DECEMBER 2015

TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL

VOLUME 74 ISSUE 1

THE

HI-TIMES DECEMBER 2015 A STUDENT NEWSPAPER

INDEX

• NEWS..............................2

4125 Golden Wave Dr., Tupelo, Mississippi 38801

Christmas Tradition THS students participate in the annual Nutcracker ballet. PG10

• FEATURES.............4 • OPINIONS..................5 • SPORTS..........................7 • ART&ENTERTAINMENT.............8

FOOTBALL RECAP

The Golden Wave storms the field before defeating Olive Branch 38-35 on Nov. 5.

KARLEE AVERY

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2015 FOOTBALL SEASON yard screen pass. Kicker Josh Smith then extended Tupelo’s lead to 24-14 with a field goal in the third.

The Golden Wave continually led the game, ending with a winning score of 24-14.

Keywanna Rogers IG:@keyy.lashayy Staff Writer

The season started off a little rocky for the Tupelo Golden Wave football team. The team lost the first game of the season and then a few weeks later they were on a three-game losing streak, but then things changed. Led by coach Trent Hammond, the Golden Wave made it to the first round of the playoffs.

“This year we had too much of a young team,” Hammond said. “We had to teach them a lot of new stuff. This season they showed how to fight.”

Here are the highlights from this year’s season.

Tupelo vs. Corinth

On Aug. 28, Tupelo Football traveled to the home of the Corinth Warriors. Freshman Jordan Jernigan opened the game with a 78-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. With 4:09 left in the first quarter, quarterback Daniel Bristow ran for an 8-yard touchdown, bringing Tupelo’s lead to 14-7. In the third quarter, Kegan Huddleston scored on a 29-

Tupelo vs. Shannon

Tupelo hosted its first home football game of this year’s season Sept. 4 against Shannon. The first quarter ended with THS leading 15-0 after a touchdown from Daiqurrius Pounds. Kegan Huddleston raised the Golden Wave’s lead to 22-0 in the second with a 90-yard rush. With 5:12 left in the half, Donte Freeman caught a 10-yard pass from Bristow for another TD for the Wave. Soon after the start of the second half, Freeman gained his third touchdown of the night, pushing Tupelo’s lead over the Red Raiders to 35-16. Late into the third quarter, Bristow found his way into the end zone from 23 yards out for a TD. The game ended with a Golden Wave victory of 55-16 over Shannon

Tupelo vs. Olive Branch

The Golden Wave defeated Olive Branch Nov. 5.

All the seniors were captains because it was senior

night. Chris Shannon scored the first touchdown for Tupelo leaving the score 7-7 in the the first quarter. Kegan Huddleston got a 3-yard rushing touchdown giving Tupelo a lead with 13-7 with 10:49 remaining in the first half. Huddleston scored on a 1-yard run and Bristow added a 2-point conversion run. Daniel Bristow 56-yard run off a zone tied the score at 28-28. In the fourth, a 40yard pass from Bristow to Austin Watkins set up a 39-yard touchdown from Watkins to Quien Salters with 10:17 left in the game. A 36-yard pass from Donte Freeman to Shannon then to Huddleston who scored on a 1-yard run with 17 seconds left.

Huddleston scored three touchdowns, including the winning one. Rdarious Edwards intercepted two of Olive Branch passes, which caused them not to score and left the final score at 35-38. As a result, the Golden Wave advanced to the Class 6A state playoffs. Tupelo lost to Warren Central, 45-20.

Sports Editor Meredith Beasley contributed to this story.

Tupelo High art students paint mural to show school spirit THS Foundations of Journalism students Tupelo High School art students are painting a mural to fill a blank canvas once occupied by lockers.

“It’s a great way to show school spirit,” said Jason Harris, THS principal. “Our long-term goal is to get all the lockers out of A Building.”

Harris said the issue is students don’t use the lockers anymore.

“They need to go,” freshman Eleanor Perkins said. “It’d free up so much space in the hallways, and it’d stop all the questions that we have about them.”

The mural, which is 4 feet tall and 8 feet wide, will be hung on the cinderblock wall where the lockers used to be.

The space, which is about 24by-6 feet, offered a challenge for the students, art teacher Anna Garner said.

“The plan was to paint directly on that wall, but the wall was too sharp,” Garner said, explaining the surface

is not smooth so the mural must be painted on a piece of hardboard.

Garner said the students were also challenged by the size of the mural.

“This is a mural painting that is a lot different for students from painting small scale,” Garner said. “It’s a lot more difficult to paint on such a large-scale project, so they have to learn a whole new set of skills.”

Six Painting II students, one junior and five seniors, are working on the mural.

They are Wyatt Herring, Cara Lowry, Zack McIntosh, Sophie Petruskevich, Keondra Thomas and Rachel Williams. Garner said the small class is ideal for a project this size.

“That’s perfect for a mural because 20 people can’t work on it at the same time anyway,” she said. “Three work on it one day, three work on it the next day, because it’s tough to get crowded around it.”

See THS Mural PG4

HANNAH NEWSOM

Anna Garner’s six Painting II students used photographs to paint a mural that will hang on a cinderblock wall once occupied by lockers in A building. From left are Cara Lowry, Keondra Thomas, Zack McIntosh, Sophie Petroskevich, Rachel Williams and Wyatt Herring.

2NEWS

{

THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • DECEMBER 2015D

BIG BROTHERS AND BIG SISTERS {

WHAT’S COMIN’ UP

• U.S. History State Test Dec. 2 • Christmas Parade @ Downtown Tupelo, 7 p.m.

Dec. 4 • THS Basketball vs.

Pontotoc Dec. 4 • Nutcracker Ballet @ PAC, 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 5 • Tupelo Band Christmas Concert @ PAC, 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 7 • English State Test Dec. 8-9 • MBA State Band Clinic @ Natchez Dec. 9-12 • ACT Dec. 12 • THS Basketball vs.

Saltillo Dec. 15 • 1st and 2nd Block Exams Dec. 16 • 3rd and 4th Block Exams Dec. 17 • THS Basketball Christmas Classic Dec. 18

Tamara Crump @tgcrump2 Staff Writer

The Big Brothers Big Sisters program is a nationwide mentoring network.

The goal of the program is to create a positive, long lasting effect on young lives. The program was founded in New York in 1904. When it was first created, it was only a Big Brother program, but later it became Big Brothers and Big Sisters. The program has been active in North Mississippi for approximately 39 years.

Since around 2000, Tupelo’s Big Brothers Big Sisters has been led by program specialist Angie Owen. Her job is to advertise the program and maintain its volunteers. She makes sure the public is aware of the program and its benefits while also interviewing and evaluating volunteers and the children of the public.

Another task that Owen has is fundraising for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

At the end of the year, there is a big fundraiser called Bowl for Kids. While the littles get to enjoy spending time with their bigs, the program also allows businesses a chance to donate.

The bigs are the mentors and the littles are the children. The bigs and littles are recruited and then matched.

It’s preferred that the bigs and littles are matched based on common interests, but that isn’t easy to manage.

There are also community bigs that are allowed to meet with their little outside of school times.

“I would like to match bigs and littles by the things they like to do, but I usually end up matching them together because of scheduling,” Owen said. “The community bigs usually get matched together based on things they like to do.”

While recruiting the bigs, Owen goes to schools with potential willing participants. Once the interviews and background checks have been done, three major training sessions are held during

TAMARA CRUMP

Chera Jones with her little, Tristan Jones, at Lawndale Elementary School.

the summer. The sessions train the bigs what to do and what not to do when visiting their littles.

Expectations of a big include helping a little with school subjects they may be having difficulty in, discussing safety rules and keeping the children happy. There are 314 participants in Lee County and Itawamba, but there are only 157 matches currently.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is not only beneficial to the littles, but it can also be enjoyable. Both the bigs and the littles gain from the experience. The littles gain an older sibling who looks out for them. The bigs can learn anything from experience with children to just having a younger sibling to look after.

“I’ve always wanted to help a child that may be in need,” junior Avery Bush said. “It’s also a great experience since I’m looking into a career of teaching.”

Being close to the little is important, because a big needs to establish a relationship with their little. Once matched, the big and little spend the entire year together, so it’s best they have some kind of bond.

Around Christmas break, Owen requests the report cards of the littles, so she can decide if there is anything that the little may need help with. If there is, then Owen informs the big and they find a way to help the little. That’s why having a strong bond is important. The stronger the bond, the easier it will be to help the little with specific needs.

“I enjoy being a big, because it gives me the opportunity to connect with someone younger than me, and it allows me to make a difference in someone’s life,” junior Chera Jones said.

PERMANENT LIKE A SHARPIE

•Winter Holidays Dec. 18 - Jan. 4

Keywanna Rogers

• Rae Sremmurd concert @ BancorpSouth Arena, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 19

Tupelo High School has three permanent substitute teachers, Persephone Ashby, Maria Cruz and Joan Kelsie.

To become a permanent sub, applicants must first apply online just like any other job, but they must have an associate’s degree.

A Tupelo native, Ashby graduated See the from Mississippi State University in feature on 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in permanent kinesiology. She is now working on sub Joan her master’s degree in teaching. She Kelsie. has worked with special education PG4 students at Milam Elementary and Tupelo Middle School, and has tutored English and science. She said she wasn’t expecting to become a sub indefinitely.

“I know it is only temporary, but I appreciate the experience,“ Ashby said. “I am working on an alternate teaching route, and being a substitute is giving me a lot of experience in an actual classroom full Joan Kelsie of students.”

Kelsie, who originally hails from Jamaica, has been a permanent substitute in the Tupelo Public School District since 2011. She attended the University of Technology in Jamaica, earning her Bachelor of Education degree in business studies. Kelsie has also pursued courses at Del Tech Community College in Delaware. She has taught full-time in Jamaica and Delaware.

“I wasn’t really looking for a permanent position,” Kelsie said. “I didn’t really want to work full time at the time, only coming in whenever they needed me. It changed when one day Mr. Catledge approached me and asked. At first I said no, but then I thought about it and accepted the position.

I’ve come to find it was a good decision.”

Kelsie’s classroom experience has changed from when she taught as a full-time teacher in other places.

“Things have changed so much in the classroom,” Kelsie said. “Sometimes I’m undecided whether I want to become a regular full-time teacher. Some differences in teaching in Jamaica and Delaware are discipline, the students’ attitude towards education, and the curriculum, its content and emphasis on testing.”

Kelsie said that one advantage of being a permanent sub at the high school is not being stuck with one class but getting the opportunity to move across the entire campus, to impact more lives and to form meaningful relationships KEYWANNA ROGERS with students and teachers.

Cruz is from Chicago. She has been working at THS for a Maria Cruz, top photo, and Persephone Ashby are two of THS’s three premanet subs. couple of years. She went to Harolds Washington City College where she earned an associate’s degree. She has also pursued courses at Roosevelt University in Chicago, where she achieved her goal of getting her bachelor’s degree. She recently taught with Americorps.

“If I were to become a regular full-time teacher, I’d prefer to teach American History because I love history,” Cruz said

• Rae Sremmurd Community BBQ @ Ballard Dec. 20 • Formal at Kingfisher Lodge in Verona, 8 p.m. to 12 midnight. $20 per person Dec. 22 • Christmas Eve Dec. 24 • Christmas Day Dec. 25 • Boxing Day Dec. 26 • New Year’s Eve Dec. 31 • New Year’s Day Jan. 1 • Students report back to school Jan. 5 • THS Basketball vs.

Horn Lake Jan. 5 • 2nd Quarter Report Cards Jan. 7 • M.L.King Day Jan. 18

IG:@keyy.lashayy Staff Writer

3

NEWS

DECEMBER 2015 • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • THE HI-TIMES

JEREMY HINDS/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

THS culinary art students, from left, Chelsea Collins, Takeyah Taylor, Azalee Staples and Tatyiana Pack display a meal they just prepared. Kasee Avery is at far right.

New Wave Cafe gives culinary students real-life experience Meredith Beasley @mbeez33 Sports Editor

The Culinary Arts class at Tupelo High School has a new cafe to use as a lab to get real-life, handson experience. The Wave Cafe is a renovated classroom that provides a place for students to have an authentic restaurant atmosphere.

The class plans to host a monthly luncheon for the Association for Excellence in Education, at which students will serve local chefs, managers and owners of restaurants. They also plan to have monthly luncheons for teachers, who will be able to enjoy a $6 meal.

“We devised a plan where we would invite people from the food service industry around the Tupelo area to, once a month, come into our cafe,” Culinary Arts teacher Marion Henson said.

The culinary students hosted a luncheon Nov. 20 for teachers to come and enjoy lunch in their cafe.

Assistant Principal Adam Lindsey was very pleased

Aaron Kwag

with his overall experience.

“It was awesome,” Lindsey said. “I felt like I was at an establishment in the middle of Tupelo.”

With the smell of coffee and the sound of Christmas music softly playing, the cafe offered a welcoming, friendly environment. The students, dressed in matching T-shirts and aprons, were standing ready to serve their customers. Lindsey said he was impressed with the students and their advanced skill and preparedness.

“The students were professional and everything was first class,” he said. “It wasn’t just them going through the motions; it was a real experience.”

Students, Henson said, will get to take on the roles of serving, cooking, working the cash register and cleaning.

“The students are going to change positions each time,” she said. “All of them will have a chance to do all the different positions.”

Henson said that a comment card is given to every customer to get feedback. Through these, the

students’ service is evaluated.

“We encourage them to make suggestions of things they might need to be learning or doing better,” she said.

The cafe was funded through an AEE grant written in the spring of 2015 and awarded in May. “The grant was requesting funds to help furnish the dining room and help provide food for guests we might invite,” Henson said.

Senior culinary arts student Devin Jefferson, who has applied to Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, said the new cafe gives him valuable experience.

“It teaches us how to serve to others,” Jefferson said. “When we do get into the real world, we’ll have some experience.”

Fellow culinary student Kasee Avery, a junior, agreed.

“We need experience,” Avery said. “It’s good to practice in here.”

The Nutcracker dances through December

@AaronKwag Staff Writer

A classic ballet featuring several Tupelo High School students was performed in December.

The Nutcracker, a classic Christmas ballet, is familiar around the world. The two-act ballet was written by Ivan Vesvolozhsky and Marius Petipa, and the music was written by the world famous Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The Nutcracker has gained fame over time by being performed numerous times by many different ballet companies around the world. The Tupelo Ballet also carries this custom of having an annual Nutcracker performance.

During rehearsals, THS senior Caroline Burleson was excited about the show, which she and other dancers performed for local elementary students Dec. 4 and for the general public Dec. 5.

“I think it’s going to go well, because we practice all the time and we’ve been practicing for a few months now so it’ll turn out good,” Burleson said.

Senior Amy Haadsma shared Burleson’s excitement.

“I’m really excited about it, and I think it’s going to go very well,” Haadsma said.

Burleson and Haadsma’s experience has been a primary and integral part of their driving force to dance in the Nutcracker and to dance in general.

Burleson and Haadsma give their reasons to dance in the upcoming Nutcracker performance.

“I’ve danced since I was 3 years old, and it’s a really big part of my life,” Burleson said.

Haadsma’s reason for dancing in the Nutcracker is very similar to Burleson’s.

“I’ve been doing it since I was 3 years old and it’s a really big part of my life and I’m always excited in doing it,” Haadsma said.

After high school, Haadsma and Burleson said they might continue ballet.

“I hope I can still dance, but I haven’t decided yet,” Burleson said.

“I haven’t decided that yet,” Haadsma said.

“I’m going to Ole Miss next year and they have a dance company there that I might be a part of.”

BO MERCIER

Brooke McAuley, left, as the Mouse King fights the Nutcracker, played by Caiti Ellis.

BO MERCIER

Caroline Burleson dances the role of the Snow Queen in the Nutcracker.

4FEATURES

THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • DECEMBER 2015D

JEREMY HINDS/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Joan Kelsie points to Jamaica, her country of origin.

Permanent sub from Jamaica lets her accent do the talking Jeremy Hinds @Hurdle_Gang Chief Photographer

“Hey, we got that Jamaican sub!” That’s usually what Joan Kelsie, a permanent substitute at Tupelo High School, hears when students walk through the door at the beginning of a block. If a student doesn’t know about her nationality or why she’s such a curiosity to students, they find out as soon as she opens her mouth.

“People here absolutely love my accent,” she said.

“If I’m not careful, I’ll spend the whole class answering questions about Jamaica.”

Kelsie is a former regular sub has been one THS’s three permanent sub for almost two years now. She says the transition was difficult, but she has adjusted well.

“Now I look forward to weekends like never before,” she said.

Although she is a sub, Kelsie has more than 10 years of teaching experience up her sleeve, even with two years of working at a juvenile detention center. She started straight out of high school, or “secondary school” in Jamaica, as a pre-trained teacher with aspirations to be a college professor.

“A pre-trained teacher would be the equivalent to a

student teacher here in the States,” she said.

During her time as a pre-trained teacher and her five years teaching high school, she mastered her teaching skills, even teaching students a couple of months to a year younger than her.

“One of my best memories was teaching my younger sister,” Kelsie said. “She’s only two years younger than me.”

She thinks that kids here and in Jamaica are the same yet very different.

“I was in the classroom a long time ago,” she said.

“I’m sure a lot of changes have happened since. It was a different culture there. Education is seen as a vehicle to move you out of poverty or to help you achieve and move up the social scale. The emphasis was very different.”

Growing up in a poverty stricken background, education was the only way out for kids in her community.

Usually children had an ultimatum for their future; succeed in school, move to the city and make a career for yourself, or stay in the rural areas and help your parents farm. Since Kelsie said Jamaicans have a “learn or die” mentality, children there tend to be much different from most of their American counterparts since school is mandatory.

“Children are so blessed here,” Kelsie said. “Educational opportunities in Third World countries are not as available as they are in America.”

Even though Kelsie is a teacher with years of experience under her belt, she isn’t one of those uptight, stuffy old substitutes. She still jokes with students and makes them feel comfortable with her. Usually class starts with a long Q and A about Jamaica and stereotypical marijuana and dreadlocks questions, once she finally stems the steady flow of questions from eager students, she puts them to work. Most students at THS know about Kelsie by know and have come to love and respect her.

“I think having a teenage son myself definitely helps me understand students here, especially boys,” she said.

In the end, Kelsie said, she just loves teaching. She comes every day ready to have a positive effect on the life of any student she encounters. After all, it’s been her dream job since high school.

“It’s one of the most rewarding things to take a child from point A to point Z, and you look back and you realized that you were instrumental in moving that person along,” she said. “There is no limit to climbing the ladder of success, as long as you’re educated.”

THS Mural Continued from PG1

BO MERCIER

Students working on the mural include, clockwise from top, Sophie Petroskevich, Keondra Thomas, Wyatt Herring, Rachel Williams and Zack McIntosh. Cara Lowry also worked on the project.

Petruskevich said she likes working on the mural.

“It’s fun,” she said. “I like coming out here and painting it. It’s going to be cool when it’s put up in A Building and I will know I did that.”

Petruskevich and her classmates are painting the mural from photographs.

“Mr. Harris wanted blue and gold in order to show school spirit,” she said. “We have football players, cheerleaders, band members and Tupelo Boys.”

The Golden Wave baseball team is also featured.

McIntosh said painting the mural was a great learning experience.

“I feel that we all did pretty good on it, putting all our

artistic skills together,” he said.

Harris said he is pleased with the mural.

“I checked on it and it’s quite stunning,” he said. “I really like it. It’s very colorful. I think it’s going to look good there.”

Harris said the goal is to hang the mural over the holidays.

“I think it will be cool,” senior Josh Randle said. “These walls are kind of plain.”

Harris said the wall will also be used for student recognition such as high ACT scores.

William Barr II, Jack Burt, Gwynnette McGaughy, Bo Mercier, Hannah Newsom and Courtney Pugh contributed to this story.

5

OPINIONS

DECEMBER 2015 • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • THE HI-TIMES

TO BELIEVE

A

OR NOT TO BELIEVE?

T

Mary Catherine Miller

Anhthu Truong

@marycate2018 Staff Writer

@anhthu_truong Staff Writer

s children grow older, Christmas spirit can begin to fade away for some. Santa is one of the beliefs that continuously lessens each year. Young children already know that Santa isn’t real and that parents are the ones who buy the presents. Where is the Christmas spirit in this? The joy little kids’ faces show when they experience everything leading up to Christmas morning is precious. The magic of Christmas is amazing.

After Thanksgiving is over, most families begin to decorate their houses for Christmas. Stockings are hung on the mantle of the fireplace. The Christmas tree is put out, with everyone in the family adorning the tree with ornaments. My family either listens to Christmas music or watches Christmas movies while decorating the tree.

It’s also common for children to take the time to sit and write a Christmas list to mail to the North Pole in hopes of receiving the perfect gifts from Santa. Most children don’t really care about what or how much they get, they just care that Santa came.

In elementary school, some teachers make reindeer feed for Santa’s reindeer. Most recipes consist of granola and glitter. It’s a fun craft for younger children to make. On Christmas Eve, just sprinkle the feed around

hanksgiving is over, which means Christmas is just around the corner!

With Christmas comes a jolly whitebearded man we know as Santa Claus. The bad news is that he’s not real.

Telling your children about Christmas takes away the true meaning of Christmas. Even if you’re not religious, Christmas should be about spending time with those you love and spreading joy, and not just about getting gifts from an idol. If you are religious, instead of teaching your kids about a legend, kids should be taught about Jesus since Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus. Kids that grow up with Santa Claus centered on Christmas begin to lose the spirit of the holiday season. Now they are just more excited about gifts than the joys of Christmas. Besides, believing the lie isn’t what makes it exciting, but rather the presents. Children who are exposed to the truth about Santa Claus tend to crush the dreams of those who are still naive.

Why would parents want to create false hope only for their kids to eventually find out? That’s just cruel if you ask me. Another fact, parents wants their kids to be honest to them. Honesty is the best policy. Why would you want to lie to your kids if you teach them that lying is bad? You shouldn’t tell your kids that in

Illustration by Shanna McCauley

the house. The reindeer enjoy snacking. I mean, it’s only fair that they get food too, especially with all the cookies Santa eats.

In most towns, Santa has arranged to have photos taken with children. They get to sit on his lap and tell Santa what they want for Christmas. There is a picture taken after they talk. Children usually get a candy cane for coming to see Santa.

Baking homemade cookies and pouring a glass of cold milk just for Santa on Christmas Eve is one of the basic traditions for many families. Attempting to stay up late on Christmas Eve just to get a glimpse of the big guy in a red suit sliding down the chimney but failing miserably and ending up falling asleep is one of my favorite memories as a child.

I’m pretty sure everyone has set an alarm to wake up super duper early Christmas morning to rush to the Christmas tree to open presents. But if you’re like me, you have to wait until parents and siblings get up before opening anything. While waiting for the rest of the family, curiosity gets the best of some. Some sneak to the tree and pick up one of their own presents to shake and guess what’s waiting inside.

Christmas caroling sounds like fun. I’ve personally never gone, but it’s something that has been around for a long time. Carolers spread Christmas cheer throughout neighborhoods.

Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel are a must watch for my family. I’m always up for a nice warm cup of hot chocolate while being bundled up in blankets on the sofa. “Elf” is one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies.

Christmas spirit comes from believing. Just because you can’t see Santa, doesn’t mean you can’t believe in him. Santa, in my opinion, should be enjoyed by children of all ages. Christmas joy is amazing.

order for them to get presents then they must be good.

Most kids would pretend to just be good in order to get what they want. Children should think that good behavior is normally expected and not an occasion for lavish reward. Plus, there are other ways to encourage your kids to be good.

This doesn’t mean Santa Claus should be kept completely out of Christmas.

The Santa Claus story should just be treated like any other stories – as a story.

If your children must know about Santa Claus, he should just be a figure associated with Christmas. For example, a pumpkin is associated with Halloween or a turkey is associated with Thanksgiving. And there are other ways to create magic during the holidays. This will not rob them of the joy of Christmas, but it won’t make Santa Claus the center of Christmas.

Another factor, yes it is fun for kids to have an imagination and to play make-believe, but to believe something that doesn’t exist is a different argument. For example, if a kid was playing superhero with a towel tied around his neck running and claiming “I can fly,” any parent would encourage that. Let’s say the kid suddenly believes he can really fly and decides to climb on the roof. Anyone in their right mind would correct him.

You would not want a child to literally believe he has the ability to fly, now would you?

In the article “Say Goodbye to the Santa Claus Lie,” author David Kyle Johnson argues that “simply telling them the story but admitting it’s not really true would suffice – just like it does for all other fairy tales we tell our children.”

Bottom line, never persuade kids to believe in a legend, don’t lie when they question, and encourage them to figure it out themselves. I don’t know, just don’t have kids.

Just get a pet; they love you unconditionally.

Opinions

SANTA CLAUS

THE

HI-TIMES A STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Editor-in-Chief: Nathan Jackson Chief Photographer: Jermey Hinds Sports Editor: Meredith Beasley Business Manager: Karlee Avery Staff Writers: Karlee Avery Tamara Crump Aaron Kwag Bryan Kwag Mary Catherine Miller Austin Nguyen Chris Patty Key Rogers Anhthu Truong Tayolor Witherspoon Adviser: Ginny Miller See more news at thscurrent.org Follow us on Twitter @tupelohitimes

Corrections The Hi-Times newspaper staff is committed to writing the most accurate and compelling news. We strive for integrity. If there is a misprint in an article, photo cutline or infographic, please tell us, and we will correct the mistake in our next issue.

Editorial Policy It is the intent of the editorial staff to provide Tupelo High School students with an opportunity to create a productive forum to further enhance a positive academic environment at the school.

The opinions expressed on the editorial page reflect the feelings of the entire Hi-Times staff unless otherwise bylined.

Guest editorials may be submitted to The Hi-Times and will be published according to available space and relevance.

Anonymous submissions will not be considered.

6OPINIONS

THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • DECEMBER 2015D

MILLENNIALS:

CHANGE WILL HAPPEN WITH US

Average amount spent on Christmas gifts for friends and family

Nathan Jackson @yasnthn Editor-in-Chief

As a millennial – people born from the early 1980s to 2000 – I look to make the world better than the generation before has. I try to learn from the mistakes they made on this country and make it a more welcoming place for people in the future.

Nothing makes me happier than knowing this is the generation that I was brought into. We are free thinkers and have so many opportunities open just because we are the ones who grew up on technology.

My only problem is when people disagree with anything other than the majority, they are instantly attacked and called all types of names instead.

We need to learn to talk normally with the person and tell them how we feel without attacking their views on things. But if they’re racist or do something that is racist, I usually don’t care about being nice with them because they can easily google why their view is wrong.

I feel a lot of issues with this generation could be handled if they easily search from credible sources what’s going on instead of believing everything they see on Facebook and/ or Twitter and believing everything their parents tell them.

Even though a large majority of this generation thinks on their own, there is such a large percent in the state we live in where today’s generation of teenagers does not have their own opinion.

Social media can also be another problem with this generation. Although it can bring topics to the eye of people and gives the younger crowds room to express how they feel, it also can easily spread false information.

Our generation is also the one that either challenges the normality of things or does not care a lot about what others do with their lives, and I feel like everyone should be a mixture of both or one of the other. But everyone isn’t ,which why there are so many laws limiting people from being themselves.

I’m glad to be a part of this generation, because we know we have to go to college to get anywhere in today’s time.

We should at least make sure that we are working toward something we would enjoy doing our whole lives, instead of working for a monthly paycheck.

I feel a lot of issues with this generation could be handled if they easily search from credible sources what’s going on instead of believing everything they see on Facebook and/or Twitter and believing everything their parents tell them.

2008: $616 2015: $830 World’s annual plastic consumption Calories Intake Per Capita

1950: 1.5 Millon Metric Tons 2013: 299 Millon Metric Tons

1980: 2350 Calroies 2000: 2800 Calories

Consumerism on the rise Chris Patty @chrispatty97 Staff Writer

Consumerism, defined as the preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods, has greatly increased over the years. Christmastime is coming, and children’s wish lists have been getting larger and larger over the years. Way back when, children used to ask for small, simple things, like baseball bats or toy trains. As time has progressed, children have been asking for more and more larger objects, such as expensive gaming consoles and giant television systems.

Compared to Americans 60 years ago, the average American eats out far more often and owns twice as many cars as we did in the 1950s. With everyone wanting more of this and more of that, we lose focus on what happiness is. Most people associate happiness with their possessions, and that is a huge flaw in American society. With all the large commodities out today, such as smartphones, huge cars and gigantic TVs, we often lose sight of life’s true goal.

It sounds cliche, but spending time with friends and family fuels a person’s true happiness. Research has shown that those who have more material objects tend to have less contact with third-party friends and family, and those are the same people who never feel content with life. Now this is not always the case. There are many people who can balance wealth and happiness, but take note that multitasking is not the same as balancing. You can multitask your life, as in working 60 or more hours a week, hosting dinner parties and staying fit by exercising every day, but this doesn’t mean you’re balancing your life.

You can do all these things, but in the end it all sums up to material things rarely buy one’s happiness.

In America, we all know that we’re good at

wasting food, but when we look at the numbers, it gets a little overwhelming. We oftentimes never eat everything on our plates, plus all the food we let spoil and rot in our freezers and refrigerators. Around a third of all the food in America, plants and meats included, is wasted and thrown out. In the world, around 2.8 trillion pounds of food is lost or wasted every year. That is enough food to sustain nearly 3 billion people. In America alone, we waste $162 billion worth of food annually.

If we were to stack that on a football field, the layers would form an atrocious casserole several miles high.

All in all, consumerism today all boils down to the simple fact that most Americans think that money and material objects bring happiness. All of our brains have been programmed to believe that the stuff we have now isn’t as good as the stuff out in the market. Ever since that belief started, we have been on a downhill slide into economic poverty and materialistic views.

Consumerism today all boils down to the simple fact that most Americans think that money and material objects bring happiness. All of our brains have been programmed to believe that the stuff we have now isn’t as good as the stuff out in the market.

’TIS THE SEASON OF CUFFING Tayolor Witherspoon @TayolorJay Staff Writer

As the coldest months of the year approach, cuffing season makes its way in as well. Some of you may be wondering, “What exactly is cuffing season?” “What do I do during cuffing season?” Or even, “How do I make the best out of cuffing season if I have no one to cuff?” As teens and upcoming young adults, ironically, cuffing season is rather important to us.

According to Google, cuffing season is during the fall and winter months when “people who would normally rather be single find themselves along

with the rest of the world desiring to be ‘cuffed’ or tied down in a serious relationship.”

Basically, cuffing season is when single people desire to find someone to be in a relationship with so that they won’t be lonely while it’s cold.

The turning point is, once it’s back hot again, they want to immediately go back to being their solo-dolo selves.

There are many different things to do during cuffing season. There’s always fun stuff to do when it’s cold outside. For example, you and your partner could go ice skating, catch a movie at the local theater, go grab a cup of hot cocoa from Starbucks or

even just hang out at home.

Now, some of you may be thinking, “What do I do if I don’t have anyone to cuff?” First off, there is absolutely nothing wrong with going through cuffing season alone.

Just find other friends who aren’t cuffed and hang out with them.

Friends make everything more fun.

Grab a group of friends and make a list of things to do together; it’ll come in handy over the holiday breaks. Do things like bake cookies and have a game night. Go laser tagging or even host bonfires.

Girls, go on a shopping spree! If you don’t have anyone to be “cuffed” by

while it’s cold, you could at least rock the cutest trends. You can never go wrong with cozy sweaters, leggings, scarves and every girl’s favorite, Uggs!

Guys, do your usual; eat, sleep and play video games and all the other things y’all find amusing. The season will be over before you know it. You’ll forget about not being cuffed when fun and friends are keeping you occupied.

On the bright side, you’re never in it alone. There’s always someone else who has missed the “Cuff Bus.” And, there’s always a chance for you to jump on next winter.

7

SPORTS

DECEMBER 2015 • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • THE HI-TIMES

ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE Meredith Beasley @mbeez33 Sports Editor

Tupelo has been in the business of producing talent for years. Many Tupelo High School athletes have graduated and are playing sports at the next level.

Charde Hannah plays soccer for the University of Southern Alabama. Hannah graduated from THS in 2013. The now sophomore forward was named the Sun Belt Conference preseason offensive player of the year and has 10 goals and five assists so far in the 2015 season. Last year, as a freshman, Hannah was named Sun Belt Conference Freshman and Offensive Player of the Year, Sun Belt Most Outstanding Player, SBC Offensive Player of the Week three times, and started 22 of 23 games.

Justin Clifton graduated in 2014 and is playing football at Arkansas State University. The freshman defensive back was a 3-star recruit by ESPN and ranked the No. 36 player in Mississippi.

This season he’s played eight games and has one interception.

Zach Ellis, a two-sport athlete, graduated in 2015 and is now at Itawamba Community College playing soccer and football. The freshman is the kicker for the ICC Indians’ football team. This season he made a total of six of 10 field goals, his longest being 27 yards. Ellis is a midfielder on the soccer team and has started four games, has two goals and four assists.

Bailey Scott graduated in 2015 and is now on the swim team for the University of Alabama. Her freshman year, Scott swam for the school-record setting 200 freestyle relay at the NCAA Championship and competed in the 50 and 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke at the SEC Championship. She swam her career best 55.76 in the 100 backstroke at the SEC championship, ranking her 10th all time at Alabama. Her sophomore year she set the school record in the 50 freestyle as a lead off of the 200 freestyle relay and swam her career best in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke at the SEC championships. This past summer at the USA Summer National Championships, Scott bettered her own school record in the 50-meter freestyle.

These are just a few of the many successful student-athletes to come through THS and go on to play sports at the next level. I guess it is true, that here, “Excellence is Tradition.”

JEREMY HINDS/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Drew Sullivan, from left, Hayden Henderson, Harrison Whitaker and Luke Deaton hold up their first-place medals.

Boys swim floods state meet Karlee Avery @karleeavery Business Manager

On Oct. 31, most people were getting their Halloween costumes ready for trick-or-treating, but the Tupelo High School swim teams were working to defend their state championship titles at Tupelo’s Aquatic Center.

The boys swim team won their ninth straight state championship title that day, also bringing home THS’ 122nd overall state championship title.

“It was a great feeling,” senior swimmer Patrick Hastings said. “We worked for it all year, and it was just an awesome experience.”

In the 200-meter freestyle event, Hastings’ time was 1:47, “and then in my 500 I went a 4:59,” he said.

Swim coach Lucas Smith said he was satisfied with the teams’ performances at state. In Smith’s 15 years of coaching, the win marks his 17th state championship title.

“I think they did a good job,” Smith said. “They did what they had to do.”

Smith had mostly positive things to say about his swimmers.

“I just think it’s their commitment to work hard,” he said. “They’re pretty good at goal setting and reaching those goals.”

Smith also acknowledged his teams aren’t perfect.

“There are lots of areas we can improve in,” he said. “We can improve in every single event.”

He also declined to name specific swimmers he considers essential to the team.

“They’re all key because it’s a team effort,” Smith said. “It takes a lot to win, so you’ve got to have everybody.”

The girls team placed third overall at state.

“I think our season went as well as it could’ve gone from how young our team was,” senior swimmer Chelsie Gray said.

Although she wasn’t sure about her relay times, Gray immediately recalled her 100-meter breaststroke.

“The 100 breast I went a 1:08,” she said, adding that if she could change anything, “I would have swum more persistently throughout these past 12 years so I could’ve had a better senior state meet.”

Hastings said he was satisfied with the team’s performance this year.

“I wouldn’t do anything differently for the season,” he said. “We worked as hard as we could, and we got what we wanted.”

Senior Evans Sanders said the season ended too soon.

“We had a great season,” she said.

“Like always, the team was a second family to me. I’m sad to see that it’s

come and gone so quickly.”

She won’t miss sprinting in the pool.

“I started swimming in fifth grade but joined the high school team in seventh,” Sanders said. “It was real and it was fun, but I can’t say I’ll miss sprinting almost every day this season.”

FUN SWIM FACTS In Lucus Smith’s 15 years of coaching, the win marks his 17th state championship title.

The boys swim team has won nine straight state championships.

A THS swim tradition is to push Coach Smith in the pool after meets.

Tupelo soccer expects to make big waves Meredith Beasley @mbeez33 Sports Editor

With strong, promising seniors, Tupelo High School’s boys and girls soccer teams have high expectations for the upcoming season.

“Our expectations are always high,” said coach Hannah Kimbrough, whose girls team’s ultimate goal is to win a state championship.

The team has made it to North Half the past two seasons and lost to Madison Central both years. Kimbrough said the Lady Wave’s main rivals will be teams out of Jackson such as Brandon, Clinton and Madison Central.

“Our biggest obstacle is North Half,” Kimbrough said. “One of our major goals is to get past Madison Central. That is our goal and we expect to reach it.”

Kimbrough said she’s looking to her seKARLEE AVERY niors to be key players and leaders for the Lady Wave soccer player Lauren Kate Carter takes a shot during the Dec. 1 match against Pontotoc. team.

“My three seniors are going to be critical to our success on and off the field,” Kim“We’re really going to rely on our seniors this sion,” he said. brough said. “I need them to be big and lead for year,” he said.

Last year the team lost in the first round of playus.”

The Golden Wave lost 11 seniors last year and offs to Northwest Rankin. Senior midfielder Chase Senior center midfielder/center defender and eight of them now play for ICC. Faucette said this Huddleston said that though the team lost so many Mississippi College commit Liza Wise expects the year’s seniors have done a good job of stepping up seniors, this year’s seniors and juniors are very cateam to have a very successful season. and leading. pable of maintaining a successful season.

“Our practices have been really intense and ev“They’ve learned a lot over the past few years “I think we’re going to be pretty competitive this eryone seems to be working really hard, so I’m re- and know what it takes to have a successful sea- year,” he said. ally excited,” Wise said. son,” Faucette said.

Other seniors this year include Logan Little, Other seniors include Lauren Kate Carter and Faucette said top rivals for this season will be di- Blake Nabors, Colby Bogle, Cade Fremont, Brandon Madeline Harrison. vision teams such as Hernando, South Panola and White and Jamie Smith.

Boys coach Harris Faucette said he’s really excit- Columbus.

Tupelo’s first match of the 2015-2016 season will ed for the season and looks forward to seeing new “[Those] are really important because to make be Nov. 16 at Renasant Field. players step up. playoffs, you have to finish top two in your divi-

8ART&ENTERTAINMENT

RESTAURANT REVIEW

PANDA EXPRESS

THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • DECEMBER 2015

THS Madrigals prep for national stage

Tamara Crump @tgcrump2 Staff Writer

Panda Express is an American Chinese restaurant chain which operates mainly in the United States. The chain currently has 1,746 locations, including the newly built Tupelo location.

The company was founded in 1983 where it soon began gaining popularity in shopping malls.

Not too long later, stand alone locations were being built all across the United States.

I’ve never actually eaten at a Panda Express, so it was a nice surprise to hear that Tupelo was getting one. The hype about the food was another reason that I was excited about the news.

The building itself is nice to look at with the panda mural place at the top of the mostly while building. The large,open windows are a nice and inviting touch also. The inflatable panda at the top was cute, too.

The inside is small but causal.

It’s got a pleasant vibe to it. Don’t let the seats fool you though.

They are hard and not at all as comfortable as they seem. I actually plopped down a little too hard and was expecting to sink into the cushion. There is no comfortable sinking.

Besides the look of the restaurant, the workers didn’t seem to have too much training. Everyone behind the bar could be seen in a slight disarray. Everything and everyone looked to be disoriented. It was taking a while to get the food together which caused there to be a line all the way to the door.

A customer chose fried rice as one of their entrees and the worker asked the customer if the only rice on the bar was fried rice. The worker wasn’t quite sure if the rice was fried or if it was white.

At least she was nice about it, though. Despite the flustered state of the workers, they were all moderately nice.

As my entrees I got chow mein and shanghai angus steak. My side was orange chicken.

The entrees were fine, but nothing that would keep me coming back. There was nothing spectacular about them. The orange chicken was another story, however. It was the best orange chicken I’ve had in awhile. I was more concerned with the chicken than I was on anything else on the plate.

TAMARA CRUMP

A plate of orange chicken, Shanghai steak and chow mein at Panda Express.

The Madrigals performed for parents at the beginning of the semester in the small auditorium.

Bryan Kwag @KwagBryan Staff Writer

Madrigals is one of several choral groups that Tupelo High School has to offer, and it has 28 singers who fill the choir room with marvelous sounds.

They are split up in four groups: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. When they sing together, the sopranos, females with high voices, and bass go in harmony as they fill up the room with their high and low notes and vice versa for the altos and tenors. There’s many combinations of conjoining their voices, and it will still be breathtaking.

“I feel that this is one of best and most advanced groups in the four years I’ve done Madrigals,” director Suzy Williams said. “Madrigals does a lot of fun and interesting music, because every RESTAURANT REVIEW

year they sing new music for the Singfeaste.”

They also participate in singing competitions. Madrigals will travel to Washington, D.C., for a national competition in the spring.

“I expect us to get a superior, the highest rating a group can get in the competition, because recently, we received a superior on our last performance,” Williams said.

The performers said they enjoy being a part of Madrigals.

“I like Madrigals, and I sing bass which is the low notes,” said sophomore Sam Williams, a new member to Madrigals. “I feel great about being in Madrigals.”

Anna Katherine Williams is also new to the group.

“I think that Madrigals is a fun and

BO MERCIER

challenging class,” the sophomore said.

“I expect us to be really great to hear to other people.”

Alex Park, a senior who’s been in Madrigals for three years and sings soprano, thinks many things have changed since she first joined the group.

“I feel that we have gotten better every year,” Park said, “I expect a lot of talent and a lot of voices to get together and blend; I love Madrigals because we get to sing for groups and represent Tupelo District while having a fun time.”

The singers in Madrigals make songs that they sing unique because they add the four vocal ranges of boys and girls and bring it all together to create harmony Madrigals will perform in their 41st annual Singfeaste Dec. 9-11 at All Saints’ Episcopal Church.

CRAVE

Anhthu Truong @anhthu_truong Staff Writer

Opened on the first weekend of October 2014 by Tiffany Franks, Crave is a dessert and coffee cafe located in downtown Tupelo at 209 Court St. This growing business has also extended to serving breakfast from Monday through Thursdays opening at 7 a.m and closing at 5 p.m. On Fridays, Crave is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s open 6 p.m-12 a.m. Saturdays, and on Sundays it’s open from Crave is a great 4 to 9 p.m.

After just recentplace to go late ly discovering this at night and just Tupelo chill with friends. popular spot, it was such I recommend this a blessing to find place for everythe perfect combione who has a nation of welcommouth. ing atmosphere and quality locally made desserts.

Glancing into the shop, rustic artworks and handwritten menus are displayed on the walls. Behind the counter, an entire wall is filled with customer’s signatures.

The atmosphere of the cafe is very relaxed and down-to-earth. However, the small space of the shop can lead to an overwhelming, crowded feeling during busier hours. Thankfully, outdoor seating is provided also, where local artists occasionally

Crave’s menu is written on a chalkboard.

perform. From past experiences, the staff has always been customer-service oriented and greets you as you enter.

My first skillet cookie included a freshly baked giant chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. Everyone should try it, even if you’re allergic to chocolate. (I’m just kidding.) It’s worth it. But if you don’t like chocolate I recommend that you should still try it because your opinion could be swayed. Normally, it feeds two to four people, but if you try hard enough only one person is needed to

ANHTHU TRUONG

finish it. Waiting for the cookie to be prepared was a brutal 25 minutes, but once it had arrived all the waiting was worth it.

Breakfast at Crave was just as good as the dessert. I had the biscuit with chocolate gravy and some sausage balls. Normally sausage balls aren’t really my thing, but that stuff was good.

Overall, I love Crave. It’s always been a good experience every time I go. Crave is a great place to go late at night and just chill with friends. I recommend this place for everyone who has a mouth.