TALK OF THE HAWK
Vol. 4
Summer Edition
So, How About Some Summer Fun? What are you doing over Summer Break? By: Renee Patrowicz
Summer break; what every school kid waits for, or most of them anyways - that me where there are no teachers, no homework, no pressure, and most of all no school - where you can go play out in the sun and be with your friends. You could go on Vaca ons, pool trips, the mall, and several other place. What are you doing for summer break? Is it something interes ng like going to a famous landmark, or plain and simple like staying at home? For most, summer vaca on is a me of fun; where you can play in sun and do all sorts of things with your friends. What are people at LCHS, freshmen to seniors, doing over this break? According to sophomore Jeff Hammond, he says he’ll be, “Playing video games, and he’s gonna party like it’s 1999.” On the other hand, junior Jesse Biglow says, “I’m going to work and spend me with my fiancée.” It seems both have a laid-back summer awai ng them. But what about freshmen and seniors? What are they expected to do? Seniors gradua ng this year and going to do stuff beyond what they have before, and freshman, just finishing their first year of highschool. Freshman Brian Anderson says he will be going to different Chris an organiza ons to help people. Senior Sarah Mortenson said she was going to be spending her summer “searching for magical unicorns and having fun.” Whether you’re coming back or not, having fun, or not having so much fun; you’ll s ll be on summer vaca on. I hope it is a good one for you, and if you’re underclassmen you’ll surely be back again next year. You come back for more homework, and new teachers to see. Have a wonderful summer vaca on, and enjoy it while it lasts!
LaRue County Baseball By: Dakota White
When you think of LaRue County sports, a few sports come to mind; wrestling, basketball, and baseball. LaRue County Baseball is one of the most successful sports that are offered here at LaRue County High School. The Hawks so far have recorded five wins and only two losses. They look to con nue their excellence in district tournament, as they are chasing their 11th consecu ve district tle. This season’s team will include the seniors Jesse Johnson, Stephen Carpenter, David Masure, Wesley Kessinger, Kyle Meredith, Kyle Sheeran, Evan Cline, Slade Owens, and Trevor Skaggs. The underclassmen consist of juniors Cody Waters, Aus n Hinton, Ma?hew Hornback, Cole Hughes, and Jordan McGaw, sophomores Dylon Hedgesbeth and Aus n McDowell, and freshman Robert Thompson. Most of these players have been playing together for their en re high school career, and even back to middle school. As men oned above, their chase for their 11th consecu ve district tle is actually a Kentucky baseball record, which they surpassed last year when they won their 10th district tle in a row. Their district opponents include Hart County, Green County, and Caverna. They are coached once again by head coach Chris Price, who has been the head coach of the team for seven years. Unfortunately, he has yet to win a Regional Championship trophy, which is a very real possibility this season, especially with the team looking very good so far this season. In the regular season, they will face State Champions Central Hardin, who arguably will be the most difficult challenge for the Hawks this year. They will also travel to Ft. Walton, Florida to par cipate in a tournament which will consist of teams from Florida and the state of Kentucky. The season will be long and hard for the Hawks, but with an experienced team and coaching staff, they look to be as good as ever as they represent LaRue County in the great sport of baseball. Support them as they go through the season for a mere $5 for entrance to a game. Wish the Hawks good luck!
New York Senior Trip By: Laruen Kells
This year we have about half the senior class going. The cost of the trip is around $600-$700 dollars and most kids think that’s a lot, when if you think about its really not because mes these days it really expensive and not only is it cheap it also includes the housing, transporta on, and places we get to visit. May 3rd the day we set off aKer a long day of school, and begin our journey to the “big apple,” New York. When we arrive we have an i nerary to go by and what to do like seeing historical landmarks going to museums. Before you know it the trip is over. I have never been to New York and I’m so excited! To being enjoying in the experience, go cause it will be worth it.
New York Times Square!
The seniors of LaRue County High School are so ready to get out of this school that they have been going to for 4 years I’d say are bit ready for some fun! What be?er than the chance to a?end the senior trip to New York. Mr. Rex Hanson the “main guy” the top dog, man in charge is the guy who put this all together and for the past 7 years the school has gone to New York every year.
Prom: The male version of spring cleaning, for your wallet By: Kyle Hya? As a guy, prom is very different experience than that of the opposite sex. For the girls, it is all about dresses, hair, makeup, and girly stuff. For us it is more about making sure our wallet doesn’t cave in like a mine as well as other things, but the conserva on of money is what this is mainly about. Let’s start off with one of the more important of issues; tuxs. There are a wide plethora places to go such as, Tuxedo Avenue and Geno’s. Those are the more popular choices. On average a good tux runs from 90ish to about 160ish. This really depends on what style you get, where you are geLng it from, and for certain stores, what package you are geLng. I have gone to both Geno’s and Tuxedo Warehouse, both are good and reputable store, I personally prefer Tuxedo warehouse over Geno’s. There is also a tux rental place in Hodgenville. I am not sure what it is called or how much it costs but it is local so you might want to check it out if you haven’t go?en your tux yet. With the tux, you are kind of at the mercy of the store with the cost. The next thing that will drain your wallet is dinner. There are so many places that you could go; SO MANY PLACES!! But either way there are just three things that you need to keep in mind: 1) Make sure it is classy. 2) make sure the food is good. 3) and finally, make sure it isn’t insanely expensive. (No places with a $30 steak, seriously that is ridiculous and I have seen it happen.) You can find a classy, good, and reasonably priced place. One such place is the Whistle Stop down in Glendale or Bone Fish. If your date wants to go to one of those insanely price restaurants, drive down there, drop her off, go grab a burger, and leave her there. If you want to do something rather inexpensive there is something rather interes ng here in good old Hodgenville. Mams Candy is offering a four course meal, a picture (the size is unknown to me), and a horse-drawn carriage ride for $25 per person. This seems like a rather good deal, plus it would support the local business. As a guy prom is bi?ersweet. Yeah we get to dress sharp, party-hardy, and have a beau ful girl on our arm, well most of us anyways, but it costs so much. Yeah the girls have their dresses, makeup, and hair but we have everything else and it gets expensive. Where ever you are going, for wither food or tux, you always have the op on of going cheaper without sacrificing quality. So, have fun at prom people, don’t do anything really stupid or irresponsible but have fun.
John Carter: It’s not
Star Wars. By: Jake Lutze
The sci-fi/fantasy, or sci-fantasy genre, to most people has been around since Flash Gordon first decided to become protector of the universe, but in reality, it comes from even further back. Yes, without the author of Tarzan, the likes of Star Wars, Chronicles of Riddick, and countless other smashups of science fic on and fantasy would not exist today. Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote A Princess of Mars, the first of the Barsoom series in 1917, completely unknowing of the fact he was about to create a genres. Now, nearly one-hundred years later, the first movie in the Barsoom series was created; John Carter. As I was headed into my local theater, I was expec ng everything in John Carter. A perfec on of a genre I have loved since I was a child. I was not disappointed.
2012 Official John Carter Movie Poster.
The film opens with the tular character madly searching for a cave of gold in the old west. AKer an encounter with the law, and an encounter with the Na ve Americans, Carter eventually does find his mythical cave. He encounters a strange human in the cave and is transported by some apparent means of magic to mars. From there he meets the Green Mar ans; rela vely savage creatures that nonetheless provided hospitality towards the alien they find. A princess of another species appears in the Green Mar ans territory, and the story truly develops from there. All in all, it is a standard fish out of water story, with John a?emp ng to acclimate himself to Mars, with mixed results. A serviceable story with an ac on packed second and third act makes for an excellent beginning to what could be an epic cinema series. Special effects can make or break a film, and luckily, John Carter excels. Not overdoing the CGI like Avatar, or puLng li?le effort in it like most films makes for a healthy balance between prac cal filming and special effects. The Green Mar ans especially make for an interes ng and technically spectacular special effect, with all six limbs being used thoughRully to create a living, breathing creature. Fantas cal ships sail on light and lead to an amazing and awesome airship ba?le, while there are also several other, smaller sequences with speeding bikes that flit about through machinery that exemplify just how much work was put into the special effects for the film. Changes from the book to the movie are rela vely minimal, except for the introduc on of the movie, where I could barely even pinpoint references to the book, but it made for a be?er movie. The differences between the two are minimal aKer that point, however, and the film manages to accomplish much the same as the book, that being a man swept up into otherworldly poli cs and war. I cannot think of any changes that were made that truly detracted from the film, instead it offered a more cinema c approach to the same story. Overall, though the film does step a bit into a generic side, John Carter is an excellent and fun movie. It manages to adapt and revitalize the book for modern audiences. It may not have done well at the box office, but it is definitely worth a view. Showing your support may convince the producers to turn this into a series worth watching.
A Series of Movies of Unfortunate Events
By: Jake Lutze If you cannot tell by my four (now five) movie related ar cles in Talk of the Hawks’ past, I am a bit of a movie buff. By my nature, I appreciate films in many forms, and certainly appreciate a li?le ingenuity and crea vity. As such, my pa ence is wearing thin for the constant adapta ons, sequels, prequels, reboots, and remakes overtaking theatres. I have no problem with sequels, or even a remake on occasion, but nearly half of upcoming and recent films fall under this category. Wrath of the Titans, The Hunger Games, and The Three Stooges, for example, all happen to be a remake, sequel, or adapta on. Clash of the Titans was originally released in 1981, and was well-received. The stop-mo on special effects were appropriate for the me, but in today’s day and age, the movie looks quite laughable. So it makes sense that Clash of the Titans was remade in 2010, to appeal to a broader audience. What does not make sense is that there is now a sequel to the remake of Clash of the Titans. Say hello to Wrath of the Titans, or “Hollywood has officially run out of ideas.” This is quite different from a remake, or an out of date sequel (The Thing, 2011), this is completely dropping the original film in favor of the newer and flashier version. If Hollywood was so intent on bringing back the Clash series, why not just go straight to Wrath, skipping the unnecessary and mediocre remake instead of stomping on the 80’s classics’ face? Begging for a similar ques on is the Three Stooges remake that recently came out. The Three Stooges, as anyone knows, is about a group of bumbling idiots that get into a bunch of wacky misadventures. Adap ng a television show into a movie is fine with me, but the last airing of The Three Stooges was in some me in the 1940s. That brand of slaps ck nonsensical comedy is outdated and doesn’t resonate well with our genera on. Even Kyle Hya?, a fan of the original run said, “I believe The Three Stooges will flop, and be an u?er disgrace to the former glory of the franchise.” So Hollywood put their best writers on it and decided to… include a Snooki cameo? The humor is the same, but with an added dosage of pop-culture to “spice things up”. This is what you are paying eight dollars to see people; three creepy, middle-aged dudes and an oompa-loompa. It is much less concerning and annoying that The Hunger Games was recently adapted into a movie. Though it represents a larger problem of the movie industry; a large por on of the be?er movies ever made are adapta ons of novels. Fight Club, The Godfather, Shawshank Redemp on, all of these excellent, classic movies were simple rehashes delivered to the silver screen. I can agree that it is really cool to see your favorite book finally make it big enough to be no ced by big Hollywood reps, but cinema is a crea ve medium separate from books. Think of it like an ar st pain ng only pictures of screenshots from video games. It s fles crea vity and doesn’t show the true poten al of the ar st. Now, we film buffs are not without hope. There are several movies coming out that aren’t simple rehashes; The Cabin in the Woods by Joss Whedon being one of the prominent coming films. Show your support for true crea vity instead of a sequel to a remake and maybe Hollywood will catch on to what moviegoers really want.
So Are You Ready, Or Not? 8th Graders speak of their excitement for high-school. By: Renee Patrowicz
High-school; it seems close to paradise to those who have not been there. There are laptops, be?er classes, and a freedom middle school kids have yet to see. Most 8th graders wait in an cipa on for that last day of this year so they can become freshman. It is the biggest step of their lives. Some are nervous that they will not be able to find their classes, while others aren’t nervous at all. It’s almost a new place, with new faces, and a new structure to the way they learn. How will high-school change them, and does it meet up to what they think of it? Several 8th graders, by a poll, say that they are looking forward to high school just to get out of middle school. It will allow them to have “more freedom.” They feel nervous about high school, and a current 8th grader explains, “because it’s like we’re at the bo?om of the food chain” of the social status. More students also want the be?er variety of classes that high-school offers, instead of the regular middle school curriculum. Another popular subject among them is “geLng a laptop.” Several seem to state that that’s the only thing they’re looking forward to. What they’ll use the laptops for, who knows? It’s most likely not the intended purpose. 8th graders also face the possibility of being nervous, which most answered either neutral or no to the ques on. Students who were asked stated the reason was either “I’m scared I won’t know where my classes are,” or “I don’t know anybody.” The laptops, new faces, new teachers, and a brand new perspec ve; all the posi ve things about your new school loom ahead of you. Will you survive the four years you’re looking forward to, or will you just barely make it? Time can only tell, and we can only wish you luck as you enter the doors of the high-school for the first me to learn next year.
Advice For Freshman. By: Dakota White Well 8th graders, the me has come for a big change. The world of sex, drugs, and research papers is about to envelop you. And a majority of it all comes with high school. That’s right. All of that and more will probably come with walking into that big building across the street every day. This introduces a whole set of rules and ethics that need to be followed. Well, the first and obvious rule here is that high school is NOTHING like middle school. Those “fights” you saw in middle school could be compared to two squirrels figh ng. In here, there are no rules when it comes to figh ng, and anyone even in the area is collateral damage. So here’s lesson number one: Don’t pick any fights. A lot can be avoided if you simply shut up. Just keep your head down, and keep moving forward. In addi on to the violence that occurs in the high school, classes are a world apart from what you’ve had before. Your classes are going to be more and more difficult as your progress through your high school career. You need to be on top of things if you want to have a successful four years, and you’ll need to be prepared for the challenges that happen. My point above leads to the second rule; TRY YOUR HARDEST in your freshman year. Your freshman year will set the tone for your ENTIRE high school career, and many people will arguably say that it is your most important year besides your junior year. If you slack off freshman year, chances are you’ll slack off your ENTIRE high school life. (Trust me, I slacked off freshman year, and now this ar cle is late). So just work hard on your freshman year, and that’ll carry a lot of weight into your remaining years of high school. The third rule is to NOT stop and talk to your friends in the hallway. Yes, high school is great because you get to see your friends in between classes, but talk and walk. A lot of people genuinely care about geLng to class on me, and they can’t when you’re too busy flapping away to your friends about some teacher that was mean to you. If you really need to talk to them, talk and walk. You get to your des na on faster, plus you get your chit-chat in about who likes you or whatever. Wait, I forgot something; carry yourself with dis nc on and pride. You’re in (at mes) an enjoyable school with a lot of history. Be prideful in your school, you’re walking in the footsteps of greatness, so act like it as well. You’ll be on your way making a name for yourself soon enough. I guess this really wraps it up. If you follow these simple rules, you’re sure to have an enjoyable and fun high school career.
Censorship: Is it too much? By: Olivia Thompson It’s no secret that most schools have a strict policy about maintaining a clean, structured environment in their buildings. From the art rooms, to the clothing and language, behind those big school walls is a list of “cant-do” rules. Although those big walls hold a powerful learning environment, what if they were also holding a giant barrier between each student and their freedom of selfexpression? AKer being asked her views on school censorship, senior student, Madison Lee, responded by saying: “I think schools should only have censorship when things are obviously inappropriate for kids or teens.” The first amendment of the United States Cons tu on states that all Americans are en tled to the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and pe on. Along with her views of general censorship, Madison believed as if her American rights were being threatened by schools telling her what she can and cannot do. “I don’t think the government should be able to control it, if anyone, the schools.” As well as with language control, there is also censorship of the art room as well. Most nude and weaponry pieces are rejected by the school systems policies. Even most “horror” themed art works of monsters and morbidity are highly frowned upon and deemed as something that leads to self-harm and nightmares among students. “I think with art, people should just draw and paint whatever they want. Some people like to draw weird stuff. It’s how they express themselves. Some people like to dance, some people like to sing, and some people just like to draw adult things” says freshman student, Amillia Thompson. When asked her opinions on the schools possibly changing their ar s c guidelines, Amillia said, “My sister’s an ar st and she draws a lot of different things and my mom’s okay with it, so I think the schools should be too.” In the Fall of 2010, laptops were brought into the LCHS building for school work and technological advancements in learning. AKer just a few days of having the laptops, students quickly caught on to the blocking of games, chat-holders, blogs, and some websites. A series of months went by, and the popular social networking website, www.facebook.com, became unblocked as well as the video streaming website, www.youtube.com, for aKer school use. Although these were unblocked, students reported s ll feeling as if the games on the internet should be unblocked aKer school for relaxa on me at home. Although school internet blocking, language, and art censorship is thorough, students of all different ages feel as if the school system is being too hard on them. Because of this, the students feel as if they would like a few minor changes in the guidelines of censorship of their daily lives in public schooling. Whether or not asking for changes would be successful, it is unknown how students would react to these changes, and how the control levels of teacher-student management would fluctuate.
Preparing for Prom 2012 Spring is Nature’s way of saying, “Let’s Party!” When it comes to preparing for prom night girls, should begin months ahead of me. For girls at Larue Co., preparing for prom night is intense. 34% of the juniors and senior girls are doing everything to be ready for prom like hair, tanning, make-up, and nails. Let’s just say it takes a lot to look like a queen. The dress is the most important, 15% are spending $300-$500 on the dress they will be wearing to prom night 2012. Tickets are now on sale at the Bank of Larue located in the High School, open during lunch hours. The costs are $75 couple, $40 single. “A Night in Paris” is the theme for prom 2012 here at Larue Co. High. I interviewed Mrs. Willard the Junior Class Prom Planner for 2012, my ques on was, “What part of prom planning is most challenging?” She replied “The cost, I don’t want to charge lots of money for the ckets, but decora ons are expensive…As usual there will be a number of cash prizes.” This year will be a classy event. There are a few changes from last year. “We will be having Prom King, and Queen,” quoted by Mrs. Willard. When it comes to prom Queen for girls, everyone wants to win and look pre?y while doing it. When it comes to prom you party and at party’s you dance and hang out with friends. A variety of music will be played at “A Night in Paris,” prom 2012. It will be a different DJ this year, they have a huge selec on of music, and us student’s will actually get to select, and choose what is played beforehand. IF food is served it will be finger foods, and pastry’s to go with the classy event. She is hoping for a great turn out of Larue Co. students to a?end at prom 2012. Mrs. Willard said “There are a couple of other surprises that I don’t want to spoil!”
You’re Welcome.
We’ll see you next year.