November 2013 Volume 64, No. 3
Westminster Partnership Helps Food Pantry Westminster, which hosts an annual weeklong generosity movement called, “In the Spirit of Giving,” heard about the MRH Joe’s Place program and thought they’d look into donating the coats they’d received from one day of their drive. The MRH district politely declined, however, the Food Pantry was in great need of canned and boxed food items. As it turns out, one of Westminster’s scheduled days was a food drive! In one day, Westminster raised 59 boxes of food, roughly the amount MRH yields from their 3 week long Hoops for Hunger program. Bryan was more than grateful, saying that it’s While at Heifer, participants are given a lesson on different ‘good karma’ for the WOW program, which cultures. Photo courtesy Nicole Notorangelo. was running fairly low on food for the 18 families that it services weekly. “We’d like to Story by Noah Snyder microCHIP Reporter be Westminsters charity of choice,” said Bryan. “The good thing about doing good work,” “It’d be awesome.” Cornerstone Director Patrice Bryan said, “Is that Bryan said additionally, MRH freshman Addison Berge’s mother organized a one night it really comes back to you.” Recently, MRH’s Weekend On Wheels program drive at Shop n’ Save which allowed shoppers some good karma with a 59-box donation from to donate purchased food to the WOW program. In one night, they collected around 20 boxes of Westminster Christian Academy.
food from generous shoppers. In a time when the pantry was running low, the MRH and Westminster communities came through to help not just the WOW program, but all those whom it affects. Bryan said that if she could say anything to the Westminster program, “(I’d) just say thank you, thank you, thank you so much.”
Students prepared their own meals with the rationed supplies. Photo courtesy Patrice Bryan.
24 F.I.T. Challenge Drives Students to be Healthy Story by Kiera Bolden
microCHIP Reporter
Matt Green (9) strikes the ball at boys soccer practice
On Halloween, a Zombie Run kicked off a 24-day long event for exercise-enthusiasts at MRH. Students and faculty, with enough motivation, could easily complete the 24 F.I.T. Challenge. Incorporating dance, yoga and games, the 24 F.I.T. Challenge is an inclusive, diverse program: walk/ run a total of 12 miles, participate in 4 workouts, activities, and events. The Zombie Run was the most popular event. Students gathered in the gymnasium to celebrate the spooky Halloween atmosphere and run away from brain-hungry zombies.“The zombie run was a big hit, so we had, about 80 [participants],” said MRH teacher and 24 F.I.T. organizer Amber Godfrey. “That was a lot of fun, because we got to incorporate
not only our department, but also theatre, because they made up the zombies,” Godfrey said. To commemorate Veteran’s Day, students were divided into different teams consisting of the Army, Marines and Air Force to perform individualized “missions.” Other events included “Muscle Beach”, where weight-lifting and building upper-body strength was the focus. Students also had a blast playing “Nitro Ball,” a form of dodgeball.“[Participants] can gain a sense of accomplishment,” said Godfrey. “I think you have to be motivated in life…It’s not just the workout we’re doing, but motivation is something you can carry on with you into all areas of your life.”
Cool Chem Show!
Story by Emma Bright microCHIP Reporter
At MRH, we think beyond mere book-work. Our Chemistry Classes put their knowledge to the test with the Cool Chem Show, allowing high school chemistry students to demonstrate their knowledge in front of not only their peers, but a group of middle school students as well!
From Paws to Claws end opposite him, Markus Golden, managed 6.5 sacks along with 51 total tackles. Defensive tackles Kony Ealy was a stud in the middle. With 6 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, he clogged the middle against numerous praise-worthy stunning statistic; Mizzou had rushing offenses, and had a 49 yard more receiving touchdowns in interception return for touchdown 4 away games (16) than all year against Indiana. The overpowering at home (14). To sum it up, they pass rush Mizzou brings to the were uncontainable. Constantly table is hard for coaches to plan outworking, outrunning, and out- around, and has been vital in their jumping SEC secondaries, the resurgence this year. Mizzou receivers played a key role Cotton Bowl Prediction in their rise to national prominence. Mizzou is tasked with taking Dominant Defensive line down the 13th ranked Oklahoma What Mizzou lacked this year in State Cowboys in the AT&T Cotton had 10 touchdowns, one of them being a 96 yarder in the double playmakers in the secondary, the Bowl classic on January 3rd. overtime loss to South Carolina. compensated for with a dominant Former Big 12 rivals, the Tigers and 6’6” sophomore Dorial Green- defensive line. Senior defensive end the Cowboys are well-acquainted. Beckham had 830 yards receiving Michael Sam anchored a defense Statistics lean slightly towards with 12 touchdowns, including a that led the SEC in sacks with 38. Oklahoma State on defense, and 4 touchdown performance in their Sam was named a first-team All- slightly towards Mizzou on offense. American on all five major All- Statistically it’s a coin flip, but my domination of Kentucky. Senior Marcus Lucas also had America squads (only the second guess is that Mizzou’s big play 55 catches, and junior Bud Sasser Mizzou player to achieve that receivers will come through to showed flashes of greatness with feat) and was the SEC’s Defensive make the difference in the game. 23 catches for 326 yards. Another Player of the Year. The defensive Mizzou 35, Oklahoma State 24. Florida Gators wide receiver Solomon Patton (83) catches a pass in front of Missouri Tigers defensive back Aarion Penton (11) during the first half. The Missouri Tigers defeated the Florida Gators, 36-17, at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday, October 19, 2013. (Shane Keyser/Kansas City Star/MCT)
Story by Noah Snyder
microCHIP Reporter
Star-Studded Receivers If asked to sum up the Missouri receivers, a few things come to mind: consistent, dominant, explosive, and flat out playmakers. If the ball was in the air, the Mizzou receivers almost always came down with it. Senior L’Damien Washington averaged 18.1 yards per catch and
Mariah Russell goes Vine Viral
Story by Isaiah Gray
microCHIP Reporter
Vine, a social networking application designed by twitter, has kept several teenagers and adults laughing at their worldwide six second clips. A popular user on
Vine, named MaxJR, created a Vine video of someone smacking another person, creating a world wide trend. These top trending videos are called Smack Cam. Smack Cam has flood the social networking community
with hilarious clips of entertainment. In October, Senior Mariah Russell’s Vine of her sister getting smacked with gum bubble the size of a bowling ball went viral. Her Vine became so popular that now Mariah are both being paid $100 each to be used in a tv show on TruTV. Most viewers who watch the video have claimed that Mariah’s laugh is the funniest part. Others like the part where her sister gets gum all over her face
and hair. Even Mariah herself was surprised that the video blew up. “I was actually really shocked because I didn’t think that the Vine was going to get popular.” TruTV does not have full rights, but will be using her video along with others to make a compilation of top funniest videos of 2013. With Mariah’s Vine popularity growing, Mariah has plans to do Vine videos a lot more and try to get even more Vine famous.
Hipster Donut Hangout Satisfies Hunger Review by Natalee Clemons microCHIP Reporter
Police officers. Hipsters. Myself. All of these people have but one thing in common: we love donuts! Chocolate, glazed, cake, powdered, old fashioned, cruller, twist, bear claw, long john, braided, jelly-filled, cream-filled, Boston creme, fritter, cinnamon roll, donut hole…even churros fall under the “sweet fried dough” umbrella. There are many places one can go to get a great donut of all varieties. However, there’s only one place to go if one craved an Blueberry Cheesecake, PB&J, Gooey Butter Cake, or “Rainbow Pony” donut –– and that place is Strange Donuts. Located at 2709 Sutton Blvd in Maplewood, Missouri, the quaint little shop catches the eye with attractive window art painted by local artist Phil Jarvis. The entire shop, despite its small size, maintains a blue-and-white sprinkle-like theme, adding to its modern appeal. The store is very clean, and the crew is very friendly. Strange Donuts offers 20 types of donuts as of November 2013: seven “classics”, such as glazed, raspberry jelly-filled, fritters, and twisters; and thirteen “creations”, which are truly the highlight of the shop. Apple Pecan Fritter, the s’mores-like Campfire, Bart’s Revenge, Toucan Party, and something known as the $100,000 Donut are just a few examples of these creations. There’s even a donut on the “Stranger” section of the menu called “Bit of Italy w/ Pastaria”. The “creations” are baked with unusual dough, coated in weird icings, and topped with bizarre
toppings such as Fruit Loops, graham cracker shavings and a marshmallow, crushed Oreo™ cookies, and coconut. All in all, I’d have to say that Strange Donuts is a very interesting store. The flavors are all very unusual, and yet they are tasty! Ordinarily, I never would have guessed that candies and other toppings more commonly found on ice cream would taste so yummy on a donut. Strange Donuts has proved otherwise. My only complaint would be the fact that not all of the flavors are as strange as one would think. Don’t get me wrong, Gooey Butter Cake donuts are a delicious, ingenious invention. However, some of the flavors weren’t too creative. Anyone can coat their iced donut in Fruit Loops™, dub them “Toucan Party”, and sell them for $2 a pop, but no one had thought to do it until Strange Donuts. I give Strange Donuts a 4 ot of 5 because their options are very good, but not all of them are the most creative. Their workers are extremely helpful and seem happy to be working there, but in my experience, some of the customers were very impatient and rude. So, if you plan you enjoy a donut at Maplewood’s new shop Strange Donuts, you can also plan on getting pushed around a little by the people behind you. However, I cannot emphasize how much this is
NOT Strange Donut’s fault. It’s not up to them who they do or don’t appeal to. Strange Donuts is a great place to go if you’re in the mood for some unorthodox donuts. Complete with tasty flavors, affable employees, and modern flair, Strange Donuts is certainly a fun place indeed.
A Mid-Season Finale to die for…and then come back to Review by Katelyn Stevenson
microCHIP Journalism Student
Last Sunday, December first, The Walking Dead aired its mid season finale titled “Too Far Gone” which put viewers on the edge of their seats. The previous two episodes of The Walking Dead’s fourth season focused on the Governor (David Morrissey). As is to be expected of AMC’s The Walking Dead, this mid-season finale is filled with action and drama. However, now they fight people instead of zombies. In the previous two episodes, we’ve watched as the Governor slowly rebuilds his troops making a makeshift Woodbury II with some of his old cronies and plenty of new people, including Lilly Chambler (Audrey Marie Anderson) and daughter Meghan (Meyrick Murphy). With these new troops, the Governor formulates a new plan of attack to take the prison from Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group. With some sneaking around, something the Governor is all too good at, he creates what he sees as a foolproof plan to take the prison with the unwilling help of some of the prison residents. The
plan is the least violent compared to other possibilities, but when has the Governor not liked to get his hands a little bloody? With the element of surprise on his hands, the Governor sneaks up on the prison calling out for Rick to put an end to it all and just leave, surrender the prison and no one gets hurt. Rick stands his ground, even suggesting a compromise of both groups living in the same close quarters. But the Governor wants it all to himself. With no progress being made and Rick refusing to budge from his sanctuary, the Governor makes his first move and all hell breaks loose and the real action begins. With gunfire coming from both sides, things begin to get bloody and bodies begin to fall. Every second is filled with some rollercoaster of emotion and tons of action that leaves the viewers glued to the screen. With a cliffhanger ending, this episode is sure to bring back viewers in February 2014. I give The Walking Dead midseason finale “Too Far Gone” 9 out of 10 stars, compared with 9.6 stars out of 10 on IMDB.com.
Lauren Cohan plays Maggie Greene in the hit AMC series “The Walking Dead.” (Gene Page/AMC/MCT)
Thor: The Dark World Blends Action and Comedy Review by Katelyn Stevenson
microCHIP Reporter
Thor made his third big screen appearance this Friday November 8th. Though the hammer-wielding god (Chris Hemsworth) is meant to be the star of the show, the movie is filled with tons of comedic relief from Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and with his trickster abilities and quick witted responses, the audience turns their focus from Thor to adoptive brother Loki as Hiddleston steals the show. The movie picks up after Marvel’s The Avengers with Loki locked in a cell and Thor using his hammer as a means of regaining peace in the Nine Realms. With the convergences of the Nine Realms approaching fast, everything seems to be right with the universe. That is, until Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), is brought back into the picture. Jane finds the Ether, a dangerous substance that can bring the Nine Realms to their knees and when she makes contact with it, it takes over her body and surges through her veins.When she is transported back
to Earth, she finds Thor. In fear of Jane’s life, he transported her back to Asgard unsure of what runs through her veins for other worldly treatment. Little is it known that this Ether is also a beacon for the Dark Elves, thought to be dead and who wish to take all the light from the world. Even with the change of director from Thor’s Kenneth Branagh to Alan Taylor, the movies still hold elements which allow the plot to flow well between both storylines. Keeping the comedic elements from the first still plentiful in the second, The Dark World still mixes enough drama and action to stay entertaining. With no actor changes, the cast performs just as well as they had in the first. The chemistry between Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth as well as but also Hemsworth and Hiddleston really make this movie entertaining. I give Thor: The Dark World 9 out of 10 stars, compared with 7.7 stars out of 10 on IMDB.com.
Chris Hemsworth in “Thor: The Dark World.” (Courtesy Marvel Studios/MCT)
A Movie You Can’t Katmiss Story by Natalee Clemons
microCHIP Journalism Student
The Hunger Games trilogy is a very popular book series, and it seems you can’t go anywhere without seeing golden Mockingjays clutching arrows in their beaks anymore. Its first book, entitled “The Hunger Games”, won itself many awards and honors such as one of Publisher Weekly’s “Best Books of the Year” in 2008, a The New York Times “Notable Children’s Book of 2008”, winner of the Golden Duck Award in the Young Adult Fiction Category in 2009, and many others. It was one of the top 5 books sold on Kindle in its time. In March of 2012, a movie adapted from the book was released in the United States. Now, in November of 2013, its sequel, Catching Fire, is showing in theatres. The film starts in District 12, right after Katniss and Peeta have arrived victorious from the 74th Hunger Games. They are forced to smile and praise the Capital by Panem’s President Snow, for he fears their actions have been the first domino in a line leading to revolt and revolution. After Katniss and Peeta fail to restore peace to the other districts, Snow tries to have them killed in any way that will not cause an uprising in the Capital. Eventually, the 75th Annual Hunger Games roll around, and the Quarter Quell theme is to bring in Victors
to fight in the Games. Katniss and Peeta are once again thrust into the Capitol to fight for their lives… this time, however, against alreadyglorious adults. Personally, I preferred this movie very much compared to the first one. There’s still some moments where the camera annoyingly shakes like a drunken Haymitch, but it’s not nearly as bad as in the first movie. Also, this film was much easier to follow. Having read the first book but not the second, I can say that I completely understood the storyline by watching the movie alone. The first movie failed to do this –– had I not read the book, I would have no idea why so many teens were stabbing each other’s throats. Catching Fire, much like The Hunger Games, has a spectacular cast and crew. The change in directors (Catching Fire was directed by Francis Lawrence, director of Constantine, I Am Legend, Kings, and Water for Elephants) may have impacted the series’s improvement. Jennifer Lawrence, who recently gained fame for her roles in Winter’s Bone and earning an Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook, stole the show as an extremely convincing Katniss. Every action was fully in-character, and her performance improved dramatically since the already-impressive first movie. The same goes for Josh Hutcherson, who played Peeta Mellark. One actor that really stuck out to me was
Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson, left) and Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” (Courtesy Murray Close/MCT)
Donald Sutherland, who played the role of the ever-intimidating President Snow. Wow, this guy REALLY pulled it off! I felt myself fearing him in the theatre. He has such a murderously calm aura about him. The last actor I’d like to mention was a very minor one –– the eighty-year-old Mags, played by Lynn Cohen. Though the woman never spoke (due to a possible stroke in the character’s past), the role was very convincing. Her sacrifice was so heartfelt, I said “aw” when she stepped into the poisonous fog. (Believe me, it’s hard to get me to react to a death in a movie.) All in all, I have to say that Catching Fire wasn’t a bad movie
at all. My friends, who read the book, told me it could’ve been much better, since they left out a lot of features. However, at two and a half hours as it is, I don’t think I could’ve handled more details in the plot. The special effects were believable, and everything looked very real (including the huge blisters and boils the tributes got when they touched the poisonous fog…gross). So, my final rating for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire would be an 8.2.
“Agents” bring big screen plots to televison audinences Editorial by Katelyn Stevenson
microCHIP Reporter
With each passing week, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, on ABC Tuesdays at 7 PM is becoming a series that develops further with each new episode. Viewers learn more about the S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate) team, a secret government agency that keeps tabs on superheros new and old. More importantly the viewer learns about Skye, a super hacker from a hacker group called Rising Tide. Each new episode has been stronger than those that preceded it, further establishing the storyline of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Little hints within the episodes remind us that the hacker group Rising Tide still exists, that there’s a mysterious group known as Centipede attempting to make
superhumans, and that Coulson isn’t all he seems to be. These all have had hints here and there scattered throughout the episodes but nothing to further these storylines, that is until now. While the October 29 episode, “The Girl In the Flower Dress” did not address the mystery of Coulson and his magical reappearance into the world of S.H.I.E.L.D, it did bring back the Rising Tide and Centipede. The viewer is introduced to a new side of S.H.I.E.L.D and what happens when they are not there to save the day. Filling episodes with drama rather than the normal fighting and action common to see in a S.H.I.E.L.D episode. The episode begins with Tenshu Tseng, a street performer in Hong Kong under the watch of S.H.I.E.L.D. Tseng has superhuman abilities to manipulate fire, abilities believed to be caused from a power plant explosion. Yet after inviting
Chloe Bennet, from left, Clark Gregg and Brett Dalton in an episode of ABC’s sci-fi/spy series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airing Nov. 19 (8:00-9:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (Danny Feld/Courtesy ABC/MCT)
an unknown girl into his apartment, possible storylines for the season. I give Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 8 out he is kidnapped by Raina, a scientist working for Centipede. Soon it is of 10 stars, compared with 7.4 stars found that there were cracks within out of 10 on IMDB.com. S.H.I.E.L.D., leading to more plot twists and setting up several
The Word on the Road is…Drake Review by Devon Williams
microCHIP Reporter
Drake’s number one producer Noah “40” produced his freshman and sophomore albums. Six singles were released from the album, “Started from the Bottom” , “Hold on, We’re Going Home” , “All me” , “The Language and “Too Much” and “Wu-Tang Forever”. Even though Drake released a lot of singles, there was a special one that didn’t make the album: a song called “Trophies.” During one of his Would you Like a Tour? tour dates in Brooklyn, at the Barclay’s Center onstage, Drake played a snippet of the song. He said to the crowd: “New York City! Do I need to play a new song tonight?” Drake ended with “You’re Welcome” and then played “Trophies.” Drake recently interviewed with Vibe Magazine discussing why “Trophies” didn’t make the album, saying it “wasn’t finished yet.” “I wouldn’t even call it a leftover, it was definitely on the album…I’m not just a throw it together type of guy, and I had two different hooks on there,” said Drake. “I didn’t like either of them, I started sending it around, and as great of a job that other people did it didn’t sound
right if I wasn’t on the hook. I always want to do my own hooks for the sake of my performance because it’s like I can’t really give you a moment if someone else is on the hook.” On October 8, Nothing Was the Same album sold 658,179 copies during it’s first week, slightly over his sophomore album Take Care. Nothing Was the Same has sold 1,029,000 copies, topping Billboard charts as the number 1 album since November 8th. Drake arrives for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on February 13, 2011. (Lionel Hahn/Abaca Press/MCT)