B J The
Jacket Buzz
Starkville High School • 603 Yellow Jacket Dr. Starkville, MS 39759 • shsjacketbuzz.com Volume XXI, No. 3 • 12-13-13
SHS particpates in Christmas Parade Several SHS entities participate in the Starkville Christmas Parade Page 3
Britton Walker nominated as DAR Good Citizen Walker prepares to compete for DAR Good Citizen competition Page 5
Carino wins Poetry Out Loud Joy Carino looks forward to reciting poetry in the Regional Poetry Out Loud competition after winning in Starkville Page 5
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A year in review Page 8
Page 2 • 12-13-13
News
shsjacketbuzz.com
Seniors set to graduate early Students at SHS look forward to future plans
Entertainers visit Starkville: 2 Chainz, Fun
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Which crowd will be bigger? say... 2 Chainz because more college students and more people from different ethnic backgrounds will go to the 2 Chainz concert. -Anna Nicole Underwood
Fun. I think Fun’s lyrics can relate to more people. -Ashley Rude
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Consolidation options set out, summarized By Kristen Lacy Writer
All students in a geographic area should be provided the same opportunity of a quality education. When students in a specific district repeatedly fail state-mandated tests, year after year, a plan of action has to be taken. This terrible fate happened to the Oktibbeha County Schools, and because of it, a plan to consolidate the Oktibbeha County School District and the Starkville School District has been mandated by legislature. This simply means that all students who live in Oktibbeha County will attend schools in the new Starkville Consolidated School District. However, only grades 7-12 will be combined. East Oktibbeha Elementary School will remain the same, being pre-k-6 grade. Starkville School District’s Sudduth Elementary and Ward-Stewart Henderson Elementary will remain the same as well, and none of the school zones for any of those schools will change. Because all of this cannot hap-
pen overnight, a long term plan and a short term plan have been devised. Long Term Plan A for consolidation of middle and high school students is as follows: Freshmen will be reassigned from Starkville High School. A new building will be built for the grades 8-9 to attend, leaving grades 10- 12 at the current Starkville High School location, and grades 6 - 7 will be housed at Armstrong Middle School. Plan A is the preferred long term plan, but would cost as much as $14 million with a move-in date of August 2017. If there is not adequate funding for Long Term Plan A, Long Term Plan B for consolidation of middle and high school students is as follows: Sixteen classrooms will be added at Armstrong Middle School to provide enough room for grades 7-8 to remain at AMS, and freshmen will remain at Starkville High School. Funding Plan B would require $3,069,000 with a move-in date of August 2016. With whichever long term plan
is finalized, a Short Term Plan must take effect while changes are being made. The Short Term Plan relocates grade 6 students to the Overstreet Elementary building while relocating the current Overstreet Alternative School and programs to a not-yet-determined site. Grades 7-8 will remain at AMS. The short term plan will take effect August 2015, when grades 9-12 consolidate at Starkville High School. In an effort to improve the quality of education in the district, more four-year-old pre-kindergarten classes will be offered for all children. While all of these proposed plans have received mixed emotions of some support as well as concern and criticism from community stake holders, they are proposed plans and are subject to change, following approval of the consolidation committee and state legislature. The bottom line is the new consolidated district providing an equal and quality education for all students living in Oktibbeha County.
By Alicia Carter Opinion, Photo Editor
What are the benefits of graduating high school early? Well, getting to put all of the high school drama behind and move on to college drama! No but really, young people get to start college early. Seniors have mixed feelings on that topic. Some are ready to graduate so they can be an independent individual and start their journeys as a young adult. Some are scared of the thought of being on their own, and want their senior year to last just a little longer. Either way, college is right around the corner, and some SHS students are ready to get that young adult journey started a semester early. Students who graduate early are gaining respect from the colleges that look at these students. Seeing that a high school student sacrificed a semester of his
or her senior year to “grow up” shows that student is very determined and serious about his or her future. Not saying that if one doesn’t graduate early that the college will look at him or her any different, but those seniors graduating early certainly get brownie points. Not all high school students graduating early go straight to college. Some graduate in December, get a local job, stay at home with their parents, and save up some money until the following fall semester in college. Some graduate in December and go straight to college in the spring. And some graduate in December, and do absolutely nothing until they decide to do something with their lives or their parents kick them to the curb, whichever comes first. Thankfully we don’t have any students at SHS with that last ambition.
“I’m going to graduate in December, continue to work my part time job, begin taking classes at EMCC in January, get my Associate’s degree, and then go on to study nursing at The W in Columbus,” Iyuna Hollinshed said. Some students like Candice Minor started early and took a few classes this past summer at EMCC. “I already got a few of my basic classes out of the way this summer, but when I graduate in December I’ll attend EMCC as a full-time student and then go on to Alcorn State and study Art & Design,” said Candice Minor. Whether one is going to cherish every moment of his or her senior year, end it early to start living as a young adult, or sit on his or her parents’ couch for a while, college is still something that all high school students should be looking into.
member to the SHS orchestra from last year. “I think she’s more interactive with the students; but she does have smaller classes, so it’s probably easier for her,” Smith said. “I think she has done a very good job overall.” The orchestra’s dwindling numbers has not stopped Philips from moving forward with the small group of musicians. Under Smith’s direction, the strings students had a concert on Dec. 6 at the Starkville High Cafeteria. This concert featured music designed for only a few instruments. “We’re doing more chamber music [designed for a smaller number of instruments] because of the fewer people in the class. We are focusing more on chamber music since we can’t play as a full orchestra,” Smith said.
Smith hopes this concert has brought more publicity to the Strings program and hopes to boost its performance. “It could bring more people into the program which we really do need because it’s so small right now,” Smith said. “Everyone wants to see it grow, and we need as many people as we can get.”
Phillips organizes, string students prepare for concert nThe new strings orchestra director leads students, gives them opportunity to show their skills in the concert setting By Ashley Rude Writer
Starkville High School’s strings orchestra has lost more than 70% of its members. The orchestra has also had a change in instructors. Sandra Philips is the new strings teacher. While Armstrong Middle School has a larger group of strings musicians, the SHS group now consists of only two musicians, sophomore, Nathan Smith, and freshman, Ashley Macklemore. Smith is the only returning
News
Band, Woomer, Coleman, cheerleaders particpate in Starkville Christmas Parade By Hollie Overby Writer
Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus right down Main Street! Starkville held a Whoville-themed Christmas parade on December 2, where Starkville high School showed off their Christmas spirit from band to cheerleaders, while also showing off our Miss Yellow Jacket, Emily Woomer, and our 2013-2014 Homecoming Queen, Jamie Coleman. The Christmas parade is very important for Starkville High students because they show what they are about and show their pride in the Yellow Jacket Nation. While the band is finally wrapping up their marching season, they zoom right into concert season. In that midst, they have the parade. Jacob Reed, a sophomore, in the band said, “I personally had one day to prepare because I didn’t get the music until the day before the parade.” “We [Reed and fellow band members] had to line up for the parade in the gym, due to weather, which was quite dif-
ferent. Due to English II state testing, a priority for many students, the band had fewer members to participate in the parade. The SHS band knew they had to put extra effort into their parade performance, having fewer instruments represented. As the cheerleaders are also wrapping up with football season, they have been cheering at basketball games and getting ready for their competitive competition in Jackson, Ms. The SHS cheerleaders have participated in the Christmas parade for a very long time and this year they have had to juggle multiple objectives all at once. “We didn’t really prepare for the Christmas parade because we ride in the back of a truck. This was actually my first parade to cheer in; and being around the girls and cheering is always fun, but we really didn’t enjoy the cold,” sophomore, Mary Virginia Altman said. “Being in the Christmas parade give us the opportunity to show our spirit and show the community just how awesome it is to be aYellow
Jacket.” Last year, freshman, Emily Woomer, was crowned 20122013 Miss Yellow Jacket. As Woomer showed off her blue, gleaming dress and heels she stopped by to greet the crowd. “Being crowned Miss Yellow Jacket last year was a great experience. The last thing I expected was to win it because I was a freshman. It is a pleasure to represent Starkville High as Miss Yellow Jacket.” Woomer said that this was actually her second time to be in the parade, but the first time was walking with her Girl Scout troop. The SHS 2013-2014 Homecoming Queen is Miss Jamie Coleman. “Being crowned Homecoming Queen was a great honor. I truly thank God and the student body for voting me to be their homecoming queen.” Coleman admitted to enjoying seeing Santa Claus at the end of the parade. “Even though this wasn’t my first Christmas parade, it sure was a great one, representing the Yellow Jacket Nation!”
Congratulations to the Starkville High School Robojackets for winning 2nd Place Best Marketing Presentation and 7th Place in the robotics tournament!
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Emily Woomer and her two younger cousins wave to the crowd as they cruise down Main Street in the Christmas Parade. Contributed photo.
Christmas Concert and Dessert Theatre: Dec. 14 Songs: “The Holiday Season” It has become “Peppermint Winter” a very big thing “Happy Holidays” in the Starkville ”Ding-a-Ding-a-Ding” community, so everyone “Do You Know The Song should come the Angels Sing?” support the
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choir! -Regina Weeks
p
Choir
Concert Sat. Dec.14, 6:30 p.m., First Baptist Outreach Center
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News
Consolidation news spreads in public hearings, on Twitter By Kelley Mazzola Editor-in-Chief
As the Commission on Starkville/Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Structure reviews the plans for consolidation, citizens of both districts wait for the results of their efforts, learning about the plans for consolidation through public hearings. “The public hearings have been well attended,” Lewis Holloway, superintendent of the Starkville School District (SSD), said. At such public hearings, attendees from the audience sign in to speak for an allotted amount of time at the podium to present information that should be considered by the commissioners. Speakers, like Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman, also discuss the impact that consolidation will have on the city of Starkville. “Millage rates need to be adjusted and reviewed county wide,” Wiseman said at the Nov. 7 public hearing. “All taxpayers should shoulder the load of such an undertaking [of consolidation].” The fact of the matter is that this consolidation is one of a new breed; this is the first time for a
successful district (SSD) and a failing district (Oktibbeha County School District). Many citizens have found these meetings helpful, but there are still questions being raised. Starkville native and president of the Parents for Public Schools (PPS) organization Michelle Jones with SSD Public Information Officer Nicole Thomas found a way for such questions to be presented. The Greater Starkville Development Partnership (GSDP) partnered with Parents for Public School of Starkville to host a Twitter Town Hall on Nov. 6, from 7 until 8 pm to provide the opportunity for a question and answer session regarding consolidation, mainly those questions regarding the proposed plan from the Commission on Starkville Consolidated School District Structure. A Twitter town hall is where Twitter users tweet about certain issues to a collection of otherTwitter users who use a specific hash tag accompanying their tweet response to indicate that a certain tweet is receiving an answer or a reply. Jones believes that the Twitter
town hall improved the output of knowledge and has given more people the opportunity to stay informed. “Twitter is a vital resource for people’s news now,” Jones said. “Many parents are busy during the week when the public hearings happen and miss them, so this is a way that people can view the facts about consolidation in a quick way that’s right on their phones.” Thomas is collaborating with owner of Small Pond Graphics, Haley Montgomery, who is working closely with the SSD and PPS, and Angela Hobart, Starkville High School Journalism adviser to organize an additional Twitter Town Hall to be held Dec. 17 from 6-7 pm. “It’s a great way to get the student populace informed,” Thomas said. “If we can’t answer the question presented right then, there’s always someone in our group of panelists who can find out.” Students from the journalism team at Starkville High School along with Hobart will be moderating the event while representatives from the Commission, the School District, Starkville PPS and GSDP will be present and available to tweet answers throughout the hour. “By hosting through the SHSjacketbuzz twitter account, we are able to reach students and teachers who may not have been involved in the previous town hall. Getting the correct information to these stakeholders is important for the success of our future district,” Hobart said. Matthew Myles, SHS Broadcast Journalism editor, is excited about the opportunity to serve as a moderator. “Using twitter to reach students is both instantaneous because the retweets spread quickly and students who may be less-likely to read a printed publication actually read them for information.” Interested parties can tweet questions to @shsjacketbuzz with hashtag #stkcsd, and these questions will be answered on Dec. 17.
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Page 5 • 12-13-13
Art students submit photog- Carino wins SHS Poetry Out Loud, advances to Regionals raphy, art pieces to NFAA simple and understandable.” feel like my poems resonate to me
By April Reese Writer
While many students are unaware of what goes on inside of Starkville High School’s white house, the talented art students have been diligently preparing their masterpieces. The students have submitted stunning artwork for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts [NFAA] Young Arts competition. Everyone doesn’t have intrinsic artistic abilities, but under the inspiring instruction from Mr. Lark, the art students at SHS have blossomed into artists. “I’ve been drawing since I was 5 or 6,” said senior Lee Bryant. Taking Art I, Art II, and being involved in his second year of photography, Bryant is competing in this competition
for the first time. The competition involves numerous skilled students, entering work in various categories, such as photography, singing, music, poetry, and videography. “I’ve been in Art since ninth grade,” senior Alfred Stokes said, “and my art piece was photography. The theme was ‘body,’ so my pictures (portrayed) a person’s back. With so many students in this competition, nobody knows how they will place. “I’m really nervous about the competition,” senior, Breeland Anderson, said. Even though she has been involved in the arts from a very early age, Anderson has noticed how much Mr. Lark has helped her become better, and she has even won various awards with his teaching. Although win-
ning awards is a great part of enrolling in art, there is much more to the story. “It’s fun doing something you’re good at and showing off your creativity,“ Anderson said. Art is a form of self-expression, which Lee Bryant clearly understands. “When you express yourself, you have a release. Without that release, everything is pinned up inside and you don’t know what to do (with yourself).” Bryant entered six pieces of poetry for his piece, and Anderson entered works of photos she created with a DJ light reflecting off of people’s faces. Students will receive the results in midDecember. SHS has many deft, brilliant, and accomplished art students within its walls.
By Ashley Rude Writer
Sophomore, Joy Cariño, earned first place overall at the November 20 Poetry Out Loud competition. Senior, EmilyTurner, was first runner-up, and senior,Will Klein, was second runner-up. Cariño plans on traveling to Oxford High School to compete in the north state regional Poetry Out Loud competition February 7, 2014. She chose to recite “A Certain Kind of Eden” by Kay Ryan and “A Narrow Fellow in the Grass” by Emily Dickinson at the previous competition and will recite those same two poems in February. “I really liked how the Kay Ryan poem sounded, and I felt like it would be something that I would say to someone,” Cariño said. “I couldn’t understand it [the poem] at first but when I thought about it, I really understood it and like how she [Ryan] worded everything,
Those who participated in the Poetry Out Loud competition were encouraged to choose poems that they could connect with emotionally. Klein chose “Invictus” by William Ernest and “Ozymandius” by Percy Bysshe. “Some of the unfortunate things that happened in ‘Invictus’ explain that life is still good and you still have to enjoy life,” Klein said. “I
Joy Carino recites her poetry in the Starkville High Theater. Photo by Ashley Rude.
in a lot more of an ideological and theological way.” Robin Dibble, Poetry Out Loud coordinator, also encouraged her students to research the backgrounds of their poems. Turner investigated the histories of her poems’ authors. “I picked poems that I could connect with their authors,” Turner said.“I liked that the poems I picked were by people who I can relate to on a personal level.” Poetry Out Loud provides those who participate in the competition with an opportunity to better themselves academically and neutrally. “ I think it gives them a better appreciation for poetry, because they have to choose poems that they really like and then figure out what it means and how to get that meaning across to somebody else,” Dibble said.
Walker nominated DAR Key Club voluteers in Good Citizen, honors community, earns skills DAR family memebrs By April Reese Writer
nWalker is nominated for the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award, writes essay for national recognition By April Reese Writer
Earning a scholarship is an humbling and exciting experience, an experience that senior, Britton Walker, has the chance to encounter. The DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Good Citizen scholarship is a prestigious opportunity that began
in 1934. The DAR scholarship strives to accept a participant who possesses dependability, leadership, service, and patriotism. The scholarship offers at least $250 at the state level, and the national winner receives $5,000 combined with being invited to Washington, DC, to attend the DAR Continental Congress. The process of receiving this scholarship has multiple steps. Students, interested in the scholarship, report to their counselors. Then, the counselor, takes the names of those interested, and gives them to the teachers of every grade. Next, the teachers vote to nominate the student
who represents the qualities of a good citizen at Starkville High School. Finally, the student who receives the most votes is chosen to represent Starkville High School and move on to the competition. The DAR good citizen candidate must write a 500-word essay that answers the question: “How does my personal American heritage affect my duties to the nation?” Britton Walker is nothing less than ecstatic about the opportunity to compete. “It’s a big honor!,” Walker said, “(because) we have some great women in our school district. I have a lot of family members who are DAR members, so this means a lot to them too.”
It takes a village to raise a child. The students who realize this and participate in giving back to the community are the same students who are involved in the Key Club. Teaching leadership skills, Key Club begins at the middle school, named Builders Club, and progresses through high school and into college. Knowing that there are less fortunate people around the world and even in the community is what motivates students to volunteer and give back. The Key Club has participated in Unicef, which helps care for the needy children in Africa, volunteered at the local Teen Pregnancy Center, and will assist in the blood drive later in the school year. It is important for people, especially teenagers, to help out in the community.
“Community is very important,” said senior Emily Turner, “teens are figuring out who we are and having a community that supports and encourages us makes it easier.” This isn’t the only reason students should be involved in the community. “It’s important for teens to give back. As teens, most people think of us as separate from the com-
munity or as the troublemakers,” said Ceci Heard, “When we volunteer, we stand up and say we want to help and we want to make a difference.” The students of the Starkville High School Key Club are sending that message loud and clear. “A lot of people came to volunteer at the teen pregnancy center, and that meant a lot to me,” said Heard.
The Key Club group of voluteers poses in front of the Starkvile Pregnancy Center. Contributed photo.
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Lifestyle
Guess Who...
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Find Fennell
Principal Keith Fennell makes a fantastic addition to any Christmas tree
This Teacher -Hates math with a passion -Has OCD -Has a celebrity crush on Bradley Cooper
The October Guess Who teacher (has had a neck fusion, has a twenty-year-old son, and has a pet husky) was Mrs. Kathy Dawkins in the VoTech.
Your life. Your style. Getting into the holiday spirit.
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Lifestyles
2014 Resolutions...
Making a list of New Year’s resolutions is a great way to self-improve. SHS students’ and teachers have some inspiring ideas. To eat fruit-Angela Hobart To stop popping my knuckles-Kristen Lacy To be more disciplined and work on my attitude-Iyuna Clark To stop my obsession with Hello Kitty-Daniel Ruff To meet new people-Adam Bond To find something to improve about myself-April Reese To grow a tail-Will Irvin To bench 450-Connor Bohna To start wearing underwear-Anonymous To learn a language-Cameron Maddox To gain four pounds-Abigail Arinder To get a better ACT score-Brannon Godwin To get fatSkylar Robertson (We don’t judge) To get rid of my road rage-Austin Frasier To be more patient-Arlilea Bishop and Donteria Bonner To make the neighborhoods beautiful-Marlon Bryant To be a better person-Melvin Williams To get stronger-Derion Ford To stick to what the doctor says-Joel Fuller To study my Bible more-Morgan Gray To try harder at school-Jacori McCrary To lose weight-Kyanna Smith To make funnier segments on ‘My Morning Jacket’Jace Hobart To grow a tail-Will Irvin To learn how to tie my shoe-Blake Miller (Again, no judgement) To stay out of jail/ISS-Hunter Wiley To learn to twerk-Anonymous To have a better attitude-Shay Puck To keep calm-Tanya Cato To gain superpowers-Will Irvin To learn to speak Spanish-Jace Hobart To speak in a country accent-Luke Josey To be more organized-Cat Buffington To make better grades-Acacia McBride To stay healthy-AJ Smith To get in better shape for next season-Jacori Mc-
Carter To drop a couple pounds-Ashleigh Riddle To lose weight-Kaylin Williams To improve relationships-Destiny Peterson To excercise and eat healthier-Denise Adair To score a 200 in bowling-Autumn Lowe To not fail-Jazmyn Douglas To stay alive-Montario Montgomery To stop saying “like”-Kathryn Stringer To try to talk less southern-Hannah Laird To fix my attitude-Shunderika Fason To get good grades and work on my attitudeDeAnne Sanders To get an Iphone-Cameron Evans To get through Mrs. Goodman’s class-Wesley Albritton To improve my basketball skills and get ready for college-Blair Schafer To go to The Pony-Will Murphree To eat more snowcones-James Travis To say nice things everyday-CiCi Zhang To be nicer-Raleshia Ghee and Nicole Hackett To stop cussing-Willie Gay To fix my attitudeDonnasha Hubbard To go to church more-Vance Dewberry To treat people better-Christy McGee To read my Bible everyday-Shaunika Musser To eat more-Jesse Little To save moneySam Shurden To not get lazy and failMary Bess Nicholson To further our walk with Christ-Erika Riddick and Tia Jones To get in shape for the military-Treanna Jefferson To be nice to my students 70% of the time To get abs-McKayla Hayes To be more carefree-Camille Arnett To gain weight and be nicer-Breesha Blair To make all A’s-Terrigan Dixon To form an all-male twerk team-Matthew Comish To eat healthy and exercise more-Abby Alford To get more women-Anonymous To gain weight-Matthew Oxford
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SHS Holiday Favorites The best of the season, in students’ opinions What’s your favorite Christmas carol? Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer-20% Jingle Bells-20% Silent Night-14% Baby it’s Cold Outside-11% Oh Holy Night-8% Grandma got run over by a Reindeer-8% All I Want for Christmas is You-7% This Christmas-6% The First Noel-3% Away in a Manger-3% At Christmas Would You Rather Have $1000 to buy presents for yourself, or for others? Others-52% Myself-48%
Not celebrate your birthday, or Christmas? My birthday-82% Christmas-18%
Put eggnog in your cereal, or eat a candy cane sandwich? Candy cane sandwich-62% Eggnog in the cereal-38%
Dr. Paul L. Ruff Adolescent Medicine, Sports Physicals (662) 323-0399
The U.S. flag has thirteen stripes for the original 13 colonies.
Miley Cyrus shocked the world at the Music Television (MTV) Video Music Awards (VMA) with displays of twerking during a performance of “We Can’t Stop.”
Authorities recovered Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight, three women kidnapped as teenagers ten years ago. Triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13.
BEST OF 2013
From October 1 through 16 the US Government en tered a shutdown. The 16 day shutdown was the third longest in US history.
At the Universtity Of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss., doctors sucessfully treated an infant born with Human Imun-defiencicy Virus (HIV.)
The Mississip State Bulldog bas ball team advance to the College Wor Series. They playe in the finals again the University California Los A geles.
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Pope Benedict XVI announced his retirement from the papacy on Feb. 11. On Mar. 13, the Congress of Cardinals elected Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the papacy. As pope, he took the name Francis I.
The NASA mission Apollo 13 was aborted two days after launch due to an oxygen tank failure.
Kanye West and Kim Kardasian named their newborn daughter North West.
At the Boston Marathon on Apr. 15, two bombs exploded and killed three people, injuring 264 people. After a manhunt, police arrested Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, charging him with 30 criminal offenses.
Michael Ray joined the Starkville High School administrative staff.
Starkville School District administration relaxed the district wide dresscode, allowing students to wear school tee shirts.
In Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, in which are located, as of January 1, 2013, two (2) school districts, there shall be an administrative consolidation of all of those school districts in the county into one (1) new consolidated school district to be designated as Starkville Countywide Municipal Separate School District which shall consist of the territory of the former Oktibbeha County School District and the Starkville School District, effective on July 1, 2015.
The Mississippi legislature passed the Consolidation Mandate (above), demanding the Starkville School District and the Oktibbeha County The Starkville School Dis- School District to unite. trict jumped up to 6A rating. Football and the other sports teams at Starkville Today is Taylor Swift’s birthday. 13 is her faHigh face 6A teams.
vorite number.
Page 10 • 12-13-13
Opinion
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Journalistic integrity a must, public in the dark about the government deficit, “Fiscal Cliff” in Jan. MAZZOLA MANTRA KELLEY MAZZOLA
Even in America, one of the most technologically wired to news outlets nations in the world today, citizens have issues discerning the facts from fiction when it comes to politics. However, this phenomenon isn’t due to political awareness apathy entirely. It may be due to the journalistic works read by consumers, like teachers and teenagers. In an article on The Huffington Post, Jason Linkins de-
scribes the unfortunate situation that we find ourselves in today; American public opinion is contrary to the facts, and journalists aren’t correcting those facts when American public opinion is wrong. He refers to another article, “False Equivalence That Leans on Public Opinion Is Still False Equivalence” by Derek Thompson, to illustrate his point. According to Thompson, journalists are equivocating public opinion polls and “in-
Hot or Not? REESE’S PIECES
APRIL REESE
Society has an unwritten, yet understood grading scale for beauty. Thin waist, shiny lips, long hair, and a big gluteus maximus are all on that list for girls. And the guys on the movie screen reveal
greased-up six packs of abs and bulging biceps. People seem to understand that everyone isn’t lucky enough to be born with these characteristics. But do the ones who do possess these qualities have
formed analysis from Washington,” which, to the eyes of those educated on the subject of the government shutdown and politics, know this is a false equivalence. According to a Business Insider graph, approximately 70% of the participants of the study believed that, in comparison to the deficit numbers last year, the deficit has grown larger. Thompson, on the other hand, notes that the data coming from the government says otherwise. Why is this occurring? Linkins says that this is occurring because of a heavy reliance on public polls to determine what’s reported and what isn’t. In my experience as a high school journalist, I find that
finding out what students think in the form of polls can be insightful; in fact, such opinion polls have changed the content of stories many times. However, my journalism and
English teachers have stressed the importance of finding a reliable source and calling life how it is for my stories. One can’t rely on opinion alone because all it is in the end is
more advantages, other than getting a date whenever they want? Two women get stopped by the same cop for speeding. One has all of the qualities society holds to be beautiful, while the other is a little on the heavy side and has no idea what moisturizer is. The pretty girl gets a warning and the less attractive girl now owes the state $200. Two guys are up for the same job position. Both graduated with the same degrees and have equal work
experience. One is 6’2, wears a thousand-dollar suit, and has enough muscles to be mistaken for the hulk. The other is no taller than 5’6 and hasn’t been to the gym a day in his life. The 6’2 hunk lands the job. Of course this is highly unfair, but it’s not uncommon. According to www.huffingtonpost.com, physically attractive men and women earn ten to fifteen percent more than average looking individuals. But the less physically attractive person
(according to those unwritten societal standards) isn’t the only one affected because of his or her looks. A Chinese study revealed that husbands and wives of unappealing partners would earn about ten percent less than their other coworkers (www.economist. com). Even though it is easier to hire a person who’s appealing to look at everyday, that doesn’t make it right. Nobody gets to choose what he or she looks like, whether they have
Kelley Mazzola Editor-in-Chief
Shelby Adair
Alicia Carter
Yearbook Editor Lifestyles Editor
Photography Editor Opinions Editor
Laken Vickers
Angela Hobart
Sports Editor
Adviser
Staff Members
Adam Bond Iyuna Clark Kristen Lacy Hemanth Nannapaneni Hollie Overby April Reese Ashley Rude Daniel Ruff
opinion, not fact. As to the question of the deficit and solutions there of, there isn’t a clear answer to this, particularly in light of the looming deadline for the US government. Jan. 13 is the next deadline for balancing the federal budget, and another government shutdown is a possibility. I can only hope that over the next month, the journalistic community heeds the advice in Linkins’ and Thompson’s articles: public opinion polls “don’t belong on the same plane as facts and informed analysis.” My interpretation: stop trying to play them off as fact and find harder, true data.
cute dimples or not, or if their body is a certain size. Just because someone is better looking than someone else, doesn’t mean he or she should get an easier life. Judging someone is never appropriate, but judging someone based on his or her looks is just downright insulting. Who has the right to judge whether a person is beautiful or not? I guess mom meant it when she said that life isn’t fair. Thank goodness for makeup.
Statement of Policy
The Jacket Buzz is published three times each semester by the Journalism Department at Starkville High School. The Jacket Buzz is a student-run publication committed to providing SHS with objective information. The Jacket Buzz serves SHS as a forum for student expression. Opinions expressed are those of students and don’t reflect the views of others in the Starkville School Distict. Content decisions are made by student editors, and factual errors will be corrected by a retraction in the next issue. Letters to the Editor are accepted and published, excluding those that are deemed libelous or disruptive. Unsigned letters will not be published, and all are subject to editing. Please email all letters and comments to shsjacketbuzz@gmail.com.
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KEEPING UP ON CURRY EVENTS
HEMANTH NANNAPANENI
MATTHEW MYLES quirks that we all have, or we can grow up and realize now that, at the end of the day, we’re all trying to achieve the same thing: happiness. So, knowing this, why would we rob each other of happiness? Why would we deem others unfit for happiness by saying that they aren’t cool? What does cool even mean? To me it seems uncool means this: any person who doesn’t share my interests, and wouldn’t it be cool to bring it to his or her attention how much better of a person I am than they.” I think it’s time to step up and realize that there is so
much more to our humanity than all of this. There is so much more that we are capable of doing for each other and ourselves rather then dishing out petty judgments as if we are greater than each other while we all struggle to achieve happiness behind closed doors. So please guys, stop being cool (by popular standards). Instead, be a friend. Be a mentor. Be yourself. Be human.
End of the World
No one wants to take exams. We have to work hard in classes all semester and our final grade usually depends a lot on what we make on our exam. I think that everyone should be able to be exempt from exams, not just seniors. Underclassmen don’t have to be exempt from every final exam, but a few would be nice. I think freshman should be exempt from one final exam, sophomores from two, and juniors from three. I
know a lot of people who had an A in a class and then they bombed the final exam and that made them get a B for their final grade. So really, exams are bad. If students don’t do well on exams, then they’ll make bad grades in their classes. When students make bad grades in classes, they can’t get into college. When students aren’t accepted into college, they have to work as greeters at Walmart or at McDonalds. No
OVER THE HILL
DANIEL RUFF
RICHARD HILL
burger with this question in my head: Is there going to be cheese on it? I get the hamburger every day; there is sometimes cheese on it, yet sometimes, there is not. It’s about a twentyfive percent chance there is going to be cheese on the hamburger, and this inconsistency will either make me really happy or make my day not so good. I would much rather go into the cafeteria knowing I’m going to get a nice slice of cheese on my hamburger than go into it without the
one wants to work at McDonalds. So because underclassmen aren’t exempt from final exams they are forced to work at McDonalds, and no one wants that.
Tennis has Feelings too
DIAMOND IN THE RUFF
After hearing the ring of the bell at exactly eleven forty-five, I take part in the mad rush of pushing and shoving for the prize of being one of the first in line. After standing in the long line, I acquire my paper tray, white or black fork, milk, fruit, French fries, and tin-foil-wrapped question; and check out. The tin foil wrapped question is a hamburger, and it’s a question because I never know what I’m going to get. I sit down at the same table and unwrap my ham-
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Let’s all be Exempt
GOING THE EXTRA MYLE
If you had the chance to be really popular, would you? I’m talking no-less-than-100 -likes-per-Instagram-picture popular. For some it’s not as important as others, but there is one thing that we all desire: acceptance. Popularity is just a chip off of a much larger block. Just like every generation of teenagers before us, we desire nothing more than to be accepted by our peers. I feel that, as a whole, we would all benefit from learning that we are all in the same walk of life right now, and that we can either judge each other over small
hope and uneasiness. Inconsistencies, such as this one, are what will shut down our government, cause natural disasters, and probably destroy the world! I may be exaggerating a little bit, but if I don’t stand up for the cheeseburgers, who will? I say we all join forces to make sure there is cheese on our hamburgers everyday.
As an American I am accustomed to watching football, baseball, and basketball, as they are the most popular sports among Americans. However, basketball is the only one of these sports that I can tolerate watching; and still, I am not entertained. Then there are the sports that are next in line for popular sports among Americans like soccer, swimming, track/ field, and volleyball. Unfortunately, I don’t like watching any of these sports either. Finally, we get to my favorite, the best sport mentioned in this article: Tennis. Now when it comes to tennis, I love playing it, I
love watching it, and I love teaching it to others. I wish tennis were more popular in America, but I understand why it isn’t. In all honesty, I think it is because it’s too difficult for an average athlete. Tennis players need speed, strength, agility, touch, tactics, a strong mental game, fast reaction, and patience. There are no other sports that are this demanding. Now I could demean all of the other sports that I have previously mentioned to further explain the superiority of tennis and its players over all others, but I don’t want to offend anyone. What I will do, however, is present you
with a couple facts to support my opinion. First, tennis is the second most popular sport worldwide behind soccer. Secondly, tennis can be played for a lifetime, since it isn’t a contact sport. My article is coming to a close, so I will leave you with this plea. Give tennis a try, because it really is the best sport that ever was.
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Hardin goes the extra mile, starter for soccer By Alicia Carter Opinions, Photo Editor Senior Noa Hardin has worked her back off, literally, to get to where she is today. Noa is a starting center midfielder and striker for the SHS Lady Jacket Soccer Team. Many know her as the short, feisty, red head with a lot of spirit. Some may have even seen her walking around school with a back brace on earlier this year. That is because she completely broke her L5, which is the main support vertebrae of the back. Noa, now a senior, had this accident happen at the beginning of her junior year during the volleyball season. “At first it was just cracked, but I kept playing on it. I couldn’t say goodbye to sports. I knew I shouldn’t have been playing on it, but I just ignored it until I couldn’t ignore it anymore.” Once she had played her L5 completely out, Noa be-
gan physical therapy. “I was in physical therapy for a year. They put me in a lot, and I mean a lot, of Pilates.” Noa did get to play soccer more than half of last year’s soccer season, but she could only play a maximum of 30 minutes per game, which isn’t a lot of time when if someone is used to playing the entire game and being one of the key players on the team. “I did a lot of bench riding. I hated every minute of it.” Noa has had 5 different MRIs, 4 different X-Rays, had a lot of CAT scans, and seen 4 different doctors. Her fourth, and final, doctor, put her in that beautiful back brace for 4 months and Noa had to kiss soccer, and all other physical activity, good-bye for a while. Noa was released from physical therapy and her best friend, Ms. Back Brace, in September of
this year. “My parents bought me a lot of exercise videos, which I still do every night before I go to bed, and got me a personal trainer. I also run 3 miles regularly, and I had to say good-bye to fast food, with the exception of Chik-Fil-A, and eat more home cooked meals.” Noa is now healthy and able to play soccer and has started this year’s season beautifully. “ICC has offered me a full-ride. It’s funny because when the recruiter came to our practice, he didn’t even know who I was. Coach Anna told him to watch me, and not too long after that day, he contacted me with wonderful news!” Noa says she has a few other colleges looking at her and showing interest, but she’s loving how ICC is looking for her.
Senior Noa Hardin looks for an opening to pass vs Caledonia. Photo by Alicia Carter.
Cheerleaders plan to bring it on at State By Hollie Overbee Writer As the SHS cheerleaders wrap up their football season, they start to prepare for the state competition. The competition exists of squads who must perform original routines that consist of dance, jumps, cheer, stunts, and pyramids. The routine has to be under a time of two minutes and thirty seconds. The squads vary in sizes from small varsity (5-16 members) to large varsity (1730 members). The SHS cheer squad are girls that have been mentally and emotionally preparing themselves for this competition.“ Being on this squad means a lot. I love the way the
upper classmen accepted the lower classmen like we were family. Our strengths as a team are working together and listening to each other,” said sophomore Morgan Lomen, “but the only thing we really need to work on is just perfecting little things, like timing.” Those who are preparing for their first competition are expectedly nervous, but junior Kiana Smith, handles it well. “Being on this squad is like a sisterhood. This being my first competition, I am nervous but I have a smile that’s here to stay and my girls and I will be more than ready for this competition,” Kiana said. Being a senior on the cheer squad can get
emotional because it is the last year to be a Yellow Jacket. But senior Yasmine Randle, said “I’ve been a cheerleader since 7th grade. Being around my girls is so amazing. I think we are more than ready for this competition; if we just work as a team, we will win as a team.” Some cheerleaders have not always had the best chances making the squad every year but that did not stop them from trying out the next year. Junior, Delta Tate said, “Other than not making the squad my sophomore year, I’ve been a cheerleader for four years. When I didn’t make it I was very sad because I had made it all the other years.” That never
stopped Tate from working hard daily to stay in shape. “If I [Tate] were not on this squad I would be at home watching Bring it On movies getting fat.” Tate admitted that the team needs to work on “having fun, not being too serious all the time” before heading to competition. “My squad is going to go down to Jackson Saturday and will be coming home with a medal,” said Tate. The SHS Yellow jacket cheerleaders will compete in the Mississippi High School Activities Association State Cheerleading Competition at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday, December 14, at the Mississippi Coliseum on the Fairgrounds in Jackson, Mississippi.
Cheerleaders practice routines before competition. Photo by Iyuna Clark.
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Soccer aims for State, works to win By Kelley Mazzola Editor in Chief
SHS lines up on defense. Photo by Alicia Carter.
Football wraps it up team so we’re really excited about the future.” Mitchell doesn’t expect to make staying at home a trend and instead is determined to bring back the tradition of going to the championship game, “We were very close again, but we’re not going to be satisfied with being close.” Starkville High School football players don’t seem to be very satisfied with being close either. Taylor Johnston, senior linebacker for the Yellowjackets, agreed, “We’re used to playing for the state championship and that’s kind of a tradition here but I enjoyed the year, I enjoyed my teammates, and I enjoyed what we did; so I guess I am satisfied with what we did, but I wish we could’ve done more.” However, Johnston also agrees that the student body should be looking forward to the next season with excitement and hope. Looking at the upcom-
“
We were very close again, but we’re not going to be satisfied with being close. -Jaime Mitchell
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By Laken Vickers Sports Editor “The Ship” is not a foreign term for the Starkville High School football team. In fact, it’s a phrase often uttered by almost the entire student body. In 2011, “The Ship” was muttered with an awestruck gratitude for receiving the opportunity to possibly be the 5A state champions. In 2012, “The Ship” was said with a sort of determination and later, after winning and becoming the 5A champions, an undeniable pride. This year, “The Ship” is being muttered with disappointment, but coaches and players say that Starkville High School has reason to start talking about “The Ship” with hope. Coach Jamie Mitchell, head football coach at Starkville High School, said, “We’re really excited about what we have coming back. We didn’t have many seniors that played a lot and we had a young
ing players, Johnston said, “I think they’ll be ready to go back to state. They were young this year, but now they’ll have a lot of more experienced guys, which will help them out.” Being that Johnston and twenty-one other seniors won’t be on the playing field next year means that players such as Derion Ford and other juniors have a
chance to make one more championship before their high school careers come to an end as well. This also means that the underclassmen have to step it up to make this happen for their teammates and for their school. Ford is a junior at Starkville High School and he is the team’s defensive linemen. When asked if the team would be able to play for a state title next year in the state championship game. Ford said, “I honestly believe we will. Right now we aren’t really sure about what we’ll do about a quarterback, but we’ll figure it out.” Ford believes that the problem that the football team had this year was that they didn’t play very much like a team; however, focusing on that fact in the upcoming season opens up a spot for the Starkville High School football team on “The Ship.”
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The Starkville High School girls’ and boys’ teams are looking ahead to a good season, according to Charlie Henderson. “We’re doing well,” Henderson said. “We get better each time.” However, the move to 6A brought hard competition to the field for the Jackets, Alex Mazzola said. “It’s a tougher schedule this year, with bigger and faster teams,” Mazzola said. “It’s just an adjustment that we have to make in order to be competitive.” The Lady Jackets won four out of the six games they have played so far, beating Lousiville, Caledonia, Clarkdale, and Horn Lake. However, they tied 0-0 with Amory on Nov. 16, and lost to Tupelo 0-6 in a tournament in Tupelo on Nov. 23. Teams like Tupelo and Amory have old friends, according to Mazzola. “Several of the girls on Tupelo play on club teams,” Mazzola said. “Amory’s keeper, Shelby, is on my club team. We got to say hello before we played, so that was nice.” This year, the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) is limiting the number of club, also called “select,” players on high school teams across t the state. The SHS boys’ team is specifically affected by that rule, but Henderson believes that this rule isn’t going to be a problem any longer. “I’m not sure on the specifics because I don’t play select,” Henderson said. “There was no way we would let the rule destroy us like that, so we found a
way around it.” According to Henderson, since the rule is not an issue anymore, the team dynamics and moral has improved. “Our whole starting line up, besides me, consists of select players,” Henderson said. “We didn’t lose a lot of team members this year; we’re even more deep with talent than before. The new players are really cool.” However, the move to 6A still looms for the Jackets soccer teams, but Henderson is confident in his fellow teammates’ abilities. “We can compete against any team in the state,” Henderson said. “It’s going to be hard, but we plan to go on and do the best we can against the Jackson teams [Northwest Rankin, Madison Central]. We really want to do well and win another state championship.”
Emily Cartwright clears the ball versus Caledonia. Photo by Alicia Carter.
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The Science behind Music and Sports proven By Laken Vickers Sports Editor Eminem, Metallica, Slipknot… Athletes spend hours finding music that gets their blood pumping or their nerves relaxed. No matter the sport, every competitive athlete has a song, if not a play list, that amps him or her up to compete. According to Dr. Costas Karageorghis, sportspsychologist at Brunel University, music that has a steady beat is shown to increase athletic performance by up to twenty percent and background music is shown to calm nervesby up to ten percent. Mr. Joel Fuller, teacher at Starkville HighSchool and former coach, elaborated,“Athletes participating in contact sports such as football use fast-paced music to get themselves in anaggressive mindset.” On the other
hand, he believes that in competitive sports such as swimming, a slower paced music is more beneficial to calm nerves and to put the athlete into a rhythmic mindset. While music can be used for stimulation and timing, boh valuable for competition, research has also found that music can be useful in training as well. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since a runner’s staple is an iPod strapped on the arm. In 2009, The Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Science performed an experiment and found that cyclers listening to upbeat music covered more ground than cyclists without music. A similar study found that cyclists who listened to music used 7% less oxygen while working at the same pace and exerting the same amount of effort as those without music. This goes to show that music caused their cardio respiratory system to work more efficiently. These
studies prove that music and athletics go hand in hand, no matter what level or variety of competition. Headphones can be seen on athletes from a high school track runner before his event to NBA player, Dwyane Wade, before he walks onto the court. Tristen Grantham, freshman member of the Starkville High School swimming team, said, “Listening to music gets my mind focused on my next event. It helps me focus on what I need to do.” He isn’t the only athlete who finds music beneficial. In 1998, Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie requested for “Scatman” to be played on a PA system, before his 5,000 meter run; he broke the world record. He reasoned that the song’s rhythm was “a little bit faster than the rhythm of my legs. That always motivated me.” United States of America Track and Field (USATF), the
governing body for track and field, has since banned the use of music in competitive races because it noticeably improves athetic performance.
year, in my opinion, was the first quarter vs. Columbus. Both our defense and our offense were working together wonderfully. We are still in that stage where every one is still getting to know, not only their own personal strengths, but also their strong points as a team,” said
assistant coach Anita Johnson. “Our team is majority juniors but the seniors are the core of the team. They came up with the motto for the season, ‘It’s now or never,’ and the
Athletes have a certain draw to music because whether they are conscious of the fact or not, there is an undeniable difference between their mental, therefore
physical, performance when they listen to music compared to when they do not.
Basketball begins, Boys, Girls competetive By Alicia Carter Opinions, Photo Editor The Jackets and the Lady Jackets started their 2013-2014 basketball season exceptionally well. The Jackets’ current record is 5-1, which isn’t necessarily bad but Head Coach Carter thinks otherwise. “I was feeling good about the season up until the game
vs. Columbus. We did not play well, at all. We have been working on our offense and our rebounding because those were two things that we were certainly slacking vs. Columbus,” says Coach Carter. As for the Lady Jackets, they seem to be getting better with every game. “Our best game of the
team really goes by that. The seniors pretty much live like it because it truly is now or never for them. It’s their last year to ball out,” said assistant Coach Williams. “I think we have the proper tools to get to
From right to left, Richard Evans challenges the opposing player and Imane Montgomery fights to keep possession. Photos by Alicia Carter.
state, or at least make it far in the playoffs,” said senior Lady Jacket basketball player Vonna Macon. The Lady Jackets’ current record is 3-2.
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Athletes always in Clutch By Iyuna Clark Writer During the off-season of each sport, some athletes are super-dedicated to their sport, and really work hard to better themselves for the next season. Here at Starkville High School we have a lot of athletes who work hard to better the SHS athletic program. Blair Schaefer plays basketball for Starkville High School. She committed to Mississippi State University on the November 13. Her hard work and dedication led her to something that many high school athletes want to achieve. Blair’s hard work during the season as well as out of season makes her more adept to helping her team achieve victories. “Off-season I am constantly working, I do 500 shots a day at the shooting gun at Mississippi State University. I also lift on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays and I do bleachers as well,” Schaefer said. “Bleachers allow me to
stay in shape, increases my quickness and work on my endurance which is a huge part of defense.” Jared Ousley is another athlete who, in off-season of baseball, works himself a good bit here at Starkville High School. Offseason of baseball Jared Ousley swims. “I swim to stay in shape for baseball.” Ousley said. “I swim three days a week, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.” His workouts during swimming are basic, yet time-consuming. “I do freestyle sets and breaststroke sets. It helps loosen up my muscles, and makes me stronger, which helps me with endurance and momentum for baseball,” Ousley said. Ousley‘s goal is for his hard work to definitely show as baseball slowly approaches in February. Another baseball player from our Starkville High School baseball team, Harper Day, is an athlete who works hard off-season of baseball. “ I just condi-
tion daily, run and lift weights.” Day said. He has also participated in a few camps at East Central Community College. Working hard for the Jacket nation is something that Lexie Turner does on her own. Turner, of course, plays soccer for Starkville High School. Originally from Lexington, Kentucky, Turner moved to Starkville, Mississippi, in the fifth grade but moved to Alabama after seventh grade. This is her first year being a part of the Lady Jackets and is a junior at SHS. Turner has been playing soccer for a long time, and soccer is a huge priority to her. Off-season, she works just as hard as when she’s in-season. “I play club soccer for a team in Birmingham called Birmingham United Soccer Association (BUSA). I also do strength, speed, and agility drills at the wellness center with Eddie Myles.” Turner said. She also does tactical and technical training with
Mike Lindsey. Turner works to positively impact her skills for soccer. Not only does she train under Eddie Myles and Mike Lindsey, but she also does things alone that she feels could also help her on the field. “I run on my own, and I run track. I am hoping to be a part of the track team here at Starkville High School,” Turner said. “By me conditioning constantly in my off-season, it helps me a lot when my season gets here. It helps me move quicker, make quicker decisions, and be stronger on and off of the ball. It helps me get more physical and mental while preparing myself for the season.” The athletes of any sport should engage in hard work and dedication to better their teams. At Starkville High School, athletes go the distance in and out of season to ensure they represent their school, their teams, and themselves with integrity and their best effort.
SHS runners sprint into Indoor season By Daniel Ruff Writer Cross Country season has ended with the Yellowjacket XC placing well at state. Both the boys and girls placed 3rd overall. Senior, Alex Ross, finished 5th and freshman, Kate Maddox, had an outstanding 1st place finish. With this season change, many runners transition to indoor track. The term indoor does not mean that these athletes train in an indoor facility all the time; it means that just the meets take place on an indoor track.
Where, near here, is an indoor track? Walker Mattox said, “Most meets take place in Mississippi, but a couple are in Alabama. Our indoor season has one meet in Birmingham, Alabama, and one in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.” The team had their first meet Saturday, Dec. 7, in Birmingham. They were the only Mississippi team present. Walker Mattox and Emily Woomer both performed really well at the first meet. There are differences in an athlete’s training when it comes to indoor
track. “I [Mattox] am mainly working on my weaknesses,consisting of sprinting and ab workouts, but I am getting stronger. Once we get to outdoor, I’ll be doing a lot of distance track workouts. XC is longer, but a little less intense. Track is a little shorter, but more intense. “ Indoor track is mainly during the winter so that can affect some runners. Like with many athletes in other sports, runners have their own opinions about which is better: XC or indoor track.
Sophomore, Patrick Bell, said, “I like XC better by a lot, because I like running distance more; it’s easier for me.” Mattox says she likes track better, where she runs the 2 mile, the mile, and sometimes the 800 in place of one of those events for sprinting practice. Athletes stick with their own judgments about their likes and dislike in the transition between XC and track, but they all agreed that they try their hardest at both so that the team can benefit from their efforts.
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Archery shoots to SHS By Kristen Lacy Writer With the Hunger Games trilogy and Katniss Everdeen, the archery extraordinaire, still on the rise, young people have a new, sparked interest in archery. What some fans of the bow and arrow do not know is that Starkville High School has some Katnisses of its own on the newly founded archery team. These archers are the students who have been interested in the sport before it got its own heroine. The SHS archery team has recently been hard at work, preparing for their upcoming spring season. This preparation began at tryouts where students ranging from grades 6-12 were required to shoot at targets exactly how they would at a real archery meet, and were scored accordingly. However, not just anyone could make the team. With the highest possible score being a 40, tryout participants were required to at least score a 25 to make the team.
Following the roster selection, the members of the team have begun practicing in the archery room at the Sportscenter here in Starkville. The archery team has three team captains: Anna Shaw, Britton Walker, and T.J. Tate. Junior, Anna Shaw, said that the main goal at the moment is to “work on technique,” but the official practices will not begin until January. As far as personal experience goes Shaw said, “ I’ve been shooting bows since I was four years old, so it’s practically running through my blood,” showing that, for her, practicing archery is not out of the norm. The same sentiment exists for many of the members of the archery team who would most likely agree with another one of the captains, senior, Britton Walker. “I [Walker] am really enjoying it.” Walker said that she is excited to see how the team does this coming spring.
B J The
Jacket Buzz
XC goes Gold
Mattox finishes first, Ross finishes fifth it State Championship meet; Pg. 15
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Don’t stop Believing
Football ends 2013 season and looks forward to 2014 Page 13
Fear the Cheer The Yellowjacket Cheer Squad gets ready for competition Page 12
Sting for the Bling Soccer looks forward to possibly playing for a state championship Page 14
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