Talk of the Hawk V1V3 by 21st Century Publishing

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

TALK OF THE HAWK A magazine by students, for students.

LCHS SPEECH TO ATTEND NATIONALS BY: Joshua Jones This past school year the Larue County Speech and Debate team has had quite a successful year. They have won many trophies and awards, often winning first place in poetry and prose. Although they were not always first, they have had many opportunities that prior students had not. On March 19th four seniors, a junior, and a sophomore won the opportunity to compete in the National Forensics League Tournament held this year in Dallas, Texas. The four seniors that won are known by many of their fellow classmates throughout the school, whether it is for their academic, acting or intellectual ability. Timothy “Timmy” Gibson, Ian Mather, Jeshua Logsdon, and Angelia Whitlock are the four seniors going to represent not only our school, but our state at the tournament. Timmy won second and Ian first at the national qualifier and will be entered in Oral Interpretation with Timmy preforming an excerpt from Russell Brands autobiography and Ian preforming “A Child’s Heart and Superstar”. Angelia and Jeshua won first at the qualifier and will be entered in Duo Interpretation preforming their piece “Flipped” The junior and sophomore headed to Dallas are also well known in their classes for their academic works if not for their personalities. James Redding and Chelsea Blair will also be representing our school at the state tournament. James won second place in Congress and Chelsea second in Original Oratory and will be preforming it in Dallas. As for the other national tournament, the National Catholic Forensics League, seniors Timmy Gibson, Ian Mather, Angelia Whitlock, Jeshua Logsdon, Eliis Fraser, Spenser Reed, Maegan Davis and Andrew Skaggs will be representing us there. Others going include James Redding and Chelsea Blair.

Students attending the NCFL: back row, from left: Ellis Frasier, Maegan Davis, Chelsea Blair, James Redding, Andrew Skaggs. Middle row, Ian Mather, Angelia Whitlock, and Jeshua Logsdon. Front Row: Timmy Gibson and Spencer Reed.

In this edition:

Endof the yearactivities:  Prom  Project Grad  Art Contest Sports:  Wrestling Wrap-Up  OutlookforBaseball, Softball, Tennis, and Track  Athletes signing withcolleges. SchoolLife  Off CampusLunches: GoodorBad?  Rumors: Theyhurt.  Adviceforincomingfreshman Tough Issues:  Jail Time forteens?  Dating Abuse  Meth Find the Hawkinator in this issue and win a prize. See last page for details.

S T U D E N T

H A P P E N I N G S

In this section:

Accomplishments: Through the Beard of Timmy Gibson By: Jessica Wells page 3

FFA: Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Farmers Grow Communities By: Shelby Sullivan page 4

Prom: A Fun Night to Spend with your Friends By: Taylor Cook page 5

Accomplishments:

By: Jessica Wells

Through the beard of Timmy Gibson

Who is Timmy Gibson? What can Speech and Debate do for you?  Improve your confidence.  Make new friends.  Help you accepted into prestigious programs.  Gain public speaking experience.  Achieve awards you never knew you could.

Timmy Gibson , senio LaRue r at County High

Timothy Gibson is join the team in middle a senior at LaRue County school and i just High School set to messed around graduate with and never Over 80 different honors in 2011. participated. awards including His sole aspiraMy sophomore than twenty 1st tion throughout more year in place awards and 8 national awards! middle and high school high school has was when I been to particireally stared pate in the to work at it.” Speech and Debate Team Since his sophomore year, headed by Mrs. Katie CecTimmy has competed in il. Timmy has achieved tournaments of several over 80 prestigious forensic areas; prose and awards, all by expressing poetry being his area of his passion. Even though expertise. Speech and Speech and Debate has not Debate has helped him in always been his top priorialmost every part of his ty, it is now one of the life, giving him several long-lasting friends, many biggest aspects of his life. of which are in college Why Speech? now and all of whom he Timmy was atvisits every chance he tracted to speech after gets. watching his sister comThe Achievements pete and win when he was in middle school. At first, Throughout his he saw the team simply as stint on the Speech Team, something to do to take Timmy has attained over up time. It wasn’t until 80 different awards inTimmy’s sophomore year cluding more than twenty in high school that he real1st place awards and 8 ly got the drive to partake national awards. The most in the activities involved. notable award he feels he When asked has accomplished is 1st about why he chose Place in Prose and Poetry speech, Timmy responded, at the Barkley Forum “I saw my sister partici(Emory University) Nationpating on the speech team al Tournament in 2010. when she was in high He has also competed in school and she did very numerous state tournawell. Then she went to ments such as the college and did the same. 2010 KESDA State Poetry My sister inspired me to Tournament, the

2009 KESDA State Prose Competition, the 2010 KHSSL State Poetry Competition and the KHSSL State Prose Tournament. Tangible awards are not the only thing he has gotten from these experiences. What else has Timmy achieved? To answer this question he remarked, “Confidence! And a boat load of experience, which helped me get accepted into GSA.” These are only a few things that he has accomplished. There are various others, far too many to mention them all. Timmy Gibson is a very gifted individual who, at times, can be a little off the wall. However, his crazy antics just add to his one of a kind personality. Clearly he has a wonderful gift of talent and expresses it every chance he gets. This was just a small peek into the man behind the beard. Over the next few years, Timmy will show the world the entirety of that man. The only question left to ask is, what will he do next?

FFA: America’s Farmers Grow Communities

America’s Farmers Grow Communities By: Shelby Sullivan Recently your local FFA chapter participated in a contest called; America’s Farmers Grow Communities; presented by The Monsanto Fund. The way the contest works is farmers enroll in the project for an opportunity to win $2,500 for a nonprofit organization in their county that they feel strengthens their community. The LaRue County FFA Chapter was selected as the recipient of the $2500 check by the winning farmer from our county, Misty Bivens. The FFA chapter received a $2500 check on February 25th at their monthly FFA meeting. This just happened to be National FFA Week and Mrs. Bivens and Mr. Quiggins expected as many FFA members to attend the meeting as possible and have everyone in their official dress. This was a very exciting time for your FFA Chapter. The process to receive this award was very simple. Any farmer could fill out the application. Each farmer had to choose which organization they thought deserved the money and

would give back to their community and use it to the best of their interest. The organization had to be in the same county the farmer resided in. Once the winner is chosen, the organization of the winner’s choice is contacted and notified of the award they are receiving. The LaRue County FFA Chapter received the award Friday, February 25th 2011 during activity period. The FFA will be using this prize for traveling, banquets, and supplies needed for the FFA chapter. The FFA chapter is always competing and winning a competition this big, is a huge accomplishment. The majority of the funds from this award will go towards things like; traveling to competitions, banquets, and purchasing awards for students. The LaRue County FFA feels very honored to have received this award and they are looking forward to the summer and the next school year.

apFA Ch unty F d. o C e war a Ru The L pting the a e c c a ter

Prom: A fun night to spend with your friends. At the end of the year, couples and friends get together for a little reunion after school called PROM! It is a big dance celebration with food, drinks, and music. It only costs $75 for a couple and $40 for an individual ticket, plus the cost of the dress, accessories, and tux. It only comes once a year and it is a celebration that you will remember for a lifetime. There are a few rules involving prom. For one, no alcohol or drug usage is allowed on the property at any time. For two, no public display of affection should be shown on school grounds. Prom is about getting loose and having fun with your friends. Couples go, but best friends go together as well. Prom is about celebrating with your close friends before you graduate. You get to go out and buy a dress that fits your taste and a tux that matches the girl’s dress. Then you are a perfect match. You get to take pictures to remember the special night and get a bouquet of flowers to show your affection for your significant other who you brought to prom. Senior Whitney Montgomery, who attended prom last year says, “The theme and music were fantastic. Everybody was happy and nobody looked upset.” So basically, prom is one of the best moments of your life. It is a night worth remembering. Everybody is dressed up casually and matching. You get to hang out with your friends and eat and drink, dance and listen. To pay $40 for a ticket, it is not something you will regret. You will be able to document so you will not forget the night of your life. It only comes once and it’s a blast. Attend prom. You will be happy that you did. -Taylor Cook

Student Life In this section:

Rumors By: Stephanie Brescan Page 7 Off Campus Lunches: Why Are They Not Allowed? By: Jennifer Boone Page 8 High School Survival: Advice for Incoming Freshman By: Josh Adkins Page 9 Smoking During School: Repercussions By: Shanda Hemmer Page 10

Project Grad: What's It All About? By: Taylor Cook Page 11

Open Campus Lunches

Why are they not allowed? McDonalds for lunch??? Almost all high schools now will not allow students to leave campus for lunch, but why is that? They tell you many different reasons. Erika Bowles says, “I would like to be able to leave school for lunch, but I can understand why we are not allowed.” For starters it’s a state law that no student leaves to go to lunch. There is a noncompetition law because of the state giving so much money for the ones who cannot afford to Brandon Druen standing in the LCHS parking lot, where McDonald’s is visible. pay for lunch. Schools are not allowed to have any types of food or beverage machines on until after lunch because if they are on, the state is scared that the students will eat that instead of the food served for lunch. Also if a student’s parents bring them lunch from another facility it must be wrapped in something besides the original wrapper because other students might get jealous. Principal Paul Mullins at LaRue County High School says “Because we have a federal funded lunch program the state will not allow us to have any sort of competition.” Other schools say it is because of insurance and so they are worried about accidents happening involving students and are scared of lawsuits. If you think about it though if the students are in high school and the parents feel they are responsible enough then why not let them? The students choose to go somewhere for lunch they are not forced by the school so really no lawsuit could be filed. The solution to this problem is handing out permission slips at the beginning of the year saying that it is ok for the students to leave campus and go to lunch. The permission slip would also need to say that if an accident was to happen that the school would not be held liable for it. Then there is the problem of students leaving whose parents do not want them to leave. To solve this problem the ones leaving should have to sign a log every day showing that they leave. If a student gets caught leaving without signing the log, then there should be disciplinary action taken. But would that not be an extra burden for administrators? No, because they have to deal with the people that leave campus for lunch anyway. The log would basically be the same thing as signing out, going to get lunch, and signing back in. The only difference is with the log a student would not be charged with a partial absence. Even though schools and administrators feel that high school students should not be able to leave school for lunch there is no reason that they should not be able to. As long as they are not failing or truant, then they should be allowed. High school students really are mature enough to handle a responsibility such as leaving school to go to lunch. And the fear of lawsuits can be stopped real quick by a simple paper saying the student can leave and if an accident happens the school will not be held responsible. Maybe schools should start allowing high school students to leave for lunch. All it would take is a simple permission slip and for all students and parents to know that if an accident happens that the school is not held responsible. Jennifer Boone

The LCHS cafeteria.

Rumors Have you ever been the subject of a rumor? If so you know they are not fun!! But that is not always the case. We do not stop and think about how those who get a rumor spread about them feel. Rumors are everywhere. People spread them, things get said in between the rumors, people and things get added. You cannot ignore them. Teens can say they hate rumors, but when your hear something you cannot help but go tell someone else. It is not just teens, though. Some adults are in rumors or start some too. If you hate rumors and you do not want drama, don’t be a talker. If you hear something, go on. Do not go tell someone else. Most rumors are he said/she said anyway. In high school most rumors get started because one person might not like another person, or just because one is jealous. Then there are the people that just like to talk all the time, that feed off drama. The most drama and rumors start when you are freshmen. That is when a lot of people start getting into things they do not need to be in. As we go on through the years, more and more people are learning things at a young age. That means more rumors and more drama when you get to high school. High school is by far the worst place if you do not want a rumor spread about you. High school has teen girls and teen boys, those two put together is just asking for trouble. Girls fight over boys, and boys fight over the girls. In high school you hear rumors every day. “I’ve had rumors spread about me, and I think it is just for attention,” says Frankie Brown, senior at LCHS. It is hard not to talk about what you hear, but sometimes it can come back to bite you in the butt. The best way to not be in a rumor is to not talk about anyone. If someone comes up to you and starts talking about someone else, don’t listen, walk away. When you walk away, that is telling them that you do not want to be around that. Do not do anything that would start a rumor about you either. That means do not talk about someone to someone else, because that could get back to that person, then that could start a rumor about you. The best thing to do is go to school to learn and that is it. If a rumor does get spread about you, do not let it get to you. “I was very upset [when I found out], but then I realized that it didn’t matter and what they had said wasn’t true.” Even if it is true, don’t let them know how much it Spreading rumors may be interest- gets to you. That is just the satisfaction others ing, but they also hurt. want. Stephanie Brescan

High School Survival Advice for Incoming Freshman Your high school career is fun, but when you get into high school you really have to pay attention and do as the teachers say. If you do not listen and you do what you want, you are not going to do so good in here. High school is a little scary as an upcoming freshman because it is so big and there are so many more people than you are accustomed to. You will not know hardly anybody coming into it. It gets easier and easier to make new friends, even though some of them may not last throughout your whole career, but you will have plenty come and go so that is no worry. Friends make your whole high school career go by so much faster than it would without. I try to talk to as many people as I possibly can and make as many friends as possible, even being a senior. On the other hand, do not get too serious when it comes to dating. “Don’t get involved in serious relationships. It is distracting and they almost never turn out well,” says senior Frankie Brown. At the same time you need to keep your focus on your work and anything that has to do with school. “Do not screw around and give up. Do your work.” says Joey Roberts, senior at LCHS. Your being behind and slacking WILL catch up with you. “High school isn’t all fun and games like everybody says it is,” says Whitney Montgomery, senior at LCHS. Ryan Whitlock works determinedly on a project in class. “Instead of doing my work and paying attention, I goofed off, which really hurt me in the long run, especially when it came to my GPA.” Another important thing to know about high school is that no matter what you do outside of school or what habits you have, you have to remember to never bring any of it into school. For the ones who don’t know what I am talking about, those habits can range from cussing to drinking to even bringing drugs to school. “Do not cuss. It just makes you sound unintelligent,” says Mrs. Blackwell, teacher at LCHS. You have to make sure you do not bring any of that in here, because it will come back to bite you in the rear. It is definitely not worth it. Nothing is worth losing your good friends or your reputation you have with any students or teachers in the school. That is what will hurt you the most, and that is coming from somebody that has seen it firsthand. After being here for four straight years, I think I have finally realized who I am, what mistakes I’ve made, and that if I had a chance to go back and restart my high school career off differently, I would. There is nothing worth losing your good friends, your education, and especially yourself. As you go along with your life after high school, you will also start to realize how much of a change these next four years will have on you and everyone around you. Hopefully you will learn how to cope with the change or changes you had to go through and turn you into a better person. I hope after reading this paper you will stop to think about how you really need prepare yourself for the next four years, and take charge of your own career. -Josh Adkins

Smoking During School So does LCHS have an effective discipline program that encourages students to act in a way that supports learning? Come to think of it, it does. When it comes to smoking or using any tobacco products on school grounds, they are pretty hard core about that. Every day at lunch or during break, students go out and have a smoke break. And almost every time, a student gets busted for smoking. Schools are getting stricter when it comes to getting discipline. When it comes to your first violation you are given a written warning and required to attend a tobacco education classes or three days suspension. Second violation, three day suspension, third violation five day suspension, Forth violation is ten day suspension and final violation is suspension and proceedings for expulsion. One LCHS student says, “Although I smoke outside of school, I will never do it on school grounds. It just simply isn’t worth it.” Do not smoke on school property. “Getting to go outside and enjoy my cigarette my was amazing,” says another student at LCHS. “It was almost like a thrill. But when you have the principal come around the corner and ask what you are doing, it is a pretty intense moment. I never thought that I would get in trouble for smoking on school property. So I did my ISS day and I have a schedule from when I need to go to the tobacco education class.” Smoking on school grounds is not worth it. Schools really do try to get you not to smoke and save you from all the trouble and the paperwork. “I know that I will never smoke on school property again because of what happened.” So that discipline level actually works. -Shanda Hemmer

Project Grad What’s It All About? What could be better than graduating from high school and knowing that you’re done? Why not celebrate? Everybody wants to celebrate a good thing and graduation is definitely a good thing to celebrate. That is the exact reason why project grad was created. Project grad is basically where you spend the night at school the night of graduation and you take an oath to celebrate without doing drugs or getting drunk. There are many games put together and a lot of different things to do to celebrate seniors leaving high school and moving on to bigger and better things. Some games include ping- pong, pool, board games, who wants to be a millionaire and also an obstacle course is set up in the gym. You can bull ride, rock climb, sing, dance and basically just have the time of your life while at the same time not being under the influence of anything. There are many food choices available to everyone as well. There’s usually sandwiches, chips, sodas, pizza, dough nuts, brownies, just basically anything you could possibly munch on or eat. There is also a type of theme going on and this year’s theme is going to be “casinos”. It is going to be a lot of fun. There are many prizes available to everyone who participates while following the rules at the same time. You can win iPods, computers, four wheelers and even big sums of cash. If you spend the night and don’t leave at all till the next morning than you automatically receive $100 or more for just staying the night. You cannot have any alcohol or any kind of drug on you or in your body. Project grad is just a celebration and a going away party. They reward you for making the right decisions and just for graduating. Everyone always has a blast. With every good thing there is always a cost or price that goes along with it. Yes it is free for all seniors who want to come to attend but someone has to pay for all the games, prizes and food. The money it costs to put together such as fun party comes from people of the community. There are many fundraisers that include car washes and bake sales that people have to put their own time and money into it to raise the money to throw such a huge exciting celebration. The more money we raise, the more prizes and food choices will be available at project grad. So pitch in, help out, and raise money in your community so we can throw the biggest, greatest party ever. All it takes is a little effort. So now that you understand project grad, doesn’t it sound like a fun experience? You spend the night and automatically get paid just for staying at school. Not to mention there is free food and drinks, lots of fun games and things to do and great expensive prizes awarded to those who participate and get lucky. Everyone should pitch in so we could throw the baddest project grad party of all time. All you have to do is participate, help out and follow all the rules and you can have the time of your life. It’s just that simple. -Taylor Cook

UPCOIMING EVENTS 

Lee’s Famous Recipe Night: March 30



Parent Meeting: March 31 at 7:30PM

Sports In this section:

Determination: How it helped these Students Get Scholarships. By: Cody Graham Page 13 Upcoming Sports: Outlook for the Spring Sports By: Nathan Fulk Page 14 Wrestling Wrap-Up: Season Coming to a Close By: Vince Couch Page 15

Determination In recent years LaRue County athletics has had many student athletes receive scholarships for various sports. Such as Aaron Mayfield (Baseball), Tyler Davenport (Football), Brandon Clemons (Baseball), and Jordan Newton (Baseball). Now the tradition is still going on with these uprising talented athletes such as Robert Gatton, Austin Shirley, and Ryan Whitlock. On every football team the Quarterback is usually the playmaker. Robert who has had a tremendous season with the hawks has been nothing more than the team’s MVP. Gatton will be attending Campbellsville University will be playing football again when fall comes back around. As Robert made his claim to fame; so did his wide out Ryan Whitlock. As the season went on, so did Gatton and Whitlock’s completions as they hooked up throughout the season. Ryan will be attending Lindsey Wilson College to take his wide out skills to a higher level. And with every commanding offense there needs to be a star on the other side of the field. Austin Shirley has fulfilled that role. Austin has received a scholarship to Lindsey Wilson College, where he will be putting running backs and anyone else with the ball in their place as he takes center stage as linebacker. As these student athletes go on to bigger and better things, new stars shall emerge. As I continue to write about their success. I hope you will continue to follow them. You can do so on Talk of the Hawk’s digital newspaper.

By: Cody Graham

Robert Gatton poses here after signing his letter of intent to play football for Campbellsville University.

Austin Shirley is seen here signing his letter of intent to play football for Lindsey Wilson College.

Upcoming Sports Spring sports are coming up. Practice started and the teams are ready. The sports this spring are baseball, softball, tennis, and track. The head coaches are Chris Price for baseball, Aaron Howell for softball, Chris Allen for tennis, and Jeremy Blair for track and Field. The coaches are getting their team ready for the season.

Baseball As said by Coach Price, we will have a strong baseball team this year, but there will be challenges. “We do have some experience coming back

The LCHS Baseball Team.

especially hitting and pitching experience, but we lost four defensive starters so that is definitely going to be a challenge for us,” says Coach Chris Price. The team’s main downfall is not being able to dominate on the pitcher’s mound, but they work hard on hitting spots and changing speeds. “We have several guys with a year’s experience under their belt so that’s good, but I’m anxious to see if we can fill those defensive positions adequately.” Their first game is at Nelson County on March 22nd, and their first home game is on March 24th vs. E-town at 5:30. Admission is $5.

Tennis

Dylan Parr is a player of the boys’ tennis team and he believes they have another chance at winning region this year. The challenges the tennis team will have is playing Etown and teaching the new comers. “The team is more mature this year in how they play, they play more serious and the upperclassman know what they are doing and know what needs to be done,” says Parr. The ones to look out for this year are Bo Haun, Ryan Able, Brent Gozzard and Zach Lee. There is a match this Thursday and it is free admission.

gan Smith, Courtney Johnson, and Cassady Crim as long as she keeps her focus,” says Coach Howell. The softball team will be going to the Fort Walton Beach Bash during Spring break. On April 15th and 16th they will be participating in the Greenwood Border Battle. The first home game is March 24th. Admission is $5.

Track & Field

There are several returning athletes that are very strong competitors, and worked hard in the off-season to improve their skills. The main challenge Coach Blair sees is the lack of experienced seniors especially on the girls’ team. “Practice is Softball going will, the weather Coach Howell is the new softball is starting coach for Larue County this year and to warm up, he is trying to get his team ready. which will Coach Howell says,” The team has enable us to get outside and do more good leadership from the seniors. work,” says Blair. “Cody Thompson and The seniors Marquis Cobb have looked good so far in want to the sprint races, along with Adam Sanprove didge in the distance events.” The Mathemselves son-Dixon Games are March 5th. The this year.” Track Team is hosting the Larue County The chalInvitational on April 1st. There is a meet lenge he on Saturday, March 19th. sees is hitCome on out support all of the Larue ting. “A lot County teams. It is not a lot of money to of girls are get in to them, just come root on the raw on their HAWKS! hitting.” He is trying to teach the Nathan Fulk girls in a different approach than what they are used to. He has made the cuts and the girls are doing well. “The girls to watch this year are Me-

Wrestling Wrap-Up As the wrestling season wrapped up this past weekend, the coaches and wrestlers look back at an outstanding season. With a season that has only one blemish on its nearly perfect record, including a State Duals championship and a back to back regional championship, the Mat Hawks are extremely proud of this season. Everyone, coaches and wrestlers included have worked extraordinarily hard on making this season become a great success.

Shelby Floyds record as a LaRue County Mat Hawk is 9725

Shaquille Cox career record as a LaRue County Mat Hawk is 121-33

Cody Williams career record as a LaRue County Mat Hawk is 4735

Vince Couch's career record as a LaRue County Mat Hawk is 5424

As far as the actual competition and wrestling goes, the harder tournaments and much tougher practices have played a key role in the success on the wrestling mats. This year, the wrestling team traveled to Georgia to compete in a very challenging tournament. They won that tournament by a landslide. The Hawks have dominated every tournament or dual they have been a part of. “We had no room for quitting, laying down because of injuries or anything like that this year” said Head Coach, Gary Canter. Not giving up in practice and practicing through injuries have made this year’s team stronger and even hungrier for a championship. Even though the Mat Hawks did not capture the State Tournament title, they still had an outstanding season. The seniors also played a great role in this season’s success on the mat. This year LaRue County had 4 seniors; Vince Couch, Shaquille Cox, Shelby Floyd and Cody Williams. All 4 wrestlers have at least 4 years’ experience. The seniors’ job was to get the practices started with warming up and stretching. They took the weight of the team on their shoulders during matches, all 4 have come up this season with some pretty tough wins. Whether it was showing leadership on the mat or just by helping someone so that they are eligible to wrestle, the seniors have showed immense leadership skills. The hard schedule the hawks had this year also played a big part in getting the team ready for competition. This season was not easy compared to past seasons for the wrestling team. The harder tournaments and dual meets got the mat hawks ready for the state dual and state tournament. If they had had a weaker or easier schedule the hawks might not have been as prepared as they would have wanted. The LaRue County wrestling team had an amazing season and all LaRue Countians should be very proud of them and all of their hard work. The hawks went 21-1 this season, duals and tournaments included. The only loss came to the state tournament in which the hawks placed 4th behind Union, Ryle, and Trinity. The mat hawks are only losing 4 seniors this year and are reloading next year with some great talent. Watch for them next year to make yet again, another run for the championship.

By: Vince Couch

A R T S

In this section:

A work by Bo Haun.

Poets Corner Page 17 Sound Through the Ages By: Tyler Litton Page 19 LaRue County’s Finest: LaRue County High School Art Show By: Joshua Jones Page 20 Music: The World’s Masterpiece By: Chris Mills Page 21

A painting by Joshua Jones.

Poets corner. Here are some poems written by Larue County students. If you would like to have any of your poems published in the school magazine, Talk of the Hawk, you can email your them to Kristin.eldridge@stu.larue.kyschools.us. Thank you!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words by Carrie Ferguson Their hair as white as snow Eyes of wonder and pride, knowing That we still hold them deep inside Back then the days were full of surprise Yelling back and forth because bad hearing Their voices where too loud and fearing All the grandchildren crowd around Knowing that grandparents would be steering Them down the right path When we walked through their door, peppermint brushed by Now thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no smell of the past They both just lay; side by side I asked why do you do this to the ones so close We all knew it was their time to go

The Messenger By: Natalie Farrar Images of elephants and flowers decorate the outside An Indian motif, Years of hard use darkens the bottom, Pencil lead embedded in the material stiffens the messenger from its perfection. Memories of the three sisters envelops it in a surrounding aura, The messenger seems to sigh as the contents inside it settle to the bottom, The strap placed over the shoulder with careless gaiety, Long blonde hair flows over it like a tumbling golden wave, The noble, loyal messenger Oh how easily it is replaced

This Boy By Courtney Johnson Shimmering in the sun, Twinkling in the light, This boy makes my day shine bright, Large, strong Black, slick, This boy is a down home hick, Brown eyes, His face just gleams This boy is seen in dreams, Big paws, I call him Ace, This boy is quite a case, Many flaws, But that’s just fine, This dog is a best friend that is all mine.

Free By: Kelsey Rutledge Long, black, wild, runs as fast as the wind Free as it can be It is a part of me Like a bullet in the wind as high as the sky What would I do without my other side? Smooth as the slick groomed hair of a freshly brushed mare What would my horse do without care? Yeah, that seems so impossible you can’t separate me and…

Partner in Crime by Harley Walters Black, Bold, built strong Handles it all, Can take it all Fearless, Empowered Nothing holds it back except nervous fingers on the trigger When I’m carrying it, It’s as if nothing stands in my way Walking along the long stretched out, what seems like forever, field Waiting, hoping, praying Something within my range shoots across Partner in Crime always been mine, Rough, tough, wear and tear Got a few rough years almost alone in that old cabinet Leaves start changing and falling, times a coming Cleaning your stalk making you shine Down to the barrel, smooth and long but so powerful Sighted in, on the money, were just about ready honey What I would do without it? Who knows, I don’t like to think about it Life without what makes me almost empowered and fearless

LaRue County’s Finest: The LaRue County High school Art Show By Joshua Jones

Every year, LaRue County Art students have an Art Show. This show usually portrays Advanced art students and their art, with a few exceptions for other talented individuals. It is usually held in the High School Library. This year there will be many changes to the art show, including venue and the amount of art. This years’ Advanced art class has fewer students than usual. Only ten, whereas there are usually upwards of twenty to thirty. The art teacher, Ms. Monique Hanna, plans on there being between twenty and forty pieces of artwork this year. Much less than the norm as last years’ easily had roughly around sixty works of art. This allows for there to be more emphasis on the seniors and advanced art students and allows for a more intimate setting, which is fitting for the change of venue. Mrs. Hanna stated that the art show this year will not be in the high school library but in Elizabethtown. The Woodland Gallery on Ring Road, which is home to several local and state artists as well as doubling as a framing store. The owner, Lynn Cowan, frames paintings, drawings, etc. Hanna also said that she is “more excited about this student show than anything I have done in ten years.” And that it is also “the first time that a show will be held in a public venue and not in a school library.”

“ The show will be on April 29.” She remains optimistic about everything though. Many of the students are looking forward to the show. Many of the advanced students are anxious to show their artwork, wishing for others to see it. For some it may be the last time that they paint or draw, even with college on the way. Some are unsure if they want to pursue it as a career or major in college but all are happy to have had the opportunity to experience art at LaRue County High School.

A work by Miranda Hornback.

Music: The World’s Masterpiece

some amazing ensembles, some of which include: Asbury All Star band (3 years), All District Symphonic band (2 years), The WKU honor band (1 year), All State Band (one year) and the Cavilers Drum and Bugle corps. From all of these bands the last two are the most prestige, taking only the best of the best Nathaniel had to work hard to even be considered. The All State band is an ensemble developed by the Kentucky Music Educators Association by which students must audition by playing a piece of music provided by the KMEA. The ones who are excepted are the best of the best on their instrument, and Nathaniel was one of them. Receiving (I'm not for sure) chair out of (7 or 8). The Cavilers Drum and Bugle Corps is one of the nation’s premier drum and bugle corps. Located in Rose-

By: Chris Mills Music: a lyrical journey that has led us throughout all of mankind’s history. From the ancient Greeks, to our modern society in America, music has been a masterpiece of art crafted by billions. Taking the pallet in to their hands, many students at LaRue County have added flair to a worldwide symphony. Nathaniel Nash, Kenzi Lewis and Jeshua Logsdon are just tree of the many artist from our schools. THE TRUMPETER: NATHANIEL NASH From audition to audition, Nathaniel Nash has been Nathaniel Nash (left) and chosen for some of our state’s Jeshua Logsdon are two and nation’s premier drum and of the many musicians at bugle corps. Nathaniel, already a successful trumpeter, has been LCHS. i n mont, Illinois, the Cavilers is one of Jeshua is almost guaranteed a the most successful Corps in the performing job at any major actworld. Winning 7 world champion- ing company in the nation. ships in the last 17 years the, the THE SINGER: KENZI LEWIS cavilers are simply amazing. TakAmerican Idol is one of ing his talent this winter to Rosemont, Nathaniel is one of a select the most watched shows in the entire U.S. Hundreds of thousands few accepted to this elite group. of people each year try out for this TH E PE RFORME R: J E SH UA show just to get a glimpse of the LOGSDON big time. After making it through From his kindergarten multiple rounds, Kenzi Lewis had talent show, to his semi-annual finally received her golden ticket performance at the Lincoln Jam- to Hollywood. With this ticket, boree Jeshua Logsdon has spent Kenzi has been ruled one of the his entire life as a perform- best singers in the nation. From er. Singing, dancing and acting, city to city and state to state thouJeshua does it all. His latest major sands of people were turned production was with the Hardin away, but she wasn’t. While in County Performing Arts Center, Hollywood Kenzi was even showed performing Grease. Holding one of on national TV. This small town the lead rolls, Kenickie, Jeshua girl has made a big sound in the sang and danced his way to a music world. Kenzi Lewis made it to wonderful performance, one who These are just three of the Hollywood round of would make Jeff Conaway proud. the many talented musicians of American Idol. This fall Jeshua will be attending LaRue County. The brush is now the Savannah College of Art and in your hand. What picture will Design, one of the premiere colleg- you make with it? How will you es for his major of Performing impact the music world? Arts. After attending this college

Student Issues In this section:

Methed-Up By Katelyn Edwards Page 23 Locked Up Teenagers: Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Let it Happen to You By: Christi Hymel Page 24 Tainted Love: Dating Abuse By: Laura Despain Page 25 The Real Way to His Heart: Dating Advice By: Halie Starwalt Page 27 Girls Only: What Not to Wear When Meeting the Parents By: Emily Silva Page 28

Methed-Up! Katelyn Edwards Every day in the news, or in the papers there is always something that has to do with meth or other drugs. In the past year the number of meth labs, drug busts, and other drug related issues has risen tremendously.

The most common form of meth is the powdered form.

Methaphetamine & Its effects? Methamphetamine is a white, odorless, bittertasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol. It is taken orally, snorting the powder, by needle injection, or by smoking. Paint thinner, drain cleaner, battery acid, iodine, diet tablets, & many other hazardous chemicals are used to make the drug. It is used to stimulate the central nervous system and can do severe damage to the body such as: severe weight loss, rotting of the teeth, and loss of brain structure, as well as damage to the heart, lungs, kidney, and liver. A person who uses meth can also become paranoid or violent. Meth is made in three different forms: rock, crystal, and a powder & is also called speed, crank, ice, or crystal. There are now forty-eight known meth recipes that can be used to make the drug.

is meth so addictive? Meth is used to stimulate the nervous system. This causes the user to have a positive feeling, but then leaves the user feeling depressed. To get back to feeling normal the user demands more of the drug, which then causes a reoccurrence of the positive to being depressed feeling. In just a short amount of time a person becomes addicted to the drug.

labs. It is now costing taxpayers 1.5 million dollars in Kentucky. The more meth labs there are to clean up then the more costly it’s becoming.

The usage of meth is not only increasing but costing our state a lot of money. Meth is one of the worst drugs you can take and is very harmful to your body. If you want to become addicted to someMethed-Up! thing, make it gum! DO NOT Statistics show that do drugs! Not only are you there are more than one thou- harming and hurting yoursand meth labs in Kentucky. self but others as well. The number has risen more than Bibliography 40% since 2009. Police say the Hatton, Angela. Local Features. spike in the number of meth 28 January 2011. 16 labs comes from the “shake March 2001 <http:// and bake” and “one step” www.publicbroadcas meth labs that are now being ting.net/wkms/ made. These labs require fewer news.newsmain/ article/0/0/1755636/ ingredients, so they are easy to Local.Features/ make and transport. Kentucky InLaw enforcement busted 1,060 creased.Meth.Labs.Pu meth labs in Kentucky last year, t.Strain.on.the.Kentuc which are over 300 more than in ky.State.Police>. 2009. Not only is the number Reynolds, Ashley. News: Meth increasing but the more labs lab cases increasing . there are the more money that 27 December 2010. has to be used to clean them February 2011 <http:// www.wkyt.com/ up. It takes a little over two wymtnews/ thousand dollars just to clean headup one meth lab. In 2010, the lines/112523624.html>. Kentucky State Police estimated a total cost at over two million dollars used to clean up meth

This is what a meth lab will sometimes look like.

The effects that meth had on a female that has used it for 10 years. Why

PAGE 23

Locked Up Teenagers: Don’t let it happen to you.

Christi Hymel

In 1999, law enforcement officers arrested an estimated 2.5 million juveniles. Approximately 104,000 of these arrests were for violent crimes. The most common offense was larceny-theft. What needs to be done to keep teenagers out of jail? Juveniles have accounted for 16% percent of all violent crime arrests and 32% of all property crime arrests in 1999. They accounted for 54% of all arson arrests, 42% of vandalism arrests, 31% of larcenytheft arrests, and 33% of burglary arrests. In 1998, for “My weekdays go by so fast and then comes Frievery 100,000 youth in the United States ages 10 day… my weekend’s go so slow. through 17, there were 1,751 arrests of juveniles for property offenses. different way than most. Bender does not serve his time during the week like most inmates do; Bender serves his time on the weekends due to school. Bender says “My weekdays go by so fast and then comes Friday, that is when I go to jail and my weekend’s go so slow because I am in there with 20 other different people. Most of them are in for rape.” Having to go to jail every weekend instead of going and hanging out with friends has also been a wake-up call to Bender. Patrick says, “I think a way to wake up students is to let them have a little taste of what the real world feels like.” Bender was caught when he was pulled over by police with suspicion of having a run-away in his vehi“The food was terrible and the cells were dirty cle. and cold.” Some students here at LaRue County High school have experienced what it’s like to be in jail themselves. After conducting interviews with a few students here at school, jail did not sound like it would be a place anyone would want to be. One student, Vince Couch was charged with possession of marijuana. His experience did not sound too thrilling: “The food was terrible and the cells were dirty and cold.” Couch says “It’s a scary feeling to be in jail, not knowing what is going to happen next. I had to pay a thousand dollar bond and couldn’t leave my house unless my parents were with me. I believe that most young people are in jail for drug related charges.” For Vince, going to jail was also a wake-up call, “It was very much a wakeup call for me. It really brought the realization that jail was real and I wasn’t immune to going. I think that if some teenagers were forced to spend just a weekend in jail that they would finally realize that jail is real.” Another student, Patrick Bender, who went to jail for possession of marijuana, tampering with physical evidence, and unlawful transaction with a minor in the third degree gets to experience jail in a

Teenagers going to jail are obviously a problem that is in the United States. There are plenty of statistics that can prove this. Jail is not somewhere you want to go. Get your act together and jail is not something you have to worry about. Bibliography pbs pages. n.d. febuary 2011 <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/ frontline/shows/juvenile/stats/basic.html>.

PAGE 24

Tainted Love: Dating Abuse Love is Respect Love should never be synonymous with coercion. An ideal relationship is based on love, honesty, and trust. One third of today’s adolescents find themselves based on violence, manipulation, and exploitation. Females are 1.4 times more likely to be abused than males. Teen dating abuse has become an epidemic, even in the small community of LaRue county, yet the victims are typically too afraid to speak out. In order to end this perverse trend, teens need to be informed about the types of abuse, the stages of abuse, and how to end an abusive relationship. Types of Dating Abuse There are many different ways in which dating abuse occurs. Physical violence is the most common form of abuse. Physical abuse includes hitting, kicking, choking, etc. In the United States, 31% of females and 22% of males reported physical violence while in a relationship. Some people that abuse their partners get a sort of power trip from it. They enjoy being in control, and beating their loved ones is the best way they can think of to gain power. Many abusers were abused as children, or they saw abuse in their household on a regular basis. As a consequence, abuse is a normal condition of life for them. This may even be how they show affection. Sexual abuse is another common form of dating abuse. Sexual abuse involves being pressured by a partner to have sex early in the relationship or before one is ready to lose his or her virginity. This most often occurs when one partner tells the other that in a serious relationship, sex is an obligation. Sexual abuse may also include more serious situations, such as rape. In a national survey, almost 70% of young women

Laura Despain

that reported being raped knew their attacker personally. The rapist had been a boyfriend, friend, or acquaintance. Some young women that are raped are taken by force, while others are drugged and taken while in a state of unconscious. Possessive partners believe sex can be taken whenever it is desired because their partners are their property. This is not true, anyone has the right to refuse sex for any reason, at any time. Emotional abuse is another way that manipulative partners abuse their companions. The individuals that choose this method of torture may be the most clever. These people find ways to make their partners feel bad about themselves and even think that they have done something wrong. They constantly insult their partners to intentionally lower their selfesteem. A sophomore girl at LaRue County High School that reported dating abuse stated in an interview that, “[He] just put me down all the time. He told me that I was ugly and that I was lucky to have him because no one else would want me.” The abusers in this case most often have very low self-confidence, and like the old adage says, “misery loves company”. The main goal of emotional manipulators is to get their partners so depressed that they believe no one except their abusers will ever want to be with them. This ensures that the abused person will not try to leave the relationship.

PAGE 25

Stages of an Abusive Relationship Abusive people may initially seem doting and compassionate. This is often how they entice their victims into long-term relationships. There are usually stages to abusive relationships in which abusive partners act differently. In the first stage, the “honeymoon” stage, abusive people may act extremely nice and caring. This stage is generally short-lived, as abusive people only act this way as a form of enticement. The second stage of abuse is the “tensionbuilding” stage. This is the stage in which violent tendencies begin to surface. Violent people may begin by using controlling or interrogation techniques. Their partners tend to become more passive while they become more oppressive. The final stage of an abusive relationship is the “battery” stage. This is the stage in which violent outbursts occur. Abusive partners often have intense rage issues and will have emotional explosions. Their partners become submissive and as an after effect, the couple returns to the “honeymoon” stage. The anonymous teen girl that participated in the interview about dating abuse testified, “He was so nice to me at first. He treated me like a princess for the first couple of weeks. After that , he started getting really controlling. He would take my phone and read my texts. After a few more weeks, he started hitting me. My parents noticed the bruises pretty quickly, and they made me break up with him.” Abuse is a cycle, and it can only be stopped if the abused take charge. How to Escape an Abusive Relationship The most important thing for a person in an abusive relationship is to escape. Oftentimes, violent people will threaten to harm their partners or themselves as a way to coerce their partners into remaining in a relationship. Many people remain in unhealthy relationships only because they are terrified of what will happen if they leave. The best thing to do is just leave. Controlling people will sometimes stalk or threaten a partner that has left them. If threats or attempts at stalking are made, teenagers must tell their parents. Parents play a huge role in the safety of their children; more than likely, they can put an end to threats before any action is taken. If threats and stalking continue after parental interference, go to the police department and get a restraining order.

Date Wisely Forming healthy relationships is an essential part of being an adolescent. Teenagers are likely to choose mates based on aesthetics rather than character. This can prove to be detrimental, since abusive people do not have a certain appearance. Choose partners wisely, and know that no one has the right to control another person. Treat everyone with the love and respect that they deserve. If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, talk to a parent, log on to www.stayteen.org or www.endabuse.org, or call 1-800-752-6200. Sources:  www.loveisrespect.com  www.stayteen.org  www.endabuse.org

Characteristics of an Abusive Person 

Control issues



Anger problems



Habitual lying



Mental disease



Drug/alcohol abuse

How to Get a Guy in 10 Days Halie Starwalt

Point Of Interest:  Getting his attention  Making eye contact  Emphasizing your assets  Being confident  Keeping things interesting

A Helpful Tip Good Hygiene: Boys find girls who take care of themselves the most attractive. They like it when you actually care about your appearance.

The Real Way to His Heart No one likes to be lonely. And with all the competition out there it’s hard to get a worthy guy. So instead of turning and routing for the other team, here are some simple steps that will not only help you get a guy but also boost your confidence.

1Get His At-

tention All girls know that guys love getting compliments and being told how great they are, there’s no point in trying to hide it. So instead of bringing a guy down, help bring him up. Comment on how good he looks that day; tell him how his new shirt makes his eyes stand out or how good he smells. It will definitely give you kudos for noticing the little things. Instead of looking at him like he’s retarded when he tells a joke that makes no sense, laugh at it anyway and then flash him a big smile. Not only will it get his attention but it will get his friends attention too.

Make Eye Contact

If you’re not exactly “talking” yet, work on it; make lots of eye contact. But, don’t be creepy about it, occasionally look his way and don’t look away. Don’t feel stupid when you get caught looking at him, because remember he was looking at you too. Look away before it gets too uncomfortable. Now that he knows you’re looking at him, he’s going to start looking at you more. But, when you feel him looking at you don’t look at him, even if it kills you inside, don’t do it. It will kill him too.

eye color. If he hasn’t come up to you or asked for your number yet, don’t give up.

Be Confident

On the other hand, if he has asked for your number, give it to him, but not too willingly. The last thing you want to do is sound desperate. Now the first time he calls you be sweet and giggle. If he brings something up that you two have in common, don’t be afraid to talk about it; awkward silence is never a good thing. The next time you talk , whether it be on the phone or in person greet him by saying, “ Hey cutie” with a little wink or a big smile. Never let him see you down. Now that you’re Boys are not attracted to gotten his attention and Debby Downers, trust he’s looking at you, emme. Dylan White dephasize your best assets. scribes an especially And make sure he knows emotional girlfriend as you’re interested. If you making him want to have really nice teeth, laugh and smile a lot; show “ring her neck.” “I [eventually said] I’m out off those pearly whites. If you have really pretty eyes, of here,” said Dylan. Eventually work up to mix up your make up rougently caressing his tine and wear some eye shadow that plays up your hand or hugging him

Emphasize Your Assets

HOW TO GET A GUY IN

PAGE 27

when you see him, make sure he knows your glad to see him. No guy likes coming up to a group and feeling left out, make him feel welcome, introduce him to your friends, bring him into the conversation.

Feedback: “A girl who’s slightly independent but still

Keep Things Interesting Depending on how fast things are moving, maybe you’ll have a few inside jokes and hopefully you’ll know what you two have in common and what he likes to do. Surprise him with little things like tickets to a game or invite him over to watch a movie and hangout. Always make him feel wanted, but never and I repeat never be too clingy. Don’t call him a gazillion times and if he doesn’t call you one night don’t freak out and go ape ship on his ass the next day. Give him space, but not too much otherwise he’ll move on and eventually lose interest in you. Keep the flirting up and keep things interesting. In no time he’ll be eating out of the palm of your hand. During all of this don’t throw yourself at the guy or guys, stay confident and let him know that you respect yourself. Don’t ever do anything you

dependent on me.” - Marquis Cobb

“I would say personality is all that matters but you have to be sexually attracted to someone too.” - Nathaniel Nash

Be patient, and yourself and you’ll find your happy ending.

don't want to, even if he says it’s right. Obviously if you’re not feeling it, it’s not right. And remember what ever you do he’s going to go brag about and tell his buddies in the locker room before the next big game, word gets around quick. But the big thing is have fun and don’t ever change who you

really are just to impress a guy. As shared by White, many guys say the number one thing that interest them in a girl is her ability to “be herself.” Obviously if you have to change who are in order for this boy to like you, he’s not that great and he doesn’t know how great of a girl he’s missing out on.

Girls Only: What not to wear when meeting the parents. Emily Silva That first meet is what forms your boy toys’ parents’ opinion about what kind of person their son is dating. If you dress too up they might think that you are stuck up or that you think you are better than them. If you dress too slacky, they think “oh this girl has no confidence and is just a slob.” Here are some examples of No No’s about what not to wear on the first meet, and trust me these outfits have happened before.

Showing What Ya Mama Gave Ya. Mini skirts with a tank top. Come on you don’t want to show everything you got when meeting the parents. Inappropriate words would be said behind your back if you did. For instance you drop your cell phone you bend down to pick it up UH OH! Tommy’s parents get a look at your booty! You just scarred them for life. And they also would get a little visual of your front side, because your tank top is a little low. Oh no there goes Jenny Juniors flashing for the whole family to see. Mama always told you to keep those things in. That is highly inappropriate. Just wait once you leave the house. Your ears would be highly burning red, because Tommy’s parents are giving him a lecture on how trashy you are. You don’t want to be called Trash bag Jenny.

Showing Team Spirit Your favorite team is Dallas Cowboys; you wear your Dallas Cowboys booty shorts with your favorite Cowboys tshirt. Now nothing wrong with this outfit unless your date’s parents are Indiana Colts fan! And trust me girls, you do not want to get on their enemy list on the first meet. This might cause a conflict if the parents’ sense of humor is low. Save the cute battle of football team once you get married; cross that bridge a little later in life. Plus you need to look a little more fancy . What if they decide to go to a nice restaurant. That outfit is embarrassing, especially if football season is over. That would be more appropriate. Another

name that might be mentioned is Tacky Jenny. Now that you know a little bit more of the No No’s on a first meet with the parents. When it comes close to date time, think before you put on the clothes and start messing up all your drawers. Have a girlfriend to come over and help pick something out. That way, your first impression would be a good one. So no mini skirts, or jerseys. A simple pair of jeans and a cute top would be nice and appropriate at the same time. Curl your hair to top it off. Everybody loves a little curly head.

YES Outfit!

NO Outfits!

Never wear jerseys, mini-skirts, or tanktops when first meeting his parents.

YOUR EDITOR I hope you all enjoy this edition of Talk of the Hawk. A lot of hard work went into the making. We tried to include a little bit of everything so that we could widen the variety of what we write about. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, send me an email. Thanks! -Erika Bowles

HAWKINATOR CONTEST If you see the Hawkinator in this edition, send an email to erika.bowles@stu.larue.kyschools.us detailing where you saw him, and you will be entered into a drawing for a special Hawkinator-worthy prize. (Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell your friends where you see it though. The more people entered in the drawing, the less likely you will be to win.)

21st Century Publishing Class in charge of this e-magazine. If you have an article you would like to submit, please email it to the editor at erika.bowles@stu.larue.kyschools.us