The Sentry - Vol. 51, No. 5 - December 2020

J A C K S O N

THE V OL. 51, ISSUE 5

P R E P A R A T O R Y

S C H O O L

S E N T RY

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DE C EMBE R 2 0 2 0

Précis Pageant 2020

by Joseph Watts

News editor

Jeffrey Ince and Abbey Mangum were declared most handsome and most beautiful. Photo courtesy of Hubert Worley

John Henry Andress and Tori Johnston were announced as Mr. and Miss Jackson Prep. Photo courtesy of Hubert Worley

News/Features

News/Features - 3

On Monday, December 7, Précis held their annual pageant to honor students, especially seniors of the class of 2021. The night began with the Beauties and Beaux, who were introduced by the emcees, Précis’ own Owen Lundberg, Abbie Mask, Mallory Reedy, and Bradley Stafford.

Silver Bells, the pageant’s theme, was reflected with the night’s first performance by Tori Johnston and Bradley Stafford who sang the titular song by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney.

The pageant featured performances by several more seniors.

Lilly Noble sang “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt.

Vocalist Luke Runnels and guitarist William McHenry jointly performed “Everybody’s Gotta Live”

by Love. And Alex Roberson played his arrangement of “Only in Sleep” by Eriks Esenvalds on the piano.

Between each performance, a few of the student-selected winners of “Senior Superlatives” and class favorites were announced. Most artistic were Hayden Mathis and Carlie Gleason. Most school spirited were Cass Rutledge and Rosy Ruffin.

Most artistic were Thaxton Berch and Olivia Sasser. Most charming were Jack Baker and Dylan

Freeman. Friendliest were Dax Murphy and Sarah Herring. Wittiest were Ethan Aldridge and Victoria Chough. Most talented were Bradley Stafford and Tatum Henry. Most versatile were Alex Roberson and Lauren Noe. Most likely to succeed were Mason Nichols and Liddy Hurst. Most intellectual were Selby Ireland and Kimberly Blount.

The misters and misses of each grade were announced along with the superlatives. Mister and Miss Sophomore Class were Maddox Noe and Anders Morgan. Mister and Miss Junior Class were Ben Futvoye and Evelyn Thorton. Mister and Miss Senior Class were Mills Murphy and Aubrey Scott Moak.

After all of the performance and awards, Jeffrey Ince and Abbey Mangum were declared the most handsome and most beautiful seniors respectively. To close out the night, John Henry Andress and Tori Johnston were announced as Mr. and Miss Jackson Prep.

The Précis Pageant is a great way for seniors to reminisce on their high school years and be recognized for achievements that may otherwise go unnoticed.

None of this would be possible without the hard work and dedication of the entire Précis staff and its sponsor Ms. Anna Griffin. The Sentry is proud of its sister publication.

Luke Runnels and William McHenry, both beaux in the pageant, performed together. Photo by Lily Flowers

Entertainment

eNtertaiNmeNt - 6

Around Town

arouNd towN - 10

Sports

sports - 11

Opinion

opiNioN - 13

What’s your favorite Christmas Song?

“Elam Robertson’s cover of Santa Tell Me” -Jillian Holman, 10th “A Christmas Song” -Preston Speed, 12th “Baby, it’s Cold Outside” -Victoria Chough, 12th “Wonderful Christmastime” -Madeleine Conerly, 12th “The Grinch Song” -Elise Jones, 12th “All I Want for Christmas is You” -Carlie Gleason, 12th “Little Saint Nick” -Jack Baker, 12th “Rockin’ around The Christmas Tree” -Isabella Bryant, 7th “Run Run Rudolph” -Bradley Stafford, 12th “Here Comes Santa Claus” -Akhila Adari, 10th

V I E W S & V O I C E S

What’s your favorite Book?

“Any book in the Eragon series” -Max Van Pelt, 10th

The Sentry Volume 51 • Issue 5 • December 2020 Editors John Henry Andress Tanner Gough, Senior Editor Lauren Anne Smith

“To Kill a Mockingbird” -Ms. Lou Ann McKibben “Any of the Harry Potter books” -Hawthorne Cleveland, 12th “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” -Elise Jones, 12th “Ready Player One” -Jack Baker, 12th “Dante’s Divine Comedy” -Mr. Nathan Devine “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” -Blair Hurst, 9th

Managing Editor Jane Hurst News Editor Joseph Watts Features Editor Lilly Noble

Graphics Editor Alex Roberson

Sports Editors Charles Stephenson Mason Nichols

Photography Editor Lily Flowers

Assistant Sports Editors Gavin Mullins Will Gibbs

Social Media Editors Walker Poole Eliza Maxwell Video Editor Aubrey Scott Moak Records Managers Anna Cate Hays Olivia Smith

sentry@jacksonprep.net

Fun and Games Editors Mayrant Gonwa Sarah Cory

Assistant Opinion Editor

Anna Blaire Bryant

Assistant Photography Editor

“Thrasher Magazine subscription”- Camp Carter “Bring your pet to school day” - Anna Blaire Bryant “Shrek action figure” - Walker Poole “My own mountain” - Maggie Boswell “Red Jeep” - Olivia Smith “School choice for every kid in America” - Cass Rutledge “An empire” - Mary Kathryn Mason “An ‘A’ on my English exam”- Megan Tomlinson “The will to live”- Riley Spivey “Mary Kathryn’s empire” - Anna Cate Hays “A Baby Yoda made of high-grade chicken nuggets.” - Mr. Hughes “A car”- Margaret Dye “Unlimited money” - Sarah Headley “Cold, hard cash” - Selby Ireland “A full-size mannequin of Tanner ”- Charles Stephenson “A baby cow” - Lilly Noble “An unlimited supply of running shoes” - Lauren Anne Smith “American Express Black Card”- Hunter Yelverton “A trip to Colorado” - Tanner Gough “Anna Cate’s empire that she got from Mary Kathryn” - Hannah Polk “Aubrey Scott” - Jane Gray Barbour “Peace on Earth” - Eli Venarske

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Opinion Editors Cass Rutledge Selby Ireland

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Around Town Editors Julia Stradinger Lilly Grace Sites

Copy Editor Maggie Boswell

Sentry PICKS:

The Sentry is a student publication updated throughout the year. As student writers, we try to reflect the thoughts of our most important readers-- the students of Jackson Prep. Because of this, we attempt to approach many issues, some more controversial than others. Nevertheless, the Sentry staff serves the school--her students, her faculty, her family, and her community. The staff hopes to inform, to educate, to entertain, and to question for the betterment of Prep and the lives of people in the Jackson community.

The newspaper is produced by the Sentry staff, consisting of students both in and out of the senior high journalism classes.

Entertainment Editors Dax Murphy Camp Carter

Margaret Dye

Assistant Entertainment Editor

Riley Spivey

In-Class Staff Margaret Dye • Anna Cate Hays • Sarah Headley Hart Maley • Mary Kathryn Mason • Jake Mathews Percy Oliver • Hannah Polk • Colby Ray Livvy Robertson • Riley Spivey Megan Tomlinson • Ryleigh Wells Contributing Staff Trinity Scalia • Eli Venarske • Hunter Yelverton Advisor: Mr. Lain Hughes

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EDITORIAL POLICY All opinion pieces are the views of the author(s), and the author(s) only, with the exception of staff editorials, which are unsigned and reflect the consensus view of the students in each individual Sentry class. Staff editorials are the only columns in the paper that express the majority view of either the Sentry I class or the Sentry II class. The staff editorial process is comprised of two main steps. First, each class talks about a topic and organizes a position on which all or most class members can agree. The editorial is then written, and run past the staff members for majority approval and editing.

The Sentry accepts outside editorial pieces for publication.

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your piece. Specific proposals and solutions are preferable to generalities. You may request anonymity, but we do not accept unsigned editorials.

The Sentry allows and encourages humorous opinion pieces.

Publication will be at the discretion of the editors.

To submit to The Sentry, simply type your opinion, doublespaced with a minimum of 250 words, and send, share, or submit it to sentry@jacksonprep.net.

Letters to the editor may be emailed to sentry@jacksonprep. net, You may request anonymity for the print edition, but we do not accept unsigned letters.

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News & Features

The Sentry

Précis Pageant 2020

3 PRÉCIS PAGEANT WINNERS

Mr. Jackson Prep John Henry Andress

Miss Jackson Prep Tori Johnston

Mr. Senior Class Mills Murphy

Miss Senior Class Aubrey Scott Moak

Mr. Junior Class Ben Futvoye

Miss Junior Class Evelyn Thorton

Mr. Sophomore Class Miss Sophomore Class Maddox Noe Anders Morgan Most Artistic Hayden Mathis Carlie Gleason Most School Spirited Cass Rutledge Rosy Ruffin Mister and Miss Senior Class: Mills Murphy and Aubrey Scott Moak. Photo courtesy of Hubert Worley

Most intellectual winners Selby Ireland and Kimberly Blount pose for their photos the day after the pageant.

Photo by Anna Blaire Bryant

Most Athletic Thaxton Berch Olivia Sasser

Show choir performs fall fanfare

Most Charming Jack Baker Dylan Freeman

by LiLLy NobLe Features editor

On the nights of December 8 and 9, Jackson Prep’s Reveillon and Fusion showed a sneak peek into their competition show and welcomed the Christmas spirit through their Fall Fanfare showcase.

Fusion, the junior high show choir, opened the show with “Once Upon A December” with soloist Holly Miles. This was followed by Rachel Regan’s performance of “Where Are You Christmas”.

Individual acts were interwoven throughout the night. William Meck sang “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne, Victoria Chough and Jay Fountain performed a duet of “Suddenly Seymour’’ from the movie Little Shop of Horrors, Rachel Rutledge sang “These Are a Few of My Favorite Things” from the movie The Sound of Music, and Ava Mullens sang “When She Loved Me” by Sarah McLachlan.

Reveillon, the high school show choir performed 3 numbers from their show: “Roundabout”, “This is Your Dream”, and “When I Go”. In the second number, Jay Fountain and Rachel Regan performed their solos. In the third number, Foster O’Quinn was the main soloist with backup vocals from Rachel Regan, Charlie Faulk, Ava Mullens, Kalyn

Dax Murphy

Friendliest Sarah Herring Wittiest

Ethan Aldridge

Victoria Chough

Most Talented Bradley Stafford Tatum Henry Most Versatile Alex Roberson Lauren Noe Fusion performs “Once Upon A December.” Photo by Lilly Noble

Most Likely to Succeed Mason Nichols Liddy Hurst Most Intellectual Selby Ireland Kimberly Blount Most Handsome Most Beautiful Jeffrey Ince Abbey Mangum

Reveillon performs “When I Go.” Photo by Lilly Noble

Giesecke, and Victoria Chough.

Senior Victoria Chough shared that, “The fall show is so exciting because it gets the choir ready for competition season and gives us a glimpse of how performing in front of an audience will be.”

The group ended the night with their iconic acapella performance of “Carol of the Bells”. As of now, Jackson Prep’s Reveillon and Fusion will be competing in the spring and are sure to blow the audience away with their overwhelming talent.

Reveillon performs “Roundabout”. Photo by Lilly Noble

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Class Favorites Graham Speed Lilly Noble John Garraway Kayleigh Canoy Ben Atkinson Rebecca Burrow Luke Ferguson Jane Gray Barbour Tanner Gough Ruth Emmerich Hunter Yelverton Lily Flowers Dylan Harrigill Bella Brumfield Drew Laird Madeleine Conerly Andrew Banks Eliza Mazzaferro Camp Carter Hawthorne Cleveland ___ Beaux Beauties Preston Speed Emma Liddell Clark Kellum Sayley Crawford Michael Causey Anna Leigh Allen William McHenry Mara Liston Matt Jones Ann Parker Baldwin Seth Cook Victoria Nowell Luke Runnels Abbey Mangum Aubrey Taylor Jeffrey Ince

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News & Features

December 2020

Baker Jenni Sivils sells pastries, cakes, and cacti

Graphic by Alex Roberson by lauren anne sMith

Editor The warm inviting smell of freshly baked cake wafts in the air, dazzling display of sweets behind the glass, and the pops of color from the bouquets of flowers makes the Prickly Hippie such a welcoming place. The employees behind the register greet you with a smile and as you order you spot business owner Jenni Sivils baking away in the kitchen.

Jenni grew up watching baking shows and taught cake classes in college, so she had always dreamt of owning a bakery. “It was something I always wanted, but definitely wasn’t sure would ever happen. I credit every bit of my success to my faith.”

“It was something I always wanted, but definitely wasn’t sure would ever happen. I credit every bit of my success to my faith.”

The Prickly Hippie got its namesake from Jenni planting succulents in fun pots and selling them at farmers markets and Fondren’s First Thursday. The pastime of planting cacti soon became more than just a parttime gig and it encouraged Jenni to open up a shop. The original plan was to focus on flowers and

coffee, but she decided to include baking as well since she always had a passion for it, thus coming up with the slogan, “Cacti, Coffee, and Cakes.” “I’m super grateful that I decided to add baked goods, as they’ve grown to be 90% of our daily sales.”

She starts her day bright and early at 6:00 am by making donuts, and PeaceTarts (a pastry that is a creative take on Pop Tarts). Her favorite part of the job is finding the peaceful moments when she is quietly baking in the kitchen and getting ready for the day ahead. Not missing a beat, Jenni begins to check on cake orders and ensure they are ready in time. By 8:00 am, the bakery is open and ready for business.

She makes sure the baristas are prepped for coffee making and restocks sweets in the display cases.

From lunchtime to late afternoon, Jenni responds to emails, orders supplies, manages customer service, and fills out paperwork.

Towards closing time, she makes sure everything is prepped and ready for the next day, and washes the dishes. The bakery business is hectic, and Jenni sometimes finds herself working till midnight.

There are tons of yummy treats on the Prickly Hippie menu but Jenni recommends the Kristen Sprinkled Donut with a cup of coffee. The bestseller on the menu is the PeaceTart. The pastry has tons of different seasonal flavors, but Jenni’s favorite is the

The famous “peacetarts” that the Prickly Hippie is best known for. Photo courtesy of Jenni Sivils

“Try out your ideas in some free time, local markets, friends, and family first. Honing your craft and really understanding the ins and outs of what your business is really going to offer and require is key.”

King Cake one.

Jenni has loads of advice for anyone who wants to start their own business or become a baker. “First, don’t be afraid to start small. Try out your ideas in some free time, local markets, friends, and family first. Honing your craft and really understanding the ins and outs of what your business is really going to offer and require is key.” She also emphasizes the importance of planning and managing money. “It is super important to think and plan out all expenses to prepare yourself for what kind of small business loan to ask for and personal money to save and prepare with.”

Jenni Sivils, the owner of the Prickly Hippie. Photo courtesy of Jenni Sivils

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Walker looks up to NBA player Steven Adams

Graphic by Alex Roberson

by Maggie boswell

Managing Editor Heroes don’t always wear capes or have superhuman powers.

A hero is a person admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Everyone has a role model that could be compared to a hero. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from lifesaving physicians to political leaders to parents.

Steven Adams is a professional basketball player from New Zealand who plays for the

New Orleans Pelicans. Junior Walker Craddock, a member of the Jackson Prep boy’s varsity basketball team, says that Adams is his hero because he “plays the game with respect”.

Adams began his basketball career with the Wellington Saints of New Zealand in 2011.

After one season, Adams moved to the United States where he enrolled at Notre Dame Preparatory School in Massachusetts to play basketball. Afterward, he attended the University of Pittsburgh for college to continue playing where he was named the Big East Preseason Rookie of the Year.

Adams’ professional career began with becoming the first New Zealander player to be selected in the first round of the National Basketball League (NBA) draft. He played with Oklahoma City Thunder from 2013-2020. After his first season of playing, Adams was awarded NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors. Adams

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continued with Oklahoma City Thunder until November 24, 2020, when he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Walker has liked Steven Adams his whole life and wishes to see him play in real life someday. Not only does Walker admire Adam’s impressive basketball skills, he appreciates the attitude of Adams “on and off the court”. In New Zealand, Adams runs free basketball camps for the children of his community. He also promotes charities and fundraisers for various events. In 2018, Adams embodied the Christmas spirit along with his, at the time, teammates to shop with children in need and to pay for their presents.

Steven Adams not only is an extraordinary player, but he uses his national position as an NBA superstar to give to those in need and provide for his community.

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Junior Walker Craddock holds up a picture of his hero, NBA star Steven Adams. Photo by Maggie Boswell

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News & Features

The Sentry

5

Junior varsity cheer squad wins MAIS competition because we didn’t want to lose against Jackson Academy...”, 8th grader Lilla Watson commented.

The cheerleaders made their way to awards a couple hours after their performance.

They waited in anticipation as different divisions were being announced. “We were all sitting there, huddled together, and we all expected to get second until we heard the announcer say Jackson Academy for second place. It was

by Margaret Dye

staff writEr On October 19, the Junior Varsity Cheerleading team was named the 2020 5A Game Day State Champions. The team has been working since summer for the competition with the help of the team coach, Mr. Jordan Hall, and sponsor, Dr. Katherine Horlock.

“This summer the girls worked almost every week to prepare for the season ahead. I am so proud of them for all of their hard work, especially it being the first year Prep has ever competed in cheerleading.”, according to Dr. Horlock. Throughout the season, the cheerleaders worked multiple times every week in order to prepare for the competition, get ready for pep rallies, and cheer on the football team every Thursday.

On the Thursday previous to the competition, the cheerleaders showcased their performance at the pep rally. “I think

amazing to see all my teammates’ faces light up with excitement, and I couldn’t have been more excited and proud of my team, ” 9th grader Livi Mathews declared.

Because this was the first year that Prep has competed in cheerleading, it made the win even more special to the team and coaches. The cheerleaders are looking forward to competing next season and to hopefully keep their title as champions.

Junior varsity cheerleading team performing at the MAIS Cheerleading competition.

the pep rally was a very good way to prepare ourselves for the competition because it was the first time we performed in front of people.”, according to 8th grader Meredith Hawkins. This was a very important step leading up to the win because it gave the team a chance to get rid of their nerves of performing in front of their peers.

On the day of the com-

petition, all the team members arrived downtown ready to beat their biggest competitor, Jackson Academy. After a long warmup surrounded by many teams, the cheerleaders took the mat at 8:50.

“After we performed, the whole team was really upset because we had a major stunt fall in the final seconds of the routine. We were not looking forward to awards

Junior varsity cheerleading team performing at the MAIS Cheerleading competition.

Prep performing arts program sets spring musical

by LiLy FLowers

PhotograPhy Editor This year Prep will be hosting its musical, High School Musical on Stage, in the spring, rather than in the fall.

High School Musical is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet set in a modern-day high school where the two main characters are part of rival social cliques. The two meet at a New Year’s party and develop a romantic connection through an impromptu karaoke performance, which ultimately leads to them wanting to audition for their school’s spring musical.

Troy is on the basketball team, but his father, the basketball coach, doesn’t want him to participate in the show. Similarly, Gabriella’s scholastic decathlon team wants Gabriella for themselves. Eventually, with the help

of their friends, Troy learns that even basketball players can sing and dance, and Gabriella learns

that it’s okay to be a “brainiac” and an actress. Mr. Sweatt also said, “Ultimately, the idea that

‘We’re All in This Together’ is the main lesson that the characters in the show learn, and I think it’s an extremely fitting lesson for the current state to affairs in our country, around the world, and even in our own school community.”

The two directors for High School Musical will be Mr. Sweatt and Ms. Wilkinson. Mr. Sweatt will be the music director, meaning that he will play the piano, coach singers, and lead the band during performances. When asked about his thoughts of the musical he said, “It takes a lot of people to make a show like this come together, and we’re all excited to get started despite whatever health-related restrictions we might encounter along the way.”

Ms. Wilkinson will serve as the stage director which means being responsible for costumes, acting, blocking, and the overall dramatic vision for the show. There

is also a team of parents that are helping with building the design of the set.

Auditions for the musical took place on December 8th and 9th. Students were instructed by Lexie Griffin, a Prep alumni and Texas-based professional choreographer, to prepare a dance routine to “We’re All in this Together” which features some of the iconic original choreography from the movie. They also had to sing an audition song of their choice and read lines from the show in order to be considered for a lead or supporting role. Callbacks for lead and supporting roles occurred on the next day.

The musical is scheduled for the second weekend of April, and information about tickets will be available closer to the time of the show. Mr. Sweatt and Ms. Wilkinson hope to see lots of people come out to support the cast.

A vaccine for COVID-19 is just around the corner

by Joseph watts

NEws Editor A vaccine for COVID-19 might be ready by the end of the year. In the last few weeks, two vaccines, one by a collaboration between Pfizer and BioNTech and the other by Moderna, have been submitted for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization.

On March 17, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that they would collaborate on producing a coronavirus vaccine and on November 20, only 248 days later, they submitted their coronavirus vaccine candidate. Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company, and BioNTech, a biotechnology company, began their collaborative work in order to produce a vaccine as soon as possible. The result is a

vaccine named BNT162b2 that is 95% effective in preventing infections of the virus. For comparison, the flu vaccine ranges from 40% to 60% effective and vaccines for eradicated viruses, like smallpox and measles are 95% and 97% effective, respectively.

On November 30, biotechnology company Moderna submitted their vaccination. Moderna’s vaccine, mRNA-1273, is 94.1% effective at preventing infections and 100% effective at preventing severe cases of COVID-19.

Both vaccines are similar.

Both vaccines use messenger RNA to draw out the body’s immune response. They also both require two shots, a few weeks apart. Similar to the flu vaccine, both vaccines could cause side effects such as a short fever or body aches, but should prevent the actual COVID-19. Finally, both vac-

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cines require that they be stored in cold temperatures, Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine at -94 degrees Fahrenheit and Moderna’s at -4 degrees Fahrenheit. For comparison, a freezer is usually at or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

The FDA’s advisory committee is expected to meet on December 10 for Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine and on December 17 for Moderna’s to decide whether the vaccines will be approved for use. If approved, the vaccines will be distributed to the 50 states, awaiting the CDC’s word on who will be vaccinated. It is predicted that healthcare workers and nursing home residents will be vaccinated first.

If all goes well, vaccinating people will begin before the end of the year, a promising start to 2021.

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The infamous virus that Pfizer, BioNTech, and Moderna are attempting to destroy. Graphic by Alex Roberson

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Entertainment

6

December 2020

What’s the Hype with Riley Green?

by Charles stephenson

SportS Editor Though he is not as widely known as Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs, rising star Riley Green is one of the hottest artists out of the south. Born in Jacksonville, Alabama, Green grew up close to his friends and family.

He played baseball, basketball, and football for his high school team, and even went on to be the star quarterback of his hometown Jacksonville State Gamecocks.

Green enjoyed music with his grandads throughout his childhood, but slowly began to make a career out of it while in college.

He grew up very close with his family, they have all managed to stay close together throughout the years. Green still has a house in his hometown, just 10 minutes away from his family. Both of his grandfathers, Buford Green and Lendon Bonds have heavily influenced his music career. His hit “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” was written about them, and Riley even listed both of them as co-writers on the track for their heavy role in his life. When he is not on the stage, Riley can often be found in the woods across the

country with his friends. As an avid outdoorsman, he has managed to get some of the best looking buck racks in the nation along with his numerous big catches off the coast of Alabama.

He began playing his music at various bars in his hometown and soon put out several songs. While performing at Flora-Bama bar, Green was approached by a CMT (Country Music Television) employee who picked him up for the tv show Redneck Island. Green accepted the invitation with hopes that this small stage might get his name out there to the country music scene of Nashville. Following his time on the show, Green later put out his first EP to the public, Bury Me in Dixie, in 2018. Though he had written and performed numerous songs for his bar performances, this new release did not take long to become a success.

Within 2018, Green alone released three EP’s (Bury Me In Dixie, Riley Green EP, and Outlaws Like Us) and two singles (“Runnin’ With An Angel” and “Georgia Time”). What launched Riley into the spotlight was his hit “I Wish Grandpas Never Died”.

After reaching the spotlight, he continued to play at various bars

around the south. He recently tagged along as the opening act for Jason Aldean on his “We Back Tour”. He can often be heard singing covers of many country music classics such as “In Color”

by Jamey Johnson and “Dixieland Delight” by Alabama.

Green released his first studio album in September of 2019 with many of his hits. Different ‘Round Here showcased “There Was This Girl”, “Get That Man A Beer” and “Same Old Song” along with many other of his hits.

He was named as The Academy of Country Music’s New Male Artist of the Year for 2020. Following his most recent release of If It Wasn’t For Trucks in September of 2020, Green keeps growing and catching many more fans with every release. As with nearly every other country artist during quarantine, he has played numerous unreleased songs for his Instagram audience including his unreleased hits “They Don’t Make Them Like That No More”, “Ain’t Like I Can Hide It”, and “Mississippi Or Me”.

With his one of a kind voice and great personality, Green will continue to grow as a country star as he keeps pumping out new music for his loyal fans.

Green performing “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” on the TODAY Show. Photo Courtesy of Nathan Congleton

The boy band ensamble sports jeans and jackets for a color coordinate shoot.

BTS’s journey to the top by riley spivey

Staff WritEr BTS debuted on June 13, 2013; prior to their debut they were trainees at BigHit Entertainment in Seoul, South Korea.

Their name translates to ‘Bulletproof Boy Scouts,’ in Korean. The name was chosen to represent the group’s goal: to protect and talk about problems and worries of people in their teens and twenties. The group is composed of seven members, whose stage names are Jin, J-Hope, Suga, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. The seven members are broken up into two subgroups known as the “rap line,” composed of RM, Suga, and J-Hope; the “singing line” composed of Jin, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. Their debut song was No More Dream. The song got hate and critics said the song was washed out American style. The band was sent to Los Angeles to train with hip-hop stars Coolio, Tony Jones, and Warren G. Their adventures were all caught on film and called “American Hustle Life,” which is available on YouTube for free.

After returning to Korea from America, their second major album Wings was released. Their hit song “Blood, Sweat and Tears” got almost over seven million views overnight and broke the

record for the fastest K-pop music video to reach ten million views.

The album Wings spent around two weeks on the Billboard 200, making it the first K-pop entry on the chart for more than one week.

This was their first big hit,and it got them recognized on an international scale. This recognition gave them the opportunity to travel to Asia, America, and Europe to begin the Wings World Tour.

After the Wings album was released, they began working on the Love Yourself Trilogy.

This trilogy included Love Yourself: Her, Love Yourself: Tear, and Love Yourself: Answer. Each of the albums explored a different aspect of loving yourself, hence the titles of the albums. BTS also released some of their most popular songs including ‘DNA’, ‘Fake Love’ and ‘Idol.’ This era is what could be considered BTS’s peak.

Their most recent song ‘Dynamite’ gained over twenty million views in one hour and over one hundred million views overnight.

The song was very popular in America, as it was completely english and is known as their ‘english debut.’ It remained in the top 3 on the billboard charts for a total of seven weeks and debuted on Spotify with over 7.778 million streams. This marked the biggest opening-day for a song in 2020.

The Mugshots Challenge: an experience of culinary debauchery

by Camp Carter EntErtainmEnt Editor

It started on a Wednesday. I was eating oatmeal for lunch on Patriot Avenue and had a hankering for a burger. While I was at it, I could go for the biggest burger around. I had heard of the Mugshots challenge over the different times I had visited the restaurant chain, and there and then aspired to try it after school on Friday. The challenge reads on the menu as follows,

THE MUGSHOT This monster is three seasoned patties piled high with 6 strips of HICKORY SMOKED bacon, cheddar and Swiss cheese, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, and red onion served with our beer battered fries, an onion ring, and a hand-battered pickle Finish the whole plate in 12 minutes or less and it’s on us plus a t-shirt! If not, 25 bucks and a stomach ache.

Good luck!! NOT AVAILABLE FOR TAKE-OUT My last meal was on wednesday night, and I did not eat all of Thursday or Friday morning in order to clean out my stomach and make me sufficiently hungry beforehand. Drinking several bottles of water and one Arizona tea would help me practice swallowing large amounts.

My two day training period consisted of research; I was watching videos of competitive eaters performing the challenge and reading articles on speed eating.

Drinking large amounts of water

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beforehand to keep the esophagus open and lubricated, keeping my head up straight to open the airway as much as possible, and strong chewing and fast swallowing would lead to my success.

It didn’t matter how much food I could get in my mouth at one time, if I couldn’t chew and swallow fast enough I wouldn’t make it in time.

I met up with my friends shortly after school in the parking lot of the location off Lakeland Drive. Ben Atkinson asked me what I thought my chances were, and I cockily answered him “50/50” When the waitress came to take our orders, her small chuckle at my request should have been warning enough to scare off my efforts, but I did not heed them. The thing came out and it was as big as my head. The staff member accompanied me and stated the rules such as the time limit, the fact that no one else could help me, and that I

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could dissemble the burger before the timer started. I arranged my plate and dug in, and I went through the five stages of grief after the first bite.

It was an awful experience, the patties and buns were far tougher than I expected and it was much harder to chew and swallow. In my haste I was gorging as much as possible, but I knew I would not make it in time after that. It was as if my stomach was a tugboat at anchor and I had launched a hot and greasy torpedo straight at it. My only solace was the veggies of the dish, with the lettuce and tomato offering cool relief as opposed to the inferno of brown carbohydrates and proteins. I finished it out making it through the top two patties and buns, not even touching the fries or the ground floor of the burger. I opened my eyes to people clapping in support of my effort, but the applause did little mitigate how sick I was feeling. I left

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@jpsen-

the restaurant with a to go box, a heavier stomach, and lighter pockets, having learned a valuable lesson at the expense of my stomach. Dont bite off more than you can chew.

The monstosity that is the Mugshot.

Photo courtesy of Drew Laird

The Sentry 7 Entertainment Allee Hadden talks Luke Bryan Console calamity around the world song to hit number one on the

by Jane Hurst Managing Editor

Every student at Jackson Prep is unique. Every student has an interest or a hobby.

Some people devote themself to one singer or band and want to share their love of their music with other people. Talking Tunes is an opportunity for students to voice their passion for their favorite music. In this issue, Talking Tunes highlights Allee Hadden and one of her favorite artists, Luke Bryan.

Luke Bryan began his career as a songwriter, but transitioned to singing and performing after signing with Capitol Nashville. The lead single, “All My Friends Say,” off of his first album, I’ll Stay Me, spent 30 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country charts. His sophomore album, Doin’ My Thing, included his first

country charts. Since then, he has released “Tailgates & Tanlines”, “Spring Break...Here To Party”, “Crash My Party”, “Spring Break...

Checkin’ Out”, 'Kill The Lights”, “What Makes You Country”, and “Born Here Live Here Die Here”.

He has also appeared as a judge on American Idol.

Allee first began listening to Luke Bryan when she heard his music on the radio station 102.9, MISS 103. She also heard his music through her friends playing his songs. When asked what first drew her to his music, she stated, “I like country, and his songs are very catchy. He is a versatile performer, who has music for any occasion. Most of his songs are upbeat, but he does have some sad slow songs.”

Her favorite songs by Luke Bryan are “Knockin’ Boots”, “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset”, “Move”, and “That’s My Kind of Night.” Her favorite albums are Born Here Live Here Die Here and What Makes You Country. Last year, Allee attended a Luke Bryan concert she described the concert as “Exciting and lively. A lot of the people there enjoyed the music just like I did.” Allee recommends Morgan Wallen, Cole Swindell, Brantley Gilbert, and Thomas Rhett to those who enjoy Bryan’s music.

by Dax murpHy EntErtainMEnt Editor

Since their reveals, people have been anticipating the release of the next generation of video game consoles: the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. This time around it isn’t just about a “new” console though, most are also interested in buying one because of how much of an upgrade it is from the previous models (Xbox One [S/X] or PS4 [Pro]). If you look at the specifics of each console’s interiors, you’ll see the output is quite impressive: On the PS5 side, you’re looking at a GPU of 10.28 teraflops compared to the PS4 Pro’s 4.2, a substantial increase in processing power. It also comes with 16GB of memory (RAM) and 825 GB of SSD, or storage.

It’ll output visuals at native 4K or 120Hz + 8K if your TV can do so.

Similarly on the Xbox side you’re looking at 12 teraflops compared to the Xbox One X’s six, doubling the processing power of the previous generation. Much like the PS5 is most other aspects (16 GB of memory, native frame rate of up to 120 fps, and a resolution of up to 8K), the only other outlier is the increase in base storage, with the Xbox Series X coming with 1 terabyte. Of course, you can always purchase additional stor-

Harry Styles is staying Golden

by Olivia smitH

rEcords ManagEr The Golden Music video was released on October 26, and this is the fifth song from the Fine Line album. The album came out in December 2019, and this makes his second album since One Direction broke up in August 2015.

The music video starts with the pop star, Harry Styles, running through a dark tunnel.

Throughout the video, he is mostly wearing a flowy white buttoned shirt. Many fans were excited to see this style of Harry Styles. Besides running, Styles was driving a car and swimming in a beautiful tide pool. The music video was simple, but it was very successful.

Prior to the music video, Harry Styles was seen running around in Italy, and fans realized he was practicing for the music video.

Due to many of the negative circumstances like COVID-19, fans thought that the singer brought a positive influence to this crazy world. His fans tweeted thank yous to him making this a trend on Twitter. Some believe that this song came out at the best time possible.

Not only was the video well-liked, but it was “COVID-19 friendly” because it was a oneman show meaning he was the only one in the video. We are excited for many new projects for Styles to release in the years coming.

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age in the form of external hard drives with multiple options depending on how much you need and want to spend.

What’s the point in upgrading though? For the first time, consoles are nearly on the same page as a PC in terms of processing power and visual output. For nearly the past decade, games that ran on consoles were locked at running at 30 fps or less (fps=frames per second, or how smooth a game runs. The

more fps, the smoother and better the game plays). With the Series X and PS5, most games will finally run natively at 60 fps with the possibility of 120 frames being realistic. Along with an increase in fps though, visual output of almost any game will look better than ever before with native 4K being reality. So if you’re looking for the best machine to play games on, this is for you.

Whether you choose Playstation or Xbox, both are equally great in terms of hardware. So...how do you get one? At the moment, that’s the problem.

Because of the pandemic, stock is low as factories haven’t been able to make enough to make them available to everyone.

This fact has led many stores to resort to online only availability, making the “hare” the winner in the race to the console.

The most shocking example of this was Thanksgiving night when Walmart announced they would be doing an online drop of Xbox Series X consoles.

When the clock struck nine, the time when Walmart announced they would drop, it took only seconds before many were faced with the words “Out of Stock”. Some were confused, but to those who had been persistent, what ended up happening was a familiar occurrence: bots (a term used online to indicate someone using a piece of software to do perform repetitive tasks, such as clicking “add to cart” over and over in this case.) were being used to snatch up consoles as quick as possible. But why would someone do that? Most of the time, those who use methods such as these will buy consoles to immediately resell them for much more online thinking someone desperate enough will buy it. However, the irony shows itself with the fact that these consoles aren’t limited: more will come eventually. So no matter what, those using bots for the sole purpose of reselling the

A Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 duke it out. Graphic by Alex Roberson

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consoles are pretty much at a net loss with the only blow dealt at those trying to buy the consoles legitimately is making them wait a bit longer. However, if you are the “tortoise” in this situation and decide to wait it out, that’s completely fine as more will be made.

On Thanksgiving night, Some decided On Twitter, there were pictures all over of people who had camped out at Gamestop all day long in hopes of buying a console. That’s right, I said hope. Unfortunately, each Gamestop was given a certain amount of PS5s and Xbox Series Xs. Thankfully they were upfront about that amount, though, posting the number of each outside the door.

For Thanksgiving break, my family and I went down to Ocean Springs for the week. After we had Thanksgiving dinner, I thought it would be fun to go ride around the area and see if were actually camping outside Gamestop. We rode by one in deeper Ocean Springs and I squinted at the sign on the door to see that it said, “PS5s: 2 Xbox Series Xs: 4”. Turning words to reality, what I saw was just kind of crazy, with so many people getting ready to sit all night to buy a new console. However, if there was only a few people there waiting, I wouldn’t be opposed to waiting with some frineds as part of fun adventure or something of the sort.

So what else can you say about a situation like this: a bright, shiny, and technologically advanced console, for what it’s worth, whose limitation is all thanks to a pandemic. Hard times call for tough measures, and to some people, this has definitely been one of the biggest hits. Good luck out there finding your console, I’ll be right there with you looking for one!

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Christmas 2020

8

9

The Sentry’s Gift Guide

PlayStation 5

Pomchee Masks Monogrammed Bandanas

Gold Beaded Bracelets

Casetify Phone Cases

Christmas celebrations around the world

by LiLy FLowers PhotograPhy Editor

As we prepare for another American Christmas, let’s take a look at how Christmas is celebrated around the world.

France - “Joyeux Noël” If you ever visit France during December, you will often see houses decorated with a Nativity crib and clay figures. In French, Merry Christmas is Joyeux Noël and depending on the region in France, Merry Christmas could be said differently. A popular tradition in France are Yule logs. The Yule logs are made out of cherry wood and are burned in homes for the smell.

Dishes typically eaten on Christmas include roast turkey or goose, lobster, oysters, venison and cheese, and a chocolate sponge cake for dessert.

Japan - “Merii Kurisumasu” In Japan, Christmas is not a national holiday since there are very few Christians in the country. But it is still a very fun and festive time of the year. Many malls are still filled with Christmas markets, festive trees, and lights. A popular Christmas dessert is strawberry shortcake. If you ever visit Tokyo Disney, they host

Christmas parades, and Santa even makes an appearance.

China - “shèng dàn kuài lè” In China, only a small percent of the population is Christian. This means that not much of the country celebrates Christmas and it is not considered a public holiday in Mainland China. Christmas is seen much more in the bigger cities because of the big commercial success it has brought. You typically see lights, decorations, and Christmas trees around stores, hotels, schools, and even tourist attractions. For Christians in China, they celebrate Christmas religiously and attend special church services which are usually packed full.

Neon Lights

salad with sausages. On Christmas Day, people usually eat a meal including roast goose with potato dumplings and red cabbage.

Winner of “The Best Christmas Movie” poll on The Sentry instagram

The Grinch is a Christmas comedian rather than a villain Lauren anne smith Editor

Christmas season has finally arrived and the festivities are in full swing. People have been baking cookies, decorating their houses, and watching Christmas movies to get in the spirit.

In the classic live-action film How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Jim Carrey portrays the cranky and crafty Grinch. This green heathen spends most of the film hating Christmas and any Who from Whoville.

Any child who has seen the movie will know that the Grinch is the villain, but adult viewers often say that the character is hilarious and relatable.

What makes the Grinch such an easy character to sympathize with is how he is bothered by all of the holiday activities. His dog is his best friend, he loves to be home alone, and he has long conversations with himself.

For many older Grinch fans who watched the movie in theaters, the Grinch being the way he is makes sense: they are in the same position that he was in.

Their dogs are the only ones who understand them, and they would rather stay inside in their bed and safe haven than go out and get annoyed by other people.

Another reason why the Grinch is such a great character is Jim Carrey’s facial expressions and witty one-liners allow viewers to see past the Grinch’s grouchiness and find him amusing.

Germany - “Frohe Weihnachten” You know it’s Christmas when gingerbreads and gingery biscuits start showing up on shelves in the markets. Typically Germans who do not profess any faith celebrate Christmas. Christmas is a very important family tradition in the country. Christmas normally consists of a Christmas tree, candles, buying presents, and Christmas biscuits. The celebration of Christmas is very similar to the United States with people eating, singing, and opening presents from underneath the tree. A very popular food eaten on Christmas Eve is potato

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iPhone 12

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México - “Feliz Navidad” While the United States celebrates Christmas from December 24th to the 26th, Mexico’s festivities begin on December 12th and last until January 6th. The Christmas spirit begins with the tradition of posadas. Posadas translates to ‘inn’ in which adults and children participate in parties or processions. The tradition includes children singing from door to door. Mexico is also known for their Nativity scenes. Various homes and towns go over the top to decorate with Baby Jesus being the main attraction.

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Call of Duty Cold War

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Around Town December 2020 Local Christmas decor & more! Planetarium renovation 10

by LiLLy Grace SiTeS &

JuLia STradinGer Around town editorS Garden Works, just off of Highway 51, is a beautiful store filled with indoor and outdoor decor! When you first pull up, you can see Christmas trees that fill the side lot of the property.

The selection includes a variety of sizes, and all the trees are great quality. Outside, workers warmly welcomed us, there to help with tree selection and packing. Inside the store just off of the tree

lot, there is a large plant room with green everywhere you look.

Walking further, we discovered countless rooms full of decorations, both Christmas themed and year-round items. Ornaments, small Christmas trees, table toppers, and candles are just some of the Christmas decorations available.

Plants, water features, light fixtures, soaps, towels, pottery, and sculptures fill the store as well! Garden Works also prides themselves in their great selection of rich soils and fertilizers for plants. All the employees were very helpful and nice, add-

ing to the wonderful ambience of Garden Works. If you need a last minute Christmas decoration or gift for a family member/friend, Garden Works is the place for you!

by Tanner GouGh

Senior editor Driving down South Lamar Street in downtown Jackson, one is likely to drive past (and under) the Russell C. Davis Planetarium. The overhead dome looks slightly out of place, but it has a certain draw that other downtown structures do not have. However, if you get out of your car and walk up to the entrance, you discover it is closed. Why is that, you might ask?

The planetarium has actually been closed for over two years.

A leaky roof and water damage have kept the facility closed from excited children and tourists looking to see what the attraction has to offer. Despite the closure and the COVID-19 pandemic, a ren-

ovation is underway to revitalize the exhibits and repair the structural damage.

Thanks to generous donations from the local and state governments, the planetarium is ahead of schedule on its renovation. While few specifics are publicly known, planners for the project visited many space museums throughout the country, garnering ideas for the “new” planetarium.

If the current schedule holds, it is slated to reopen to the public in the spring of 2022, around the time of Jackson’s bicentennial. A fitting ceremony for the decades-old landmark will hopefully take place at that time, allowing for new excitement, tourism, and money for downtown Jackson and the city as a whole.

Edible cookie dough appears at Cultivation by oLivia SmiTh recordS mAnAger & Lauren anne SmiTh

Garden novelties abound in Madison County. Photos by Julia Stradinger

Unique barber shop awaits in Ridgeland

by LiLLy Grace SiTeS &

JuLia STradinGer Around town editorS

This issue's small business spotlight is Noble Barber, owned

by Lanis Noble. His business is located on Highland Colony Parkway in Ridgeland. Noble Barber

has been opened since December 2016 and has been a success ever since!

Noble Barber is different from your usual barber shop. Lanis was inspired to do something different with his career in cutting hair and wanted to be set apart from businesses around him. Lanis tells us “We are the first and only barbershop in the state that sells beer. We keep at least 20 different brands at all times. We also keep drinks for the little guys as well. We are Mississippi’s Original ‘Barbeer’ shop.”

Creating a fun, laidback experience for customers, he encourages dads to bring their boys in for an ultimate father son experience. He has created a shop

that is designed just for them!

Lanis is very complementary to all his customers and appreciates them giving Noble Barber a shot at success.

They are currently open, staying Covid safe with chairs six feet apart. Noble Barber creates a relaxed and comfortable environment for anyone who is in need of a haircut!

Graphic courtesy of Lanis Noble

Christmas drink showdown

by oLivia SmiTh &

anna caTe hayS recordS mAnAgerS

Every holiday season many cafes come out with seasonal menus to lure excited customers. PJ’s and Ridgeland are two of the many places that came out with holiday menus.

PJ’s is a New Orleans style coffee company that has one dine

in and drive thru location in Jackson. Only opening a few months ago, the coffee shop is clean, and it offers a great environment to study/hangout. The customer service is great, and the beverages are served in no time.

The PJ’s seasonal menu offers four options: Gingerbread, Peppermint Bark, Velvet Ice, and Butter Rum. The best seasonal drink we tried was the Butter Rum Latte; it was creamy and not too sweet. The Butter Rum reminded

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Cultivation is known for having tons of great food, and the newest addition to the food hall is Street Dough. Founder, Ayanna Bloom, opened up her business in July and the menu features cookie dough, homemade ice cream, and cookies. Making this the first edible cookie dough bakery in the Jackson Area.

We tried the original chocolate chip and strawberry shortcake cookie dough, and both tasted amazing. Our recom-

mendation would be strawberry shortcake since you can’t get that unique flavor anywhere else.

The prices for a 4 oz. and 8 oz. cup of cookie dough ranges from $5-7, which seems like a steep price, but the ingredients used to make the dessert are high quality. It’s $6 for a small pizookie and you get a lot of food for the price since the ice cream is homemade.

We would highly recommend Street Dough since Jackson doesn’t have any dessert spot like this, and it’s definitely a better way to treat your cookie dough addiction without the risk of salmonella.

Photo by Olivia Smith

us of a caramel macchiato. Both the Peppermint Bark and Gingerbread Lattes have a metallic like flavor that left bad aftertaste. The regular year long menu drinks we tried were the cold brew, Vanilla Latte, and White Chocolate Mocha Latte. These lattes were plain with no distinguishable flavoring.

Most of the drinks ratios did not blend well together leaving the coffee not smooth or flavorful.

PJ’s, overall, had an average seasonal and regular menu, but the atmosphere/customer service was amazing.

Ridgeland Coffee Co. is a drive thru only coffee shop. Their drinks are inspired by the names of roads in Ridgeland. They offer a wide variety of signature and regular drinks. The barista was patient and made the drinks very fast.

At Ridgeland Coffee, we tried the Highway 51 and Rice

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Road which are some of their signature drinks. From the Holiday menu, we tried Creme Brulee, Toasted Marshmallow, and the Gingerbread. Highway 51, which was one of our favorites, had a great classic taste of caramel and white chocolate. The white chocolate in Highway 51 was a little too sweet, but the drink was still very enjoyable. The Rice Road tasted almost exactly the same, but a little less sweet. The holiday drinks we tried were very creamy and had lots of flavor, especially the toasted Marshmallow which was incredibly sweet. Both the Creme Brulee and Gingerbread had odd flavors. The Creme Brulee was plain and had no special taste, and the Gingerbread drink had a taste of classic cinnamon. The experience we had at Ridgeland will always be amazing and one of the best!

Our favorites from best to

jacksonprepsentry

worst from PJ’s are Butter Rum, Vanilla, Peppermint, White Chocolate Mocha, and Gingerbread.

The best to worst from Ridgeland Coffee are Rice Road, Highway 51, Creme Brulee, Toasted Marshmallow, and Gingerbread. The seasonal and regular drinks at Ridgeland were far superior to PJ’s. Both having a great atmosphere, but Ridgeland Coffee Co. had the best coffee.

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Photo by Olivia Smith

Sports

The Sentry

11

Boys’ soccer kicks off season A record six sign NLI

by Gavin Mullins

aSSiStant SportS editor He shoots, he scores!

Jackson Prep boys soccer has officially begun here at Jackson Prep and the expectations have never been higher. The boys, coached by Jon Marcus Duncan, will be looking to capture the almost impossible eleventh straight championship victory. Eleven straight championships is almost unheard of in sports, but with enough talent on the field, anything is possible.

Seniors expected to be key contributors for the team this season are Seth Cook, John Henry Andress, and Owen Lundberg.

All three of these players have had experience playing last season for the Patriots and are hopeful to improve following their previous

championship. Cook, who is currently dealing with a leg injury, has been a tough temporary loss for the team. One of the leading Juniors, Andrew Sweat, has managed to come in and continue to work and help the Patriots only face a minor setback.

Many other underclassmen are in great positions to have a very promising season, including Juniors Lewis Knotts, Wat Rutledge, and Jacob Davis. One of the most important Juniors on the team is goalkeeper Walker Headley, who is looking to build off of a solid sophomore season.

Perhaps one of the most talented and efficient players on the team, Nathan Werne, has already been on a tear this season, scoring two goals in the team’s game against Ocean Springs.

A newcomer to the team, Walker Poole, said “It’s great being a part of this team because

there is a winning atmosphere, and everyone comes to practice ready to get better.” Poole also went on to say, “I think that with all the talent on this team there is no excuse for this season not to end with another championship.”

With the season having begun just last week, the boys have opened up with an impressive 4-0-1 start. The one tie, against Ocean Springs, was a game that Prep was not expected to do well in, but yet still came away with the tie.

Junior Gibson Brown added “We weren’t supposed to win that game, let alone compete, but with a great team effort and a game played with heart, we were able to finish with a tie.”

After playing very well against an extremely tough opponent, it will be exciting to see what the boys can do the rest of this season.

by will Gibbs

aSSiStant SportS editor Six members of Jackson Prep’s senior class recently signed their letter of intent to continue playing athletics at the collegiate level. Five boys signed to continue their baseball career, while one girl signed to continue playing volleyball. This group of six student athletes who have signed to play at the next level have been very successful during their time at Jackson Prep and hope to continue that success at the next level.

Starting with baseball, three Jackson Prep seniors signed to play with the University of Mississippi. The group consists of shortstop Kelly Crumpton, Right-handed pitcher/third baseman Riley Maddox, and right-handed pitcher Mason Nichols. These three will join an outstanding recruiting class for Ole Miss, and will be at Ole Miss alongside former outfielder Jerrion Ealy.

Outfielder Thaxton Berch has signed to play baseball at Louisiana Tech University. He has been a very successful player for Prep the last two years and is hoping to continue his success in Ruston, Louisiana. And finally, infielder Jeffrey Ince has signed to play baseball at Mississippi State. Ince is going to be the first Bulldog from Jackson Prep since outfielder Jake Mangum, and is hoping to be the next great Prep athlete to play at MSU. For volleyball, senior Julia Sumrall has signed to play at Mississippi College. She was a dominant player for the volleyball team this season, earning All-MAIS team honors. She is the first Jackson Prep volleyball player to play at the collegiate level and is hoping to continue her success at MC. Overall, this senior class has been very successful over the past few years. It is a great accomplishment to see these athletes be rewarded for their hard work and talent by getting the chance to play at the next level.

The team gathers around for a word of prayer before their game against Biloxi. Photo courtesy of Tyra Murphy

Prep hosts MAIS All-Star Game

by Mason nichols

SportS editor Jackson Prep hosted the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools’ annual football All-Star games on Friday, December 4. Players from private schools across Mississippi were chosen to compete in Flowood based on

the successful seasons they built in their hometown. Jackson Prep had 5 players chosen: Thaxton Berch, Matt Jones, Jeffery Ince, Braedon Mabry, and Riley Maddox. As always, All-Stars were separated into two divisions (according to school size) with two teams in each division.

Maddox, Jones, and Ince were assigned to the white team,

Matt Jones gets set on the line of scrimmage in preparation to run a route.

Photo courtesy of Matt Jones

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competing with Mabry and Berch on the blue team. Maddox found Bayou Academy’s Hayes Holman for a touchdown and connected with Jones out of the backfield several times to catapult the white team to a 28-21 victory.

Despite having competitive players from across the state, the All-Star Game was more about the exposure and the experience. A great number of invitees will go on to play college or junior college football, with several others vying for scholarship opportunities. The chance to play against Division I prospects like Brandon Buckhaulter and Lardarius Webb Jr. allows recruiters to measure the abilities of All-Stars that may be on the verge of playing beyond high school.

The experience that goes along with being selected for the All-Star game is a unique one.

Players spend several week nights in pre-paid hotel rooms with their new teammates. Essentially, invitees have free reign, being dismissed for school so that they may attend four practices before the event on Friday.

Aside from meeting like-minded athletes from other schools, the All-Star game provides seniors with a final opportunity to play high school football, possibly marking the end of their athletic careers.

The five Patriots chosen for the 2020 All-Star game took full advantage of their unique opportunity, representing Prep well on their home field.

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Graphics courtesy of Jackson Prep

Martin and Currie set sail in NOLA

by Jake Matthews

Staff Writer On November 20th, the sailing team competed in a regatta at the Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans. They competed against Isidore Newman School, Mount Carmel, St. Michael’s, Fairhope, St. Andrew’s, Clear Lake, Ursuline, Jesuit, Ben Franklin High School, and St. Stanislaus.

Senior Mitchell Martin skippered a 420 sailboat with sophomore Allison Currie as his crew. The pair was on the water from nine in the morning to four in the afternoon in their quest for a win. While Isidore Newman won overall, Mitchell and Allison were able to win the silver class against a very tough group of opponents. They were supported by sponsors Mrs. Chere Guilbeau and Coach Dale Currie.

Mrs. Gilbeau teaches coding and math in Junior High, but she always makes time for the sailing team. She brings a happy attitude and always encourages the sailors to keep going and keep getting better.

jacksonprepsentry

Mitchell and Allison, along with the other members of the Prep sailing team, have been practicing all year at the Jackson Yacht Club in preparation for the regatta. They have both been involved with sailing all their lives. Mitchell and Allison were two of the founders of the team in 2017. Allison was in 7th grade and Mitchell was a freshman at the time. Allison has been sailing with her father, Dale Currie, since she was just seven years old.

Allison said, “My mom made me do chores every Sunday while the rest of the family went out and sailed, so one day I was so sick of doing chores that I went sailing and loved it.” She continued by saying, “I learned that every little thing you do matters while on a sailboat.”

The pair enjoyed hanging out with their friends from Fairhope, Alabama, and playing mini golf in New Orleans. They both said that the best of their trip was winning their class and bringing back a win for Prep.

Mitchell finished by saying, “I can’t wait for the spring season, and I hope everyone will consider joining the team.”

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12

Sports

December 2020

Less theater, more football: the 2020 Egg Bowl was weird

by Mason niChols

SportS Editor The 2020 Egg Bowl was a paler, more subdued version of Mississippi’s favorite annual shoving match. The Ole Miss and Mississippi State rivalry has been especially bitter in recent years, bubbling itself out of proportion and into the media spotlight despite the two mediocrity-mired programs’ sustained spots near the bottom of the SEC West.

The Egg Bowl is usual-

ly the night when the rest of the country tunes into ESPN to laugh at Mississippi’s unbridled pettiness. The holiday matchup has brought us bulldog improv from D.K. Metcalf and Elijah Moore, and a bird from State’s Nick Fitzgerald (not to be confused with the Mockingbird, Mississippi’s state bird; Fitzgerald opted for the more hostile and flightless variety).

However, the coronavirus seemed to have the Egg Bowl a little under the weather.

Following the lead of Twitter comment sections set ablaze by

Jackson Prep alumus, Jerrion Ealy, finds the endzone for the Rebels. Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football Instagram

Maradona dies at 60

by John henry andress

Editor Diego Maradona, a world-famous soccer player, has died at the age of 60. The cause was a heart attack, and there has been a global response about his death due to his global fame.

Having a long, successful career in soccer, along with playing for several different teams in several different countries, has made him well-known in the world. He scored two of the most memorable goals in world cup history, a championship that he played in a total of four times.

He played for the Argentina national team and FC Barcelona, two of the highest level teams in the world. His presence in the soccer world was great, and he was well-known due to the global popularity of soccer.

Maradona also had a skill move named after him, which was simply called “The Maradona.” This is an attacking move that, if done correctly, can allow a player to advance the ball

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However, any attentive spectator can tell you the Egg Bowl’s true turning point: the playing of eighth-grader Prentiss Furr’s “October” on the stadium loudspeakers. The Bulldogs never stood a chance.

The score was 31-24 as Rogers flung a last-ditch pass into the endzone in hopes of a miraculous catch. But, fate leaned towards Ole Miss, and the players in red and blue hoisted the trophy for the first time in three years. After parading around the stadium in usual style, the night’s action was officially over, and fans

took to the internet to spew their opinions as they turned off their televisions.

Without the theatrics, the Egg Bowl was a lot like water: bland, but pretty refreshing. Altogether, the close score and both teams’ uninspiring records show that the future will be brighter for Mississippi’s SEC programs, regardless of who etched their names at the bottom of the golden egg. So buckle up for next years slugfest in Starkville, the animosity left over from this Thanksgiving should make for a more palatable match up next season.

Coach Lane Kiffin makes his first Egg Bowl entrance with his bold “We Run The Sip” hat. Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football Instagram

Sarah Fuller makes history in Nashville

forward while putting their body in between the ball and the defender.

After playing for several years, Maradona began to coach.

He coached the Argentina national team and led them during the 2010 World Cup. He has coached for several different teams since then and continued coaching until his death this past November.

Maradona was arguably one of if not the best soccer player to ever play the game. He was awarded the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball, which is the award given to the FIFA tournament’s best player. The global mourning of his death has been significant.

In Kerala, an Indian State, the government decided to announce that there would be two official days of mourning due to his passing.

The soccer world has been majorly affected by the impact that Maradona has had on his teams and his fans, who will miss him dearly. He has made history in soccer and is arguably the best player to have ever played the game.

Maradona goes into the kick for the Argentina National Team. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Hugh Freeze jokes and agricultural-school jabs, I must assign the blame to someone. Maybe the culprits are Lane Kiffin and Mike Leach, who arrived at each school with pleasant dispositions and a notable lack of hatred towards each other. Maybe it was Vaught-Hemingway’s limited-capacity seating, which deprived the atmosphere of the electricity that typically accompanies the rivalry. Regardless of who or what is to blame, the perpetrator did a very good job of taming the heated matchup.

As for the game itself, the absence of extracurricular activities overshadowed just how close it was. Ole Miss jumped out to an early lead thanks to several long completions from Matt Corral and a costly goalline turnover from the Bulldogs. Neither offense took flight like they have at times this season, which can be attributed to solid play from both defenses. Mississippi State and Brandon product Will Rogers slid their way back into the game with a few consistent offensive drives.

As it turned out, the Rebels had to lean on two Prep students to flip the momentum of the game and reclaim the golden egg. Jerrion Ealy seemingly sealed the victory by taking a heap of Bulldogs for a piggy-back ride into the endzone.

The two sport athelete, Sarah Fuller, smiles in her new Commodres football jersey. Photo courtesy of CBC.ca

by Charles stephenson

SportS Editor History was made in Nashville, Tennessee, when the Vanderbilt Commodores took on the Missouri Tigers. Despite the whopping 41-0 loss, Vandy sent in their senior kicker, Sarah Fuller.

The star soccer player from Wylie, Texas, made history on Saturday, November 28th, when she kicked off for the Commodores in the second half of their game. She became the first woman to play in a Power 5 football game.

Fuller, a goalkeeper for Vanderbilt’s SEC champion soccer team was called upon after her tryout in the week prior to the game versus Missouri. Vanderbilt had a grad transfer kicker opt out before the season, and several of its specialists had to go into quarantine due to COVID-19 testing the week of the game.

Jacksonville State’s Ash-

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ley Martin, in 2001, became the first woman to score in a Division I college football game when she made three extra points. New Mexico’s Katie Hnida, in 2003, became the first woman to score at the FBS level.

Fuller’s action in the game was restricted to the second-half kickoff. She executed a knuckling, directional kick to the 35-yard line and trotted off the field to a sustained round of applause. The Vanderbilt fans in attendance had not been allowed into the stadium to view any games before Fuller played, so the historic acceivement took place as Commodore fans got their first in-person look at their lackluster football team. In fact, head coach Derek Mason was fired following Missouri’s beatdown, ending his stint in Nashville with an exceedingly high number of losses in comparison to wins.

The historic kicker made sure to advocate for a greater pur-

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pose while she was playing. Fuller wore the message “Play Like A Girl” on the back of her helmet. Players from Vanderbilt and across the college football landscape have advocated for desirable causes using decals throughout this season.

The pattern of female kickers making their way into the college football ranks is not completely unheard of and certainly will not be uncommon for years to come. Females have kicked for lower-level Division I, Division II, and Division III programs. However, Fuller marked the first girl to kick for a program from a Power 5 conference.

Congratulations came from all over the sports world after the historic day. NFL quarterback Russell Wilson as well as special teams legend Pat Mcafee were just some of the names that showed their support for the senior kicker.

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The Sentry

I advise you to get shot Words of Wisdom

from Grandpa Sel

by Selby Ireland

OpiniOn EditOr Last week, the FDA held an emLast week, the FDA held an emergency meeting to discuss the possibility of approving the COVID-19 vaccine developed collaboratively by the US pharmaceuticals company Pfizer and the German pharmaceuticals company BioNTech. Later this month, the FDA will also consider a separate COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna. The speed with which these vaccines were developed -- without sacrificing quality -- is perhaps the greatest success in modern medical research.

With nearly 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine ready for distribution in the US when approved, one hopes that serious consideration has been given to which people should get the vaccine first. Distribution of the vaccine within our state will be

determined by the governor in collaboration with the Mississippi Department of Health.

My plan for distribution would be to divide everyone up into four groups based on how at-risk they are from the vaccine, and how important they are to the continued functioning of our society.

The first group of people who would receive the vaccine would obviously be health care workers. Not only are these people at the serious risk of catching and spreading the disease, they are going to work every day to look after others even if doing so puts them directly in harm’s way.

The second group of people who would receive the vaccine would be the elderly and those with the most serious preexisting conditions. Certain health problems (what doctors call comorbidities) have been shown to dramatically increase the likelihood of the worst possible outcome from COVID-19.

People suffering from those specific, serious health problems should be a top priority.

The third group of people to receive the vaccine would be government workers and teachers and those whose jobs require that they serve others on a daily basis. Last, but not least, would be the rest of us.

The US vaccine chief, Moncef Slaoui, has said that unless something unexpected happens in the approval process, some doses of the vaccine will start to be shipped before the end of the year, and that a significant percentage of the population may be vaccinated by the spring.

Let’s give 2020 the boot and finish the year out strong.

Opinion

13

The future will be less free

by Ty USey

Staff WritEr Democracy and freedom are on the downturn in this world. According to the democracy watchdog Freedom House, 2020 is the 14th consecutive year of declining global freedom. Eastern Europe is reversing many of the gains made after the fall of the Soviet Union, China is asserting itself as a world power unlike ever before, and efforts to bring democracy to countries like Syria and Libya have ended in increased tyranny and total chaos, respectively.

“With democracy and self-determination so ingrained in our country’s psyche, it is baffling to many Americans as to why democracy is beginning to crumble globally .”

From the Revolutionary War to World War II, we have been hardwired to believe that history favors the “good guys” and therefore, that the passage of time should lead to the dominance of a superior, more democratic government, like ours.

This interpretation will likely turn out to be wrong. Year after year, we discover that dictatorship and repression becomes more sustainable than ever before. Technological advances allow for surveillance and censorship not rivaled by anything else in human history. Modern military equipment can quell rebellion with a silicon fist. Weapons of mass destruction and global alliances prevent foreign armies from intervening to stop human rights abuses. Even ordinary citizens across the globe are less and less receptive to democracy; while polling is often unreliable in authoritarian countries, it is still undeniable that dictators like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have sizable support bases.

Why is this the case? Why,

after triumphing over fascism and communism, is democracy struggling again? There are two glaring answers: Authoritarian governments have become smarter, and technology allows them to go even further.

August 6, 1945 marked the end of an era. This was the day that the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. This was also the day of which large scale world wars fought directly between superpowers became unfeasible. While this sounds good at first glance, and perhaps it is, there is also an unintended consequence to this: countries with nuclear bombs can’t be meaningfully invaded. This is not to say that it is impossible to invade a country with nuclear bombs, but there is rarely going to be a point when politicians have an incentive to risk nuclear war. It is this logic that keeps countries from invading places like North Korea, where the cruelest forms of totalitarian oppression are unchallenged thanks to a nuclear deterrent.

So, frankly, our best hope for defeating authoritarian regimes may be hoping that they collapse on their own because of total governmental ineptitude, like the Soviet Union did.

But the inconvenient truth is that simply waiting for dictatorships to fall simply because democracy must be better is naive and impractical. As much as we hate to admit it, the problems with communism were not so much a political matter as an economic matter.

The Soviet Union and its communist allies were over regulated, ridiculously bureaucratic, and hostile to private business, severely weakening their economies and wealth. This economic inferiority to the West spurred the collapse of the Eastern Bloc.

But China and post-Soviet Russia have learned that political repression and top-down control can be maintained as long as private business is left relatively. In authoritarian, comunist China, for example, these systems have been successful, or at least successful enough to ward off a serious threat of rebellion. If you have enough food, a decent house, a stable job, and economic opportunities, you are unlikely to revolt

against your government no matter how much it oppresses your civil liberties.. This is the kind of political calculus that China and Russia have adopted, and it has worked—dictatorship or not, if the common people are at least mildly comfortable, rebellion is unlikely. And even if they are not, it may still be extremely difficult to unseat a dictatorship, as shown by the failure of the rebels in the Syrian Civil War. If you are a proponent of American-style democracy, the world is heading for into a dark future. The reasons above don’t justify dictatorship as a superior form of government, but they do show that in our world, dictatorships are likely here to stay. And with China beginning to grow and cementalliances and assert its power, global democracy will likely suffer further still. If America is going to remain dominant on the global stage, we will need to change our mindset. Our foreign policy cannot center around naive efforts to spread democracy to areas that may fall into chaos or start grueling, expensive foreign wars such as the war in Iraq. To conserve our losses in a post-democratic age, we have to focus on maintaining crucial alliances with our allies in Europe and new ones in the developing world. Our best hope is that through American hegemony and worldwide economic development, undemocratic countries will slowly begin to modernize and liberalize, while already democratic countries will remain strong.

But for the near future, repression and control will become increasingly common. While this may be a disturbing prospect for some, this shouldn’t be a surprise.

I may have laid out the many reasons why authoritarianism is becoming more sustainable than ever, but there is one final point to mention: humans are bad. Slavery, plunder, war, and other vices have plagued humanity for all of its history. Liberty has been a rare gift in a world of tyrants. We are merely being reintroduced to human nature. If America acknowledges this, we can ride this stormy future- and hopefully, after years of hard, grueling work, freedom will begin to ring again for those living without it.

The Sentry’s official Pfizer vaccine sketch. Illustration by Kalyn Giesecke

Keep watching the skies...aliens could totally be real

by Megan ToMlInSon

& rIley SpIvey Staff WritErS Aliens. People have been familiar with the concept of extraterrestrial life for thousands of years, appearing either in a UFO, or as individuals here on Earth.

In the modern-day, aliens are portrayed often in the entertainment industry, such as in the highly successful “Star Wars” and “Alien” trilogies. In the media, they are often portrayed as unearthly hellish creatures that have come to wipe out everyone

on Earth, or retrieve all of our natural resources.

The descriptions of strange, possibly even supernatural sightings, backup various accounts. There are multiple instances of aliens abducting humans or appearing in the sky in a UFO. In 1954, in the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence, Italy, a football game between teams Fiorentina and Pistoiese was under way at the stadium when a group of UFOs travelling at high speed abruptly stopped over the stadium of an astounding audience of 10,000 people, all of which paused at the sight of extraterrestrial life. Jimmy Carter,

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the 39th President of the United States, allegedly saw UFOs in Leary, Georgia.

The mysterious aura and secretive nature of Area 51, which is a highly classified U.S. Air Base located in southern Nevada, only reinforces speculations of the US government’s involvement in extraterrestrial life. It is the site of multiple sightings and home to assortments of conspiracies.

For decades, determined visitors have been attempting to get close, yearning for a coveted chance to unlock the base’s secrets with their camera lens. The unwanted visitors are always shut down by security guards and immediately

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prevented from the base.

Thousands of years of sightings and the endless expanse of stars and universes makes the existence of extraterrestrial life highly likely. Whether they are here already, have been here multiple times before, or will come in the future is debated frequently.

Humans should view aliens as a tool of growth and great possibility of new knowledge for the human race. While there may be no evidence of aliens yet, humans should never give up the great virtue of curiosity and hope of new life that we have held onto for so long.

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Could aliens be green or from Saturn? Photo by Anna Blaire Bryant

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Opinion

14

December 2020

Satire: Jacque Issepik and his failed experiment by eli venarske

staff Writer The origin of ice fishing is quite similar to that of other ancient hunting and trapping practices: the need to acquire scarce resources needed for survival. Ice fishing seeks to address a prevalent issue faced by hunters in the colder chillier parts of Earth such as Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. In all twelve months of winter in these places, rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water are frozen over, and fish cannot be obtained through more traditional methods.

Jacque Issepik was the man who patented the modern ice fishing method, all the way back in the 1830s. His theology states that the first step is to cut a hole in the ice: this can be done with a sword, a shovel, one’s bigtoe-nail, or, though less efficient, a plastic spork. Next, a wooden decoy fish, whittled to represent the ideal mate for whatever species is being hunted, should be placed in the water in the hole.

When a fish comes to investigate the potential mate, a shovel or, though less efficient, plastic spork, should be forcefully thrust so that the real fish is skewered to the decoy mate.

There is one fundamental problem with Issepik’s theology, however: in all cases, in every instance, there are never, under any circumstances, fish under the ice. Ice fishing is a waste of everyone’s time. Jacque Issepik died of malnutrition before reaching the age of forty because he attempted to prove that a human could survive solely on ice fishing. One may ask, where do the fish go, if they aren’t under the ice? The assumption of that question is that there ever were fish under the ice, an assumption fueled by ignorance and misinformation.

ical sex, sometimes to the point of trying to physically change it.

Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric diagnosis also found in the DSM-5. Someone suffering from anorexia may feel a deep dislike of their body, convinced that they are unattractive as a result of being overweight even when that feeling in no way fits with reality.

Treatment of anorexia may consist of counseling and therapy to reconnect how someone feels with reality, but it never consists of agreeing with the patient that they are overweight and encouraging their starvation or excessive exercise. It is also never treated with liposuction or in any other way that would encourage their skewed body image. In contrast, transgender activists today insist not that treatment be focused on helping realign how someone feels with their biological sex but rather that hormone therapy and even largely irrreversible surgery be made available to try to re-make someone’s biology to permanently separate the two.

Of course, if gender identity has no basis in human biology, it is no surprise that LGBTQ+ activists now also insist that a person’s gender can be fluid and change over time. Perhaps that is one contributor to the very high suicide rate among those who undergo sex reassignment surgery and later regret it.

LGBTQ+ activists demand that the rest of society re-make our culture and re-write our language, specifically the way that we use pronouns that for many centuries have allowed us to communicate clearly. We are asked to choose our “preferred” pronouns, based upon our “gender identity” including “they” and “them” for those who don’t feel either male or female (“non-binary”). Some have openly supported completely getting rid of all gender-specif-

ic pronouns in our language, using only the gender-neutral (but grammatically pleural) pronouns, “they” and “them”, regardless of the resulting chaos. Consider passports and driver’s licenses, which today are used to precisely identify someone. How about communication between crime victim or witness and a 911 operator? If “they” are trying to break into a home, is it one person, two people, or many? Are “they” man or woman? What does it mean when you tell firemen that “they” is/are still trapped in a burning building? Are they (the firemen) looking for one, two, or more people.

Athletics is another area in which the transgender movement has created chaos. In many places, biological males who identify as female are allowed to compete in athletics, despite their obvious competitive advantage, even when taking male hormone suppressants. A high school track star in Connecticut filed a federal lawsuit in early 2020 over the state’s athletic policy that allowed such competition and that resulted in her being excluded from a regional track meet due to the top two spots being taken by biological males. Adding even further to the chaos is the case of Mack Breggs, who was born female but began transitioning to male with hormone injections. Due to a twist on a state law passed in Texas with the intent of keeping biological males from competing unfairly against biological females, Breggs twice won the girls’ 6A state wrestling championship in Texas.

We don’t have to wonder where this will eventually lead us. New York Times columnist, Charles Blow, Tweeted on November 22, 2020 that “gender reveals” are “violent” because of the assumption that biological

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An ignorant fool fishing under the ice. Illustration by Kalyn Giesecke

Guest Editorial: Science tells us that there are only two genders

by Carson butler

& Will Davis Guest Contributors

Since the beginning of recorded human history until deep into the twentieth century, there has been no serious disagreement with the idea that there are only two genders, male and female, and that a person’s gender is determined by their biology.

Once science provided an understanding of human chromosomes and DNA, we have known the basis for the plain and obvious anatomic and other differences between the two sexes. However, there has been a shift, particularly in the past ten years, away from this virtually universally-held public opinion that biologic sex and gender are the same. What is the basis of this change?

The psychologist, Dr. John Money, was the most prominent leader in the last half of the twentieth century in the development of many of the theories that continue to be promoted today by transgender revolutionaries. He has been referred to as “the man who invented gender”, and he actually coined the now often-used phrase, “gender identity”. Money was also an advocate for sexually-open marriages, and he even defended pedophilia. He encouraged what he apparently believed was healthy sexual exploration between twin children, one of whom had undergone gender transition surgery. Money is the father of today’s transgender ideology.

Gender dysphoria is a psychiatric diagnosis listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Someone suffering from gender dysphoria may feel a strong dislike of their biolog-

sex determines gender. If they are truly violent, shouldn’t they be outlawed? Remarkably, Blow, a strong supporter of abortion, doesn’t find the dismembering of a baby at the same stage of development to be an act of violence.

Many in the transgender movement believe that a child can be recognized as transgender by age three and that parents should immediately embrace the diagnosis and treat and dress the child as the new gender. They recommend providing puberty-blocking drugs before the onset of puberty even though the long term physical effects of doing so are not yet known and even though the large majority of children and adolescents who claim to be transgender have been shown to grow out of the condition and live normal lives as members of their biological sex.

We should all feel compassion toward those who suffer with gender dysphoria, as we would toward those with any illness, and we should recognize that these feelings were not sought out or chosen by those who have them.

We should always treat transgender people and those with gender dysphoria with kindness and the respect due to all who are made in God’s image. We should also insist upon the freedom to speak out when we disagree with a social and cultural movement that

is in direct opposition to the most basic biology and which results in great sadness and regret for many who carry their transition through with largely irreversible removal or mutilation of their genitalia.

Target, due to two Twitter complaints in November of this year, stopped selling a book by Abigail Shrirer that questioned the recent sharp increase in gender dysphoria in teenage girls. A deputy director at the ACLU, of all places, pledged not to defend the author’s freedom but rather to work to stop the circulation of the book, while Amazon, under pressure from LGBTQ+ activists, refused to accept an ad for the book from its publisher. We should all push back strongly against those who want to silence debate or subject those they disagree with to abuse. Calling others “transphobic” or accusing them of “hatred” or even “violence” toward the trans community because of a difference of opinion is un-American. It is likely that this debate over biological sex, gender, and transgenderism will continue for many years to come. Bad ideas are defeated by better ideas that are stated honestly and respectfully, not by threats, personal attacks, and name-calling. May the best ideas win.

The symbols for the only two genders, according to Carson Butler and Will Davis, female and male.

Dear Fellow Students, Our school, community, state, and country are all great, but are also in constant need of improvement. By voicing your opinion in The Sentry, you may be the first step in setting into motion much-needed change. We provide two ways for you to do this. You can write a shorter Letter to the Editor or a longer Guest Editorial. Both of these will need to be emailed to sentry@jacksonprep.net for submission. We look forward to hearing your voice.

For more information, please view our editorial guidelines at jpsentry.net/about or on Page 15.

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The Sentry

Sentry I

Opinion Staff Editorials

15 Sentry II

Ascend to new heights Christmastime is now Every morning Prep students are required to log in to Ascend to log their temperatures and any COVID-19 symptoms to keep any possible sick students off-campus and reduce the spread of the virus. At most, the survey takes one minute, yet some days over fifty students’ names are called out on the loudspeaker to come to the senior high office to have their temperature taken because they forgot to do it before school. Just as many names are called in the junior high too. This is ridiculous and wastes valuable class time in first period. Now, it is just a morning routine for a lot of students, though very annoying. It sidetracks the teachers and responsible students and provides an unwanted burden on the office administration. It is December, and everyone has had to use Ascend since the first day of school in August. It is beyond the time that we, as students, take responsibility and be held accountable for logging on to Ascend every day.

Even more than the students need to be held accountable, parents should be.

We understand that most students’ parents work and are busy before school getting ready for their hectic days ahead of them, but most of them have enough time to get on their phone and log their students’ health conditions. When the parents log in instead of the students, it ensures that students are not just entering false information to “get it out of the way” so they don’t have to go to the office or get a referral to ensure the safety of others. The issue, in some cases, is that parents are not tech-savvy and don’t even know how to use Ascend. Even though an email was sent out in August, another one could be sent out to them. Reminder texts are supposed to be sent to those who do not log in in the mornings, but some say they do not receive them. While this is most likely a bug linked to the software itself, we could reach out to the company’s customer service team and let them know.

For students to be more diligent about telling their parents, it might be an issue where referrals should be given out when they do not do it more than one day in a row or have a valid excuse for not, similar to how tardies are handled. The administration has considered this before, but as far as we know, no action has been taken. As a class, we sincerely believe that this would lessen the numbers of names called out significantly and, after students begin receiving detentions, possibly come to a complete halt.

A student look at Ascend. Photo by Anna Blaire Bryant

It is Christmas time! Get out your trees, lights, ornaments, music, sweaters, and presents. However, some in our society do not believe in the magic of Christmas. These Grinches may seem like the Christmas-loving type, but their plot is diabolical: to start Christmas celebrations early so that the magic is gone long before December 25.

Halloween passes, and pumpkins are put away. Contrary to popular opinion, this does not mean to start writing your wish lists to Santa Claus. Those who tell you otherwise are trying to spoil the “most wonderful time of the year,” which officially begins the day after Thanksgiving or the first day of December, depending on the relative motion of the moon and stars in a given year. This year, for instance, it was not appropriate to begin celebrations until the day after Thanksgiving.

Christmas cheer, while a powerful source of joy to the world, can only remain potent for a month, at the very most. By starting celebrations on November 1, it is almost statistically impossible to be in the optimal Christmas spirit by Christmas Day. This is even worse for us students who have to take the grueling exams that come just a week before.

Thanksgiving is also a holiday. Pretending it does not exist and not being thankful for what has already been given to you is a recipe for disaster. Especially in preparation for Christmas, receiving many gifts without being thankful for what you have puts you in a flawed mindset. Thanksgiving is crucial in being the best you can be, while being spoiled throughout the holidays. Remember, you only get presents if you are nice. Being ungrateful will quickly earn you a spot on the naughty list.

Even if the Christmas season could hypothetically last two months, which it cannot, it would take away from the magic of Christmas. If you celebrated your birthday too frequently, it would no longer be special. You would rather only eat ice cream on certain occasions, rather than every single day. Doing the latter would eventually become unpleasant and unhealthy. The same goes for Christmas with about a month being the perfect dose of holiday spirit. Having too much of something, even something good, is bad. Celebrating Christmas early takes away something from others that have been looking forward to this special time of year because now, the season is no longer unique.

Radio stations, city decorators, advertisers, now is the time.

Make our Christmas wish come true: do not play Christmas music, decorate the streets, or coax us with holiday ads until precisely 12:00 AM on Black Friday. Christmas, will be better because of it. Merry Christmas.

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Sentry Editorial Policies

A man is divided over whether it is Christmastime or fall. Illustration by Kalyn Giesecke

All opinion pieces are the views of the author(s), and the author(s) only, with the exception of staff editorials, which are unsigned and reflect the consensus view of the students in each individual Sentry class. Staff editorials are the only columns in the paper that express the majority view of either the Sentry I class or the Sentry II class. The staff editorial process is comprised of two main steps. First, each class talks about a topic and organizes a position on which all or most class members can agree. The editorial is then written, and run past the staff members for majority approval and editing.

GUEST EDITORIALS: The Sentry accepts outside editorial pieces for publication. Not every piece will be published. To improve your chances of being chosen for publication, please avoid merely ranting in your piece. Specific proposals and solutions are preferable to generalities. You may request anonymity, but we do not accept unsigned editorials. The Sentry allows and encourages humorous opinion pieces. Publication will be at the discretion of the editors. To submit to The Sentry, simply type your opinion, double-spaced with a minimum of 250 words, and send, share, or submit it to sentry@jacksonprep.net.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: If you have a question, comment, or concern, feel free to write a short letter, emailed to sentry@jacksonprep.net, to the paper that will be published in the next print edition upon the approval of the opinion editors. You may request anonymity for the print edition, but we do not accept unsigned letters.

Alt-right finds its YouTube prey in young gamers

by TriniTy Scalia

Staff Writer Imagine that you are a young boy with unrestricted access to the internet. You spend your free time playing and watching games on YouTube. Due to complex algorithms, every video you watch is catered to exactly what you want to see. Soon, however, the gaming videos you are watching slowly become edgier and the humor becomes darker. You start getting more videos that offer scathing commentary on the world. Before you know it, the commentary that is offered to you is about politics. Thousands

of children, especially boys, make the jump from consuming gaming content to political content all thanks to YouTube’s algorithms and the communities that form around radical creators.

The problem with this algorithm is that most of the political commentary presented to these children is incredibly bigoted. Political channels that YouTube often recommends tend to make a following by having radical views, often on the right.

These channels are often full of videos with dog-whistles and incorrect information. Most of the people consuming these videos are too young to analyze the content and tell what is true and what

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is not. Thus comes the fall into Nazism and the alt-right rabbit hole.

The alt-right, or alternative right, is a far-right political movement rooted mostly in white nationalism. Various movements have radicalized gamers to the far right, notable among them “Gamergate”.. Gamergate was an inexcusable attack on the women in the gaming subculture. When women presented themselves on the gaming scene, they were met with thousands of hostile men spewing misogynistic personal attacks. Many of these women were forced out of their homes and disappeared off the internet entirely.

The worst part is that many of the

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people throwing stones did not know the severity of the things they were saying. To them it was just a popular meme or joke of the time.

In an article by The New York Times, Caleb Cain, a victim of this YouTube radicalization, claims that he was given “a sense of belonging.” This, unfortunately, is the same for many of the people radicalized in this way.

They are told by these YouTube personalities that they are hated for being a straight white man.

They are given a community in this status, and hatred of those without it. YouTube’s algorithm is predatory, whether intentional or not. YouTube personalities like

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Steven Crowder, Ben Shapiro, and PragerU are directly responsible for leading impressionable children into bigotry.

The good news is that the left isn’t as scary as these people make it out to be. You aren’t hated for being a straight white man. The liberation of minorities is not a threat to your existence.

YouTube may be responsible for leading people into radicalization, but it’s also a great way to get out. Try to check out videos from other positions. A good starting point is the YouTube channel Philosophy Tube. Don’t be afraid to analyze sources. The rabbit hole is deep, but there is always an exit.

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FUN AND GAMES

by Sarah Cory and Mayrant Gonwa

How do you say Merry Christmas in French?

What is the fastest amount of time to drink a half gallon of egg nog?

What Chritmas-themed ballet premiered in Russia in 1892?

How fast does Santa have to travel to make it to each house in one night?

Christmas Trivia

Which country started the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree?

Germany Cupid

Which one of Santa’s reindeer has the same name as another holiday mascot?

What beverage company has been using Santa Claus in its asdvertising since 1931?

Dasher, Dancer, and Donner the Nutcracker

What are the three reindeer whose name start with the letter “D”?

around 1,367 miles-per-second joyeux Noel 21.02 seconds Coca-Cola

Answers in clockwise direction: