TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL
VOLUME 72 ISSUE 1
4125 Golden Wave Dr., Tupelo, Mississippi 38801
THE
Tupelo High School CA NC ER
HI-TIMES Com Commemorates OCTOBER 2014 RENESS A W A T BREAS
A STUDENT NEWSPAPER
INSIDE
Senior projects in full swing
MONTH
EMILY WRIGHT
CATCHING CANCER IN ITS TRACKS
THE RUNNING
DEAD
THS seniors improve community. PG3
JEREMY HINDS
Softball team competes
A zombie on the hunt at Tupelo Parks and Rec’s Zombie Fun Run.
Emily Wright
Slow pitch softball hits off with strong defense. PG7
Rules affect military enlistment Military entry restrictions regarding health prevent enlistment. PG2
SHAWANDA JONES
The rise and fall
of the Golden Wave Game coverage and team insight on the season’s turn of events. PG7
FOLLOW US @tupelohitimes VISIT OUR WEBSITE
@emilykkwright Staff Writer
Z
ombie video games. Zombie apocalypse. You name it, and they have more than likely put a zombie twist to it. These past few years it has been out with the vampires and in the zombies. Recently, zombies have become the topic of discussion among the younger generation. Although t h e A participant in trend’s the Zombie Fun Run at the Ballard popularPark Cross ity has Country Trail. risen, the concept of
Karlee Avery @karleeavery Staff Writer
SHAWANDA JONES
zombies dates to1968. That’s when George A. Romero produced the movie “Night of the Living Dead,” which contained zombies as some of the characters. Although zombie movies tend to bring low income and poor results in the box office, people still obsess over the idea of it. The most successful television show pertaining solely to zombies is “The Walking Dead.” “The Walking Dead” is one of the most talked about television shows among youth and adults over the past few years. The show provokes talk of zombie apocalypses and possible scenarios of zombies taking over the world. This year, Tupelo Parks and Rec hosted a Halloween Egg Hunt, Trick or Treating and Zombie Fun Run at the Ballard Park Cross Country Trail on Oct. 18. “We started with the idea of the Halloween Egg Hunt and Trick or Treat, and then Neely Turner mentioned everyone doing runs,” Shanta Eiland, Tupelo Parks and Rec Program Director, said. “We decided maybe we should do a run so then we researched, and that’s when we came across the Zombie Run because it was very popular.” The mile-long Zombie Fun Run was open to all ages, but they were also looking for volunteers to help with the run. “We would like to have at least 30 or more volunteers just so we can enough zombies, and then also for check-in, registration, taking the kids where they need to go to run, setting up and makeup,” Eiland said. Although the run required $10 to participate in the event, the Parks and Rec office received little to no income from it. “We put on events for the community, and most of the time, we very rarely make anything,” Eiland said. “It’s usually just something for the family to enjoy.”
October is breast cancer awareness month. This disease is a type of cancer that forms in tissues of the breast. Breast cancer is not limited to women. Men can be diagnosed with the disease, too. Breast cancer does not start in one specific place in the tissue. It can start anywhere from the ducts of the breasts to the tissue in between. Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. Just under 30 percent of cancers in women are breast cancers. Self-examinations play a large part in diagnosing breast cancer. If one notices a lump in the breast, they should see a doctor just to make sure the lump is not malignant. If the lump is malignant, it is cancerous. If the tumor is benign, it is not. “When they go to the doctor and feel a lump in their breast and that doctor will tell them to go to the oncologist,” said Louanna Cooperwood, whose senior project group is sponsoring the Survivors Cancer Walk on Nov. 1. “They do some tests and they’ll tell them if it’s stage one, two, three or four,” she said. “After that they’ll try to see if they can help it or give them medicine so that it [the lump] won’t continue to get bigger. Eventually, when they have surgery, they’ll take the breast off. They will request another breast if they want to. Then again, some don’t.” The most significant risk factors for breast cancer are gender and age. If one has a first-degree relative who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, their risk of the disease doubles. About 15 percent of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer have a relative who has also been diagnosed. See Breast Cancer Awareness PG3
SHAWANDA JONES
Gold track complete
thscurrent.org Scan here with a QR reader.
INDEX • NEWS.................................2 • FEATURES.........................4 • OPINIONS..........................6 • SPORTS.............................7 • ART&ENTERTAINMENT.......8
HAPPY MOLE DAY EVERYONE!!!!!!!! 6.022X10^23 #msRowelovesme
TWEET OF THE MONTH:
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
The gold track around Renasant Field was completed earlier this month.
WTHS
2NEWS
THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • OCTOBER 2014O
Equality:
WHAT’S
COMIN’UP The double standards that we face every day • Halloween Trick or Treat & Magic Show Oct. 31 • MHSAA Swimming State Championship Nov. 1 • Senior Group Picture Nov. 5 • Varsity Football Game - THS vs. Olive Branch Nov. 7 • Flea Market Nov. 7-9 • Cross Country State Meet Nov. 8 • 9th Grade Boys Basketball - THS vs. West Point Nov. 10
Pierce Lehmen @piercetayleh Business Manager
Feminism has recently gained some traction thanks to Emma Watson’s address to the United Nations on equality and women’s rights and campaigns around the world that have started setting a standard for how women and men are treated. “I think we have equality here,” Tupelo High School senior Larkin Robbins said. “I mean, the boys and girls don’t really discriminate against each other. Boys aren’t better and neither are girls.” The feminist movement is not new. It has been around for generations, and while change is occurring the expectations put on men and women are still unnecessarily different. Men and young boys are still expected to hide their emotions and “man up” to show their dominance. Women. on the other hand, are expected to be overly emotional and have a weak and submissive place in the world. These standards lead to suicide, rape culture, fear and major health issues. The stress of living up to expectations can cause serious mental disorders. Suicide is the No. 1 killer of men between ages 20 and 49 and is a predominantly male disorder. According to WebMD, 90 percent of people with eating disorders are women. Women are only paid 77 cents to a man’s dollar in the United States and are
• Christmas Parade to Welcome Santa Nov. 14
• JV & Varsity Girls Soccer - THS vs. Clarksdale Nov. 17 • 9th Grade Boys Basketball - THS vs. Columbus Nov. 17 • JV & Varsity Basketball - THS vs. Shannon Nov. 18 • Soccer - Tupelo Tournament Nov. 20-22 • Varsity Basketball - Neshoba Central Shootout Nov. 22
more likely to be harassed than a man. Harassment is something girls are taught to avoid by covering up, avoiding men when they are alone and not drinking around people. Sexual harassment has become a culture and “no” is a “yes” if the victim is drunk or wearing a short skirt. Male sexual assault victims are dismissed because people feel like men can’t be overpowered by women. Women sexual assault victims are treated like their assault is their fault. Victim blaming should not be an issue. Women who are harassed and sexually assaulted should not be dismissed because they were wearing tight pants or a short skirt. Men who are assaulted should not be overlooked because they “should be stronger” than their attacker.
PIERCE LEHMAN
We need to teach the new generation that cat calls are not a compliment. Rape jokes are NOT funny. Street harassment is not a form of flattery. There should not be two sets of rules on how emotions should be shared. Boys are allowed to share how they feel. Girls are allowed to be tough. Girls should be allowed to wear what they want and not be scared that their clothing is an excuse for someone to harass them. When you educate a generation on how to treat other people with respect and love, it can change the world. When one person stands up and says it is not her fault she was assaulted, or that he was assaulted even though a woman was the attacker, the world will become a little bit nicer to live in.
rules affect military enlistment
• Senior Portraits Nov. 12-14
• Shockwave Invitational Swim Meet Nov. 14-16
Senior Kelly Russell and junior Olivia Resse show their pride of gender equality.
Morgan Southworth @MNSouthworth Assistant Editor
For many U.S. citizens, teens especially, serving the country through military service is a life goal. However, that goal is looking more and more unobtainable for the youth of America. There are quite a few rules restricting military enlistment, with age, a high school diploma and U.S. citizenship being the most commonly known. The less commonly known restrictions, regarding health, are the ones causing a problem. Americans are known for being unhealthy and overweight. In recent years, when teenagers have reported for military enlistment, they are turned away for not meeting physical standards. Simply put, they are too fat. Males between the ages of 17 and 20 must not exceed a maximum body fat percentage of 20, while females must not exceed 30 percent. U.S. teens are not meeting this standard. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than onethird of children and adolescents were overweight or obese in 2012. With 12.7 million children and adolescents aged 2-19 currently falling in the “obese” category, that number is only increasing. In addition, just six states, including Mississippi, require a physical education class in every grade. The problem isn’t only found in adolescents either. In 2012, the CDC reported that about 69 percent of adults were found to be either overweight or obese. In 2013, the CDC also developed a chart
Sarah Ewing, THS senior, supports the troops during Spirit Week.
showing self-reported obesity rates in each state. Mississippi and West Virginia were both found to have an obesity rate of more than 35 percent, but no state was found to be less than 20 percent. In order to pass the Army’s Basic Training Fitness Test, a person must be able to do a certain amount of sit ups and push ups in under two minutes each and then run two miles. Twenty-seven percent of Americans ages 17 to 24 are too large to serve in the military with these qualifications. Approximately 15,000 potential recruits fail their physicals each year. Though the U.S. military is not currently suffering because of these numbers, it could lead to a state of emergency should the need for a draft arise. There will be too few people to fill the draft, leading to a threat to national security.
Golden Wave apparel now at Reed’s 131 W. Main St., Tupelo, MS 38804 l (662) 842-6453
THS ALBUM / JACE MAULDIN
Weight is just one of the many problems keeping applicants from joining the military. Small problems – such as childhood asthma – can be waived, but chronic illnesses or birth defects may be too serious to ignore. Drug and alcohol abuse are also serious issues. Likewise, any applicant convicted for sexual crimes or any recent repeated criminal charges will be shot down. Applicants must meet all these standards – weight, health, clean record – as well as pass a standardized test. The United States is famously known for being fat, unhealthy and stupid. These insults can all usually be brushed off. Unfortunately, with so many citizens actually failing to meet the standard to defend our country, these claims are now harder to ignore. Everyone suffers, especially our nation’s defense.
3
NEWS
4OCTOBER 2014 • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • THE HI-TIMES SENIOR PROJECT
SENIOR PROJECT REPORT
Compiled by Emily Wright, @emilykkwright
Tupelo High School 12th-graders currently taking English IV are hard at work on their senior projects. The collaborative projects, which all have a community service aspect, will be presented to the public in December.
• What? “We are refurbishing the chairback seats in the Tupelo High School football stadium.” • Who? Rachel Hicks, Zach Ellis, Rachael Malone, Woody Goss • Why? “The blue turf came in and made the chairbacks look even more faded, and it just did not look good so we decided to make it look better. We talked to three football boosters, and they are helping fund this project.” - Zach Ellis
Breast cancer awareness month Continued from PG1
• What? “We are making pillowcases for sick children in the hospital.” • Who? Ashley Chimahusky, Brianna Fields, Sabrina Crumpton, Malorie Payne • Why? “We wanted to help the kids. We didn’t want their room to look dull and white while they’re there sick.” • When? Mid-November - Malorie Payne
• What? “We are starting a group where 11th- and 12th-graders are being a friend or a big brother/sister or buddy to special needs kids. We are paired up with another person our age, and we engage and become friends with a special needs person.” • Who? Emily Wright, Lauren Losordo, Sarah Lambert Hollingsworth, Clayton Horton • Why? “We chose to do this because we want to give special needs individuals the same opportunity we have, and we wanted to involve them in more activities and have the chance to build and develop more relationships with people that are different and also like them.” • When? Throughout the entire school year - Lauren Losordo
• What?“We are remodeling the courtyard for Pierce Street.” • Who? Tyler Fields, Reed Thornton, Houston West, Quintasia Shields • Why? “We wanted to build something for the school.” • When? Before it gets cold. - Tyler Fields
• What? “My group is doing an etiquette workshop. It’s sort of like cotillion, but it’s for free.” • Who? Cj Williams, Laine Mansour, Labella Blackmon, Rosanna Head • Why? “Etiquette is really important, and manners are really important. These days that’s been lost just with society, so we thought it’s important to bring it back and for kids to learn at a young age to be polite and just say thank you and how to present themselves in a professional manner.” • When? Mid-October - Cj Williams
According to breastcancer. org, about one in eight American women (about 12 percent) will develop breast cancer over the course of thier lifetime. More than 2.8 million women had a history of breast cancer in the U.S. this year. In 2014, around 232,670 new cases of invasive and 62,570 new cases of noninvasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in U.S. women. About 40,000 women in the U.S. are expected to die in 2014 from breast cancer, even though death rates have been decreasing since 1989 — with larger decreases in women under 50. For women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer. While men are not nearly as susceptible to breast cancer as women, their chances of being diagnosed are one in 1,000. In men, about 2,360 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed this year.
• What? “Pay it forward. It is a day when the community does small acts of kindness for one another, and it just carries on.” • Who? Mallie Imbler, Morgan Southworth, Molly Homan, McKenzie Denton • Why? “We chose to do this because it will allow us to work in the community in small ways.” • When? Oct. 15 - McKenzie Denton
[NEWS BRIEFS] From staff reports @tupelohitimes
16 nominated for CREATE awards
Sixteen educators from Tupelo High School were nominated as CREATE Teachers of Distinction. Laurie Bishop, Beverly Brister, Tori Clay, Kayla Fisackerly, Danielle Frerer, Valeria Gladney, Marlo Hendrix, Susan Hester, Kelly Manley, Ginny Miller, Patricia Parker, Leslie Pleasants, Brookes Prince, Monica Rowe, Amanda Wood and Felicia Woods received nominations for the award. At a luncheon Sept. 19 at The Summit Center, Brister, Hendrix, Manley, Rowe and Woods received the prestigious awards. Winning teachers receive a $1,000 check. The event is co-sponsored by the CREATE Foundation and the Association for Excellence in Education.
Nov. 5 deadline for DC applications
Students planning to take a second semester dual credit class must have the application, recommendation form, transcript, ACT scores and payment turned in to Joni Nolan or Tammy Wheeler prior to Nov. 5. If the process has not been completed by Nov. 5, the dual credit class will be dropped from the schedule and students will need to see their counselor to choose an alternate class.
Namie to audition for ‘AGT’
Monica Namie, administrative secretary at Tupelo High School, has been invited to audition for “America’s Got Talent.” “This is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity, so If I make it, it’d be a big deal,” said Namie, who will audition Nov. 5 in Nashville.
The prize for winning “AGT” is $1 million and a show in Las Vegas. When Namie applied, “I sent in a video that I did where I sung with the THS Voices Choir,” she said. “I heard back from them in September.” Although she has been singing since the age of 4, Monica Namie this is Namie’s first time to audition for a national talent show. As a junior at Mooreville High School, she won a talent contest at the Lee County Agri Center and went on to perform for a televised broadcast in Memphis. If she wins, “I’d still work here,” Namie said.
4FEATURES
THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • OCTOBER 2014O
IN THE HALLS
Do you still celebrate Halloween? Why or why not?
D
“Yeah, because it’s fun and you get to get candy.”
: olls
Brayden Russell Sophomore
“No, because my family doesn’t.”
Xzarius Stubbs Senior
An age-old fear
“Yes I do, because you get to get out and meet with your friends at night and stuff.” Jeremy Cabler Freshman
“Yes, because it’s fun and I like going trick-ortreating with the kids.” Shalei Owens Senior
(662) 620-7244 5143 Cliff Gookin Blvd. Tupelo, MS
PIERCE LEHMAN
Dolls are common movie tropes used to strike fear in viewers’ hearts.
THS student shares childhood horror story Morgan Southworth @MNSouthworth Assistant Editor
Dolls are both fun playmates and common fears. As children, we all had a doll or action figure we played with. Now that we are older, however, dolls are unsettling. Their dead eyes and porcelain faces make humans tense up when they spot them at night. Some people, especially Tupelo High School senior Rebecca Dernar, know this fear better than others. “When I was about 6 or 7, I admitted to doing something mean to Michael,” said Dernar, referencing her older brother. “Apparently he was really angry. I had five life-like porcelain dolls around my room. I was always afraid of the dolls moving and I woke up and saw them turned towards me.” “I screamed and ran towards my parent’s room,” Dernar recalled. “I told my mom that the doll heads moved and she didn’t believe me. She came back to my room and all the dolls heads were back (in their original positions.)” This event was not an isolated incident.
On and off, over the course of months, Dernar experienced this phenomenon. She continued to wake up to the eyes of the dolls staring at her, only to find them moved back in their original position when her parents came to check. Such an event would be traumatizing to any adult, nonetheless a 7-year-old. “It was only every once and while,” Dernar said. “I thought I was going crazy.” However, neither ghosts nor demons were the cause of this hairraising issue. It was something Rebecca Dernar much more mundane. “In my later years, I found out it was my brother waiting until I was asleep and turning their heads,” said Dernar, whose older brother was 11 at the time. “He would run out of the room when I
woke up and turn them back when I got my mom.” For years, Dernar was frightened of the dolls in her room. She hated that she owned them at all. However, because she was forced to endure this trial for months, she now finds herself unphased by their appearance. “I used to be extremely afraid of dolls,” Dernar said. “But now I feel like they helped me overcome my fear.” Dolls are common movie tropes used to strike fear in viewers’ hearts. The “Child’s Play” series is well known for its main villain, Chucky, a criminal whose spirit is fused into a doll. That movie was released in 1998, and similar concepts continue to this day. The movie “Annabelle,” released Oct. 3, is based on a similar concept. A woman’s murdered spirit latches on to her old doll and tortures people with it, something Dernar is very familiar with. “‘Annabelle’ is gonna be reminiscent of old times,” she said.
Tupelo’s Mystery behind disappearance of Leigh Occhi still unsolved
Jeremy Hinds @hurdle_gang Staff Writer
Aug. 27, 1992, is a day that will live in infamy in the history of Tupelo. It was on that day that an innocent 13-year-old girl went missing, and the mystery of what happened to Leigh Marine Occhi began. Vicky Felton left her house for work in the morning beginning a normal day. Her daughter, Leigh, remained at home enjoying her last days of summer break. Around 9 a.m., Felton called Leigh to check on her but received no answer. She had kissed her daughter goodbye for the last time that morning. When she arrived back at her house, she found the garage door open with the light turned on. “That was very strange because the light doesn’t turn on unless someone triggers the door,” Felton said in an interview with CNN in 2009.
GONE GIRL
Leigh’s blanket was in a pile on the floor and blood was eerily splattered on the side of the wall. Searching the house and finding nothing, Felton desperately called 911. Squads of men with bloodhounds, sympathetic citizens and local and federal law enforcement officers canvassed the neighborhood and a 10-mile radius around the Occhi house at 105 Honey Locust Dr. Despite the effort of the army of good Samaritans, the massive search came up with nothing. The weather was against them, with Hurricane Andrew was still pounding the Southern states with torrential rain. Once the storm passed, helicopters were added to search but to no effect. Investigators refocused their search and concentrated on the only place with a sliver of evidence, Leigh’s house. Leigh’s night-
gown was found in a laundry basket with bloodstains on it and there was blood splattered on the walls. “Not a lot of blood, not enough to cause death,” says Terry Abernetry, who reported the case for WCBI at the time. The question remains to this day, what happened to Leigh Occhi? Tupelo had never experience something like this before, so when the news was released people were shocked and appalled. But like any town full of good people, they all did their part to help. “The people of Tupelo really rallied to find her,” Abernethy said. After it was clear that there was definitely foul play involved with the case, investigators then turned to finding suspects. The
Vicky Felton left her house for work in the morning beginning a normal day. Her daughter, Leigh, remained at home enjoying her last days of summer break. Around 9 a.m., Felton called Leigh to check on her but received no answer.
house showed no signs of forced entry, so they concluded that it would have to have been someone Leigh would let in the house. Someone Leigh knew. Throughout the cloud of circulating speculation, three main suspects remained constant through the FBI investigation. Leigh’s mother; Vicky Felton; Leigh’s estranged father; Donald Occhi; and Leigh’s stepfather, Barney Yarborough. The case is still cold and the world may never know part of the mystery due to the death of Donald Occhi, who altogether drank himself to death after the disappearance of his daughter. The death of Leigh Occhi is a reallife mystery but has almost become somewhat of a legend, especially among students of THS. Occhi’s stepfather worked in construction and it is believed by some that he hid the body of the young girl under the foundation of J Building and her spirit haunts the campus at night to this day. The disappearance of Leigh Occhi will always be a disappearance shrouded in mystery.
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FEATURES
4OCTOBER 2014 • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • THE HI-TIMES
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Pros and cons of students with part-time jobs Emily Wright @emilykkwright Staff Writer
Many students at Tupelo High School have part-time jobs throughout the year, which makes it difficult to balance school, work and extracurricular activities. According to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2011, 28 percent of high school students work part-time jobs averaging 20 hours a week or less. These results bring up the ongoing debate of the positive effects outweighing the negative effects or vice versa. Many say that having a job in high school builds character and develops valuable skills. “I love the interaction with different people and the fact that it’s real life stuff,” said Elizabeth Wyatt, a THS senior who works at Juva Juice. Many sources claim that it is harder for students to keep their grades up when they have to work 20 hours or more a week. Not many athletes take up a job during the school year because of the lack of flexibility and late hours required.
KARLEE AVERY
The THS band performs at the South Panola game Oct. 17.
Band prepares for state championship Treyce Bannerman @treycebannerman Staff Writer
Tupelo High School students ride a new wave of change every year, transitioning between new classes, molding into new social groups, and preparing for college. The turbulent trek through adolescence and high school are considered to be the most trying times of our lives. Provocative dance moves and peer pressure seem to drown out what many want to enjoy in high school, and expressing one’s individuality is a challenge in such a hyperconnected world. For many students, the THS band program has provided an outlet its members use to let their creativity flow and dedicate themselves to what they love most: music. So they made it to the high school, where do they go now? How will they maintain this tradition of excellence on the road to the state championship? For many, it’s not about what they can be by themselves, but what they can be together. "Band is basically a family,” said Gabby Spencer, a flute and piccolo player and section leader. “We’re all really close...and we bond together
The Color Guard prepares for a halftime performance.
as one.” Patrick Knight, the saxophone captain, appreciates band for more than just making music. “We have matured as a group,” Knight said. “We are becoming a whole as opposed to last year.” Drumline captain David Neely has been a member of the award-winning THS percussion section since 2011. “This year as a whole I’ve been pretty excited,” Neely said. “I think we’ll do very well, and I’m excited to see what’s going to happen.” Being a band member at the most populous high school in the state requires dedication. Students such as Eli McCaleb, the band’s mellophone section leader and a seasoned member of the THS bowling
“I usually average about 30 hours a week,” said Richard Gunnells, Chick-fil-A employee and senior THS football player. “It’s hard to balance sports and work. With football, I have to work late.” Everyone is different and certain things such as part-time jobs have different effects on each individual. Maddie Sloan is a senior who is currently employed at Yellow Lovebirds and works an average of 15 hours a week. “It’s hard to balance both school and work because I have school work to do some nights, but I also have to work,” Sloan said. “I don’t get home until nine, and by that time, I am exhausted.” Although people think that students having a job that requires 20 hours or more a week has a negative effect on their grade, Ty Garner thinks differently. He is a junior who works 25-30 hours a week at Harvey’s and still manages to maintain his grades. “Working actually helps me keep my grades up,” Garner said. “The main thing I like about working at Harvey’s is that it is flexible with school and other activities. Working keeps me focused and on top of things.”
JEREMY HINDS
team, juggle several extracurricular activities. “Band comes first,” McCaleb said. “It’s hard balancing everything I do in addition to being a band member, but I try to make band my top priority.” Though the road to the state championship can be lengthy and trying, the THS band’s show concept this year, “You’re Not Alone,” touches both members and spectators alike. “Regardless of what you go through in life, there’s always going to be someone there for you,” mellophone co-captain Jazlynn Franklin said. “Someone is always watching you, regardless of what you encounter in life.” The state champoniship will be Nov. 1 in Clinton.
According to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau in 2011, 28 percent of high school students work parttime jobs averaging 20 hours a week or less.
EMILY WRIGHT
THS senior Maddie Sloan works 15 hours a week at Yellow Lovebirds.
Getting to know THS’ Homecoming royalty Treyce Bannerman @treycebannerman Staff Writer
Each year at Tupelo High School, new members of the Homecoming Court are elected by their peers. These ladies are selected based on their involvement in academics, extracurricular activities, and their fellow classmates. A Homecoming queen is selected by THS’ senior class, and the result of their decision is announced during halftime of the Homecoming football game. This year’s Homecoming Queen, Neely Brown, offered insight into the preparation being a Homecoming maid involves. “It takes a lot of time to get ready,” she said. “The outfits have to be school appropriate, and it was hard to pick out dresses I actually liked.” In addition to selecting her outfits for the Homecoming Parade, the Homecoming game and the Daily Journal advertisement, Brown had to choose a football escort, States Norman, and a “night of” escort, Carson Roberts. A Homecoming maid her freshman and sophomore years, Brown was not new to
the Homecoming arena. However, she never expected to be crowned Homecoming Queen on Sept. 26. “I was shocked and overwhelmed with joy,” Brown said. “I never thought that I would actually win it. It’s hard to describe how much of an honor it is. Winning Homecoming Queen taught me to have more confidence in myself and helped me realize I am good enough to excel in different things.” Brown also stressed that Homecoming queens don’t have to fit the stereotype of being pretty. “Homecoming is about picking girls who can represent your grade well, from academics to extracurricular activities to personality,” she said. “It helps to be pretty, but I think Homecoming is about someone who tries to be nice to everyone, is outgoing and has a great personality.” Brown said that her experience of getting to know the maids in all classes was an eye-opening one. “I love every one of the senior maids,” she said. “They’re beautiful, smart and kind. It was an honor to be picked from them.” As for the younger girls,
person,” Replogle said. “Neely has it all figured out,” Norman said. “She’s super sassy and sometimes acts too much like a cat. She owns four.” Replogle said that Brown’s personality made her deserving of the title of Homecoming Queen. “Neely is nice to everyone, including those she doesn’t know,” she said. “As for winning Homecoming Queen, she has been very humble about it.”
Leah &
Company Salon
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THS ALBUM / MACON MURPH
Neely Brown was crowned Homecoming Queen Sept. 26.
Brown described them as beautiful, inside and out. “I can’t wait to see them on the court again,” she said. Macy Replogle, a close friend of Brown’s, described THS’ newest Homecoming
Queen as a model student of the THS Class of 2015. “People should know Neely loves cats, has the personality of a cat, and is really nice, outgoing, and an overall great
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HI-TIMES A STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Editor-in-Chief: Delaney Norton Assistant Editor: Morgan Southworth Online Editor: Nathan Jackson Business Manager: Pierce Lehman Staff Writers: Karlee Avery Treyce Bannerman Kaitlin Flowers Tiara Henson Jeremy Hinds Shawanda Jones Achintya Prasad Sam Ratliff Emily Wright Megan Ybarra 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 HiTimes staff unless otherwise bylined. Guest editorials may be submitted to The HiTimes and will be published according to available space and relevance. Anonymous submissions will not be considered.
ISIS Crisis Concern for tyranny in Middle East
US should avoid third Iraq war
Jeremy Hinds
Treyce Bannerman
@Hurdle_Gang Staff Writer
@treycebannerman Staff Writer
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ug. 19, 2014: American reporter James he United States is a country founded on the Foley is savagely beheaded by a member of principles of maintaining stability and peace the group called ISIS. Three weeks later on for its people and of providing a beacon of Sept. 9, a second American journalist, Steven hope and freedom for countries around the Sotloff, was killed in a similar manner. ISIS world. For the past few decades, however, terrorists then went on to systematically behead David some citizens have reached the conclusion that the most Haines, an aide worker who was in Syria helping the powerful nation in the world, America, is responsible same people that ISIS are killing now and most recently for thwarting international bullies. Alan Henning, another British aide worker. In recent months a Middle East calamity has taken Based on the nationalities and occupations of these form, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. The poor souls, we can infer two things about the terrorists: Middle East, which has struggled with its stability in They have no respect for any person or country whatrecent decades, is suffering at the hands of these Muslim soever, and they could not care less whether you are extremists. So, nations around the world have turned helping their people or not. to America, watching in anticipation to see how, if at Foley, Sotloff, Haines and Henning all were in the all, the superpower will handle the situaMiddle East for humanitarian work and had nothing to tion. do with the U.S. or British militaries. ISIS soldiers have Then, a killed and are still killing unarmed humanitarian workmoral ers who are trying to help the same people ISIS claims issue to be fighting for. This is exactly why an unmanned drone, flying at 18,000 feet, SHOULD THE is just not UNITED STATES enough of a TAKE MILITARY solution for this crisis. AlACTION AGAINST though very ISIS? efficient at NO reducing the Islamic State’s combat effectiveness, we need boots on YES the ground to help Kurdish militia already battling ISIS. A bomb dropped from more than 10,000 feet obviously does much more damage that a bullet from 100 yards. That same bomb that took out maybe three ISIS solcomes diers also probably took out a mother into play. and her three children, a couple Should Ameriof merchants working hard for ca, once again, solve I think America should their living, and a couple of a problem it is not directly houses that took a family’s involved in? The answer is interefere a little bit but not belongings along with the no. bomb them or anything. explosion. There are several reasons Only as much to protect our Where is the public the United States should not country. outcry about civilians intervene with the ISIS situdying now? We surely William Bradford ation: heard it last year when 45 It would be the third time Sophomore civilians died due to drone America would involve itstrikes in Afghanistan. We self in a lost cause, Iraq, in surely heard it when more less than a century. Since than 1,800 Palestinians died the first invasion of Iraq, when the Israeli-Hamas conflict America has set itself was going on. Where is the outcry up for failure. The first They should find the now? invasion of Iraq did people in the U.S. before they We need to have our trained solnot result from the diers who can fire well placed bul- attck the people in Syria. country’s “weapons lets into enemy combatants and of mass destruction,” Kaylee Hernandez only enemy combatants. A combat nor did the second Sophomore hardened soldier on the ground ofresult from Iraq’s fers a more surgical and, in the “blatant involvement end, more effective solution with domestic terrorism to the ISIS problem. on American soil.” Both Our soldiers joined the resulted from the rich oilmilitary to protect our fields of the Persian Gulf that the freedom and our counradically conservative administraThey’re the next try wherever and whentions of the 1990s and early 2000s Al Queda. ever, not to sit around wanted easy access to. American Lisa Menke and let crazed terrorists troops were sacrificed in an effort take over what they’ve to dominate the Middle East’s oil Freshman been working the past 14 industry. years to control. We have Involvement with ISIS lacks the world’s deadliest and not only credibility, it lacks most ferocious fighting force at sufficient rationale and our disposal, and they are ready to public support. America be let off the leash. would just be getting If I could rip the head It pains our veterans to see everyinvolved in a religious off of ISIS, I would. thing they worked for dashed away war that will eventuin a matter of months. If we don’t ally stabilize itself. Summer Park put enough effort into stopping this Secondly, ISIS is Freshman crisis, they may land the first blow in based from the extremescalating the conflict and attack us ist dark side of Sunni, a on our own soil. People like them have sect of Islam. The majordone it once before, on that clear September morning in ly Shia (another denomina2001, and it is very possible that they could do it again. tion of Islam) Iranian populaAmerica stands for freedom, the ability for everyone tion to the east is willing to fight to live in peace and exercise their God given rights. The ISIS. last time I checked not being able to express your reMore than likely, the Middle East will once again find ligion and being chased out of your town for the fact stability, but the situation stays the same, no matter that you believe something different is not a God given how you spin it: America should not get involved in a right. religious war. If we do not do everything we can to stop ISIS as fast Most importantly, the United States will ultimately as possible, more innocents will be killed and more lose a situation that will yield no gain. aide and humanitarian workers will be executed. ISIS During the Iraqi invasions, America sacrificed countis growing to be the biggest threat we’ve seen in the less investments, resources and people just to lose a war Middle East in the past 10 years. that simply wasn’t worth it. Loss plagued both the U.S. In June, ISIS took over Mosul, Iraq’s second largest and Iraq as a result of a war that was a draw. city, and made off with more than 500 billion dinars, America is a country founded on the principle of hope, $400 million in U.S. currency. This makes them the but as America contemplates confronting ISIS, it must richest terrorist organization in history and on the planconsider if the consequences are worth the actions. No et right now. With that amount of money, ISIS could conflict is worth the heartbreak that both Americans plan the most devastating attack our nation has ever and Middle Easterners will ultimately face going into seen. It is time to treat ISIS like a real threat instead combat. of trying to ignore it. The longer we ignore them, the worse the situation will get.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE ISIS CONFLICT?
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THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • OCTOBER 2014O
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SPORTS
4OCTOBER 2014 • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • THE HI-TIMES
Fall hits off slow pitch softball season
Samantha Ratliff
@samgrl543 Staff Writer
S
oftball is in a way similar to baseball except with few differences. The differences are that softball is pitched underhanded. Players use shorter bats and the ball is heavier and less dense. Softball is usually played by girls, but the rules and way to play are the same as baseball. Tupelo High School has two softball teams, slow pitch and fast pitch. Slow pitch softball season is in progress now, while fast pitch season begins in February. The coaches are head coach Josh Hegwood and assistant coach Brittney Terry. “Things have been up and down,” Hegwood said. “We’ve had games where we play pretty well and games where we haven’t. Over all it’s been a pretty productive season, but what we find most challenging about this season is consistency. So what we need to work on this year is hitting the ball better and scoring more runs but I can’t just filter it down to the players so even me as a coach can work on some things.” Assistant coach Terry has her
JEREMY HINDS
Senior Paige Cox at bat during a slow pitch softball game.
own view of the teams. “The team has been playing pretty well defensively, but we’ve struggled offensively and we didn’t make the playoffs,” Terry said. “Of course there’s always struggles and obstacles to overcome.” According to coach Terry “you can always work on something.” When it comes down to the players, softball isn’t all that easy. Katie Rieves, a sophomore at THS who plays third base on the slow pitch softball team said, “We’ve won 10 games and everything is challenging, but we mostly need to work on hitting.” Sophia Petruskevich, a junior on the softball team, said one challenging thing is that “We don’t win like we want to, but if we work on hitting better we could reach our goal. I learned that in softball theres not really a certain diet you should be on but, drink lots of water and stay hydrated.” Lauren Knight is a sophomore who pitches on the softball team. “Before each game we hit and throw and stretch to get ready,” she said. “If it’s something you really want to do, you have to stick with it and put hard work into it.”
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE GOLDEN WAVE
Shawanda Jones @shawandad15 Staff Writer
With six touchdowns, two conversions and five kick points, the Tupelo Golden Wave beat the Hernando Tigers 43-6 on Sept. 26. Senior Demaris Wise ran a pick-six, a play where a pass is intercepted and returned for a TD, for the second time this season. Both Donte Freeman and Deamio Garmon play at running back and also wide receiver as needed. Garmon had the most rushing yards of the night, making two touchdowns. He rushed 100 yards and received 10 yards. Freeman followed with 74 rushing yards. He received 41 yards with one TD. Freeman, a transfer student from Pontotoc, has made a big statement for the Golden Wave this season with at least one touchdown at almost every game. Freeman is young, but he makes a difference. “It’s an advantage,” he said. “I have plenty of time to reach my full potential and hopefully be really successful as a player.” Because Freeman plays the same positions he played in Pontotoc, he already has experience. “I have to keep working hard so I can be out there on the field on Friday nights,” he said. At Tupelo, “You have a lot more weapons to work with,” Freeman said. “In Pontotoc, you could only run certain plays. They ran those same plays over and over again. But with Tupelo, you have a lot more better players that you can work with to run the plays.” Garmon admits that stamina is key to playing both positions “You have to put a lot of work in during the summer...the running and the pass routes can get tiring sometimes,” he said. Garmon was out during his freshman and sophomore seasons due to hip injuries, so he’s making up for all of the down time on Friday nights. “Last season, I didn’t get to contribute like I wanted,” he said. With 44 carries and 420 total yards this season compared to his 12 carries and 96 total yards last season, “This season is by far the best I have had yet,” Garmon said Both players were confident
ahead of the Grenada game Oct. 3. “We have more experience,” Garmon said. “We know what they play like and how they are. We’re gonna have to block well. I don’t think they are as fast as we are, but I think our fight will make up for our size.” “I don’t think we will have any troubles really,” Freeman said. “Grenada is just a big test to see
aged more than 5.7 yards per carry rushing. Alex Norwood received 82 yards, the most gained that night. Tupelo faced another defeat on Oct. 9 in Southaven. The Division 1-6A game was pushed up one day because of predicted inclement weather. Bristow rushed 67 yards, more than any other player and relieved the only TD for the Golden Wave. The end score was 7-17.
NFL scandals spill over into everyday society Shawanda Jones @shawandad15 Staff Writer
The two most recent NFL scandals have received media coverage involving former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who was cut from the team after a video appeared showing him assaulting his then-fiancee, knocking her unconscious; and Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings running back who was charged with injuring his 4-year-old son by punishing him with a switch. The large scale of media involvement in the case has caused a great increase in domestic violence awareness, said Tony Gilbart, public policy coordinator for End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin. “The attention is a good thing, but we have to ensure Child’s Trend that the public Data Bank discussion is supreported black portive of victims and doesn’t stray children had into victim-blam- a calculated ing,” Gilbart said maltreatment in an interview with The Post- rate of Crescent. “It is a double-edged sword in many ways.” Lynn Sheets, medical director of Child Advocacy and Protection Services at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, said the highest the Peterson case rate than any has generated other race. major awareness of child abuse. “As horrible as the Adrian Peterson case is, what it’s doing is creating a national conversation on the topic of corporal punishment and physical punishment,” Sheets told the The Post Crescent. Peterson admits that he was disciplining his son with the same punishment he experienced growing up, and that he didn’t mean to harm his son in anyway. The incident took place in Texas, where corporal punishment is legal, but prosecutors argue that the punishment becomes a case of abuse if it causes an injury or wound. The Peterson case “helps us understand that we need to look hard to that Black women as a cycle of behavior,” Sheets said. experience violence at a rate “We weren’t talking about it before. that is It was silently condoned and accepted.” According to statistics from the higher than white females American Bar Association, black women experience violence at a rate that is 35 percent higher than that of times the rate of other races white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races. Black males Black males deal deal with partner with partner violence at a rate about vilence at a rate 62 percent higher about than that of white males, and about 22 times the rate of men of other races. higher than In 2012, Child’s white males Trend Data Bank reported black chilwhich is also dren had a calculated maltreatment rate of 14.2 per thousand children, the highest rate than times the rate any other race.
14.2
per
1,000
children,
35%
Deamio Garmon shakes a Hernando Tiger on the offensive carry.
how good we really are because they are bigger and better team than the teams we have played so far this season.I think we will be fine. We just have to play harder and not underestimate them at all.” Christopher Spencer, offensive line coach, elaborated on on last season’s victory against the Chargers. “Last year’s game versus Grenada, we played a quality opponent, big physical guys, fast, athletic, a true test to the Golden Wave football team,” he said. “Our players came came out there ready to play, and they came out victorious. As a coach, as a Tupelo High faithful, I pray that everything’s the same. I pray that we go out there with the same mentality. I pray that we play fast and physical. I hope that our guys go out and have fun, give the Tupelo people a show.” In the end, the Golden Wave lost 14-11 to the Chargers for their first defeat of the season. Running back Tavonta Hadley led the team by 45 yards with 12 carries. No Golden Wave player aver-
SHAWANDA JONES
Senior Nathan Cox shared his opinion on reasons why the team may be facing a losing streak. “We haven’t played four quarters,” he said. “Maybe we got a big head didn’t think we had to try as hard since we’ve won five games in a row, but that’s not the way it should be played.” This season, Tupelo football is almost notorious for their holding penalties. “[Holdings], lack of focus, especially with jumping off sides,” Cox said. “People are just not using their feet to block, not giving their full effort.” Cox explained how the team could improve. “We should come out on fire every time,” he said. “If we play the whole game like we did last night in the second half, nobody can stop us.” The Golden Wave received another loss against their long-time rival, the South Panola Tigers, with a final score of 27-10.
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8ART&ENTERTAINMENT
Seasonaltreats AMERICAN
TV REVIEW
STALKER
TV REVIEW
Compiled by Pierce Lehman, @piercetayleh
Pierce Lehman
Witch’s
@piercetayleh Business Manager
The show “Stalker” premiered Oct. 2 on CBS and the response was amazing. The program follows victims of stalking and the detectives of the Threat Assessment Unit of the LAPD. The show starts in the middle of the action and brings to life how stalking victims feel. “Stalker” pulls you into the world of non-stop fear and drama, bringing to life how people feel when their whole lives are invaded. Fast-paced and action filled, “Stalker” draws you into a terrifying cat and mouse game that you can’t seem to escape. The personal stories of the detectives take the show to a whole new level. The first episode sent my brain into a tailspin. “Stalker” pulls you into a race against time as young women and men are fighting for their freedom and safety. The shows you just how real stalking is and how easily it could happen to anyone, even students at Tupelo High School. “Stalker” is one of the best new shows on television right now. If you are going to really become invested in a new series, “Stalker” is the one to pick. There are a lot of crime shows on television right now, but “Stalker” is touching on a crime that hasn’t really been highlighted on screen yet. The same way we commonly see murder is how you will view stalking after this show. If you are a fan of “Law and Order” or “Criminal Minds,” “Stalker” will be your new addiction. The lives of the victims, stalkers and detectives are all intertwined in a web that is slowly being unraveled as the show progresses. Serial stalkers, crazy ex-husbands and obsessive people are some of the profiles highlighted on the show. “Stalker” is a refreshing change in the mass of crime television. Secrets and lies surround everything on this show. I would rate “Stalker” 4 out of 5 stars.
IN THE HALLS
THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • OCTOBER 2014O
Broom Stick
Ingredients:
Candy Corn
Fruit Cup
HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW
Delaney Norton @delaneycnorton Editor-in-Chief
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar 1/2 cup of softened butter 2 tablespoons of cream or milk 2 tablespoons of vanilla 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon of salt 20 pretzel rods, about 5 inches long 2 teaspoons butter 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips 1/3 white chocolate chips, melted
PIERCE LEHMAN
The candy corn fruit cup is a healthy alternative to all the candy consumed this Halloween season.
Ingredients:
Directions: • Heat oven to 350 degrees. • Mix brown sugar, butter, cream and
vanilla in a medium bowl. • Stir in flour and salt. • Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls (20). • Place pretzel rods on ungreased cookie sheet. • Press ball of dough onto the end of each pretzel rod. Press dough with fork to resemble bristles of a broom. • Bake for 12 minutes or until set but not brown. • Remove cookie sheet. Cool for about 30 minutes • Cover cookie sheet with waxed paper. • Heat butter and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth; remove from heat. • Spoon melted chocolate over brooms, leaving about one inch at the top of the pretzel handle and bottom of cookie uncovered. Drizzle with melted white chocolate chips. • Let stand until chocolate is set.
chopped pineapple cuties whipped cream candy corn
Directions:
• In a clear glass bowl, layer the chopped
pineapple, cuties and whipped cream. • Top with a few candy corn. •Refrigerate until ready to serve.
“American Horror Story” is an FX horror anthology by “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy. While much of the cast from previous installments of the series makes other appearences, the setting of each season is completely independent and unrelated to the last, allowing new viewers to easily pick up the show. That being said, “Freak show” is the fourth and current season—it’s also the season I wouldn’t recommend as an introduction to the series. I say this because returning viewers are used to the overthe-top cinematics of the show and come to expect them. It’s not the most casual watch. I’d say it’s somewhere between a mindnumbing horror movie and a soap opera where subplots appear out of thin air for shock-value alone. I don’t mean to sound critical—this is the stuff that makes it entertaining. “Freak Show” is set in 1952 Jupiter, Florida, at one of the last remaining freak shows of the time. The story centers on a staff of carnies struggling to keep their show in business. I will say that the recurring cast members, who have taken on the cliche tropes of a freak show, don’t perform nearly as well as those specifically cast for the parts, who have lived their normal lives with handicaps. I think it’s a strange take to give the character’s “humanity” by their complete paranoia of others. It’s hard to emphathize with something taken to that degree, but it’s usual for “American Horror Story” to have no unflawed sides. The scariest character by far is the murderous clown “Twisty.” He’s so good at terrifying people he has attracted a Norman Batesesque apprentice. Twisty seems to have nothing to do with the plot, which is even more unsettling.
What was your favorite Halloween costume?
“One time, I dressed up as a little butterfly and I had a pink tutu and it was just really cute.” Maggie Weatherford Senior
“SpongeBob, because he’s funny. He’s the man!”
“Power Rangers, because I used to like them.”
Wendell King
Tyrell Finley
Freshman
Chris Spencer World History Teacher
Senior
“A princess, because I’m a princess already, so I might as well.”
“Superman, because he was always one of my favorites.”
“A cat, because it’s always been my favorite animal.”
Brittany Brock
Coleman Talley Senior
Corie Crockett
Senior
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“Princess, because I was little and it was my favorite dress.”
“Green Power Ranger.”
Sophomore
Vesilla Dao Sophomore
“I didn’t dress up.”
John Michael Phillips Junior
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Pontotoc, MS 38863
(662) 840-8828 Fax: 840-5992
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ART&ENTERTAINMENT
4OCTOBER 2014 • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • THE HI-TIMES
Classic Horror Movies Nathan Jackson @_treehome Online Editor
From the start of cinematography, people have loved to watch scary things. Lately, however, fans of the horror genre have been saddened because there hasn’t been anything that actually scares them or they have seen something else like it. That’s why movie companies are remaking the classic movies, because they feel they can’t go wrong with that. In my opinion, they are clearly wrong. Universal Studios is
best known for its early work on “Monsters.” They were the ones that brought “Dracula,” “Frankenstein,” “The Mummy,” “The Wolf Man,” “The Phantom of the Opera” and “The Black Lagoon” to the big screen. The studio has already remade most of these movies, which all have negative reviews because of their lack of a plot. It wasn’t until the 80s and 90s when a new type of horror came out. It was a horror that appealed to the young ages because movie companies knew that
most of the sales are from teenagers. So they made horror movies that are more appealing to young people, such as “Nightmare of Elm Street,” “Friday the 13th” and “Scream.” “Nightmare on Elm Street” is today one of the best horror franchises because of the originality and the stories of it. Well, the stories of the first three are great but the reasons don’t make any sense, just like “Friday the 13th.” The first three films of “Friday the 13th” were great, but it got kind of out of hand when the
killer, Jason, went to outer space. “Scream,” on the other hand, started the craze of teen slasher movies. “Scream” brought some type of reality to the horror genre, which brought excitement to views. Overall, we use the word classic for a reason. It’s hard to remake a classic because it wouldn’t compare to the original, or people would never be able to get past how the original one is.
HAUNTED THEATRE likes to do little jokes. He’s harmless. I mean, if I was a ghost I’d @_treehome Online Editor like to joke around. I mean, you very year teenagers vol- are dead.” This year at the haunted theunteer to be a part of the atre, THS theater teacher Allana haunted theater at the Austin has a section that some Lyric Theatre, which is THS students helped her with. actually haunted. “The haunted theatre is fun beThe staff of the Lyric has given cause you get to use your creativthe ghost that haunts it a nickity and think, ‘How am I going to name, “Antoine.” He is a mostly scare these people?” Austin said. benevolent entity The theatre has 15 difwho apparently “The haunted ferent scares like asylum, entertains himself theatre was exorcism, haunted hosby moving things good and pital and a mask room, around and humscary. They but in some sections it is ming. Sometimes have a bunch divided into smaller sechis footsteps can be of clowns that tions to get visitors even heard throughout were very more scared. the theater. Some freaky.” “The haunted theatre people believe that -Mallie Hunt was good and scary,” juJunior he is possibly the nior Mallie Hunt said. ghost of a victim “They have a bunch of who was brought to clowns that were very the theater when the lyric severed freaky.” as a temporary hospital following “I love seeing the reaction of a devastating tornado the tripped people as I scare them and they through town. come out of my room,” McLau“The ghost makes me a little rin said. “I also enjoy the makeup nervous, but Antoine is a friendly and the process of getting ready ghost,” Tupelo High School junior and seeing what the people are Meredith McLaurin said. “He just afraid of.”
Spooky myths and truths Morgan Southworth @MNSouthworth Assistant Editor
October has been the month of monsters and scare tactics for decades. While telling scary stories and myths is all in good fun, there are several myths that are now accepted as truth in everyday life. These are examples of such myths and the truth behind them.
Myth 1: Breaking a mirror is bad luck.
Truth: Breaking a mirror will make a mess, but it won’t bring bad luck. People used to believe mirrors showed a person’s soul, so when a mirror was broken, the soul was thought to be damaged as well. Of course, souls are not found in mirrors, so this myth is false. This broken mirror has not brought any bad luck.
Myth 2: If you feel a chill up your spine, someone is walking on your future grave.
Nathan Jackson
E
IN THE HALLS
THS sophomore Connor Harper is chilly from the breeze, not the supernatural.
Truth: Before you accept this myth, you may want to try wearing a jacket.
Myth 3: If you eat too
much candy, you’ll get a sugar rush.
Senior Christian Bean Truth: No matter how much candy you eat, you enjoys his sweets, free from fear. won’t get a “sugar rush.”
COURTESY
Junior Meredith McLaurin and senior Samantha Turba get ready to scare people.
If you go to the haunted theatre, which is open from Oct. 30-Nov. 1, be prepared to be scared.
Do you believe in ghosts?
“Yeah, totally, because I hear a lot of sounds at night.”
“No, but I believe in spirits.”
Kyle Praseut
Karmen Tubbs
Junior
Scientists have concluded sugar has no impact on a person’s behavior, no matter how much they eat. Unless you have a form of diabetes, the perception of a sugar rush is all in your mind.
Senior
“No, when you’re dead, you’re dead. You aren’t coming back to haunt anybody.” Ana Ivy
Myth 4: Known sex offenders use Halloween to their advantage.
An example of the kind of sign sex ofTruth: Convicted sex offenders must place in fenders actually have a curfront of their home. few and must place a “no
candy” sign outside their house to deter people from visiting on Halloween. In some places like Texas and Arkansas, they actually have to report to the courthouse for a counseling session.
Junior
Myth\5: Some people
may try to poison your candy.
[NEWS BRIEFS] From staff reports @tupelohitimes
Emma Gousset wins poetry contest
Emma Gousset, a Tupelo High School sophomore, was selected as the first-place winner in a statewide high school art and writing competition. Gousset was awarded $200 for winning the Writing Category in the Mississippi World Trade Center Institute’s Seventh Annual Young Artists & Authors Global Showcase. Her original poem is entitled “Final Words of Wisdom.” Tenth-grader Davis Arthur won honorable mention in the Writing Category. The Mississippi World Trade Center Institute hosts the competition annually in Emma Gousset an effort to educate Mississippi high school students on
the value of learning about other cultures and to promote a deeper understanding of global affairs. The competition encourages creative thinking inside and outside of the classroom while supporting arts and writing education in the process. Mississippi students are encouraged to enhance their cultural awareness and creatively interpret an international concept through a variety of artistic mediums including painting, drawing, photography, computer graphics, poetry, and essay. The theme for 2014 was “A Journey Through Asia.”
This candy may become addicting, but it doesn’t cause a sugar Truth: There has actually never been any police rush.
documented case of candy being poisoned and given to children. Any cases where candy was thought to have caused a death were later debunked and attributed to another source.
Myth 6: Black cats are evil.
Band advances to state competition
The Tupelo High School varsity band received all superiors Oct. 11 at the State Regional Marching Band Festival. More than 30 high school bands from across Northeast Mississippi attended the festival, hosted by the THS band at Renasant Field. The Tupelo Band is now qualified to attend the state championship Nov. 1 in Clinton.
Truth: No cat, no matter the color, is evil. In older times, people thought cats were witches’ familiars, aka minions. Witches aren’t real and so this isn’t true.
The lovable kitten Castiel.
PHOTOS BY MORGAN SOUTHWORTH AND KAITLIN FLOWERS
10ART&ENTERTAINMENT of reality shows Samantha Ratiff @samgrl543 Staff Writer
Can reality shows affect your personality? In my opinion, yes they can, but it depends on the circumstances. Something can only affect you if you allow it. The only way a person can be affected is if they’re surrounded by that environment. If a person surrounds themselves with that type of entertainment 24/7, of course they will be affected. Viewing the behavior and attitudes of the people on TV can make you unknowingly change. Then other times people may change on purpose. These are celebrities we’re talking about. These are people that we look up to. We look to them for fashion advice. We look to them for makeup tips. We look to them for slang. So surrounding ourselves with this kind of entertainment can make us want to change. Instead of being ourselves, we feel as if this is what we should be. For example, look at “America’s Next Top Model.” This show is about a group of potential models battling for the spot of America’s Next Top Model. When you see these girls, the first thing you notice is that they’re all very skinny and tall, which is why today everybody wants to be skinny. We have people starving themselves and throwing up food, becoming anorexic because of trying to fit in and following in the footsteps of the girls on TV. From reality shows today we pick up a lot, and it’s not just the reality shows but also the people in them. I admit I once was affected by this, not by a reality show If a person but by a commercial. surrounds idol, themselves My Taylor Swift, with that was promottype of ing Keds, so entertainI went out ment 24/7, and stocked up on Keds. of course they will be Even though the Keds affected. were really Viewing the cute, the behavior main reason and atfor buying titudes of them was bethe people cause I saw Swift wearon TV can ing them. make you This is unknowingusually how ly change. brands promote their clothes. Companies know many people are in love with the “Kim Kardashian Show” or “Love & Hip Hop,” so they get the cast to wear some of their brands. Sure enough, tons of people go buying those brands. Because of these reality shows, we’ve also picked up bad attitudes and bad habits. These shows can control us in a way. This is true because some feel as if they have to change their entire personality to fit the world’s status of “cool,” when really we should all be ourselves because nobody was made with the same brain or personality. We’re all different, and we were made like this for a reason. Let’s embrace our originality and creativeness. Just be you, because nobody can be you better than you.
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Starbucks' pumpkin everything REVIEW BY SAMANTHA RATLIFF @samgrl543
At this very moment I’m in Starbucks. What am I doing there? Well, I’ll tell you. I’m here checking out the all-new Starbucks seasonal treats and drinks. They have many to choose from, but the flavors are mostly pumpkin. Don’t stop reading because you saw the word pumpkin. I don’t usually like pumpkins or anything related to pumpkins, but when I tasted some of these delicious treats I changed my mind completely. Just keep reading for even more information.
Pumpkin Spice Bread
Have you ever heard of banana bread? Well, now Starbucks has the all new pumpkin spice bread. Its a slice of bread flavored like a pumpkin and topped with crushed pumpkin seeds. In my opinion it taste the same as any other flavored bread. I rate it three pumpkins. aaa
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies The pumpkin sugar cookie is not what it seems. It’s actually a lemon-spiced cookie but shaped like a pumpkin. I know right pretty sneaky. It tastes nothing like a pumpkin. I really like it so I’m rating it four pumpkins. aaaa My pumpkin muffin selfie.
Scone
SAMANTHA RATLIFF
Pumpkin Spice Latte The pumpkin spice latte is hot and steamy. The pumpkin spice latte also has pumpkin pie spices and is topped with whipped cream. I’m not really a pumpkin person, but if pumpkin is your thing then you’ll really enjoy it. I didn’t really like it though. So, I’m rating this two pumpkins. aa
Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino I’m giving this five pumpkins because it was excellent. Really, you can’t even taste the pumpkin. It basically just tastes like a normal frappuccino that’s topped with whipped cream and cinnamon. It tastes even better when paired with the pumpkin cream cheese muffin.
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MOVIE REVIEW
ANNABELLE
JEREMY HINDS
“Annabelle” is now showing at Cinemark Movies 8 at Barnes Crossing.
Pumpkin
The reality
THE HI-TIMES • TUPELO HIGH SCHOOL • OCTOBER 2014
The pumpkin scone is shaped like a triangle, dipped in white icing and drizzled with pumpkin icing. It’s really sweet and pumpkin flavored. I kind of liked it but I kind of didn’t like it. So I’m rating it three pumpkins. aaa
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin
I’m sure you’ve heard of blueberry muffins, banana nut muffins and chocolate muffins, but never a pumpkin cream cheese muffin. It’s a muffin sprinkled with chopped caramelized aaaaa pumpkin seeds and filled with cream cheese. I’m a big fan of cream cheese, so I was all for this and it was great. I rate this five pumpkins.
Jeremy Hinds @hurdle_gang Staff Writer
“Annabelle” is a 2014, suspense-filled horror prequel to “The Conjuring.” The opening scene is the exact same from “The Conjuring,” which takes place in 1970. Two young women and a young man are telling Ed and Lorraine Warren about their experiences with a haunted doll named Annabelle. In 1969, John and Mia Gordon are expecting their first child. John finds Mia the doll she has been searching for, without thinking twice, she adds it to her collection. At night, Mia hears a murder happening at their neighbors’ and is attacked by a woman holding that same doll and a male partner. John and the police arrive and kill the man while the woman commits suicide. The woman leaves a symbol drawn in blood on the wall, while her blood falls on the doll in her arms. A news report shows that the assailants were Annabelle Higgins and her boyfriend. They had murdered Annabelle’s parents and were accused of being part of a satanic cult. Assuming the doll is involved with the mysterious happenings, including the murder, Mia asks John to get rid of it. Later, Mia’s healthy daughter is born. As the family moves into a new apartment,
Mia unpacks her dolls and finds the one they threw away, now known as Annabelle. More paranormal activity haunts Mia and her baby. She contacts the detective, who educates her about Annabelle and her boyfriend’s history in a cult that is devoted to summoning a demon by claiming a soul. Mia comes across a woman named Evelyn and discovers from a book that the demonic presence wants Lea’s soul. The couple contacts their priest, Father Perez, who gets attacked by the ghost of Annabelle, and the doll disappears once again. SPOILER ALERT: Perez warns John that Annabelle will take a soul that night. Mia tries to kill the doll, but then the demon asks for Mia’s soul instead. John and Evelyn break into the room to find Mia in the window sill, about to commit suicide. John saves Mia as Evelyn grabs Annabelle and decides to make the sacrifice herself. She jumps out of the window and dies. Lea is then found safe and sound in her crib. The Gordons moved on and have not seen Annabelle since then. The real Annabelle doll is kept in a case in Ed and Lorraine Warren’s museum and is blessed by a priest twice a month to keep the public safe from the evil that still resides in the doll, according to the ending text of the movie.