The Paw Print by Tammy Parks

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ISSUE NO. 4

THE PAW PRINT

HOWE PUBLIC SCHOOLS/SPRING 2009/VOLUME ONE

Howe Grads Observe 500 Year Old Tradition by Samantha Hill Freshman •••

What is a baccalaureate, you might ask. Freshman student Dawn Hooper replied “I think it is someone who gets a degree in college.” Sophomore student Mary Henry replied, “It is a church, on the night before, or a couple of days before the graduation. They have a service and it’s all for the seniors who are graduating.” Some students answered the question with “I have absolutely no idea.” What is a baccalaureate? And what is the reason behind it? According to Wikipedia, the baccalaureate was said to have originated at Oxford University in 1432 when all of the bachelors were to deliver a sermon in Latin as part of his academic requirements. Because of the earliest universities in the U.S were usually to teach ministers, the continued on page 2

CHRISTOPHER OLIVER: “I like baccalaureate because it is a chance to spend one last night celebrating God together with my senior friends before we graduate.”

Baccalaureate held May 17 Bryan Vandever, Pastor of Springhill Baptist Church in Monroe, OK addresses the Howe Senior Class of 2009 as members of the Board of Education and Administration look on. Howe Seniors’ graduation ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, May 22 at 8:00 p.m. in the Howe Gymnasium.

ASHLEY SCROGGINS: “It makes the seniors feel more confident knowing that God’s going to be with each and every one of them through out the struggles of the future.”

BRYAN VANDEVER: “When I was asked to speak at this year’s baccalaureate I was very honored. It meant a lot to me that I was able to speak to the same students that I taught my first year [at Howe].”

Baccalaureate ••• continued from page 1

British’s version of the baccalaureate service continued. Through out the years the baccalaureate ceremony has grown greatly, and has become an important event to seniors all around the U.S. The Wikipedia definition states that a baccalaureate is a “Service/celebration which honors the graduating senior class from a college or a high school. The event is often, but not necessarily, of a religious nature, almost always Christian.” The baccalaureate service at Howe is currently considered a non-denominational service. This year Bryan Vandever of Springhill Baptist Church in Monroe,Oklahoma was chosen by the senior class of “09” to speak at this year’s baccalaureate. “When I was asked to speak at this year’s baccalaureate I was very honored. It meant a lot to me that I was able to speak to the same students that I taught my first year [at Howe].” Also chosen to be apart of the ceremony was Bentley Hill. Bentley is the director of the Baptist Student Union on the campus of Carl Albert State College in Poteau. He was chosen to present a prayer at the end of the ceremony. Both the speaker and the benedictory firmly

believe in the importance of participating in the baccalaureate. “It gives us an opportunity to call on God and to ask for his continual guidance and direction in our lives. We are a physical beings but we are also spiritual beings as well. This is just a way to thank God for bringing these students this far in life and asking Him to continue to guide them through life's struggles. Bentley states, “I think it’s a good thing to be a part of because it just shows that we haven’t totally taken God out of our schools. And I believe that we should never take Him out of schools.” Both of the men agreed that having a baccalaureate is a very positive and immense thing to participate in. The baccalaureate is a ceremony that is not hosted by the school itself. It is a ceremony that Seniors are not required to attend. It is their choice. “I like baccalaureate because it is a chance to spend one last night celebrating God together with my senior friends before we graduate,” said senior student Christopher Oliver. Ashley Scroggins stated, “It’s a good thing to be a part of because it is a time for the ministers to bless the graduating class. It makes the seniors feel more confident knowing that God’s going to be with each and every

one of them through out the struggles of the future.” This year’s baccalaureate service was held in the Howe School Gymnasium, on May 17. Many people stated that this year’s baccalaureate was one of the best Howe has ever had.

GENERAL CADAVER DEMO

April 24: The Howe High School Science Club took a Virtual Field Trip to the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and participated in a General Cadaver Demonstration performed by Ray Vollmer. “Well it was pretty awesome, you don’t see a cadaver everyday,” said Dawn Hooper.

YEARSED IN 24 WORDS NULLAM PRETIUM:THE ALIQUAM IPSUM EROS?

THE YEAR IN 24 WORDS

“Nsectetur adipiscing elit, set eiusmod tempor incidunt et8TH labore et dolore ABBY LANDEROS, GRADE: magna aliquam. Ut Demerits, enim ullamco “Different, Fun, Exciting, Crazy, Sleepy, Sports, Great, laboris nisi Pictures, ut aliquip exWeird, ea commodo.”

Studying, Friends, Courtney, Hayley, Chelsea, Sarah, Lauren, Hilarious Moments, — Fringilla Viverr, Lorem Inside Jokes, Memories, Sad, Unforgettable”

“Louem adipiscing elit, set eiusmod tempor incidunt et labore et dolore LINDSAY MCCOWN, SENIOR: magna aliquam. Ut enim louem “Where do I start. This year has gone by tempor so fast, but incidunt I’m goingettolabore miss High etSchool dolore.”

and the people I have met!”” — Urna Semper, Ipsum

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BROOKE VANDEVER, 8TH GRADE: Nunc Blan Fun but boring atdit the same time. Basketball% was a challenge, but we succeeded. It was Allast iquyear my middle amin Vo lutschool, pat it was sad.”

by Michelle Evans Freshman ••• Everyone is going green! Recycling, conserving energy and water. What can we do as a people to help save the planet? There are many things such as turning off a light when you are not in a room or take a shorter shower in the mornings.

GOING GREEN For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.

Schools across the country and around the world are taking small steps to go green. One local school is going to only have a four day week next school year to cut down on energy and the energy cost. Their days will be a little bit longer but they will have a three day weekend every week. There are other ways for a school to go green though. Any school can have recycling bins on campus. Every school can ask students to bring their own water bottles instead of buying a bottled water everyday. If every school turned off any/all electronics when they were not in use think about how much energy that would save a semester. Here at Howe we have a lot of computers and technology. If they were turned off when we were not using them and every evening when the students left the school that could be a dollar amount that was being saved along with conserving energy.

You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can.

for gas. That adds up to be about $6,632.26 on average per month just for water, gas and electricity! That adds up to $79,592.04 a year(not a school year)! According to www.bulidgreenschools.com, Green schools cost less to operate, freeing up resources to truly improve students’ education. Their carefully planned acoustics and abundant daylight make it easier and more comfortable for students to learn. Their clean indoor air cuts down

Howe Public schools spends $5,003.08 on average for electricity alone in a single month. We spend $794.46 on average for water a month and for $835.13 on average

sick days and gives our children a head start for a healthy, prosperous future. And their innovative design provides a wealth of hands-on learning opportunities. Public and private schools alike are realizing that going green is a no-brainer. If a green school saved $100,000 per year in operational costs, that's roughly enough to hire two new teachers, buy 200 new computers or purchase 5,000 new textbooks.

THE YEAR IN 24 WORDS GOING GREEN: WHAT CAN WE DO AT HHS?

THE YEAR IN 24 WORDS

“Nsectetur adipiscing elit, set eiusmod tempor incidunt et labore dolore KYLE SWARTS, 8TH GRADE:etThis magna Ut enim year was aliquam. kinda good and bad, weullamco did not get to gonisi on a ut lot of trips this this laboris aliquip exyear, ea but commodo.” year was OK.

— Fringilla Viverr, Lorem

“Louem adipiscing elit, set eiusmod tempor incidunt et labore et dolore BRIANNA HILLEBRAND, magna aliquam. Ut enim FRESHMAN: Basketball waslouem really tempor awesome. incidunt I missed et mylabore 8th gradeetbuddies. dolore.”

I made new friends, and I am really looking forward to next year. — Urna Semper, Ipsum

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MARIAH LANDEROS, FRESHMAN: Nunc semester anditwas really great. I had% My secondBl a lot of fun, lot and lots of memories. I hope Aliqu next yearam is somewhat alike. Volutpa t

Swine Flu by Rogelio Zamora Freshman •••

There is a virus spreading and it has got people worried. Schools all over the country are closing due to H1N1 also known as swine flu. According to our school nurse, Lori Hall “The flu is spread from droplets. If a person sneezes or coughs on someone else or on something such as a doorknob, if you touch the knob you get the germ. If you touch your mouth nose or eyes or if someone coughs into your mouth nose or eyes and that is how through their respiratory droplets you get the germ.” The swine flu can be deadly if it is not treated There are 5,710 cases in the U.S and there have been 8 deaths total. Samantha Hill, freshman, says “I haven’t heard a lot about it, but the fact that people are dying from it that is a concern.” The number of cases are growing. You can help prevent the flu according to our school nurse, “The most important thing to do is wash your hands under soap and water for twenty seconds. If you are coughing or sneezing cover your mouth not with your hand but with a tissue or

PURSE RAIDERS Cell phone, camera, make-up bag, baby lotion, pencils, library book, wallet, tooth brush, tooth paste, floss, bracelet, gum, batteries, house keys, canker medicine, hair thing, and trash.

A freshman at Howe High School, Chasity Sanders is an active member in FCS, FCCLA, and YAB. She is on the high school basketball team. Chasity enjoys playing basketball, texting, and going swimming.

the bend of your arm.” These are some things you can do to make sure you don’t get the flu or spread the flu.

VFT Team Place 3rd in KC3 Contest Instructor Tammy Parks and her Broadcast Journalism students from Howe recently participated in the KC3 (Kids Creating

Community Content) Contest.The contest was sponsored by TANDBERG and the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) to challenge middle and high school teams, from across the United States, to develop and present an engaging and dynamic videoconferencing program about their community. Programs were evaluated on national standards aligned content and materials, interactivity, communication skills, presentation strategy and the effective use of technology. The High School team placed third with their program “Indian Territory, Western Lawmen and Outlaws:Tales from the Courthouse of "Hanging Judge" Parker”. They identified and researched the topic to develop an informational live videoconferencing program and presented it to students from Irasburg Village School, Irasburg, VT, as well as a team of judges. Members of Howe’s team included Dawn Hooper, Samantha Hill, Jared Brown, Rogelio Zamora, Nicole Vongnarath, and Kristen Lovell.

PURSE RAIDERS

Shirt, eye lash curler, germX, MP3 player, lip gloss, mascara, car keys, eye shadow, cough drops, chap stick, phone charger, calculator, wallet, note cards, money, memory card, pencils, deodorant, eye liner, tweezers, and trash.

— Brittany Ritter

Andrea Ford Named Choctaw Senior Princess

CROWNING GLORY Andrea was awarded over $2,650 is cash scholarships to attend Carl Albert State College in Poteau, OK.

by Amber Hood Freshman ••• On Saturday, May 9, Andrea Ford participated in the Choctaw Princess Pageant of 2009 in Poteau, Oklahoma. She won a $2000 scholarship to Carl Albert State College in Poteau, Oklahoma, $500 from the Choctaw Nation, and $100 from District 4 Councilman, Delton Cox. She wore a traditional Choctaw dress Everything on the dress is symbolic, for example the x’s stand for stickball, which is a game that the Choctaw nation used to play back in the old days. Her talent was performing the Lords Prayer in Native American sign language. The competition stressed her out at first but it was an all around great opportunity for her. Andrea Ford commented that when she looks back, it was never really all that difficult after all even though she started getting prepared pretty late.

Jerra Washington, Howe 6th grader, was named 1st runner-up in the Choctaw Nation Little Miss division, pictured with Jerra are Delton Cox, DIstrict 4 Councilman and Andrea Ford, Senior Princess.

selection of the honors. Students must be

highest GPA plus honor credits for the

enrolled in a minimum of four (4) units

student’s first seven (7) semesters or high

during their senior year. The valedictorian of the graduating class will be chosen as the

school. A minimum GPA or 3.5 will be required for the salutatorian. The historian

person with the highest seven(7) semester

of the graduating class shall be the

Students will be selected from each

grade point average (GPA) plus honor credits,for the student’s high school

graduating senior having the third highest seven (7) semester GPA plus honor credits. A

graduating class for the award of

academic career. A minimum GPA of 3.5 will

minimum GPA or 3.25 will be required for the

valedictorian, salutatorian, and historian. Students must attend Howe High School for

be required for the valedictorian. The salutatorian of the graduating class shall be

historian.

at least three (3) semesters prior to the

the graduating senior having the second

Honor Grads by Abigail McGarrah Freshman ••• According to Howe Schools handbook,

HOWE CLASS OF 2009 HONOR GRADUATES

“I was really excited because I worked really hard this year. I wasn’t really striving to be valedictorian or anything. I think anybody can do it if they do their work, try hard, and pay attention in class.”

“I had worked toward the goal as honor grad since my freshman year. Being the salutatorian is a great honor, and I feel proud that I am representing my class as salutatorian.”

“I felt accomplished and very excited! I had worked very hard to get that award and it was a very tough competition, but it was well worth it! It feels amazing!” — Ashley Scroggins, Valedictorian

— Ariel Landeros, Historian

— Samantha Carter, Salutatorian

FFA Convention by Kristen Lovell Freshman •••

How many of you have ever been to FFA Convention. Well its an experience worth doing over and over again. So many kids across Oklahoma attend Convention every year, and every year I can guarantee you that every one of them take something different and better out of it each time they attend. You sit in the ford center either down on the floor as a delegate or up in the stands with the rest of the group, and you are listening to the thousands of awards that are given away, and your watching all these talented kids sing or do a talent that some have never seen. Or your listening to the awesome speakers and comedians that give you their speeches that make you want to go home and change, not only your life but all the peoples lives around you. You are just surrounded by all this good that is contagious and your wishing it would take ahold of you! Then, when they turn all the lights off and all the thousands of kids and mentors stand up and they cheer for our State officers as their running out onto the stage. You can almost feel the quietness and the stillness of every person in the building as Chelsea Clifton, our state FFA president comes out to the middle of the stage and asks them to bow theirs heads in prayer. You can smell the scent of the new blue and gold jackets, you can see the pride in their eyes, you can nearly see all the smiles as she says amen and says please welcome Chad Hymas. Throughout the time that this man his chance to tell the story of how he was paralyzed from the neck down while working out in the field, I started to realize something. This man, is paralyzed from the neck down, but he still tells these kids to get up and get out. He is crippled, but he has worked so hard, progressed so

PURSE RAIDERS Wallet, make-up bag, water, MP3 player, cell phone, house keys, Carmex, screw driver, ear-rings, crackers, nails, money, notes, pencils, pens, bobby pins, calculator, and trash.

Kristen Lovell is a Freshman at Howe High School. She is an active member of FFA. Kristen is a member of the Choctaw Youth Advisory Board, is active in FCS and her youth group at church.

much over the past years, that he was able to become a professional speaker and go all over the world and share his amazing story. You can see tears falling all over the room as he tells us how he became paralyzed by a 1000 pound hay bail his tractor dropped on him. And how it was his wife and children who found him. If you can just imagine the power this man is feeling, knowing he is affecting thousands of kids at that very moment. He teaches you how to stick your neck out and fly in the face of fear of rejection and overwhelming discouragement. From the time you walk into that building and from the time you leave, you are surrounded by this feeling of joy. Because you know everyone in that room is there because they want to be, not because there was nothing better to do, but because they know that FFA Convention is an experience they will never forget. The younger kids that are there, are simply in awe and shock

because who knew something to do with FFA could be so life changing. Then, you have the older kids that are loving ever minute of the experience. They want more, and they know there will be, because FFA is something that will always be around. Its not just about becoming a welder or farmer when your older. Its about what kind of a welder or farmer you choose to become.

FFA Convention Highlights From Th e State Convention April 28-30, 2009

Howe Attendees # of ladders hit Boys vs Girls # of pens collected

36 0 1:5

150 # of busses returned with 2

SUMMER

School Field Trips by Austin Bennett 8th Grade •••

MOVIES If you’re a big fan of Ben Stiller’s “Night at the Museum” be sure to check out “Battle of the Smithsonian” In theaters May 22. Dance right over to your nearest theater and buy a ticket to “Dance Flick” which also opens May 22. A hilarious new comedy that brings together the talents of two generations, from the clan who brought us the “Scary Movie” franchise and many more great movies. Disney Pixar’s “UP” invites you on an outstanding journey into a lost world, with the least duo on earth. and that comes out on May 29th. Fan of Eddie Murphy? check out his new comedy coming out on June 12th which is called “Imagine That” Sandra Bullock is forced to marry her male assistant in order to stay in the country. This little twist is difficult when they have to fake their way to a surprise wedding. Want to know more?! Jump right on their Adventure to “The Proposal” In theaters June 19th.

more Park

Mrs. Sockey’s PreSchool Class at Creek in Fort Smith, Arkansas

EVERYONE LOVES THE END OF SCHOOL FIELD TRIP, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ALIKE. WHETHER IT IS GOING TO CHUCK E. CHEESE OR GOING TO MAGIC SPRINGS, STUDENTS CANNOT WAIT TO GET OUT OF CLASS AND HAVE FUN. For our 8th graders in Middle School this has their last trip until their senior year. They will miss these trips, not realizing just yet how much fun they have had. The Middle School was hoping to take their trip at Magic Springs, but do to the water park being shut-down for maintenance, they decided to go elsewhere. They went to Tulsa to the Oilers Ice Skating rink and then onto the Imax Theatre to watch Monsters vs Aliens in 3D. The 5th graders, though, still went to Magic Springs. Because the water park and the bigger rides were closed, they did not get to ride almost any rides. They took their trip on May 15th. On May 20th, the 3rd and 4th grades are going to going to watch the movie ‘Earth’ at the Poteau theatre, then CC’s Pizza, on May 20th. I had the privilege to talk to a 3rd grader about what he was looking forward to about their trip, but apparently the only thing he was looking forward to was eating pizza at CC’s. The PreK through 2nd grade are going to Chuck E. Cheese on May 21, then to Creekmore park. Everyone is excited about the trip, including my mother, Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Bobbitt’s PreK assistant, she says she is looking forward to the trip because “It means school is almost out!”

School Trips May 2009

Chuck E. Cheese

PK-2nd

Movie “Earth”

3rd-4th

Magic Springs

5th

Ice Skating/IMAX

Magic Springs

Seniors

Put A Ring On It

ABOUT ME

by Mariah Landeros Freshman •••

NUMBERS According to a Media Research Center article, “Running Purity Rings around MTV,” In August 2008, the sales of “True Love Waits” rings were up 113%.

Name: Nicole Vongnarath Age: 14 Grade: Freshman Town: Poteau, OK Purchased Purity Ring: Fall 2008 Quote: “Of coarse it stands for sex after marriage but not only all about sex but it’s kind of like waiting for true love, like the ring says “True Love Waits,” and I stand by that 100%.”

PURITY RINGS. WHAT ARE THEY? WHERE CAN I GET ONE? THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS ONE ASKS. RECENTLY STUDENTS AT HOWE HIGH SCHOOL HAVE GIVEN THEIR OPINIONS ABOUT PURITY RINGS. Howe High School student Megan Brown tells us a little more about the ring and what it stands for, for her, “I think it stands for staying pure and it’s like kind of a gift of you giving your whole self to your husband like waiting until marriage and every time your tempted to do anything you just look down at your finger and your like wow that was a mistake or that will be a mistake and i’ll regret it.” She tells us how she learned about the ring. “I learned about it from a friend. She was wearing it, and I just asked her what it meant, and I just thought it was really cool so I bought one”.

Howe High School student Samantha Hill explains how getting the ring was a personal and spiritual decision, “The reason it was personal was because a lot of my friends were getting them, and I thought it was pretty cool and everything and they all gave their reasons and I wanted to get mine. But my reason spiritually and religiously is because there are a couple of scriptures in the bible. In Genesis 2:24, it says “for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and Teens not being ab stinent they will become one flesh.” So it’s pretty much sex after marriage and that’s results in: what I believe in, and I think that the purity ring is an awesome symbol of Millions of serious an d deadly showing that your willing to wait for your future spouse.” STD’s ev

ery year.

40 million abortions since the early 1970s. M ill io ns of f am ili es to rn apart every year M ill io ns of broken he arts every year. M ill io ns of te en s ra isi ng ch ild re n in pove rt y ever y year. Millions of un wa pregnancies every ye n t e d ar. www.purityrings.com

Howe High School student Nicole Vongnarath gives advice to those who are trying to make the decision to get a purity ring, “My advice would be... it’s your choice and if you want to get a ring to symbolize what your choice is then go for it.” She also tells us what it means to her, “Of coarse it stands for sex after marriage, but not only [is it] all about sex, it’s kind of like waiting for true love, like the ring says True Love Waits and I stand by that 100%.” Purity Rings are rings that you wear when your make a promise to yourself to stay pure until marriage. The price is ranged from $17 to $27 dollars, you can find them at you local bookstore or order them online.

Lady Lions Wrap Season at State play their first game in the State Tournament against Hobart. The girls played at 3:00PM. Unfortunately, The Lady Lions got beat by Hobart 21-12.

by Jennifer Wright •••

Howe Lady Lions softball girls were in the last game of Regionals trying to win it to go to State. It was a very close game against Pocola when they went into extra innings. All the fans were on their toes cheering for the Lady Lions! Finally the game ended with the final score being 13-11 the Howe Lady Lions win it! The fans cheered and the Lady Lions celebrated, they are State bound! Senior Ashley Scroggins had this to say about the very close game, “The Regionals game was crazy! We felt like we had the game won like about five times that game, but then Pocola felt like they won the game like five times. So it just went back and forth and back and forth. It was very stressful, but after the game was over and we came out on top it made it feel even better winning regionals and going to State.”

The girls were very upset that their season had come to an end, but at the same time they were excited that they had made it to State. Ashley had this to say about making it to State, “It feels great to make state, one time in Softball and it makes it even better that it was my Senior year, because even though we didn't win the State Tournament it kind of feels like we went out with a bang because this is the first time in a long time that any softball team around here has went to State. There is no better feeling than to go to State even if we did loose and end it that way our Senior year.” Coach Vandever had this to say about the season, “We have met every goal for the season. We made it to State for the 3rd time in History and the 2nd time in history in Slow pitch so I am a very proud coach!”

Chelsea Baggs

Katie BenAmor

Tori Kellogg

Raye McKenzie

Cierra Yandell

#10

Ashley Scroggins

#11

Kelsey Parks

#12

Taylor Cawhorn

#13

Summer Durant

#14

Jordan Wilburn

#15

Miranda Lambert

#18

Randa Grant

#20

Whitney Johnson

#22

Lynsey White

#26

Sarah Henry

#31

Samantha Carter

Head Coach

The girls were on their way to National Softball Hall of Fame Stadium after the Sports Banquet to

Bryan Vandever

Asst. Coach

THE PAW PRINT: REPORTERS Samantha Hill

Jennifer Wright

Nicole Vongnarath

Jared Brown

Michelle Evans Arlie Crouch

Austin Bennett Dawn Hooper

Rogelio Zamora Chasity Sanders Mariah Helmandollar Amber Hood Kristen Lovell

Mariah Landeros

Viddy Zamora

Abigail McGarrah

Shane Brown

THE PAW PRINT ISSUE no. 17 VOLUME 01 Tammy G. Parks, Adviser tammygparks@mac.com Howe Public Schools P.O. Box 259 Howe, Oklahoma 74940 www.howeschools.org

HHS Science Classes Receive Grant leland cypress, triumph elm, river birch, autumn blaze maple and shantung maple. They planted 20 trees around the school campus. Mrs. Buchanan and her class are planting one tree for every grade so that not only will they be apart of the campus but so that every one feels involved.

by Arlie Crouch 8th Grade •••

Mrs. Buchanan and her class are planting trees around campus. Every class, pre-k through 12th grade gets their own tree. Mrs. Buchanan and her class received a grant from the U.S Forestry Service. The class chose five varieties of trees:

HOWE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

P.O. Box 259 Howe, Oklahoma 74940

Mrs. Buchanan says that she has talked to some of the seniors that

have planted trees when they were in kindergarden and that they even pointed out the tree, and that they could bring back their kids and show them their tree someday. Mrs. Buchanan plans on planting more shrubs and more flowers next year. Visit their project website at: http:// podcast.howeschools.org/~hsscience