The Occurence, Vol 2, Issue 2

the occurrence

The 8th grade football team kneels for an injured teammate.

The Bryant Blue Hornets played against Sheridan and claimed victory despite injuries. photo: Lily Presley

BRyant Junior High | December 17, 2020 | vol 2, issue 2

virtual all-region...page 2 New students...page 3 fake news...page 4 seasonal movies...page 9 news 2 | Feature 3 | Opinion 4-5 | Centerspread 6-7 | Entertainment 8-9 | Sports 10

the occurrence | News | Page 2

the sound of music

All Region event not cancelled, just changed Priscila Cox, assistant editor ll-Region has been a time-honored tradition in both the band and choir world. However, with the arrival of COVID-19, everything seems to have been flipped upside down, but in these unusual times, here is what is certain for this year.

The band All-Region, from an audition stand point, remains the same. There will still be cuts of each song, three scales to play by memory, and a sight reading piece.

The difference is that students will be recording virtually through an online program and be given sight reading from one of three pieces that will alternate throughout the day.

With All-Region going virtual this year, there are new rules in place. Students are not permitted to record themselves with a professional microphone or alter their sound in any way, and students will be judged by band directors from other Regions.

There is also the possibility of students being able to perform All-Region at home or at school, but that is yet to be decided on by the band directors.

Aside from these facts, much is still left to be decided.

“We are waiting on the state ASBOA [Arkansas School Band and Orchestra

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“If you don’t build a strong enough foundation, how is your house going to be built?”

-Jordan Murdock

Black Friday

covid affects black friday shopping Plans

Leo Munguia, Staff Writer n 2020, there are a lot of problems, but one of the most known is COVID-19. People are used to it now, because of how many people would rather stay home most of the time. But what about when there are discounts everywhere?

Black Friday is a very popular time to go shopping in the past years. But this year, we have Covid-19 to go along with our shopping.

Stores like Target and Gamestopstill had Black Friday, and for them, they have to face the difficulties of social distancing, but they have taken procedures for that.

A represenative of one of the stores stated that the biggest problems would

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Association] to give a directive. They told us last Friday that they are waiting to confirm things pending the newest aerosol study that will be released at the beginning of November,¨ Jessica Chipman, band director, said.

For choir, the audition period will be over three days instead of one, and students can record as many takes as they like, choosing their best run through.

There will be a device that plays the accompaniment track and another device students will record on.

Submissions will be uploaded to an online platform named Opus.

Choir teachers will set up a profile for the school, choose senior or junior high All Region, their region location (Eastside of Region Three in the school’s case), and register their students.

There will be one day for the choir directors to upload submissions, and judging will begin on the following Saturday.

Results should come in the next immediate Monday. If not, then the middle of the next week.

Judging will be held in one Zoom call. Choir directors will be put in separate “breakout rooms” where they’ll listen to the audio recordings on their own devices. After they judge and score they’ll say when they’re finished and move

be social distancing with large numbers of people during a single period.

To help with this, stores have chosen to pass the discounts throughout the year. That way there would be less people on the day of Black Friday.

They have taken lots of precautions. Both Gamestop and Target set up hand-sanitizer stations, and put up screenings of what the workers should handle during times like these.

Gamestops and Targets discounts are still the same, although most discounts come throughout the month, they will still be the same from last year.

The employees will still be using masks and have germ-x with them and will be given the choice to wear more protection like face shields and gloves.

on to the next recording.

All-Region clinics will not be held this year due to the strict guidelines at these types of events. To many, this may come off as a loss.

The All-Region clinic comes with a slew of social, emotional, musical and educational benefits.

The clinics provide all students the opportunity to build relationships with students across the state and skills as a musician in a new environment and director.

However Murdock assures that this is done for the healthy and safety of the students.

“They do want to make sure they follow everything to a t and not spread any sickness because kids are usually asymptomatic and they’re likely to infect someone they love,” Murdock stated.

Even though there will be no clinic, the virtual option carries its own benefits. Murdock states that without it, many 7th graders would lose building the confidence and experience that comes from being exposed to All Region.

“If you don’t build a strong enough foundation, how is your house going to be built?” Murdock asked.

Help Wanted Want to create documentaries and news broadcasts? Write about sports? Are you a Grammar Nerd?

The Occurence and Swarm Productions are seeking driven individuals that have an interest in telling the truth, creating print and video publications, and being part of an award-winning team.

Contact the Adviser, Meag Abo, by December 24th at mabo@bryantschools.org if interested.

suicide awareness

the occurrence | feature | Page 3

The struggle To Maintain TeenAGE mental health Alternatives to Self Harm • Squeeze ice • Take a hot bath with oils or bubbles • Focus on how it feels to breathe.

Notice the way your chest and stomach move with each breathe • Write a list of things that make you happy • Bite into a hot pepper or chew a piece of ginger root • Rub lotion on the parts you want to hurt • Rub liniment under your nose • Hug a loved one or stuffed animal • Slap a tabletop hard • Wrap a comforter around you and sit down with hot chocolate and a good book • Take a cold bath • Listen to soothing music • Stomp your feet on the ground • Call a friend and just talk about things that you like • Put a finger into a frozen food • Watch tv or read • Write down your feelings in a journal or diary • Cry: it is a healthy and normal way to express your sadness and frustrations • Draw or color • Dig in a garden • Clean • Watch a feel-good movie

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Shelby Douthit, Staff Writer uicide is the second leading cause of death for youth between 10 to 24. Self harm is also a huge problem facing youth.

A student who recently struggled with self harm opened up about his experience. To protect his identity, he has been called Alex.

Alex started self harm at 12 and considers his worst time with it.. He started because of family issues and felt alone. He felt he deserved it.

Soon self harm became a normal for him. He began to still do it even when he was not upset.

In the middle of last year, he realized that he was hurting himself more than he was helping . He decided that he needed to stop and learn to love himself. ¨When you feel like you have no control, remember that you do, remember that you are in control,” Alex said.

He began meditating, and working on his mental growth.

When he felt alone he knew he had to be there for himself, and show himself love. When he felt the urge, he would hold himself, and tell himself that everything would be okay. ¨Talk to somebody about it. Learn to love yourself when you feel like no one else does,” Alex said.

He also says,¨ Find somebody that’s going to help you through it, not hate it. Surround yourself with positivity, and genuinely smile. When you feel happiness, hold on to it.¨ Therapists and counselors are positive options when looking for someone to help; however, many students are not able to go to a therapist, but all students have access to the school counselors.

Tara Dickie, a school counsellor, was first a teacher. She would find herself working with students and talking about their life. In her 5th year of teaching, her colleague told her that she should consider being a counsellor, and that was the final push for her future job.

She has met with many students that struggle with mental health, including students who have dealt with suicidal thoughts and have participated in self harm.

With suicide and self harm, the counselling center handles them both very simularly.

They first make sure the student is safe, then they ask them a series of questions to figure out what they really mean and how they truly feel.They call the students parents/guardians to sit

down together and create a plan that is best for the student.

Dickie explained how students are sometimes scared or nervous to share their feelings because of how parents or people close to them will react.

“Every kid that I’ve talked with seemed relieved, and I have never had a parent that was angry. They have always been supportive, and it always seemed that it was a good thing for the family,” Dickie said.

Dickie also said that since she has become a counsellor, it has taught her to be more open minded, that situations are not always what they seem. She also said that it has made her very solution focused.

“Before this job I was not as grateful, but this job has taught me to be very grateful for what I have,” Dickie said.

She is extremely grateful to have a team of counsellors and the positive social engagement within the counseling center.

Susan Bryant, a private practice psychologist, explains how social engagement is fundamental for humanity.

“We are learning that our routines and the structure provided by social engagement helps us cope and distracts us from daily hassles and stresses. And of course since we are social beings and need connections with others, I think we are seeing the results of a society that is trying to exist without one of our foundational sources of strength.”

COVID-19 has changed human interactions and socialization. Bryant shared how her coworkers, clients, and her have been affected over these seven months.

“Many of my child and adult clients were excited to get a break from school and families were slowing down and spending more time together. But as the months have passed I am seeing more depression and anxiety and more hopelessness in general. Statistics reflect what myself and my colleagues are experiencing: that depression has tripled with the onset of COVID and having to social distance.”

Many thought it was going to be temporary, but those few weeks turned into months.

However, Bryant describes how people can practice to increase good mental health, and how to deal with situations of being separated from social activities/experiences.

“Certainly we need to take care of our physical health, studies have shown that consistent regular exercise can significantly improve depression and anxiety. During the pandemic we should try to stay connected to others as best we can via Zoom or with socially distanced gatherings. Being six feet apart in

person can have benefits for some people beyond what a Zoom call can provide.”

Bryant believes that the youth are most heavily impacted by the pandemic.

“However, for teenagers this can be particularly difficult because major milestones have been disrupted. Even younger students may be affected by the grief of missing out on experiences they have worked hard for like All-Region Band or trying out for a school musical. How do you instill a sense of hope for young people who can only see what they are missing?”

Despite this, Bryant is encouraging.

“People to try to think of Covid as temporary and to remember that past generations have survived very difficult situations outside of their control like wars and the Great Depression,” she said.

Although COVID has taken a toil on the nation, mental health was still a struggle for adults and youth before.

Suicidality means that a person may have suicidal thoughts or they may have planned or attempted suicide. It often occurs when someone is depressed and has a sense of hopelessness “Thoughts of suicide without plans or intent to carry out plans can be treated with outpatient therapy and psychiatric medication. For those who are planning suicide or who believe they cannot resist an impulse to lethally harm themselves, we have them go to a psychiatric hospital where they can receive 24 hour supervision and more intensive treatment to help keep them safe,” Bryant said.

Bryant also describes self harm as,”Self-injury or self-harm such as cutting oneself may seem like a gesture of suicide, but in most cases people who self-injure are not suicidal, although engaging in self-harm can put them at risk of suicidality in the future.”

Alex believes everyone can overcome self destructive behaviors with the right mindset.

Alex´s advice is,¨Dance around in your room to happy music. Enjoy every aspect of life because life is a gift. Don´t waste it getting lost in your emotions.¨

SUICIDE HOTLINE 1-800-273-8255

The occurrence | Editorial | page 4 Editors: Kenzie Robertson Gabi Dawson

fun, funky, fake Biased media and how to fix it Editorial In a climate as tense as the one we are in right now people need unbiased news sources to get what they really need, but it is hard since so many big news corporations are biased.

There probably aren’t many unbiased news sources in today’s age, which is why we have to get creative with how we get the information we need, and get actual factual information.

One way is reading multiple stories about the same topic. Let’s say a person wanted to find out about the attacks on Palestine. He would want to read stories from both sides of the media, and search for unbiased information if you can.

Two of the biggest news companies, CNN and Fox, are on opposite ends of the spectrum--CNN being left leaning and Fox being right leaning. A person shouldnormally not trust what they say without verifying, as many of their stories are biased in favor of their political leanings. The best way to get information out of them is reading the news articles both publications publish about the same topic, so a person can get a view from both sides. Doing so shows just how false some of their stories are.

Fake news is also prominent in today’s age, with Facebook and Twitter spreading it like wildfire. Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has even come under fire in the last two presidential elections because of the prevelance of political clickbait. But, there are multiple ways to tell if something is false.

One: Identify the publication. Are they are recognizable or not? If it is just some random story made up by a 40-year-old soccer mom, it most likely isn’t true.

Two: Check the URL of the news site. A lot of publications that spread fake news end their web domain with .co or .lo instead of the usual .com or .edu.

Three: Check the sources they use. If they just use some random person out on the street who has nothing to do with the story, you will know that it is fake.

Checking to make sure something is legitimate and isn’t just a post to confuse people will help tremendously in the spread of misinformation we have in today’s age.

Never trust a random post on Facebook, as a lot of it is just made up to get clicks and to cause chaos.

Another big thing in the spread of misinformation is just reblogging because of the headline. A lot of times,

news publications will put the most clickbait thing in the headline to get people to click for ad revenue. Always read the full thing before reposting or sharing so you don’t just spread something that makes people or things look bad when in reality they aren’t.

assistant editor: Pricila Cox Writers: shelby Douthit BRaxton Speer carissa callicott rylee rutledge jocelyn kirby leo munguia cannen garner ian cunningham The Occurrence is a student-run publication at Bryant Junior High, serving grades 8-9.

Letters to the Editor Policy: Signed Letters to the editor which are free from profanity, offensive language, and libel will be published when space permits.

The fate of Unreliable news. Priscila Cox, assistant editor

Corrections: If a correction is warrarented it will be made through one or all of the social Media platforms as soon as possible and in the next issue

the occurrence | opinion | Page 5

UnCERTAIN To Priscilla Cox, assistant editor The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and everyone was collectively inching closer and closer to harming each other. So you know, a typical U.S election.

You could just feel the tension radiating off people. Every classroom that I shambled into was either, “Biden’s gonna win!” or“Dear God, the world’s ended!”

Frankly, it was exhausting, and let’s just say I’ve never been more grateful for a school football game. It really helped to distract from the collective misery.

Personally, I support Trump and I was pretty broken up about the results. However, I soon realized that the initial election may be over, but we’re not out of the woods yet.

Votes are still being counted and in Georgia’s case, recounted. In Floyd County 2,600 ballots were found uncounted, according to Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s voting implementation manager, with 1,643 of those votes for Trump.

Requests have been made to recount the votes in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. In many of these states the vote is separated by less than 0.5%.

For a recount to occur in Pennsylvania and Georgia, the difference

must be 0.5% or less to request a recount. If a candidate gets within 1% of the winner a recounting request can be filed in Wisconsin, and to request a recount in Arizona the margin must be by 0.1% As it stands right now, in Arizona the vote is only separated by 0.3%.

In Wisconsin it’s 0.7%, and Pennsylvania it’s by 1.2%. On these percentages alone, Trump may not have been able to contest results, but as shown with Floyd County, the race is a lot closer than previously imagined. According to Robert C. Cahaly, Chief Pollster of the Trafalgar, Trump would have won Pennsylvania based on absentee ballots that had a certified postmark and matched the voter’s signature.

That’s just accounting for mishandled votes, what about the dreaded v-word, voter fraud?

The Heritage Foundation has 14 proven cases of voter fraud ranging from duplicate voting, ballot petition fraud, to outright buying votes in the case of Richard Howard. And these are just people who have been caught.

I hope you now understand my insistence that this election is far from over. In fact states have until December 8 to meet the “Safe Harbor” deadline. States settle any disputes regarding the results and certify their voting results before this date. If their results are considered inconclusive their electoral votes are not counted. Election results can

be contested until December 14th in court. The electoral college has yet to confirm Joe Biden as president elect and are due to meet December 14th. On top of that, no one is becoming president until inauguration day on January 20th.

My point is not to overturn American Democracy. It’s quite the opposite actually. How can we the people “build a more perfect union” if not all of us are accounted for? How can we the people “establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare” much less “secure the Blessing of Liberty” if not all of us are given a voice in our government?

We can’t! With the race being as close as it is and all of the insanity going on this year, I’m still holding out for the election results. Call me delusional but there should be no room for error in an election this important. No matter whose side you’re on, we’re all entitled to a fair election.

So to all who read this, I only ask one thing.

Wait.

NOTE: SINCE WRITING THIS PIECE, THE ELECTION HAS BEEN DEFINITIVELY CALLED IN FAVOR OF PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN.

Harry potter and the controversy Jk Rowling and her past mistakes Kenzie Robertson, editor Almost everyone knows the boy who lived, Harry Potter, but do they know who the author truly is?

JK Rowling has done multiple wrongs, some even apparent in the books. In the first book, when Harry is going to the bank, Gringotts, you meet the goblins who run it. The Goblins love money, have big pointy noses, and aren’t the kindest. These appear to be anti-semetic stereotypes against Jewish people.

Rowling used a lot of other fantasy works to write her novels, so maybe she didn’t mean to make the goblins have the Jewish depictions Nazis used in the 1940s, but a certain character also stands out: Cho Chang.

Chang was introduced in the 3rd book, Prisoners of Azkaban. What makes her character so stereotypical isn’t just her name, but also that she was a Ravenclaw, the intelligent house. This feeds into the sterotype that Asian individuals are inhereintly better in academics.

JK Rowling’s only representation of an Asian character was blown to bits, and Chang wasn’t even that likable of a character.

What makes Rowling truly controversial is her social media presence. To put it bluntly she’s a TERF, A trans exclusionary radical feminist. Over the past couple of years she has liked multiple transphobic tweets, one of them saying that trans women are just men in

dresses. After multiple occurrences of her being transphobic, she tweets that she loves trans people and would fight for them, but it’s hard to believe when she constantly tears them down.

What also is quite annoying is her stating some of her characters were black (Hermione) when they were never mentioned to be in the books. It’s a case of wanting to score diversity points, and it doesn’t help her case.

I adore the books, and own way too much Harry Potter themed merchandise, but at points you have to realize that the author is a bad person, and people should be informed of her wrongdoings.

J.K. Rowling Official Portrait Photography Debra Hurford Brown © J.K. Rowling 2018

The occurrence | Center spread | page 6

America Is Blue For Biden In 2020

Joe biden Wins 2020 Election

Gabi Dawson, editor Once every four years America is allowed to pick a new or re-elect a president for the United States. This year, the election was held on November 3rd, 2020 and ended up continuing into the next four days, making history as this was the first time America woke up the next day after election day, without a new president.

The competition, Joe Biden and President Donald Trump, had finally made it to election night, after a year of debates and campagining. During one such debate, Biden infamously said to Trump, “Will you just shut up, man?”

A poll was sent out to BJHS advisory teachers to give to their students, to see who our school would have

voted for. Trump won our school’s Biden is a part of the democratic vote with 50.9% to 49.1%, but when party. Trump was the republican enasked who they thought would win, combant. rather than who they wanted to win, Trump’s percentage increased to 58.2%, looking like Trump was definitely expected by the majority to win this election. But in the end, Biden took the win anyways.

Biden even pulled some states that don’t normally go blue, like Michigan. Michigan has normally always been known as a red state, but not in 2020.

Before the ballots were finished counting, Trump outright tried to claim that he had won and was going to continue being president and wasn’t leaving the White House yet.

When Biden was announced president, Trump was out playing golf.

“Biden was basically the less of two evils and him getting elected is a breath of fresh air. But he still has done shady things but anything is/ was better than Trump.” -Lily Danner “When I heard that Biden won the election, I was at a choir rehearsal so I was really shocked. I feel like he is not the best, but I feel as if he is the lesser of two evil. I think Joe Biden will be a good president and I really hope that he will lead us in the right ways. I was also kind of excited because I know that he believes in Women’s rights and Black Lives Matter and I think our president should be respectful and as far as i’ve known about Joe Biden, he has been that.” -Elizabeth Burns

Joe Biden

49.1% 50.9%

Donald Trump Who the school voted for

the occurrence | center spread | Page 7

Donald Trump’s & Joe Biden’s Political Views Trump (Republican Party)

“Donald Trump” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

- Undocumented migrants should be deported - Taxes should be reduced for everyone - Invest in the treatment of “Invisible wounds” - Doctors should be punished for administering abortions - The federal minimum wage should be raised - Climate change is just “weather”

Biden (Democratic Party)

- Criminal justice reform - Raise minimum wage - Expanding Obamacare - Wants to repair relationships with US allies - Universal preschool access and more tutition-free college - Cut greenhouse gases up to 28% by 2025 -Invest in green technology

“Joe Biden” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

The occurrence | entertainment | page 8

BINGE OR CRINGE What seasonal movies should you watch this year?

Carissa CALLICOTT, STAFF WRITER Christmas Break-In came out in 2019. It is about a young girl who gets trapped at a school over the holiday break. Three trespassing robbers enter the school and hold a janitor hostage. With this little girl’s creative mind and the ability to get into the spirit, she is able to come up with creative ways to save the janitor.

This movie includes actors such as Cameron Seely, Danny Glover, Katrina Begin, and Denise Richards.

This is a great movie to watch if you like a little bit of adventure and are more of a younger audience. It is similar to the Home Alone series.

JOCELYN KIRBY, STAFF WRITER Hocus Pocus - After learning about the Sanderson Sisters in school, Max, his little sister, and his friend, Allison, explore the sister’s abandoned house. Max lights the black flame candle and brings the witch’s back to life for one night. They now have to stop the witches from becoming immortal before sunrise. This is a classic halloween movie to enjoy with friends and family. The characters in this movie make it very funny and interesting. It is definitely one of the best out there.

JOCELYN KIRBY, STAFF WRITER The Nightmare Before Christmas- It all starts when Jack, the pumpkin king, gets tired of the same routine in Halloween Town and wants to leave. He then discovers a set of doors that take him to any holiday town and he chooses Christmas Town. After seeing how happy everyone is in Christmas town, he decides to recreate Christmas in Halloweentown. If you like movies with gothic animations, this one is great. Fans of Tim Burton’s style will enjoy this movie.

JOCELYN KIRBY, STAFF WRITER The Santa Clause- Scott Calvin has his son, Charlie, for Christmas Eve and is hoping to spend time with him. Instead, he hears Santa on the roof and an unexpected accident happened causing him to become the new Santa Clause, even though he doesn’t want to be Santa. Throughout the movie he starts turning into Santa, but the rest of the world doesn’t believe him and it leads to problems with his family. He has to try to make people believe him and get ready for Christmas. This movie is very funny and is an amazing holiday movie to watch with your family.

JOCELYN KIRBY, STAFF WRITER The Adamms Family- The Addams move away to an abandoned mansion to start their family and to get away from the town where people don’t like them. After many years they decide to have a family reunion.

Little did they know that a new town was going to be built below them and how much trouble this would bring. This movie is good for you to watch with your family or younger siblings. It is a great take on the old Addams family movie because it has all the same characters but different events. I would definitely recommend watching this movie.

Playstation vs. xbox Ian cunningham, staff writer The PlayStation and the Xbox the console rivals. Both the PS5 digital and with the disc slot have one terabyte of storage. The PS5 will weigh slightly over 10 pounds. It has three USB ports, one on the front and two on the back as well as one HDMI port. The PS5 with the disc slot will cost 500 dollars and will have backward compatibility with many of the PS4 disc games on the market. Both PS5’s have true 4k and the dynamic

Console wars range up to 8k HDR. The PS5 can also connect with the PlayStation VR so owners of the PlayStation VR wouldn’t have to worry about purchasing a new one to use for the PS5. There is also the PS5 digital edition which will cost 400 dollars but only use digital games but will have backwards compatibility with purchased PS4 digital games. The purpose of the digital edition is to lower the price of PlayStations themself and help lower the rate of people pirating games.

The Xbox Series X brings in air through the bottom and uses it to cool all throughout the console so it doesn’t overheat. The Xbox Series X has one terabyte of storage for downloads. The Xbox Series X has true 4k and the dynamic range up to 8k HDR like the PS5 does. It has three USB ports and one HDMI port. This will weigh just under 10 pounds. The cost of the Xbox Series X is 500 dollars or you can pay 35 dollars a month for 24 months until it is paid off.

1. “傳聞：SONY或將在PS DevDon 2018上介紹新主機PS5” by steamXO is marked with CC PDM 1.0 2. “Xbox One Controller” by mastermaq is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 Woman Wearing Black Dress Shirt Eating Popcorn.

Photo creds to JESHOOTS.com

The occurrence | entertainment | page 9

In a galaxy far, far away Mandalorian season 2 review

Chapter 1. Pedro Pascl is the Mandalorian in THE MANDALORIAN, exclusively on Disney+. jpeg

Priscila Cox, Assistant Editor in chief The year is 1977, and Star Wars transports audiences to a galaxy filled with epic starship fights, intense duels, and a lovable ragtag group of heroes facing down an evil empire.

Fast forward to the modern day, and Disney has gone off and bought Star Wars. So far they’ve made two stand alone films and have created their own trilogy of sequels which have received...let’s just say mixed reviews.

The main issues with Disney’s Sequel Trilogy is that it has no clear direction, creative or otherwise, and feels less like a work of love and more like a nostalgic ridden trap to milk the franchise dry. The Madolorian, in comparison, is a breath of much needed fresh air.

The series is about a mysterious bounty hunter, referred to only as the Mandolorian stumbling

across a strange child on one of his missions. This child is wanted by many people so they can use it for their own nefarious purposes. The series follows Mando’s ethical dilemma to protect the child and survive a galaxy full of scum and villainy.

What makes the Mandolorian so good is how organic it feels. Yeah it takes place in space and there’s all of these weird aliens and crazy planets, but it never feels out of place. Mando isn’t some space wizard Jesus, he’s allowed to make mistakes and grow from them. The writing and acting in this show is just out of this world.

Mando doesn’t speak a word of dialogue for 3 - almost 4 minutes, but he doesn’t need to. Everything the audience needs to know is conveyed through his movement, actions, and the other characters reactions to him (cowering in, wincing, nervous tone of their voice). The dialogue that is spoken isn’t wasted. It’s clear and straight to the

point, and excellently written.

And that’s only scratching the surface. The costumes and practical effects are really well done and make the world feel tangible. The music is incredible. The fight scenes are really well done and further the plot. The minor characters are all interesting, and the humor isn’t half bad either.

The Mandolorian manages to rekindle the same magic of the original Star Wars movies while also managing to become something unique. The show is perfect for everyone whether you’re an old fan or a new fan. You don’t even need to know anything about Star Wars to love the show. Whatever you need to know the show explains perfectly.

The show’s first season is eight episodes long with a run time of about 39 minutes each. It’s second season is currently releasing weekly on Disney+. The Mandolorian is definitely worth the hype and the binge!

breaking into the hit series Breaking bad review

Cannen Gardner, Staff Writer On January 20th, 2008, the first episode of Breaking Bad aired. Five seasons later, it has become one of the most well known TV series out there. With multiple other movies made in correlation with the series, it’s popularity has spiked recently. However, before you watch, you should know that this TV series is rated TVMA. It has strong language, blood, violence, and drug use. Parental guidance is strongly advised.

Walter White, a highschool chemistry teacher, has more trouble than good. His wife is pregnant, his son has cerebral palsy, and his job barely puts food on the table. As if things couldn’t get any worse he learns that he has lung cancer. Walter knows that the money he

makes currently won’t provide for his family, nor for his own life. As he grows in desperation, he decides to participate in a business that might just save him: making methamphetamine. As he partners with an old highschool student of his, they get things rolling. Business is good, but it still does not satisfy Walter. As time goes on, he makes decisions that will change his life forever.

With all this, Walter’s brother-in-law, a DEA agent, is pressing on his meth empire and doesn’t know his own brother-in-law is the infamous cook.

Throughout the series, you can see how Walter changes from an innocent highschool teacher, to a greedy, sinful, drug dealer. This change of character is what makes the series so good. You see how his own greed changes the lives of others, including his own.

And all along, the real enemy was not the cancer, not the cartel, but himself.

Fun facts on Breaking Bad 1. Breaking bad has one 16 emmys, one of which being “OUTSTANDing DRAMA SERIES.” 2. Breaking bad is filmed in Albuquerque, New mexico.

3. The lead actor, Bryan Cranston, was also a director of some of the episodes. He was also in Malcolm in the middle.

The occurrence | Sports | page 10

Up In The Air Basketball Season Preview

Braxton Speer, staff writer Basketball season is approaching but with COVID-19, what does this mean for Bryant Blue? After an interview with Coach Wilson, here’s the rundown on what you need to know for the 2020 season.

Strengths and Weaknesses: When the teams getted started next week and spend more time getting better and working on identifying their strengths and weaknesses.

Performance this season Optimistic. There is a disadvantage since the coaches will only be working with them for a year.

Impacts of COVID “Hurt us with the offseason,” Wilson states.

Basketball was supposed to practice the day everything shut down. They were shut down until June and their practices were limited.

Some of the players in football haven’t even practiced since March. Players are looking forward to getting started.

it’s a waterful life W

ho are the faces behind the googles and swim caps?

We asked and they answered.

Let’s meet this years 9th grade swimmers.

New Players Basketball picked up two new players, Kaden Ramsey and Cameron Trancoso for this season.

1. when did you start swimming?

2. Best Events?

Competively when I was eight

Anything fly, backstroke, or IM

100 backstroke and 200 IM Thought I could turn it into a career but ended up just doing it because I like it

Thought of swimming to be both relaxing and fun so I found myself enjoying it much more than any other sport

3. Why did you start swimming?

4. What teams have you swam on Before?

Barracudas, Bass, and Racers

Barracudas and Bass

5. What three things are in your swim bag?

6. Hobbies and intrests?

Around 6-7 years old

Running shoes, extra shorts, and some ibuprofen

Goggles, Water, and Fins

Jase Gladden

Art, Skatboarding, and Band

Isabella Sharp

Favorite song is Pleaser by Wallows

Isabella Sharp Summer after 5th grade 100 and 200 breatstroke

Kayleigh Baker

Started because it seemed fun Bass, Racers, and Barracudas Goggles, suit, and a sharpie I go to church

When I was eight 100 and 200 breastroke There was a summer swim team when I was in second grade Goggles, masks, and a picture of me swimming at my first Jr. Olympics Christian, entrepreneaur, and a singer

Johnathan Rolen

Coming up Blue:haveA 2020 Football Review for next year. Coach Kenny Horn stated that he

Carrisa Callicott Despite the events of the Coronavirus. The Hornet footballteams have shown that they are the best. They have dealt with the life challenges thrown at them and have stuck to the saying 212 meaning for them to do and be their best.

wanted to have a season and still be able to be safe. As for his goals, he wanted to be better, faster and stronger than everyone else, so the team could win every game and win their championship.

Akers stated that his goal was to be undefeated, he “We are 10-0 so far this season, we outscored our op- thinks that his boys focused well on this goal until a ponents 417-54.” Kenny Horn, head 9th grade football few weeks ago when they lost to Benton. His goals in the future are to win every game, and help develcoach, said.“ We are 7-1 this season, the defense has op athletes for the future by showing by example and had a lot of turnovers, they have done a good job almost every game. The offence averages about 31 points making sure his kids know he is there for them. a game and the running average is 100 yards a game by the running back Jaysean Robinson, the dynamics “Bryant is a very competitive school, some of our are great in games,” Josh Akers, head 8th grade football biggest games are against Benton. In these games we often see amazing plays that the other games might coach said. not have. For the 9th-grade football team, it is “ every The question asked was if they had a goal for this sea- touchdown [they] score and every time [their] defense gets the ball back.” son, whether players stuck to it and some goals they

For the 8th grade blue team, they had a bigger play they wanted to showcase. Bryant white is Bryant Blue’s biggest rival in the Hornet Bowl where both teams play each other Bryant blue threw for a pass for a two-point conversion and it got tipped by one of the Bryant white players and landed in the hands of a Bryant Blue player and got the extra points. It was a very lucky play and they say that they are very grateful for it because it was one that led them to winning the game.

The players have overall had a really good season, their coaches said that they have done a great job with social distancing sometimes they need to remind them but they have overall stepped up and taken leadership in these time of Covid-19 they have dealt with the obstacles and moved on, they find ways to get better even though they have these challenges.

A Bryant Player runs into the Endzone for a touchdown. Photo Andrew Shroeder