brand new song for each part, This overall makes it the best way to listen to these original songs instead of the regular which sounds much older than the new ones. For House of Balloons the new track is titled Twenty Eight, for Thursday it’s titled Valerie, and for Echoes of Silence it’s titled Till Dawn. Overall not a bad start to a career with songs that are extremely good on this piece of discography.

Rating: 6.75

Top 3 tracks: House of Balloons, The Zone, and D.D.

House of Balloons:

To me the first part of Trilogy is what shows the

true potential of The Weeknd when he first started as this was the era where people mistook him as a band. Anyway this piece of Trilogy is overall pretty solid, as It does have some really good songs on it like House of Balloons and The Morning which were two of my favorite songs on this part. Since this is the start of The Weeknd’s discography on spotify it does show its age and it still holds up surprisingly well to now, around 12 years after this part specifically came out, but I’m surprised that I liked this part as much as I did since it is his oldest piece of music I’ve listened to. It’s also surprising how it still sounds relatively similar to his more current music as it has the same feel.. Also It starts some of the themes that come very important later in The Weeknd’s later albums.

Rating: 6/10 Pretty great intro to a now legendary career of The Weeknd as this first part of his discography lets you know the types of songs and the feels he goes for through his sound.

Top 3 track: House of Balloons, The Morning, and Twenty Eight

Thursday

Being the sequel to House of Balloons it has some expectation to be as good as its predecessor or be better than it. Does it live up to that expectation? To me it does because it may start off a bit slower than House of Balloons, but picks up quick! I’d say Thursday is a bit better than it as this has his first ever feature in his discography in Drake, another Canadian superstar. It carries on with some really great tracks and

ends on a nice high note.

Rating: 6.5 All in All it’s a bit better than it’s prequel and to me has some stand-out moments while it does have some lows it has more highs, and some moments outclass its predecessor.

Top 3 tracks: Thursday, The Zone, and The Birds pt. 1

Echoes of Silence

The Final part of The Weeknd’s Trilogy does have to end off this series well, which It surely outclasses the rest in just the first 2 tracks as those two bring so much energy to the tracks as this Trilogy truly shows how much he has evolved throughout such a short time. As his sound evolves and starts to sound like what we’ll be hearing in the future by him.

Rating: 7.5/10 This is easily the best part of Trilogy and ends this series on an extremely high note before his first album.

Top 3 tracks: D.D., Montreal, and Till Dawn

Kiss Land

This was The Weeknd’s first studio album as the Trilogy record is a trio of eps which are shorter than albums but are more than one track, so it’s not just a single. Now this might actually be the most underrated piece of his discography by him in my opinion, because I never see anyone bring this up when talking about how great The Weeknd’s discography

is. However this is still a good and fun listen while it may not be as good as some of his future albums, it is still relatively good. For example the song Live for featuring fellow Canadian music artist Drake is a really fun and enjoyable song, and is probably my favorite from the record as these two work so well together on this song, not to mention this is from the era where drake was at his peak too, but besides that this album is a decent opener to a legendary catalog of albums and is a needed part of his discography even if it’s not his best.

Rating: 6.5 To me While this album is a great opener and has a nice sound and great vocals as always with the Weeknd and even has a fantastic 3 track run from tracks 6, 7, and 8 Live for, Wanderlust, and Kiss Land

Top 3 tracks: Live for, Wanderlust, and Kiss Land

Beauty Behind The Madness

This was the album that blew The Weeknd to superstardom with his first and second #1 hit Can’t feel my face and The Hills. This brings his album with the most hits as this album currently has the most hits as of right now with those two I mentioned earlier, and also Earned It & In The Night, as it is also a classic song on this album. However if i may say these songs may not even be in the top 3 tracks as the best one of these three songs

The Hills is easily the best to me, but they are all still great. But somehow on this album he talks about illegal substances and they still were extremely popular like for example Can’t Feel My Face is about these illegal substances and it’s extremely popular. Also with it being his most popular album it had some expectations, even though I knew it would be fantastic I needed to hear it myself, and it was a really fun listen with all the hits in between some other really solid and fun to listen to tracks as some of these other tracks surprised me with how good they were as I did expect to not like some tracks which there are only a couple but it doesn’t bring it down that much for me unlike some other songs on albums from different artists. Bringing it back to the track In The Night this track highlights some of the inspirations he got from Michael Jackson where he has some of the same mannerisms on some of the words where it sounds like a 80s/90s Michael Jackson.

Rating: 8/10 To me it’s up there for conversation for his best, still not as good as After Hours for me, but this album with the amount of hits and just good songs on here just provides it to be such a good album, as to be the only downsides of this album come from the tracks are Acquainted, and I don’t really like Ed Sheeran on Dark Times. But those don’t it down enough for me to not have fun with this album.

Top 3 tracks: Losers, In The Night, and The Hills

Starboy

Starboy is The Weeknd’s 3rd studio album and considered a masterpiece by many, To me this album shows how he has reacted to the superstardom he received from his previous album and even begins the album with him talking about his stardom in the title track Starboy which also peeked at the top of the billboard charts marking his 3rd time reaching this achievement and would certainly not be his last time hitting number 1 with a song. Another point to this record making it a really fun listen is how the beats are, as the first couple tracks all have this electro type of beat, seeing as Daft Punk does produce a couple of tracks here but then it becomes a more relaxed beat in the middle of the album, which leads to a lot of great beats included in this album. This album has a couple misses on the tracklist mainly Attention and has an interlude that is alright, but all in all this features fantastic beats, great vocals and some fantastic features which makes this a great listen. Rating: 8/10 Very great album with fantastic tracks throughout the album and features some great artists on certain songs such as Kendrick Lamar on Sidewalks or Future on All I Know. Also in this Album it has some more all time favorites from the Weeknd with both Starboy, and I feel it coming

Top 3 songs: Sidewalks, Starboy, and Rockin’

My Dear Melancholy

While this may not be a full entire album it is still an important part of The Weeknd’s discography as an ep (Extended play) in-between two of his most popular albums. As it’s only 6 tracks in total it is a relatively short but good listen. This short ep opens on its most popular song Call out my name. Now while this may not have as many themes as his actual albums this does great representation of a theme of relationships that have ended but you still want it to work out somehow, as in the opening track he says that he says “You just wasted my time” but yet in the chorus of the track he says “I want you to stay”. This ep has a great sound to it as he talks about relationships that don’t work out which fits well with the title and about Melancholy. To me the only downside to this ep is how short it is, as it is only 21 minutes in run time, that is if you include the A Cappella version of Call out my name.

Rating: 6/10 Only because it’s way too short compared to his best albums and pieces of discography which is the main thing holding it back from being a fantastic album, but with the songs that are on here none of them are truly a bad song, they are all at least good to me, I just need more.

Top 3 Tracks: Call Out My Name, I was never there, and Try me

After Hours

After Hours is the Weeknd’s fourth studio album (Trilogy and My Dear Melancholy aren’t included as studio albums). This album features a character played by the weeknd with no name as he journeys through the sin city of Las Vegas. It plays into the themes of heartbreak, loneliness, recklessness, infidelity, and withdrawal, most of these themes are not unusual for The Weeknd to cover, he even did in previous albums of his. In fact, this album produced one of the most popular songs of all time, Blinding Lights which is currently the most streamed song on spotify and was even in the top 10 songs for 88 weeks. Even though this album was supremely popular with a couple extremely popular songs, It didn’t even get one single nomination in the grammys. Even though it didn’t get nominated it is still widely considered to be his greatest album he’s made (Which personally I agree with as it has some of my personal favorite songs in his entire discography and is so deep in lore).

Rating: 9/10 It’s just a fantastic piece of music and art even as all the music videos and everything brings this album together to make his best pieces of music yet. Especially with the visuals and all the parts to the music videos and how every appearance of this character The Weeknd made for this album is all

a part of this just truly brings it all together to make an amazing listen and a fantastic watch as well.

Top 3 songs: Blinding Lights, Save your tears, and Snowchild

Dawn FM

Dawn FM is the sequel to his previous album After Hours and as of right now it is his most recent album, It has a total run time accumulating to fifty-two minutes. It continues some of the themes started by After Hours especially with his music videos giving more lore to the story of the album about him in purgatory after he dies in the lore of After Hours As well as introducing new themes like regret of the past. In several of the songs in Dawn FM it features a DJ host type character for a radio show called Dawn FM who leads us through the purgatory type setting and serves as interludes to songs to progress the album, not to mention this charac-

ter is voiced by Jim Carrey with a chilling but oddly soothing voice. It also includes a track titled A tale by Quincy which sees producer Quincy Jones (Famed for his work with Micheal Jackson) talk about his past and why he’s afraid to have too close of a relationship with a woman, which is a common theme in The Weeknd’s music.

Rating: 8/10 It’s almost at the level of After Hours to me, as while I really enjoy how 80s this entire album feels there are some tracks on this album I feel iffy about which is the only true part holding this album back from being as good as his previous album. Jim Carrey is a huge perk to this album though as he performs fantastically as the Host of the Dawn FM show, as well as some absolutely fantastic tracks.

Top 3 songs: Out of time, Sacrifice, and How do I make you love me?

Mayor Indya Kincannon Visits Fulton

Article by Kensey Zimmerman

On April 27th, Mayor Kincannon came to visit Fulton High School as a part of Cohort 1 of The 865 Academies. As you may know, Knox County Schools launched Cohort 1 of The 865 Academies in July 2022 after a long process of community input. The academy model at Fulton High

School is not new, but the district plans to expand this model through the next several years to all high schools in Knox County. This concept of creating small schools within a school really helps establish community and belonging.

Mayor Kincannon is a member of the CEO Champions supporting The 865 Academies, and

Continued on page 82

Photos by Juan Francisco Pedro

by Tyree West

Fulton has many types of styles that can be represented by our students and teachers. From Alternative to professional, they show their different styles while tackling the dress code simultaneously. Some styles have returned like the pants from the 70s, but they have a more updated design. A lot of Y2K style has really picked up with some of the students, which was very fa-

mous in the 2000s and has different variants like cyberpunk or new ones like Aaliyah core that is becoming more popular with teenagers now.

Professional fashion is a whole lot different because we are able to stylize it a little more with collar shirts that are cropped or sweaters with fancier designs.

Photo left: Alyss by FQ Staff

As you look around at the students and teachers of Fulton, you can tell how much their personalities take form from just the clothes they wear.

Fashion Trends

As you look around at the students and teachers of Fulton, you can tell how much their personalities take form from the clothes they wear. I talked to Melrose who is a student at Fulton high school and I asked the question: how would you explain your style? She states, “I think the way I dress is out of the bubble” and “ I’m just very unique.” Mel is very fashion- forward and her outfits immediately burst with personality as shown by the bright colors she wears from red to purple, Mel screams sociable. I also asked her how she tackles the dress code given her style. She answers, “Oh, I don’t follow it half of the time, I don’t follow the dress code because why should we make the students wear something, let them express themselves.” She puts individu-

ality over rules which is a very bold choice.

I interviewed Mrs.Annette as well and asked her, what would you say your style is like? “She stated, classic “Basic but with a little flare, what do you think?” I replied, “I think it’s professional but with a little flare.” Mrs. Annette loves to dress and it shows her vibrant personality. She wears many muted colors with occasional bright accent colors. A lot of her style looks like it comes from the 50s through 70s shown with the sweaters or jean-like material outfits that she occasionally wears. She absolutely loves to dressand brings 110% percent when putting choosing her everyday looks.

Alyssa Bates is a very fashion-forward Junior. She never misses a beat when putting outfits

photo of Ari right: FQ Staff

Photos from left: Alyssa, Sydney, Ms. Long, Ari All photos: FQ Staff

Fashion Trends

together and comes to school every day on point. When I asked Alyssa how she would describe her style and she stated, “Comfortable, but satisfactory.” She likes to wear a lot of shirts with plaid designs, sweaters, and jeans and it enhances her very mellow and chill personality.

Alyssa also takes some styles from different eras, so I asked her what time period she usually takes her fashion from and she states mostly from the 70s. She told me she has bell-bottom style pants that she likes to wear sometimes. Some outfits she wears remind me of the 80s and 90s with the stone-washed jeans and flannels. Her fashion takes a spin on new trends and old trends which combines into her own original look.

Looking around at others immediately shows that students and adults are now choosing uniqueness, while still being able to follow the dress code most of the time. The students wear colorful accessories, designed tops with the dominating academy

photo of Melrose : Tyree West

colors, or just simple things like stylized shoes. The teachers spice up bland outfits like suits with saturated colors, dresses with simple but striking designs, and adding pops of colors with sweaters or neckties.

Overall, the fashion at Fulton high school is fueled by the personality of the person wearing the clothes. Choosing to wear brighter or darker colors can bring out a lot in a person and even shape their personality. Bringing back styles from the older generations, but giving them a new flair or charm because our teachers and students are able to alter them to fit the style they want just adds to how they want to be seen or viewed by other individuals working at or attending Fulton high school.

2509 for 2509 Spring Giving Campaign

Fulton is located @ 2509 North Broadway, and is often referred to by the Fulton Family/community as simply “2509”! We are seeking your help by requesting donations to the Foundation in increments of “2509”

Madjoel

Douglass is the director of YOKE– a Christian organization that aids middle schoolers on their journey of identity and purpose through the use of mentors. Before YOKE, he was an Emerald Youth director for the high school program. But, more importantly, he was a Fulton student, attending the same program and roaming around the same halls as everyone else.

Madjoel was in the Health Science SLC, and

he enjoyed doing clinicals. His favorite aspect of clinicals were spending time and developing relationships with senior citizens in nursing homes while helping them with tasks. This was important to him because his mother has a disability that has always played a significant role in his life. Therefore, establishing connections with peers and others who looked different from him improved his experience. When questioned about why he didn’t pursue a career in healthcare further, he clarified that it was because he

had a mentor at Emerald who saw more in him than he was able to see in himself. His mentor thought he could lead kids well and they provided him with the chance to interact and form bonds with kids who look like him and came from the same circumstances.

During his time at Fulton High School, he wasn’t invested in the Fulton Family, but one piece of advice he gave to his high school self would be to embrace who he was, and be proud of being black. He also said he would advise himself to take advantage of opportunities and take school seriously;accept help from the people who want to help him. The final piece of advice he had for himself was to be more involved in the school community.

When asked about how different Fulton was during his time, the first thing that came to mind for him was the school spirit. He explained that back then, the bleachers would be filled to the brim with students. However, now they are empty even though Fulton athletics are thriving. However, outside of sports, the community is more connected and proud to be from Fulton; Fulton isn’t looked down upon anymore like how it used to be.

part in not being proud of coming from Fulton academically. But now, with all the opportunities Fulton has to offer, students are proud to have attended. Learning community specific opportunities such as running the radio station and learning about photography truly prepare students for the real world.

Madjoel Douglass may not have been the most involved at Fulton High School, but his turning point happened after high school. He would go on to attend Johnson University, but before that he went to Pellissippi. It took him three years to finish instead of two, and he spent a year off to look for a job and new opportunities. However, he realized it was hard to find a job without some sort of degree. Ultimately, he realized that he needed to get back to school. The moment he started school at Johnson, he took school more seriously; taking a year off and seeing how difficult it was for him to get any opportunity really made him realize he needed to take school seriously.

Madjoel was present when Fulton switched to SLCs (Small Learning Communities) as a result of their academic performance. That played a

After high school, he attended Johnson University to major in sports and fitness leadership, but the transition wasn’t easy for him because Johnson University is a predominantly white institution. The lack of diversity was different from Fulton where there is a diverse student body. It was a culture shock for Madjoel because he was not

Continued on page 88

There are a lot of great things to do and to learn at Fulton High School, one of them is our Visual Arts class!

We asked our VIsual Arts teachers a few questions about what they teach and here is what they said.

Our Visual Arts class is a lot of fun and you can learn quite a few new things when it comes to art, even if you don’t like it at all. With this class you can learn how to bring out your creativity and your imagination too!

Laney Haskell: Visual Art

Why did you want to become a high school art teacher?

by Juanita Ramirez

Art in Title Graphic:

Untitled: Andrew Green

“During my grad school program at the University of Tennessee, the teacher program required that we experience teaching at elementary, middle, and high school”, states Ms Laney Haskell.

Left: Untitled

Of all the schools, I felt like I connected with High School students the best. I really like how high school students can start incorporating their life experiences into their artwork and how I can talk through their ideas and processes in more depth. I also like encouraging them towards art college, if they are interested.

When did you realize you wanted to teach art?

“At first, I wanted to be an artist full time, working as an illustrator or having art shows in a gallery. But as time went by, I realized that my favorite part of the process was doing it for the fun and for the experience. I wasn’t as interested in selling my artwork or having a painting in a gallery. In college, I had a professor that really connected with me and helped me become more confident as an artist. I started thinking that maybe I would like to be that person for someone else; I wanted to teach people how art can be fun, how it can change you, and how it can even help you through difficult emotions.”

Is there a specific art movement or style that you appreciate? Why?

“If I had to choose a specific art movement, I would choose Surrealism. I don’t make surrealist artwork, but I like how creative it is and how

the surrealists artists were making work that rebelled against what had been done in the past. I have really vivid dreams, and surrealist artwork reminds me of how it feels to be in a dream. Then we asked them to talk about a typical day in an art class.”

What is your favorite part of that day?

“A typical day in art class might start with an introduction to a new material, like clay or printmaking. Some days are all about experimenting with a partner and some days are just for planning ideas. I like to give some information at the beginning of class and then let students work on their own to solve different problems and try new things. We will often come back together at the end of the class to do a gallery walk or do partner feedback. My favorite part of a lesson is after students have done the planning portion and have prepared for the new material and it is finally time to give them the material, like clay! It’s usually difficult for them to work with something new, but I always love how energetic the class gets about it.”

How do you engage students in exploring art that they may not feel a connection with?

“At the beginning of the year, I have students fill out a questionnaire to find out what kind of ma-

Untitled (excerpt) by Azlan Gaertner

terials and ideas they are interested in exploring. I then try to choose topics and themes that students can easily relate to, and I try to keep the assignments open enough that students can find a way to find the material relevant, no matter what it is. For example, I might give options on different themes to choose from, like “family and friends” or “the human relationship to nature” or “the future” but require the students to use a certain material and learn the related techniques. If a student isn’t interested in the material, I encourage them to view the experience as an opportunity to learn something new and to experiment. Some students don’t like clay or aren’t good at drawing, but I let the student know that the project is short-term. I ask them to do their best, and then encourage them to look forward to the next project, which might be more their style.”

As you can see, art can be used for many things, well maybe not all the time but hey that’s okay!! Sure art isn’t for everyone and that’s perfectly fine, but everyone is at least good at one thing when it comes to their creativity in visual arts.

Untitled - Seth Moore

Untitled - Azlan Gaertner

Growing Balance - EveAndres Martin

Walk 2023

Fulton’s Chalk Walk Art Team 2023 | continued next page.

Photo: Caitlyn Seidler

Article by Reese Reiley

Everyyear for 10 of years, Fulton High School has been an avid participant in the Knoxville Chalk Walk. Students, teachers, and spectators alike gather in downtown Knoxville to draw on the sidewalk with chalk pastels. Students arrive at 8 am and usually work as a team until 12 pm. They are advised to wear clothes they do not care about, so that the chalk pastels do not ruin student clothing.

Each year, the art club gathers to plan a design before the event. Everyone presents a design, and the club proceeds to vote on which one they like best. The design is then enlarged, and the students trace it onto a large piece of paper. Holes are poked into the paper so that the team can use baby powder to transfer the sketch onto the pavement. This helps the students streamline the process, so they can make the most of their work time.

After the students get the sketch down, work begins immediately! They outline details that were lost, begin to find the base colors, and figure out what colors they do not need. Fulton teachers Caitlin Seidler and Laney Haskell also

provide extra chalk pastels for the students to use. Although they are not allowed to help the team draw, they provide guidance and assist in every way that they can.

Students work dutifully as a team for the full four hours, sometimes stopping to walk around the square and eat snacks.

After the students complete the artwork, they pick a restaurant somewhere in Market Square to have lunch and celebrate their accomplishments.

At this year’s Chalk Walk, Fulton High School took second place in the high school collaborative competition.

Photo Right: The Fulton High School Art Club

Freshmen Focus Tips for Success from Student Experience

What comes to your mind when you think of High School? Do you think of exciting things? Or dull things? Has perhaps your older sibling or friend told you about some horrors that come with High School?

Well, I’m here to tell you that the aspects that make you dread it the most probably aren’t true. It’s no walk in the park, but it can be fun. My best advice would be to live in the moment, don’t focus on what you’re going to be doing next block. Or at the end of the day. Or even every 5 minutes. I promise you’ll focus better. If you’re anything like me, you have a one-track mind.

So, if I got told by a parent that after school we’re going to the mall, all day I would think about what I’m going to buy and would be unable to focus on the task at hand.

Another piece I’d like your to consider is keeping your eyes on the prize. In this instance, the prize is graduation. It’ll be over before you know it. You got this, eya.

High School is like a seesaw. If you don’t bal-

ance it out, it will either go up in the air or down to the ground. Going in, I didn’t have a mentor. I’m the oldest of 7 so I had no guide. I didn’t have anyone to tell me what to do and what not to. In general and Fulton-based. So, allow me to be your guide. I’m currently a Senior, but at the time you read this, I don’t know how old I’ll be or where I’ll be.

I’m going to start off by saying stay strong. There are going to be plenty of times you’re going to want to quit. Don’t do it. Please don’t. I promise in the end, it’ll be worth it. I would say get to school early. In general, we start here at 8:25 but make the transition at 8:15, so come at least 8am. Make plenty of friends. It’ll make the class a lot easier. If you actually know people in the class, then there’s a sense of welcome and if you feel welcome, you’ll come to school as you should.

This brings me to my next point. Attendance. Unless you have an appointment show up. I’m guilty of not coming just because, but if I could do it over, I would. I would also get involved

more. I didn’t really get active within my school until this year. And I’m a senior. Too little too late, huh? I would also go with the flow. It’s less stressful that way.

It still does get pretty stressful, so just take deep breath and tell yourself “I can handle this.” I started doing that mid-fall semester of senior year. Just keep your eyes on the prize, which in this instance is graduation. It does in fact go fast, take it from me.

Go make some people proud, you got this, baby Falcon. - Daniella:

Former Falcon

schedule once you’re off it. - Gavin

To try your best on your freshman year so you can have a high gpa to start off and try to not get distracted easily so you can focus more on school and it comes more easy on you - Anabel

I advise freshmen to focus on their classes and get enough rest.- Juan

My advice is make the right kind of friends, and don’t fall for peer pressure. - Josh

My Advice is always to look for a positive light in everything and make the right type of friends.-

Tyree

No matter what happens, don’t let other people influence you in bad behavior and always stay on top of your school. You don’t always get what you wish for, so keep an open mind and flexible attitude - Kylie

Don’t give up. - Yareli

Every mistake you make is a learning opportunity that helps you grow mentally and academically at school. - Ofeliia

You got to get enough sleep at least 7 hours because it’s hard to get back on a good sleep

My Advice is Don’t wait till the last minute to do your work turn your work in on time. - Tyler

My advice would be to walk on the right side of the hallway and don’t stop, or you’re gonna get trampled.- Elijah

My advice would be putting yourself and you’re work before others as you should care about your education before others, another one would be don’t be a distraction in class as well as don’t clog the hallways making people get in trouble for being late. - Matthew

Advice I would give a Freshman is to take opportunities that’ll benefit you. Whether you are interested in it or related to your career, it wouldn’t hurt to try it out. It may be stressful and overwhelming to think and act on it but once you give it a go it’ll give you a new perspective on high school and learn more about yourself.-

Camila

Freshman Academy

Freshman Academy is designed to prepare 9th-graders for selecting their Academy Pathway, including a Freshman Seminar to identify interests, aptitudes and skills; Career Exploration activities and guest speakers from various industries; exposure to Advanced Academics; and College Visits to learn about postsecondary opportunities.

So a Roth Assistant Principal

Beth Brown, School Counselor

Chad Negendank, Student Support

Chris Ottinger Dean/Lead Teacher

School Rules

by Tionna Weaver

Manyschools have different rules but not many students follow those rules. Just because mainly they can be not understanding or dumb. Like for example the no hood rules some students wouldn’t understand why that rule is needed because some students show up in bonnets, durags, or just something to cover their hair when they don’t feel like doing it or it’s just a bad hair day.

But some school rules can be followed like not smoking in the bathrooms or destroying school property. Almost 90% of school students have vaped or smoked in them. And due to bathrooms being destroyed the principal would have no choice but to lock all the bathrooms except for one which in my opinion is a dumb idea because that will cause everyone to be in one bathroom in between classes.

Another example of school rules would be cell phones. Some students don’t know how to put away their phones even in class, so schools have to make new rules for phones even then students won’t follow them, so what’s the point?

Project GRAD Celebration of Stars

“I have a project for your students” said Christi Kirk, Project GRAD lead for Fulton.

The project brief - to create a logo for the annual Project GRAD Celebration of Stars dinner. Each student in Digital Arts & Design 3 were given the opportunity to design a logo for this event.

Eighteen students worked on their ideas following the project brief completed by Ms. Kirk. Gavin Womble’s design was chosen by the Project Grad committee.

In late April, Vrondelia Chandler(GRAD Executive Director), Christi Kirk (Fulton GRAD Team Leader), Cynthia Manning-Dirl (Pathways Manager), and Michael Taylor (CEO Knox Ed Foundation), visited the class to recognize Gavin.

Congratulations, Gavin!

from left: Cynthia Manning Dirl, Gavin Womble, Michael Taylor, Ms Womble, Vrondelia Chandler, and Christi Kirkcelebrate Gavin’s design. photos: Azlan Gaertner

Gavin accepts check from Michael Taylor, CEO KnoxEd photos: Azlan Gaertner

The Team Gets a Locker Room!

Article

and photos by Sandra Campbell

Baseball is the harbinger of Summer sports. Americans began playing baseball around 1840 according to the Baseball Hall of Fame website, and the game has had a role in the shaping of America. Young players have found empty lots and fields to play in for decades.

Fulton High School has had a baseball team since

1952. There have always been students interested in playing baseball for Fulton. Baseball is one of the more traditional team sports which helps teach the young players sportsmanship and supporting one another through the ups and downs on the field.

For many years, the team dressed for games in less-than-desirable conditions. Students must really want to play when they are dressing in their cars, the back of pick-up trucks, in corners of the dugout, or in the dim and dusty little makeshift locker room. The players, until this year, did not have an official locker room.

Buzz McNish, new to Fulton High School this year as both an 865 Academy Assistant and Fulton’s new head baseball coach, wasn’t keen on this continuing as the norm. Immediately after beginning in August, he assessed the situation and determined the beaten-up and under-utilized facility needed to be upgraded and used by the players.

According to Coach McNish, the building has been on the premises since the 1960s. “A small locker room had been put into the space in 2012. It was small, dirty, and uninviting to the team. Even if they did go there to change for the game, they would knock one another over in an effort to get out first.” McNish states.

Reasons for the lack of improvements in the past

may have been due to instability in the baseball coaching staff according to McNish. Having multiple coaches over the years or those not fully invested enough, these types of projects fall through the cracks. Working on the facility was less important in the overall scheme of daily tasks. Another reason was the amount of work involved in organizing all the parties to gain permission and help in completing necessary tasks is a huge undertaking.

“There was a good size building, not being utilized, that had a very small locker room that was not really being used.” Coach McNish said. He started by meeting with the local youth organizations, the City of Knoxville, and any potential donors and contractors to get an idea of what could be done to the facility. The building is part of the City of Knoxville’s Parks. Known as Christenberry Ballfields, they are managed by the City of Knoxville. Changes to the structure must go through an approval process.

Once the project had been cleared for completion, then the work of raising funds began; there

Coach McNish Observes Warmup Spring 2023

Fulton High Baseball Locker Room | Players Lounge

Fulton High Baseball Locker Room

were several community partners invested in the project, most of whom wish to remain anonymous; a couple, like the Fulton Alumni Association and Worley Contractors, were happy to provide resources and help to complete the dream.

“Prior to having the new facilities, the players did not have a secure and clean place to change.” Coach McNish reflected on how it has impacted the team and game. “Now, players want to hang out in there and spend time with each other. From a coaching perspective, this helps; because it helps with team building and relationships.”

“The City of Knoxville and community supporters have been very helpful, and instrumental in helping to complete the project.” according to McNish. “The biggest gain is players are starting to have some pride in their facilities.”

Assistant Coach, Raymond Skeen

Assistant Coach, Russell Mayes

Assistant Coach, Corbin Carver

@BuzzMcnish

@fultonbaseball

fultonbaseball

Parking Passes

Who Buys Them and Why?

Ever since the beginning of Fulton High School, student drivers have enjoyed free designated parking spaces all across campus. However, a few years back, the school administration decided to implement parking restrictions on students in the form of mandatory paid passes, cemented by the official Fulton High School Student Handbook. This sudden change came as a surprise to the students and teachers used

to the free student parking system, as well as a point of worry for students who simply cannot afford to buy parking passes every year... but many students showed doubt on if the new system would change anything at all. How many people really buy parking passes, and what was the point of implementing them in the first place?

continued on page 82

Elijah Ball

“I finally got my answer from Mr. Smith on how many passes we sold this year, and I could never anticipate the number I was going to receive. ”

How Students & Faculty Commute

1976 Olds Cutlass Supreme https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en _altered w/overlays/adjustments

by Gavin Womble Cars.

We all drive them. But what does a car mean to a teenager? As a teenager, a car to me is something to have fun in and work on. Most adults seem to see their cars as only machinery to get to places as efficiently as possible, but for teens a car can serve as a means to express themselves, hang out with friends, or just a way to have fun. Most of us have walked to and from school before so when we got our cars it was a whole different experience. Cars are a necessity for most teenagers as their parents have to work early or late buses or no bus (due to bus shortage) make getting to

school difficult.

At Fulton High School, there are many interesting rides that students and teachers take to school. Let’s take a glimpse at some of the many vehicles at Fulton High School.

To start with the teachers, I asked them about their first cars. Mr.Shipley’s first car was a 1994 Toyota Corolla that he got in his sophomore year of high school. He’s glad he doesn’t own it anymore as he hated it but, he said the most fun he had in the car was hitting a deer. He now owns a newer model Mustang in a bright orange that he likes a lot more.

I interviewed Mr. Graves, who had actually sold his Jeep, which was having problems (this is why you don’t buy Jeeps.) to buy his Kona e-ute bicycle. His first car was a 1960’s Ford F100 he said it was alright but it didn’t have a lot of room on the inside. He says he liked his Jeep because of the removable roof and doors mad him feel like he was out in the world more, he enjoys his bike a lot because of that. Mr. Childers went to school in a small town where he was too close to ride the bus but too far to walk and get to school on time, so he drove a car to highschool. Originally, he didn’t have his own car and drove either his mom’s station wagon or his dad’s pickup truck, which he wasn’t a big fan of either but preferred the truck. After he graduated however his parents

bought him a 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 2-door. Once he had gotten his car he was expected to pay for his gas and maintenance on it which he wasn’t prepared for as a high schooler. His favorite memory with his Cutlass was after he first got it he took it for a drive in the Arkansas countryside and showed it to his girlfriend. He said that day he had put 200 miles on the car. High School football was very big in his town and almost the whole town would drive there to attend. He says after the games and on week-

Mr. Graves’—Kona e-ute bicycle.

Photos: Gavin Womble

end nights, high-schoolers would drive around and hang out at either Pizza Hut, skating rinks or bowling alleys which is where Mr Childers would go. He worked in a factory working 5 days a week 4-12 after school so when he had time, he made sure to have some fun. Going into college he had been afraid of not making friends and being alone but since he got a brand new car and the very first model year he got a lot of attention. He would often give groups rides because he thought he was apart of that group and thought they were friends but when he asked for money to pay for these rides no one ever helped and he suddenly didn’t have any real friends. So he says to be careful and be yourself.

Ms. Campbell, our design teacher, drove a 1966 Mustang when she attended Fulton. While the Mustang wasn’t her very first car, it was the one that attracted the most attention. Her first car was a 1962 Volkswagen Beetle. She had to buy all her cars with her own money and pay for the insurance, maintenance, and gasoline. Similar to Mr. Childers experience, football games were a big deal and everyone cruised Broadway after the games. Circling McDonalds,

they would then head north past the Putt-Putt course to Shoney’s Drive-In. They would cruise through or stop and get a burger, fries and shake at the drive-in. This is where all the Fulton kids were hanging out. On weekends you could find most of the school at the Family Drive-In movie theatre. It was just north of Shoney’s at that time, where the Office Depot is today.

Today, Ms.

drives an older

Discovery that she bought from her brother. She had always wanted one when she was younger after watching the old television shows where adventurers were driving the Defenders. She wishes she could afford one of those. The students also share some interesting cars. To start off with something less interesting, I have my 2005 Scion Tc with a manual transmission. It is a pretty simple car and is fully stock. I got mine from my uncle who gave it to me when I

Chris—Mustang

Campbell

Land Rover

got my license. I don’t pay for insurance but I pay for the maintenance and gas. My favorite thing about the car is that it is a manual so it is more fun to drive. I do hang out with my friends whether it’s just driving around or going somewhere like the mall. I benefit from driving my car to school because I don’t have to wait for the bus or worry about missing the bus. If I could have any car it would be a 1975 Datsun 280sx or any BMW M3.

Chris has something a little more cool in his 1999 Ford Mustang GT. Like me he got his car sophomore year from his uncle, but his wasn’t running at the time and he was told if he could get it running he could keep it so he put a new 4.6L V8 in it and got it fully running his junior year. He does all the maintenance and pays for everything on it.

His favorite thing about his mustang is driving it as it handles nicely and has a lot of power to have fun with. He says he drives his car just about everywhere given the opportunity. He says it is a necessity for him as he wouldn’t have any other way to get to school. It also allows him to get to work and hang out with his girlfriend. When asked if he could have any car in the world, he would choose a 1994 Corvette ZR1 or a 1993 Nissan Skyline GTR.

In today’s world, cars are a necessity for almost everyone, especially with the bus driver shortage. Today’s world revolves around cars and is

not that walker friendly especially in the United States with bigger and wider highways and roads being.

Cars are also becoming much larger and heavier and sit higher meaning if a pedestrian gets hit by a car today you have a much higher chance of serious injuries compared to 20 years ago. I believe the solution is motorcycles but too many people are afraid of the risk. Whether you’re a student or teacher you most likely do not walk to school. One thing in common with everyone is that as a high schooler, we all benefited from having a car and have had at least one fond memory of their first vehicle.

Agatha - Ms Campbell’s—Ride

Trebuchet Physics

by Tyler McNew

I interviewed Mr Arthur and he seemed Happy to tell me all about his trebuchet Experiences over the years.I asked Mr Arthur What made him want to start doing the trebuchet Project with students and His response was “An opportunity to put physics into action and learn physics Hands on by doing it.” I asked him what as his favorite one over the years and he said probably the first year because they didn’t know what they was doing and did not want to make it too big and the whole class made one together that had a 200 counter weight and when they tried to fire it the whole collapsed and another teacher almost got seriously hurt.Mr Arthur also said that

He’s been doing the trebuchet project for about 10 years and most students do enjoy it and it takes about a week of class time.I did the Trebuchet Project In Mr Arthur’s class and I can say it’s really fun to experience there were two different groups in my class and it took a few days to build them.We launched tennis balls out of them because we built miniature trebuchets and it was a load of fun.

Students build base for trebuchet.

Photo by Mr. Arthur

Students build trebuchet. Photos Mr. Arthur Students launch trebuchet. Photos Mr. Arthur

The Making of a Logo

by Sandra Campbell

In the early days of Spring semester, Nancy Gonzalez emailed me about creating a logo for the Boy’s Soccer team. Two of the players had a specific ‘look’ in mind. They wanted to surprise their coach and see if they could get their ideas out there.

A problem-solving challenge is always welcome and can be a great learning experience for students - both the players and the digital design students.

After meeting with the two players, the class and I set to work researching World Soccer logos. I drew a couple of pages of concepts and did a select few from those in Adobe Illustrator before calling the players back. While they appreciated the concepts shown them, it was a random rough thumbnail sketch that really lit them up. I had been trying to do a forward facing falcon but didn’t think it was working. I was wrong.

They loved it and begged me to make that one. We like it too. Thanks Coach Clow for your support.

Final Design

Soccer Logo designs by S. Campbell

Restrooms, everybody needs them. Using the restroom during school hours is a necessary task for all students.

However, many students have stated that when using the restrooms they face challenges. Whether it is due to the cleanliness, problems with privacy, or the facilities being vandalized. Because of all these issues the restrooms can often be frustrating or uncomfortable. In this article, a closer look will

by Josh Krajnik

School Bathrooms

The Issues and How to Address Them

be taken at the issues with school restrooms and what can be done to address them.

Cleanliness

One of the most common issues with the school restrooms is cleanliness. Students say that the bathrooms are frequently dirty and are not tended to properly during the day. This causes many of the students to feel uncomfortable to use the restrooms. Dirty facilities can lead to health issues, such as the spread of germs and bacteria, which can lead to sickness. Students should also do their part and keep the restrooms cleaner for everyone.

The issue with cleanliness in school restrooms is a concern. However, the problem is that there aren’t enough staff available to check in on the restrooms and the students are trashing them regularly. To fix these issues, the school should encourage students to report any cleanliness issues, such as empty toilet paper and paper towel dispensers as well as anything that is not working properly. This will not only help the custodial staff to find the problems more quickly, but it will also empower the students to take ownership of their school environment and help to maintain cleaner restrooms for

all students. By doing this, the schoolrestrooms can become a more hygienic place.

Privacy

Another big problem with the school’s bathrooms is privacy. Many teens are shy and reluctant when using the restroom with other students and feel uncomfortable. Many times the doors to stalls have damaged locks. Students would rather not use the restroom in this situation. Generally the broken locks, busted ceiling tiles, and sinks arise from student vandalism. Students should be aware that they are encouraged to report any vandalism immediately to an administrator or teacher. This information is kept confidential and the restroom can be locked until maintenance can repair the damaged items. These issues cause the students to avoid using the restrooms altogether. To deal with these problems the school should check all of the bathrooms for issues with the doors, and even the ceilings.

Vandalism

Currently, the major problem is vandalism in the restrooms. Immature students are incited and

inspired by social media posts to destroy public property. This destruction results in costly repairs and the locking of needed facilities. The issue with vandalism is seen with all genders. The school’s restrooms have various issues with graffiti, broken dispensers, and towels on the floor. Additionally, some students may leave trash on the floors, in the toilets, in the sinks, which can make the restrooms unsanitary for everyone who needs to use them. These issues caused disruption in the restrooms causing them to be closed. Students have been expected to use only one restroom which leads to the students being late to class, or students leaving more to use the facilities.

Restrooms are an essential part of the school, but for a lot of students it can be a source of frustration and discomfort. The staff and students should be more attentive to caring for cleanliness, privacy, and vandalizing issues, and by doing so it can create a more comfortable environment for the students. With just a little attention and effort, the bathrooms can be made a safe and welcoming space for all students.

What I’ve Learned In High School

Students Reflect on their life in high school. The ups and downs, the good and the not-so-good.

I’ve learned how to be more responsible and respectful. It has been a time of maturing for me. My transcript shows that growth. Really just maturing. All the friends I have now I wouldn’t have if I didn’t learn how to stand out and be me.-Dalton

Self-discipline is what I have learned from high school. From having the paint the siding and play the game to deciding to just do the work. You have to do the work coming towards you and not putting it off. Take the help offered and not be embarassed. - Aquaries

I’ve learned to be more respectful to others and more responsible. I still struggle with focus. - Yair

Remember, not all of your peers are there to help you. Some may act like it, but always turn for the worse. Keep your nose cleand and stay strong. School is difficult. It’s not easy. But you got this! I believe in you! - Kylie

I learned that you should ask for help whenever you need it. You’ll have a bad schedule, or you won’t know how to do an assignment, or you won’t know your graduation requirements or how to be eligible for certain scholarships, and you need to ask someone or else you’ll only be worse off. - Elijah

I’ve Learned that high school can be fun and its also a work place there are so many chances to go places and learn new things and learn more about the community. - Tyler

I’ve learned a lot in High School and it wasn’t easy, it took me a long time to figure out a couple of things. I had to study almost all night for a lot of things. But I learned how to make designs on photoshop, Why things the way they did in U.S. history, The ideal gas law and how the problems work, The Crucible, and How to make an essay for any topic. - Tionna

Why the Restrictions?

by Camila Miguel Francisco

“My legs hurt walking up these steps. Why can’t we use the elevators?” The constant complaint traveled onto many students as I walked from the second to the third floor. The thought of getting onto elevators was a desire wanted by just about everyone. However, students were restricted from using it.

Elevators have been installed since the early years of Fulton High School, the first elevator is near the cafeteria while the second is near the

gym. Adella, a school janitor, says that those who use the elevators are the handicapped, injured, or disabled. But what about the other students? Are elevators neccessary for them? And why are elevators restricted from them in the first place?

The use of elevators

As mentioned, elevators are available for the use by the handicapped and disabled. Occasionally, students come in injured due to a sports injury from practice or an incident outside of school; the number of students vary around 3 to 4 a month. In order to use the elevators, the students have to go to their SLC administrator or counsler with a medical document. For permanent circumstances, the handicapped student is assured to have a permanent key. Unless a student has a key, the school elevator will remain locked. However, injured students criticize the struggle of the elevator restriction.

“The restriction can be a bit ridiculous. It is troublesome to find who has the key to unlock the elevators and use them.” Madison Walker responded. She considers that finding the key is already a burden, especially for students who aren’t capable of searching the whole building to unlock the doors. Hence, they are already late to class.

Restricting elevators creates hardship for these students and many agree. But why keep restricting elevators?

Misuse and the consequences

When asked, assistant principal Timothy Childers states “We also have students blocking the hallways trying to use the elevators...” and “...students have been in the elevators doing things they shouldn’t do at school.” It is important to consider what made the restriction happen, it isn’t easy to handle these issues.

Safety is a priority when dealing with elevators. “The more elevators are used, the less life they have left over the coming years.” The possibility of consequences occurring is highly possible: getting stuck in the elevator, free falls, defective doors, or electrocution. In addition, replacing damaged elevators can cost up to $1million dollars more or less. Limiting the use is beneficial to a student’s safety and the school financially.

Student views

In response to the restrictions, Jose Lucas says, “I believe the restrictions are over the top. Students feel as if they aren’t as responsible for their age...Yes some students might abuse them but that doesn’t mean everyone should face the consequences.” He tends to disagree with the current policy.

continued on page 80

Beyond the Classroom

Using Comic Books to teach design, writing, and file preparation

Fulton Comic Club A Platform

For Artists And Writers

Posted by JOSH FLORY on 12/4/2019

Iyana Jones, left, creative director of the Fulton Comics and Manga Club, and Aletheia “Allie” Cullimore, the club’s art director, work on illustrations during a club meeting.

Iyana Jones, left, creative director of the Fulton Comic and Manga Club, and Aletheia “Allie” Cullimore, the club’s art director, work on illustrations during a recent club meeting.

It’s not uncommon for Knox County students to walk by Hodges Library if they’re on the University of Tennessee campus for a tour or a football game.

But for a group of students from Fulton High School, some of their best work can also be found inside the library.

The Fulton Comic and Manga Club is marking its 10th Anniversary this year, and taking the opportunity to celebrate some of its notable achievements. During the past decade, the club has produced four issues of its comic book, been featured at multiple comic conventions and hosted 10 “cosplay” days, which give stu-

dents the opportunity to dress up as their favorite characters.

Perhaps its most impressive milestone is a partnership announced this summer with the University of Tennessee Libraries Special Collections, which has entered Fulton’s comics into its collection, with the student creators included in a searchable catalogue.

Keith Leonard, an English Language Arts teacher at Fulton and club co-sponsor, said that when he was a high school student he stopped collecting comics because it was a hobby that other students looked down on.

Leonard said his love of comics was rekindled in his 20s when he discovered a community of fellow enthusiasts. The club at Fulton, he said, is partly aimed at helping students get connected with a group they can enjoy even after high school.“The basic idea is don’t let peer pressure push you out of that community,” he said.

To that end, Fulton students have participated in a variety of events, including this summer’s Fanboy Expo, where they sold copies of their books and collectible trading cards as fundraisers for the club. The school also hosts an annual

after-hours cosplay day, complete with snacks and costumes celebrating favorite characters.

Iyana Jones, an 11th-grader at Fulton who this year was tapped as the club’s creative director, said she’s always been interested in the superhero world, so she was excited to learn about Fulton’s comic club.

Jones said her own style uses elements of traditional comic book art and anime, and that her projects have included a series called “Dragon’s Odyssey”, featuring two families whose dynasties are always intertwined.

Jones added that she enjoys drawing because “it’s mine, and I can do whatever I want with it. It’s my world and I can go whichever way I want it to go.”

While the club isn’t a part of the school’s curriculum, students are learning important lessons. While writing comics, it’s not uncommon for students to get halfway through and then realize they can’t figure out how to wrap up a storyline.

To help them work through writer’s block, Leonard and club co-sponsor Sandra Campbell, a Digital Design teacher at Fulton, have developed a storytelling curriculum.

“I continually tell them, you’re going to have that problem, and you’re going to have to come up with a solution that works,” said Campbell.

Campbell is herself an artist, whose portfolio includes the illustrations for “Jack The Healing Cat”, a children’s book written by Knoxville Poet

She said that even if students don’t pursue art as a career, it will mean a lot to know their work

Continued on page 81

Laureate Marilyn Kallet.

Fulton Comics Club

By Ad Britton

The comic book club here has done a lot for young artists, writers, and simple nerds alike! It provides a space for us to geek out about whatever we are interested in! It also takes its members to local conventions like Fanboy Expo, where they set up a booth in Artist Alley and sell issues of the comic to the public! The comic also makes its authors into real published names! All issues are kept in the University of Tennessee’s permanent collection inside the McClung library.

Some have said it creates a sense of self. In an interview with WATE, Sandra Campbell, one of the co-sponsors of the club, says “It helps them create number one, a sense of self, but it also helps them have something that they can be proud of, that they can show off to others and know that they are now published artists, published writers. That their work is going to be seen...” Both current and past members of the club have had nothing but positive experiences inside the club. Both cosponsors are always there to help and guide the members. Have a

question about setting up? They’re here! Don’t know what to start on? Brainstorm with them and the rest of the club! Even if you just want to talk about everything comics and movies, the comic book club is always here with friendly faces and open ears.

The club is open for all from 3:45 to 4:45 on Fridays in room 201.

Gardens The

A peaceful place of learning on our campus, the gardens offer so much to students, faculty, and community at Fulton High School

Fulton Garden Club |photo: Karen Wilkinson

Fulton Garden Club |

photo: Karen Wilkinson

Fulton Garden Club & Mr. Smith photo: Karen Wilkinson

Fulton Garden Club photo: Karen Wilkinson

Mock Trial

The Academy of Public Service Criminal Justice

Reese Reiley

“I just wanted us not to embarrass ourselves.” Said teacher Caleb Andrist when asked about his expectations for the club in competition.

“After the first trial, I was like, we’re good. Like, I have nothing to worry about. And I feel like the first trial we had, that was our weakest.”

At Fulton High School, COVID-19 hit hard.

The shutdown of the schools, and the world, also led to the shutdown of several programs and clubs. One of the many victims of that decommissioning was the Mock Trial club.

With the Criminal Justice program entering the Public Service SLC, Mr. Andrist saw the opportunity among his students to restart the Mock Trial program. “I was excited that there was finally a club like that back at Fulton.” Student Nesline Garcia said in an interview with the Falcon Quill.

Beginning in the fall of 2022, the first members of the club gathered to begin work for the program. Mock Trial, a national competition, provides a state-wide case that students study, analyze, and create an argument for. Teams must make a case for the defense and prosecution. Each team must have three attorneys for each side of the argument and four actors to represent the witnesses with statements in the case packet. The competitors go through a regional, a state level, and the national level. It is an incredibly competitive event, and students devote hours of their week to the club.

After the club members were finalized, work began as soon as students returned from Thanksgiving break. From reading the case packet in detail, to examining all the evidence, and learning the rules of court, students had their work

“I just wanted us not to embarrass ourselves.”

cut out for them from the beginning. “You have to basically know about every witness.” From electing a president, assigning roles, and picking days of the week to practice, there was a lot to set up in not a lot of time. Mr. Andrist, realizing that the club would need outside help, reached out to the University of Tennessee’s College of Law. “With us being so close to UT, it was one of those things where I just kinda sent an email, requesting any help they may have, or if they would be even interested in pairing up with Fulton.” The request was met with an enthusiastic “yes” from the dean of the law school, and the dean of diversity outreach. Four law students in their second year came down one to two times a week to help prepare the case.

While they were at the club, the college students helped to teach the Mock Trial members about objections, legal jargon, and court procedures. In an interview with one of the law students, Theodora (Tedi) Ocken “You know, you don’t have classes on rules of evidence and stuff in undergrad. I knew that, so I wanted to help.” In her interview, she also mentioned how impressed everyone was with the progress of the students.They also helped to break down the laws used in the case, and how

the club could concisely and clearly explain it to the jury.

The law students being at the school was a big hit. The club got the opportunity to meet the dean

of UTK’s law school, Dean Brown. The presence of the law students in Fulton started a conversation about creating a program to reach out to all the high schools in the Knoxville area.

Through this program, the students could practice in law school classrooms before arguing in city courtrooms. *Insert Nesline quote about it here* The Mock Trial competition took place in February of this year, and students were at the Knoxville City Court from 7:30 am to around 4:30 pm. Although the Mock Trial club did not make it to the regional championships, they did receive an insider piece of information thanks to Mr. Andrist’s digging around. Not only did the students find out that they had managed to score 3rd place in the competition, but they also discovered that they had been three points off 2nd. The students in the club were overjoyed.

When asked, student Nesline Garcia described feeling “on top of the world.” The law students who had been assisting with the club felt similarly, the overall sentiment becoming a sense of pride and validation.

All the juniors who participated in the club committed to returning next year. As a part of the interview process, we asked participants what their advice would be for students who wanted to join the club next year. A common theme was

that everyone has a place in Mock Trial, regardless of what you want to do with your career.

“Don’t be afraid of it,” said Mr. Andrist when asked about his advice for students. “I think that the other thing is too, is that just because you’re in Mock Trial doesn’t mean you have to be an attorney. The roles of the witnesses I feel are just as, if not more important than the roles of the attorneys themselves.” The Mock Trial club is enthusiastic about the competition next year and encourages any Fulton students who want to participate to be on the lookout for informational meetings in the beginning of the fall semester.

Photo right page: Courtesy of UTK College of Law. Article excerpt from UTK College of Law used with permission.

College of Law students become mentors, coaches to high school mock trial team

When a team from Knoxville’s Fulton High School earned high scores last month in a district-level high school mock trial competition, onlookers may not have realized the significance of that feat.

Only a few months earlier, the team of eight students knew nothing about the Tennessee Bar Association’s annual statewide competition that encourages high school students to develop lawyering skills.

They had never visited a courtroom or watched an attorney present a case at trial, and they had

no idea they could learn lawyering skills through an opportunity offered by their school.

“When Mr. (Caleb) Andrist approached me and said we’re going to start this mock trial club, I was blown out of the water,” Fulton High School junior Adalind Reiley said. “This is something I have always wanted to do, but I didn’t think the school would have an interest.”

“I have been proven wrong,” she said.

Four University of Tennessee College of Law students were instrumental in preparing the high schoolers for the competition.

For more of this article please use the QR Code

Credit: UTK School of LawSpring 2023

Project Lit Book Club

by Juan Francisco Pedro

Pet

by Akwaeke Emezi

Review by Estrella Lopez Infante

Pet follows a 15-year old girl named Jam who lives in Lucille, a utopian city where no “evil” people exist. Instead there are good people who are labeled as “angels” that try to keep justice and peace. My favorite character is definitely Redemption, who is Jam’s best friend. I love how easily they are able to confide in each other and how warm their relationship is. Everything is also so beautifully written and you can clearly depict

the scenery and characters. I recommend this book to students who enjoy heartbreaking twists and short reads. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.

FireKeeper’s Daughter

by Angeline Boulley

Review by Kayla Scarbrough

Firekeeper's Daughter is about a Native American woman, Daunis Fontaine, who felt alone on both sides of her family. She witnesses an unexpected tragedy and becomes involved in a confidential FBI investigation of a lethal drug that could be coming from her tribe’s land on Sugar Island.

During the investigation, she finds it hard to choose between protecting her heritage or helping to prevent the drug ring. My favorite character was Granny June since she saved and protected Daunis even in dangerous situations. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

there too! I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5.

White Smoke

by Tiffany D. Jackson

Review by Eden Webster

White Smoke is a great book I would recommend. I recommend this book to people who love a good mystery: Why was Marigold in rehab? What did she do to cause her family to move? Why does this new neighborhood give Marigold the creeps? As the story moves on it is scary too. Why won’t any of the contract workers go into the basement? Why does Piper keep talking about a friend that wants to kill her? There is also a little romance in

Elevators continued from page 65

In support of Jose’s opinion, Lucy Diego responded, “it depends on the use, if a student wants to go from one building to another, it is easier to take the elevator instead of walking multiple stairs and hallways.” But Lucy also contradicts her viewpoint, “However, since the majority of student’s classes take place in one building, a student can use the opportunity to promote physical activity in between their sitting routine.”

Linzy Shults, a student who used the elevators, said, “I think that the restrictions are somewhat understandable if you think about the fact that there are no cameras in the elevators.” Linzy reveals she almost witnessed a horrific occurrence in the elevator. If the elevators were locked, incidents such as harrasment or drugs wouldn’t take place. Although Linzy believes the restrictions are necessary, administrators should consider putting cameras within the elevators in order to keep watch of the elevators.

How to help those who need it

Is it possible to assign a key to students with sports injuries right away? Assigning a key with a lanyard for injured students could move quicker than finding an SLC counsler.

However, Seth Smith claimed, “We are only granted so many elevator keys by KCS and have to track them down.” Smith suggests it’s the best way to keep the elevator key within the SLC office. Students have a higher chance of losing the keys or giving them to someone who doesn’t need the elevator keys. The majority of students believe that it is challenging to consider a different method to prevent the misuse of elevators.. “...either they are locked up and students have to find someone who has the key or keep them open all the time,” Jose comments. It’s not easy to manage both situations without a consequence. However, as Linzy states, cameras can be installed within the elevators to monitor students.

Conclusion

Often many students ignore the fact on why elevators are restricted. However, it is crucial to resolve conflicts that led to the restrictions in order to develop an easier method for the disabled. Talking with an administrator may benefit us in improvising with cameras or teach students why it is important to not misuse the elevators in and out of school.

Soures: Aylor, David. “Elevator Defects Accidents: David Aylor Law OfficesDavi.” David Aylor, 27 Oct. 2022, https://davidaylor.com/elevator-defects-accidents/.

Comic Book Club continued from page 68

is housed at UT. And being featured at comic cons and other events gives them a chance to sit “behind the table”, as artists in their own right. “It gives them confidence in their work,” Campbell said.

And like any extra-curricular activity, the comic club is an important place for students to find like-minded peers.

Aletheia “Allie” Cullimore, an 11th-grader who is the club’s art director, said she met most of her friends through the club: “It’s my favorite place at the school,” she said.

The Fulton High School Comics And Manga Club is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year. The club’s artists and writers have produced four books, pictured above, and have cultivated a thriving community of comics fans.

The Fulton High School Comic And Manga Club is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year. The club’s artists and writers have produced four books, pictured above, and the club has helped cultivate a thriving community of comics fans.

Mayor Visits - continued from 25

each member of that group was challenged to visit a local school to see the work of the academies. During her visit, she got to meet with a group of students to hear about their experience, take a tour of the building, and visit with some staff. Through that, she mentioned her excitement about the City of Knoxville’s Safety Complex going in adjacent to Fulton as well as opportunities for all of our other academies as well. She was very excited about the possibility of FulCom also getting to be a media sponsor for the grand opening of the Safety Complex soon.

As we look toward the future, Fulton will continue to provide great off campus experiences for students, impactful exposure to students based upon their interests, the opportunity to deepdive in an elective area of the student’s choosing. The exciting part about the district launch is that it provides great support for us to provide guaranteed opportunities to every student in the building. For more information, you can visit knoxschools.org/academies.

Parking Passes -continued from page 52

The initial version of this study was simple, I would conduct a count of how many student cars had parking passes and how many that did not, and get the ratio of cars that had passes to ones that were missing them. Unfortunately, this study was blocked by FHS administrators. Instead, I decided to simply ask the main office staff who sell the passes if I could be provided with the sales figures from this year.

Instead of getting the statistics from them, I was pointed in the direction of our executive principal, Seth Smith. This route is even better than my original plan for the study as the sales figures are coming directly from the school principal himself. With this, I finally got my answer from Mr. Smith on how many passes we sold this year, and I could never anticipate the number I was going to receive. Two. Two student parking passes were sold this school year.

To be clear, from the get-go I expected the count to be low, but two parking passes? Across two designated parking lots, across an entire fleet of student drivers, only two of them have the supposedly mandatory parking passes? I wanted to find out why the number was so low by asking student drivers directly. For one anonymous driver, parking passes are simply a school-wide scam.

When asked how they feel about the passes, they told us that “the school is just wanting to profit off of its students” and that all parking passes do is “[keep] a student from getting to school... because they can’t afford a parking pass.”

Luckily for us, this student was also one of the few who bought a pass the year that the policy was implemented. However, when I asked if they bought a pass this year, they said they did not. When asked why they skipped buying another this year, they said that the school “didn’t threaten to tow us like they did last year.” While this is true, the threats that they did make against students were baseless as well, as no students without passes had their cars towed for not paying up.

Clearly, these parking passes are seen simply as a sign of ill will by students (even the ones that buy them), so what is the point in implementing them in the first place? Well, we don’t know. Students were never told why they had to start paying for parking. We are completely in the dark about the motive of charging us $45 a year for these passes, especially when they were free for decades before the change! Even worse, teachers don’t know where the money goes either!

know where the money goes, and another anonymous teacher told me that it is “probably for the athletics department”, and that they didn’t really know where the money goes either.

I wanted to know the real reason behind these parking passes, so I decided to ask Mr. Smith directly. However, I regret to inform you that when I asked him for an interview about this, all I received in return was radio silence, no contact back since.

So, with the absence of reasoning for the policy change along with the lack of enforcement of the rule, students just don’t pay for them because they think they’re being scammed. In reality, the students who DO pay for parking passes really ARE being scammed, even if that isn’t the intention. Since virtually no students buy them, and staff don’t care about enforcing them, the two people who paid their share to park are out a lot of money for zero benefits over pass-skippers.

One teacher that I asked about the subject, who will remain anonymous, said that they do not

If we want to solve this problem, we should just get rid of parking passes altogether and refund the students who bought them. The parking pass system is completely unfair to the people who actually pay, how few and far between they may be. No one benefits from these passes, and the only way to not lose is to just act like they don’t exist, and that’s what the vast majority of

students do. How unintentional it may be, the parking pass system at this school is a blatant scam, and doing nothing to fix this is active participation in it. With a policy so sudden and with no rationale provided to students nor teachers as to why they were implemented in the first place, and with how pointless it has turned out to be, there is only one good way of earning back the trust of students; ditch the passes, pay back the kids who paid for them, and let this all fade away into Fulton history. Otherwise, students’ (and teachers’) faith in the school’s integrity will only get worse.

A Word from Ms CAmpbell

Reviving the Falcon Quill from its ashes has been a joy and a challenge. A work of passion beyond the regular classroom with input and help from many outside sources.

During the years I attended Fulton, the Falcon Quill was a regular student newspaper. We worked hard to ensure that all the events and interesting things were covered. We had fun even though the work was difficult.

When I began teaching graphic design (Digital Art & Design) in 2008, I wanted to revive the Quill. I felt it was important for students to have a voice. It is important to have an archive of what was happening, recorded during by the students.

It has taken me twelve years to get it off the ground again. Our first efforts were for after-school programs. In 2010 myself and an English teacher attempted to get students involved. Times had changed and students, while wanting to be part of something, didn’t have time or the necessary skills to work on a magazine.

Fast forward and after many more false starts, here we are. A Falcon Quill magazine written, art directed, and created by the students in my Digital Art & Design III class. I am so very proud of these students for taking on this huge task. They turned it around in nine weeks!

We hope you enjoy this effort. It’s not perfect...yet, but it is a wonderful revival.

Watch for our issues to be published once a semester. We are working on a quarterly publication schedule for the near future. We hope you are enjoying our newly revived Falcon Quill.

-Sandra Campbell DA&D Instructor & Sponsor for The Quill & Scroll Society.

Falcon Quill Staff

Editor-in-Chief

Meet Casper E. Balch, a senior at Fulton High School (FHS) and a member of the Academy of CommunicationsFulcom. He has a passion for writing about current world issues, scientific innovations, and student involvement in educational environments and the community.

Elijah Ball is an Assistant Editor with The Falcon Quill. He is completing his last semester in graphic design courses and is attending UTK in the Fall. He will continue his education in design and communications. Ball looks forward to using his skills in layout and design for the Falcon Quill.

Alyssa Bates is currently a Junior in the Academy of Public Services with a pathway focus on Criminal Justice. Alyssa was a member of the Mock Trial Club and Key Club, where she was Vice-President of both. Additionally, Alyssa was also a member of Tremont. Alyssa loves Falcon Quill because it allows her to advance her writing skills, but also develops a deeper appreciation for her Fulton High School.

Casper is the President of the National Honors Society and the Team Captain of the FHS Tennis Team. He is also interested in marching percussion, music, radio, science, philosophy, and tennis. Every Wednesday from 3 to 4 PM, you can catch his radio show “The Ghost Hits” on our high school’s radio station - WKCS 91.1 FM. Casper plans to attend the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he will major in Nuclear Engineering and minor in Digital Media.

Camila M. Francisco, is a junior.During her freetime, she reads just about everything and imagines multiple scenarios in the world of fiction. Writing allows her to jot down ideas for silly stories or an essay; thus, she believes it will be beneficial and fun to be a part of the Falcon Quill.

Ad is a talented illustrator and loves to create comics and characters. She has been a member of the Fulton Comic Book Club and enjoys the community of writers and artists.

My name is Anabel, I’m 17 years old and I’m a junior in Fulton High School. I love listening to music and hanging around with my family and friends. I really like working with kids and try to make them have a fun time. Success to me is with hard work and improvements made towards my goals. I hope my senior year there will be new ideas and memorable times with the effort made throughout the journey in my life. I look forward to the process that’s coming and the steps expanding to something new.

I’m Tyree West and one of my favorite things is fashion, I love it. I remember when I found my love for fashion, I was in 5th grade, going on 6th, and it was summer. During the summer program, we are able to participate in clubs I chose the fashion club because I found it interesting, and when Ms. Amanda explained fashion was and its importance, I immediately wanted to learn more about it. When Mrs. Campbell mentioned adding different articles to the magazines, I asked her if I write about fashion and she said yes. I wanted to choose an article that I thought would leave a lasting impression on my senior year and make a creative high school magazine.

Gavin Womble enjoys working on illustration and design. His recent win in logo design has inspired him to do more next year. He plans to continue with the Falcon Quill as both a writer and creative.

My name is Antonia Ntaconayigize, and I am currently a senior. My favorite activities include drawing and embroidery. I am excited for this Magazine to drop, and I hope everyone enjoys our magazine.

Matt Wolford enjoys quirky graphics, creating wallpaper for his room and The Weeknd. He is planning on majoring in graphic design at UTK and will be entering classes in the Fall of 2023. Working on the Falcon Quill was his first adventures in creating a student magazine. It won’t be his last.

Reese Reiley, a junior and aspiring lawyer and devoted artist, has been in many art shows throughout her high school career. The current president of the Mock Trial club, she’s also a part of the school’s art club and the student government association. Reese has been an academic achiever all of her life, and has made the Dean’s list every semester since freshman year.

She loves to write and read, and enjoys writing articles for the Quill. She loves cats, especially her cat Bob, and her family.

Juan, a senior in high school, finds enjoyment in trying new things. He has recently found an interest in photography and has photographed several games at Fulton. Being a part of the Falcon Quill will be a new and memorable experience as he works hard to provide various pictures.

Once a Falcon - continued from page 33

used to interacting with people who didn’t look like him. Many were either homeschooled or in a similar situation where they were not used to interacting with people who looked like him. This caused cultural differences and clashes.

Despite his struggles it was easier to find a job after Johnson because of the connections he had made with different groups. Even though he wasn’t part of the Fulton community, he had the chance to become a part of Johnson’s community. He saw more opportunities present themselves because he put himself out there, and it was a lot easier because people came from all over and brought a bigger network with them. Once he started building that foundation, it was much easier to find people to connect with and job opportunities. His first job outside of college was at Emerald Registration House–a place where he was able to work for an organization that played a huge role in his upbringing.

Throughout all of his formative years, Madjoel’s future was most influenced by his time at Emerald Youth. He started attending Emerald Youth in 8th grade when a leader invited him to be part of the organization. This invitation came when he was transitioning into high school–a time when he was finding out who he was and who he wanted to become. Madjoel was familiar with

Emerald Youth because his brother was part of the organization, but, for Madjoel, joining Emerald Youth meant he could venture outside of his house instead of just staying around helping his mom. Overall, the program did so much more than that; the program helped him develop leadership skills while getting to know other kids his age. Through his mentor constantly being present throughout his life, he got more involved in various ways with Emerald such as Wednesday nights, the high school program, and attending church on Sundays. Later on, he had the opportunity once he graduated high school to be an intern at Emerald. He was able to interact with elementary kids and help them build their developmental skills. He enjoyed working all through college, volunteering, and coaching basketball and volleyball. Madjoel stayed connected, and once he graduated from Johnson, he had the chance to work full time at Emerald. Ultimately, his transition from college into the real world was smooth thanks to his support at Emerald Youth.

When he started his job at Emerald, Madjoel began as an intern working under the director. He was the middle school coordinator. He would facilitate an afterschool program five days a week which included reading, homework help, and Bible study. By doing that, he was building skills that would help him learn how to run a program

and deal with different situations and problems that arise. Once the director left, he had to fill in the role of leading the elementary and middle school program. This was a good opportunity for Madjoel to take ownership of a program and make it his own within the boundaries of Emerald. Those experiences led him to Calling & Career–a program he would come to lead. His advice for upcoming college students is to take school seriously because students can get far behind just in their freshman year. Many people don’t take high school seriously because students will get pushed through no matter what. However, in college, if you do not take your classes seriously, you lose out on not only learning but money as well. So, network with your professors, other students, and staff because that provides opportunities to get to know people who may teach you something new or set you up for success in some way. Also, take advantage of college fairs and job fairs. Ultimately college is what students make of it; if you stay in your room, you may miss out on opportunities that you would have encountered had you become part of the community. The last piece of advice is: Not everyone is your friend in college; protect yourself, and don’t be afraid to be part of the community.

From the Archives

The Fermiparadox and Life Beyond

by Casper Balch

On December 25, 2021, NASA’s new and improved infrared space observatory, named the “James Webb Space Telescope” (JWST), launched at the European Space Agency’s launch site, at Kourou in French Guiana, at 7:20 am (Howell, Dobrijevic, 2022). Webb is NASA’s largest and most powerful space science telescope, equipped with huge space instruments (similar to the Hubble Space Telescope), with Webb’s primary mirror measuring 6.5 meters (or 21 feet, 4 inches) across; the largest mirror to ever be launched into space (according to NASA). The main goal of this massive hunk of metal (more specifically, a massive hunk of gold-plated Beryllium and Kapton) is to probe the cosmos to uncover the history of the universe: from the “Big Bang,” to alien planet formations and beyond (Howell, Dobrijevic, 2022).

Imagine

what we could uncover?

The observable universe is about 90 billion light-years across in diameter (about 5.29076283587e+23 miles), giving us plenty of room to explore.

According to NASA, Webb will be able to see what the universe looked like about 25 million (25,000,000) years after the Big Bang

(when the first stars and galaxies began to form) by sensing infrared light 13.7 billion (13,700,000,000) light-years away; meaning it can look 13.7 billion years back in time. To give some perspective, our galaxy, the “Milky Way,” is about 13 billion (13,000,000,000) years old: Earth is only 4 billion (4,000,000,000) years old, and humanity is a mere 2 million (2,000,000) years old; only 24 hours on the Cosmic Calander (a scale in which the 13.7 billion year lifespan of our universe is mapped into a single year; created by famous astronomer Carl Sagan). In the observable universe, there are at least 100 billion (100,000,000) galaxies each with 100 to 1,000 billion (100,000,000-1,000,000,000,000) stars (Kurzgesagt, 2015). Scientists assume that there are about 20 billion (20,000,000,000) sun-like stars in the Milky Way, with 40 billion (40,000,000,000) Earth-like planets in the habitable zone of those stars (otherwise known as the “Circumstellar Habitable Zone” or the“Goldilocks Zone”) (Kurzgesagt, 2020). If only 0.1% of those planets harbored life, there would be 1 million (1,000,000) planets with life in the Milky Way (Kurzgesagt, 2020). Shouldn’t our galaxy be teeming with life, and if so, why have we not found any yet: this is called the “Fermi Paradox,” and nobody has an answer to it, but we do have some ideas (which will be explained further on) (Kurzgesagt, 2015). Since the Earth came about 4 billion (4,000,000,000) years ago, there have 90

likely been trillions of chances for life to develop on other planets (Kurzgesagt, 2015). If only one of them had developed into a space-traveling, super civilization, we would have noticed by now (Kurzgesagt, 2015).

Based on the “Kardashev Scale,” a method of ranking civilizations by their energy use (developed by Nikolai Kardashev; a Soviet and Russian astrophysicist, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and the deputy director of the Astro Space Center of PN Lebedev Physical

civilizations: a Type 1 civilization

who can use the available energy of their home planet, a Type 2 civilization who can use the available energy of their star and planetary system, a Type 3 civilization who can use the available energy of their galaxy, and a Type 4 civilization who can use the available energy of multiple galaxies. These levels differ by magnitude, like comparing an ant colony to a human metropolitan area (Kurzgesagt, 2020). On the lower end of the spectrum, there are Type 0 to Type 1 civilizations (Type 0-Type 1): from hunt-

Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow), there are four different categories of

er-gatherers to something we could achieve in the next few hundred years (Kurzgesagt 2020). 91

Southern Ring Nebula (NIRCam and MIRI Images Side by Side) Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

Civilizations like those might be abundant in the Milky Way, but if they are not actively trying to communicate, we will/would have no way of realizing they exist since the Milky Way is 100,000 lights years wide and after a few light-years radio signals decay into noise, becoming impossible to identify as the source of an intelligent species.

If you were wondering, today, humanity ranks at about level 0.75, since we have altered our planet (including: creating huge structures, mining and stripping mountains, removing rainforests, and draining swamps), created rivers and lakes, and changed the composition and temperature of the atmosphere (Kurzgesagt, 2020). If progress continues and we don’t destroy our planet, we should become a full Type 1 civilization in the next few hundred years (Kurzgesagt, 2020). Some scientists suggest there might be Type 4 and Type 5 civilizations, whose influence stretches over galaxy clusters (structures comprising thousands of galaxies and trillions of stars). Ultimately, there might be a Type Omega civilization, able to manipulate the entire universe (and others) and might be the actual creator(s) of our universe; for reasons beyond our comprehension (Kurgesagt, 2020). Maybe they were just bored?

of) correct, then we can be (pretty) sure that there are no civilizations of Type 3 and beyond near the Milky Way: their influence would (in all likelihood) be so all-encompassing, and their technology so far above our own, that we could not miss them, since the galaxy would flash with their activity in thousands of star systems (Kurzgesagt, 2020).

As flawed as these classifications may be, if our ideas about the nature of civilizations are (sort

So, they are/were very likely not out there. In a sense, this is very saddening, but also very reassuring since their discovery (even on the lower levels of the Kardashev Scale) could be devastating for humanity. Why would the most exciting discovery of our life be bad? The answer is a filter, not one that keeps your inhome air system clean, keeps your mouth from creating an awkward situation, or the name of an American rock band from the 1990s, but instead a barrier or challenge that is so hard for life to overcome, (in theory) it eliminates species from reaching a certain level of the Kardashev Scale. There are two scenarios for this (hypothetical) filter: Either the filter is behind us; we are the first to pass it (whatever “it” is), or the filter is ahead of us. If the filter is behind us, that means that one of the steps we passed is almost impossible to take (Kurzgesagt, 2018). Some scientists theorize that it might be the emergence of life itself (though there is no consensus for the difficulty of emergence) (Kurzgesagt, 92

2018). The step of complex animal cells (as far as we know) only happened once (through evolutionary terms), so maybe there are billions of bacteria-covered planets in the Milky Way, but not a single one (apart from us) has achieved our level of complexity or intelligence (Kurzgesagt, 2018). If a Great Filter lies before

tating and powerful, that it has destroyed most (if not all) advanced civilizations in our galaxy over billions of years: It needs to be so obvious and dangerous, that its discovery leads almost universally to an existential disaster: a large scale nuclear war, nanotechnology that gets out of control, genetic engineering of the perfect

SMACS 0723main_image_deep_field_smacs0723-5mb.jpg

us, it has to be so dangerous, so purely devas-

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

superbug, or an experiment that lights the whole

atmosphere on fire; it might even be a super-intelligent AI that accidentally (or purposefully) destroys its creators, or things that we cannot even see coming right now (like a black hole or a gamma-ray burst), or it is way simpler: species competitive enough to take over their planet necessarily destroy it while competing with each other for resources, maybe there are runaway chain reactions in every ecosystem that once set in motion, is not fixable, and so once a civilization is powerful enough to change the composition of its atmosphere, they make their planet uninhabitable 100% of the time; let us hope that is not the case (for our sake) (Kurzgesagt, 2018).

There is no way for us to know, but maybe (all in all) we are alone (Kurzgesagt, 2015). We currently have no evidence for any other life besides us. The universe appears empty and dead. Maybe we are completely alone, trapped on a tiny moist mud ball, in an eternal universe (Kurzgesagt, 2015). If we are the only life left in this vast universe and let life on this planet die, perhaps there will be no life left in the universe (or any chance for life to exist). If this thought scares you, you are having the proper emotional reaction (Kurzgesagt, 2015). As Kurzgesagt says (a German animation and design studio founded by Philipp Dettmer), “we have to venture to the stars and keep the delicate flame

of life existing, spreading until the universe breathes its final breath and vanishes into oblivion. The universe is too beautiful not to be experienced by somebody.” Maybe that somebody will be you? This reality is too beautiful and elaborate not to be experienced by somebody. If we are the only possibility of life in the universe, how will you decide to live it? Will you go get your dream job (maybe a medical worker, game programmer, social worker, engineer, entrepreneur, etcetera); discover new physics, explore the far reaches of space, create innovations in new technology (hopefully not humanity ending AI), or create solutions for world problems? What steps will you take now to accomplish this way of life?