The Hi-Times September 2013

TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL

VOLUME 20 ISSUE 1

4125 Golden Wave Dr., Tupelo, Mississippi 38801

A&E

OPINIONS

THE

HI-TIMES SEPTEMBER 2013 A STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Trayvon Martin: Students respond to the trial that shook the nation.

PG7

2013 MTV Video Music Awards recap. PG10

THS CELEBRATES NEW RANKING ‘For the students’

INSIDE

COREY KALISH

Golden Wave tackles season

Katherine Grace

So far so good on the gridiron. PG9

THS junior organizes selfempowerment summer camp “The camp was absolute perfection... the campers were energized Warner King and open for anything which made empowering them all the more fun.” PG5

FLICKRINGMYTH

Movie Review: Wolverine Hugh Jackman’s latest turn in the X-Men series strikes a chord with reviewer Nathan Jackson. PG10

FOLLOW US @tupelohitimes VISIT OUR WEBSITE thscurrent.com Scan here with a QR reader

INDEX • NEWS................................2 • FEATURES.........................3 • OPINIONS..........................4 • SPORTS.............................9 • ART&ENTERTAINMENT.....10

WAVE TRIVIA Did you know...

We became the Golden Wave in 1930 after the Tupelo Hi-Life newspaper, now known as The HiTimes, held a contest to select a name. Before the Golden Wave, we were known as the Tupelo Tigers, and before that the Tupelo Bullets.

TUPELO HIGH NOW AN ‘A’ SCHOOL @katiegrace_14 Business Manager

Students enjoy the new courtyard area outside the expanded cafeteria.

COREY KALISH

Summer renovations make a difference LeShay Dixon @leshaydixon_18 Staff Writer

R

enovations at Tupelo High School over the summer improved the cafeteria inside and

out.

“I appreciate the new renovations, and now I don’t have to wait a long time to find somewhere to sit because there’s now more area and more seating,” junior Kasey Smith said about the changes.

Not only was an extension with more indoor seating added to the building, but there are also new outdoor tables, amphitheater-style seating, and a low wall on which students can sit.

Students can now mingle with friends at the new blue tables or the steps that were constructed in the middle of the courtyard. The design is unique, created to look like a theatre arena, and students like junior Ben Logan are taking full advantage of it.

“The design is so awesome and incredible,” Logan said.

The renovations have made

a big difference, Principal Jason Harris said.

“It was mainly made for the enjoyment of the students,” he said. “It was worth it.”

The work “I thought took place (the cafeteduring the ria) was so summer so beautiful the students just to see... could come how much back to somework had thing new. been put into it. It When she really was arrived for a plus for the first day me.” of school on - Kelia Blanchard Aug. 5, “The Junior renovations caught my eyes automatically,” junior Kelia Blanchard said. “I thought it was so beautiful just to see the design of the courtyard and how much work had been put into it. It really was a plus for me.”

Matthew Dillon, assistant superintendent of the Tupelo Public School District, told the Board of Trustees on July 16 that the new cafeteria “is very pleasing to the eye and I think it is also very functional. It is one of the best things you will see across the state in all of

COREY KALISH

The cafeteria expansion, one of several campus renovation projects over the summer, relieved overcrowding in the dining hall.

our high schools.”

While the expanded cafeteria and new courtyard have become the talk of the school, at least one student would like to see more done.

“Although I love the cafeteria, the bathrooms in the cafeteria should be redesigned to provide a more germ free and sanitary place to occupy,” senior Jackie Dixon said.

The cafeteria expansion was among several construction projects on tap throughout the district over the summer.

Other work included reroofing several buildings on the THS campus, replacing windows at Carver Elementary, and replacing the rubber floor gym at Tupelo Middle School.

New security system implemented LeShay Dixon @leshaydixon_18 Staff Writer

Tupelo High School has installed a new security system that will increase campus safety for students, faculty and staff.

“With the security system, the school can finally be at ease with not worrying about intruders or tardy slips or students skipping classes or a whole day of education,” art teacher Anna Garner said.

With the new system, all of the THS buildings will be locked and teachers will have access cards to get into those buildings when needed. Each classroom will also have an electronic pass for students to use when they have to travel to another building during class time.

Without the swipe cards, which actually are just waved over or tapped on to a sensor, no one will be able to get into a building during school hours. The doors will be un-

locked just before the bells for class changes and lunches.

The system is designed to keep intruders away and make everyone feel safe at school. It was implemented in response to school shootings in other parts of the country, most re-

COREY KALISH

Visitors to the front door of J Building and to the Attendance Office entrance of I Building now must be buzzed in.

cently in Atlanta and, most notably, last December’s tragedy in Newtown, Conn.

After the Newtown incident, the Tupelo Public School District installed a buzzer system at all of its kindergarten- to eighth-grade schools. Visitors to the front door of J Building and to the Attendance Office entrance of I Building now also must be buzzed in.

THS Principal Jason Harris also mentioned the Columbine school shooting in 1999.

“With the Columbine shooting, every school is on their toes about safety. The tragedy has open my eyes dramatically. This devastation, is example of why this security system was a much needed thing and a great idea.

“As far as skipping school goes, tardies and intruders, THS does not have to worry about it anymore, because the security system does everything it needs to do to enforce the rules by itself, just by being there,” Harris said.

Tupelo High School’s new A ranking is cause for celebration.

“We asked a lot from our students and pushed them, and they went above and beyond the call,” said Pre-AP English II teacher Suzy McGrath. “I am very proud of all my students.”

The new ranking is based on test scores, graduation rates, and student and teacher attendance.

“I’m very excited about our scores,” Principal Jason Harris said. “I’m very excited for the students as well as the staff, because it shows the hard work and dedication that everybody put into the school year last year.”

“All of THS is ecstatic about • 2010: leading our “D”/Academic s t u d e n t s Watch into the fu- QDI- 160 ture as one • 2011: of the pre- “C”/Successful mier schools QDI- 188 in Mississip• 2012: pi,” English “C”/Successful III and PubQDI- 167 lic Speaking teacher • 2013: Rand Hinds “A”/Star School said.

Mayor Ja- QDI- 207 son Shelton, a 1994 THS graduate, said he was “extremely thrilled” by the new ranking.

“I think that the experience a child would get through the Tupelo Public School District is just head and shoulders above and beyond any school district in our region,” Shelton said. “I am proud to be the school’s biggest fan and just look forward to many great things to come in the coming years. I am very proud of Dr. Loden and the other administrators, particularly the individual teachers at Tupelo.”

Gearl Loden has led TPSD since June 1, 2012.

Past Rankings

What is QDI? QDI (Quality of Distribution Index) represents an overall measure of student performance on statewide assessments during the previous school year.

If more students score in the higher proficiency levels on the test, the distribution of scores is more “positive”.

QDI = (1 X %Basic) + (2 X %Proficient) + (3 X %Advanced) No credit is given for students scoring in the Minimal (lowest) proficiency level. The QDI value can range from 0 (100% of students scoring Minimal) through 300 (100% scoring Advanced).

MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

{ It’s all about

WHAT’S COMIN’ UP

• Tupelo Farmer’s Market, 6 am-12 pm every weekend of September

10-POINT

GRADING

the music

SCALE 93-100 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 65-66 Below 65

• Oren Dunn Museum Quilt Exhibit Sept. 10-Nov 9 • My Dog Skip Fairpark Movie Night, 7:45 pm Sept. 20 • Common Core Parent Night, 6 pm Sept. 24 • THS Volleyball @ Columbus Sept. 26 • THS Football @ Hernando Sept. 27 • Downtown MOSAIC Art Festival 10am12pm Sept. 28 • 11th Annual Pumpkin Patch Oct. 1- Nov 3 • THS Football @ Grenada Oct. 4 • First Quarter Exams Oct. 3, 4, 7, 8

• Columbus Day School Holiday Oct. 14 • 60% Day Dismissal Oct. 17 • First Quarter Report Cards Oct. 17 • Parent/Teacher Conferences Oct. 17 • Tupelo Haunted Theatre @ the Lyric on Broadway Oct. 17-19, 24-26, 31 • Blood Drive in PAC, 8 am Oct. 18 • ECW Food Fest @ All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 9 am-12 pm Oct. 19 • THS Football @ South Panola Oct. 18 • University of Alabama Rep at THS Oct. 21 • WWE Live @ BancorpSouth Center, 5 pm Oct. 29

@MeaghanE96 Staff Writer

The THS Band keeps the crowds going at all of the football games, but that’s not all they do. Their first competition is Sept. 28 in Olive Branch, followed by state regionals on Oct. 12. Their last competition, the state championships, is Nov. 22.

In order to prepare for these competitions, they began rehearsing in July and finished learning the new music and routines in mid-September.

There are 160 students in the band, and in order to keep things running smoothly, they practice every day during fourth block and every Tuesday and Thursday from 4-6 p.m. “We gave the students a list of themes and they chose the one entitled, ‘X The Unknown,’” THS Band director Tim Matlock said. “They wanted something dark and forbidden and

Celebrating

something to do with wrath.”

With this year’s theme, the percussion section is featured.

“The theme is based around the drums,” Matlock said.

“They have a lot of solos.”

Senior Isaac Palmer is a member of the band’s “Practices drum line. are going “The pracreally well tices have and it’s gobeen hotter ing to be a but we’re great year.” w o r k i n g - Regina Harrison harder for Senior this show than the last one,” Palmer said. “This year we’re more focused on the show, and there’s a lot of body movement.”

O’Neal Gray is a senior low brass player.

“The practices are hard and hot and we learned a lot,” Gray said.“I’m excited for the new season, and the theme is fairly easy and very dark. The music is a lot easier and different with more feature parts.”

While the rest of the band keeps their old uniforms, the color guard and drum majors have new uniforms.

“Practices are going really well and it’s going to be a great year,” senior Regina Harrison said. “For the theme X there’s a lot more routines.”

When the band wasn’t practicing this summer, they got to be part of a movie.

“That was interesting,” junior percussionist Zach Campbell said. “It was cool to be around the stepdad from the Santa Claus movies and the kid from the Skittles commercial with the Skittles pox, but other than that it wasn’t really that big of a deal.”

Senior Maddy Steward enjoyed the experience.

There was “a lot of stopping and starting and just standing there,” she said. “It was pretty cool being around paid actors from movies and commercials and stuff.”

@katiegrace_14 Business Manager

H

appy Birthday, Tupelo High School! This year THS is 100 years old, and as a way to celebrate the centennial, each issue of The Hi-Times will publish an article featuring a THS graduate. What better way to begin this series of articles than with Tupelo’s new mayor, Jason Shelton?

Shelton graduated from THS in 1994, two years after the current 14-building campus was opened. At that time, the new high school was the largest in the state, by area, and the largest in Northeast Mississippi.

“We just always had a special sense of pride,” Shelton said.

In high school, he was involved in clubs, sports, and extracurriculars ranging from football and weightlifting to Student Council, Key Club and the Mock Trial team. Not only did Shelton participate as a

DO YOU LIKE THE NEW GRADING SCALE? YES NO

96

“I think it’s fantastic that we can make an 80 and still make a B.” Connor Anderson Senior “I need it because I am taking AP classes ...

With these few leeway points it is easier to succeed.”

C.J. Williams

Junior

100 YEARS OF Mayor Shelton Excellence Katherine Grace

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RV

• Tupelo Flea Market Oct. 11-13

Meaghan Killian

SU

• 14th Annual Chili Fest @Broadway St., 11am10pm Oct. 11

Practice is key for band students

TS

• THS Football @ Southaven Oct. 11

COREY KALISH

This summer, the Tupelo Public School District changed its grading scale to a 10-point scale. The original scale was changed because it prevented some students from receiving scholarships. Overall, students like the change.

100 STUD EN

• End of First Quarter Oct. 8

Assistant director Jeremy Greenwood watches the band rehearse its halftime show.

A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D F

IN THE HALLS

{

THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • SEPTEMBER 2013SEPTE

ED EY

2NEWS

TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT: member, he became a student leader in them as well.

Shelton was the second string quarterback (first string was Kirk Presley) when THS won their last state football championship in 1992. Shelton also was a member of the weightlifting team that went to the state championships in 1993 and 1994, and he won the Individual State Championship both years.

He served as District Lieuten- Jason Shelton, ant Governor age 18 for Key Club, was a longtime member of the Student Council, and was one of the founding members of the Mock Trial team, which THS still has today.

During his time on the Mock Trial team, Shelton began to solidify his love of the judicial system, which had been kindled in him from an early age. Long hours of practice for Mock Trial prepared Shelton for the life of a law student, a lawyer, and eventually a mayorship. Even the classes and extracurriculars that the may-

or took in high school held his interest.

“From the time I was very small to law school, anything dealing with history, civics and government” were Shel“We felt a special sense ton’s favorite classes.

These classes not only were of pride…about being of interest to Shelton, but from Tupelo.”

- Jason Shelton they also helped him during Mayor of Tupelo his time spent at Mississippi State University, where he re- parents, faculty and the comceived his undergraduate de- munity associate with Tupelo gree in political science, and High School. the University of Mississippi “We felt a special sense of Law School, where he earned pride…about being from Tuhis law degree. pelo,” Shelton said.

Although Shelton graduated As a graduate of THS, Shelfrom THS in 1994, things were ton offers his advice to the not the same back then as class of 2014 as they begin they are now. Chicken Nugget their senior year.

Mondays were nonexistent, Students need “to set goals the Performing Arts Center and work daily towards hadn’t been built, Administra- achieving those goals, not lose tion was still in C building, J focus of the bigger picture, building’s bottom floor was and to try to develop a keen classrooms instead of offices, understanding of the conseand the Media Center was in quences of your actions or inH building instead of its pres- actions,” Shelton said. ent location. Through all of As THS begins its centennial these changes one thing has celebration, and students and remained constant: the Pride community members ready of Tupelo High School. themselves for the yearlong The Tupelo Spirit, #them- events, let us all keep in mind blankets, THS Pride, #flood- the love of THS. warning, The Golden Wave, are all names that students,

3

NEWS

R 2013SEPTEMBER 2013 • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • THE HI-TIMES

Freshmen begin leading at THS Tupelo

reads ‘My Dog Skip’

Bailie White @bailiew2016 Staff Writer

100 STUD EN TS SU RV

IN THE HALLS

On Aug. 21, nine freshmen stepped into leadership roles at Tupelo High School.

Emery Anthony, Jasmine Bean, William Bradford, Satsha Burden, Maura Chiles, Kristen Cockrell, Lauren Hughes, Lexi Pund and Amber Scott were announced as members of the 2013-2014 Freshman Student Council.

In order to have been on the ballot for the 9th-grade Student Council, students had to have at least a 2.5 GPA, could not have failed a class, and could not have had any discipline referrals. They also had to be considered good representatives of THS by their teachers.

During the school year, the Freshman Student Council plans to help the 10th- through 12th-grade Student Council with Homecoming and the canned food drive. They will also create and participate in a service project of their own in the spring.

English teacher Lisa Sandroni and Algebra teacher Tracey Goggans are excited about being in charge of the 9th-grade Student Council this year.

“I would like for them to take pride in their school and learn leadership skills that will help them through life,” Goggans said.

Goggans is looking forward to being a sponsor of the 9th-

Delaney Norton @delaneycnorton Staff Writer

COREY KALISH

New members of the Freshman Student Council include, front row from left, Jasmine Bean, Maura Chiles, Satsha Burden and Kristen Cockrell. Back row from left are Amber Scott, William Bradford, Lauren Hughes and Lexi Pund. Not pictured is Emery Anthony.

grade leaders because this is her first year here, and she wants to get involved.

Ninth-graders have their own student council because it gets them involved when first getting to high school.

“Beginning in 9th grade, we do have student leaders,” Sandroni said, “It is an opportunity to work on their leadership skills.”

Students ran for 9th-grade Student Council for different reasons.

“I ran for Freshman Student Council because I thought it would be fun,” Pund said.

Do you believe economics is relevant to high school students?

Why or why not?

“I want to help the student body and bring up problems that we can fix,” Bradford said.

One of the issues Bradford wants to address is allowing freshmen to attend pep rallies.

Scott, on the other hand, is most excited about being on 9th-grade Student Council because the organization is very involved.

“I am most excited about helping the class officers prepare the freshman Homecoming float this year,” Cockrell said. “Being on student council also looks really good on

“Yes, because without it we would struggle to compete with other schools.”

- Liza Wise Sophomore

college applications.”

The 9th-grade Student Council plans to make a difference, be an influence, and help change THS for the better.

“I hope the students in 9thgrade Student Council understand by the end of the year that they are representing the whole high school,” Sandroni said. “People in the community don’t see them as the ‘Freshman Student Council,’ they see them as THS representatives.”

“I think it’s important because we need resources to learn.”

“[Yes]...what would we do without money?

Money doesn’t grow on trees.

We need to have buildings, tables, macbooks; everything.”

- Jackson Bridges Freshman

- Tanner Jaggers Freshman

Economic opportunity returning to the U.S. Ben Davis @bsdavis4296 Assistant Editor

Tumbling downhill after the Great Recession of 2008, the U.S. economy is now back on its feet. The American people, facing unemployment, debt and foreclosure, are now finding jobs and often are able to come out of debt. The good news is, economically, it should be smooth sailing from here.

Although the U.S. national debt stands around $17 trillion, the economy is set to sky rocket over the next two decades. This is due in part to social programs that help the middle class, but is primarily due to the collapse of the BRIC countries, especially China.

BRIC is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and China, all of which enjoyed unprecedented economic growth over the past several years. However, these nations will inevitably decline.

The fact is, BRIC countries

aren’t extremely wealthy; they just have strong economies due to high populations and low wages. With the pseudocommunist state of China shifting to a mixed market capitalist economy, Chinese goods will go up in price. This, coupled with wage increases and the enactment of various social and environmental programs in BRIC countries, will drive up the price of overseas manufacturing and return many of the more than two million currently outsourced U.S. jobs back to America.

Predictably, the United States’ gross domestic product will increase and reduce the price of U.S.-made goods in relation to those made overseas.

The shift is already happening with the U.S. import-toexport ratio with China has falling since June and the unemployment rate (7.6 percent) is dropping to its lowest point since before 2008’s recession.

This trend should be sustainable for the foreseeable future

as the quality of life increases in BRIC countries. As this happens, minimum wages will increase in these countries, furthering the drive-up cost of production.

The bad news, however, is that through this shift, prices of manufactured goods from overseas “Tumbling stand a dedownhill cent chance of increasafter the ing. It should Great Retake awhile cession of for the price 2008, the of U.S. prodU.S. economy is now ucts to fall as the U.S. back on its manufacturfeet.” ing infra- Ben Davis structure is Assistant Editor rebuilt. This could hurt the working middle class in the short term, but better jobs mean the long-term benefits could be enormous.

As manufacturing infrastructure grows in the U.S., some minimum wage jobs filled by

the adult working class during the recession should become vacant and be filled by high school and college age people.

This could be extremely helpful in the coming years to students in Mississippi, as its unemployment rate (9.1 percent) should fall significantly due to the state’s low taxes, low land prices, and low regulations that make the state a manufacturing powerhouse.

While growth in the Western World isn’t predicted to match the economic boom of BRIC countries, great economic activity can still be expected as the first-world economies of the U.S. and Europe are much more developed than the second-world and third-world economies that saw unprecedented growth throughout the 2000’s. In addition to this, growth can be expected to be sustained, stable and economically sound in the U.S. due to its strong economy.

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Sources of Revision to Current-Dollar GDP

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BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

TOTAL REVISION DEFINITIONAL STATISTICAL

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This summer, Tupelo students of all ages opened their hearts and minds to read “My Dog Skip,” the choice book this year for the annual Tupelo Reads: We’re All on the Same Page program.

“The entire community is encouraged to read the book,” 9th-grade English teacher Sharon Rogers said. “We want kids reading it, we want grownups reading it— grandparents, teachers, business men, people from all walks of life in this area— so we all have something we can discuss that gives us common ground.”

The memoir centers on author Willie Morris as he looks back on his childhood growing up in Yazoo City, Miss., in the mid-1900s. In the beginning of the novel, Morris recounts his everyday fight with bullying and the alienation that ensued.

When local sports hero and Willie’s only true friend, Dink Jenkins, gets drafted in World War II, Willie’s mother, against her stern husband’s will, decides to buy Willie a dog. Willie names the dog Skip, and they quickly become inseparable. With Skip by his side, Willie takes on the world anew, forming friendships all along the way.

The volunteer task force for the program “looked for a book that would be interesting for people of all different ages, and the fact that ‘My Dog Skip’ was written by a Mississippi author was attractive as well,” Rogers said.

“My Dog Skip” teaches readers the value of bravery, friendship and respect. Regardless of age, everyone can learn an invaluable lesson from Morris’s childhood experiences.

Several community events commemorated the book. On Sunday, Sept. 15, a blessing of pets was hosted at the Tupelo Bark Park. Downtown Movie Night will take place Friday, Sept. 20, with a screening of the film “My Dog Skip” at 7:45 in Fairpark.

Tupelo High School is heavily involved in Tupelo Reads as well. In addition to the book being assigned as summer reading for this year’s THS sophomores, all students interested were eligible to enter the iMovie and essay contests.

For the iMovie contest, students took what they learned from the book and applied it in their own media. Not only does this reinforce the themes of the book, but it gives students a chance to hone their technical skills. These MacBook-based projects also provide a break from the constant essays and analyses that come with summer-reading assignments.

Rogers and 12th-grade English teacher Kelly Manley organized the annual Tupelo Reads essay contest. Competitors wrote a response on how “My Dog Skip” can be related to modern day life.

The essay and iMovie contest winners will be awarded cash prizes and be recognized at a Tupelo City Council meeting.

Additional announcements on subsequent events will be made through English classes.

Rogers and Manley agree that Tupelo Reads is a great project that teaches a wide range of students valuable lessons with engaging stories that are completely painless to read. In short, the program allows the entire community to connect through the power of reading.

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4FEATURES

THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • SEPTEMBER 2013SEPTE

Students choose clubs at annual Club Fair The Club Fair “just shows you what all is offered at the school, and it helped me find all the clubs I was interested in and find where I fit in.”

- Carley Cole Senior

Bailie White @bailiew2016 Staff Writer

On Aug. 30, Tupelo High School students chose which clubs they wanted to be a part of for the 2013-2014 school year at the Club Fair. The annual event was held in the rubber floor gym during all four lunches.

The Club Fair helps students because “it allows them the opportunity to get involved in activities of interest or curiosity,” said Evet Topp, THS club coordinator. “It also allows them to be able to do community service projects as well as receive points towards honor letters their senior year.”

More than 65 clubs were represented at the Club Fair.

Although most THS clubs are for junior and seniors, there are a few organizations for freshmen and sophomores, such as ASTRA and Photography Club.

By the end of the Club Fair, McKenzie Darnell, president of FEA, estimated that about 75 sophomores, juniors and seniors had showed interest in being in the club.

Darnell’s favorite part about being in FEA, or Future Educators Association, is “getting to go to a school and shadow a teacher.”

Sophomore Leah Davis is planning to participate in five clubs this year. Of those MORE five, she is most excited THAN about the Photography Club, because she “likes CLUBS to take picwere set tures,” Davis up at the said.

ASTRA is a Club Fair very popular club at THS. At the end of the fair, there were more than 100 girls who had signed up.

In ASTRA, “We get to reach out to people who need help to be happy and you get to do it with your friends,” said junior and three-year member Kelsey Brownlee. “We meet on Tuesdays at 7:15 in Mrs. Rogers’ room.”

There were also a few athletic clubs represented at the Club Fair, such as the Tupelo

65

Senior Elizabeth Hocevar signs up for clubs at the annual Club Fair.

Lacrosse Club.

Senior Caleb Sachdev said his favorite part about the Lacrosse Club is “the friendships I can make and have made.”

Students signed up for clubs that fit their interests.

Senior Carley Cole signed up for five different clubs, including Anchor Club.

“Anchor Club is just like a

Local restaurants offer live music McKenzie Morgan @mbmorgan15 Staff Writer

Blue Canoe and Romie’s Grocery are hometown places where cuisine and music are done right. Throughout the year, locals come to these restaurants for the music on just about any night of the week.

If the Blue Canoe is your choice, highschoolers can go right after school and eat one of the best burgers in the state.

Tupelo band, Pay Per Blues, plays there quite often. There’s nothing better than hearing a hometown band rocking out to their own original music or playing covers of popular rockers.

If you’re not a fan of the Blue Canoe, then I would highly recommend Romie’s Grocery.

They have a large indoor facility and a sweet outdoor area with heaters to keep people warm while they are eating.

“I really enjoyed playing at the Blue Canoe and Romie’s,” said Dayton Swords, former guitar player for Pay Per Blues.

“The Blue Canoe treated us better money wise, but their facility was a tad bit cramped when it was full,” Swords said. “Romie’s paid less, but the facility was tremendously bigger, and the crowds were always interactive and great.”

One of the holdups with going out is the repeal of the

new night club ordinance. The original ordinance was used to stop people from gathering and starting fights and breakouts.

Previously, out of control gatherings were happening almost every night of the week; therefore, Tupelo officials had to do something about it, especially after the shooting TO GAIN in a local ENTRY, nightclub on YOU McCullough.

• Must be 21 The city and older; officials’ 18 up in cer- initial plan tain cases. was to try • Must show to stop out of control a proof of gatherings, I.D. but this re• Dress appeal had propriately. negative ef• Act appro- fects on respriately. taurants.

“I appreciate the concerns of local restaurants, but I want to make sure police concerns with public safety are satisfied with the new ordinance,” Ward 7 Councilman Willie Jennings said.

Beyond the repeal being a holdup, Romie’s and the Blue Canoe are just two of the many places people can go to have an awesome time with family and friends.

COREY KALISH

community service club for junior and senior girls,” Cole said, “I just think it’s a good way to help out the community.”

The Club Fair “just shows you what all is offered at the school, and it helped me find all the clubs I was interested in and find where I fit in,” Cole said.

What music do you listen to?

BEN DAVIS

People might be surprised to know that junior Phillip Ramsey has Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” in his music library. “It was made in 1995,” he said. “That’s older than me.”

Corey Kalish @cdk1624 Chief Photographer

You never really know someone until you know that person’s taste in music.

“You wouldn’t imagine an old woman like me listening to The Black Keys or Eminem,” said Sharon Rogers, a 9th-grade English teacher at Tupelo High School.

A teacher listening to Eminem? No way. Just as I had to learn, looks are deceiving.

Rogers isn’t the only one who might surprise you with what’s blasting through her earphones. Imagine walking past someone in the hallway who’s listening to music.

Based on stereotypes, you may think you know what that person is listening to, but most of time you’d guess completely wrong.

Music can connect with anyone. Each genre is not made for a certain group of people.

It is for anyone who reacts to the music through millions of cells firing off in their brains at one time saying, “This song

is great! Oh, my gosh! I want to hear more!” I encounter this sensation quite often because music is a very important part of my life.

I do like to listen to rap music because the lyrical schemes and rhythmic lines of emotion just re“You ally appeal to wouldn’t me. But then imagine an again, I really old woman love listening to country like me listening to music in the summertime The Black and when I Keys or am cruising Eminem.” out of the - Sharon Rogers school parkEnglish I teacher ing lot. What may surprise people the most though, is the fact that my favorite singer is John Mayer. His chill voice and breathtaking guitar solos just make me happy no matter what mood I am in. Others might think differently.

“I love to listen to blue grass and deep country music,” said junior Stephen Adams, who understands that’s not what

people might expect of him.

For her part, Rogers said she realizes she has “a very odd collection of music.”

In her iTunes library, in addition to The Black Keys and Eminem, she also has B.B. King, Kristen Chenoweth and Michael Bublé.

Public speaking teacher Rand Hinds also claims to have a great variation of music. He has a significant number of songs by the rock band The Grateful Dead in his iTunes library.

If you have not met Hinds, he is a clever, calm and collected individual. Before I was aware of his musical tastes, I imagined that Hinds listened to classical music, but this is quite the opposite. The fact that he listens to hard rock to pass his time has definitely taught me not to judge a book by its cover.

Everyone listens to different music, but whatever music that may be will probably end up leaving you surprised and amused. So rock on, guys.

GirlsUNITE

THS junior organizes self-empowerment summer camp

Meaghan Killian @MeaghanE96 Staff Writer

Tupelo High school’s Warner King strives for success with herself and others.

The THS junior is also the founder of G.I.R.L.Y., or Girls In Reality Love Yourselves.

G.I.R.L.Y. is a camp to empower young girls to accept themselves when others want them to be something that they are not.

Camp G.I.R.L.Y. was held at All Saints’ Episcopal Church from June 17-21.

“The camp was absolute perfection,” King said. “I couldn’t ask for anything else in ways of how it turned out. My staff was 100 percent all week, and the campers were energized and open for anything, which made empowering them all the more fun.”

Because of her own experiences with bullying as a child, King set out to prevent it from happening to other girls.

“In today’s society it’s really tough to feel accepted by others, especially if you’re a girl,” she said.

King was inspired when she

“The camp was absolute perfection...My staff was 100 percent all week, and the campers were energized and open for anything, which made empowering them all the more fun.”

- Warner King Junior

@MeaghanE96 Staff Writer

Freshman year can be the scariest time of anyone’s school career. It’s the time to be intimidated by upperclassmen. Everyone’s first day is scary, but if everything is familiar then it shouldn’t be.

“I kinda knew where all my classes were because my mom is a teacher,” freshman Scott Chumley said.

Starting high school wasn’t that easy for all freshmen though.

“It was hard to find my buildings and classes because there were so many,” Tylon Parker said.

But freshmen like Parker aren’t the only ones who had trouble their first day at THS. “It was a little hard the first day of freshman year, but I did know where most of my classes were,” sophomore Daniel Adams said.

For some sophomores their

BOOK REVIEW

THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE LeShay Dixon @leshaydixon18 Staff Writer

COURTESY

Bullied as a child, Warner King, back row center, now preaches self-empowerment to girls.

went to a camp last summer, the Summer Youth Institute for the William Winter’s racial Reconciliation. While there, campers were taught how to produce their own community project; this is her product. For camp G.I.R.L.Y., King raised more than $3,300 and was able to get the girls a lot of supplies. There were more than 27 campers, 18 staffers, and five adults each day.

“I really want to graduate and go to college out of state, but whatever state I’m in I will continue this camp,” King said.

She also wants to continue this camp throughout her high school years.

“I would love to have more campers and a bigger space to hold the camp, as well as provide the campers with more take-home items,” King said.

“If you ever want to be involved with something like this, it is extremely possible

THS101 Meaghan Killian

5

FEATURES

R 2013SEPTEMBER 2013 • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • THE HI-TIMES

first day of freshman year was easy.

“I knew where everything was,” sophomore Tate Schott said.

“It was really easy, and I knew where to find the buildings and classes,” freshman Alisha Graf said.

If only all ninth-graders were like that.

“It was hardish and I got lost and found my classes and got lost again,” freshman Justin Zosel said.

No one’s freshman year is easy; there’s a lot going on and too many buildings and classes to get used to.

H building, which is the freshman building, is by the cafeteria on the right of H. On the left of H is J building, which is the administration building. When walking into J, there’s a little hall on the left and down that hall are the counselors. The time to go to the counselors is during lunch and before or after school.

COURTESY

Camp G.I.R.L.Y.’s goal was to teach girls to love themselves just the way they are.

and it takes so much work but it is so worth it,” King said. “It is much harder than your typical senior project.

“I want to continue it as much as possible, and may a long way in the future have it set up in different places across Mississippi, or even the South or even better, the

country. But that’s far ahead in the future. My more possible plans would be to get started on organizing for next year and make it awesome.”

On Sept. 25, King will be presenting the results of the camp at All Saints’ Episcopal Church at 5:45 p.m.

C B

PAC

D A

D GYM

ATT. OFFICE

I

J H CAFETERIA

Walk straight into J building and on the right is the Help Desk; go there during lunch or before and after school.

On the other side of J is I building, and that’s the attendance office for check-ins and check-outs or to get tardies.

Right inside that office is the nurse.

A building is the English building, and beside A building is the Media Center. Go there during lunch and before

or after school.

On the other side of the Media Center is B building, which is the math and science building. Across from B building is D building, which is the creative arts building, and across from D building is the gym.

Freshman year can either be the best or the worst. The buildings don’t change, so that makes it easier about coming back next year.

2434 Main Street Tupelo, MS 38801 10:30am - 10:00pm (662) 844-7182

“ T h e Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” was the required summer reading for Tupelo High School seniors this year. The mysteries that are encountered in this intriguing tale leave readers on their toes, curious as to what happens next. With the two personas of good vs. evil, there’s a twist in the story that will shock everyone.

The characters in Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel about dissociative identity disorder can be compared to everyday people. I mean, we all have split personalities to some extent, but it’s the side we use most that determines who we are. When we see students and teachers walking the halls of THS, some have smiles, some have frowns, some have joy, others depression. It’s whatever they are portraying themselves to be at the time.

Dr. Henry Jekyll is a goodhearted scientist who yearns to be something more. Then there’s the twisted Mr. Edward Hyde, who everyone fears and who lives by no boundaries.

But what the two have in common will be the climax of this epic, amazing story.

The lesson behind this book is a good one: If you want to be yourself, just make sure it’s the side that’s good. Some might argue that both sides make up who they are. Well, that may be true, and you always want to be yourself rather than living the life of just one side of you. But why live a life of torture because we are concealing a part of us we feel will endanger the ones around us?

Others may choose to show the world both of their personalities. There are all sorts of reasons for every question. Some might prefer their good side over their bad side because that’s just how they are, and they prefer to be nice rather than mean. Then you have others who are always angry or mean and just don’t care. Then you compare them both and see their differences.

“The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” paints a clear picture of this. But living both sides of good and evil comes with a cost. Things don’t always turn out like we want them to, simply because no one can predict what might happen next.

There comes a time when we have to pick sides. Whether it’s good or bad, either one determines where you end up in life and what your future will be. So make the smartest choice; not everyone can have their cake and eat it too.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery, not just for seniors, because it’s so relatable. Jekyll and Hyde may be fiction, but in reality they’re just like the rest of us.

6OPINIONS RESTAURANT REVIEW

SAO THAI Ryan Murphy @ryanmurph12 Editor-in-Chief

This past July, Tupelo welcomed the Thai restaurant Sao, and today it is well on its way to success. In addition to the original location in Columbus, Sao brings unique flavors to our community with its new storefront on North Gloster Street across from The Bakery.

A sign outside the restaurant advertises “Real Thai Food.” While I’m not enWHERE tirely sure IS SAO what fake THAI? Thai food is, 729 N. Gloster St. I can promTupelo, MS 38801 ise that real (662) 840-1771 Thai food Open 10 am-11 pm must mean good Thai food, because that’s what makes an appearance at this new eatery.

The inside of Sao looks like a mix of Asian and antique.

Asian designs can be seen on everything from tableware to pictures on the wall, while antique clocks and beautiful, wooden bookcases line the dining room. All of this combines to create a quaint and cozy atmosphere. Customers can either feel like they are having an intimate dinner or enjoying a meal while curled up at home.

Sao’s menu contains more than 50 items ranging from mild to extremely spicy.

While not for everyone, this Thai food uses just the right amount of heat and flavor to make eyes water. My fifth bite of Panang Curry sent a single tear rolling down my face as I reached for my water, but I loved every minute.

I cannot speak for the meat eaters out there, but the customers I did interview raved about the dishes. As for me, Sao’s Panang Curry with tofu was perhaps the best curry and the best tofu I have ever had.

The servers at Sao do not hesitate to help in any way, and they are extremely friendly too. If Thai food is a new experience for you, the Pad Thai with any type of protein tastes amazing. As far as curry goes, I recommend the Panang. The garlic chicken was also a favorite for many, and for those who want a healthier option, choose tofu and substitute white rice with brown.

Sao truly has it all. The food is great, the atmosphere is incredible, the service is wonderful, and with the amount of options, it isn’t hard to find the perfect meal.

Even better is the fact it’s all available at an affordable price. Meals range anywhere from $5.95 to $11.95.

Sao’s “Real Thai Food” is sure to please many, and I hope the business will continue to prosper.

RYAN MURPHY

Panang Curry, Garlic Chicken and Pad Thai are among the affordable entrees at Sao Thai.

THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • SEPTEMBER 2013SEPTE

AP courses are not for everyone Ryan Murphy @ryanmurph12 Editor-in-Chief

Advanced Placement classes at Tupelo High School push the good students to become great and the great students to become even greater. Having taken these AP classes since my sophomore year, I have come to realize that although these courses should be open to any willing soul, students must approach them with an eagerness to learn and a desire to participate. Much too often, however, several people in the class do just the opposite.

Their disinterest and unwillingness to add to discussion can hinder a class from reaching its highest potential, leaving higher learning opportunities behind.

Participation and discussion are two of the essential components in an AP class.

Students receive assignments such as reading a text or writing from a prompt, allowing for a subsequent class discussion. The sharing of thoughts and ideas brings the class closer together and elevates the learning experience. No longer is the teacher the only educator; students have the ability to share knowledge that will last a lifetime.

To experience this kind of course, participation is key.

A student’s unique thought or idea on a piece of literature or essay can make the difference between a good or great class.

These unique ideas represent another central aspect of AP classes – diversity. A variety of people with different beliefs comes to my mind when thinking about AP courses.

Creating a balance of opinions, diversity ensures a classroom environment where students feel safe enough to share ideas that show who they truly are.

Not only does diversity need

@delaneycnorton Staff Writer

RYAN MURPHY

Non-participation in any class, especially AP courses, can hold students back.

to exist, but open minds must be ever-present.

Many times I hear from peers that their parents are the sole reason they take an AP class. While this might potentially be good for the student and will make parents seem like they are “A variety pushing their children, ofof people ten these are with differthe very stuent beliefs dents who comes to do not conmy mind tribute to the when thinkclass. By forcing about ing students AP coursto take a class es.” that they are - Ryan Murphy unwilling and Editor-in-Chief unprepared to take, parents gain the opposite result of what they expect. They want the class to be a good influence for their daughter or son, but that child is the reason the class will be a bad experience.

AP classes are not for every

student, but that is perfectly acceptable. There is an array of classes available that might benefit students more than an AP course. Classes should be chosen based on learning abilities and a willingness to work.

With a suitable class, students will be more happy and less stressed in their learning.

People in AP classes, whether by free will or not, should try to put effort into everything that they do during the course. There is a noticeable difference between an AP class that participates and one that sits quietly while the teacher struggles to create discussion.

The simple act of participation greatly enhances the class dynamic and makes the course more than enjoyable – it makes it invaluable. AP classes offer a chance to learn beyond the common expectations of a subject. Students need only care.

Surveillance state established @bsdavis4296 Assistant Editor

Today, the beacon has gone out. Welcome to 1984. We’ve thrown away our freedoms, and with their departure, so went liberty. Our nation used to uphold the moral highground and secure rights not only at home, but also around the world. Today, we dismantle human rights and spy upon individuals at home and around the world without just cause.

There are few who know this better than National Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden. An ex-private contractor once employed by Booz Allen Hamilton to work at the NSA, Snowden brought to light programs such as xKeyscore and PRISM, which were created to gather information on international terrorist cells. In reality, however, these programs are used to gather intelligence on the American people. For leaking this information, Snowden has been charged with conveying classified material to an unauthorized party, disclosing communications intelligence information, and theft of government property, for which the sentence is 30 years in prison.

PRISM is a program that collects mass amounts of data on citizens around the globe. The program was set up in 2007 by President Bush but saw rapid expansion under the Obama administration. Data collected includes phone calls, texts, social networking (Facebook works directly with PRISM officials), email, online photos, video, online searches (such as google) and even live VOIP

BREAKING BAD Delaney Norton

Welcome to 1984: Ben Davis

TV REVIEW

(voice over internet protocol) Snowden himself, after leaksuch as Skype and FaceTime. ing this information to Glenn Addressing leaked informa- Greenwald of “The Guardtion on PRISM, senior NSA ian,” fled to Hong Kong and officials claim that around 51 more recently Moscow, where percent of data collected via he lived in an airport for a PRISM is gathered on foreign- month before being granted ers from nations not involved temporary asylum by Rusin PRISM (the U.S., Britain, sian President Vladimir Putin.

Australia, New Zealand and Many have criticized Snowden Canada). for fleeing the U.S., saying he PRISM’s online counterpart, should have stayed to fight in known as xKeyscore, supple- court, instead of fleeing to terments PRISM and collects so ritories believed by many to much information that “We’ve allowed our nation to violate the govern- our privacy and domestic and internament lacks tional law to hunt down an individual the infrawho has been forced to seek political structure to asylum in a sovereign country. Instead, store xKeyscore data we should be heralding Snowden, a for more than patriot, for revealing illegal activity.”

- Ben Davis three to five Assistant Editor days, metadata for up to 30 days, and any flagged in- be “enemies” of the U.S. This formation for up to five years. is mind-boggling to me, given These programs are viewed that whistleblower Bradley negatively by most informed Manning, who leaked inforAmericans and have sparked mation of U.S. war crimes in much public outcry. Even Iraq and Afghanistan, was rethough NSA officials repeat- cently sentenced to 35 years in edly state that these programs prison. cannot and do not target Snowden has his detracAmerican nationals without tors, but the majority of the a warrant, other information Western World supports him. states otherwise. As a statis- Snowden, who gave up a very tical fact, the NSA illegally comfortable life in Hawaii, spies more then 2,700 times risked it all for the American a year, often targeting more people. than one person at a time, and Let’s not forget our governlow-level and private analysts ment is by the people and for such as Snowden can access the people. We’ve allowed our its surveillance database with nation to violate our privacy no oversight. Even more dis- and domestic and internationturbing, to reward analysts for al law to hunt down an indispying, NSA officials turned vidual who has been forced PRISM and xKeyscore into a to seek political asylum in a video game, with analysts ac- sovereign country. Instead, we quiring “skillz” and unlocking should be heralding Snowden, achievements for spying on a patriot, for revealing illegal their targets. activity.

Five years ago, in the very first episode of “Breaking Bad,” Walter White began the series by telling this to his disinterested high school class: “Chemistry is the study of matter, but I prefer to see it as the study of change. That’s all of life. I mean, it’s just—it’s the constant. It’s the cycle.

It’s solution, dissolution, just over and over and over. It is growth, then decay, then transformation.”

“Breaking Bad” has undoubtedly come a long way from this antihero Mr. White fighting to get his chemistry students’ attention, but that’s just it—what the audience didn’t realize until now was this first scene was alluding to the entirety of Walter White’s journey. At any rate, he has definitely got our attention now. That’s the beauty of “Breaking Bad.” It is so well crafted it transcends the norm in television. It’s forever finding new ways to blow our minds.

Despite this whole show foreshadowing itself, I have given up on predicting each new episode and prefer just watching each plot-line unravel itself.

The first portion of season five left off with Hank, local D.E.A. officer and Walter White’s brother-in-law, discovering Walt’s secret at the hands of a Walt Whitman quote (a prime example of how interwoven literature adds yet another cool element to the show). This cliffhanger moment took the seemingly standstill plot by the horns, calling off the potential “happy ending” resolution.

These last episodes have been very tense, to say the least. The show was obviously written with an end in mind, as small details from the start of the series have unfolded, taking the conclusion in a completely unexpected direction.

The true herald of what lies ahead is Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem “Ozymandias,” which has been broadcast on AMC as a promotional teaser: I met a traveller from an antique land, Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone, Stand in the desert.

Near them on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read, Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed. And on the pedestal those words appear: ‘My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!’ Nothing beside remains. Round the decay, Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

“Ozymandias,” a poem read in 12th-grade English classes, completely embodies Walter White’s downfall in the series. It’s used to foreshadow the end of Heisenburg’s era— hence the opening scene of the season flash-forwarding into Walt’s abandoned house. To find out how this comes to be, tune in to the final episodes of “Breaking Bad” Sundays at 8 p.m. on AMC.

7

OPINIONS

R 2013SEPTEMBER 2013 • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • THE HI-TIMES

TUPELO STUDENTS RESPOND TO THE TRIAL THAT SHOOK THE NATION

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JORDAN JONES

What’s lawful isn’t In Trayvon Martin necessarily moral case, facts twisted merman gunned down Martin.

Zimmerman, 28, faces a physical attack from a 17-year-old, On July 13, a jury of six and instead of restraining the women – five white and one boy, he pulls out a gun and minority – found George Zim- shoots. I have an extremely merman innocent of both hard time grasping any kind of second-degree murder and sound reasoning behind this. manslaughter on the basis of The gun would have been my last choice only if all hope was self-defense.

Today, Zimmerman lives as lost and death seemed close at hand. I seriously a free man, and doubt ZimmerI am not here to Feb. 26, 2012 man faced a argue whether George Zimmerman shoots threat of death Trayvon Martin as the that ruling is from an un17-year-old is walking back right or wrong.

for its right wing fanaticism bombarded its audience with rhetoric on Zimmerman’s innocence under the “stand your The Martin/Zimmerman ground” law, which strips an case wasn’t about race or fireassault victim of the obligation arms. It was about the right to to retreat, and allows him/her self-defense. In the unfortunate to react with lethal force. case of Trayvon Martin, who Evidence suggests Zimmermet his end on Feb. 26, 2012, man, who suffered a fractured misjudgment played a vital nose, two black eyes, lacerapart in the youth’s death. In totions to the head, and a back day’s media, the case was also injury from his fight with Martwisted, with distorted and tin, acted in self-defense. It’s sometimes false information known that Martin was walkbeing publicized and often being strangely close to houses coming popular belief. George in the neighborhood, in yards, Zimmerman rather than the street. Prowasn’t filed as a suspicious person, a and with recent crime in the racist, or a neighborhood, Martin was ingun-nut vigilante, but vestigated. In his police call, a neighborhood watch capZimmerman states that Martin tain whose neighborhood had is glaring at surwitnessed a serounding housries of home in- March 8, 2012 es, before turnvasions, while Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fuling to stare at Martin was far ton, Trayvon’s parents, create a him, suspiciousmore than a Change.org petition calling for ly loitering in Zimmerman’s arrest.

It reaches harmless youth. the rain. With From the get- 10,000+ signatures in 10 days. his hand in his go, the case was March 9, 2012 waistband (ofBenjamin Crump, the Martin’s knocked out of ten the sign of proportion by attorney, demands that police a concealed release the 911 tapes or make the media. Peohandgun), Maran arrest. ple are killed tin began to every day, in walk toward self-defense, Zimmerman. Passing Zimmerman, still in his vehicle, Martin began to run and Zimmero r murder.

Death, man decided to follow. On the even of a youth, isn’t shockphone, the police responder ing, so what gave this case says, “We don’t need you to the prominence to garner the do that,” referencing Zimmerattention of millions for more man’s pursuit of Martin, even than a year? though individuals aren’t legalMany of the left’s traditional ly obligated to comply with pobattle-whines were present in lice orders through the phone. this case, making this story ripe Seconds later, affor the picking. ter losing sight NBC went of Martin, ZimMarch 22, 2012 as far as Attorney Norm Wolfinger merman states to edit recuses himself from the that he wants case. Sanford Police Chief to “get out of Bill Lee resigns temporarily. here,” indicatZimMarch 23, 2012 ing he wanted merman’s nonFlorida Gov. Rick Scott to return to his emergency poappoints state attorney vehicle, endlice call to play Angela Corey as a special ing the pursuit. prosecutor for the case. him as a racist, However, eviand misinterdence points to preted it to Martin encouninclude a tering Zimmerman, pinning racial slur. him to the ground, fracturing his nose, and beating his head N e t against the concrete. In deworks of the fense, Zimmerman, a licensed left also promoted the story concealed carry permit holder, of an African American youth shot and killed Martin. “armed with only Skittles and It’s now known that Marsweet tea” being gunned down tin, who proclaimed himself by a vigilante in a gated neigha “gangsta,” had a history of borhood. Zimmerman first drug possession called the police and use, vandalon this hoodieApril 9, 2012 ism, theft, and wearing person Zimmerman launches even had poswho surely had TheRealGeorgeZimmerman. session of an no busicom with a PayPal account for illegally held donations to his legal fund. handgun.

April 10, 2012 Although Hal Uhrig and Craig Sonner, neighborhood Zimmerman’s attorneys, ness in watch guideannounce they have lost his neighborlines state not contact with their client and hood, but later to carry a fireno longer represent him. followed Mararm, this isn’t tin and brutally law, while the murdered him Second Amendment protects in the streets immediately afthe right to bear arms, and ter calling the police. That, of Zimmerman carried a licensed course, being the intelligent handgun. While this incident thing to do. could have been avoided, both Far too early this story, Zimmerman and Martin acted which Zimmerman’s detracirresponsibly. Assaulted, Zimtors would have you believe, merman acted under the “Stand became accepted as fact. Don’t Your Ground” self-defense law, get me wrong, I affiliate mostly which he was eventually found with the left, but the “progresinnocent under. sive” media mishandled this Unfortunately, in a sad turn case. Here’s what truly ocof events, a youth lost his life. curred.

But that didn’t, and shouldn’t With this story being run by have, given reason for Zimmerliberal media establishments man to be charged with mureverywhere, Fox News chimed der, as there was absolutely no in with a response. Who’d a evidence for this charge. thunk it. The network known

Ryan Murphy

Ben Davis

@ryanmurph12 Editor-in-Chief

@bsdavis4296 Assistant Editor

from a convenience store in I am here to Sanford, Fla. He immediately question the told police he shot Martin in reasoning beself-defense after a scuffle. hind the killing He is taken into custody armed teenof 17-year-old but released that night. No ager with Skitcharges are filed.

Trayvon Martin tles in one hand and the Florida and a bottle of laws that proiced tea in the other.

And even tected Zimmerman.

Through case evidence, it is if he did face a threat of death, clear that Zimmerman, a neigh- Zimmerman should have heedborhood watchman, followed ed the police’s advice.

Above all else, I abhor the Martin after calling the police stand your ground statabout a suspicious person in a ute.

Not hoodie. The police informed only is Zimmerman that they would i t handle it and not to get involved. Zimmerman then conactive in fronted Martin, March 13, 2012 Florida where against police Sanford Police Chief Billy Lee the killing took advice, to “con- says there is no evidence to place, but 16 dispute Zimmerman’s firm Martin’s other states, address” and assertion that he shot Martin in self-defense. The lead Missisthen relay it to investigator on the case, Chris sippi the authorities. Serino, files an affidavit inMartin punched recommending Zimmerman be Z i m m e r m a n charged with manslaughter. cluded, and slammed make use his head into of this sorry the concrete. In excuse for murder.

According retaliation, Zimmerman shot and killed the young man to the law, if a person is atwhile neighbors heard scream- tacked, is in possible danger ing outside of their houses. concerning their life, and is not From there, the case grew to doing anything illegal at that time, then he or she what it is today. does not My concern with Zimmerhave man’s motives is that of racial “ t h e profiling. Even if he uses his duty to retreat” own Hispanic background to but can “stand [their] relieve accusaground” and tions of racism, fight back with March 26, 2012 Zimmerman deadly force. decided to pur- Martin’s family confirms Martin had been in Sanford to see It deeply dissue Martin after his father because he was turbs me that unjustly profil- suspended from school for there is a law in ing him as the holding traces of marijuana. existence that, boy walked to March 28, 2012 through loophis temporary ABC obtains surveillance video holes, protects residence with of Zimmerman that reveals murder based his father’s fi- minor head wounds and a on pure specuswollen nose. ancee. lation. I disThis is not all agree strongly right. If Zimmerthat under fear a person man called the police, who can logically make told him not to get involved, then he should not have followed Martin. Zimmerman did get involved because of off- t h e base suspicions and an inflated assumption as to whether their sense of self. Neighborhood life is at risk. Therefore, somewatch gives no one the right to one can kill another person begun down a person, especially cause they fear death, not bechildren, no matter how suspi- cause they are at risk of death.

This law should be removed. cious. The police should have I do not condone murder, even legally been the only ones who out of so-called self-defense. could have used deadly force.

I also would like to know That’s what Zimmerman did; when wearing a hoodie arbi- he shot and killed Martin out trarily made a young black of what he called self- defense.

American dangerous. It is ridic- Martin fought with a man who ulous stereotyping that has no profiled and stalked him, and place in today’s society. While got a bullet in return.

This case has no definite Martin did prove to be violent guilty or innocent party. Both when punching Zimmerman, I believe Martin hit the watch- Zimmerman and Martin acted man out of frustration. I think irrationally that fateful night, many people would be dis- but Martin died while Zimmerturbed if they were being fol- man lived. Now Zimmerman lowed by a potentially danger- walks free. While his actions ous man. I don’t blame Martin were ruled lawful, they were not moral. for acting out.

My next issue is why Zim-

Opinions

TRAYVON MARTIN

THE

HI-TIMES A STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Editor-in-Chief: Ryan Murphy Assistant Editor: Ben Davis Managing Editor: Jordan Jones Business Manager: Katie Grace Chief Photographer: Corey Kalish Staff Writers: LeShay Dixon Nathan Jackson Meaghan Killian Mackenzie Morgan Delaney Norton Bailie White Adviser: Ginny Miller See more news at thscurrent.com 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.

8SPORTS

THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • SEPTEMBER 2013SEPTE

THS players triumphant in travel baseball Mackenzie Morgan @mbmorgan15 Staff Writer

Tupelo 49ers, a Lee Countyfunded travel league baseball team, is comprised of high school aged players (U19) in the Tupelo area. The 49ers are in the SR legion and dominate at what they do. The team won state this year and lost in the third round of regionals.

The 49ers have several baseball players from Tupelo High School, including J.G. Miley, Chase Cernigliaro, Michael Ray, Hudson Roy, Luke Weeden and Michael Hensley.

Some of the surrounding cities that have baseball players on the 49ers are Amory, Baldwyn, Hatley and Mooreville.

Playing opponents from all over the South, the 49ers reigned supreme to most, coming first in the state and finishing in the third round in regionals.

Left and center fielder Miley went 6 for 13 from the plate and 3 for 5 with stolen bases in the 14-6 win in the championship game.

The 49ers outfield, with Miley, Tanner Poole, Michael Ray and McKamy Smith, is unstoppable.

“You can’t teach and can’t coach what we’ve got in the outfield,” Coach Kirk Presley said. “Our guys are extremely fast and get good reads on the ball. They’ve also got good arms to get the ball back in.

That plays a key role when it comes to saving extra bases.”

The outfield is not Tupelo’s only good asset; their pitching is outstanding. The 49ers have eight quality pitchers coming back, all of whom got a good amount of playing time.

The 49ers have a good heavy hitter with Roy, who racked in three home runs. The rest of the team smacked in one a piece or none.

Tupelo (19-9), which swept through the state tournament with three consecutive wins at ease, qualified for the American Legion MidSouth Regional Aug. 8-12 in Little Rock, Ark., despite coming up short in the third round.

“I felt like we played great, we just had a couple of bad breaks,” senior Luke Weeden said. “I feel like we could have played better.”

All the players said that although they were disappointed with their loss in regionals, they were happy with the season that they had put together.

The upcoming season will have many highs and lows.

The upcoming players should impact the team, with expected losses due to ages restrictions.

“We have got a bunch of guys coming back next year, plus the new guys that try out, so we should be able to make another run next year,” Weeden said.

Despite coming up short in regionals, the Tupelo 49ers plan to come back extremely hard, and will be a force to be reckoned with. The boys will bounce back with bats swinging, and aiming past the fences.

The Tupelo 49ers.

COURTESY

MACON MURFF

Kyle Alford, center, participated in the intrasquad cross country event.

CROSS COUNTRY:

ready for the new season Mackenzie Morgan @mbmorgan15 Staff Writer

The Cross Country team is giving everything they have to reclaim their number one spot in the state. This past season, the Cross Country state boys team came in second place and the girls came in third.

This loss stopped the 11-year stretch for being No. 1 in the state.

“It was a terrible feeling that we lost our school’s streak,” sophomore Leah Davis said.

The dramatic loss crushed some of the team members’ spirits, but it also let the team know that they have work to do.

Some sport seasons last a whole year, but Cross Country does not. It starts from late August and ends in November, while training beings in late May. Some members choose to do track and field in those off months so they will not lose their momentum.

“This year we are running more miles,” sophomore Logan Long said.

The coaches are making members run more so that

they can push their limit of the usual three miles. At practice, the team usually runs about four to eight miles. A boy or girl on the junior varsity team runs anywhere from 1.8 to 3.1

Cross Country’s first meet is Aug. 24 at Tupelo Christian Preparatory School. The team wants to start this season off right by winning. Tupelo High School’s biggest Cross Coun-

MACON MURFF

Alex Cayson, left, and Patrick Langford ran in the recent intrasquad.

miles during a meet, and Varsity girls and boys run from 2.5 to 3.1 miles during a meet.

“We are definitely going to place first in our first meet,” sophomore Jin Kusakari said.

try competitors are Starkville, Madison Central, and Ocean Springs, but these are not the only schools that want to win state this season.

“We have a core crew of tal-

ented guys. They know how to race and have been doing this long enough to know how to win,” said Jonathan Begnaud, head coach of the boys Cross Country team.

“We’re going slower this season. The goal isn’t to run fast in August and October but to run fast in November,” Begnaud said.

Begnaud wants the Cross Country members to run their fullest potential now because this determines where each team member places in the state. When it gets closer toward the end, the team prepares for the state competition and gives their all to win the state meet.

Last year, the three top runners were injured before the meet, which gave the Cross Country team a disadvantage.

They still tried their best and that is all that mattered.

“They are the best team I have worked with,” Begnaud said.

The team thinks with all the hard work they have been doing since the end of May, plus faith and determination, they will definitely reclaim their place at the top.

Lady Wave volleyball on a roll Mackenzie Morgan @mbmorgan15 Staff Writer

Volleyball has often proved to make Tupelo proud, and this year will be no exception. The Lady Wave volleyball team has three leading seniors, Kerrigan Buck, Morgan Hereford and Crystal Coleman, whose attributes will lead their team to victory.

“Crystal really stands out to me as an impact player “Morgan because she stands has an inten- out as an sity for the encourgame that ager and is, few have,” s o p h o m o r e without a Kaitlyn Wil- doubt, one son said. of the most “ C r y s t a l upbeat strives to people that try and help I’ve ever improve her met.” fellow vol- Kaitlyn Wilson Sophomore leyball players’ skills and help in any way needed.”

Wilson added that the intensity level from Hereford is incredible.

“Morgan stands out as an encourager and is, without a doubt, one of the most upbeat people that I’ve ever met,” she said. “If you get knocked down, Morgan will be there to pull you right up and help you get your head in the game.”

Wilson called Buck the leader that the Lady Wave team has always needed. “Kerrigan stays positive and leads whole-heartedly, giving off a great vibe to the girls and a passion we need to achieve this year,” she said.

The freshman crew coming

in from Tupelo Middle School are trying to figure out their true potential and their place on the team, as well as gaining knowledge to truly take their individual game to the next level. Freshman Raven McHaney, back row defensive player, gives the team a certain quickness that not many people can give. That’s not McHaney’s only special attribute though. She gives the team an edge on passing and is not afraid to hit the floor to get the ball up.

A key role to the team this year is upfront coach Laurie Bishop, affectionately known to her players as “Lady Bishop.”

“She always gives great, diverse and unique drills,” Wilson said. “She sets new goals for her girls to strive to achieve. She also makes sure her players are at the top in physical and mental shape.”

Behind the scenes is “Man Bishop,” otherwise known as assistant coach Braden Bishop. As the coordinator for the Lady Wave volleyball team, Man Bishop assists Lady Bishop whenever his expertise is needed.

“Without Man Bishop, our squad would not be as highly functionable as it would need to be,” Wilson said.

In recent action, junior varsity took New Albany for a cleaning Aug. 23, beating them 25-8 and 25-9. Lady Bishop expects her JV team to be strong, but they need to stay working together.

Varsity also swept New Albany that night, beating them three straight games. The Lady Wave beat New Albany 25-20, 25-18, and again 25-20 in the

COREY KALISH

Georgeanna Bowen makes a play.

final game of the night. The final play of the game ended when junior Georgeanna Bowen made a monster block to shut out the Lady Bulldogs.

“I liked and disliked what I saw,” Lady Bishop said. “The varsity team came together great to rally from behind in two of the three games tonight.”

She did, however, see that her team needed improve-

ment.

“The girls need to work on making smart decisions,” Bishop said. “Like playing tonight against New Albany, they had to play short to defend the ball.”

Many expect great things from this year’s Tupelo Lady Wave volleyball team. They are full of excitement and ready to dive off deep into this upcoming season.

9

SPORTS

R 2013SEPTEMBER 2013 • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • THE HI-TIMES

IN THE HALLS

How do you think the open date will affect the football team vs.

Hernando?

“It will give them time to relax and get ready for the game.”

- Ann Douglas Stone Sophomore

ACON MURFF

Golden Wave tackles the season COREY KALISH

Golden Wave defense blitzing into the backfield.

Mackenzie Morgan @mbmorgan15 Staff Writer

A

few weeks ago, football season was just the blink of an eye away. It’s finally here. Now we’re screaming our lungs out for our Golden Wave team. Now the entire Tupelo High School body is eating hot dogs, tailgating with classmates, and socializing with one another.

Now to the excitement of high school football starting back. With a new head coach, new uniforms, and plenty of new players, there’s tons of excitement in the air.

“Our biggest asset is confidence. We believe that we can play with anyone,” senior line backer Ashton Wedel said. “We all have a chance to impact the game in any way if we play together as one. If you are looking for individual impact players, James Gilley-

len on defense and Jarvis Wilson on offense.”

On Tupelo’s new big man in town, Coach Hammond, “all the coaches are great. They are easy to get along with and stern when they need to be.”

Wedel said, on new the football teams new head coach.

“Coach Hammond is an awesome coach. He brings new energy to the team,” said junior guard Drew Langford.

This year, THS football opened play with Lafayette County, the 2010 and 2011 4A champs. Last year, Lafayette beat THS in a game that was dominated by both defenses.

On Aug. 23, Tupelo battled head to head with Lafayette in the season opener for both teams. Early in the first quarter, Lafayette got on the scoreboard first with a quick touchdown. Tupelo was the next to get on the scoreboard, with a sweet safety. Next was a key completion from Daniel Bristow to Jarvis Wilson, and also

a 2-point conversion attempt which was in fact good. Now this put Tupelo on top. Not to count Lafayette out though, D.K. Buford ran for a touchdown to put Lafayette back on top.

Late in the second quar- “Our bigter, senior gest asset kicker Reed is confiBigham, hit dence. We a solid punt, believe only to be that we can dropped by play with L a f a y e t t e ’ s anyone.” return man, - Ashton Wedel Senior and to be recovered in the end zone by States Norman, putting Tupelo ahead 17-14.

Tupelo came out from the second half, still putting numbers on the scoreboard, with a 65-yard punt return which lead to a touchdown from junior Jarvis Wilson.

Less than four minutes into the second quarter, Lafayette ran in a touchdown.

Just nearly four minutes later into the second quarter though, senior Reed Taylor scored a touchdown to put Tupelo ahead for good.

Bigham racked in two long-distance field goals, the first coming in at 39 yards and the second at 49 yards.

Tupelo beat Lafayette 3621 impressively, starting off this season right with a big win.

Starting Aug. 30, Tupelo had the first of three consecutive away games. The Golden Wave defeated Center Hill 273, then decimated Shannon 47-0 on Sept. 6.

Hype for the Saltillo game, played on the road Sept. 13, was steady over the past few weeks.

“Everyone on the football team would love to destroy Saltillo,” Wedel said. “Since we know just about everyone on their team, it would be great to have bragging rights for a year.”

“It will affect them greatly, because it gives them more practice time and time to get their head in the game.”

- Danielle Sharp Sophomore

“It wouldn’t be a good thing if they don’t practice.”

- Deandre Stokes Junior “...they get a week to reflect on what they have done so far in their games and it will keep them motivated to do even better.”

- Mary Elizabeth King

Sophomore

“They are going to rest and they are going to be strong and then they are going to win.”

- James Grant Sophomore

“...since they have an open game before they play, they will do even better.”

- Keyana Williams

Sophomore

Community comes together for fellowship, football, fun Bailie White @bailiew2016 Staff Writer

Tupelo High School’s community tailgate was held on Aug. 23 before the Golden Wave football team took on the Lafayette County Commodores.

“The purpose of the community tailgate is to invite our community members to our campus to enjoy fellowship and football,” said Amanda Inman, the THS Student Council adviser. The club sponsored the tailgate along with the THS PTO. “Student Council was responsible for welcoming the guests and cleanup,” Inman said. “We also had an information booth set up.”

The community tailgate took place on the grass between the junior parking lot

and the practice football field.

Harrisburg Baptist, Calvary Baptist and First United Methodist were among the churches that participated. Local businesses and elementary schools also set up tents, along with many other THS clubs and teams that included the softball team, volleyball team and Student Council.

“I helped set up tables, put out food, sold T-shirts, made signs and hung the signs up,” senior Student Council member Caitlin Bailey said.

Parents also got in on the act.

“The volleyball parents were in charge of setting up the volleyball tent,” said Crystal Wilson, sophomore Kaitlin Wilson’s mom.

Some people were there to work, but everyone was there to have a good time.

“I enjoyed hanging out with friends before the game Friday night,” said senior and THS cheerleader Shelby Price.

“We passed out magnets and T-shirts advertising goldenwavealthletics.com.”

Chad Thompson, minister of youth at Calvary Baptist Church, was there for the fellowship.

“I think it’s just to get everybody in the community together and get to hang out when you normally wouldn’t get to,” Thompson said. “My favorite part is getting to see a lot of different people, and I think a close second would be the food.”

The community tailgate was a great way to start out the football season. It made the THS students, fans, parents, players and supporters excited about Golden Wave foot-

COREY KALISH

Children play, students socialize and parents enjoy the 2013 Tupelo High School Community Tailgate.

ball. The tailgate also brought members of the community to THS so they could see and experience some of the wonderful things that are going on here.

THE

CURRENT

THE COLLABORATIVE HOME OF THE HI-TIMES, WTHS, AND THS ALBUM

thscurrent.com

To end a successful night after tailgating, the Tupelo High School football team defeated the Lafayette County Commodores 36-21.

APPLY APRIL 2014.

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10ART&ENTERTAINMENT

THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • SEPTEMBER 2013

MY TOP PERFORMANCES:

MOVIE REVIEW

1

WOLVERINE @_treehome Staff Writer

APPLY APRIL 2014.

SEE MS. MILLER IN A131 TO PICK UP AN APPLICATION TO BE ON THE WRITING OR PHOTOGRAPHY STAFF.

Although overshadowed by the other performers, Mars was hands down the best performer of the night with his simple stage presence and powerful vocals. He sang “Gorilla.”

2 3 4 5

Nathan Jackson

Hugh Jackman returns in The Wolverine, and the movie picks up right after his character, Logan, kills Jean Grey in X-Men The Last Stand. Wolverine is my all-time favorite superhero, and I am happy that 20th Century Fox finally made another movie from the comic series.

The Wolverine is based on the comic by Claremont and Miller. If it wasn’t for their comic, Wolverine wouldn’t be as popular.

The movie takes place in Tokyo. Wolverine saves Yashida (the creator and owner of the most profitable company in Asia) from a bomb that hits Japan in WWII. Yashida tells Logan to take his sword because he saved him, but Logan doesn’t and tells Yashida that he will get it later. Yashida makes a woman search for Logan so he can give him the sword, but really he wants to get Logan’s power of never aging. To get that power from Logan, Yashida gets a doctor who has a power similar to Logan that can cause him to die.

The Wolverine is a really good movie. The Japanese art form and the samurai action throughout the film makes it a very beautiful and different kind of movie. The fight scenes were very realistic and overall entertaining.

The characters in this movie compared to the characters in the comic are perfect. They look almost exactly alike. My favorite scene is the fight on the bullet train. Logan is protecting Yashida’s granddaughter because the Yakuza (Japanese gang) try to kill her.

On the downside, there wasn’t that much story telling in the movie; it was just action. The Wolverine also could have been more surprising. It played out like a basic superhero movie, which isn’t a huge problem, but if they had added some originality and more lines, it would have been more interesting and coherent. Some of the actors weren’t good either.

Overall, I did really enjoy this movie, and I love seeing what new mutants appear in the X-Men series. I loved the effects and how they make a superhero or villain from a comic come to life. It’s an amazing transformation.

BRUNO MARS

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

Timberlake’s performance included a medley of all his hits, from “Cry Me a River” to “Suit & Tie.” Overall it was great, but the N’Sync reunion fell short.

LADY GAGA

Mother Monster opened the show with her new single, “Applause.” She started her number in a white nun costume and ended in a seashell thong. Classic Gaga.

KATY PERRY

Perry performed her new single, “Roar,” under the Brooklyn Bridge. Her fierce boxing match closed the show perfectly and had “Roar” in our heads the rest of the night.

CREATED BY JORDAN JONES

MILEY CYRUS

{

Cyrus stole the show with her twerking and grinding fiasco, which had everyone talking and tweeting. She didn’t win any awards that night, but she did win the attention of the media and us at home.

{

BY THE #’s 18,495,883

tweets about the VMAs

MILEY CYRUS RACKED UP

306,000 TWEETS PER MINUTE,

Justin Timberlake, “Mirrors”

406,229,386 total followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all 9 VMA performers.

Selena Gomez, “Come and Get It”

BEST COLLABORATION

ARTIST TO WATCH

MORE THAN THE SUPER BOWL BLACKOUT .

BEST POP VIDEO

Taylor Swift, “I Knew You Were Trouble”

Bruno Mars, “Locked Out of Heaven”

Austin Mahone, “What About Love”

BEST ROCK VIDEO

Thirty Seconds to Mars, “Up in the Air”

BEST ART DIRECTION

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, “Same Love”

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Janelle Monae & Erykah Badu, “Q.U.E.E.N.”

Bruno Mars, “Treasure”

‘Bull in a China Shop’

Delaney Norton @delaneycnorton Staff Writer

T

DELANEY NORTON

Katelyn Steig, from left, Mary Ellen Cobb, Morgan Southworth and Victoria Wise examine their first victim, Morgan Mahin.

time,” Southworth said.

In order for the cast to properly depict old ladies, student director Me“If the gan Davis sheer dark arranged a visit to a lohumor cal nursing in the home. play isn’t “We have enough, to pretend we watching have arthrithe cast tis, and that portraying we hurt all over, which eccentric old ladies actually does cause quite peeping a bit of pain through bending over binoculars and whatnot, as if you actucertainly ally do hurt,” is.”

Southworth - Delaney Norton Staff Writer said.

Rounding out the cast of senior citizens are junior Charlie Davis as Detective Kramer and junior Mary Clair

BEST VIDEO WITH A SOCIAL MESSAGE

Pink & Nate Ruess, “Just Give Me A Reason”

THS Theatre Company presents:

he stage is set: an unsuspecting old maid meets her end sprawled over an antique sofa. The murder weapon?

Nothing indecent. A single cup of tea does the trick. The culprits? None other than five sweet old ladies, not one of whom would be caught harming a fly. The motive? Here’s the kicker: to draw in the handsome new detective stationed across the street.

In September, the THS Theatre Company performed their own rendition of “Bull in a China Shop,” a C.B. Gilford short later adapted by Alfred Hitchcock. The murder mystery revolves around a circle of old ladies attracting unwarranted attention from detective and bachelor-of-late Dennis O’Finn, played by senior Noah Cox. Their strategy to “spur the romance” winds up in the form of a homicide of their own arrangement.

As seen in their antics, each member of the murder-driven group is an individual. From junior Morgan Southworth as the motherly Miss Amantha to junior Mary Ellen Cobb as the swooning Miss Birdie, there is undoubtedly a character to amuse everyone. If the sheer dark humor in the play isn’t enough, watching the cast portraying eccentric old ladies peeping through binoculars certainly is.

“I play a little old lady— she’s old, and lonely, has never been married and spying at this man across the street— who’s handsome, young and a bachelor is really her past-

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton, “Can’t Hold Us”

One Direction, “Best Song Ever”

BEST FEMALE VIDEO

BEST MALE VIDEO

BEST HIP-HOP VIDEO

BEST SONG OF THE SUMMER

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Kelly as reporter Jane Rogers, both of whom exasperatedly try to throw light on the situation.

“I’m the reporter that the old ladies call in to try to get the detective to come to their house,” Kelly said. “I show up and I’m really snarky, nobody likes me—O’Finn doesn’t even like me he’s just kind of scared of me—and so they just have to put up with me because I won’t leave.”

Despite their efforts, Jane and Kramer soon become targeted themselves, until finally Detective O’Finn registers that he himself is the motive for these madcap attacks.

All in all, THS’s version of “Bull in a China Shop” gave the audience a fresh take on elements of trite mystery and dark humor. What better way to kick off this year’s season than with homicidal old ladies?

Backstreet’s back, all right Meaghan Killian @MeaghanE96 Staff Writer

On Aug. 28, The Backstreet Boys came to Tupelo at the BancorpSouth Arena. Their opening act was Jersey Shore’s DJ Pauly D. “The Backstreet Boys concert was amazing,” Tupelo High School junior Pierce Lehman said. “Pauly D was surprisingly good, but the main attraction lived up to my expectations.”

The band, whose hits include “Backstreet’s Back” “Get Down” and “Incomplete,” has sold more than 130 million albums worldwide. These five boys have done it all in the past 20 years.

Started in Orlando, Fla., The Backstreet Boys are world known for their smooth moves and voices. Their tour, “In A World Like This,” started on May 25 and ends Oct 16. Their set list includes 20 songs with two encore numbers. They have more than 47 shows in this tour.

During the show, “The Boys announced their upcoming movie which I’m stoked for,” Lehman said. “They played a lot of their new songs and a couple of their greatest hits.”

Around 4,000 fans showed up to celebrate this time with the band.

Sophomore Jessie McGee also had a great time at the show.

“The Backstreet Boys concert was the best concert I’ve ever been to,” McGee said. “Pauly D got everyone excited with some awesome music, and then everyone exploded when (The Backstreet Boys) came out.”

McGee recalled one of her favorite moments of the night.

Longtime Backstreet Boys songwriter Gary Simmons “sang a song and they even did some acapella,” she said. “They did not disappoint at all, and it was totally worth being tired the next day at school.”