The Highlander October 13, 2023

The Highlander

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THE HIGHLANDER • August 31, 2023

October 13 . 2023 - Vol. 1. Issue 6

WORLD NEWS

Understanding hurricane Pg.4

CAMPUS LIFE

MENTAL HEALTH

Our first faculty family event Pg.2

Self improvement Pg.3

HIGHLAND IS RANKED #2 IN TENNESSEE Kyle Dudgeon

Highland Academy has been named the number two private school in Sumner County Tennessee

by Niche.com. Niche. com is a website where students and parents alike can go and voice their opinions on schools.

With over 100 million ratings and reviews, they compiled one of the best lists out there detailing this.

Niche recognized Highland Academy for its superb academics and outstanding clubs. HA received a B+ on Niche’s rating system based on top college scores, college enrollment, composite ACT/SAT scores, student and parent surveys, and the teacher-student ratio.

HA has an astonishing 90 percent college enrollment rate with an average ACT score of 23, with the national average being three points less at 20.6.

Students and parents reported e excellent reviews about the teachers of HA, with 100 percent saying teachers give engaging lessons, have control of their classroom, and say that teachers care about their students.

They also say that students at HA are competitive, creative, and athletic. Mrs. Lillian Lopez shared her experience working for Highland Academy, and she

said, “Teaching at Highland Academy is, after my family, God’s greatest display of His love to me. Daily, the students bring me inspiration and so much joy.”

When asked about Highland’s status as number two, Principal Chadd Watkins said “It’s super exciting. We’ve been working hard to fulfill our mission here at Highland Academy, and God has been blessing our mission.” When asked what he thought it meant for the school to have these ratings published he replied, “It’s certainly nice to be well thought of and to receive recognition. And we’re going to keep going on our mission to lead kids to eternity.

It also does bring

more attention to our school.” This attention is something that could propel Highland Academy into even higher enrollment, increased funding, and who knows what else.

Only time will tell what could come from this type of publicity.

This achievement for Highland Academy can only be attributed to God’s great love. He has provided the school with amazing talent, with both staff and students.

As a school, we are deeply delighted about receiving the recognition and will continue to provide the greatest possible Christian education for our students and continue to develop Christ-like characters and life-long learners.

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Visit us at highland-academy.com

Campus Life

FIRST FACULTY FAMILY EVENT Maggie carlson

This year, on September 8, the whole Highland Academy student body has Faculty Family.

The Faculty Family program involves every student being split into groups chosen by the staff.

They have a “family night” with their fellow students in the group.

This includes spending time with their favorite staff member, as well as the chance to get to know the staff’s real family. They are taken to activities, usually off campus, to have fun and bond with the other students within their families. These sometimes include students who do not generally hang out with others outside of regular school hours.

Haraldo Alvarez’s family, which includes Michael Barrera, Rodrik Davis, Otto Del Toro, and Ben Fernandes, was combined with Stephanie Rufo’s family, which includes Ethan Atlee, Georgia Beckworth, Isaiah Mckenzie, Fawn Ndanyi, Daniella Rosario Mejia, and Tony Verderaime.

Their families ate at the Thai Phuket restaurant and chatted for a while. Then they went to the Rufo’s house, made s’mores, and “had much fun talking and eating.” according to Barrera.

Ndanyi said, “The highlight of my night was when I had to cram in the back of the car with Georgia, Ethan, Isaiah, and Tony, but it was also hilarious when Georgia started eating her food before everyone else, so she had to pray for us.”

Linda and Larry Ashcraft’s family is composed of Sofia Alves, Davi Barkholz, Katie Beaumont, Sophia Garcia, Jewell Hewitt, Naomi Houston, Sarang Kim, Izzy Laneville, Saniya Livingston, and Megan Schoenthal. They had dinner at Casa Vieja Mexican Grill and headed to the Ashcrafts’ house. They read a devotional called “Family Matters” about how the Ashcrafts adopted two children; the process they had to go through, and how it relates to scripture. After reading the devotional, Linda Ashcraft served homemade ice cream that everyone loved. Houston said, “A funny thing for Saniya, Davi, and I was when I fell out of the car.” She fell because she did not realize the car was parked at an angle and tripped while climbing out.

After they ate ice cream, Alves played some piano, and they all sat around and had a relaxed conversation, bringing in the Sabbath hours.

Logan Johnson’s faculty family stayed at her house and ordered food. They had brownies for dessert and just sat around and hung out. Evelina Charchian, Youjin Kong, Rachel Liu, Lulu Lopez, Alena Southard, and

Elkie Tidwell are in her family. Tidwell remarked, “I would say that the night’s highlight was probably when we were all saying things about ourselves and getting to know each other better.” Liu said, “I think the highlight of our night was the brownies Mrs. Johnson made for us; it was so delicious, and I love it so much! We also ordered Panda Express for supper. Even though it took a long time to deliver, it tasted so good!”

Bliss Kuntz’s family went to her house, ate Tim Kuntz’s barbecue, and had a bonfire with smores. Everyone picked out the cookie shape they wanted to decorate, and Tim read a bit from The Chosen devotional and had prayer for worship. The family includes Samantha Anderson, Amelia Chaney, Tonya Lunga, Sabrina Mann, and Alexandria Reid. Lunga commented, “The highlight was probably decorating the cookies and seeing everyone’s creative side come out, plus my cookies were super cute. I made little dinosaurs. It was funny when we were taking Polaroids for her to put in her office because her husband was trying to act like a real photographer, trying to get good angles.”

Pastor Will Labrenz’s faculty family, Neveah Cano, Emma Dowd, Zariah Hamilton, Manny Kok, Aiden Naumann, and Anna Simplice, went to Monell’s. At Monell’s, sit at a long table with other guests. No phones are allowed so the students can socialize with other people. Next, they went to Bicentennial Park and found Highland Academy on the giant map outside the park. Dowd said, “The highlight of the night was taking aesthetic photos.”

Verne Sherman’s family went to Mellow Mushroom for dinner. Getting a table and their food took forever, but it was a lot of fun. The faculty family includes Curtis Ballew, Aleks Bibulovic, TJ Brantley, Kyle Dudgeon, Brandon Patten, and Ethan Roth. While everyone was trying to take a photo in front of the Mellow Mushroom Statue, both Bibulovic and Dudgeon got stung by yellow jackets. Ballew said, “I would say the highlight was us talking

about Star Wars and Marvel while making s’mores and putting peanut butter in the s’mores, too.”

Anita and Chadd Watkins combined their groups and went to the Jones’s pool. They had a taco bar and swam around. Rachel O’Dell commented, “The highlight of the night was probably swimming.

We played basketball in the pool, and we also played chicken, and it was really fun. They also had a hot tub, so we stayed there for a long time.” Clara Reading said, “We swam and had the best taco bar! It was so good! Bryson and Camden got tossed in the pool, and we played water basketball. After that, Pastor John Watkins had a worship. It was really fun getting to talk to people that I don’t see very often!”

Other family groups did similar activities with games, food, and worship. Faculty Family staff did their best to create a fun, family atmosphere for their students. You can tell from Faculty Families’ stories that it has been a blast. It has been like an icebreaker after Icebreakers.

Many friendships and memories have been made, and hopefully, even more will be made in this coming Faculty Family.

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THE HIGHLANDER • August 31, 2023

Mental Health

FOCUSING ON SELF IMPROVEMENT Shiloh Bushey

In a world where so many obstacles are thrown at you, you may feel too overwhelmed to focus on self-improvement.

As Christians, we are called to align our lives with Christ’s plan for us, making us look at self-improvement differently. We use the wisdom of God and His grace to grow into who He wants us to be. We will explore the transformative power of Christ and look into the steps towards selfimprovement rooted in faith and deepening our relationship with God. The first tip may seem overrated, but starting each day with prayer and reading Scripture can provide inspiration and wisdom for the challenges you face throughout your day.

Spending the morning in prayer and showing gratitude to God will give you peace and reassurance. After you pray, set some goals

for the day. Think of where in your life you want to improve and list how you may do that.

Seek accountability from a trusted friend, mentor, or family member to help you keep on track. Regularly check in with them, share your struggles, and ask for advice and encouragement.

Along with seeking guidance from friends or family, self-reflect on what you have accomplished and thank God for your strength to do it. Think about your attitude, thoughts, and behavior, ask yourself if these align with who you want to become, and ask God to help you

improve areas of your life you lack. Read your Bible! kings, prophets, and “regular” men have gone through a lot, from war and famine to depression and anxiety.

They leave advice in the Bible for you. So, if you are struggling with a particular sin, read up on who in the Bible may have gone through something similar, see how they handled it, and apply the lessons they learned to your own life.

Look for opportunities to help others. Serving others is a type of healing that reaches both you and the person you are helping. So, look for opportunities to serve in your church, community,

or local events. Serve with an attitude of kindness and gratitude. Keeping a gratitude journal can uplift your spirit and remind you of the good in your life.

Staying angry at things can put you in tough situations or keep you down. When you forgive someone, you lift the weight of being angry at someone off your shoulders and allow room for healing. When you forgive someone, you aren’t saying what they did was okay. You are allowing yourself to move on.

The journey to selfimprovement is difficult, but possible. By praying, setting goals, practicing self-reflection, serving others, and forgiving, we open ourselves up to God’s grace and guidance.

Let Him be your compass to navigate through all setbacks. And remember to always seek first the kingdom of God.

Creative Corner

I see youCasi Demaree

This corner of the newspaper provides a place for creativity and interaction with all of you!

Here’s a few different things you may see in this corner of The Highlander Newspaper; sketches, poetry, quotes, thoughts and ideas. Remember, this corner is for creativity so it could be anything from the deepest/ heavy things on your heart to simply something that makes you smile. :) In our day to day lives we don’t always get the opportunity or time to express our thoughts and emotions in creative ways. This is your time and place to do so!! If you are wanting to send something in, scan the QR code below. You can sign your name or leave your work anonymous, whichever you prefer!

You don’t know that i care But i see how you hurt I see when your sad, Confused and unsure You don’t know that i worry Ad don’t want you to be in pain I know i can’t save you I can’t ask you to change But i do care And i want you to remember its true That even when you don’t see it I see you-

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World News

UNDERSTANDING HURRICANES Shiloh Bushey

In an era where change is constant, the rapid advances in technology are changing our lives. From how we communicate to how we access information, the impacts of new technology are reaching worldwide. As we navigate all the new possibilities of technology, it becomes crucial to understand its effects.

Before technology, if you wanted to talk to someone, you would have to write letters or use carrier pigeons. Carrier pigeons were pigeons trained to carry written letters over long distances. But now, if we want to tell our friends something, we just have to shoot them a text or call them. This is farreaching as it is possible to connect with people all over the world using this technology. Phones have drastically changed how we communicate. People can connect instantly, regardless of geographical boundaries. This has altered friendships and even politics.

Information is more accessible now than it ever has been. We can now educate ourselves quickly and easily, although this has made many people question the reliability of what we learn. Search engines like Google have made it very easy to connect with information about virtually anything, from how to play an instrument to learning a new language or history.

Previously, information was only available to those with access to libraries and encyclopedias. Now, with a couple of clicks, everything is available almost anywhere in the world.

While the abundance of information is nice, it comes with its challenges.

With so much data, sorting through all the information to find a reliable source can be challenging. So, checking your sources is

becoming more and more critical.

Shopping is hard for people who don’t have transportation, unless they have access to the internet. E-commerce is becoming increasingly popular because of the advances in technology. You can shop from the comfort of your couch, and if you don’t have a car, just have your groceries delivered either from the local grocers or from websites that mail your grocery order to you. E-commerce has caused a decline in people frequenting shopping centers. This has, however, brought many opportunities to people who want to start a business but don’t have the money to rent, buy, or build a store, also now referred to as a brick-and-mortar location.

The workforce is changing more and more by the day because of the advancements in technology. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has automated specific tasks and jobs, leading to increased productivity and efficiency. While AI is great for efficiency, it is causing many concerns about job displacement.

AI performs tasks

faster and more efficiently than it’s human counterpart but without fatigue.

AI can work 24/7, but people get sick, tired, and have many reasons to take time off. Because of this, AI is becoming preferred for certain things, causing less of a need for people to work.

The growth in technology has brought many changes, leaving not one bit of society untouched.

It’s on your desk; it’s in your back pocket. Technology is everywhere. It is helpful, but it consumes our time and energy if we aren’t careful. To use technology in a healthy manner, set boundaries for yourself. Consider how much time you use your phone or watch TV. Remember to be yourself and connect with those in your home or classroom face-toface. Those are the deepest and realest

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THE HIGHLANDER • August 31, 2023

Highland Highlight

PATHFINDER GLAMP OUT Maggie Carlson

Once a year, Highland Church’s Pathfinder Club Highland Warriors hosts a “Glampout” for the church with this year being no exception. Nichole Ayers, a pathfinder leader for Highland since 2020, and Stacy Darrell, a leader since August 2019, took on the challenge again on September 22-24. The Glampout was hosted on the Ayers’s property for a fundraiser as the Pathfinder Club prepares for the international camporee in Gillette, Wyoming, 2024.

The campout is called a Glampout because before the campers get there, the Pathfinders set all the tents up for everyone and help them get all their equipment to their tents.

Savannah Beaumont, an eighth grader, Janet and Jaime Serrano, Stacy Darrell, Nichole Ayers, Lilly and Antonio Lopez prepared all the food for every meal.

That Friday afternoon, church members started trickling into the campsite.

Both Pathfinders and TLTs (Teen Leadership Program) helped out. They hung lights, set up a parkour course for the little kids to play on, and set up tents for those who had brought their own. For dinner, they had tomato soup and grilled cheese. Everyone sat around the fire the rest of the night and talked while the younger kids played on the zipline. A few pathfinders and TLTs went into the woods to work on a bike trail while the younger pathfinders played hide and seek. Before people started going to bed, everyone had worship and sang a few songs picked by the young children, and then Ayers read the devotional, ending with prayer.

Sabbath morning, people started getting up around seven and sitting around the fire relaxing and chatting—By the time most everyone was up, a ton of the 9th and eighthgrade boys were working on the bike trail. While eating breakfast, one of the Ayers’ dogs, Diesel, kept trying to eat everyone’s food. His enthusiasm over campers’ food was funny to watch.

Eventually, one of the

leaders announced it was time to hike to a cemetery.

Tony Ayers drove a tractor with a trailer attached for anyone unable to walk that far. Everyone walked far in the field to get to the cemetery and cut straight into the woods. Once they got to the cemetery, everyone spread out to look at all of the different gravestones. Some of them were from the 1820s!

There was a little creek at the bottom of the hill that many kids ran down to try to cross.

By then, some of the older kids were tired and headed back to camp, which caused everyone to follow.

At the campsite, those who had been at the creek went down to the stream they had to cross to get to the campsite from the road.

They spent a good amount of the afternoon at the creek, but once they left, many older kids went down there, jumping in with floaties and having a blast. Back at the campsite, a swarm of yellow jackets attempted to take over, so Tony Ayers torched the nest once it was found.

Later that evening, several birthdays were celebrated!

After taking a group of students back to Highland Academy’s campus for a softball tournament game, Josias Velazquez got to celebrate his 16th birthday by stopping at Dairy Queen on the return to camp. The

next morning was Stacy Darrell’s birthday, so they stayed up until midnight just so they could sing Happy Birthday. After the song, Hunter Darrell, Dylan Ayers, Kevin Severance, and Aiden Naumann set up their hammocks to sleep in overnight, and the place grew still.

Sunday morning, around 7 a.m., some people had already put away their entire tent and cleaned it up. Immediately, when someone woke up, they would eat fast and start cleaning up their tent. It took some people longer than others, but almost everyone had fun working together to tear down camp.

To get all the leaves and water off, they had to beat the tarps hanging up on a wire that had been under the tents with a broom.

People began leaving, so only a few remained, but they all left with smiling faces.

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Sports

SOFTBALL COMES TO AN END Lulu Lopez

Intramurals are something we at Highland encourage our students to participate in. We recently just ended our softball season, and Highland Academy, this year had 5 teams made up of students and staff on each team.

Everyone’s favorite part is normally the student vs faculty game and boy was it show. The students went in really confident Saturday night that they would win but so did the faculty.

With its Latin prefix intra-, “within” intramural means literally “within the walls.” That is why it’s normally used in sports played between teams made up of students from one campus.

Highland Academy, this year had 5 teams made up of students and staff on each team.

One of the best parts about intramurals is seeing the support the teams and players receive “She’s a star, she’s cold” is what the dad of one of the freshmen, Saniya Livingston said, and is that not the cutest thing you ever heard. It’s great to see the community come and support these activities. One student, Daniella (last name?) who does not play, likes to come to intramurals for the environment. When asked what team she roots for, she said “the winning team.”

Everyone enjoys intramurals even if it’s just to sit and watch.

One of our students, Tanya Lunga, is the score keeper for this season. When asked what team she was

rooting for, she said “the Braves because it’s my faculty dad’s team, even though it isn’t looking too promising for them right now.” She was right.

Students normally do this for fun, but it gets really competitive in the last games of the season; especially for the student versus faculty game.

Faculty was very confident about winning this year again, and rightfully so. Principal Watkins was very excited about this game and went in confident he would win. He was so confident that at assembly, he had to remind the students who won last year telling them it was inevitable that staff would win again.

Coach Reading’s favorite part is the interaction with the students, “as well as seeing them teach the game, and seeing them grow in their skills and enjoy playing together and seeing the fellowship.”

Coach Reading is also passionate about intramurals and creates an accepting environment for students, allowing everyone to feel comfortable playing

even if they are not the most athletic.

When asked why he does intramurals he responded, “I like sports and I like getting with the kids and playing with them, finding ways to get kids active.” He said that he is also passionate about it because,,whenever he moved in fifth grade, it was the first time he ever played intramurals. He then stated what sparks his passion., He said, “to be able to play sports and interact with all the other students is so much fun. I got to do that all the way through university level. So, to be able to give back and organize, it is very good.” Coach Reading’s favorite part about the Student vs Faculty Game was “the comradery of the staff, but also the students being able to get together and enjoy playing and competing and having fun, but just the feeling of doing something you really enjoy and having fun”.

Intramurals are a good way to teach our students the value of teamwork, how to be a team player, and even discipline.

Our students love to play different sports together, and even those who don’t play at all, like to sit in the stands and watch their favorite teachers strike out. The next set of intramural games will be flag football as teams are already chosen and are already getting started.

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THE HIGHLANDER • August 31, 2023

This month....

HISPANIC/LATIN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

Lulu Lopez

Hispanic/Latin American Heritage Month takes place from September 15 to October 15 every year to celebrate the histories, culture, and what Hispanics in America have achieved. This month also celebrates the Independence Days of several Latin American countries including; Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on September 15th, Mexico on September 16th, and Chile on September 18th.

Being Hispanic means you’re a person with ancestry from a country whose primary language is Spanish. That includes Spain, parts of Latin America, some islands in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Hispanics have played a major role in U.S. population growth over the past decade. America is the new promised land.

A lot of people say it’s “the land of possibilities.”

Hispanics immigrate to the U.S. in search of a better life for themselves and their families. They come here to work and provide for their families.

Hispanics are some of the most hardworking people.

People with Hispanic culture and heritage come in all shades and colors with different ways of doing a variety of things. but all share one thing in common: the language.

Even though the language is shared, expressions can vary tremendously. For example, in Mexico “orita” means right now but in the Caribbean it means later. It’s very interesting how similar but different the various cultures are.

At Highland Academy one can find a variety of different Hispanic cultures.

Aurora Gomez is a senior. Her family is from Mexico. When asked what her favorite thing about her culture is, she answered, “My favorite food is pozole.” Pozole is a traditional soup or stew. It is made from hominy with meat and can be seasoned with many things.Once cooked, people add avocado, salsa or lime, and some people even add garbanzos. A lot of people agree that food is their favorite part of their culture. In fact Diomodes Suarez Jr, another senior, is from the Dominican Republic. His favorite part of his culture is also the food, citing that his favorite is a traditional Dominican dish called “morro y pollo,” which is rice and beans mixed together and chicken.

This dish is made by combining boiled beans, vegetables, herbs and spices, cooked with rice in the same pot with any type of chicken recipe one may desire.

Lastly, a junior, Diego Reynoso, who is also from Mexican heritage: specifically from Morelos.

When asked what his favorite part of his culture was he said, “I just like how we’re all a big community and we just rely on each other for anything we need.” is what Hispanic culture is all about, creating a community. Whether it’s food or the environment created, it’s a beautiful thing and to see how the differences bring everyone together. Happy Hispanic Heritage month from Highland to you. Take time this month to learn more about this beautiful culture.

Fall activites

FALL ACTIVITES IN THE AREA Lulu Lopez

Once the calendar reaches September, the whole mood changes. It’s not just in the way the leaves change color, but the weather changes, also. Well, in Tennessee, There are several ways to celebrate the change of seasons. Don’t miss out on all the fun fall festivities. Keep reading to see what the local area surrounding Highland Academy has in store for this fall season: Glow in the park Just a few minutes west of Nashville there is an adventure park filled with lights, open this whole fall season.

From ages 7+ kids can play on treetop platforms that are connected by high ropes climbing, ziplines, bridges, ladders, and many other crossings. The park also offers a playground for ages 3-6 so everyone enjoys the park. What a fun way to enjoy fall. Glow in the Park is every Friday and Saturday night from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Pricing you may ask? Tickets are $45 per person. Glow in the Park tickets include two hours of climbing plus a 30-minute instructional course for safety. This is a great way to spend evenings as a family.

Cheekwood Harvest Cheekwood is a beautiful botanical garden that changes just like the seasons; which is why the fall season is called the teakwood harvest. Cheekwood is listed as a USA Today Top 10 Botanical Garden and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Throughout the year, Cheekwood features a variety of holiday-themed events, kid-friendly interactive exhibits, and colorful floral. This is the perfect family-friendly activity and after walking around through the pumpkin village and the scarecrow village don’t forget to check out the P’mumkin topiary. After that long, beautiful, taking pictures and all the cute spots, you can even select your pumpkin and carve it with your family once you’re at home.

Pumpkin Festival In Bowling Green, Kentucky there is a Pumpkin Festival! During the week in the fall, the store, concessions, and playground open Monday-Friday 9-5. For an additional charge, you & your family can pick your own apples.

Join the fun! But it doesn’t stop there. That means there are Wagon Rides to the Pumpkin Patch, Corn Maze, Petting Zoo, Pony Rides, Straw Castle, Face & Hair Painting, Moonwalk, The Goat Ranch, The Cider Slider, and their Children’s Slide. Don’t start with the food, homemade caramel apples sound so good after a day of fun activites. All this fun for the price of 8 dollars per person and for kids 4 and younger go free. What fun way to spend your afternoons with family and friends.

Lastly, just here in Portland, bottom view farms also have a fall festival. They do this every year in the month of october. This fall festival is full of fan favorite fall traditions. It is open every day from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Slides, Jumping Pillow, Pedal Tractors, Gold Mine, Live animals, Pony rides (weekends only) for the price of 10 dollars per person. There is a restaurant at the farm also. So many good ways to spend time with loved ones.

Come visit our local farm here in portland for some fun.

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Activities

Aurora Gomez

By Casi Demaree

SENSITIVE What’s considered sensitive What’s considered weak Is it considered running away If you just get up and leave And is that considered respectable Or a cause to turn your eyes down Is it considered sensitive If you simply turned around Would people call you sensitive And see you as any less If you needed time alone Or needed space to decompressWill people stay away Worried they’ll hurt you in some way Because your, “too sensitive” And cant handle what they say Will they see you as up tight And unable to take a joke If you express when your hurt -making your boundaries known

The Highlander Staff Editor-in-chief Abi Hosler

Designer and Art Director Isabelle Laneville

Reporters

Adriel Garcia Suhjin Yoon Maggie Carlson Abi Hosler Kyle Dudegon

Photographers Ana Anderson Kyle Dudegon Naomi Housten Sabrina Mann

Sponsors

Melissa Weisner Stephanie Rufo

Activities

Aurora Gomez Casi Demaree

Social Media

Stephanie Rufo Shara Jaunita Cabrales