The Sentry, April 2017

T H E V OL. XLVII, ISSUE 6

J A C K S O N

P R E P A R A T O R Y

S C H O O L

S E N T RY

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE Paid Jackson, MS Permit #93

A PR IL 2017

Spring in Full Swing

ViewsandVoices What is your favorite type of music and why ?

“Classic Rock because my dad introduced me to it.”

-Gregor Patti, 12th grade “Kevin Gates because...I like his music” -Hannah Hederman, 12th grade “Young Thug because he is a lyrical wizard.”

-Balie Crim and Jack Davis, 12th graders “Alternative music because it’s not lame or annoying.”

-Anne Rivers Mounger, 12th grade

What is your favorite movie quote?

“McLovin’, nice!” Superbad -Parker Daily, 11th grade “You play ball like a girl!” Sandlot -Isabel Box, 12th grade “I’m watching you Wazowski. Always watching.” Monsters Inc. -Reed Peets, 11th grade “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Jaws -Alex White, 11th grade “My name is Jeff.” 22 Jump Street -Jacob Crawley, 12th grade “I love lamp.” Anchorman -Cecil Wegener, 12th grade “You keep your liver spotted hands off my beautiful mother. She’s a saint!” Stepbrothers -London Miskelly, 12th grade “Kill them all!” Hook -Coach Nix “Why so serious?” The Dark Knight -Jack Davis, 12th grade “I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now.” The Incredibles -Lawson Marchetti, 12th grade

S E N T RY P I C KS Sentry Staff Members’ Favorite Movie/TV Show Characters Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)- Paul Andress James Bond (James Bond) - Hays Dubberly Ricky Bobby (Talladega Nights) - Ellis Abdo Senator/Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine (Star Wars) - Mr. Hughes Aldo “The Apache” Raine (Inglourious Basterds) - Sarah Riley Jicka Lloyd Christmas (Dumb and Dumber) - Alex Gibbs Arthur (Monty Python and the Holy Grail) - James Threadgill Clark Griswold (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation) - Tynes Carroll Frozone (The Incredibles) - Duncan Jones John “Bluto” Blutarsky (Animal House) - Emory Maxwell Edna Mode (The Incredibles) - Holman Buchanan Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean) - Jack Young Kip Dynamite (Napoleon Dynamite) - Mary Dunbar Lily Moscovitz (Princess Diaries) - Genevieve Hurst Dory (Finding Nemo, Finding Dory) - Maclain Kennedy Brennan Huff (Step Brothers) - Bennett O’Quinn Greg Heffley (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) - Chatham Kennedy Smule (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas)- Patrick Phillips Borat Sagdiyev (Borat) - Brendon McLeod Winter Soldier (Captain America / Avengers movies) - Jacob Aron Max Rockatansky (Mad Max) - Lake Wartes

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Han Solo (Star Wars) - Payne Bell Patrick Star (The Spongebob Squarepants Movie) - Preston Dubberly Vito Corleone (The Godfather) - Will Fletcher Ken Carter (Coach Carter) - Steven Wyatt Westley (The Princess Bride) - Madeline Claire Hughes Alan (Zach Galifianakis in The Hangover) -Stewart McCullough Fat Amy (Pitch Perfect)-Gracie McCraney Belle (Beauty and the Beast)- Mary Patton Murphy Amy Townsend (Amy Schumer in Trainwreck)- Nevin Wells Michael Scarn (Threat Level Midnight) - Russell Roberts Laird (Why Him?) -Sarah Avery Huffman Abraham Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)- Tanner McCraney Ella (Cinderella)-Avery Andress Buddy the Elf (Elf)- Blair Stockett Andrea (The Devil Wears Prada)- Brittany Wilkinson George Weasley (Harry Potter)- Caroline McIntyre Spongebob Squarepants (The Spongebob Squarepants Movie)-Tori Newsome Jim (The Office)-Henley Johnson Rabbit (8 Mile)- Michael Wilson

The Sentry

ONLINE AT: jpsentry.net

The Sentry Volume XLVII Issue 6 April 2017

TWITTER

Table of Contents

@jpsentry INSTAGRAM

News & Features...........................4-12 Around Town....................................13

jacksonprepsentry

Spring Break Pics............................14

FACEBOOK

Entertainment.............................15-17 Sports.............................................18-22

jacksonprepsentry

Sentry Staff Editors-in-Chief Paul Andress • Chatham Kennedy Associate Editor Hays Dubberly Around Town Editors Gracie McCraney • Blair Stockett Copy Editors Sarah Riley Jicka Brendon McLeod Assistant Copy Editor Mary Patton Murphy Entertainment Editors Jacob Aron • Michael Wilson

Opinion..........................................24-26

Opinion Editors Jacob Aron • Jack Young

Candid & Random............................28

Assistant Opinion Editors Alex Gibbs • Maclain Kennedy

SNAPCHAT

Photography Editors Ann Clardy Byrd • Brittany Wilkinson Assistant Photography Editor Tanner McCraney

thejpsentry

(we won’t follow you)

EMAIL

sentry@jacksonprep.net

Cover photo courtesy of Beverly Odom 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.

EDITORIAL POLICY The Sentry accepts outside editorial pieces under the following guidelines: •Letters to the Editor are a great way to make your voice heard. We do not print unsigned letters.

•Longer concerns may be addressed via a Guest Editorial, with a minimum of 250 words. To be considered, such opinion pieces should not simply be rants, but should be about things that can be changed or alleviated, should suggest a solution to a problem. Pieces should not simply jab at things of which the writer does not approve. Humorous opinion pieces are subject to the judgement of the editorial staff.

•All opinion pieces are the views of the author, and the author only, with the exception of staff editorials, which are unsigned and and reflect the consensus view of the students in the Sentry class. Staff editorials are the only columns in the paper that express the unified view of the Sentry staff. This staff editorial process is comprised of two main steps. First, the staff talks amongst themselves about a topic and organizes a position on the issue on which all class members can agree. The editorial is then written and run past the staff members for approval.

•Submit letters to the editor or guest editorials to sentry@jacksonprep.net.

•Questions or comments? Our mailing address is P.O. Box 4940, Jackson, MS 39296. We would love to hear your opinions.

Affiliated with

MISSISSIPPI SCHOLASTIC PRESS ASSOCIATION www.mississippischolasticpress.com

April 2017

Sports Editors Brendon McLeod • Ellis Abdo • RJ Green Assistant Sports Editor Russell Roberts Graphics Editor Holman Buchanan Online Editors Stewart McCullough • Avery Andress Business Manager Patrick Phillips Staff Payne Bell • Tynes Carroll Preston Dubberly• Mary Dunbar William Fletcher • Sarah Avery Huffman Madeline Claire Hughes • Genevieve Hurst Henley Johnson • Duncan Jones Emory Maxwell • Caroline McIntyre Tori Newsome • Bennett O’Quinn James Threadgill • Lake Wartes Nevin Wells • Steven Wyatt Contributors David Crews Kate Oliver Madeleine Puckett Advisor: Mr. Lain Hughes

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News & Features

Mama Mia! Jackson Prep students take on Italy

By Tynes Carroll On Wednesday March 8th, nineteen students and nine adults traveled to Italy and Greece, staying a total of eleven days and returning on the 19th of March. Most students on the trip take Latin or Greek, but other students were invited as well. The trip began in Venice, or Venezia, Italy, which is a city built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. Venice has no roads, just canals, in which students took gondola rides in the evening.

The city had many old palaces that students marveled at before heading by bullet train to Naples, or Napoli,, Italy. Upon arrival in the Naples train station, students loaded a charter bus and rode up the steep mountainous road to the hotel in Sorrento, Italy.

On the way, students viewed the magnificent coastline view of the Amalfi Coast of southern Italy. The next day, the students toured Pompeii, a vast archaeological site located on the coast of the Bay of Naples. Once a thriving and sophisticated Roman city, Pompeii was buried in meters of ash

after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The well-preserved site featured excavated ruins that the students were able to explore.

Fun fact: the average height in Pompeii was approximately five feet tall at the time of the eruption.

Later that day, students traveled by ferry across the Amalfi coast to the islands of Capri. The views were stunning, which blew Destin, Florida’s coastline out of the water.

With the water being crystal clear, the gelato tasty, and the weather perfect, the isles of Capri was many students’ favorite part of the trip.

After spending two nights in downtown of Sorrento, the students loaded the bus once more and drove three hours northeast to Rome, Italy. Students viewed the historical ruins of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the tomb of Julius Caesar.

The next day, the students toured the “Musei Vaticani” or Vatican Museum, located in Vatican City, the smallest country in the world. The Vatican is home of many brilliant

sculptures and frescoes that were painted by great artists such as Raphael and Michelangelo. Students also toured the famous St. Peter’s Basilica, also located within Vatican City.

“The coolest thing to me,” said a student, “was the changing of the Swiss Guard in front of the Papal residence,” which is the home of the current Pope, Pope Francis. Later that day, students also toured “the circular building with a hole on top”, the Pantheon, a monument in which the Latin students had studied previously in their classes. After viewing the famous “Spanish Steps” and Trevi fountain, students packed their bags, said “Ciao” (bye) to Italy, and “ya su” (hello) to Athens, Greece!

Athens had much more of a laid-back feel to the city than the large city of Rome. Although Athens has a slower feel, it is home to approximately half of the population of Greece entirely. The students scaled many mountains and hills in Greece to reach the historical ruins and ancient temples. From the Acropolis (the home of the Parthenon) to Mycenae, Corinth

and Delphi, the students had no lack of exercise.

The students stood in the same exact spot Paul stood when he spoke to the misled and confused Corinthians in approximately 50 AD. The students also visited the ruins of the ancient Oracle of Delphi, and the ruins of the Temple of the greek god, Apollo. The last day, the group traveled from Athens to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and then headed back to America on a nine hour flight over the Atlantic.

After a long but rewarding eleven day trip abroad, students can definitely look back on the Italy and Greece trip of spring break 2017 as a trip that changed their outlook and knowledge of Europe and the rich history within it.

Prep Fest Sponsors: Merriment Sponsor George W. May, Jr., D.M.D., P.A. Southern Beverage Company Revelry Sponsors Jackson Anesthesia Associates: Keith Carter, M.D. and Charles Upton, M.D. Drs. Nicole and Kenneth Cleveland Trustmark National Bank Social Sponsors Continental Sewing Center Cindy and William Harris First Commercial Bank McCraney, Montagnet, Quin & Noble PLLC Kevin and April Nall, on behalf of Will Nall Karen and Jeffrey Taylor Kim and Will Walker

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Mark your calendars for April 28th and 29th for Prep Fest! Time is running out to become a Prep Fest sponsor, which includes guaranteed seating at the fabulous Prep Fest Feast prepared by our celebrity chef, Elizabeth Heiskell, the Debutante Farmer. The deadline for guaranteed feast tickets with your sponsorship is February 14 (What a great Valentine’s gift for your sweetheart!) There are only 250 seats at the Feast, and the limited remaining Feast tickets will be available for sale to the general public after the February 14 deadline. Join our growing list of sponsors by visiting jacksonprep.org/prepfest or contacting our sponsor chair Adrienne Carter at adrienne_cox_carter@hotmail.com. Prep Fest is the one major fundraiser for the Jackson Prep PAT, with all proceeds going directly into the classroom by providing teacher bonuses and fulfilling items on our teachers’ classroom wish lists.

Above: Junior Anne Clark Harvey enjoys viewing the Roman Colosseum. Photo courtesy of Anne Clark Harvey.

Below: Bubbles reflect the evening sky. Photo courtesy of Stewart Shive.

Fest Friends Holly and Brooks Buchanan Mobility Medical, c/o The Carroll Family Stacy and Lawrence Deas DSquared Mary Preston and John Dubberly Lou Ann and Spence Flatgard Fondren Renaissance Foundation Michelle and Gage Gibbs Cindy and William Harris Hederman Brothers Printing Holly and Alan Lange MMC Materials, Inc. Drs. Alan and Jane Ann Moore Wendy and Chuck Mullins Regan and Billy Painter Ashley and Crymes Pittman Leslea and Paige Purvis Amanda and Ben Roberson Anne and Steve Rogers

The Sentry

News & Features Mabry paging in D.C. during exciting political season lake WarTes Cameron Mabry, a 16 year old Jackson Prep junior, has been selected as one out of 30 other high school juniors nationwide to page for the U.S. Senate. Mabry left for D.C. after the Christmas break and will remain for the rest of the semester.

Starting in 1829 when Senator Daniel Webster began the program, future leaders have been paging for America’s current leaders by carrying bills and amendments to the Senate floor, as well as taking messages for Senators in the United States Capitol.

In addition to the daily page duties, Mabry and the other 29 pages are expected to complete at least four hours of homework each day and attend “Page School” from 6:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. each day.

Mabry said that he never thought that he’d one day be chosen to participate in the program.

“I was honored to have been chosen, of course, but soon after the Presidential election it became apparent that the first months of 2017 would be a historic time in Washington, especially for the Senate, which is charged with confirming the President’s cabinet nominations, judges and moving major legislation,” Mabry said.

In his first week, Mabry got to meet Vice-President Mike Pence, Senator Marco Rubio and a host of other naby

Got a story for The Sentry? Send it to sentry@jacksonprep.net

April 2017

tional political figures.

“While at first I had the natural reservations about leaving home for so long, I immediately realized this would be a once in a lifetime experience that can never be replicated or forgotten,” Mabry added. “Now I’m gaining some valuable experience and making memories that will last a lifetime.”

“You also have to be able to recognize each of the 100 Senators on the spot,” Mabry said. “Of course, faces are all different, and easy to remember. The toughest thing is remembering each Senator’s name and state. Some you know from TV, some you’ve never seen before, and others you can’t forget.”

Mabry has U.S. Senator Thad Cochran, his sponsor, to thank for the experience. Mabry will be returning to Jackson Prep in the fall to complete his senior year.

Revellion waves goodbye to another great season and director Dianne Holbert

Tynes Carroll On February 2nd through 5th, Jackson Prep Reveillon travelled to New York City from March 2-5 to participate in the Fame New York competition, their final competition.

On Friday, March 3rd, Reveillon emerged as Grand Champions. They also won awards for Best Crew, Best Choreography, and Best Vocals. Reveillon beat their closest competitors by over 50 points. Reveillon dads drove eighteen hours to the competition in an eighteen wheeler holding all of the sets and costume pieces.

To “warm up” for the competition, the students ran around Times Square and up and down the famous red stairs at the TKTS booth in central Times Square. The weather was freezing, but the students enjoyed the experience of seeing New York and performing in their final competition of the season (other than hosting Heart Of America national showchoir competition in Atlanta, Georgia).

The students were split into chaperone groups on Saturday to tour the big city, shop, by

or watch Broadway musicals.

On Saturday night, the students gathered in New Amsterdam theater in downtown NYC. Some students traveled to Chinatown and Little Italy, while others walked up and down 5th Avenue, a bustling shopping hotspot of the world.

Students experienced the subway, saw Grand Central Station, The 9/11 museum, Central Park, and the Plaza from Eloise at the Plaza, and Eloise at Christmastime. After a full day of sightseeing and watching a musical, students boarded a plane back home to Jackson on Sunday, March 5th.

As Director Dianne Hol-

bert’s final competition, it was definitely a great way to close out her tenth year directing show choirs at Jackson Prep.

Mrs. Holbert is currently performing arts chair here at JP. She has started showchoir in Long Beach HS in Long Beach, Mississippi, Showchoirs Encore and Showtime at Jackson Academy, and Reveillon and Fusion here at Jackson Preparatory School.

It is a bittersweet moment for Mrs. Holbert to see what she had started at Jackson Prep ten years ago grow into the large and popular performing arts program that it is today.

Top right: Senior Reveillon members( (left to right) Abigail Martin, Shelby Pinnix, Emily Michael, Macy Richardson, and Katie Newton enjoy the crisp air of Times Square.

Below: Dianne Holbert, Mitchell McGinnis, and Reveillon members are eccstatic to win in NYC.

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News & Features

MSMS Math Tournament is a success for students

By Alex GiBBs On Tuesday, February 21, several of the Jackson Prep math teachers took 40 students in grades 8-12, 8 from each of the 5 grades, to compete in the Mississippi School for Math and Science Math Tournament at the Trotter Convention Center in Columbus. The questions for these tests are written by MSMS students who are the hosts of the event and do not compete.

The competition contained nearly 600 students from more than a dozen private and public schools across the state that took tests in 5 different subjects corresponding to their grade, the 8th graders taking Algebra I, 9th graders Geometry, 10 graders Algebra II, 11th graders Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus, and 12th graders Calculus.

Every student who went to the competition took a written test and participated in the ciphering competition. In the

ciphering round, speed and accuracy were both emphasized with a two minute time limit being placed on each problem of the 20 problem test. If the student finished before 1 minute and got the problem correct, they got 2 points. If they finished after 1 minute and got it correct, they gained 1 point. If they missed the question, they got 0 points.

After taking the ciphering test, students took a quick break before taking the written test, which ranged from 20 to 22 questions for different subjects and lasted 55 minutes. This was the end of the competing for most of the students, but 4 students from each school participated in the Potpourri round and 10 students participated in the Interschool competition.

After this, everyone’s tests are graded.

In each of the different competitions, individual scores were taken from each person.

Then the individual scores are taken together and combined for a team score for each grade.

After that, the grades’ placing is combined together to find the overall champion.

This year, every grade, except the 9th grade, for Jackson Prep won their respective grade’s ciphering competitions.

Additionally, the Interschool and Potpourri teams both finished first in their competitions.

Not only did Jackson Prep perform well in the team competitions, but several individuals were among the top scorers.

Each grade had multiple people finish in the top 10 on the written test, including 6 in the tenth grade, with Prep having the top individual scorers in the 8th, 10th, and 11th grades.

With all the success Jackson Prep had in each of these competitions, Prep took overall first place for the tournament by a wide margin, regaining the title after last year’s second

place finish. Northwest Rankin finished second and St. Andrew’s finished third.

Although this trip was for math, the participants also had a fun time. They stopped for breakfast at Chick-fil-A in Starkville, and many students continued a tradition of drinking a milkshake for breakfast.

Another tradition that was continued was the senior boys wearing pajamas, which is very

different attire than the rest o the people at the tournament.

Overall, this trip was a great experience and a fun day for the students and a grea success for Jackson Prep.

Math students are thrilled for oth er victory. Photo courtesy of Ale Gibbs.

Science Bowl finishes third at regional competition Alex GiBBs On Friday, February 17th, ten Jackson Prep senior high students, accompanied by sponsors Ms. Tracye Eakes and Ms. Suzanne Eskrigge, participated in the Mississippi Regional Scie nce Bowl held at the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus. They left from school at 8:00 a.m. and did not return until after 10:00 p.m.

Science Bowl is a competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy that tests students’ knowledge of earth and space science, biology, physics, chemistry, energy, and math. State competitions are held in over 40 of the 50 states as well as Puerto Rico, and the winners of these competitions, called regional competitions, earn a free trip to Washington, D.C. to compete in the National Science Bowl.

Jackson Prep has experiBy

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enced success in this competition during the three years the school has competed. In 2015, the middle school team won the state tournament and competed in the National Science Bowl. Last year, the high school team made it to the elimination round of the regional competition, and this year the middle school team finished second place overall in their regional competition. “Middle school” in this context means 7th and 8th graders while high school refers to 9th-12th grades.

The competition is set up in a quiz bowl format, where four students compete at a time for each team with buzzers to answer toss up questions that can be either short answer or multiple choice. Conferring is not allowed on toss up questions.

If someone on the team gets a toss up question correct, that team earns 4 points and

receives a bonus question that conferring among team members is allowed on. If neither team gets the toss up question correct, there is no bonus. A correct answer to a bonus question is worth 10 points.

Each match goes on until 25 toss up questions have been asked or the time limit has been reached. The team that has the most points at the end of the match is declared the winner for that match.

Science Bowl also has some other peculiar rules, including multiple choice options being W, X, Y, and Z and very specific rules about blurting and being called on.

Each team has 3 pool play matches, and following those, the top eight teams go to single elimination. This year Team 1, with team members David Crews, Alex Gibbs, Charlie Ott, Alex Reichle, and Andrew Wasson advanced to the semi-

finals, finishing in third place behind Oxford High School and the Mississippi School for Math and Science, while Team 2, with team members Edwin Griffis, Jack Mullen, Reece Davis, Elly Lamb, and Russ Upton, did not qualify for the elimination rounds.

Overall, this was a good showing by both teams, and the students who participated en-

joyed the trip very much. Sophomore Charlie Ott described the trip as “a fun experience where I got to compete and hang out with some people that I normally would not.”

Jackson Prep looks to return to the competition next year and win at regionals to advance to the National Science Bowl.

Science Bowl competitors enjoy another year at the Mississippi University for Women.

The Sentry

Student Profiles Meet Jackson Prep’s most interesting man: Logan Osborne Emory maxwEll Logan Osborne is a junior at Prep, but he definitely is not your average eleventh-grader. Logan is a member of the football team, and many of the coaches are very excited about his capabilities on the defensive line. He says he enjoys playing football because it is “like a war.” Logan also recently received a GLI Impactful Leader award for his leadership shown during the Junior class garage sale.

Logan has two brothers, Carter, who graduated from Prep in 2014, and Will, who is also a junior and Logan’s twin.

Before Logan came to Prep in seventh grade, he attended elementary school at First Presbyterian Day School.

Logan enjoys weight lifting in and out of school, and plans to obtain a PhD in strength and conditioning at Mississippi State. by

“My dream job is to be a gentlemen spy like James Bond and be licensed to kill.”

Outside of school, Logan enjoys working out and spending time with friends. Logan also enjoys hunting and fishing with his family and brother Will. His most recent hunting venture took him to Alberta, Canada, where he killed two bears with a bow and arrow.

Question and answer with Logan Osborne Q:Where do you plan on attending college and what do want to do?

A:Go to Mississippi State and get a PhD in strength and conditioning and be a strength coach people call Dr. Strong Q: What is your dream job?

A: Be a gentlemen spy like James Bond. Be licensed to kill Q: Who is your role model and why?

A: Dan Bilzerian because he’s got a lot of guns

Q: Who is your celebrity crush?

A: Selena Gomez Q: Who is your favorite student in the junior high and why?

A: Peyton Dunn becuse he’s a jolly guy Q: What is your favorite class?

A: History Q: What do you want people to know about you that they may not already know?

A: I weighed three pounds when I was born

Jimmy Underwood is not your average ninth grader GraciE mccranEy Jimmy Underwood may only be in ninth grade, but his talent in and outside of the classroom is known throughout the entire school.

Underwood is the younger brother of junior at Prep, Greer, and older brother of 6th grader, Ian who attends First Presbyterian Day School.

He is the son of artist Stacy and physician Jay Underwood. Jimmy says that his parents are his biggest role models.

Before Prep, Jimmy attended First Presbyterian Day School. At Prep, he has become involved academically and as well as in the arts. His favorite subject in school is science because he enjoys learning about microbiology, which comes natby

April 2017

urally to him.

Jimmy is a current member of Fusion, the junior high show choir. You can find him singing a duet with Walker Jay Patterson in their show. He enjoys show choir because “it is a great way to get to know people outside of your grade” and his favorite part is winning competitions and socializing with his peers. He also says that show choir has helped him build up confidence. After watching Revellion and Fusion for many years, his sister, who is a current Revellion member, encouraged him to try out for the group.

When he is not busy with school or show choir, Jimmy enjoys hanging out with his friends, watching movies, and travelling.

His favorite movie is Airplane! His favorite places that he has travelled to are Disney World, New York, and the Carlsbad Caverns. He also has been to eight different beaches.

He takes after his very artistic mother in that some of his hidden talents include drawing and painting.

In the future he plans to attend college. He also wants to go to medical school and pursue a carrer in that field. His dream job would either be pursuing a career as either anesthesiologist or a heart surgeon.

If he could live anywhere in the world it would be either Belize because of its beautiful beaches and good food, Oxford because he is an avid Ole Miss fan and likes the town, or Italy.

Jimmy performing at a showchoir competition this season.

Photo courtesy of Jimmy Underwood

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News & Features

Change is coming to the Prep schedule avery anDress Jackson Prep is currently considering a revamping of the school schedule, and has hired a consultant team that will help the school choose and implement a new schedule.

The drive for a new schedule comes the strategic plan developed by the faculty, Board of Trustees, parents, and students in a process that began in the 2014-2015 school year. A schedule change will hopefully open up new opportunities for students to take a wide variety of courses. Other goals of this new schedule are that it will be more flexible than our current schedule and more student-centered.

The group that is helping the school is Independent School Management (I.S.M.).

They have been studying our schedule all year and will by

A new schedule will not be implemented until the 2018-2019 school year. continue to do so. Prep formed a task force which includes junior high teachers, senior high teachers, coaches, sponsors and many more. This task force met with I.S.M. representatives and shared their priorities for the things that they wanted to have in the schedule.

Ms. Carolyn Sisk, Prep’s Director of Academic, and Mr. Hunter Upchurch, Assistant Director of Academics, have been coordinating the development and implementation

schedule.

An ISM consultant, Dr. Bryan Smyth, was on campus the week of March 20. While he was here he met with teachers, students, parents, and administrators to try to understand how our school functions.

Smyth asked groups of students what it was like to be a student at Prep and what their school day was like. He toured and observed.

Throughout the week, Smyth made two or three sample schedules that he presented to all of the teachers and the Board of Trustees on Friday, March 24.

Smyth will explore how each schedule will impact the school. He discussed the advantages and disadvantages of every schedule. The faculty will have the opportunity for feedback.

Consultant Dr. Bryan Smyth prepares to address the faculty.

The school plans to makde a decision about which schedule to adopt within the next 4-6 weeks. Mr. Upchurch said, “I am very excited about the possibilities that a new schedule will offer us to enhance the academic life of the school and make the student experience at Prep even better.”

There will be scheduling software to create the students’ and teachers’ schedules, a process overseen each year by Ms. Sisk. Whatever changes end up being made, the new schedule will not be implemented until the 2018-2019 school year.

College counselors help with that big decision Mary Dunbar As the school year comes to an end, the college counseling office has had a very productive year.

Last summer, the office expanded into room 100, the former student publications room, located near the senior high office. The new office features seating and video monitors designed to make it attractive and helpful to both students and parents.Over the course of the year, they finished their improvements with the senior hangout space.

College counselors Ms. Malika Lindsay and Mr. Adam Mangana have been busy supplying transcripts to colleges for all the seniors, getting the current eleventh graders ready for next year, while at the same time gathering information for producing class days and twelfth grade graduation. by

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Ms. Lynda Richardson, who serves as Record Administrator, says the most pleasurable part of her job is seeing the kids every day. The two hardest periods of her job are in November and May. “November is challenging because we have to

“Prep students can go anywhere.”

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meet all the colleges’ deadlines for every senior.” May tends to be difficult for her because of all the twelth grade activities. “On graduation day I work between 18 - 22 hours, setting and cleaning up everything.”

The college counseling office’s job is a year-long one.

Last semester they were busy with college applications, and this semester they are busy with helping seniors complete scholarships and setting up everything for the incoming seniors next school year.

Ms. Lindsay and Mr. Managana want the seniors to know how proud of them they are. When asked about advice for the upcoming seniors, Mr. Mangana said to “realize their parents have made a tremendous investment in Prep and now they, as Prep students, can go anywhere. Try to explore those options outside of

Ms. Lindsay busy filling out paperwork for scholarships for twelth-graders. Photo by Mary Dunbar

Mississippi too and come back to share your experiences and knowledge.”

Ms. Lindsay’s best advice for seniors is to “Finish strong because many colleges will look at final grades. Also, it is still not too late to apply to scholar-

ships.”

Prep students ever needing help, the college counselors are available during homeroom, activity period, and by appointment.

The Sentry

News & Features

NHS students recognized for excellence brittany WilkinSon Jackson Prep welcomed its newest members into the National Honor Society (NHS), a national organization that has recognized outstanding high school students since 1921.

NHS is more than just a group of students with great grades.

The students are the best and brightest at Prep demonstrating excellence in scholarship, service, leadership, and character. NHS focuses on four main purposes: to create enthusiasm for scholarships and higher learning, to stimulate a desire

to provide service, to promote leadership, and to develop character in students.

The induction was held in the Fortenberry Auditorium on February 14. Each new member was called up to receive a certificate of their achievement and sign the official NHS book.

Currently, Joseph Upton is President, McKenzie Davis is Vice President, Emily Claire Herring is Secretary, Rosie Ferguson is Treasurer, and Bailey Winscott is Junior Vice President.

Sarah avery huffman The current junior class put on the 29th annual Junior Class Garage Sale on March 4, 2017. Its purpose is to raise money to pay for Prom and senior graduation night. Junior students put in hours of work collecting items, organizing clothes, furniture, and toys, making signs, and working the

garage sale. It is a very busy time and requires a lot of work and preparation, but the end result is worth it.

In order to make sure that everyone gets the 10 hours they need, students were required to sign up for groups in which they would work. These groups included sorting and pricing, security, sign makers, hour

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After an introduction and welcome from the President, the ceremony began. Candles signifying the four aspects of NHS were lit, and a congratulatory speech from Coach Bradford wrapped up the night. Afterward, the new members and their families enjoyed snacks and refreshments. Overall, it was a wonderful night of celebrating the hard work and achievements of the students and encouraging them to continue in their excellence.

Junior garage sale provides gently used treasures

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Junior Elly Lamb helps organize items for the garage sale. Photo courtesy of Lawson Yelverton.

April 2017

loggers, pick up crew, clean up crew, and area managers.

To make sure the groups knew what to do and when to do it, certain students were heads over groups. Fellow students then signed up for certain groups to be their primary work area. This was necessary to ensure each student was doing what they were supposed to.

Each of these jobs were important in making the garage sale happen.

For the first time ever, the junior students were complete-

ly in charge of the garage sale instead of being parent led.

This meant that it was solely the student’s job to get everything organized.

The chairs of the garage sale, Lawson Yelverton and Nelson Ramsey, agreed that it was a difficult project that required a lot of dedication and cooperation, but that the junior class stepped up and handled it well. “Honestly, I think we all grew as leaders and as a class because this was a huge project for us to take on, and we did a

great job,” said Lawson. It is obvious that the juniors did a great job due to the fact that they raised over $20,000. A portion of this was donated to Canopy Children’s services which is Jackson Prep’s school charity.

Overall, the garage sale was a success. Having the students lead the garage sale was difficult, but the juniors were able to handle it. Camille Grady who was in charge of logging the hours said, “It was definitely a learning experience, but this way we can help the juniors next year.” Hopefully next year with the present junior class’ help, the garage sale will be even more successful.

JJunior Neil Stewart shows off a sign she made. Photo courtesy of Lawson Yelverton.

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Junior High News

Fusion celebrates A Night in Paris Madeline Puckett Mr. Mitchell McGinnis directs Fusion, the Junior High show choir. It consists of 8th and 9th-grade boys and girls.

The Fusion season started before last summer with tryouts occurring last school year.

Then, over the summer they attended a week-long choreography camp and other practices. Other camps were offered to work on skills. Fusion practiced every day during school hours and after school three times a week. Fusion worked really hard to put together the show for this year. The show was set in the wonderful Paris, France.

But the students weren’t the only ones who worked long hours. Parents came and put together sets, including a giant Eiffel Tower and backdrops of the Parisian skyline.

Moms came to help size the costumes and alter them.

They also came to help with hair and makeup for the girls.

Students can also join set crew which is an integral part of the show. The set crew travels to all the performances and comes to practices to help with costumes, sets, and other activities.

Members like all different aspects of Fusion. Soloists include: Walker Jay Patterson, Tori Johnston, Tatum Henry, and Jimmy Underwood. Members such as Walker Jay Patterson and Hannah Grace Biggs love the competitive aspect of by

JH Quiz Bowl team puts young minds to the test david crews In February, the junior high quiz bowl took two teams to a competition at Madison Central High School. One of these teams, consisting of all ninth graders, went on to win the competition while the other team was not too far behind.

Quiz bowl is a competition where kids are put in a room and are given questions to answer. One match consists of four rounds, with two teams going against each other. Questions in the competition range from history to music to grammar to math.

Ms. Tracye Eakes, the sponsor for the junior high quiz bowl, often says that the students need to brush up on their music history. The winning team, including students such as Russ Upton, Abigail Metcalf, and others, won some matches by as many as 200 points, which equals about twenty more correct answers.

The junior high quiz bowl team also went to a competition at Murrah High School, where they competed against senior high teams. They had more trouble at this competition, going 2-3 after losing in the first round of the single elimination. This competition had much harder questions that were aimed more towards senior high kids.

Despite these setbacks, the team won two games, and one of the team members, who has asked to remain anonymous, received the award for the highest scoring freshman for the entire competition.

The team was also supposed to go to two competitions at Itawamba Agricultural High School, but they did not attend either one due to scheduling conflicts and bad weather.

Later this spring, a team will go to New Orleans for the National Quiz Bowl competition. They will spend a couple of days there on Memorial Day weekend and compete against other schools from across the country. In order to qualify for this competition, they had to take an online test and be compared against other schools across America. They came in fourth in the country on this test, guaranteeing them a spot in the competition.

Along with having some very good ninth graders, the junior high quiz bowl team also has some very promising younger kids.

Students such as Alex Roberson and Thomas Wasson, younger brothers of Wesley Roberson and Robert Wasson, have shown much promise in the quiz bowl. Other names such as Selby Ireland and Andrew Banks are beginning to surface as the spot for the best junior high quiz bowler opens up this next season as the older, more experienced ninth graders move up to the senior high.

Not only does this year’s quiz bowl team look good, but its future is bright due to all the promising talent that looks to fill up the roster for the next few years. by

Show choir participants pose with exotic masks. Photo by Gracie McCraney.

becoming a team and winning.

Members Brennan Joy Hight, Olivia Wann, and Andrea McCaa love the family aspect and new friendships. Member Dabney Flynt enjoys the dancing. Some members said that they enjoy the excitement of an opening curtain and screaming crowds.

All the students who participated in this year’s show choir season worked really hard to put on a show and had a great time.

Tryouts for the 2017-18 school year will be held in April. If you have always wanted to be in the spotlight, this could be your

Got a news flash for The Sentry?

Let us know! sentry@jacksonprep.net 10

The Sentry

News & Features

Family and fete and feast, oh my! blair Stockett For years, Heart of the Home has been the premier fundraiser for Jackson Prep, but this year things are a little bit different. Prep Fest is the fundraiser this year and will be held on Friday April 28th and Saturday April 29th. Prep Fest is going to be a two day event with the main events being the fete on Friday night and a feast on Saturday night.

A common question that has taken the Prep campus by storm is what is a fete? A fete, by definition, is an elaborate festival, party or celebration.

In Britain, fetes are traditional public festivals, held outdoors and organized to raise funds for a charity. They typically include entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments.

The Prep fete will be held at The Cedars in Fondren and will include a student art show, food trucks and Prep singing groups, including The Pearl Divide from 8-9 oclock. All are welcome and the cost is five dollars per person.

Saturday night is the feast, which is a seated dinner for 250 people also at The Cedars in Fondren. Prior to the

feast there will be a sponsor party for all of the gracious contributors who helped make this event possible.

The featured chef is the “Debutante Farmer”, Elizabeth Heiskell, who appeares regularly on the Today Show.

The menu for the feast includes gumbo, pork loin, collard greens, quinoa, cornbread, bread pudding and strawberry cobbler. All of the ingredients used are are locally grown and raised and the food will be prepared fresh that day.

There will be live entertainment by the Antoon brothers as well as featured artist Anne Seale, who will be painting the scene of the feast to be auctioned off after the dinner. There will also be a $5000 drawdown with each ticket going for $100. The cost of a ticket for the entire evening is $150 and there are only a limited number of tickets left.

The Jackson Prep community is anticipating this years fundraiser and all of the proceeds will go to the Patriot Club and back into the Prep classrooms.

PreSton Dubberly Felicity Xie is Jackson Prep’s newest foreign exchange student from China. She is a sophomore who started in the middle of third term.

Felicity loves Jackson Prep for multiple reasons: the environment, the campus, the students, and the teachers.

She has a little sister back home, but she is staying with her uncle while she is here.

What she misses most about China is obviously her friends and her family.

As of right now, Felicity is having a trial run here at

Prep and will decide how long she will stay later on this year.

Mrs. Zhu has been a huge help to Felicity allowing her to improve on speaking English.

In fact, her biggest struggle is speaking and understanding the English language. It is very overwhelming for her because we tend to talk very fast.

What she loves most about Prep is the taking an art class.

In fact, Felicity said “In China, I never had the opportunity to take an art class, but I love to draw and paint.” It is her favorite part of her day. Even out of school, she loves creating art.

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Felicity Xie finds home away from home at Prep by

April 2017

Along with taking an art class, she takes every class that sophomores are required to take.

Felicity is very lucky to have her fellow foreign exchange students also from China, sophomores Edward Huang, Nina Sun, and freshman Felix Lyu to show her around Prep.

They took around the campus to show her around and sometimes step in to help explain things that could be confusing to her. We are so fortunate that Felicity has come to Jackson Prep.

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News & Features Student Council has had a successful year Maclain Kennedy From the hundreds of roses to the many laughs that have been shared, student Council has had a very successful year so far. Student Council is made up of 10 members from each grade. The sophomore and junior classes has a president and a vice president, and the senior class has a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer.

This year’s president of the student body is Paul Andress, Anna Kate Williams is senior class president, Maddy Mazzaferro is junior class president, and Mary Price Montagnet is sophomore class president.

Paul Andress, a current senior, has been on student council before, and is taking job as president very well. “I enjoy student council because we have a great group of students who enjoy working hard by

to serve the student body,” said Andress.

The first event that student council put on has the supply shop that was at the end of the summer. Several meetings occurred to set up the store where the student council got together and unpacked boxes full of supplies. Council members set up school supplies and took students around to buy supplies when they had orientation. This money went to fund all activities of the student council for the year.

Since then, student council has sold tickets for a bus trip to PCS and Natchez during football season, served pizza before the girls JA vs. Prep soccer game, and much more.

Mary Price Montagnet, the President of the sophomore class, says that she “This year student council has been very productive in helping to serve

our school. From working the supply store to selling t-shirts to delivering carnations, we have been happy to give a hand anywhere that we are needed.”

To start off the Christmas season, student council had a movie night at the school. Elf was played and students were invited to come and get in the spirit of the holidays. The following morning, student council members helped with Candle lighters, which was a great event where members got to hang out with kids.

One of the more recent events put on by the student council was during Valentine’s.

What better way to show your appreciation for loved ones than sending them a carnation?

With the help of student council, students were able to order a carnation and personalize it with a message, having it specially delivered to a locker or

teacher’s room.

On February 13th, members got together and tied the

so far this school year.

If interested in running for student council, elections for student body president are April 12, and elections for student body vice president are on April 11. Other elections occur throughout the month of April until May 1. Check the announcements for further updates.

knot on tons of carnations and delivered them for the big day, Valentine’s Day. Student Council is a chance for students to help out the school and fellow classmates. In many ways student council has accomplished this

Mock Trial goes to State Competition by avery andress The Mock Trial team this year is sponsored by Ms. Williams. The Jackson Prep Mock Trial team sent two teams to the Jackson Regional Mock Trial Tournament on Saturday, January 21. Both teams advanced to the state tournament which took place March 9 and March 10. The Mock Trial team is led by Captain William Leech, Co-Captain Lily Garretson, and Team Secretaries Mary Patterson Hester and Lauren Williams.

They usually practice once a week, sometimes twice a week. Junior Mary Patterson Hester’s dad is a lawyer and helped the team prepare for their competitions. The team attended two competitions this

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season. They were in the top of their first competition so they advanced to the State competition that took place at Hinds County Courthouse.

There were two teams from Prep that competed. One team of lawyers was Mary Patterson Hester, Lily Garretson, and Mitchell Boulanger. Kelly McBride, Baron Liston, and Shelby Andress were on the same team, but they were witnesses. The other team of lawyers was William Leech, Jack Mullen, and Lauren Williams.

Annie Rogers, Will Gage, and Nosyatina Turcal were witnesses. These two teams competed against the other teams at the competition.

Each team gets a court case that is based on an actual

case. The case that they are given varies from the actual court case in some ways, and the people who change the case try to make it where either side could win the case.

Everyone gets assigned a character or characters to be in the case. Junior Mitchell Boulanger said, “I like Mock Trial because it’s like an episode of Law and Order but you get to be the characters.” Each team is judged on how well they perform. Junior Mary Patterson Hester said, “My favorite thing about Mock Trial is that you really get to experience how the court system works and you learn a lot about the legal system.” This year’s team had a fun, successful year.

Nosyatina Turcal, Annie Rogers, and Lauren Williams at the Hinds County Courthouse State Mock Trial Tournament. Photo courtesy of Lauren Williams.

The Sentry

Around Town Jackson decks out in green for parade

By Chatham Kennedy

Beads and flowers littered the streets of Downtown Jackson on March 18th, 2017. Jacksonians dressed in green tutus, boas, and suits for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

This time-honored tradition began in the early 1980s

by Malcolm White, owner of Congress Street’s beloved restaurant and brewery Hal and Mal’s. White wanted to express his love for spring, Mardi Gras, and St. Patrick’s Day through this eccentric processional.

Today, the festival lives on as Hal’s St. Paddy’s Parade and Festival to honor White’s

late brother and business partner.

The parade has grown astronomically since the first time White and his friends marched through Jackson. This year nearly fifty green floats entertained bystanders. The parade runs on a “first come, first serve” basis, so anyone is allowed to participate if they are willing to cover a flatbed trailer with glue and streamers.

For some people, the St. Paddy’s Day Parade is as grandiose as tailgating. Hours before the parade starts, Mississippians from across the state gather to stake their parade space. Tents filled with food,

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drinks, and music crowd the sidewalks as people prepare for the spectacle.

The St. Paddy’s Day Parade is fun for all ages. A 5K race takes place before the parade. In addition, there is a children’s parade where every child is welcome to participate.

After the parade, there is a music festival for adults on Commerce Street.

Senior Emily Clark says, “I wish I was little kid again because they only give the little kids the good beads.”

Whether you are young or old, the St. Paddy’s Day Parade has something for everyone.

Ann Clardy Byrd, Caroline Pringle, Ally Walker, and Gracie McCraney sport green upon green for the annual St. Paddy’s Day Parade. Photo by Holman Buchanan.

It’s all Greek to me...

Paul’s Palate

by Paul Andress Greek cuisine is high on my list of my favorite kinds of food.

There are many great places around Jackson to receive quality Greek food. However, each one has different characteristics that make it stand out over others.

In this edition I will break down my three favorite Greek places which are Keifer’s, Krilakis, and Athenos.

6392 E Ridgewood Ct., Jackson 4327 Lakeland Drive, Flowood 1000 Highland Colony Pkwy., Ridgeland 1220 E. Northside Drive, Jackson

April 2017

Keifer’s is probably the best known restaurant on my list. They are well known for their gyros, cottage fries, and pita mozz with feta.

However, there is one aspect of Keifer’s that I believe is often overlooked and is the best kept secret. This is their honey mustard. Honey mustard does not typically come on gyros, but the honey mustard on the chicken gyro keeps me coming back time and time again. Not every gyro comes with honey mustard, so you may have to ask for it if you want to try it out.

The gyro accompanied by cottage fries and pink lemonade is a sure bet for a satisfactory experience at Keifer’s.

Krilakis is a Greek restaurant located in Ridgeland. They have great gyros and salads.

The gyro at Krilakis comes with tzatziki sauce. I am a fan of the tzatziki sauce, but I would recommend asking for it on the side on your maiden voyage.

Krilakis serves an enjoyable salad that comes with either lamb or chicken. I am a fan

of the lamb, and their balsamic vinaigrette dressing is spot on.

If you are not in the mood for Greek food, Krilakis also boasts an outstanding hamburger which is highlighted by their sweet bun.

I have just recently discovered Athenos which is located in Madison with my good friend and former Prep teacher Dr. Christopher Weeks. I am not usually a fan of hummus, but Athenos serves unbelievable hummus with great pita.

Their gyro chicken and lamb is my favorite among the three restaurants. Athenos was not highlighted by honey mustard or tzatziki sauce as the gyro does not need it.

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Oh, the places we went: Spring Break 2017

By Holman Buchanan

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The Sentry

Entertainment

Beauty and the Beast goes beastmode in the box office Movie Review: Mary Patton Murphy

A tale as old as time, Beauty and the Beast, has hit theaters once again. As of March 17, Walt Disney Pictures released a retelling of the Disney classic, starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast, thrilling audiences of all ages.

The screenplay and direction of the film, which is based on the screenplay and direction of the 1991 original movie, portrays the characters and scenery without straying from the plot of the traditional love story.

However, due to new advances in technicolor and computer generated imagery and the extraordinary talent of each actor, the film presents certain aspects of the sto-

ry in a different light while still holding fast to one, essential Disney aspect: magic.

In comparison to other recently released Walt Disney Pictures princess films that were based on the original, animated Disney princess movies, such as Mirror Mirror (March 2012), Maleficent (May 2014), and Cinderella (March 2015), the success of Beauty and the Beast surpasses them all.

According to Disney, the first teaser trailer of the film was viewed 91.8 million times in the first 24 hours, and according to E!News, it is predicted that Beauty and the Beast will beat the worldwide debuts of previous March releases. This makes the first teaser trailer of

Beauty and the Beast the most viewed teaser trailer in history, and it will make the film the top March opener of all time.

In addition to the stunning Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, cast members of the film include Welsh actor Luke Evans, the voice of Olaf in Disney’s Frozen, as Gaston, Josh Gad, as Le Fou, the Oscar nominated actor Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, and the Academy Award winner Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts.

Also adding to the marvelous story was the modernized music as well as the new music of the movie that was composed by Alan Menken, who was also the composer for the 1991 film.

Impressed by the success of the first Beauty and the Beast, the director of the 2017 film, Bill Condon, agreed to direct a live action version for this very

reason. It’s no surprise that the music of the recent film is just as gripping as the music preceding it and that it is now a well received soundtrack on Spotify.

Beauty and the Beast is simply enchanting, causing many young girls to dream about their own jaw-dropping ball gown, handsome prince, and happy ending. According to recent interviews between members of the cast and various news teams, it’s evident that these members agree as

well. Regarding her role in one of the most cherished love stories of all time, Emma Watson stated, “It was pretty amazing... and now my real life will have to try to live up to that ballroom and that dress and Dan Stevens asking me to waltz. What am I going to do?”

Belle (Emma Watson) watches her father (Kevin Kline) work on one of his inventions .

Logan shreds its way to the top of the box office Movie Review: Jacob Aron

The end of an era has come, the X-Men movie franchise will never be the same, and 20th Century Fox is stuck in between a rock and a hard place. Logan released into theatres March 3, 2017 marking the end of an era for many of its loyal fans and for two of its most recognizable actors. Logan will be the last movie that Hugh Jackman will be playing the Wolverine as well as Professor X being played as Patrick Stewart.

Logan clawed its way to an astonishing opening weekend making 237.8 million worldwide and shredding the competition here at home making 85.3 million, Logan was also well received critically with a certified

April 2017

fresh score of 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes as well as a 94% audience score.

Logan is set in the dystopian future of 2029 , where no new mutant has been born in the last 25 years, and where an aged,disheartened Wolverine who’s life as a superhero has ended as he has entered exile from the world and his legacy on a remote stretch of land from an old friend on the mexican border. Wolverine has picked up a job being a driver for hire as he takes care of a very old professor X who suffers from seizures that only get worse, but wolverine is not alone he is also helped by another mutant named Caliban. Soon all of this changes when a woman asks Logan to embark on a dan-

gerous mission to go on a road trip with very special young girl across the country so that the girl may be safe. After Wolverine accepts things get much darker than they already are and this movie truly earns its R rating.

Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart make this movie great with some of the best acting that I have seen them deliver in years, as well as in my opinion this being one of the best, if not the best X-Men films that have been produced. While Logan has plenty of violence and gore and definitely earns its R rating in some of the most amazing ways, it is about more than a regular comic book film where the goal is to beat the villain or save the world It brings into perspective ideas of destiny, fate, aging, death, loss and hope.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone looking for an entertaining action drama

that is well worth the money spent on the tickets, while this movie is great I would say this film might be a little too gory for some small children so take that into consideration before packing up the minivan. I dare say this is the best X- Men movie to be made by 20th Century

Fox if you don’t count Deadpool who in my opinion is in a completely different category.

So if you get a chance I highly recommend that you go give it a watch.

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Entertainment

Let’s talk about the Dab

By Patrick PhilliPs The Dab. Nearly everyone has heard of it and almost everyone has at some point seen it. But you’re about to learn a lot more about it than you probably want to.

First off, the Dab was created some time in mid 2015 by an Atlanta rapper who goes by the name of Skippa-Da-Flippa.

He used it in some of his songs and music videos however he never intended it to be used how it is now. After Skippa created the dab it took a little while for the dance gesture to take off.

According to Google Trends the first time “Dab” was trending was when the Atlanta rap group “Migos” released a single titled “look at my Dab”. For a

long time after this the Migos were viewed as the creator of the Dab, they even claimed to have created it, according to a tweet from their twitter page.

Skippa-Da-Flippa called the Migos out on Twitter and as an

end result the Migos apologized for claiming the Dab and recognized Skippa-Da-Flippa as the original creator. The next time “Dab” reached a trending peak was when Cam Newton used it to celebrate a touchdown multi-

Cam Newton “hits the Dab” after he rushes for a touchdown in the 2015 NFL season

ple times in the 2015-2016 NFL season. The Dab hit the all time high in mid February due to the panthers taking their team photo dabbing and because of their success in the postseason.

Now the NFL season is over and the Dab is looking like it is just becoming a temporary fad. Cam newton announced in June of 2016 he would no longer dab in his celebrations, however in November almost exactly a year from his Dab debut he hit the dab one last time after a touchdown against the Chiefs. The Dab also played a role in the 2016 election when Hillary Clinton dabbed on the Ellen Degeneres show. After being photographed with a dabbing teenager Paul Ryan de-

cided to try and dab but hours later swore off dabbing for the rest of his life on Twitter.

Two years later it is now safe to say the Dab is dead and I do not see any way anyone could ever shine light on it again. Despite this, Prep students can still be seen hittin’ that Dab in the hallways and fields of Jackson Prep.

Kong: Skull Island crushes the competition in the box office Movie Review: Russel Roberts Kong: Skull Island hit theaters on March 10th, 2017 and with a budget 185 million dollars. There has been a total of 10 King Kong related film productions. Each film following the same pattern of the other.

Kong casts Tom Hiddleston who plays the main role of a British man named Captain James Conrad. Brie Larson who came to fame through the film “Room” plays the role of the photographer, Mason Weaver. Samuel L. Jackson plays the so called “human villain” in the movie as United States Army Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard.

Veteran actor John Goodman leads the expedition playing the role of Bill Randa.

New star Corey Hawkins from “Straight Outta Compton” and

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current tv show “24” plays the role of young geologist Houston Brooks. Comedian John C. Reilly plays war veteran Hank Marlow who had been on the island for 29 years after crashing there during World War II. In the film, Bill Randa leads an expedition to an uncharted island that claims to be a place where “planes always go down”. Upon arrival they see the beautiful island and Kong immediately appears. Unlike the past King Kong movie, Kong is absolutely ginormous.

Kong has always been known to be a massive creature but this film takes it to another level.

Kong poses threats but the real threat was the “skull crawlers” who lived underground and the King of the Skull Crawlers matched the lethalness of Kong but Kong had always had the upper hand so he would never

come out until Kong was at his weakest. Things happen, and Kong ends up facing his toughest enemy.

Critics say the acting was not very good in this film and sorry to say, I slightly agree with them as the movie was corny and awkward at some points. Samuel L. Jackson did a good job playing the villain and I believe it covered up for all the bad acting in the film. Also, just about all the fight scenes in this movie were really cool and took the audiences mind off the awkward acting.

My favorite part of this movie was when they first arrived at the mysterious island and it gives a panorama of the whole island. This scene is very pretty until Kong come out of no where and makes a statement that this is his island.

Overall, Kong: Skull Island is an exciting movie that I suggest for a watch.

Above: Tom Hidleston and Brie larson look to an oncoming danger

The Sentry

Entertainment

Rightnow Media: a great online Christian resource

by Caroline McIntyre Do you want to learn more about Jesus and have fun doing it? Rightnow Media is the place to go to find any video from learning more about a certain book of the Bible, or getting advice on Godly relationships.

Rightnow Media is a website housing videos from many Christian influencers focusing on different topics. They have a numerous amount of topics such as: bible studies, pastors, small groups, leadership, work, mental health, college and youth adults, children, marriage, books of the bible, etc. There are many videos with each series, and this helps to give you more viewpoints on the subject.

One of my favorite studies has been “The Book of James” by Francis Chan.

This study has 12 sessions all focusing on a certain portion of James. It also comes with a

sheet with questions based on the videos. Chan digs deep in this passage discovering more about what James is telling us. He gives multiple viewpoints that everyone can relate to.

In my opinion, this is a much easier way of trying to better understand a book of the Bible. Having a strong Christian leader explain piece by piece of the book; it really helps to better understand what God is telling us.

On another route, one favorite of mine has been Tim Tebow’s “Shaken” video series.

This contains four videos that explain different things that can relate to our life. These are based off of Tebow’s latest book “Shaken”. Tebow gives examples in his life that relate to the topic of what he is speaking about. I really enjoy hearing the different ways God has worked through his life.

Jackson band The Weeks makes waves

Kate Oliver The Weeks are an up and coming indie rock band from Jackson, Mississippi. The group consists of lead vocalist Cyle Barnes, guitarist Samuel Williams, bassist Damien Bone, and Caine Barnes on drums. Formed in 2006, they have since been on multiple tours and have produced four highly successful albums. Some hit alternative singles from said albums include “Brother in the Night,” “Buttons,” and “The House We Grew Up In.” Despite becoming quite the national sensation, the Weeks still have shows in and around Jackson. You might see them at Fronden’s First Thursday, Bright Lights Belhaven Lights, or even local venues or bars. For example, on April 28th they are performing at Martin’s in Jackson. If you ever get the chance to see this band live, take it. They are truly incredible, with so much energy by

on and off stage. You will find yourself singing along to every catchy song, even if you do not know the words.

The Weeks overall have some very diverse songs, and there is something for everyone. Even if you are not into alternative music, you will most

definitely like at least two or three of their songs. Ask anyone in Jackson and they will know who the Weeks are. They even will name a couple of their favorite songs. I highly recommend giving this band a listen; you will not regret it.

Everything, Everything is a must-read book Book Review: Gevevieve Hurst Everything, Everything, written by Nicola Yoon, was made into a movie that is due to be released May 5 of this year. Written in 2015, this book was an immediate hit, as it

was nominated for Goodreads Choice Awards Best Young Adult Fiction.

Madeline Whittier, the book’s protagonist, has SCID, also known as “Bubble Baby Disease”. This basically means

A scene from the movie, which will be released in theaters in May.

April 2017

that she is allergic to just about everything. She has not been able to leave the house since she was a small child. The only people that come into her house are her mom, who is her doctor, her nurse, Carla, and occasionally teachers. Everything that comes in has to be sanitised a ton, as random, unknown things can spark her allergies, and she can only eat select things.

One day, a new kid named Olly moves in next door with his family. He attempts to come to her house to meet the neighbors, but her mom turns him and his sister away. The two later become friends, talking first through signs in the window Taylor Swift in You Belong With Me style, and later through texting.

The rest of the book shows Madeline and Olly attempt to

further their relationship and Madeline trying to discover the world, both despite Madeline’s allergies.

The movie trailer looks pretty accurate to the book. Madeline is played by Amandla Stenberg, who is Rue in The Hunger Games. In one interview, Nicola Yoon said she pictured Stenberg as her protagonist. Olly is played by Nick Robinson. 8th grader Liddy Hurst said of this casting, “The trailer looks really good, but I wish Ansel Elgort played Olly. This guy seems awkward.”

If you don’t want to know the majority of the plot of this book, don’t watch the movie trailer! If you’ve already watched it, it’s alright, because there are major plot twists not shown in the trailer. One of the largest, but most predictable, plot twists is shown in the trail-

er, so it’s probably safest not to watch it.

This book was a great read, and it will be really fun to watch this May.

The cover of the novel Everything, Everything.

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Sports

Prep Baseball starts new season with a strong beginning

by RJ Green The Prep baseball team has gotten off to a solid start this season with a 13-3 record so far. The team began the season on a role winning five straight games, but then dropped two games to Central Hinds. They then refocused and have been on a role winning 8 of their last 9 games. This included winning two out of three against cross town rival JA. Senior Infielder Hudson Little has been on fire from the plate as he is batting .440 from the plate. Sophomore Outfielder Jerrion Ealy is batting .348 from the plate with a team leading 10 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Junior Catcher Knox Loposer is also batting .348 with 9 RBIs and 1 HR. Senior Matthew Myers leads the team with 3 HRs as well as having a

.381 batting average. Juniors Reed Peets and Jake Maloney have also stepped up as big contributors at the plate.

On the baseball diamond, last years season resulted in a winning record and a state championship visit. This year’s pitching staff has a lot of talent. Seniors Will Warren, Gregory Oden and Matthew Myers signed their letters of intent to play baseball for schools in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Will Warren will be heading to Southeastern Louisiana, a Division-1 school in Hammond, LA. Matthew Myers will be heading to the SEC to play baseball for University of Mississippi. Gregory Oden will be heading top Hinds Community College.

Senior starting pitcher Will Warren has pitched 17.1 innings while only giving up 3

earned runs and a team leading 24 strikeouts. Matthew Myers has pitched 12 innings with only 3 earned runs. Senior pitchers Gregory Oden and Sam Mills have been solid out of the bullpen as well.

The team has some very big games upcoming including against Clinton High School. The team also has big conference series against MRA and PCS remaining. The team still has high expectations for the rest of the season, and they are playing with a chip on their shoulder after being swept by MRA in the state title last year.

The hope and expectations are that this year will be different, and the goal of winning a state championship will be accomplished.

“Over a year ago we lost to MRA in the championship series. This has stayed with us and is a constant reminder to stay focused. ” -Senior, Hudson Little

Senior Matthew Myers winds up and pitches. Photo courtesy of Beverly Oden.

Boys Soccer continues tradition by bring home 7th straight title Stewart Mccoulough At Jackson Prep, strings of continuous championships are not a rare sight. A group of talent may come through a sports program that can be dominant, but as everyone knows, kids graduate and move on to pursue a higher education. This can sometimes leave a program in a need for talent, but one thing that the boys soccer program has enough of, is talent.

Six years ago, a group of players began pre-season workouts with a mindset of not settling for second place. They believed that it was time to make Jackson Prep soccer an elite program throughout the MAIS and abroad. That year, a group of 20 kids set standards for Prep’s soccer program that would last for six more years.

Now, six years after that group of 20 students began a tradition, on January 25th, 27 young men looked to continue that tradition and bring home a seventh consecutive state championship.

During a pre-game talk away from the field, Assistant coach Jay Liles reminded each and every boy to define the moment. by

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He reminded them that all they had was 80 more minutes together to define their season and define what it means to play for Prep’s soccer program.

Seven seniors who would play their last game in red and white had 80 more minutes to define what their legacy would be. Would they continue the dynasty or let it fall to arch-rival Jackson Academy?

During most seasons, a team should look to play someone two or three times. Head coach Jon Marcus Duncan told his team before the game, “After our first match-up loss, I thought we would only play JA once or twice more. We were fortunate enough to have the opportunity of playing them three more times. The upside you may ask, is that we have the chance to whoop them three more times.” That they did.

(To see more on a tie-breaking game between Prep and JA go to: www.jpsentry.net) The intensity was there, the emotion was not lacking and a determined Prep soccer team stood 80 minutes away from accomplishing everything

they had worked for since the middle of november.

The first half was easily dominated by Jackson Prep.

Both defenses came out of the gate strong and did not allow much possession to occur in the defensive area.

The Patriots took a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute with a sophomore to sophomore combination. Mason Morgan poked an oncoming pass to JohnMark Rose who then ripped a low corner shot from 20 yards out. Like in previous games, the lead would never be secure for long.

After the halftime break,

the Raiders got the equalizer off the foot of Smith Coleman in the 49th minute. Austin Ramey set up this goal from a low cross that sneaked by two Prep defenders.

Prep stormed back immediately and got the game-winning goal in the 53rd minute when Brent Hall, one of Prep’s seven seniors playing in their fourth state championship, got a great pass from his fellow senior Tate Fowler. He banged it home past the diving Jackson Academy keeper for the winning goal. The Prep sideline erupted, while the JA sideline realized that this year could not

State trophy being hoisted above the team. Photo by Stewart McCullough.

end the drought.

With the momentum on their side, Prep would go on to clear every ball further and further up the field with every clear.

That was it. 27 boys cemented their legacy that day by continuing Mississippi’s first string of seven consecutive State championships. By a final score of 2-1, Jackson Prep knocked off rivals JA in the State title.

“What a great game,” Prep coach Jon Marcus Duncan said.

“Hats off to Jackson Academy and their coach Robert Gardner. He’s done an incredible job over there, and they gave us a heck of a game. I am very proud of my guys and they never let anything phase them.”

The Prep boys team finished their season 25-3 with notable wins against JA, Madison Central, Biloxi and Clinton High School.

The legacy that was continued this year not only reflects highly of the current soccer players at Jackson Prep, but those who have come before and set standards that are still applied today.

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Sports

Track team sprints into the new season full speed ahead Henley JoHnson Tori newsome This year’s track teams started practicing during the first week in February, beginning right after school and ending between 4:00 and 4:30 every weekday. The boys’ and girls’ teams first track meet was March 8th at Jackson Academy, which was considered a practice meet because there was no distribution of ribbons to the runners. The purpose of this meet was to collect times from all of the runners to help decide who needs to run each race.

The most recent junior high and high school meet was on March 22nd at MRA. The varsity boys and girls both won.

The junior high boys and girls both placed second. The high by

and

school and junior high girls both won the four by two and the four by one. The varsity boys won both of their relays.

Overall this track meet was a success for both the boys and girls.

There are a total of 6 track meets during the whole season that all of the Prep teams will definitely attend, but there are two more meets for high school depending on how each team competes. Prep’s annual invitational meet takes place on April 8th this year.

The junior high teams this year are made up of mostly new eighth graders with a few very talented ninth graders. The high school teams are made up of mostly returning runners from years past with a few new students joining.

The high school and junior high coaches are Coach Walker, Coach Thompson, Coach Burke, Coach Haberman, Coach Nix, Coach Land, and Coach Dixon. Coach Walker has been the girls head coach at Prep for ten years . Coach Dixon is the new long distance girls coach. Coach Land is the boys and girls hurdles and high jump coach. Coach Thompson has been the boys head coach at Prep for twelve years. Coach Nix is the new boys long distance coach. Together all coaches assist each other in every aspect of track.

Coach Walker describes the season so far by saying, “Once we place everyone in the races they are supposed to run, we will do very well.”

Jerrion Ealy dusts a competitor from Jackson Academy resulting in a win.

Jackson Prep’s latest addition hits the bullseye ann Clardy byrd This year Jackson Prep started a new activity for students to enjoy. Archery has been a growing sport for many years and has become very popular in Mississippi. Schools gather together from all over the state to take part in competitions. Coach Nix, who is coaching this new activity, is an experienced bow hunter. This extracurricular activity was offered to boys in the Senior High at Prep. The team will continue to expand throughout the year and are currently looking for female applicants.

Recently, there was an archery tournament at the Columbia Expo Center where Prep students tested out their skills.

Before the competition the new team gathered together for their first practice at Lefleur’s Bluff State Park.

The Archery In Mississippi Schools State Archery Championship had more than 4,500 by

April 2017

students competing, making it the largest state competition in the nation. Most times the team practices in the Manning Center with targets set up in the back. They continue to do this getting ready for the upcoming competitions including competing at the MAIS State Championship in April. PCS, JA, and MRA will also be present at the competition.

Archery counts for the MAIS All-Sports Title and if won by Prep that would be one of many awarded to them.

Many who partake in this activity at Prep are experienced hunters but several are new to the sport. Archery will continue to grow in Mississippi and at Prep. Ally Walker, who is new to the team said, “I am very excited to be apart of archery this year! I frequently bow hunt at my camp and have always enjoyed it and that is why I decided to join the team.”

Boys’ basketball ends challenging season, search for new coach begins will FleTCHer The varsity boys basketball season was cut short of the Overall Tournament after a run in the Division 1 AAAA Tournament at Prep and a loss to Hartfield at the State AAAA Tournament at JA. The team finished the season with a 14 18 record.

This season was a challenging one with the team have many big name teams scheduled like Olive Branch and Oxford.

Sophomore small forward Steven Wyatt described the season’s struggles: “We endured some challenges throughout the season, but we kept putting the work in and it helped us advance early in tournament play, but we just weren’t able to put it all together at the end.”

The team looks forward to next year as they will have many returning big players including Morgan Williams, Andrew Beard, Cooper Carroll, by

and Pete Zouboukos.

Next year will also see a change in leadership, as the school is accepting holding applications for a new head coach after the spot was vacated last week.

Coach Chris Moore, who has been with Prep since 2006, and who became the head coach in 2014, will not return next year as the head basketball coach. Coach Moore, who teaches a legal system class and history courses, has also been involved with the Global Leadership Institute here at Prep.

Athletic Director Coach Will Crosby described Coach Moore in the school’s press release announcing the coaching vacancy by saying, “Chris has been an outstanding employee and will always be part of the Prep family.”

The basketball team takes a break as they figure out their next play.

Photo by Hays Dubberly.

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Sports

Golf swings into new season with high expectations

Hays Dubberly To call the Jackson Prep golf team good is an understatement. This could possibly be the greatest golf team that Jackson Prep has ever had.

The six person A team consists of seniors Holt Hederman, Charlie Miller, Blair Stockett, Cecil Wegener, junior Parker Daily, and sophomore Simms Abney. The team has competed in three tournaments so far and has won two of them.

The team started the season with a two day tournament at the Country Club of Jackson Gator Invitational where the team placed second.

The competition was stiff with

by

eighteen players that are committed to play Division-1 golf.

The golf team won the Icebreaker tournament at the Refuge with a team score of 287.

Ole Miss signee Cecil Wegener received a first place medal for shooting a solid 66 which put him at the -6 mark. Parker Daily and Ole Miss signee Charlie Miller shot a 73 while Holt Hederman posted a very strong score of 75.

After playing in local tournaments, the team traveled to Old Waverly in West Point, MS to compete in the Heritage-Oak Hill Invitational.

The team won the two day tournament with a score of 588. Cecil Wegener lead the team with

scores of 72 and 69.

The girls team won the Germantown tournament with a team score of 145 while Mississippi State signee Blair Stockett received a second place medal. Stockett was also named Clarion Ledger Metro Girls Athlete of the Week which is a huge accomplishment.

Junior Parker Daily said, “It has been a very successful season so far, but the team is continuing to work as we prepare for the state tournament. We have a great group of seniors, so we want them to end their Prep careers with another state title.”

This team looks to continue picking up tournament

wins on their way to their third state championship in the last four years. They are proud of their prior success, but the ulti-

mate goal is a state championship ring.

Tennis team dominates early conference matches Paul anDress The Jackson Prep tennis team’s season is underway.

The team is led by seniors Ellis Abdo, Hays Dubberly, Wesley Roberson, Elkin Crews, Will Massey, Andrews McIntyre, and Holman Buchanan. The girls’ team is led by seniors Kendall Causey, Grace Gourlay, Emily Claire Herring, and Brittany Wilkinson.

Last year the boys won their third straight state title, and the girls finished as runner up. This year the boys look to continue their dominance in the MAIS tennis ranks and are off to a great start.

The season opened with a match against St. Andrew’s. Prep defeated St. Andrew’s convincingly with a score of 6 to 3. The boys and girls then traveled to Memphis to face some quality competition in Christian Brothers, St. Benedict, MUS, and Hutchison. The boys defeated Christian Brothers 6-3, and the girls beat St. Benedict 8-1. The boys dropped their competition with MUS and Hutchison defeated by

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the girls.

The team opened up MAIS competition on the road at Presbyterian Christian School. Prep dominated PCS with a score of 8 to 1. They followed up this performance with the home opener against Copiah. Once again the team asserted their dominance by annihilating Copiah 9 to 0.

Senior Ellis Abdo is looking forward to his final season. He has been a major contributor since his eighth grade year. He is coming off back to back individual state titles and looks to claim his third straight in his senior campaign.

The team recently faced tough public school compeition in Newton County. The team played well, but they ultimately dropped the match by a score 4-3.

The team is about to face a tough stretch in their schedule with Madison Central followed by rivals Jackson Academy and Madison Ridgeland Academy.

The team looks to build momentum through the rest of

the season and conference play as they prepare to defend the state title.

Photos courtesy of Amanda Roberson.

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Sports

Wildcats take home third straight SEC basketball title Steven Wyatt The SEC Basketball Tournament’s outcome may have seemed predictable to most with the Kentucky Wildcats taking home the hardware, but that does not mean that the tournament didn’t have its moments.

The excitement started on day one of the tournament when the last seed in the tournament, the Missouri Tigers pulled the upset on the 11th seeded Auburn Tigers in overtime. Auburn was one team in the tournament that many thought could make a deep run, as they did just two years earlier when they advanced all the way to the tournament’s semifinals game but struggled against Kim Anderson’s Missouri Tigers. by

The tournament’s excitement continued in round two as eight more teams battled it out to continue advancing, starting with the Georgia Bulldogs who knocked off Tennessee to move on to the Quarterfinals.

The Bulldogs were also another team that was thought to have a shot at knocking off the Wildcats but Georgia struggled with injuries late in the season which limited their explosiveness and depth.

The tournament then took off even more in day three as the top four seeds finally began their first action of the tournament. The day began with the number one-seeded Kentucky Wildcats taking on the Georgia Bulldogs which was one game that was closer than the 71-60 score indicates. The day did then take off from there though as five-seeded Alabama knocked off four-seeded South Carolina, and the seventh-seeded Vanderbilt Commodores knocked off the two-seeded Florida Gators to finish a 3-0 season sweep of the Gators.

The Commodores may be one of the most impressive seven seeds the conference has seen in awhile though as they made the NCAA’s field of 68 just two days later on Selection Sunday.

The night cap of day three did

end up being quite arguably the most thrilling games of the tournament as the six-seeded Ole Miss Rebels took on the three-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks. The Razorbacks ended up getting the win in the end 73-72, but the game was as intriguing as the score implies as

tween the tournament champion Wildcats and the not so under the radar Crimson Tide.

The Wildcats eventually came out with the 79-74 win but the Crimson Tide made the powerhouse Kentucky Wildcats fight to the bitter end. The other Semi Final game was not as

The Championship game was one game that the Kentucky Wildcats made sure to show up for. The Wildcats took the lead early and never took their foot off the gas from that point. They limited Arkansas’s team three point shooting to 22% which ended up being one thing that the Razorbacks just could not overcome in the end.

Kentucky then put an exclamation point on the 82-65 win by putting up 40 points in the sec-

ond half. winning this year’s conference tournament the Wildcats put up their third straight conference title and their 30th all time.

The Conference MVP trophy was awarded to the Wildcats freshman guard De’Aaron Fox who posted 18 points in the championship game.

Freshman phenom De’Aaron Fox prepares to cross over his opponent.

the two teams battled all the way to the final buzzer.

The Semi Finals round started off with nailbiter be-

barnburner as the first, as Mike Anderson’s Razorbacks took care of the Vanderbilt Commodores in a 76-62 win.

Jackson Prep baseball alumni continues to shine Duncan JoneS With this year’s college baseball conference play starting up, many notable Jackson Prep alumni are taking the field for Division-I teams. These standouts include Gene Wood, Parker Caracci, Jake Mangum, and Noah Hughes, all of which are sophomores and play for schools in the southeastern conference.

Gene Wood continues his college career this year with the University of Alabama baseball program. Last year, Alabama finished fifth in the SEC West with a conference record of 15-15 and an overall record of 32-26. Although Gene played shortstop in highschool, the crimson tide have utilized him in both infield and outfield positions because of his athleticism and ability to by

April 2017

adapt. Gene’s most noteworthy moment so far this season was his appearance on Sportscenter’s Top Ten Plays after an impressive diving catch in one of Bama’s games.

Both Noah Hughes and Jake Mangum play for Mississippi State University, who won the SEC regular season baseball title in 2016. As freshmen, these former prep stars contributed to MSU’s stellar season, in which Hughes made eight relief appearances and achieved his first save and Mangum earned a starting position in right field as well as won the SEC batting title, SEC freshman of the year award, Boo Ferriss Award, and First Team All-SEC honors, and other accolades. State ended its regular season at 21-9 in conference play and 44-18 as a

whole. This year both Hughes, who underwent season ending Tommy John surgery last year, and Mangum return to the State roster. Noah Hughes is steadily recovering from his injury but will sit out this season to ensure maximum recovery.

Also, Jake has started pitching for Mississippi State this year.

So far, Mangum has pitched in three games and achieved his first win.

At Ole Miss, Parker Caracci is grayshirted this year. Similar to a redshirt, a grayshirt is put on players of teams who wish to sit out players for a year. This year is used as training and preparation time, and often grayshirts/redshirts are players with big potential. Ole Miss currently sits at 15-9 overall and maintains an even 3-3 conference record.

Jackon Prep alum Jake Mangum takes a vicious cut at the plate.

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Sports

March Madness lives up to its name with upsets galore PAul AndrEss The NCAA Tournament is coming to a close with the Final Four this upcoming weekend in Phoenix, Arizona. North Carolina, Gonzaga, Oregon, and South Carolina have survived the first two weekends and will compete for the national title. Before discussing the Final Four, let’s breakdown the Madness that has led up to this point.

The major buzz surrounding Selection Sunday (the day the field of 68 is released) was the fact the defending national champions Villanova was placed in the same regional as Duke. College basketball experts discussed this matchup as the most anticipated game of the tournament as both teams were favorites to win it all. Cue the madness. Villanova and Duke both failed to make it out of the round of 32 as the eight seed Wisconsin upset Villanova and seventh seeded South Carolina ended Duke’s season. by

Every NCAA Tournament has at least one team that comes out of nowhere as the bracket buster. This year featured eleven seed Xavier who stumbled into the tournament having lost five of their last eight games. Come tournament time they picked up their play and shut down Maryland’s All-American guard Melo Trimble. They then went on to defeat Florida State and PAC-12 tournment champion Arizona.

Xavier’s Cinderella story came to an end at the hands of the number one overall seed Gonzaga. The Zags advanced to their first Final Four in school history.

The Wisconsin bandwagon was overflowing following their second round win over number one seed Villanova. Going into the second weekend, many believed Wisconsin would face Baylor to play for a spot in Final Four.

However, South Carolina and Florida had other plans.

Coming off their big win over Duke, South Carolina dominated Baylor.

De’Aaron Fox broke the NCAA Tournament record for freshman scoring with 39 against UCLA.

Florida defeated Wisconsin in the wildest game of the tournament so far. Wisconsin hit a three in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime.

Then Florida guard Chris Chiozza pulled off a buzzer beater floating three to win the game ending Wisconsin’s season.

South Carolina would go on to defeat Florida which sent them to their first Final Four in school history.

The South Regional in Memphis, Tennessee was the blockbuster regional of the tournament. It featured tradition rich programs which were UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Butler.

Kentucky faced North Carolina in the most anticipated matchup of the Sweet Sixteen.

Kentucky freshman De’Aaron Fox took over the game from the start scoring Kentucky’s first eight points. He ended up scoring a freshman NCAA Tournament record of 39 points while holding UCLA star Lonzo Ball.

Kentucky then faced North Carolina for the spot in the Final Four. This game was an instant classic. Kentucky freshman Malik Monk hit a highly contested three in the closing seconds to tie it. North Carolina rushed the ball down

the court and found Luke Maye for a midrange jumper. Maye knocked it down to end the game and send North Carolina back to the Final Four.

North Carolina is now the favorite to win it all which just means they will probably lose to Oregon. After all it is called March Madness.

Chris Chiozza hits a buzzer beater three to defeat Wisconsin.

College Baseball season is in full swing Ellis Abdo So far this baseball season the preseason rankings are holding strong as TCU continues to roll through a tough schedule. The Horned Frogs are led by a strong upper class that has been to three straight College World Series.

Currently, the Oregon State Beavers sit in the number one position in the polls after winning 17 out of their first 18 games.

The Louisville Cardinals are off to a hot start as they sit in the number two position in the latest polls. They are led

by National Player of the Year favorite Brendan McKay who is one of the top prospects in the by

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upcoming MLB draft. Arguably the biggest surprise so far this season has been the Baylor Bears. The Bears have quickly entered the top 25 and have huge wins over Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Ole Miss entered this season with many questions as they replaced key pitchers and added the number one recruiting class in the country. The Rebels have eased the doubts as they have huge series sweeps over East Carolina and UNC Wilmington and a series win over Vanderbilt. The strength of this team is the pitching staff which broke the school record for most consecutive shutouts with five. The starters are led

by David Parkinson who has performed wonderfully in the ace role. Dallas Woolfolk has been one of the best closers in all of college baseball.

The biggest concern going forward for Ole Miss is if they can wake up the bats. The Rebels have been in a slump as of late but showed some promise in a big 10-8 win over Vanderbilt. If the young freshman can join the veterans in breaking out of their slumps then the Rebels should been in regional hosting convention at the end of the season.

Mississippi State entered the season looking to replace many key pieces from last years SEC Championship team. So

far this season the Bulldogs have shown signs of promise but have not yet hit their stride.

Reigning SEC Freshman of the Year, and Jackson Prep alum, Jake Mangum has been the leader of this team and has continued to rake in the leadoff spot. Brent Rooker has been one of the best hitters in the SEC and earned SEC player of the week in week two. The biggest issue for the Bulldogs has been their pitching staff.

Konnor Pilkington has been very good as the ace of the staff but the rest of the team has not yet followed suit. Jake Mangum has recently been moved into the starting rotation as the Sunday Starter. If the Bulldogs

can figure out the pitching staff they should be in a regional at the end of the season.

Ole Miss sophomore pitcher Dallas Woolfork winds up to deliver a strike. Woolfork has been a solid closer for the Rebels this season.

The Sentry

April 2017

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Opinion

Athletes and social media: a tricky mix Sports Opinion: Bennett O’Quinn

For the past decade, the influence of social media has grown incredibly in both the sports world and real world.

Technology such as smartphones and computers have increased the use of some forms of social media.

This growth of social media has also increased the ways sports can be covered and followed around the world. Many websites like Bleacher Report are created by journalists dedicated to following sports news.

These pages keep people up to date with sports daily as they inform the person of events that have happened. These accounts can be very useful as they are very fast with their updates and news. There are many positives aspects to these pages, but there are also many negatives of these pages giving

updates to people.

One negative influence social media has on sports is the leaking of news before it is official. In 2016, the entire NCAA Tournament bracket was leaked on the day of the selection show, which made the show completely pointless. Uniforms for many teams in different sports have been leaked before the official release. Someone could also leak something that happened in an athlete’s personal life, which could ruin the way people view him or her as a person. I think leaks in the sports world ruin the excitement and curiosity fans have when waiting for the official release of the information. Other leaks in an athlete’s personal life could damage their reputation and future. An example is Laremy Tunsil. A projected top

3 pick in last years NFL Draft, Tunsil was bound to make a lot of money on draft night.

Right before the draft started, someone hacked his Instagram account and posted a video of him smoking marijuana, along with posting screenshots of text messages to a former college coach with the caption accusing Tunsil’s alma mater, Ole Miss, of paying him. Tunsil slipped to the Miami Dolphins at the 13th overall pick in the draft. This lost Tunsil a large sum of signing money as he fell about 10 picks from where he was projected.

Another negative aspect of social media is the motivation for people to watch games as they happen. It seems now that a person could follow along on twitter or other sites rather than watch the game live. If someone would like to watch a game they recorded on their DVR, it will most likely spoiled by score alerts if they check their phone. I feel as if the traditional ways of watching games and events live has

been substituted by following it on social media. You can thank social media for ruining the outcome of a game that you planned to watch late.

Many people get on social media just to comment hateful things on athlete’s posts. If you scroll through the comments on a famous athlete’s post on Instagram, Twitter, etc., probably more than half of the comments you read will be hateful towards the athlete.

Social media is an opportunity for someone to voice their opinion, but sometimes these opinions can include comments of racism, ego, and hate. Usually, the opinions of others will clash starting a huge argument between two people over their own opinions. These fights are a waste of time, unnecessary, and negative.

I am not saying that social media is the cause for these arguments, but social media does provide an outlet for people’s opinions to clash.

Finally, social media can sometimes over-analyze things

and give a player a bad reputation. For example, Grayson Allen clearly tripped a player on the opposing team during a game this past year. It was a huge mistake by Allen and he was suspended for a game.

For the weeks to come, media pages critiqued and analyzed every move Allen made over the next few games. Sometimes they questioned if a play that he made was dirty and uncalled for just because he was playing hard and giving maximum effort. Grayson Allen is now viewed as a dirty player and the second-coming of Christian Laettner.

I like the aspect of social media where you can keep up with sports through pages giving updates and news. I do not like the negativity and drama that comes along with social media. Overall, I think that sports would be more entertaining if a person would keep with sports through watching live sports.

that I needed to capture the moment. I have asked around and it seems that everyone I ask admits to taking excessive videos at concerts and then never viewing them again, therefore having wasted their time. Concerts are meant to be enjoyed in the moment, put your phone down and enjoy the fact that you are there live.

Concerts are only a small portion of the problem. In sports games, shows, and other events the same problem occurs. I remember specifically at an Ole Miss football game one of my friends attempted to video every play so they could get a video of an amazing catch, run, or pass. After taking over fifty, ten second videos that they would soon delete, his phone died. He never got the video he wanted, his phone was dead, and he had been so worried about missing

a play that he missed almost the entire experience of being at a college football game. The noise, excitement, and fun of being with your friends and engaging in the game was all missed because he could not put his phone down.

Snapchat has much to do with this epidemic. The app actually encourages people to take quick ten second videos for all your friends to see in hopes they find them interesting.

The truth is, most people click through them to clear a notification. It is quite annoying when someone feels the need to upload 200 seconds worth of poor quality footage where you can half hear the event and half hear them screaming their head off. All in all, just because Snapchat allows you to share every second of the event you’re attending, does not necessarily

mean you should.

I am not saying that people need to stop capturing memories through video. I also understand how important a video or a picture can be in remembering an experience. The problem starts when the videoing itself takes away from your or others experience, it becomes a problem that is too often seen today.

Instead of taking video after video, not only wasting your time but also blocking the view of the person behind you, snap a quick picture. This will allow you to remember the event whenever you come across it.

The best way to remember and enjoy an event is to keep your phone in your pocket and create a memory instead of capturing one.

Capture the moment, not the video Opinion: Tanner McCraney

The root of my hate came about a year ago at a Weeks concert. I was standing behind a man who videoed the entire concert with one of the Galaxy phones that are about the size of a brick. Because of this, I was not only barely able to see, but also I began to notice how many event-goers spend their time videoing instead of enjoying.

Why do people these days feel as if their access to an easy video camera somehow makes them obligated to be a videographer? It seems that people today are incapable of keeping their phone in their pocket

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during a concert, show, parade, or any other event.

I too am not innocent in this matter; many times I have found myself deleting video after video of useless concert footage. Those were minutes to hours that I could have spent actually enjoying the music instead of worrying about keeping my camera steady and making sure that the musicians were in view. The entire reason to go to a concert is to experience it live and not have to watch it on TV or on a computer.

However, I ended up viewing the concert through a screen anyway because I felt

The Sentry

Opinion

Chance the Rapper: a voice for Chicago and Jackson Jicka on Jackson

by Sarah Riley Jicka With three Grammy Awards this year alone, Chance the Rapper (born Chancelor Bennett) has been given the opportunity to use his fame for good and is taking advantage of it. In his third mixtape, Coloring Book, he puts a new and optimistic perspective into his lyrics with regard to his personal struggles and those of Chicago, his hometown.

Bennett tries to tell “everyone’s story” through his lyrics, instead of trying to relate to one particular group.

His father, Ken Bennett, has always been involved in Chicago politics and currently serves as the deputy chief of staff for mayor Rahm Emanuel. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Chance voiced concerns over President Trump’s strong-arm approach to the city of Chicago’s

issues. In the interview alongside NBA player and fellow Chicago native Jimmy Butler, Chance said he is tired of people talking about Chicago “like it’s a Third World Country.”

Similarly, people will slap a racist nickname like “Jafrica” to Jackson and walk away laughing in ignorance. Like Chance’s Chicago, which is a “place of booming business with a very successful downtown and all types of new development,” Jackson is on the up and up. Downtown is growing rapidly with the recent $90 million refurbishment of the King Edward Hotel as the cornerstone.

A new chocolate and confectionary store, Sugar Ray’s, has opened nearby. Prep students visited the store recently. Of her experience at Sugar Ray’s, senior Jordan Davis said, ”There were so many options

to choose from. I got a slice of pound cake. It was so good that I ate it within two minutes of getting it.” Apartments and other residential buildings are popping up all over the predominantly business district like Capital Art Lofts, another residential project by J & J Hospitality, the group responsible for Sugar Ray’s and HRI Properties based out of New Orleans. The construction for the Lofts broke ground in January.

And that’s just in Downtown.

Northeast Jackson has received a recent boost from the redesign of Highland Village and the construction of the District at Eastover. The District bills that it will be bringing a movie theater back to the capital city for the first time since the Capri Theatre in Fondren closed in 1985. Our once booming city has now been revitalized due in part to the aid provided by donations,

hard work, and dedication Charity manifests itself in many ways in this day and age. For instance, Chance the Rapper now has more Grammys than he has songs sold.

All of his albums are avail-

approach to politics encourages citizens to voice their concerns through a healthy dialogue with the city. On Thursday, March 2nd, Chance met with the governor of Illinois, Bruce Rauner, to talk about upcoming

Sugar Ray’s brings sweets to Downtown.

able for free on streaming services because he did not want to be subject to the opinions of a music label and didn’t want produce music for personal financial gain. Regardless, the independent rapper has been able to earn a living for himself and then some, consistently donating to individuals, cities, and organizations in need.

Like his organic style of producing music, Chance’s grassroots

spending cuts to public schools.

Upset with the cuts, he decided to donate $1 million to the Chicago Public School system.

Not everyone has the ability or want to donate money to a city many view as “failing,” but this style of bringing about improvements and change through open conversations and willingness to help others should be adopted by more people in Jackson given the city’s bright future.

How to follow through on your resolution When Donuts Don’t Work Out

by Maclain Kennedy If you’ve ever been to the gym, you know that it can be stressful. Countless gyms are scattered throughout the state of Mississippi. The question remains: Are gyms overrated?

Gyms are plentiful, and each one promises a new idea of getting fit. If you’re progym, then you could say that gyms have a variety of workout classes to fit your inter-

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ests. Workout machines are in abundance, and depending on the place, there could be tennis courts or a pool. Gyms are great because there’s a sense of community. When you walk in and see other people there, there’s a good chance you’ll feel like ‘I can do it’. Maybe not, but there are instructors and lots of other people there to help you and encourage you.

However, the idea of gyms to some people isn’t a

pleasant idea. The thought of paying monthly can be like a contract. If you have a yearly contract to a gym and don’t like it, you can feel stuck. For others, having to be committed to working out at a certain place can be something that makes people second guess the idea of joining a gym. Some people just think of a gym as a waste of time and money when you can workout on your own.

If you are signed up for a gym, I would consider what you use the gym for. If all you do is go to the gym and run, you could run at home and save your money. If you go to the gym and lift weights when you have the same equipment at home

or access to the same equipment for free, you could spend the money on something else.

If you’re considering signing up for a gym or about to renew your subscription, stop and think for a minute. Is the gym helpful? If you love the gym and go a lot, that’s great.

However, if you prefer to work out on your own, then being subscribed to a gym can be useless.

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Staff Editorials

All opinion pieces are the views of the author, and the author only, with the exception of staff editorials, which are unsigned and reflect the consensus view of the students in the Sentry classes. Staff editorials are the only columns in the paper that express the unified view of the Sentry staff. This staff editorial process is comprised of two main steps. First, the staff talks amongst themselves about a topic and organizes a position on the issue on which all class members can agree. The editorial is then written and run past the staff members for approval.

Parent pet peeves: tracking is too far The GPS, or Global Positioning System, is defined as “an accurate worldwide navigational and surveying facility based on the reception of signals from an array of orbiting satellites.” There are many apps that now allow parents to track their children. We are not at bay to say these apps, because, God forbid we expose unknowing parents to these privacy-invading pests.

Several of these apps give our parents our location all the time. We’re not saying this is a bad thing, but parents constantly texting us and asking us when we’re coming home and why we are where we are gets tiring.

There is an app in particular that shows your speed when you drive. We as a staff feel that our parents should have more trust in us. We all make mistakes, but having our parents watch our every move shows no trust, and we want them to trust us unless given reason not to.

Parents always want

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what’s best for their children. Sometimes we feel like our parents are trying to control our lives (for lack of better words). We know they have good intentions, but we feel hovered over.

Parents need to let us handle our friendships on our own. High school is the time to figure out our routine and how to handle things, and we need to do that solo.

This in no way applies to all parents, but for those who are coming to our practices and watching us, it can cause pressure and be invading. We already have the pressure of trying to do good for our coaches and team, and having our parents watching our every move is a little much.

Come to the games for sure, but please let us have time to ourselves to practice.

We love our parents, but sometimes we need space.

Don’t try to push us to be perfect in every aspect of life because at some point we will crack.

Parents frantically searching for their child who has not responded to their texts in the past five minutes

The social media effect Social media is considered, by generations other than ours, as a plague. Oddly enough, everyone is affected. Other than old people on facebook stalking, the younger generations are the most affected. Of all the many social media platforms Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, of which snapchat and instagram are the two most commonly used among students.

Although we are not all exactly millennials we are grouped with them and the idea that we are constantly glued to our screens. Not all grades are the same either, whereas younger students for instance have much more strict “rules” when

it comes to social media.

When kids are in the talking stage of a relationship it is not official until they are each other’s best friends on snapchat. Whereas older high school those “rules” don’t hold as much weight.

As much as we want to be able to separate ourselves from people who can not leave their devices alone, we can’t. The more we look into it, we are all slowly being more sucked into the world of technology. It is not entirely our fault either.

In the world of today, the common person has to be well connected to technology for fear of losing jobs.

Related to kids, it is a great way to keep up

with children and allows for more peace of mind when kids are not at home.

Technology is a must for everyone in current times. Even if people blame it for poor test grades, lack of attention or anything else under the sun, we can not imagine life without it anymore. Technology is the way of the future and honestly makes our lives better than if we didn’t have them at all.

We just must all learn to adapt to changing times, but also handle the blessings of technology responsibly. Even though it is a blessing the plague of addiction is real.

The Sentry

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That’s why we installed Max Range LTE to reach you in the places you need it most.

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April 2017

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CANDID AND RANDOM

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