The Edge Issue 3 2020

the

edge

5406 McKnight Road Texarkana, TX 75503 Vol. 35 #3 Dec. 15, 2020 pgedgeonline.com

20 20 The student newspaper of Pleasant Grove High School

Sneak Peak

3 8-9 20

Going onefor-one Students on campus will receive personal Chromebooks

Lasting Legacy Football season ends, seniors leave behind transformed football program

Christmas Entertainment Here’s our guide to all things Christmas

That’s

A Wrap From quarantine to the election, take a look at this wild, crazy year.

Photos [jjones]

2 news

the

edge

BIRD’S EYE VIEW 2

editors:

a look at this issue’s events, activities at the grove

things to know

Students have early release schedule after exams on Dec. 17, and Christmas break officially begins Dec. 18.

Students will not return to campus until Jan. 4.

Semester exams for students who are quarantined during exam week will be given Jan. 4.

1.

“My emotions throughout the whole course of Newsies was honestly pure excitement and pride. It felt so good to be a part of something so great as my last musical for high school.”

- Emily Mowery (12)

OTHER PLACES TO LOOK FOR THE EDGE: Keep up with Pleasant Grove news by following @pgstudentmedia on Instagram.

From behind the scenes to sneak peeks, @pg_ccp shows everything happening in the Theatre Department, and keeps followers informed about their upcoming shows.

Stay up to date with dress up days, student section themes, updates, and more by following @stucopghs on Instagram.

top hawk moments

“

In art class, we weren’t allowed to do the kids’ art workshop this year, so we decided to decorate the Intermediate School Library as if a bunch of elves came and invaded the library.

Addison Alexander

Delaynie Keeney Alex Norton Delia Tuttlebee

reporters:

Haylie Akin Emma Boehmke Emma Crabtree Allie Forand Sarah Hale Jazmin Hever Nathan Hutcheson Sarah Johnson Sadie Moore Nistha Neupane Cadence Pov Noah Rayburn Spencer Richardson Addison Simmons

photographers:

Savannah Hoehn Emma Beck Andy Hilton Easton Jones Kelsey Clark Macey Wright Lexi Carr Jacob Jones Sydney Williams Abby Jenkins

adviser: Charla Harris

”

principal: Todd Marshall

2.

3.

/cares act/

4.

4.

1. As the Newsies joined her side in her solo, Emily Mowery (12) performs her final dance in her last high school musical. [ajenkins] 2. Addison Alexander (11) blows up a candy cane in art to decorate the intermediate school library. [mwright] 3. Holding her arms wide, Harleigh Neal (11) puts on a robe in her job shadowing class to practice for her career. [tscoggins] 4.

Evidence Ezihe (11) dissects jello in his sports medicine class to simulate a surgery setting. [cscates]

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress with, bipartisan support and signed into law by President Trump on March 27. This over $2 trillion economic package offers relief from the health and economic impacts of COVID-19.( see page 4)

editorial policy:

Edge is produced by the newspaper students in the publications department of Pleasant Grove High School who are responsible for its production and content.

The newspaper serves as an open forum for student expression and the discussion of issues of concern to students.

Unsigned editorials represent the opinions of the student staffers and do not necessarily reflect those of the administration. Signed columns and reviews reflect the opinion of the author only.

Edge encourages and accepts letters to the editors. Letters must be signed and will be edited to eliminate obscenity and inappropriate content.

Letters may be submitted to the editors in room 603.

Edge is a member of the Interscholastic League Press Conference, National Scholastic Press Association and Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

news 3

1. Emma Crabtree (11) uses a chromebook during class. [jjones]

Students to get personal chromebooks

Rate your Exam Gillian Knowles reporter

One-for-one technology progam to start spring semester After getting used to working by Chromebook in class, students will soon be working

by Chromebook at home as well.

Under a new technology program, students will receive their own person Chromebooks beginning in the second semester. All Chromebook classroom sets will be picked up and, with additional computers, redistributed to each student. The district has already transitioned to a ‘one-for-one’ Chromebook program for students at the middle school and hoped to begin the same for the high school at the beginning of the year. However, personal Chromebooks assignments were pushed back to the second semester of the school year after delays due to COVID-19.

“I’m not sure how it’s going to run on this campus, whether or not they’re going to let [students] take [the Chromebooks] home or if they will have to plug them in on a cart,” assistant principal Kristin Giles said. “Going one for one is a big undertaking for just one campus, but for the district as a whole, it’s a lot

2249

Governor not looking at lockdown as COVID-19 cases climb Gillian Knowles reporter

rently, the district provides Verizon hot spots for all remote learners, but they are unsure “Even if I do have my own Chromebook from the school, I’m just going to bring my own MacBook from home,” sophomore Jack Humphrey said.

whether or not hot spots will be provided for individual Chromebooks next year.

“Even if I do have my own Chromebook from the school, I’m just going to bring my own MacBook from home,” sophomore Jack Humphrey said. “I’m not really worried about the school seeing anything on my own personal computer—my computer just works better than the Chromebooks.”

$

560,001

total students enrolled district wide

No state shutdown on the way

bigger. There’s just a lot of logistical planning we still have to work on.”

The technology department has been planning to transition to the ‘one-for-one’ program district wide since the creation of the ‘long term technology plan’ for the whole district but has only been able to start it at the middle school campus. The funding for the Chromebooks for the school was written into the bond passed in 2018. Currently, on that campus, students carry their own Chromebooks with them throughout the day and plug them in to a cart in their last period class. However, this means the students have to retrieve their Chromebooks from the last class first thing in the morning. Mrs. Giles said she thought the program would be set up differently on this campus.

Administrators are currently exploring the possibility of allowing students to have the same Chromebook all year and allowing freshman, sophomores, and juniors to check out the same Chromebook the next year. Cur-

$249

per Chromebook

As COVID-19 cases spike nationwide, and are expected to continue to spike following holiday travel, some states are reverting to initial shutdown phases of quarantine. States like Louisiana, California, Colorado are mandating more stay-at-home orders and restrictions on public gatherings.

Although Texas has not mandated any more statewide restrictions, it is unclear whether or not restrictions won’t happen. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is ignoring calls to order more aggressive measures, saying the shutdowns have serious economic side effects, despite rising cases. Texas reported a new single day high on Dec. 1 with a record 15,182 cases.

According to state representative

Gary VanDeaver, the state is doing all it can to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Bowie county.

“Based on personal experiences, I believe the current recommended practices should be followed but I do not see any great benefit to implementing stricter policies,” representative VanDeaver said.

“Policies will not protect people, personal responsibility and truly caring for each other is what will protect our citizens. It is extremely disappointing to see the COVID-19 issue politicized. Regardless of how one feels about the pandemic, this is a people problem, not a political problem.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom warned that if the current trends continue in that state,

estimate of total cost for supplying a Chromebook to every student

more drastic action will have to be taken in a press conference in November, stating that there is potential for a stay-at-home order similar to one instated during the initial quarantine. The governor also noted the case numbers were being assessed constantly, and the numbers showed a lack of effort in reducing case numbers.

“If we do happen to go in lockdown again, if people actually follow lockdown restrictions like only leaving their house to go to the store, I feel like [COVID-19] would clear up a little faster,” junior Tori Scoggins said. “We wouldn’t have to keep going into lockdown again and again and our cases would start to lower.”

Tuesday, Dec. 15 B Day Test 2nd, 4th, 6th Wednesday, Dec. 16 A Day Test 3rd, 5th, & 7th Thursday, Dec. 17 B Day Test 1st & 8th Thursday is an early release day. Students will be released after 8th period. Lunch will be served.

World History

Type of test: 50 question Multiple choice Advice: “As long as the students do the review themselves and don’t copy off of each other, they should be good.” Mrs. Lesli Abston

Physics

Type of test: 40 question multipile choice Advice: “Study your review and remember your formulas and how to do the problems.” Mrs. Lisa Watson

Biology

Type of test: 40-55 question multiple choice Advice: “Go over anything you struggled with throughout the semster, study with friends, talk to me, and there are a ton of resources on classroom.”

Mrs. Shelby Strawn

English 2

Type of test: 40 question multpie choice, and an essay.

Advice: “Just make sure you use all the strategies we have gone over this year.” Mrs. Holly Dickeson

4 news

Clean of

Bill Health

Economic shutdown continues to impact the district financially

Delia Tuttlebee

Haylie Akin

co-editor

reporter

art [dtuttlebee]

T

Unexpected Purchases A few of the purchases made by the school district include: Cleaning supplies and sanitation devices Water refill stations Hotspots and new chrome books

What is the

he CARES act, which has helped districts through the COVID-19 pandemic is set to expire on Dec. 10, leaving schools to worry about what the future will bring.

“I can’t stress enough the concerns going forward as far as what the funding is going to look like,” financial director Derick Sibley said, “The overall impact on the economy as a whole is really what’s going to affect us.”

When schools nationwide shut down on Mar. 13, the pandemic introduced a range of unexpected costs to districts.

“Every time we turned around and there was a new cost,” Mr. Sibley said. “There was always that uncertainty there about how long is this going to continue, and what else are we going to have to purchase.”

On March 25, the United States Senate passed the Corona virus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, [CARES Act,] to help stimulate the economy and fund these essential purchases. The act gave $200 million to Texas specifically to help handle the pandemic, and although this was meant to give additional money to schools, the district received the same budget from the government, but from the federal funds rather than state funds.

“They’re [the state] looking at the revenue as being unpredictable along with the economy so set an initial money that was supposed to be given to the school, and

they set it aside to use for later,” Sibley said.

“They basically took away some of our state funding and replaced it with the federal dollar, so we didn’t get ahead by any means.”

Despite this, the school still found ways to fund added costs. New technology needs due to online schooling were met with the TEA or “Operation Connectivity” which split the cost for technology, meaning TEA paid for 50% of chrome book costs, and the district paid the other 50% out of funds previously set aside.

“Our mission statement as a district is to ensure high levels of learning for all students whether they’re on campus or virtual,” Mr. Sibley said. “So if that meant we spend more money in technology so that students could stay at home and get a quality education, then that’s what we did.”

When the school closed its doors in March, they had no expectation of the overall changes the pandemic would bring, but were careful about financial decisions, largely, Superintendent Mr. Pirtle feels because of Sibley.

“Due to his leadership, when extra purchases had to be made, we could feel confident in not having to cut money from another area of our district,” Mr. Pirtle said.

“Another key has been making smart and reasonable purchases to provide what we need and resisting purchasing ‘sizzle’ items that really do not make an impact on safety.”

Despite the unexpected changes, Sibley

also feels the school has handled the pandemic the best way possible.

“The plan the district put together for on sight learning and for virtual learning is one of the best plans across the state,” Sibley said. “I honestly look at it and wonder why other school districts aren’t doing the same thing.”

With the administration working to improve the situation, the district has been able to run almost the same as a normal school year.

“We have handled and will continue to handle the COVID-19 pandemic beautifully to achieve our district’s mission” Mr. Pirtle said. “Overall, we were actually able to add money to our general fund balance at the end of our last fiscal year, so even though we had additional, unforeseen purchases, we were able to adjust financially to keep our district in a good place.”

When the CARES act expires, Sibley hopes further legislation will pass to help schools, but feels the district is in a good condition.

“Without a clear end to this, it would be really nice to have more federal funding coming in to help supplement what the state might be cutting us,” Sibley said. “Honestly today, thats my biggest concern, how has it affected the economy going forward, because nobody knows what tomorrow holds.”

CARES ACT 1

After COVID-19 hit the US, the country was thrown into an economic shutdown. On March 25, the Senate unanimously voted to pass the Corona virus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The bill was backed by both parties and received an enormous amount of support.

2

On March 27, President Donald Trump signed the act into law, releasing the $2.2 trillion dollar economic stimulus bill, and the biggest relief package in American history in hopes of providing assistance to American workers and small businesses.

3

Funds were sent out and provided to Americans through many forms including impact payments to American households, unemployment benefits, loans to small businesses. and tax deferrals.

The bill is expected to have a lasting effect on the American economy.

news 5

L

Holidays

ooking at the numbers it’s an easy decision: 2,424 cases in Bowie County, 90 deaths, and 1 million cases in Texas with 20,157 deaths. Staying at home is probably the best option.

But it’s Thanksgiving and Christmas, and there are traditions that have been around for years in each family.

COVID-19 has definitely thrown a curve ball at those traditions and caused people to question how those celebrations will safely occur this year.

“Thanksgiving this year was only immediate family,” said sophomore Corban Franklin. “My mom was concerned that if it had been our whole family there would have been a higher chance of getting COVID and having to quarantine for two weeks.”

During the holidays it’s almost instinct to be with family and friends, yet it can be difficult at this time especially with the rising cases. Since family and friends are coming in from a wide variety of places not knowing who’s been exposed to what, it’s crucial to keep the masks up and take proper precautions.

A few students and faculty have been debating on whether to change their plans in order to make sure their family is safe.

“We usually have the whole Abston family which means that we have 45 rednecks all in my house. But because of my parents being older, my dad being paranoid, we canceled the whole thing,” history teacher Leslie Abston said. “Instead my sister and I are just going to go eat at my parent’s house instead of having 50 people over, so he made our entire family mad.”

Benefits from family Holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas gives families opportunities to come together even in the busiest times of the year.

Scientists say that seeing with loved ones can also have beneficial factors such as increased production of serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins.

“There are many beneficial effects from a health standpoint, both physiologically and mentally, that we reap from being able to enjoy these times with family,” said Dr.Randy Jackson, Associate Chief Hospitalist at Christus St.Michaels. “If we take precautions, including wearing masks, hand washing, and social distancing we should be able to safely gather this holiday season.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends several different ways to stay safe when visiting or hosting a gathering. They also say that it’s better to have outdoor gatherings rather than indoor, while still wearing a mask when not eating or drinking. They recommend that guests should try and avoid direct contact such as hugging.

CDC guidelines With the precautions taken for COVID, it’s caused a few kinks in holiday plans. In addition to the large gatherings, CDC says that traveling can cause an increase in the spread of COVID. On the other hand, the CDC is also aware that people will still choose to travel, so they’ve made a list of recommendations on how you can protect yourself. The major points of these recommendations include wearing masks, washing your hands along with hand sanitizer, social distancing, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

“Since we’re going to Dallas, we are taking extra precautions to make sure my family is going to be safe,” junior Kaiden Williams said. “My mom has been making sure we take all the safety measures

Caroline Maynard

Sarah Johnson reporter

necessary to keep everyone safe, such as trying to follow the CDC guidelines.”

Some students and their families have still decided to gather and enjoy the holidays together.

“I feel like it’s always been a tradition and our family just doesn’t want to change it,” sophomore Abby Jenkins said. “Especially since we’ve all been around each other so we’re only a bit worried about COVID, but continuing the tradition is important to our family. We plan on social distancing and wearing masks when we’re not eating, which is probably going to be difficult since it’s still not the normal thing to do.”

When planning on hosting, people are encouraged to get guests to keep the screaming and shouting to a minimum. Also, make sure that there are extra supplies provided such as masks, hand sanitizer with a minimum of 60% alcohol, soap for bathrooms as well as single-use hand towels.

Mask Regulations

“

As of Nov. 29 HS campus

Because of Covid we debated on everything, from which side of the family to go celebrate with to how much food to bring and how to serve it. We had to make the safer decison this year and only celebrate with one set of grandparents.

- Caroline Maynard (11)

While being in a group of people especially in the holidays can also cause anxiety, mask wearers and 40 student cases non-wearers deal with the feeling of being judged. Many individuals have different viewpoints about large group gatherings.

“Most of the time it depends on the circumstances, 6 staff cases such as being outside or a large open space vs inside in a more compact place,” Mrs. Abston said. “But when I see pictures of people close together in a small place, it does concern me not only for their safety but for mine.”

In recent months stores have loosened enforcement of masks, but that hasn’t stopped people from being judged or feel like they’re peer Gracie Carr pressured.

“I am not pressured to wear masks in public, I actually think it’s the opposite in Texarkana,” Mrs. Abston said. “ I feel like I am being judged for wearing a mask because so many people in this area think that it’s dumb or pointless.”

The CDC recommends wearing masks to protect yourself, along with stopping or slowing the spread of COVID. They also recommend a mask that has two or more layers, but also breathable. The most important thing is that the mask is worn properly, which is completely over the nose and mouth.

“I’m just paranoid that if I go in a place and they don’t require a mask, I just feel like I’m not doing enough to protect my parents that are older as well as my older church members,” Mrs. Abston said. “I This Thanksgiving we decided don’t know if I could deal with the fact of me giving them to set up tables outside for COVID and them getting really sick, which is always the kids and elderly, so that in the back of my mind.”

As of Nov. 29 they could spread out. Overall Even with COVID present, there are people who State Wide we mostly stayed outside and believe that individuals have the liberty to decide played games like football 287,3692 whether they want to wear a mask or not. and cards so we weren’t all “I’m kind of a person that If you do what Total Student Cases crammed in the house. you want to do, you do it. But I’m not going to - Gracie Carr (11) be in a huge group of people in public places 800,078 that could potentially have the Coronavirus in Staff Cases them,” senior Ashlynn Gonzales said. “I’m not going to judge people about being in a big gathering because I’ve been in one. If I did what would *Information from Deparment of State Health that tell everyone about me as a person?”

“

Services (Texas Public Schools COVID-19 Data)

“

for the

“

Home

COVID causes change in Christmas plans for students, faculty

6 sports Going Solo Isn’t the Way to Go For junior Alex Galvan, Fantasy Football means more than just the game itself.

“While I’m a very competitive person in general, considering I play football, I’m even more so with my family,” Alex said. “We play for fun, but since we’re checking up on our players throughout the week, it’s a great way for us to stay in touch.”

Even with the competitive side of the game, there are different reasons to start playing.

“The best part is that at the end of the day, Fantasy football is just a game and not reality,” Alex said.

“We’re a really competitive family so it matters to some level who wins, but we know that in the grand scheme of things it’s not a big deal, and it’s about the fact that we’re

S

aturday. For most students exhausted from school, that’s the most important day of the week. However, for others, Fridays and Mondays are the most important: Fridays for Hawk football games. And Monday for Fantasy Football drafting.

With school, sports, and clubs being canceled during quarantine, some students turned to this activity to fill up their time.

Fantasy Football is a math-based game that involves how player’s perform in real-

OFF THE

Field

Screen ON THE

Some Fantasy Football players are pros and some don’t know what it is, which goes to show that anyone can play

Want to be a Good Player?

From the physical field to a phone screen, football is a large part of senior Jaden Parker’s life.

“Because I play football and am very competitive, I obviously have an large interest in Fantasy Football and NFL games,” Jaden said. “When it comes to strategies on being a good player, you have to know how to analyze the players and what type of defense you’re going against.”

Because drafting only takes place once a week, with the option of an auto-draft, Fantasy Football isn’t time consuming or require the most NFL knowledge.

“While I’m not always the most passionate about Fantasy Football, but it’s something that I enjoy spending my time on off of the field,” Jaden said. “On top of that, it’s a great way to get people together in one place.”

life. Those who play can create their “dream team” of 16 NFL players at the start of every week. Game points are based off of points the players get on the field.

The total points from the starting lineup is the final weekly score. A higher score than an opponent in your league equals a win for that week. As the NFL season comes to an end, the league with the best win-loss records will enter the fantasy playoffs. After week 16, the one with the most points is crowned the league champion.

Cason Head [12]

Savannah Hoehn [12]

Nistha Neupane

Allie Forand

reporter

reporter

TAKING TAKING AA DIFFERENT DIFFERENT APPROACH APPROACH This year, senior Cason Head is doing things a bit differently.

“I missed out on other leagues during drafting, so I joined a girls’ league with my friends because I needed one to play in,” Cason said. “I thought it would be an easy win because not all of them have played.

Playing with them is different than I expected because they’ll rarely agree to trade players with me, but I love football and being in a league in general so I don’t mind.”

For senior Cason Head, Fantasy Football is a way to let out his competitive side.

“It’s a really competitive game and can get really heated, especially because of how intense I can get with it,” Cason said. “On top of that, playing it is another way to cheer on your team, learn more about football, and what teams are doing the best.”

A majority of Fantasy Football players may be guys, but that didn’t stop senior Savannah Hoehn from deciding to join, even with little background knowledge on football.

“I always hear my guy friends talking about it and thought it would be funny if the girls made a league, so I got all of my friends in on it,” Savannah said. “The best part is that even though we didn’t know a lot to start with, a few of us are ranked higher than some of the guys.”

A few hours a week is all it takes for her to stay up to date on recent games.

“Now, whenever I hear a lot of people talking about games that happened at school, I actually know what they’re talking about,” Savannah said. “It doesn’t matter to me that I’m a girl because I’m not any different from the guys. It all depends on how well your players can do in actual games and strategies you have.”

Top 5 Drafting Players 1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Panthers 2. Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants 3. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys 4. Michael Thomas, WR, Saints 5. Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints (nbcsports.com)

Top 5 Drafting Teams 1. Kansas City Chiefs 2. Seattle Seahawks 3. Baltimore Ravens 4. Buffalo Bills 5. Houston Texans (lineup.com)

“My favorite players to draft are guys like Davante Adams because they’re always a big threat and get lots of points.”

- Cade Haak (12)

sports 7

Starting the REESE ELROD [11]

Season

Due to their previous season being shortened due to COVID, the Hawks are still looking for their first playoff win in history. At the end of the season the Hawks were the third team in district, ready to face a team they had beaten in preseason in the first round, a round they’ve never made it past.

“I honestly felt really discouraged because I was just coming off of an injury, but I felt worse for my team because I knew how hard they worked for it [to get to playoffs],” junior Reese Elrod said.

“But things happen, and God has a purpose for everything.”

Along with other players, Reese will be coming off football season and going straight to soccer, having no break in between the two seasons.

“I mean it’s not that big of a deal to me,” Reese said. “It’s just a passion of sports you have to have to want to do it.”

While football has sold-out crowds, the soccer

“I’m really stoked for this season especially with all these great people, I’m very ready to start the season off with them.”

Winter sports begin for new and returning athletes

stands hold very few people who aren’t related to a player.

“It’s very different, obviously the hype gets me playing better with a better attitude,” Reese said.

“But I would say the thing that helps me the most is I’ve played club soccer my whole life and the audience is just the parents of the team.”

This year the football coaches are changing the boys athletic schedule and both football and soccer will be training twice a day, once for soccer and once for football.

“We will probably have soccer practice from 7 to till the end of the first period during the mornings and then in eighth period I’ll practice again with football,” Reese said. “It’s going to be tough, but I’m just going to have to take care of my body and pound water.”

KASON WRIGHT [11] Coming off a 12-14 overall record and 4-5 district record, the Hawks are ready to start up their season once again. Towards the end of last season, Kason Wright tore his patella tendon and was unable to play.

“I’m excited knowing last year I didn’t have my best season,” junior Kason Wright said. “Over the summer I worked and worked so hopefully it’ll pay off this year, I’m as ready as I’m gonna be.”

Basketball has always been a part of Kason’s life. He has been playing year-round since he was in the fourth grade which, his doctor believes, is why he tore his patella tendon.

“In basketball I’m constantly up in the air and landing. Because it’s [the court] such a hardwood floor,

over time its [his knee] just worn down,” Kason said.

This will be the first year Kason strictly plays with the varsity squad.

“I’m looking forward to having a role this year and being an important factor to the team, helping everyone out, and to knock down shots,” Kason said.

Though Kason will be coming back hoping to play the whole season with his consistent knee pain, he must take precautions to help his pain and protect his body.

“I stretch for like 30 minutes straight with the stretches the doctor gave me,” Kason said.

“About 4 hours before the game I take anti-inflammatory pills to help it [his knee] from flaming up.”

[ejones]

[shoehn]

[shoehn]

CATHERINE JOYCE [9] The Lady Hawks are coming back with an overall record of 8-5-1 and a district record of 4-3 after a shortened season last year due to COVID. The Lady Hawks feel they have a strong freshman class moving up this year including Catherine Joyce.

“I think that being on varsity is a huge privilege, especially when you’re a freshman,” Catherine said.

Because of added numbers in the sport, competition for varsity spots has increased.

“I feel like I am not given anything because I haven’t earned anything yet,” Catherine said. “So if I want to be able to start in our first few games, I’m going to have to work really hard for it.”

Before high school, Catherine has only played against girls her age, but as a freshman in high school soccer, she could be playing girls up to four years older.

“It’s intimidating because I know that even if I have the same skill level as someone who is a senior, I am not going to be as [dtuttlebee] built as them yet because I’m brand new,” Catherine said. “I’m not going to be as mentally prepared for it [high school games] because I have never experienced it, but I’m really excited to figure it out.”

She also looks forward to becoming a part of the team, despite these age differences.

“I am most excited about growing closer to everyone and being able to take the energy that is off the field and being able to put it on the field,” Catherine said.

JAZZ MOSES [11] Last year the Lady Hawks basketball team finished the season with an impressive record: 28-5 overall and 8-0 in district. After taking the district championship, they made it to the regional semi-finals in the playoffs.

And then the team graduated six seniors, an entire starting line-up plus one, and left the team with only juniors and underclassmen for the upcoming season.

As one of the remaining underclassmen, junior Jazz Moses feels responsible for the roles the seniors usually carry.

“This year I have to be the bigger person and step up because there are no other seniors, so all the juniors are the leading people,” Jazz said. “I feel like we have a bigger role to play and make everybody better because they look up to us.”

The juniors have had to figure

out themselves the best ways to motivate and guide their team.

“Since it’s our first year on varsity and leading everybody, it’s kinda hard because we didn’t get to see how they [the seniors] lead their team or how they would lead,” Jazz said.

As the Lady Hawks begin their season, they are learning how to work with one another in the most effective ways possible.

“I just want for us to work together and be together as a team, not us trying to do everyone’s job for them,” Jazz said.

Despite this years challenges, the young Lady Hawks have high expectations going into this season.

“We are definitely better than everyone thinks,” Jazz said. “Just because we are a younger team this year, they think we are not capable of winning, but we really are.”

8 sports 1. Corbin Shine (12) and Jaden Parker (12) hype up the team before the game.

2. Logan Johnson (12) cries after loss against Caddo Mills in the third round of the playoffs. [ebeck] 3. Logan Johnson runs the ball in a playoff game against Caddo Mills. [ahilton]

going D-1 1.

2.

With the season and semester ending, seniors Marcus Burris, Nick Martin and Landon Jackson will graduate early and go to college for football. Marcus will attend Texas A&M , Nick is going to Oklahoma State, and Landon is going to LSU. They are graduating at the semester to

Marcus Burris

get an early jump on the competition at their positions.

“It will get me a jump start because I will get to workout with the team early, learn the playbook, and possibly play in the spring game,” Nick said. “I want to play early and leaving early will give me a good chance to.”

Landon Jackson

Nick Martin

THE STATS 19 offers total All-State first team DL 4A-D2 Defensive MVP

THE STATS 30 offers total All-State Defensive Player of the year

THE STATS 14 offers total All-State first team LB

WHERE HE’S HEADED Texas A&M University

WHERE HE’S HEADED Louisiana State University

WHERE HE’S HEADED Oklahoma State University

“I hope to leave a message that anything is possible. I would have never thought I’d be in the position I am now when I first started. I know a bunch of those younger guys can be in the same position if the work hard and believe in themselves, the coaches, and the whole PG program.”

“I will mainly do a whole lot of therapy and be in the training room because I broke my ankle, but I will also have a lot of classes as well,” he said.

“Really, I will be focused on getting my body the way it needs to be before next season.”

“I will miss my teammates, my coaches, the whole Pleasant Grove family,” he said. “It will never be this pure again man. I’m going to miss it all! Football here has made me more determined and made me the hard worker I am today. It has honestly shaped the person I am.”

“ “ “One part of me is happy that it is over and another part of me is sad because I won’t be with all of the people I have been around and played with for four years. In a way though, I see this as a new beginning for me. I now have time to get a job or just enjoy the time I can spend outside of school.”

- Tyler Foreman (12)

3.

“The senior class was a bunch of leaders to us and we don’t have many juniors this year so we are gonna have to step it up next year.

They have always brought energy and taught us to always go full tilt. We don’t want to be the class to fall out so we are going to have to go further next year.”

- Rylan Hopkins (11)

a lasting Nathan Hutcheson

reporter

4. The Hawks line up at the line of scrimmage before the play. [jjones] 5. Sam Bradshaw (12) avoids a tackle after catching a pass. [ejones] 6. Nick Martin breaks a tackle in a game against the North Lamar Panthers. [ejones]

4.

5.

i

It wasn’t the way they had wanted to end the season. It definitely wasn’t what they’d planned.

After three straight trips to the state championship game, the Hawks lost 34-31 in the third round of the playoffs to the Caddo Mills Foxes. The score was close throughout the game, and with five minutes left on the clock, the Hawks threw a potential game-winning touchdown.

However, they couldn’t hold the Foxes, and with 30 seconds remaining, the Foxes answered, leaving the Hawks with no time to score again.

The team finished 9-4 on the season and second in district play.

It is the first time that the Hawks did not make it to the state championship game or win district since 2016.

The team started the year 2-2 before district play, with big wins over Nashville and Silsbee, but losses to Carthage and Argyle. The Hawks remained undefeated in district with wins against Pittsburg, North Lamar, Springhill and LibertyEylau, until a loss against Gilmer in their last conference game.

The team battled injuries throughout the season. The Hawks had two of the best defensive ends in the nation that were out for the season. They also had other key players who were unable to play.

sports 9 “It played a huge role,” senior Alex Murphy said. “Losing guys like Landon Jackson and Marcus Burris is something hard to overcome. We as a team didn’t allow that to have any negative impact and we did a great job of that. It was very unfortunate because those two would have helped us out so much but I was proud of where we got despite all the adversary.”

Murphy also talked about the difficulty the team faced all season.

“I feel like the season was very challenging considering all the things we went through as a team,” he said. “To say how proud I am though would be an understatement. These guys didn’t allow for any excuses and pushed to overcome so many things thrown at us. While it didn’t go our way in the end, I can truly say that my time here at Pleasant Grove has been nothing short of amazing.”

The team is losing 23 seniors this year.

“I feel like the players that were on varsity this year will have to turn themselves into better leaders, myself included, to push the team further on the field and at practice,” junior Jaylen Woodside said. “The younger group will have to put the same amount of work in that the teams have in the past in order to succeed.”

6.

7. Jalen Pastchol (12) hypes up the crowd during a playoff game against Caddo Mills. [ahilton] 8. Reed Buck (12) leads the Hawks out of the tunnel before a game. [ajenkins]

7.

Football seniors fall short of goal but leave behind a four-year tradition of success

legacy Spencer Richardson

reporter

8.

10 centerspread

centerspread 11

T

oilet paper shortage

K

In late March when many states across the country issued shelter in-place orders in response to COVID-19, people began panicbuying large amounts of household goods, including toilet paper.

B

lack Lives Matter

The Black Lives Matter movement was particularly relevant this summer, inspiring many civil protests and activism on social media. The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others shocked the nation and brought up social issues like police brutality and systemic racism.

“BLM [Black Lives Matter] was such a big movement because I think people were starting to understand what Black Lives Matter was,” junior D’nae Williams said. “So much happened this year and people were finally taking notice after all of the shootings and killings that have been happening to Black people.”

obe Bryant Died

2020

US basketball legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in California on Jan. 26. Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, were among nine killed.

C

W

G

OVID-19

COVID-19. The disease that’s ruled 2020. The World Health Organization first learned of this new virus on Dec. 31 2019, and here we are still living through it. Let’s keep our fingers crossed next year we won’t live under the thumb of a pandemic.

Here’s the highlights of everything that‘s happened from Jan. to Dec.

ender Reveal Party

U

The Department of Defense formally released three Navy videos that contain “unidentified aerial phenomena.”

Enthusiasts were encouraged, though there was nothing new to be found in the video.

O

lympics cancellation

Another tragedy struck, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are being postponed for summer of 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic. The event will still be held in Tokyo. The last time the Olympics had to be rescheduled was in 1940, where you guessed it was meant to be held in Tokyo Japan. Coincidence?

X

Jazmin Hever

co-editor

reporter

A akers

The Lakers won the NBA championship on Oct. 20. They beat the Miami Heat 106-93 in a unique season without fans in attendance.

.F.O’s Made an Appearance

W3 Memes

Twitter thought WW3 memes were cute in January. I don't know who needs to hear this, but we probably shouldn't make memes out of acts of war that threaten to bring about the collapse of global peace. But after President Donald Trump ordered a U.S. drone strike on Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, that's where our heads were at in the beginning of the year.

L

A gender-reveal party gone wrong on Sept.

5 sparked California on fire. Known as the El Dorado Fire, the expecting couple used a “pyrotechnic device” that shot clouds of smoke into the air. It was a boy by the way.

Delaynie Keeney

-X AE A-12

No this isn’t a bar code it’s actually the controversial baby name of Elon Musk & Grimes.

The couple welcomed their baby on May 4.

“My reaction was ‘why would you name a child that? How do you even pronounce it?” freshman Cooper Hearn said.

“I wouldn’t want that name because it’d suck to spell and to explain it when substitutes called roll.”

Despite releasing in 2018, the spacethemed game boosted in popularity this year because popular streamers on online game streaming platforms started to play.

“On our way to cross country meets the team used to play Among Us,” junior Lydia Colvin said. “And it was such a fun bonding experience.”

P

ress Play

During the pandemic many artists were able to work on surprise albums and release more content.

“I was the most excited for “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon,” junior Joshua James said. “After Pop Smoke died, the fans wanted one more album from him and it didn’t disappoint.”

mpeachment

45th president Donald Trump was acquitted of both articles of impeachment by the Senate on Feb. 5 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

H

J

M

Joe Biden was elected the presidentelect of the U.S. He defeated president Donald Trump in this year’s presidential election and will be inaugurated as the 46th president on Jan. 20, 2021.

Y

egxit

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced in Jan. they’re stepping down from their duties as senior royals in Buckingham Palace.

outube Scandals

E

S

urprise Me Drinks

F

lection

The 2020 presidential election was a doozy. Even though Election Day was on Nov. 3, the results of the election were delayed for several days because states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada were still counting ballots.

There were so many, Whatever the heck is going on with Shane Dawson, Jeffree Star, James Charles, Tati Westbrook, apology videos, cancel culture, oh and no YouTube 2020 rewind. Yay?

If you don’t know what to try or you feel like you’ve tried everything at Starbucks, ask for a surprise. All you have to do is go up to the counter and say, “Surprise me!”

“I only get them [surprise me drinks] whenever I’m not craving a certain drink or have my heart set on something,” senior Holly Thornton said. “I’ve never gotten the same thing, or anything close. Needless to say, I’ve made my way around the menu.”

ly on Pence’s Head

The star of the vice presidential debate, which aired on Oct. 7, was the fly that landed on Republican nominee Mike Pence’s head. Trust me, if you didn’t see it during the debate, there’s enough memes to appreciate the fly now.

N

ornets: Murder Edition

“Murder Hornets,” were discovered in North America around May. They’re known officially as Asian giant hornets, but they get their murderous title by viciously biting the heads off of honeybees. Despite their namesake, they’re only a threat to bee populations. The sting will hurt a little, but don’t let that keep you from going outside.

“I don’t like wasps or hornets, period,” senior Caitlyn Dyer said. “I mean, they never cam to Texarkana, but they still worried me.”

oe Biden

mong Us

I

Q

uarantine

Remember in March when we wore pajamas all day and finished out the second semester from home? Let’s just say our bed wasn’t the best learning environment.

“Quarantine’s pretty easy to manage and get stuff done, but it definitely has its downsides,” junior Michael Glenn said.

“There’s less opportunities, limits on what I can do, and overall growth as a student.”

R

V

.B.G. Died

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Sept. 18, leaving a seat on the court open. This set up a battle about filling her seat before the election.

etflix Originals

Netflix released a lot of their own content this year. To name a few: Tiger King, Too Hot to Handle, Cheer, and Outer Banks were all big hits throughout quarantine. Tiger King, which aired on March 20, was especially popular.

“It’s Tiger King, how could you not like it!” senior Koby Trusty said. “I dressed up like Joe Exotic for Halloween. Tiger King was the normal compared to the rest of this year. My favorite parts were when they were talking trash about Carole Baskin.”

oter Turnout

The votes casted in the 2020 election resulted in the biggest voter turnout in history. The Washington Post reports 66 percent of the voting eligible population cast a ballot.

D

Z

oom Calls

People stayed connected to one another via zoom calls during quarantine. Classes, youth groups, extracurricular activities, you name it, there was a zoom for it.

“I was on Zoom calls with theater for workouts. My friends would choose weird backgrounds like Shrek scenes,” sophomore Allyana Galvan said. “I’m glad I don’t have to zoom with people anymore.”

onald Trump tweeted:

“The Lamestream Media is doing everything within their power to foment hatred and anarchy. As long as everybody understands what they are doing, that they are FAKENEWS and truly bad people with a sick agenda, we can easily work through them to GREATNESS!” on May 31.

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feature 13

A

year and a half ago Kimberly and Katlyn Phan arrived in Texarkana from the Philippines, with their father who got a job here working in a nail salon. While their mother stayed behind in the Philippines, that didn’t stop Kimberly from doing her best here.

“It makes me study harder. I like to make her proud even though she is not here, so when she sees our grades it makes her proud,” Kimberly said.

Kimberly and Katlyn both had some experience with English before moving to Texarkana, but speaking it was a bit new.

“Even though we know how to speak

English it is still hard for us to speak it, because in the Philippines we don’t really speak English we speak more Tagalog,” Kimberly said.

Moving always calls for adapting to new surroundings, but for the girls it wasn’t just to a new house.

“The states are really different from the Philippines so it’s different from what I’m used to. Texarkana is a small town and every student knows each other so it’s hard fitting in,” Kimberly said. “We are new in the town where everyone knows each other and that’s one of the adjustments we have to do”.

What is it like being the big/little sister?

7

1

Questions

Kimberly: It’s fun but at the same time its not, sometimes you get to tell your sister what to do but most of the time, since you’re the older one you also have a lot of other things to do like helping her with that kind of stuff.

Katlyn: It’s tough, because my sister is always getting in trouble. My mom is like “What did you two do? You are being suspicious.” I’m going to say I didn’t do anything. It was my sister who got in trouble a lot.

2

What is your dream Job? Kimberly: A general surgeon, I want to become a surgeon because I really like helping people with their illnesses. I like watching videos of children in Africa and I want in any way to help them because I think like us they deserve medical services.

Katlyn: Biochemist, it’s really cool, and it looks like fun. It looks amazing to do something like that. You make medicines and the salary is good too. You get to make and find things.

with the Phan sisters Filipino sisters adjust to life in Texarkana Sarah Hale

reporter

5

Has it been hard without your mom?

3

What do you like about TXK? Kimberly: I really like the people. They are really friendly. When we first moved here we were really scared because we thought people would treat us differently but they are really kind.

Katlyn: The people are good. They are kind and friendly and they are really talkative, It is also really quiet here.

Kimberly: Yes, it is hard because when we first moved here, my dad works so much it was especially hard for my sister because she is a lot closer to her so its very hard.

Katlyn: It’s really hard without her. I really miss her. When I was still in the Philippines I always talked to her and I always saw her. I always say I love you. But here I always say I really miss her on the phone, I always call her, chat her, and that’s all.

7

4

What is your hardest class?

Kimbery: Right now anatomy is my hardest class because it’s more on memorization and there is a lot of things to memorize.

Katlyn: Probably geography, it’s a lot of something to readww and review because it’s history right. I hate, it my brain doesn’t like it.

6

What scares you the most?

Kimberly: Its kind of ridiculous. I don’t like frogs. They scare me. I don’t know why but they scare me, and of course losing my family.

Katlyn: Cockroaches, they are disgusting, they have a lot of feet and they are creepy.

What is your favorite holiday?

Kimberly: Christmas, because in the Philippines Christmas is a time we get together as a family and celebrate Christmas and New Years. It’s really fun because we get to do stuff together as a family and we eat together and play games.

Katlyn: Christmas, you’re enjoying with the family, celebrating them and giving gifts.

14 feature

TRUTH BE TOLD Phrases like “laptops aren’t for laps” or “milk helps your bones grow stronger” are often blurted out and immediately accepted among the group hearing them.

Despite having no factual basis, the majority accepts these phrases and moves on with a false sense of knowledge, feeling a little bit more informed than

Exploding Tomatoes As a kid, when my mom, brother, and I went on a picnic, my mom had baby tomatoes. I told her I wanted one and my brother said that I shouldn’t eat one because it would explode in my mouth, so I was always scared to eat it because I believed it would explode in my mouth. To this day, I have still never eaten a baby tomato.

I’ve come to reality and realized that baby tomatoes won’t explode if I eat them, but as a kid, it always concerned me when I would see another kid eat a tomato. Even when my brother would eat one, he would jump a little bit to show me that it exploded.

- Olivia Kirk (12)

Electronics Cause Cancer One of my friends mom told me that electronics can cause cancer. She told you me to get something for my phone that if you rubbed your finger over it would take away the things that were supposed to hurt you somehow. To like “rub the cancer off ”, I never got one though.

I didn’t believe that part that seriously, but I used to be scared that if I left my electronics on me for too long I would get cancer. So when I would use my laptop on my bed, I would put a pillow in between it and my lap so it would block whatever could give me cancer. I still think about it when I rest my phone on me while I sleep, but I do type with my laptop on my lap now.

- Madilyn Morse (12)

Sausage Fingers Someone also told me that if you pop your knuckles, they get fat and my grandma told me if I popped them I would never be able to fit a ring on my finger. And I didn’t want sausage fingers, so I didn’t pop my knuckles. I’ll pop my knuckles when I’m stressed or taking a test, but that’s about it.

- Madilyn Morse (12)

Commonly believed phrases are revealed as false after students have heard them for years

before. The more these phrases are said, the more they are accepted as truth and repeated to others, further spreading the lie.

Many students heard things like this growing up from their parents, only to later find they are completely inaccurate through conversations with

friends or seeing viral “I was today years old when I learned” posts. These rumors have ranged anywhere from fake laws, inaccurate food rules, and even, making up people who don’t really exist. Some of these outrageous beliefs became so ingrained, students were shocked to discover their scientific fallacies late in life.

Pretty Girl Club

Alex Norton co-editor

My mom taught me not to pick my nose because I wouldn’t get in the pretty-girl club. It made me upset and I felt like I needed to be in the club so I didn’t pick my nose anymore. I didn’t figure out till I was like 7 it didn’t exist.

- Gracie Carr (11)

Watermelon Babies She also said that if I ate a watermelon seed, a watermelon would grow in my tummy. So every summer we would always do this shrimp boil thing and we would have watermelon afterwards and then I would eat the seeds and everybody in my family would scream at me to not eat the seeds and I would start crying because I was scared a watermelon would grow in my stomach.

- Gracie Carr (11)

Delia Tuttlebee co-editor

Believing the Lies Poll reveals the overwhelming belief of these common but false claims *150 students polled from pgstudentmedia

Lights out I always heard that if you turn the light on in the car that you could get pulled over because it’s illegal. And that if you rolled your eyes, they would get stuck in the back of your head.

I’ll definitely tell my kids these things too because I want my kids to have a fun experience, a learning experience growing up. I’ll also tell my kids about the tooth fairy and Santa, and I might make up some of my own things.

64%

of students believe drinking milk is linked to making your bones stronger

54%

of students believe going outside with wet hair increases chances getting a cold

58%

of students believe coffee dehydrates you

- Ciara Brookober (10)

In reality:

lol sorry i didnt realize how small they wer

Drinking milk has no direct impact on bone development, colds are viruses and the temperature, wet hair combination has no impact on sickness, and the amount of water used to brew coffee makes up for the dehydration effect of caffeine, leaving no hydration effect.

art [shoehn]

eispoo erew yeht llams woh ezilaer tndid i yrros lol

feature 15

What’s on

 YOUR 

MIND?  Emma Crabtree

Spencer Richardson

reporter

reporter

Using ‘theoretical mind matter,’ students using the Randonaut app can take journeys that seemingly align with their thoughts -at least that’s what the app description says

 



There’s nothing to do in Texarkana.

Not much argument about that, and with COVID restrictions, finding somewhere to go is an even bigger challenge.

A new app called Randonautica added one more thing on the list of things to do.

After downloading the app, you choose a theme or a word, set a radius to determine the area you want to stay within, and the app uses “mind matter interaction paired with quantum energy” to send you on a journey that seems to align with your thoughts.

A “Randonaut trip” can be long or short and can be a drive or a walk. You start off by choosing from four different types of anomalies, something that deviates from what is normal or expected: attractors, voids, power anomalies and blind spots.

Attractors are dense clusters of random points in your radius and voids are clusters with a low density. Power anomalies will deliver a destination of either attractor or void, depending on which one is stronger.

Blind spots are just simply random points.

After picking your anomaly, you can either set an intent or just tell the app what you want to find by setting a “manifest,” or simply see where it takes you.

Seniors Sapana Pokhrel and Emma Sanderson found out about the app because it was a current TikTok craze. They tried it out several times and found some interesting things,but they were clueless as to whether they should believe in them or not.

“We manifested my dog running away a

couple of years ago,” Sapana said. “We were thinking of my dog and saying his name and driving around. It gave us options, and it asked if we wanted a field or one location.”

Very skeptical as to what could be found, Sapana and Emma agreed to follow the app’s plans to play the game.

“It took us to private property so we couldn’t go in, but then we realized we were in Dogwood. We just kind of laughed and said how that was kind of a funny coincidence,” Emma said. “We tried again another time and it took us to the Bringle Dog Park and we started freaking out. We refused to get out of the car because it was at night and we were pretty scared.”

Since the app is said to manifest or condone things that you think about, they decided to try it again before believing in the quantum forces and theories used in the app.

“The second time that we went, we were looking for a red rose bush, and it took us 7 minutes from where we were, and it took us out past Summerhill. The exact location that they took us to was the pinpoint of the red rose bushes. We turned the corner and there were red rose bushes,” Sapana said. “We both screamed in the car because we were so terrified that this app actually worked. It was very frightening to me because you never know what you are going to see.”

While it’s difficult to tell whether the game is true about what it can manifest or not, it is still a fun experience.

Confirmation bias (n) - tendency to find new evidence as confirmation 



of your previous belief.

but is it real?

While the app might seem that it is locating and sending you to locations with “high levels of energy,” in reality it is just completely random. The app uses a random number generator to find a location within a set radius of your location. It doesn’t matter what type of anomaly you pick, it is just completely random.

The popular education YouTuber, VSauce, breaks down the science behind it. Your brain uses a combination of confirmation bias and “the law of near enough” to make you believe that it’s real. Confirmation bias is the tendency to find new evidence as confirmation of your previous beliefs.

This means that you are only looking for things that support it being true and ignoring anything that doesn’t. The law of near enough says that if things are close enough to being true, then your brain thinks that it is.

So is it really true? Probably not.

But at the end of the day it is fun to explore the possibility of the Random Quantum Forces and the energy of anomalies.

Random

Explorations



Taking a trip through the ‘quantum forces,’ students try out the Randonautica app around Texarkana

Ramsey Noble (11), Whitt Miller (10) and Spencer Potts (10) get ready for their Randonaut trip [Submitted]

After learning about the new Randonautica app from TikTok, sophomore Whitt Miller, junior Ramsey Noble, and sophomore Spencer Potts decided to download the game.

“The first place it tried to take us was an abandoned field. We didn’t find anything, but we kept walking and we found a nuclear power plant on Summerhill Road,” Ramsey said. “If you keep driving down Summerhill, there’s this large white building that looks like a chess piece, and we walked down there. It looked like it was some sort of aircraft control center.”

Wandering farther onto the land, they started getting worried about what they might find.

“We walked through this field, and saw ‘no trespassing’ signs. It was a little frightening because we were worried that someone was going to kidnap us,” Whitt said, “but playing the game was fun and weird so we decided to keep playing.”

Easton Jones (12), Cami Bruyns (12), Caleb Jones (9) on their Randonaut trip [EJones]

Riding around Texarkana, seniors Easton Jones and Savannah Hoehn decided to play the game Randonautica, hoping to see an alpaca.

“We wanted to find an alpaca so that’s what we manifested. Then we hit the coordinate button,” Savannah said.

Not knowing where they were headed, they were skeptical about the drive.

“We ended up going on New Boston Road near this empty field by an old abandoned house,” Easton said. “The directions told us to go a quarter mile into the woods that there was a trail that we could follow.”

   

The EDGE experiment From the driver’s side seat, I turned on my blinker and turned into a long gravel driveway. We had manifested “blue,” but where we drove down to turn around there was nothing there. And then out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of something blue. It was a rundown blue building that could not be seen from the road. Spencer and I were both weirded out by the situation and decided to manifest something else.

After talking about sports, we decided on basketball.

Spencer then clicked the coordinate button, and we were taken to a neighborhood off Summerhill. We drove through the neighborhood very slowly trying to find something about basketball. We got to the second to last house in the neighborhood, and sitting right in front of us was a basketball goal. We were wondering how coincidental this situation could have been, so as we drove out of this neighborhood we counted every house that had a basketball goal.

We decided to try it one more time and hit the coordinate button after we decided to manifest Christmas.

We went to an empty field off King’s Highway right in front of Atwood’s. We saw small trees that looked like evergreen trees. However the exact coordinates that we were going to go to were in the woods, and we didn’t feel comfortable walking in the woods, so we may never know if there was actually an evergreen tree in the woods past the small field.

16 entertainment

FA LA LA

Cadence Pov

Movies

reporter

Countdown to Christmas Hallmark Hallmark Channel continues their annual tradition of featuring their original holiday movies. Starting as early as October, there are 40 new movies set to air. Some of the movies airing are “Christmas Comes Twice” on Dec. 13 and “A Christmas Carousel” on Dec. 19.

The Princess Switch Netflix “The Princess Switch: Switched Again” was released on Nov. 19 and stars Vanessa Hudgens as a princess and her two look-alikes.

10 Airpods Case For the iPhone user, an airpods case comes in different colors and designs.

Where to get it: Target, Amazon Price range: $6-$9

Reusable Straws For those who don’t want to waste too much plastic, a pack of eight reusable straws is perfect for them.

Where to get it: Target Price range: $8-9

Mini Waffle Maker If you’re looking for something practical, a mini waffle maker is perfect for the chef in your life.

Where to get it: Bed Bath and Beyond, Target Price range: $9

Gifts Under

10

drop and stores start playing ‘All I Want For A s temperatures Christmas Is You’, the season of gift giving, drinking

hot chocolate and watching Christmas movies on the couch is here. Check out the latest movies, albums and gift ideas.

A Holly Dolly Christmas Dolly Parton Dolly Parton released her third Christmas album on Oct. 2, featuring guest appearances by Miley Cyrus and Michael Buble.

Albums My Gift Carrie Underwood Carrie Underwood released her first Christmas album on Sept.

25. The album features 11 songs, including eight traditional covers and three originals. One of the covers is “Little Drummer Boy” featuring her son Isaiah Fisher.

Dollars Key Ring Hold keys and other keychains with a colorful and trendy key ring.

Where to get it: Urban Outfitters, Amazon Price range: $5-9

Popcorn Succulent For the plant lover, mini succulents are perfect around Christmas time.

Where to get it: Lowe’s, Amazon Price range: Lowest is $5

The perfect gift for a sweet tooth would be a bag of gourmet popcorn in flavors such as caramel and funfetti.

Where to get it: Amazon Price range: Lowest is $7

Burt’s Bees Lip Kit

Cable Bite These cable critters protect wires and chargers from breaking. Gift buyers can choose to get a bunny, tiger, clownfish, or other animals as the cable protector.

Where to get it: Amazon Price range: $5-8

Burt’s Bees released a limited edition pack of four lip balms, with flavors such as peppermint, mint cocoa, salted caramel, and vanilla.

Where to get it: Walmart Price range: $9

Colorful Socks From food to animals, a pack of colorful patterned socks is the way to go for someone fun and stylish.

Where to get it: Target Price range: $5-9

Mug Give your loved ones a custom mug for them to drink hot chocolate from.

Where to get it: Walmart Price range: $5-7

ads 17

Grafted

Student Ministries

Sundays 6-8 p.m.

Wednesdays 6:15-8 p.m.

Fellowship Bible Church 1601 Moores Lane

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18 opinion

SENIOR JOURNAL

The Reason I Try

Spencer Richardson reporter It’s hard to believe that in March we were supposed to quarantine for two weeks and then the virus would disappear. But then two weeks turned into three, three weeks turned into six, and six weeks turned into the rest of the year. I spent almost an entire semester in my bed, doing school work for an hour a day and sleeping or playing video games for the rest. But here we are, nine months later, with the virus at its peak, and we are at school with almost everything in full swing.

I do however feel like I have been cheated out of part of my high school experience and I’ve had to go through the seven stages of grief in order to deal with this disappointment.

1. Shock.

When the virus started spreading more and more, I initially didn’t know what to think. The thought of not being able to have a “normal senior year” was just something I had never thought about.

2. Denial I started pretending that everything would magically go back to normal and that the whole thing would blow over. I forgot it about it over the summer and acted as if nothing was wrong.

3. Anger I kept asking, “why this is happening to me and what I did to deserve this?” I was just so aggravated at the world and I was acting as if I was the only person in the world who was affected by this.

4. Bargaining I still wanted to do everything that we’ve done in the past, such as the homecoming dance and pep-rallies, but when we tried proposing the ideas, we got shut down every time.

5. Depression I realized that this year just wouldn’t be what I wanted no matter how hard I tried to change that. I just needed to move on.

6. Testing I tried finding ways to hang out with friends and do things outside of school to keep me busy. I picked up things such as golf or learning to play the piano to help give me something to do.

7. Acceptance At this point in the year, I realize that I should be grateful for what I have.

I can still go to school, I can still see my friends, and I can still find ways to enjoy my senior year. I know it’s not what we all had in mind but I think at the end of the day, we should all be grateful for what we have and have hope that this will all just be something our kids read about during their history class.

Why do I try so hard?

That’s something I’ve been asked for as long as I can remember. Every time I’ve lent a hand.

Every time I’ve aced a test. Every time I’ve won a game. And the list goes on.

Now and then, the reason I try so hard is a mystery to me too. Because, honestly, who’s going to remember five Nistha Neupane years from now if I make a 98 on a test? Who’s reporter going to care about all of the games? The truth is, for me, being a “try hard” goes a lot deeper than some measly report card or an unmemorable victory.

It feels like yesterday. The day my threeyear-old self raced into our house in Nepal from playing outside and heard whispers behind the living room door. Of course, being a curious kid, I eagerly walked towards the voices, and I took in a breath as my toddler mind sensed something was about to change.

The past few years of my parents leaving their jobs with a newborn child, facing countless rejections, studying late at night for the TOEFL exam (Test for English as a foreign language), and filling out hundreds of graduate school applications, all with little money, was in hope of one goal. The goal of going to America.

I laid my head against the door as I discovered that the hard work and struggle had all been worth it.

That’s when being a “try hard” child took

its form. Because I saw, even at a young age, that anything was possible with faith and effort. Regardless of where you start out. And regardless of people who don’t believe in you.

A year later, after getting off the plane in Austria where we almost got sent back because of the corrupt immigration system, we finally arrived in Chicago, and we got our first taste of American life. And, no, it didn’t include Starbucks. Little did I know that my family’s struggle of creating a new life was only beginning. It was like we’d opened a box of puzzles, but opening it did little in putting the pieces together to form a picture.

The next decade of our lives consisted of hard work and simply learning. Learning stretching from how to use a refrigerator and microwave for the first time, figuring out complicated bus routes because we didn’t have a car, and (verb) intimidating first days of school every time we had to move state to state.

Moving alone was never the hard part because I loved seeing the world. The hardest part came with every trip around the school cafeteria alone. With every new relationship I had to build from scratch. With every gut feeling that would tell me I had gone back to square one. What I didn’t see all those years ago is that I was never truly alone. I never really started back on square one.

Every time I moved. Every new relationship I built. Every hardship along the way. They all formed me into someone who can adapt easily to new environments. Someone who knows how to read peoples’ emotions and intentions. Someone who never takes what she

doesn’t earn. And someone who is grateful for everything that life, and America, has to offer.

As cheesy as the saying goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is the most accurate thing one can hear. Like everyone, I also have a cover: The daughter of a mathematics professor.

The student who never fails to do an assignment. The girl who has a passion for volunteer work. And the girl with Ivy League school pennants on her bedroom wall.

What I don’t say aloud is how the path to where my family and I currently are started from the bottom up. That behind my cover, I’m from a background where getting to school meant walking miles in the Himalayas with either flimsy sandals or barefoot (Which is how my parents grew up). Where life meant growing enough food every harvest, and studying, if any time remained after working in the fields, was done not by the strong light of a lamp, but of a dimming candle.

Now, to answer the question from the very start. The true reason I try so hard is because putting in effort is all that I’ve ever known how to do. It’s what pushes me to want to make a difference. To this day, I live by what my parents always remind me: “Everyone faces hardships, but it’s all for a reason. Let it be the reason you try harder. Because struggle is the most meaningful when you can use it to make a difference in other lives.”

It’s Not All in My Head It came out of nowhere. I saw a row of boat seats flying co-editor at my car, and I didn’t know what to do. I just froze.

The next thing I knew, I was driving on top of my bumper and screaming to my mom, asking her what I was supposed to do. It was 9:30 p.m. and we were just outside of Austin, about 30 minutes from our hotel. I had worked a six-hour shift at work that morning and got straight on the road to head to a funeral.

The next morning I woke up with typical post-wreck soreness. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. The school year started the following day, so I went back to school and athletics like usual. The more things I did, the weirder I felt. I was too dizzy to walk straight at times, extremely nauseous, and had a constant pounding headache. I felt weak and I was confused, so I assumed what any normal person would assume: COVID-19.

I was told that I should leave school to get

Alex Norton

tested, which I did, but my test came back negative. My mom began to piece it together: maybe I got a concussion from the accident because I’ve had a few concussions in the past, including when I cut my head open, when I was hit in the head with a softball and the time I got a concussion from a previous car accident. It’s a pretty long history.

Fast forward four months, two brain scans, and six doctor’s appointments later, the concussion is still very much present. There isn’t anything physically wrong with my brain other than the fact that it’s causing me a lot of pain. I’ve tried taking on fewer responsibilities so I could rest more, exercising a little bit, and I recently started taking migraine medication.

But nothing is working.

Because this concussion has lasted so long, I convinced myself that I had serious medical problems. I assumed that I had a brain aneurysm or some type of tumor, something much more serious than a concussion. I

can’t tell you how many nights I stayed awake because I was worried that there was something wrong with me, and sometimes I would make myself physically sick just thinking about it. Even after I got a CT that came back clear, I thought the scan just missed something.

I was so worried about something that didn’t exist that I couldn’t do anything. I could barely breathe.

I’ve learned to be more cautious. I know that if I get another serious concussion it could affect my basic motor skills, so there are some things that I can’t do anymore. But I’m not going to live in a bubble. I probably won’t be in the pit of any more loud concerts, but I’ll still listen to music and dance with my friends. These concussions are teaching me to be cautious and protective of myself, and I’m thankful that I don’t have any serious permanent brain damage. Let’s hope I can keep it that way.

opinion 19

STAFF EDITORIAL Club Pres

THE BIKE CLUB

talking

Should students be allowed to eat in class?

FOR US!

Club Pres

Club Pres

•Noah Rayburn

Student involvement requires more than just joining Each semester, clubs and organizations on campus participate in a variety of service projects in the community as well as at school, setting up for fundraisers and other events and encouraging school spirit. These volunteer opportunities are normally led by the teachers in charge of the clubs but require student involvement to get work done efficiently. Although NHS, STUCO, Keyettes, and other clubs often have similar goals and tasks, there is one thing that has even greater commonality--the students volunteering. At the majority of club events, about 20 of the same students give their time, money, and energy. These participants rarely vary, and the same group consistently shows up to help with club activities. This lack of wide student involvement needs to change.

As the second semester starts, students need to make a point of getting involved rather than leaving all of the work to a small group. Doing so will not only give those students better resumes and a broader high school experience, but will also boost school spirit and allow jobs to get done more quickly and efficiently.

Although students are consistently told it is important to have a strong resume, many make a point of joining clubs but stop short of actually becoming active in them. The name of a service club looks good on a resume, but is not enough. Using

nowyou’re

service experiences in your college essays and having recommendations from club leaders speak much more loudly. In order to have outstanding college applications, individuals must be able to cite the volunteer opportunities they received and share what they learned as a result of these experiences.

There is no doubt that students can gain helpful skills and characteristics from helping on and off campus even without extremely difficult work. Volunteering in club activities activities is rarely difficult or strenuous; but leaders simply need students willing to give up some of their time to decorate, clean, or work a concession stand. Events consist mostly of being with other students and provide time to just hang out. Being involved will offer opportunities to grow relationships with students of all ages and interests and give them a common purpose.

With all of this in mind, an influx of involvement will bring the school together and take a load off club leaders and the relatively small group of consistent student workers. Whether because of holiday spirit or as a New Year’s resolution, students should consider increasing their involvement in school clubs and organizations. A surge of student involvement will benefit our school as well as make an impact on the community as a whole.

Because of COVID, administrators announced last month that students were no longer allowed to eat snacks in class. The reason was the fact that even if they were eating only their own food, students would have to remove their masks while eating and could expose others sitting around them. However, students who have last lunch don’t get to eat until almost 1 p.m. and if they’ve had athletics first period are hungry. Is it too dangerous for students to eat in class? What do you think?

“I don’t think it’s worth the risk of spreading COVID-19 to eat in class because it’s making people really sick and some people don’t recover from it. If you really need a snack, you can go into the hall, but not around other people.”

-Taylor Whitaker (11) “As long as it’s just something small like a granola bar or a bag of chips, I think it’s okay to eat in class.

I understand that it’s a little dangerous because of COVID-19, but that won’t stop people from eating snacks.”

-Francy Martin (12)

“Right now, I don’t think it’s smart to eat in class because of COVID-19 and because it spreads when you’re eating. And if you share something with someone, you’re obviously going to be exposed, so I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

-Rayleigh Derrick (10) “I think you should be allowed to eat in class because students who have the fourth lunch get hungry during their classes.

You shouldn’t share snacks, but I think it’s okay to eat what you brought during class.”

-Evidence Ezihe (11)

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