Letter from the Editor
Dear Patriots,
Iâve been seeing a lot of posts saying that winter is here? Did I miss something? Itâs pretty dang hot outside if you ask me. I know our world is slowly warming more and more every day due to our ignorance of taking care of the environment, but stillâŠ
If you couldnât tell, I am part of the very small percentage of the population that has never seen an episode of HBOâs hit series âGame of Thronesâ, but I see a lot of you all are super hype about it, and that makes me happy. I always appreciate when people become attached to television shows or characters or cultures, or take on ânerdyâ hobbies. I think that makes us all a little more unique and human. Recently, Iâve been really into the trading card game Yu-Gi-Oh!, which has surprisingly introduced me to some new people I would have never hung out with before.
With the semester coming to an end, and three whole months of summer approaching, now is the time to seize those moments with all of your friends. I know it may be hard to accept, but some of us wonât be seeing each other after graduation. Between studying, athletics, clubs, whatever, be sure to be spending some time with these people here. After almost four whole years spending everyday with these people I get to call my friends, Iâm not sure how Iâm going to be able handle being far away from them. Youâll never get these days back, yâall. Enjoy it while it lasts, and be sure to end this semester with a bang! Weâre all rooting for you.
Fire it up,
Mike Krzyston, Editor-In-Chief
Editor-In-Chief
Mike Krzyston
Managing Editor
Leanne Gregory
Faculty Adviser
Jeremiah Massengale
Staff
Emilee Agee
Haley Bullock
Taylor Duke
Abigail Fletcher
Jessica McFerron
Alex Nunn
River Phillippe
Dan Williams
Maranda Young
Front cover by Mike Krzyston
Back cover by Taylor Duke
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Rolling the night away
UC hosts Casino Night
BY MARANDA YOUNG AND LEANNE GREGORY Staff Writer and Managing Editor
On April 11 from 8 to 11 p.m. in the T.J. Roberts dining hall UC held its first-ever Casino Night. The event featured eight tables of games run by Fantasy Casino Events, a Knoxville-based company, that included blackjack, roulette, poker, and craps, scattered throughout the cafeteriaâs atrium. The event also featured a dance hall, located in the main area of the cafeteria, where a band, Heaven to Earth, provided a litany of recent and old music such as Earth, Wind, and Fireâs âSeptember,â and Jonas Brothers tracks, while students, such as UC senior Elizabeth Stewart, sang selections from Adele and other artists. In order to attend the event students, staff, and faculty were required to wear formal dress, and present a ticket at the entranceway that was picked up earlier in the week from the housing office or residence halls.
Kathryn Green, a UC senior, said, âIts nice to have something on campus like this, the opportunity, instead of having to go to Richmond or Knoxville so I appreciate it. Itâs been really fun.â
The tickets were used during the event to purchase two 10,000 point chips that were then exchanged at the tables for chips of smaller value. Blue chips were worth one hundred points, red chips were worth four hundred, white chips were valued at one thousand, green chips were worth five thousand, and black chips were worth twenty-five thousand points respectively. Students were able to use the various colored poker chips to bet on the games, with the student who earned the most chips by the end of the event able to receive various prizes. The winner of the event was scheduled to be announced on one of UCâs social media pages.
Sydney Holcombe, a UC junior said, âHey, its electric baby; you can feel it in the music. You can see it in the people dancing, You can see it in the cards being played and the chips being won.â
The inside of the cafeteria was transformed using black curtain partitions to cordon the areas of the cafeteria students were allowed to explore. Black and white balloons covered the floor and ceiling, numerous smaller tables, covered by white and black table clothes, with urns of water filled with poker chips, dice and candles were spread throughout the cafeteria floor, and the windows and walls were covered in card decals. Refreshments were also served at the event in the dance hall area, with Coke and Pepsi products making an appearance alongside a punch bowl fountain, which itself was placed next to platters of brownies, cakes, pies and other treats.
Simon Robinson, a UC junior said, âItâs a great time, and this is a great event that UC did. Itâs one of the best things they ever did.â
Photos by Maranda Young
Andrew Underwood and Jake Singleton smilie for the camera.
Gertie Heavner and Josh Owen posing at a photo booth
Singing her way to the top
Jaclyn Jewell delcared the winner of Spotlight seaon 8
BY HALEY BULLOCK Staff Writer
As Spotlight season eight concludes, the season has been filled with a lot of talent, emotional highs, and pleasant surprises. With the finaleâs contestants including Smith Pepper, Jaclyn Jewell, and Samantha Lay, UC was in for a tough battle of musical talent on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. However, there can only be one winner to season eight of Spotlight. Through their hard work, amazing performances, and seemingly effortless talent, Jaclyn Jewell has been deemed the official winner of Spotlight. Second place went to Samantha Lay and third place went to Smith Pepper.
Out of the three contestants in the finale, Jaclyn Jewell is perhaps the one with the most musical background. Jewell, a UC junior, has competed in past Spotlight competitions and advanced her way throughout the competition.
She says, âI think I have grown as a musician because Iâve become more confident with my voice and range. Being a part of Spotlight has been so much fun especially when you love to sing! Iâve enjoyed it this year because Iâve had the mentality of just trying my best and knowing the outcome isnât the end of the world.â Jewell says she isnât doing this for personal monetary benefit; she plans to put the money towards her mission trip this summer that takes place overseas. Jewell said, âI wouldnât even be in this competition without the abilities the Lord has given me so all glory goes to Him.â Jaclyn Jewellâs already successful career as a musician at UC has furthered her talents and abilities, which has been made easier with the love and support from God.
Finalist Samantha Lay started out with a strong audition, shining her way through the competition all the way to the end. Lay was the judgeâs save this season, and considering she made it into the finale, they do not regret their
decision, and neither do the students involved in in-house voting. She provides a unique voice and style to the competition thatâs incomparable to the other competitors throughout these past few weeks, and has really honed her skill even more with each performance she has done.
Smith Pepper, a UC junior, was one of the three Spotlight finale contestants. In comparison to the other contestants, Pepper could be considered the underdog of the competition, having a small musical background beforehand. When asked to describe the overall experience of Spotlight, Pepper says, â[Itâs] pretty unreal to be honest because when I went into it I thought it would be a good idea to get out of my comfort zone. It just ended up being something I guess I was pretty good at...It is very exciting I didnât really expect it.â This competition has not only given Pepper a newfound confidence, but has also strengthened his relationship with his father. Pepper says, â[Spotlight] has been pretty rewarding. My dad is a musician, and has been one his whole life, and to do something that follows his footsteps with a little competition... our relationship has gotten stronger. It has been great to share it with him.â Throughout the competition, Smith Pepperâs growth as a musician was highly evident through his improvement with each performance.
The turnout for Spotlight has been astronomical throughout the many occurrences that have happened during the spring semester. All of the contestants have done an amazing job during this season and UC students cannot wait for the next one.
Photos by Mike Krzyston
Olla on canvas
Olla Drane featured at UC senior art gallery
BY JESSICA MCFERRON Staff Writer
On April 15, 2019 UC opened a senior art gallery that was set to last all week. UC senior Olla Drane is the creator of many of the eye-catching pieces that were shown in the gallery. Her pieces allow you to get lost in your thoughts. Drane says she used to create art pieces where she does not express her emotions, but she now has expanded and experimented with different kinds of work.
Drane says, âI admire people who have survived through their depression and anxiety and it amazes me to see how far theyâve overcome their pain and struggling. I want people to understand what itâs truly like for someone who has these illnesses.â
Drane also explained, âI want people to stop and think for a moment. Itâs supposed to make you ponder on life and see something in a whole new perspective.â
Drane has many pieces that really catch the eye of an individual that goes to the art gallery. One of these pieces, called âLovely Bones,â was a stretched canvas covered in oil paintings. She built her own frame for the canvas and it took 13 hours to complete. She has another piece called Depression that is one of the pieces that shows people what depression and anxiety are like.
Drane said, âI took the pictures on a Nikon camera, printed them off, took a lighter to burn the edges and used a heat gun to put the crack into the pictures and burn holes through it as well.â Drane also makes the images look really destroyed, she says, âI took a sharp object from the sculpture room and scratched it up to make it look more destroyed.â
Draneâs other piece that was really eye-catching was âDepth.â This piece took the most amount of time because she had to let every layer dry so she could put more details in. Drane says, âBeing a painter, Iâm a nerd with all art. Two artists who really inspired me for âDepthâ were Francis Bacon, who expresses deep dark emotions, and Georgia Totto OâKeeffe, who did mainly bone paintings.â
The art gallery has so much to offer and has aspects of abstract and realism. Draneâs pieces have more of a realism aspect, but she says, âI may be a realism artist, but I mixed realism and abstract elements together for my pieces. Whether you support art, or not, the senior art gallery has so much to offer.â
Photos by River Phillippe
Students stop by to enjoy the art exhibit.
Olla Drane with one of her paintings
Review: Game of Thrones season 8 premiere
BY HALEY BULLOCK Staff Writer
Our favorite Starks, Targaryens, and Lannisters all return for the final premiere of the beloved âGame of Thronesâ series. The season eight premiere was full of fan favorites, with only a few missing, and gave the audience the outstanding special effects, finalization of charactersâ storylines, and action that we have all missed since the finale of season seven. Also, just as an warning, brief spoilers from previous seasons may appear, so consider yourself warned beforehand.
The premiere wastes no time jumping back into the story line that fans have been waiting over a year for since the release of the season seven finale. It begins with Jon Snowâs return to the North with Daenerys Targaryen, her massive army and dragons and is immediately ramped up with tension and action between the characters as the premiere progresses. While some familiar faces are missing from the premiere, drawing attention to those charactersâ whereabouts, it is hard to notice at first because the reintroduction into the land of Westeros is so immersive.
In terms of the acting brought from the cast, it is nothing less than expected. Everything, without spoiling the premiere, is phenomenal. Each actor portrays their assigned character in a way that makes it seem like they were born to play the role. As the Long Night is nearing, tension is high between all of the characters, especially since the war between Daenerys Targaryen and Cersei Lannister is still adding extra conflict on top of the war with the Night King. All of the cast members bring the emotional highs that the audience has been craving; nothing in terms of acting is disappointing.
The special effects are something that has never been lacking in âGame of Thrones,â and nothing has changed in terms of the premiere. Daenerysâs dragons still look vividly realistic and the effects on their fire breathing talents still has as much quality as it ever did. The White Walkers still have that ghastly appearance that isnât too âout thereâ in terms of being too far away
from looking human, but still eerie enough as supernatural beings. Graphics, special effects, and CGI are never cut or diminished in this fantasy, drama series.
While I have a lot of praise for this seasonâs premiere, there are, of course, things that I dislike about it. Even though I do think that a fair bit of action was involved in this episode, I truly do think that it was lacking considering it was the last premiere of âGame of Thrones.â The focus of this episode was on the interaction between the characters, as introductions were in order, and preparing for the Long Night. Donât get me wrong, I still very much loved, and was impressed with, the episode, I just feel that it lacked the âoomphâ that the final premiere of âGame of Thronesâ should have. Yes, there were scenes that could be described as action-filled, but it just wasnât what I was personally looking for.
Overall, I rate the episode a four out of five stars. There were many wonderful things about the episode, I have only one complaint about it, and even then itâs still just based off my own personal preference. âGame of Thronesâ continues to exceed my expectations and provide many shocking twists between the events and characters in Westeros. I cannot wait to see how this series ends after the kick-start from the season eight premiere.
Photo courtesy of HBO
Meme of the week Laying the odds
