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Merry Christmas
And
A Happy New Year
How do you spread the Christmas Spirit?
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
“By singing Christmas carols with Adam ” - Vann Crawford
“Married to a doctor with three kids” - Kendall Causey
“By giving hugs”- Jack Holiman
“In Hollywood starring in my own reality TV show” - London Miskelly
“Putting Christmas lights in my room.” - Mrs. Hepner
“Political office”- George B. Fike
“Singing Christmas carols”- Bailey Mangum
“With Carmelo Anthony”- Naomie Nhim
“Drinking Starbucks” - Grace Gourlay
“In Jackson with five kids and a hunky husband”- Anna Kate Williams
Who would you be for a day? Haynes Horsley- Dan Bilzerian Paul Andress- Jerry Jones Russell Roberts- Anakin Skywalker Patrick Phillips- Jack Walker Hays Dubberly- Hillary Clinton Matthew Clay- Frank Sinatra Sam Mosley- Michelle Obama Tanner McCraney- MC Hammer John Keeler- Lee Meena Brittany Wilkinson- Beyoncé Chatham Kennedy- Santa Claus Brendon McLeod- Michael Barranco
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Healy Vise- Beth Keeler Lee Meena- Harper Keeler Elliot Weill- Stephen Hawking RJ Green- Clint Pride Ellis Abdo- James Harden Michael Wilson- (young) Robert Downey, Jr. Holman Buchanan- Donald Trump Blair Stockett- Taylor Swift Ann Clardy Byrd- Cofidential Gracie McCraney- Meredith Grey Mr. Hughes- Hays Dubberly
The Sentry
The Sentry
7PM 9-7* *TTVF t %FDFNCFS Table of Contents
Affiliated with MISSISSIPPI SCHOLASTIC PRESS ASSOCIATION www.mississippischolasticpress.com The Sentry is a student publication printed and released six times a year.
student writers, we try to reflect the thoughts of our most important readers-- the News & Features...........................................................................................4-8 As of Jackson Prep. Because of this, we attempt to approach many issues, some Entertainment..................................................................................9-11, 14-16 students more controversial than others. Nevertheless, the Sentry sta serves the school--her Christmas..................................................................................................12-13 students, her faculty, her family, and her community. The sta hopes to inform, to to entertain, and to question for the betterment of Prep and the lives of people Sports........................................................................................................17-20 educate, the Jackson community. The newspaper is produced by the Sentry sta, consisting of Fun & Games............................................................................................21-22 instudents both in and out of the senior high journalism class. Questions or comments? Opinion..........................................................................................................23 Our mailing address is P.O. Box 4940, Jackson, MS 39296. We would love to hear Candid & Random.........................................................................................24 your opinions.
jpsentry.net see our Instagram: jacksonprepsentry follow us on twitter: @jpsentry e-mail us: sentry@jacksonprep.net online at
visit us on facebook:
facebook.com/jacksonprepsentry check us out on Snapchat (we won’t follow you):
EDITORIAL POLICY The Sentry accepts outside editorial pieces under the following guidelines: Op-Ed pieces are not simply rants. Pieces should be about things that can be changed or alleviated, or pieces may 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 sta. All opinion pieces are the views of the author, and the author only, with the exception of sta editorials, which are unsigned and reflect the consensus view of the students in the Sentry class. Sta editorials are the only columns in the paper that express the unified view of the Sentry Sta. This sta editorial process is comprised of two main steps. First, the sta 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 sta members for approval. Letters to the Editor are a great way to make your voice heard. To submit a letter, simply write to sentry@jacksonprep.net To submit a Guest Editorial, simply type your opinion, double-spaced with a minimum of 250 words, and submit it to sentry@jacksonprep.net.
thejpsentry
Cover photo by Lee Meena
Sentry Sta Editors-in-Chief Haynes Horsley • Paul Andress
Copy Editor Matthew Clay
Managing Editor Chatham Kennedy
Opinion Editors Elliot Weill • Sam Mosley
Assistant Copy Editors Lee Meena • Brendon McLeod
Business Manager Healy Vise
Website Editor John Keeler
Sports Editors RJ Green • Brendon McLeod
Assistant Business Manager Patrick Phillips
Assistant Website Editor Gracie McCraney
Assistant Sports Editors Russell Roberts • Ellis Abdo
Photography Editor Brittany Wilkinson
Social Media Editors Holman Buchanan • Lee Meena
Video Editor Tanner McCraney
Assistant Photography Editors Gracie McCraney • Ann Clardy Byrd
Fun & Games Editor Hays Dubberly
Graphics Editor Blair Stockett
Entertainment Editor Michael Wilson
Assistant Fun & Games Editor Patrick Phillips
Assistant Entertainment Editors Ellis Abdo • Ann Clardy Byrd
Advisor Mr. Lain Hughes
December 2015
Contributors Jacob Aron • Andrew Lott • Lawson Marchetti • Jackson Phillips Forrest Smith • Will Russell Ward • Nevin Wells • Jack Young
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News & Features Rod and Reel Team Lures in New Members
One-Act Play Brings Home Honors
NEVIN WELLS During the spring of 2015, Jackson Prep’s new “Rod and Reel” team starts. This team is sometimes confused as a regular fishing team but it is actually a fly fishing team. The season for the Rod and Reel team begins March 10th and ends May 5th. During the weeks between these dates practices will be every Thursday from 3:45 pm to 5:30 pm. To join this team it is $750 for the season. That money includes: a Sage Approach Rod, Reel and Line with a lifetime warranty, and Fly Tying Kit, both which can be used for a lifetime. Although, if a student already has fly fishing rod, reel and line, then the cost is reduced by $350. Providence Hill Farm is hosting the Rod and Reel team. Christopher Haddad, top angler and former fishing manager at Orvis in Ridgeland, will direct and be the Head Coach of this team. Chris is both a proficient fly fisherman and an expert fly tier. This team will schedule for local tournaments, intermural competitions and team competitions against other schools, dates are to be announced. Contact Coach Shufelt for further information or if you have any questions. Registration is wide open but limited, preferred by December 15, sign up soon! BY
The Jackson Prep Players received the Distinguished Play Award at the North MS Drama Festival for their performance of A Piece of My Heart. Madeleine Porter won All Star Cast Member. Prep competed against 17 other schools. The cast will progress to the MS Theatre Association (January 14-17, 2016) and will perform on the historical stage of the Riley Center. Pictured (l-r): Madeleine Porter, Alex Reichle, Claire Porter, Shelby Pinnix, Maclain Kennedy, Daniel Hayes Brister, and Chatham Kennedy.
Dr. Whitney and first place winner Lawson Marchetti. Photo courtesy of Dr. Lisa Whitney.
Students Students Like Recite Poetry Change in L M Schedule
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On Thursday, December the 10th, Jackson Prep participated in a school-wide Poetry Out Loud competition. Students selected from all grades went to Lindsay Hall to recite their favorite poems in front of a live audience. The English department puts on this event every year in order to find someone to compete in the district competition. This year’s winner was Lawson Marchetti and his backup for the district competition is Jabari Aiken. Third place went to Mary Patton Murphy. Lawson will compete against other schools in our district in the coming months. The top three winners of district goes on to compete in state, and the winner of it will go on to nationals. For more information about Poetry Out Loud can be found at http://www.poetryoutloud.org.
JACKSON PHILLIPS This year the high school at Jackson Prep introduced a schedule change. Instead of students going to directed study everyday, they only have to go to homeroom once a week, on Monday. The students learn what they have planned for the week. Most of the news is whether they will have a forum, pep rally, etc... This is a great addition to the schedule for students because they have the rest of the week to do whatever they want to do, they have a copious amount of free time. The students have 50 minutes of free time between activity period to the start of 4th period. Many students I have talked to said they are enjoying the new schedule, during that time they can do homework that they didn’t do last night, go to the cafeteria and eat, or hang out with friends. Keeton Landfair, an 11th grader said, “I like to know what is planned out for the week but I also like having a lot of free time on the other days.” Jacob Crawley, an 11th grader, said, “It’s great. I can do any homework that I didn’t do last night during the free time.”
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Left: Third-place winner Mary Patton Murphy. Photo courtesy of Dr. Lisa Whitney.
Second-place winner Jabari Aiken. Photo courtesy of Dr. Lisa Whitney.
Hour of Code Boots Up Prep’s New Coding Club HOLMAN BUCHANAN The Hour of Code was put on at the school during activity/ directed study time on Thursday, December 10th. The hour of code was hosted by Ms. Marsha Hobbs, Mr. Scott Rogers, Coach Paul Fryant, and Ms. Laura Bishop. These four helped conduct the Hour of Code and are
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the sponsors of the new Coding Club at the school. The Hour of Code was created by Code.org, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to expanding access to computer science. Code.org is supported by companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft, to name a few. All
of these American companies need computing jobs and they want Americans to fill them. Today, only 1 in 4 schools teach computer programming. A computer science major can earn 40% more than the average college graduate. By 2022, there will be over 1 million computing job openings.
The Hour of Code event is put on to introduce students to coding and to give students the opportunity to learn more about coding. The event at the school was a success and a great kick off for the new Coding Club at Prep. Noah Sasser and Barrett Bufkin learn how to code. Photo by Ellis Abdo
The Sentry
News & Features “Youth Leg” Starts on the Right Foot
ANN CLARDY BYRD BLAIR STOCKETT This year, Jackson Prep took a group of 31 students to the Youth Legislature convention in downtown Jackson. Prep has been attending for quite some time and each year student interest has grown for Youth Leg. Students sign up at the beginning of the year and have meetings with the sponsors, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Upchurch, and Mrs. Scruggs, after school. They research potential topics for legislation and then write bills. Prep students wrote eleven different bills. This year’s convention was November 11-14th at the Old Capitol Museum in the War Memorial Auditorium. Students stayed at the Marriott downtown from Wednesday afternoon to Saturday morning. BY
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This was the biggest post-Katrina convention that they have held and hundreds of students from across the state were in attendance. Youth Legislature mirrors the processes of the Mississippi Legislature and gives students a better understanding of how our state government passes bills. Next year William Leech will be the Senate Majority Leader and Easton Sheffield will serve as House Majority Leader. Additionally, Prep had six students honored as outstanding legislators this year. Kendall Clarke, George B. Fike, Aidan Creel, and Seth Lenoir were selected as Outstanding Representatives, while Hannah O’Bryan and Graham Roberson were named Outstanding Senators. This year’s Youth Legis-
lature was a success, and next year’s is anticipated to be even better. “It was fun debating bills
and listening to what other people had to say,” said Jordan Davis. Joseph Upton agreed.,
“Youth Leg was a good learning experience for all.”
Youth Leg called into order. Photo by staff.
High Heaven Jumps Into Flowood BLAIR STOCKETT In early fall, the largest operator and developer of trampoline parks in the world has brought High Heaven to Flowood. This trampoline park is unlike any thing that is currently in Mississippi. It is an innovative, state of the art facility that will attract people from all over the south. There are currently 25 locations worldwide including Hong Kong, Seoul, and Amsterdam. High Heaven chose Flowood because the metro area “traditionally has been underserved in the marketplace for Extreme Sports Activities.” The Flowood location is 22,000 square feet total with 12,000 square feet of trampolines. There are several different areas of the park devoted to different activities. The different activities include a dodgeball stadium, basketball hoops, Olympic foam pit, and a large trampoline floor. There is also a separate Ninja Warrior Aerial BY
December 2015
Obstacle Course for those who love high adventure. High Heaven caters to all ages and they can do all kinds of events. They do dodgeball tournaments, trampoline aerobics classes, birthday parties and so much more. One of the most anticipated nights at High Heaven is Club Heaven night, a night during the weekend that includes a DJ/ light show. High Heaven stays open until midnight which is perfect for going on the weekends. High Heaven is located behind the Bike Rack across from Seattle Drip. High Heaven has been packed every weekend since it opened and even some week nights. Junior Jordan Davis said, “I really enjoyed it and I think it is great that we opened it because we have nothing like it here.” High Heaven has proven itself to be a hit and may people look forward to going over the Holidays.
Ice skating rink transformed into trampoline park. Photo by Blair Stockett.
Kids jumping for joy for the new trampoline park. Photo by Blair Stockett.
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News & Features
Best Restaurants For Senior Lunch MATTHEW CLAY Every Friday at 12:30, seniors are faced with a frustrating question: where to eat lunch? 12th graders have had the privilege of off campus lunch for many years. And of course, there are a few rules. First of all there are boundaries; students may not go past the Pearl River bridge or past the Airport Road intersection on Lakeland. They must also be back by 1:15 at the latest--and if the ones who are late will not be able to go off campus for next week’s lunch. 3.2 miles of Lakeland drive opens up many dining options, BY
Schlotzsky’s: Schlotzsky’s sells many different sandwiches, toasted speciality pizzas, and other entrees. Perhaps the most important food though, is their hot Cinnabons. You also get chips as a side for your meal. - Average price: $9.48 - How far away: 3-5 minutes - Wait time: 5-7 minutes
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and the choice can sometimes be overwhelming. In fact, there are twenty two restaurants to choose from inside the boundaries. Rather than stressing about what type of food you want and wondering how long it will take, just look at the guide to the right instead. These are the top eight restaurants, what food they serve, how much it usually costs to eat there, and how long the trip will take. So cut this article out or take a picture of it; odds are that you haven’t been to at least one of these places, and sometimes it’s not easy to come up with ideas on where to go.
McAlister’s: McAlister’s has a wide variety of food options; from nachos, to salads, to sandwhiches, they have it all. But they are most well-known for “loaded spuds” (potatoes filled with cheese, bacon, sour cream, and butter). They have great sides such as soups, chips, macaronia and cheese, and more. You better leave right at 12:30 if you would like to eat here-the wait is slightlly long than the others. - Average price: $10.27 - How far away: 2-3 minutes - Wait time: 10-12 minutes
Cane’s: Cane’s offers fried chicken tenders, french fries, and Texas toast. Don’t forget to top it all off with their delicious “Cane’s sauce.” - Average Price: $8.48 - How far away: 2-4 minutes - Wait time: 4-7 minutes
OEC: OEC serves Japanesestyle fried rice and sushi as well. The steak, chicken, or shrimp fried rice is great, especially when the special “pink sauce” is added. - Average Price: $9.89 - How far away: 2-4 minutes - Wait time: 5-8 minutes
Subway: Subway has a variety of sandwiches, chips, and a drink. The difference between subway and Jimmy John’s is that Subway has more bread options, and it is slower. - Average price: $9.89 - How far away: 2-4 minutes - Wait time: 2 minutes
Grant’s kitchen: Grant’s offers homestyle cooking that is made before you get there. Simply get in line and choose your food as you go. Some of the most popular entrees are country fried steak, chicken tenders, pot roast or chopped steak. You can also get sides like mac and cheese, fried okra, mashed potatoes, and more. - Average price: $11.60 - How far away: 2-3 minutes - Wait time: 3-4 minutes
Jimmy Johns: Jimmy John’s just has flat out good sandwhiches, at an even better price. The most popular choice is “the country club.” - Average price: $8.48 - How far away: 4-6 minutes - Wait time: 30-45 seconds
LobbyGuard Adds Security
Photo by Holman Buchanan
HOLMAN BUCHANAN LobbyGuard is a visitor management and front office automation system. LobbyGuard products are designed to increase building security and to reduce the workload of the front desk personnel. Lobby Guard makes for a safer and more efficient work or school environment. LobbyGuard increases the building security by a process of tracking, screening, and badging your visitor traffic. Key features for the LobbyGuard system include: instantly records all aspects of visitor traffic, scans driver’s license and other forms of I.D., screens visitors against the school’s own red flag list, prints highly visible visitor badges, access to records at anytime from anywhere on the web. The LobbyGuard is extremely efficient because it is a self-service interface that allows visitors to sign in and sign out without assistance. LobbyGuard offers a full line of products from SmartPhone applications, to Kiosks, to existing PC software. The school has began to use LobbyGuard in the McRae Building as a trial run and are now equipping the Senior and Junior high offices with the system.
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The Sentry
News & Features Student Profile: Ethan “Oxman” Oxley
LEE MEENA JOHN KEELER Ethan Oxley is in the eleventh grade at Jackson Prep, and is known as a true friend among Prep students. Some may know him as “The Oxman,” but many just call him Ethan. During activity period and homeroom, Ethan can be found working diligently on his laptop in the library cubicle area with his closest buds. Ethan says that the library is his favorite part of Prep because it is quiet, and the quiet gives him peace. In his downtime, Ethan likes playing online PC games with his friends. He also enjoys cruising around the countryside in his Honda Santa Fe. He loves to watch stand-up comedy whenever he can get the chance because he is always looking for a good laugh. Given the chance to go on a date with anyone, Oxley said he would go with Kate Upton because he feels that BY
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their personalities are perfect for each other. The Oxman attended Pinelake through sixth grade before coming to Prep. His favorite memory from Pinelake was learning how to love others from the examples given by the pastors. Ethan’s favorite travel destination is the beach in Destin, Florida, where he enjoys spending time with his extended family. Ethan’s favorite part of the trip is chowing down on some good seafood with his family members. After graduating from Jackson Prep, Oxley would like to attend Full Sail in Tampa, Florida where he will learn how to pursue a field in game design. His dream is to either become a computer programmer or design a videogame like his current favorite, Skyrim. Ethan’s one wish for Christmas this year is a new
laptop with better specs than his current one. If you ever see the Oxman in the hallways of Prep or around town make sure to tell him hello and wish him a Merry Christmas.
Interesting Facts About Ethan Favorite book- Game of Thrones Favorite Movie- Shawshank Redemption Favorite TV Show- The Office Favorite Subject- Programming Favorite Band- BabyMetal Superpower choice- Teleportation Bed Time- 1:00 A.M. Shoe Size- 13 US
Ethan Oxley in his favorite part of Prep’s campus, the library. Photo by John Keeler.
Teacher Profile: Lee Smith BRENDON MCLEOD This year, Jackson Prep has hired Lee Smith as an assistant basketball coach. Coach Smith works alongside with Head Coach Chris Moore and assistant Andrew Mitchell. Smith grew up in Saucier, MS which is located near the Mississippi Gulf Coast. After his high school days at Harrison Central, Smith went to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for two years. While he attended school at MGCCC, he also was an assistant basketball coach at Harrison Central. Once his two years were over at MGCCC, he attended Mississippi College in Clinton. At Mississippi College, Smith served as the Graduate Assistant for the Men’s basketball team. BY
December 2015
“It was a lot of fun being the Graduate Assistant at MC. I had the chance to travel across the state recruiting at different high schools and junior colleges.” - Coach Smith “It was a lot of fun being the Graduate Assistant at MC. I had the chance to travel across the state recruiting at different high schools and junior colleges. I also had the opportunity to travel across the country on road trips with the
team. Coaching college players was overall a great experience for me,” Smith said. Smith graduated from Mississippi College with a degree in Political Science and Pre-law. Coaching is something Smith said he has always enjoyed. His favorite part about coaching is getting to build relationships with players and watch them grow as people and as players. His least favorite part of coaching is seeing players “egos and attitudes.” Smith had multiple offers besides the job at Prep, but said that he felt Prep was the best fit for him because of the family culture. Other than basketball, Coach Smith teaches 6th grade PE and “AP” Study Hall. Coach Lee Smith in his desk as he instructs his “AP” Study Hall.
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News & Features Lights, Camera, Action! Film Club is Here!
GRACIE MCCRANEY Jackson Prep’s new film club was started by Gregor Patti and Hannah Plunkett. They had the idea for a film club during the summer. Gregor had been working on the movie Speech and Debate, shot largely on campus, and Hannah had been wanting to make a short film. Hannah says “Things just kind of fell into place for us to do so.” Ian Bruce and Lawson Marchetti are advisors of the club. The goal of the new club is to find and study films that are significant to the development of filmmaking and acting. The club want to eventually develop a short film to teach others what it feels like to be apart of editing and directing a short BY
Almost every other Saturday the film club meets for a movie screening. There are about twenty five people that attemd each screening. The film club has shown five movies so far. Forrest Gump, The Shining, Old Dark House, Dracula, and Shawshank Redemption have been shown. The film club plans to meet to show It’s a Wonderful Life on December 19th. The film club is off to a great start and has a great future ahead of it. Junior Keeton Landfair is a Film Club member. He said that his favorite part so far has Film club discussing exciting plans for the year at a meeting. been the screening of The Shin- Photo courtesy of Gregor Patti. ing. Anyone interested may Jacob Aron also contributed to The faculty sponsor for the Film Club is Prep’s drama keep up with the new club on this story. teacher, Mr. Kenneth McDade. instagram @jacksonprepfilm.
Spicy Soupy Stew Satisfies Sam, Sentry Cookin’ With Sam
BY SAM MOSLEY Hey everybody! I’m back again and bigger than ever. I know it’s been awhile since our last cooking experience; but I’ve been taking a hiatus to prepare something really good for everybody to enjoy. Since I haven’t done this since last year, when I admit, a couple of my recipes were done “on the fly”, I decided to be very purposeful in my first culinary attempt of the 2015-2016 year. After some time and careful consideration, I decided to cook
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film. This also gives members acting experience. The club is making a short film over Christmas Break called Cake or Death. The short film was written by Hannah and will be directed by Gregor. At first the film will only be about seven minutes long, but later in the year the club plans to extend it to fifteen to twentry minutes. The film club wants everyone who is interested in working on the short film to get the feel for how to work on film projects. The film club’s film is being funded by Universal Studios. Universal Studios is working to help fund short films made by students from all over the country. The film club is receiving $1000-2000 in equipment for the film club to keep.
some stew with an Asian influence. This time I sought out help from some more experienced cooks to help me out. Since I had no experience with Asian cooking I sought out three of the best chefs I knew. These were Haynes Horsley, Elliot Weill, and Paul Andress. With these three, I knew the recipe would be a guaranteed success. The first step was developing a plan. During the discussion Haynes said “If you truly want to become a great Chef, Sam you must practice freelancing and find out what your true cooking talents are.” I took this advice to heart and decided to follow some of the recipe but add some of my own devices into the dish. Step two was a sojourn to the nearest Oriental Grocery
Store, Mr Chen’s on I-55 in Jackson. When entering Mr. Chen’s Oriental Market, one is greeted with a tangy fish smell. While getting acclimated to the smell we set about carefully choosing all of our ingredients for the stew. We chose noodles, pork, broth, Chinese Hot Sauce, Peppers, Carrots, and some other spicy ingredients the helpful store keeper recommended. Step three, of course was washing chopping and preparing our fresh ingredients and assembling the required cooking utensils and an appropriate pot. (Shout out to the Weills for allowing us to invade their kitchen). The next and most important step was now cooking the stew. There was considerable trial and error involved here. Thanks to Haynes’s cooking
experience with pork products we were able to accomplish the grueling step of sauteing the pork. This was quite a dangerous step in that many of us experienced grease and oil burns. Over the course of several hours of cooking the stew we experienced a couple of failures, consisting mostly of injuries. During the saute phase and a couple of other minor mishaps. No knife injuries, thank goodness! Nonetheless, we persevered and completed the task. The finished product can most accurately be described as pretty darn spicy. Some of the reactions we got were very positive. Hunter Patterson said “This is the best Chinese Soupy Stew I’ve ever had.” Weslee Parks Patti said “Can I please have the recipe? It’s the best thing I’ve ever had.”
I think I can easily say that this was cooking success. In the next issue I plan to continue with the Asian theme- but this time with sushi.
Savory stew satisfies Sentry staff. Photo by Elliot Weill
The Sentry
News & Features
Welcome Back: Adele’s Return LAWSON MARCHETTI “Can you feel the hot heat rising?” asks Adele in track 2, “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)”, of her third studio album, 25. Surely, you, a citizen of the privileged world, could tell me without hesitation that the hot heat is undoubtedly rising. Already, just two weeks since its release, 25 is one of the most successful albums in history, triumphantly taking several titles such as: first album to sell more than 3 million copies in a week, most records sold in a single week, first single to sell 1 million copies in a week (“Hello”), and the best selling album of 2015, just to name a few. “Hello”, released a month before the rest of the album, has been #1 on iTunes ever since its release. The accompanying music video, when uploaded to YouTube, broke the record for most views in a single day. Adele was recently the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Naturally, the episode received the highest viewer ratings all season. The soaring success of 25 breaks every rule, transcends every norm of today’s music industry, in which no one buys their music anymore. This is the most under advertised album in recent history, making BY
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its success all the more impressive. Some bigwigs of the industry have stated that this release restores their faith in the industry, claiming that if the art is truly art, people will buy it. Others dismiss this, rebutting, “It’s Adele.”
Ever since 21, the album that just got bigger and bigger, and earned Adele an historic six Grammys (most won in a single night by a female artist), we knew that Adele was someone a little more than special. She fits absolutely no formula of today’s industry. She does not dance. She stands and sings. Sometimes she even sits. She does not wear outrageous costumes. She wears black. She doesn’t sing uplifting and empowering feel-goods. She is perfectly comfortable dragging us through the depths of heartbreak. We go right along with her, tissue in hand. So after four years of
“Already, just two weeks since its release, 25 is one of the most successful albums in history.” silence (or rather, the noises of today’s typical pop), we said “Hello” to a breath of fresh air. While familiar, this refreshing breath is definitely very different from 21. One such difference is the instrumentation.
While 21 was majorly the basics (piano, guitar, drums, backup vocals, occasionally strings), 25 brings in a whole new strain of artistic instrumentation. From the gospel power of the bass, organ, and echo in “River Lea”, to the southern guitars of “Sweetest Devotion”, to the sole acoustic guitar accompaniment of “Million Years Ago”, to the full string orchestra of “Love in the Dark”, to the booming drums of “I Miss You”, to the pop synths of “Water Under the Bridge”, the instrumentation is diverse and phenomenal. This is in part due to the wide array of impressive producers that waited in line to work with Adele on this album. Each brought something special. Collaborators include indie singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. (“When We Were Young”, arguably the best song on the album), Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton (“River Lea”, the most out of the box track), pop producer icon Max Martin (“Send My Love (To Your New Lover)”, a catchy pop masterpiece), Bruno Mars (“All I Ask”), Australian producer Samuel Dixon (“Love in the Dark”), OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder (“Remedy”), Skyfall collaborator Paul Epworth (“I Miss You” and “Sweetest Devotion”), and Greg Kurstin (“Hello”, “Water Under the Bridge” and “Million Years Ago”). On top of this very impressive list, several collaborations were cut, and even more were supposed to occur. These include collaborations with Wiz Khalifa, Phil Collins, Sia, Diane Warren, and Damon Albarn. With nearly the entire music industry lying at her feet, Adele carefully hand-picked her collaborators for four meticulous years. She consequently created a multifaceted masterpiece. Besides the variety and prestige of her collaborators, the variety of the experi-
ences she had the opportunity to live through in the past four years contributed to the variegated pattern of the album. She definitely holds on to her old relationships for many tracks. However, she mainly lets go of them. 25 is majorly a coming of age album. Finding a steady life partner, having a baby, and turning 25 infected Adele with an intense reflection upon coming to adulthood, upon past mistakes, regrets, and carelessness of youth, and upon hope for the future. Accordingly, unlike 21, 25 is not one hundred percent vengeful heartbreak. Adele confronts her past with elegance and resolve. She confronts the hard truths of fame (“Million Years Ago”). She also sings of her new life and her child. The
listener embraces an Adele in the final stages of letting go of an old life, and the first stages of entering her new one. The transition is as triumphant as it is bittersweet. In 21, Adele had a torn tapestry. We watched as it was torn, wallowed over, and as it slowly, painfully, and emotionally began to mend. In 25, the tapestry is nearly entirely rewoven, with a thread of new, stronger, and more polished material. There are just a few little patches left, and these are perhaps the saddest and most emotional yet. She solemnly kisses yesterday goodbye (“When We Were Young”) and says hello to a new triumphant life. She is wiser and more self-aware of her nature (“River Lea”). We started with the fire burning in her heart at the beginning of 21 (“Rolling in the Deep”), and her heart has come out of the fire better than ever with a supreme polishing by the end of 25, with a new and lasting sense of direction (“Sweetest Devotion”). It took a lot of good cries on the way to the end product, but how we love the tears! Adele’s uncanny talent with lyrics is unparalleled. They speak to everyone on a personal level, applying to a situation in nearly everyone’s life. When matched with her transcendent and beautifully matured vocal chords (her golden pipes sound cleaner than ever after having recovered from vocal chord surgery), a being with a soul doesn’t stand a chance. 25 is a prime specimen of the immense talent that is Adele. Opening a new chapter of her life and of her songwriting, it is a testament to the undying perseverance and timelessness of Adele as an artist, and suggests many more successes for years to come.
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Entertainment
Spectre . . . Just Another Bond? BY
HAYS DUBBERLY
James Bond’s latest hit, Spectre, was shown in theaters in England on October 26, 2015 and in the United States on November 6, 2015. Spectre was the number one top grossing movie for two weeks after it was released. It has made just over $750 million globally. Daniel Craig is arguably the best James Bond actor thus far, and many Bond fans were very disappointed when it was announced that Craig would most likely relinquish the Bond role. Once he hinted that he might go into retirement, people began to become extremely excited about the movie but sad at the same time. Despite this being his last movie, Spectre did not live up to the expectations. The movie is very good for the most part, but I put the
James Bond series on a higher pedestal than many other movie series because of the tradition and prestige. I felt as if Daniel Craig would exit the Bond role in a more glorious way. There is the beloved, classic James Bond that the fans and the audience has seen in the past movies. Spectre still has plenty of action scenes for the audience to enjoy and the thrilling aspect of the Bond series. There are massive explosions and exciting car chases throughout the movie that keep the audience entertained. Everyone loves the action scenes in James Bond and it is always my favorite part of any Bond movie. I felt Christoph Waltz portrayed the villain, Blofeld, very nicely, and I was happy to see Blofeld return to the Bond series. For those that do not
Daniel Craig posing as James Bond on the movie poster of Spectre
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know, Blofeld was an enemy to Bond throughout the sixties and into the eighties. Blofeld is the most infamous villain in any James Bond movie. Tiago Rodrigues, who played Raoul Silva in Skyfall, and Christoph Waltz were the best villains in this Bond series. I really like how the writers focused on the darkness that James has inside of him. In the Daniel Craig series, there was a much more serious tone in comparison to the other Bond actors. All of the recent movies depicted the dark side in him and showed that he did not have a good childhood. The “shadows” is the word often used to describe James and is a nice subplot to all the movies. The link between Madeleine Swann and Mr. White threw the audience for a loop, and that was a nice twist in the plot. Mr. White appeared in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace and was always a brutal enemy to James and MI6. In Spectre, Mr. White helps James find his daughter, so she be protected from Blofeld and the Spectre organization. Out of the four Daniel Craig movies, Spectre is probably the worst. Skyfall just edges Casino Royale as a personal favorite. Skyfall had that classic, vintage Bond feeling to it and was also the 50th anniversary of the Bond series just before it was released into theaters. Quantum of Solace is inserted as the third best just because a reviewer must see Casino Royale to understand the plot. A viewer must watch the other the three movies to fully understand the diabolical plot in Spectre. Blofeld ties and brings up former events that occurred in the other movies. I did not like how you must watch all the other Bond movies to know what is happening. Also, I am not a huge fan of any movie series that does this, but
James Bond fighting a villain in the opening scene of Spectre.
that is just a personal preference. If a viewer misses a movie in the series, he will be completely lost in the next movie. To start off the movie, James was in Mexico City. He then shot into a building full of people that were about to blow up a soccer stadium in South Africa. After he fired his gun, it blew up the entire building causing it to fall into another building. Mass chaos ensues, but nobody in the street seems to notice. James just casually walks away from the rubble of the building. I also noticed that every a part of the Spectre organization wore a ring that contained an octopus, but none of the other criminals from the past three movies wore this ring. Since Le Chiffre, Dominic Greene, and Raoul Silva never had this ring, this shows a large plot hole in Spectre. Once James killed the other three villians from the past three movies, he would have noticed that they were all wearing this ring. One of the biggest problems I had with the movie was the purpose of the organization Spectre. They seemed to just be a world terrorist group that wreaked havoc around the globe. Also, Blofeld is the “au-
thor” to all of James’s pain. Trying to shoehorn all four Bond movies into one continuity was a huge mistake on the writer’s part because it suggests that Blofeld somehow manipulated all the events that led Bond to each villain, which clearly is not the case. Agreeing with my entire stance on the movie, Balie Crim said, “Spectre was a pretty good movie, but there was not anything special for a Bond movie. It felt like it was just another one.” There is rumor that Daniel Craig might return because he said in an interview “Well, I’m not gone yet.” Almost every single James Bond fan would like to see him stay. It was definitely a movie that is worth seeing, but a viewer should not expect the results of Skyfall and Casino Royale. James Bond has higher expectations and has set the bar high in the past, but every great movie series has a slip up here and there. I am not too worried about what will be next for series because it always reestablishes itself.
The Sentry
Entertainment
Mockingjay Part 2: The Final Game CHATHAM KENNEDY The Hunger Games hit the box office for the fourth and final time on November 20, 2015. As the screen lit up for the premier of Mockingjay- Part 2, fans of Suzanne Collins’ trilogy eagerly awaited to see how the story would come to a close. Over the past three years, movie junkies have followed the journey of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) as she traveled from being a Hunger Games victor to a leading political figure in a dystopian society known as Panem. Lawrence brought the audience from adrenaline highs to pivotal lows. She kept the crowd on the edge of their seats throughout the entire film. The movie began where Mocking Jay- Part 1 ended. Katniss awakes in the underBY
ground hospital of District 13, burdened by the weight of taking on the role of the leading voice in the districts’ uprising against the Capitol. Throughout the movie, she struggles with regaining the confidence and friendship she once had with fellow victor Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). While attempting to conquer the Capitol, Katniss and her team of newly trained soldiers face countless obstacles. Her top priority is to kill President Snow, the one who took irreplaceable lives away from her. Of course the movie would not be complete if more people didn’t die. Beloved characters vanish from the big screen, which results in a more depressed but determined Katniss. The movie did the novel
justice. However, due to the untimely death of actor PhillipSeymour Hoffman, who portrayed rebellion leader Plutarch Heavensbee, the film lost a moving scene where Hoffman’s character addresses Katniss’ future as well as the future of Panem. Instead, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) reads a note from Heavensbee leaving the audience with a less emotional moment than that which was presented in the book. I greatly enjoyed the movie and would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to satisfy his or her desire for action. Mocking Jay- Part 2 presents a wonderful to closure to the world-renowned Hunger Games series.
Creed Recreates Rocky Series HAYNES HORSLEY Many people are familiar with the Rocky Balboa movie series about a boxer that was known for not giving up. Creed is much of the same, and even stars Sylvester Stallone as Adonis Johnson’s (Creed) coach. The movie was very well put together and resembled the classic Rocky movies that everyone loved so much. The movie starts off showing Adonis Johnson as an orphan boy who is later taken in by Apollo Creed’s wife, Mary Anne, where he finds out that he is Apollo Creed’s son. As Adonis grows older, he decides that boxing is his true passion and despite his foster mother’s wishes, he pursues his dream. The movie is set mostly in Philadelphia, where Adonis BY
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meets up with Rocky Balboa. At first, Rocky is very reluctant to be Adonis’ coach, but eventually decides to help him due to his association with Adonis’ father, Apollo. There is a small love story
throughout the movie, that is much of the same as Rocky’s romance with Adrian in the first movie. I personally enjoyed the movie and thought that it was the best “Rocky-esque” movie that I have seen since the first Rocky movie. Typically these types of movies can be rather unrealistic/cheesy, but I thought that director Ryan Coogler did a very good job with the film. The only part that I thought was a little suspect, was when Aldonis is running up the street with motorcycles and fourwheelers following him. Other than that scene, the movie was an action packed thriller that to no one’s surprise did very well in the box office.
Creed made a whopping 42.6 million dollars in the first five days of being in theaters.
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Best Technology Gifts 1. Hoverboard 2. Apple Watch 3. iPhone 6s 4. Remote Control BB-8 5. Beats Pill
Best Gift Under 25 dollars 1. $24.99 Gift Card 2. Beverage Warmer 3. Donald Trump Tank Top 4. Selfie Stick 5. Mason Jar Soap Dispenser
Best Christmas Horror Movies 1. Silent Night Deadly Night 2. Silent Night Deadly Night Part 2 3. Silent Night Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! 4. Krampus 5. Silent Night Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker BY
HAYNES HORSLEY PAUL ANDRESS
AND
*Viewer Discretion Is Advised
5IF 4FOUSZ
Worst Gifts 1. Wii Fit 2. Cleveland Browns Hat 3. Tickle Me Elmo 4. Ladybug Phone 5. Deodorant
Worst Christmas Dinners 1. Sam’s Soupy Stew (See pg 8) 2. Lean Cuisine 3. Canned Tuna 4. McDonalds 5. Santa’s Cookies
Worst Christmas Vacation Destination
%FDFNCFS
1. Anywhere in Syria 2. Topeka, Kansas 3. Canada 4. Chunky, Mississippi 5. South Pole
Entertainment
Charlie Brown is Back in Town PAUL ANDRESS The Peanuts Movie hit the box office November 6. The Peanuts was originally a comic strip created by Charles Schulz in 1950. This was the fifth full length Peanuts movie, and it is the first feature film in thirtyfive years. This movie also commemorates the sixty-fifth anniversary of the comic strip and the fiftieth anniversary of the TV Special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The Peanuts Movie was a much needed bringing back of good, ole Charlie Brown. I remember growing up watching “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, but many of the kids in the youngest generation may not have ever heard of Charlie Brown or the Peanuts gang. It BY
is a good change in pace for kids who are use to in your face animations like Minions.
This movie does a great job of making a modern animation film that still maintains the same portrayal of Charlie Brown and the gang as Schulz had in his comics. Even though this movie was made in 3D, it
still maintained the same feel that the comics gave off. The characters looked as if they were drawn like Schulz had them. The plot itself of the movie represents many of the classic Peanuts comic-strips. Charlie Brown struggles to get anything right like flying a kite. However, he gets a new chance to reverse his reputation when the new, red-headed girl moves into town right across the street from him. Snoopy also plays a big role in the movie. Snoopy fights the Red Baron throughout the plot. His fights against the Red Baron resemble what Charlie Brown is going through in his life. The Peanuts is a classic comic strip that all ages enjoy.
Everyone in some way or another can relate to the struggles that Charlie Brown goes through. It’s also great because the other characters resemble the types of people we know in real life. The Peanuts Movie is also full of many truths and life lessons that are always great for people to be reminded of. Also, this is not an in your face animation film like many of the modern animation films. Overall, The Peanuts Movie is a great bringing back of Charlie Brown. It maintained the same feeling and tone as Schulz had given off in his comics. I would recommend this movie for all ages, especially fans of the Peanuts comics or those who enjoyed “A Charlie
Brown Christmas”. This movie is also great for younger kids because it encourages imagination as well as teaches valuable life lessons.
Justin Bieber’s New Purpose BRITTANY WILKINSON Canadian singer Justin Bieber has reentered the spotlight. His newest album, Purpose, was released on November 13, 2015 by Jef Jam Recordings, the same day One Direction’s new album was released. This is Bieber’s sixth album, and possibly his greatest. His new album seems to serve two purposes: to sing about his relationship with Selena Gomez, and give his side of the story regarding his rocky past year.
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This past year, Bieber has been focused on re-establishing himself by becoming more humble and charitable, He has been trying to change his image back to the lovable star he has been to his fans use to know in the past. Beliebers, Justin Bieber’s fans, got a sneak peek of his new album with the release of “What Do You Mean,” which made Bieber’s first Top 40 hit since 2013. He debuted the song at the MTV Video Music Awards. Every song from Purpose charted within the Top 100 in just one week. He sold 640,000 copies within a week of being released. He beat out One Direction by a landslide, selling 200,000 more copies than their new album. The style of Purpose is much different than Bieber’s other albums. He described it as being “uplifting music that people can dance to."
Bieber said that a lot of his inspiration for this album came from his ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez. They are both trying to move on with their life. In a recent article, he confirmed that three of his songs were definitely inspired by her: “Mark My Words,” “Sorry,” and “What Do You Mean?" His new album really shows how he has been feeling about himself lately. He wants the world to know that he has feelings too and he is not afraid to let everyone know about them. On November 11, 2015, Bieber announced that he will embark on a tour supporting the album called Purpose World Tour. The tour will start in Seattle, Washington on March 9, 2016. Purpose has received generally good reviews from critics and his fans seem to love it.
The Sentry
Entertainment
Fallout 4 Gets an “A” for Detail
ANDREW LOTT Fallout 4 is the most recent iteration in a long line of open world role playing games released by Bethesda. Some other notable Bethesda titles include The Elder Scrolls VSkyrim and the Doom series. Bethesda has been incredibly successful over the past few years with their open world games. These games are popular because they offer something unique -- free reign over the game world. Fallout 4 takes place in a post apocalyptic version of Boston called the Commonwealth. The world is in a state of nuclear fallout, hence the name of the game. There are abandoned buildings, rubble, and even skeletons. If you see a mountain range in the distance, you can probably climb to the peak, defeat a giant scorpion who is nested there, and then look out over the massive game world BY
RUSSELL ROBERTS Star Wars: Battlefront is a first and third person shooter game based on the films of StarWars. There have been three total Battlefront games. The first came out in 2004 and the secondcame out in 2005. Battlefront was held off for a while because they stopped making the movie until they decided to make a new trilogy. So, Lucasarts and other gaming companies decided to come out with another Battlefront to get everyone back in the Star Wars atmosphere. In the new game, they have added new game modes such as “Walker Assault” and “Supremacy” which are big because it is a 40 multiplayer match on Xbox Live. The new maps are Hoth: a snowy place where the Rebel BY
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for your next location to explore. And there is a seemingly endless number of locations to explore. The size of Fallout 4’s game world is not only large, but densely packed with quests, characters, and storylines. One of the main aspects of the Fallout series is choice. In the beginning of the game, you can choose to make your character strong in some attributes and weak in others, and these choices affect the character throughout the entire game. For example, I chose a character with high strength and endurance, so I was able to carry a large amount of equipment at a time without becoming encumbered. Dialogue is another source of choice in the game. Through dialogue, you make the vast majority of decisions that affect storyline and the fate of yourself and the characters around you. A classic example would be ei-
ther deciding to kill a character or letting him/her become your partner. Fallout 4’s dialogue system has been streamlined and is much easier to navigate than in previous Fallout titles, and every dialogue scene in the entire game is voice acted. In contrast to Fallout 4’s streamlined dialogue system, it has very detailed character and weapon customization systems. The character customization system is new and improved from past entries in the Fallout series. You can make your character look any way you want. Every aspect of the face can be changed, everything from the right eyebrow to the chin can be changed to any color or shape imaginable. In most games with voice acting, naming your character doesn’t change what the characters call you. In Fallout 4, however, most common names have been
recorded by all of the voice actors. I named myself Andrew, and every character in the game knows my name and calls me by it. This level of detail is impressive. The equipment customization system is also incredibly detailed. You can find materials throughout the game world, and use them to customize or add attachments to any part of your equipment. I got lost in this system, spending hours scouring the game world for materials and even more time deciding what to make from these materials. The one problem with Fallout 4 is that it has to be played for a very long time in order to be thoroughly enjoyed in all of its glory. I’ve played for 28 hours, and I feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface. For some this is a good thing, but as a Jackson Prep student I have a lot of homework and activities
to do, and playing a game for hours on end does not always work out. Everything in Fallout 4 from the incredible detail to the rich gameplay blends together to create something that can almost be described as a masterpiece, but in order to fully appreciate it, one must play for many long hours and go through munitia that doesn’t always seem worth it.
Star Wars Battlefront Alliance base lies, Endor: a forest where the Ewoks lives and lie the Galactic Empire base, Jundland Wastes of Tatooine: desert environment and home of Luke Skywalker. Another Rebel base location. The last new map is the Sorosuub Centroplex on the planet of Sullest. The Centroplex is a base for the Galactic Empire. They have also added in the game, where you can change your players appearancedramatically to making your player not look like a Stormtrooper but just a normal human being with a blaster. Other game modes such as Droid Run, Heroes vs Villains, Fighter Squadron, Blast, Hero Hunt, and Cargo. The heroes for the Rebel Alliance are: Luke Skywalker who can force push, saber rush,
and quick attack. Leia Organa who can set a force field, major blast, and a hero health pickup. Han Solo who can rapid fire, shoulder run, and lucky shot. On the Imperial side they have: Darth Vader who can force
choke, quick attack, and saber throw. Emperor Palpatine who canchain lightning, hero health pickup, and spin fly. Boba Fett who has long lasting jetpack, wristrocket and flame thrower. The creators have also come out with a new map and game mode, Battle of Jakku and Turning Point. This map and game mode should be available December 8th. The game also includes Missions. Missions is for basic training and for people who do not have Xbox Live. Hero Battles are a fun game mode to play with friends in the same location. Two down sides to the game is that when with a friend in same location, you can’t play splitscreen Xbox Live. The other down side, which is not that bad, is that you have to be pretty lucky to find a Hero pickup
in 40 multiplayer gameplay. Overall, Star Wars: Battlefront is a very entertaining game with a variety of game modes, and I would highly recommend the game.
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Entertainment Call of Duty Black Ops III Review PATRICK PHILLIPS The Call of Duty game franchise set the Guiness Word Record for the best-selling firstperson shooter game series ever. The Call of Duty game series has released 13 games the first one being released in 2003. Call of Duty Black Ops 3 is the most recently released game for the series it can be played on BY
RJ GREEN 2K has for years supplied sports and video game fans with one of the best video games around. They have done that once again. 2K’s latest game of a long running annual series is one of the best yet. 2K has recently received some competition with their game as EA Sports has continued their series of NBA Live. Although, 2K has not received a lot of trouble from them as EA Sports has claimed less than 1% of 2K’s sales. 2K16 has a ton of new features that have really improved the game. There are now online leagues, so people can play online against each other in franchises. There are a lot of new features in the MyGM mode that have made it very popular. The addition of the summer league, a new simcast style, a BY
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the Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox one, Xbox 360, and PC. Black Ops III like most games cost $59.99. The campaign for Black Ops 3 takes place in the 2050s, you get to choose your character’s look at the beginning of the campaign and what gun you use on each mission. You can only play solo campaign
The campaign mode also offers more options to customize your character and weapons, a more compelling storyline and the Cybercore capabilities which are special abilities that can be used on enemies during your mission offer a fun addition to the experience. Black Ops III multiplayer features a brand new movement system, including wall running, where players are able to easily go from place to place. In addition, the movement system also features jetpacks in which players can move through the air with thrust jumps which are similar to last years COD Advanced Warfare EXO suits. You are also able to pick from 9 characters each one has a unique special ability however you must earn points to be able to use the ability during a match. Players are able to paint their weapons different camos,
players can add up to 64 layers of paint to their weapons. Black Ops III also has zombies which takes place in the 1940s. Zombies is a co-op survival mode where 1-4 players play and face waves of zombies. you can be one of 5 characters which include: The Magician, The Cop, The Shadow Man, The Boxer, and Femme Fatal. there is only one map to play in zombies but you will be able to buy more in the future.
NBA 2K16 Review new draft style, and the option to relocate your team to another city. The MyTeam feature has also been given an improvement as the Domination mode gives a lot more options to build your team. You can sell your players on online auctions, and you can bid on players. The graphics have also improved, and they are definitely the best yet for 2k. Almost everything it true to life and accurate such as faces, hair, wingspans. The game lay has also gotten some nice improvements. It is a lot more challenging, and real basketball concepts have to be used to win. It is no longer just who can hit the most 3s. There are a lot less glitches in the game play this year. That was a big problem in last years game.
2K has also made the game more lifelike by updating the commentators. They have added the TNT crew of Shaq and Ernie Johnson. This is just one small feature that makes the game a lot more realistic. The rating system has also been changed to make it more difficult and give more respect to the legends on the game. They want to give the classic teams and former stars more respect. Overall, 2K16 has been a huge success. It has been one of the most successful games so far of 2015, and it should continue to sell well as basketball season continues along.
The Sentry
Sports Football Team Makes History with a Fourth Straight Title BRENDON MCLEOD This year in Jackson Prep football was another great year to say the least. The Patriots went 13-0 on the season, and completed a “4 peat.” The patriots dominated almost every game, if not every game they played this year. At first, there was a lot of uncertainty heading into the year. Last year’s senior class was full of starters and major contributors. Because so many seniors were leaving, many new players had to step up and fill major roles for the team this year. However, the future is definitely bright for the football team. Freshman running back Jerrion Ealy is returning and has 3 years left to compete in high school athletics. This year he had 106 carries for 896 yards and 12 touchdowns. Junior running back Jacob Crawley will also be returning for his senior year. Crawley had 172 carries on the year for a total of 1432 yards and 23 touchdowns. Crawley averaged 8.3 yards per carry while Ealy averaged 8.5 yards per carry. With both backs returning next year, look for no drop off in the Patriots rushing attack. Also returning on the offensive side of the ball is Quarterback Chance Lovertich. Lovertich transferred from Northwest Rankin to Prep this year. On the year, Chance was 64 for 99 with 1223 yards and 15 touchdowns throwing the ball. He also rushed the ball 47 times for 174 yards and 7 touchdowns. Offensive lineman Noah Sasser and Barrett Bufkin are also returning for their senior year to anchor the offensive line. On defense, the Patriots are losing senior defensive backs Kaleb Lovertich, Worth Eskrigge, and Graham Eklund. However, junior defensive backs Jake Newsome and
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Tate Fowler will be back for their senior year. Among the Linebackers Prep is losing this year are Biggs Henry, Adam Crawford, and Vann Crawford. Vann Crawford led the team in tackles with 107 total tackles on the year. Junior linebacker JoJo Pound is returning for his senior season and is going to step up and be a leader. The defensive line is losing seniors Sam Mosley, John Keeler, John Wooley, and Healy Vise. Junior Brock Loposer and Sophomore Knox Loposer will be among the defensive lineman next year. Defensive end Chris Puckett is coming off an ACL injury, but his recovery and rehab has been promising so far. Prep finished the regular season with a 48-0 victory over East Rankin. With the regular season complete the Patriots had a bye week and began preparing for the semifinal game against Presbyterian Christian School. Prep defeated PCS with a score of 47-3. Graham Eklund made an incredible one-handed catch to highlight the patriots victory. The Championship game was on Friday, November 20 at 6:30 against MRA at Mississippi College. Prep played for their 4th straight MAIS AAAA State Championship. J.C. Pride, Vann Crawford, Kaleb Lovertich, and Graham Eklund were the captains of the game. The Patriots dominated this game from start to finish. Freshman running back Jerrion Ealy played the best game of his career so far. Ealy had 113 yards receiving, 88 yards rushing, and 3 total touchdowns. Jacob Crawley had 114 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. Sophomore tight end Nik Hogan caught a 60 yard touchdown pass from Chance Lovertich. The patriots defeated MRA 51-13 in crushing victory.
At the end of every football season, the team does an awards banquet to give out awards and reflect on the football season. This year, the Most Valuable Player was Graham Eklund. Eklund had 86 tackles, 7 interceptions, and 7 touchdowns on the year. Senior Worth Eskrigge won the best defensive back award. Eskrigge totaled 91 tackles and 2 interceptions for the season. Kaleb Lovertich was awarded for being the best receiver on the team. Lovertich finished the season with 11 receptions for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns. Adam Crawford was awarded for being the best linebacker, and his brother Vann was awarded for being the defensive MVP. Running backs Jacob Crawley and Jerrion Ealy were also recognized for their great seasons. Ealy was awarded for being the best offensive back, and Crawley was awarded for being the offensive MVP. Taylor Wallace won the Special Teams Award. Wallace averaged 43.9 yards a punt, which is the prep record. Senior offensive lineman J.C. Pride and Spencer Sasser were both awarded with the best offensive lineman awards. On the defensive line, seniors Healy Vise and John Wooley were both recognized for the being the best defensive lineman. John Keeler, Chance Lovertich, Noah Sasser, and Tate Fowler were all given the Impact Award. This year, the Jackson Prep football team was nothing short of outstanding. On defense, Prep allowed a solid 10.3 points allowed per game. On offense, the patriots averaged 41.3 points per game. With many key players returning, expect for the Patriots to compete for their 5th straight State Championship.
Jacob Crawley breaks into the open field in the Championship game. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Nenon.
Nik Hogan celebrates celebrates his touchdown. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Nenon
For complete recaps of all regular-season games, go to: http://jpsentry.net/463708
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Black Looks Back at Championship Season FORREST SMITH Head Football Coach Ricky Black ended a undefeated season by bringing home the school’s 4th state championship in a row. When asked how he felt going into this year’s season he responded by saying “We lost 90% of our offense, including a great tailback and quarterback along with lots of great seniors. We knew we had a lot of important positions to fill.” Coach Black has had many winning seasons in his career, so we asked him how this one compared. “It was one of the most enjoyable because of the fast starts to game that we had. The awards ceremony was very great and enjoyable.” Coach Black is a very big believer in seniors being the BY
Sports
leaders of the team so we asked how well the seniors filled the gap of last year’s seniors and led the team. “I think our seniors really took on the responsibility of leading the team seriously at the Natchez Cathedral game. Our first home game, from then on they did a fantastic job.” This past year Jackson Prep’s backfield consisted of a freshman and junior at the tailbacks and a sophomore at fullback and quarterback. So we asked what it was like having a backfield with hardly any game experience. “They took on the responsibilities and handled them very well. Jacob Crawley proved himself on the field as a huge asset for us.” This is Jackson Prep’s and the MAIS’s first 4-peat
ever, we asked Coach Black how it felt. “It feels amazing, we’ve had many great teams who achieved 3 peats but never 4 in a row.” Coach Black was asked how he thought the team improved throughout the year he responded with “I think they improved a lot because they didn’t care who got the credit.” Coach Black tells the team to sparkle at practice quite a bit so we asked how well did this team sparkled. “They sparkled very well, they brought that factor to the game that makes people say “WOW!”.” We asked how coach Black how he felt about next year’s season. “I feel confident in next year’s team and I want to coach them to what they want to accomplish.”
Coaches Rusty Burke, Nick Brewer, Jacob Land, Ricky Black, Marcus Thompson, and Brett Shufelt all smiles after winning the ‘ship. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Nenon. Above: Captains Graham Eklund, Kaleb Lovertich, J.C. Pride, and Vann Crawford getting ready for the coin toss. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Nenon. Below: Cheerleaders take the field before the State Championship.
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Jerrion Ealy, who lost his shoe, shortly ending number eight’s (ankles) life. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Nenon
The Sentry
Sports
Girls’ Basketball: Leading the Pack
HEALY VISE The Lady Patriots’ season is off to a strong start as they are 10-0 against MAIS schools and 0-2 against public schools (as of press time). The losses to public schools came from two close defeats by 5A Oxford High School and 6A BY
Beth Graeber looks to set up the Patriots offense. Photo Courtesy of Jeff Noblin
Southaven High School. The girls are ranked number one in MAIS 4A after big victories over MRA, ERA and Leake Academy. During the Leake Academy game, the girls rallied back after a slow start fifteen points down to take Leake into overtime and defeat them. The starters for the Lady Patriots are currently Olivia Brown, Beth Graeber, Haley Litchliter, Clayton Noblin and Kristina Zouboukos. Underclassmen Shelby Wilson, Dakota Jones and Madison Klein are contributing valuable minutes as well to the team when the team needs a change in the lineup due to matchups or when the starters need a break. The team is playing great, but they know they still have room to improve. Clayton Noblin said, “We are more of a second half team, but if we come out strong from the beginning, then I think we will keep winning.” The team’s unity is seems to be a strong part of their success. “Our team has really come
together I feel like. We play as a team, and I feel like when we sub, we don’t get weaker. We have strong underclassmen.”, said senior captain Beth Graeber. Much of the team’s offensive success has come from their grittiness on defense. At the beginning of the year, the girls decided to put a focus on their defense, and it has worked well for them. They have played two games this year in which the opponent did not score a basket on them in the second half. The lack of the opponent scoring was not from playing bad teams, but from a unified team who hold each other accountable to do their jobs. The girls took a week off from games to recover and study for exams. Now, they are prepared to roll on through their season and obtain the number one seed for the State Championship in February. Haley Litchliter passes to her open teammate. Photo Courtesy of Jeff Noblin
Boys’ Basketball: Gearing Up for Conference ELLIS ABDO The Jackson Prep Boys’ Basketball Team is off to a solid start so far this season. The team is 5-5 as of press time. The team is still finding its chemistry as its football players join the team. `The team is led by seniors Mitch Redding, Graham Eklund, Grant Robinson, Jake Ray, and Healy Vise. Juniors Brendon McLeod, Jared Dodd, and John Jeffreys have made key contributions thus far. Sophomores Pete Zouboukos and John Ahanotu have made the most of their minutes early in the season. On December 8th, Prep hosted MRA in a huge game. BY
Mitch Redding inbounds the ball to Brendon Mcleod. Photo by Ellis Abdo
December 2015
Prep had a great first half, going into the locker room tied. The team wound up losing a tough game but were pleased with their performance. Junior Jackson Phillips said, “We have a good season so far. We didn’t play well against Simpson, but played our best games of the season against MRA, Oxford, and Southaven.” The Patriots traveled to Oxford on December 11th for a tournament against some stiff competition. In the first game of the tournament Prep faced off against the Oxford Chargers. Oxford has a very tough team and should be very competitive in the 5A division this year. Prep played very well in
the first half going into halftime with a 3 point deficit. The Patriots remained competitive but lost a hard fought game. In the second game and final game of the tournament Prep faced off against a strong Southaven Charger team. Southaven boasts a “Dandy Dozen” player who is committed to Cal State Bakersfield. Prep played very well throughout this game losing by just 9 points. Junior Jared Dodd said, “We are happy with the way we played. Hopefully, we can continue to play like this during conference season.” The team begins conference play January 5th against Parklane Academy.
Prep plays lock down defense on MRA. Photo by Ellis Abdo
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Sports College Basketball Season Begins BY
RJ GREEN
Current College Basketball AP Poll: 1. Michigan State 2. Kansas 3. Oklahoma 4. Kentucky 5. Iowa State 6. Maryland 7. Duke 8. Virginia 9. Purdue 10. Xavier 11. North Carolina 12. Villanova 13. Arizona 14. Providence 15. Miami (FL) 16. Baylor 17. Butler 18. SMU 19. Louisville 20. West Virginia 21. George Washington 22. UCLA 23. Cincinnati 24. Texas A&M 25. Conneticut
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College basketball season has begun, and it always brings exciting moments. This season has been no different so far. There is no doubt more to come as the season is in its early stage. It is wide open race for the national title. There has not been a team emerge as a dominant one team in the country. The Contenders There are some very talented teams who have the ability to do so, and Michigan State looks to be the best so far. They are led by star swing forward Denzel Valentine. Valentine is a rare star who is actually a senior. He has been a key part of Michigan State’s success the past two seasons, and he has been one of the top players in the country this season. Other top teams include Iowa State, Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Kentucky was by far the most dominant team last year, but they are not quite on that level this year. They have a loaded backcourt including a trio of point guards including Tyler Ulis, Jamal Murray and Isaiah Briscoe. Duke is coming off their national title season with high hopes of repeating. Duke is led by Sophomore Grayson Allen who was a key part of Duke beating Wisconsin in the title game. So far, they have looked like they will compete once again for the title. Kansas also should compete for the title. They are led by some talented veterans, and they will soon add star true freshman Cheick Diallo back from suspension. That should give them a considerable boost in the frontcourt. Rule Changes There have been some key rule changes this season. The NCAA has implemented a 30 second shot clock now instead of the originally used 35. Scoring and pace has been low the past few years, so this rule change was primarily an attempt to increase scoring and pace. For the most part, the pace has picked up, and it has helped the offense. There has been a bigger problem though, and that is the excessive foul count in games. It is rare to be able to watch a few possessions where there is not a foul called. The NCAA’s logic in the focus on fouls is to make the game less physical and more about skills. This move is not working out right now, but it may later down the road once all players, coaches, and referees get used to the rules. Freshmen to Watch College basketball is once again loaded with star true freshmen. Ben Simmons may be the best player in college basketball, and he can back it up with draft projections, stats, and simply by just watching him. He is averaging 19 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. Other star freshman who have dominated have been Duke’s Brandon Ingram, UNLV’s Stephen Zimmerman, and California’s Jaylen Brown. Troy’s Jordon Varnado has made a surprising splash nationally as an under the radar star who is also a true freshman. He is the younger brother of former Mississippi State Center Jarvis Varnado.
The Sentry
Fun & Games
FInd the FIB! BY
The game is Find the Fib. It’s extremely simple; each person has given three facts about themselves, but one of the facts is a lie. Find the fib!
HAYS DUBBERLY
Joseph Upton 1. “I’ve had more than 21 stitches at one time.” 2. “I went backpacking in Arizona for 12 days straight one summer.” 3. “I can play 4 instruments.”
Emily Ellison 1. “I was home-schooled.” 2. “I’m allergic to elephant earplants.” 3. “My favorite food is an egg sandwich.”
Mr. Scott Rogers 1. “When I was 11, I was attacked by a shark while visiting Panama City Beach.” 2. “I was good friends with someone in Japan that I later learned was in the Japanese Mafia.” 3. “I was rescued from the top of my house by the Red Cross in a boat during the flood of 79.”
Courtney Burrow 1. “I’m deathly afraid of styrofoam.” 2. “I smell bad.” 3. “One time, I accidently ate a cockroach.”
Catch the COntrasts The game is Catch the Contrasts. It’s extremely simple; spot the 7 differences in the picture. Please disregard the angle that William Purvis is sitting and the angle of the picture. (Those are not differences.) Catch the Contrasts!
Answers to Find the Fib and Catch the Contrasts are on page 22!
December 2015
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Fun & Games BY
HAYS DUBBERLY
Word Search with Santa’s Nine Reindeer
Words to Find: Dasher Dancer Prancer Vixen Comet Cupid Donner Blitzen Rudolph
Photos by Haynes Horsley
Answers to Find the Fib Joseph Upton: 3 Mr. Scott Rogers: 1 Emily Ellison: 3 Courtney Burrow: 2
Shoutout to London Lovertich and Andrea McCaa for finding Gnaomie!
Answers to Catch the Contrasts 1. The hat is Backwards. 2. There is an addition of a tree. 3. The can is crushed. 4. There is an a trophy now. 5. The action figure is placed in the coffee mug. 6. The coffee mugs are different. 7. JUST KIDDING!! THERE ARE ONLY 6!!!!!!!!!!
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Shoutout to Zach Richardson for finding Brodie!
Brodie and Gnaomie champing at the bit to be found.
Gnomes Wanted: Well, members of the Jackson Prep community, it is time to start the search again. Jackson Prep is a big campus and now it’s time for you to keep your eyes opened wide. Hidden on campus are two garden Gnomes named Brodie and Gnaomie. You may be asking yourself, what do I get if I find one of these Gnomes? You get a shoutout in the next Sentry issue and a prize. The rules to this game are simple. Find the Gnome and bring it to Hays Dubberly or the student publications room. Last issue, both gnomes were found. Brodie was found by Zack Richardson in the MPR on a shelf. Gnaomie was found under the checkboard built by the woodworking class outside of the dining commons by London Lovertich and Andrea McCaa. The Sentry
Opinion Students Want Intramural Sports Activities Staff Editorial The Sentry staff believes that the high school deserves to have an intramural sporting event during the year. Many other schools participate in such events and even our own seventh grade has intramural basketball. This would provide opportunities to those who do not participate in athletics a chance to play a sport with their friends. Everyone should be given an opportunity to play a sport in high school. Some people do not want to commit to a sport that requires a whole year of participation.
This is why the intramural sports program can be very beneficial. Another positive is that this would provide a type of exercising activity to those students who do not play ports. Intramural sports can include all kinds of possibilities for the high school. There can be tournaments and all kinds of sports ranging from basketball, softball, soccer, flag football, and capture the flag. By doing this it allows the Prep students to have wide variety of options and a school activity to participate in. Through research and an interview we have found that
previous Prep grades did have such an event but (partially because of bad behavior) it came to an end. This now has now become a second chance for high school students to demonstrate their maturity by taking this great responsibility seriously. If we take this seriously we can accomplish our goal of having a simple round-robin tournament that students and faculty can come and watch. Previous Prep grades took the intramural sports as a joke by focusing on the introductions and themselves instead of the game. This lead to many staff members’ wasted time. To do this right we must organize to get real referees and to make sure the students obey the rules so the intramural sports can last and be good
fun. If this gets out of hand we realize the school will have no other choice but to shut down the intramural program. We do believe, though, that the current high school should be given the chance of having an intramural activity.
Staff editorials represent the consensus view of the Sentry in-class staff after a group discussion.
Out with the Old, in with the New Sports Opinion: Tanner McCraney On November 29, the head football coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, Mark Richt, was fired because he allegedly come up short of the expectations of the Georgia football. After 15 years of coaching the bulldogs, his record was
December 2015
145 win and 51 loses. Also, he brought in five SEC championship appearances with two title wins in 2002 and 2005. Although none of his great seasons took the team to a nation championship, Richt led the bulldogs to 15 strait bowl games.
With nine plus wins in 11 out of his 15 seasons one can only question why Georgia would do this. When asked about this, athletic director, Greg McGarity, and other Georgia athletic officials claim that it was a mutual decision between Richt and the University. But, sources from ESPN state that he was indeed fired, and I believe that’s the real story. Richt came to Georgia in 2001 with expectations to be a program changer and did in fact do that. In his first season he led Georgia to a 13-1 record with an SEC title and a sugar bowl victory. Also, he had the fifth best winning percentage among active FBS coaches, tailing behind Urban Meyer, Bob Stoops, Nick Saban, and Gary Patterson. He continued this standard throughout the years to come with five of the six next
seasons with ten win seasons. This made Richt the leader in most ten win seasons in school history. This makes it very hard for me to believe that after him doing such good for the bulldog program and winning for so long with such integrity that he is not good enough for Georgia. Georgia has recently hired Kirby Smart as their new head coach, the defensive coordinator of Alabama. Person-
ally, I don’t think getting a new coach will change anything. Although this is sad, it did not take long for Richt to get another coaching job. The University of Miami hired him on December second, just two days after he “stepped down”. I wish Richt the best of luck there, and I hope he can carry his Bulldog legacy over to the Hurricanes.
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Tacky Christmas SweaTer Contest 1st Place Tripp Perkins
2nd Place
3rd Place
Anna Kate Williams
Ross Edwards