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VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4 MAY 22, 2015

Common Core: A Case of Judging Too Quickly

By Analese Petty

Inside this Edition: Students should be taught how to think, not what to think.” said Mrs. Jackie Showchoir Banquet Miller, a teacher at Petal Middle School. According to students who are pupils of the The Walking Dead Common Core curriculum, Common Core does nothing but overcomplicate simple finale questions and confuse even the brightest of students. However after digging just a Fire, Water, Air and little deeper by asking the teachers of Common Core, I have come to the conclusion Earth that some people judge too quickly and don’t realize the amazing improvements in the students’ understanding of more complex curriculum. We asked four of the 8th Grade Says Good teachers at Petal Middle School if Common Core was helpful and they all agreed -bye that it was an amazing set of standards. Mrs. Townsend, a language teacher at PMS, Ode to Carrots was interviewed about the effects of Common Core to get a language arts point of Thirst Project view. During the interview she was asked what she thought of the standards, she Ballet Dancers Secret said, “ It [is] very beneficial and it helps the students with real world problems.” A Sequel for Nemo Hearing students and parents ranting and raving about Common Core and Book Review how it is too much pressure and how it is “not worth it” or “non beneficial” makes Kentucky Wildcats some people instantly conclude that Common Core is ineffective and useless. Anne Frank Even I, a student, being taught common core, agreed that it wasn’t worth all of the Band: What We fuss it caused, but I was judging too quickly and I realized this when I interviewed Think those teachers. I walked into the classroom and expecting the teachers to say #LikeAGirl “Common Core is absolutely and utterly disappointing.” However to my surprise, I Secret to Morning found that the people that are on the inside Powerpoints of the deal realize the positive effects of Breakfast Around the Common Core are numerous. World 5SOS Many students don’t realize that Archery Team’s Suc- the fun activities they have enjoyed this year were part of the teachers’ methods cess for teaching common core. The Around Country Talk the Room activities that allow students to use more conversation and collaboration in math class were examples of those type of activities. “I’ve actually had fun this

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year trying to make math more fun and interesting for the students, “ Mrs. Sowden said.

I didn’t understand why the teachers were teaching us some of this curriculum that seemed so hard, so early, so I asked why. Mrs. Ready and Mrs. Sowden both told me that if we learn to do the skills now before high school we can retain those skills and build off them later when we working in our careers. In other words, we get an earlier start on learning the skills we need Teaching outside of the box for success in our adult life, so we will be better prepared. However, even the for a set of standards that teachers admitted, there has been too much testing this year. Thankfully, next encourage students to think- year’s state assessment test will have only one part. more. Before starting this article, I had heard so many negative statements that said all common core does is confuse students. As human beings, we often say, “Ugh, this is hard,” but we may not think of how this hard work is helping us. When I look back over the past few years as a student, I see that I have grown con- “Mississippi’s College sistently. Humans also often jump to conclusions. For instance, if a team loses a - and Career-Ready game, we automatically assume that they’re not any good, but honestly, jumping to Standards [same as Common Core such conclusions is a bad choice. Common core is a good set of standards. We will standards] are the continue to succeed, if we just start thinking, “Maybe common core is a good highest academic thing...maybe I judged it’s effectiveness and, even its difficulty, a little too standards the state quickly.” has ever had in its history. These In The Mississippi Legislature standards spell out what students are voted to withdraw from the expected to learn in PARCC assessment for the English language arts Common Core Standards in and math in grades 3 January of this year. IAA nd through 8 and in high new IN school.” Jan. 16 Washington Post

According to a national survey of teacher perspectives on the common core published online at http://www.edweek.org/media/ epe_survey_teacher_perspctives_common_core_2013.pdf

 An overwhelming majority of teachers feel that the quality of the CCSS is at least on par with their states’ prior standards.  On the whole, teachers also agree that implementing the common standards will help them to improve their own teaching and classroom prac- tices.

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3 P A G E 3 Celebrating a Successful Year by Tatyana Hollon

When Mrs. Maxie was a little girl, she grew up with music in her family. Her dad was a singer and a musician, he played the saxophone. She grew up in church and loving church music. These things inspired her to become a music teacher. When asked, how the choir has grown over the time that she has been here. She responded, “ The program has grown by numbers and I expect the choirs to be bigger and stronger.” During her tenure, the Chevalier and Chanticleer choirs made all superior at district and state choral festival, and they had successful concert performances throughout the year. With Spark showchoir, the season was also successful,. They came in second place in the Homewood competition and first place in the State Showchoir competi- The annual Showchoir tion. As she said when asked about the season: “It was great!” banquet was an oppor- According to Mrs. Maxie, there are three major things you need to have in tunity for members to receive awards for out- order to be in showchoir, choir, or on the crew: “You have to have a strong work ethic, standing work and to know your music, and be a team member.” Thanks for all you do, Mrs. Maxie!! spend time together The following awards were given out at the banquet: for a no-pressure eve- Outstanding crew member: Chloe Slade ning of fun. Greatest boy dancer: Kyle Johnson Greatest girl dancer: Mallory Extine Outstanding boy vocalist: Semaj Silas Outstanding girl vocalist: Kyra Lampley Director Award (boy): Reagan Milliet Director Award (girl): Anna Claire Gunn Brave Award: Hannah Taylor Student Vote (girl): Sydney Swafford Student Vote (boy): Mason Moak The banquet was held at As- bury Church. It was beautifully decorated and was catered by Oyster Half Shell..

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VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4 P A G E 4 Walking Dead Recap “Rick was trying his hardest to explain that

they were never going

By Jenna Fisher and Haley Dennis to be safe and they

would always have to WARNING: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS keep their eyes open.”

This season concluded with the deaths of two new characters and the return of a recurring character.

The beginning of the episode showed Morgan, a well remembered friend of Rick. He was making eggs and coffee under a small fire when a strange man approached him. He had an odd "W" marking on him. The man seemed somber and depressed and Morgan willingly talked to him.

But not long after his arrival the man allegedly attacked Morgan and another man sprung out of the bushes. Morgan fought fiercely back and won. These men were part of a group called the "wolves". Morgan packed camp and started his trek to find Rick on the map he had found.

But to some people a very shocking part in the season finale was when one of the most popular characters, Daryl, risked his life for Aaron. You see, these two were trapped in a car that was surrounded by walkers. Daryl had volunteered to distract the walkers, so Aaron could escape. Luckily, Morgan showed up to save them.

This season Carol took her sass up a notch! She began to be the mother of the group once again as she was in the previous seasons before her exile. She pretty much terrified the young- est child of Jessie ,Sam, in order to prevent her from sharing and Rick's secret.

At the very end of the finale Daryl and Aaron brought Morgan to the Alexandria camp where the group was deciding about Rick's fate. Rick was trying his hardest to explain that they were never going to be safe and they would always have to keep their eyes open. Just before the meeting had begun a walker had gotten into camp, and Rick almost died killing it.

Finally after Pete burst into the meeting and legitimately killed Reg (after Reg would not agree to move out of his way), Deanna told Rick to "take care of him." We all know what that meant!! When Rick "took care" of him, he looked up to see the one and only Morgan.

As you can see, this episode was pretty action packed. From Morgan saving Daryl and Aaron to Glenn getting shot in the shoulder by Nicholas to Rick shooting Pete. This season went out in a bang.

Morgan returns to the show and has to fight for his life against a new group —the Wolves.

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Fire, Water, Air, and Earth By Emily Breland and Cara Ellington

*This article is strictly meant to inform people about the history of zodiac signs*

“I love everything up high, the moon, I believe in stars”- Anonymous

It seems like the moon, sun, and stars have always been a mystery to man. There remains a big interest in our modern day time n zodiac signs. Zodiac signs come from the constellations. They date back to Babylonian times and the sky watchers of Mesopotamia who identified the five wandering stars, which with the sun and moon form the seven original planets. Babylonians watched the constellations, sun, and planets and noticed that they move through the heavens. Astronomy is the study of the sun, moon, and the stars, but astrology is pseudoscience playing up the “effect” of the movement of the heavenly bodies on human existence. Interest in astrology has persisted throughout centuries occasionally becoming less of an interest, but it always rebounds. Some say astrology is superstitious without any scientific basis. However, man’s interest in the sky is at the heart of three separate stories: astronomy, astrology, and the calendar. The word astrology comes from the Greek word astrologias, which means the study of stars. In ancient times people of royal status had their own live-in personal astrologers and history tells us these astrologers had dual roles of scholars and priests. It was considered a privilege to study the “Godlike Science.” Astrology is a complex system that encompasses more than what sun sign you were born under. Each planet has its own rulership over the different zodiac signs and influences your birth chart as well as the progressed chart created as your life develops through growth and change. There are, of course, twelve signs of the zodiac. Individually, each of the zodiac signs is also associated with the natural ele- ments of water, air, earth and fire. For example, some signs are considered more like the element of fire. Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are fire signs. According to astrologyzone.com “Fire signs are full of power and light. They are highly creative and burst with enthusiasm and energy.” Also, according to astrologyzone, the zodiac signs are influenced by three qualities: cardinal, fixed and mutable. The cardinal signs are the natural leaders, while fixed signs are the ones who maintain order and stability, and the mutable signs are the communicators. Basically, being born into a zodiac sign is supposed to have some effect on the personality development of the individual. Astrology makes claims, such as people with the fixed quality “can be a bit stubborn or stuck in a rut, a down side of their ability to stay the course. Yet these signs are valued for their consistent, loyal, devoted, reliable and patient na- tures .”(astrologyzone.com). The influence of a zodiac sign on a person’s development is highly controversial because science has shown that the genes you inherit from your family and the environment you grow up help to shape your personality. In other words, you may be more like your mom or dad or Aunt Sally than another Taurus.

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: A Horoscope is your personal advice from the stars that tells you what you should and should- n’t do; for example, “Pisces: You should not go outside today”. A horoscope tells you how to go about your day, and some people live their lives by what their horoscope tells them. This is probably the most controversial part of the whole Zodiac sign issue. Some people believe that people who follow their horoscopes are putting too much faith in what someone says their star chart reveals. Others see the zodiac as replacing faith in the Creator of the stars with a faith in patterns that astrologers see in the movement of the planets and stars.

Even though, we believe that Zodiac signs do not really shape our lives or our actual being, they do cause a great interest within the modern day Pinterest-loving community. Zodiac signs were developed long ago, but will probably always remain an interesting topic amongst people around the globe.

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7 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3

We May Be Saying Good-Bye, But We Won’t Forget You by MaKayla Thompson

Walking down the halls as a student for the first day of Petal Middle School was a bit nerve wreck- ing for most people. As we are now walking down the halls, we’re all filled with excitement knowing that summer is almost here. And we 8th graders are ready to get gone.

Through the years we've been here, some of us have noticed our teacher’s habits and sayings. Some are unforgettable, such as when Mrs. Moore says, “Don’t worry, you can pull it up,” if you make a bad grade. She also makes powerpoints with few words, so you have to listen and take notes. There is also Mrs. Ford, who makes you feel good about yourself even if you don’t get an answer right. She often says, ”Good job. It’s not right, but at least you made an effort.” And Mrs. Tichnell tells us stories about when she worked at a hospital and what her experience was like when she first saw wind turbines. She always tells us stories that tie in with the lesson she teaches.

Some of our teachers have a funny and wry personalities. For instance, Mrs. Sheffield, she has to be walking to talk. She also looks down her glasses at you if she’s reprimanding you and gives you that “Oh, no you did not just say that” look that your mother uses on you, according to Emily Breland. She also likes to joke around with her students. For instance, she often asks Austin McNease, ”So Austin, who are you going out with this week?”

Then there’s Mr.Vaughn, who talks with both hands and always calls his students by their last name. If you are not paying attention, you might hear one of his famous jokes, according to Amaya Thompson, such as, ”If Thompson had been paying attention, maybe this wouldn’t have happened in history.”

Some of the things our teachers do are really helpful. Mrs. Sowden walks around the room as she talks, and often stops to draw “pictures” on the board to help her students get difficult concepts. And Mrs. Ready stays on topic; she doesn’t let the lesson drift off to something not related, according to one of her students, Luke Watkins. She gives lots of pats and winks to students who get their answers right. Yet, she isn’t afraid to admit to her classes that she is not always right. During a class discussion, if students really get into it, she bangs on her podium to bring order in her classroom, just like a judge in a court- room. Other things our teachers do are sweet and funny. For instance, Mrs. Britt twirls her hair as she talks. Mrs. Morgan is very sweet and helpful. According to Charity Brumfield, “I once came to her door during a meeting, and she dropped whatever she was doing in the meeting to help me.” And Mrs. Town- send is so understanding and gives you second chances. Then there is Mr. Hogan and Mr. Knight, who are known for greeting students in the hall with an enthusiastic, “Hey, how are you?” or “Good Morning!”

Then there is Mrs.Maxie, who looks like she is directing choir with her hands even when we are not singing and she’s just talking to us. She also sings your name when you are not paying attention or when she is happy to see you. I remember one time I walked in and was going to grab my binder off the shelf and she came out of her office and said (or sang), “Makayla!” in her singy-songy opera voice. And I responded, “Mrs.Carney!” in my not- so- opera, singy-songy voice.

All of these habits and somewhat odd and funny things our teachers do, will be what we remember our teachers by. Either with their inspiring speeches or the way they teach and lead us, they have given us memories. As we go to Petal High School next year, we will make new memories and hopefully meet some more fun teachers, too. Farwell Petal Middle School and thank you to all the teachers, and the principals, and staff for being there for us and giving us all those second chances and great opportu- nities.

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Put YOUR Essay, Story or Poem Here:

My Love for Carrots!

By Charity Brumfield

The Color….How bright The fresh taste

One bite... I just might. I would never waste. We are looking for guest essays, sto- I would eat them every day.

ries and poems. They are all I talk about. Yes, they are my “Bae.” They never put me in doubt.

Submit that essay

or story or poem And when I am without you got an“A” on I’m not really done.

or that no one has I might just shout,

even seen yet. IT “Just please give me one.” could end up spot- lighted on this page in our paper.

We want to pro- vide your writing with a wider audi- ence.

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9 The Thirst Project By Amaya Thompson

Water is the greatest gift of nature. No civilization can live without it. Animals use it, as well as plants and humans.It is something we need. But what if the water was so bad, that no one could use it at all?

Beginning in the summer of 2007, The global water crisis has turned attention to the number of people without clean water to drink. Seth Maxwell-the founder and CEO of the Thirst Project, has worked with middle school and high school students internationally on social media. Others are also involved, such as, various celebrities, DoSomething.org, Key Club International, Follett Educational group, and GT Events to help people in developing countries get access to safe clean drinking water.

Why is this necessary, you ask? Almost one billion people on our planet don’t have access to clean water or the technology to create safe clean water. That is 1 out of 8 people on the planet. Approximately one child every 21 seconds will die from diseases caused by contaminated water. Lack of access to water pre- vents the growth of agriculture, education, and microfinance. Basically, without water, there is no quality of life or, in many cases, no life.

Last March, the Thirst Project Foundation visited middle schools and college campuses across the nation. Ever Since ‘07, The Thirst Project has been raising awareness to get more people involved and they are starting to build wells in the communities in these various countries.

They have also helped in various developing countries, such as Africa and the Middle East. Over four thousand children die every day die from diseases caused by contaminated water. Diseases from this water kills 2.2 million people every year. With better technology they can get get access to clean, safe drinking water.

Another reason this cause is so important is that the young women in these struggling countries are the ones who are supposed to get the water for their families. The average distance a woman walks to collect water is 3.75 miles. The young girls spend so much time and energy on this necessary contribution to their families that they cannot attend school, which leaves more educational gaps in these communities.

Water is a Human Right, So join the Fight!

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4 P A G E 10 What’s New...

Ballet Dancers Brains Adapt to Pirouettes By Katelin Montgomery

Have you ever seen a ballet performance where the dancers appear to effortlessly turn and spine and not get even the slightest bit dizzy? How does that happen? Imperial College in London did a study on the differences in a ballet dancer’s brain and a non ballet dancer’s brain. The study showed that the dancers were able to suppress signals from the inner ear to the brain. The inner ear is the part of the head that controls whether or not you get dizzy. Ballet dancers use spotting to not move the head as much during a turn or make a Pirouette, a French word that translates, “to whorl” or “to turn”. This controls the dizziness.

Now scientist are studying the possibility that this study could help minimize the dizziness in people who are chronically dizzy. Usually dizziness is a temporary thing, but for those who are chronically dizzy, the dizziness goes on and on. The scientist studied 29 female ballet dancers and 20 female rowers about the same age and fitness level. The ladies were spun in chairs and were asked to turn a handle afterwards to show how fa continue to register movement after the spinning stops). The scientist used Mag- netic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to look at the participant's brain structures. For the dancers, the spinning time was shorter compared to the rowers.

The more experienced the dancers the shorter the dizziness effect. Dr Barry Seemungal said, "It's not useful for a ballet dancer to feel dizzy or off balance. Their brains adapt over years of training to suppress that input.” The dancers have learned to shut off the connection between the inner ear and the brain. One trick that ballet dancers use as they are learning how to spin is they place their thumb on their chin and their hand on their after they spin to help stop the dizziness until they get that part of their brain under control. Until the spinning stops, they learn to focus on the palm of their hand and this stops the room from spinning. One in four people experience chronic dizziness in their life time. So 25% of the population ex- periences this horrible disease.

Turning for a dancer is often crucial for a proper performance. As a ballet dancer of ten years, I barely notice dizziness when I do my Pirouettes. Though when one of my friends does a pirouette she still feels dizzy afterwards and has to sit down for a little bit. I have personally experienced this phenomenon and now know that somehow my Katilyn demonstrates the spotting technique ballet training will help me she was taught to help prevent dizziness dur- if I ever do develop some- ing her ballet moves. thing as uncomfortableas chronic dizziness.

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4 P A G E 11 COMING SOON TO A THEATER..

By Hailey Cunningham

We’ve all heard of the classic underwater adventure Finding Nemo; we never expected a second movie of the greatest film alive! Well, now the cat’s out of We’ve all heard of the bag; there is a sequel. It is called Finding Dory! Ellen DeGeneres is the most the classic excited! She tagged Oprah, Obama, and the FBI to see her new movie as soon as it comes out! She also counted down the exact minutes upon it’s arrival! (shown underwater below) We can’t say we aren’t excited, either. I remember the days where I just simply sat down with a juice box and some gummy bears and watched this ocean adventure Finding exploration unfold right before my eyes. Nemo; we never It’s pretty magnificent that Disney can perfectly continue a great film classic and also keep the impatient crowd of Disney fans entertained. You want to know expected a more about the film? Well, the setting ISN’T underwater! All we can tell you is to second movie of pay close attention and wait patiently. But, so far, all we know is this friendly-but- forgetful fish reunites with her family and everyone learns life lessons along the the greatest film way. Join us on this great adventure about the love of family, the purest of loves, while getting to know these funny and crazy fish folk! alive! Well, now

The casting is pretty genius, too. We love Ellen Degeneres, so why not cast the cat’s out of her as Dory, again? We loved her in Finding Nemo, so this Finding Dory is sound- the bag—there is ing pretty thrilling, if you ask us. We just hope the sharks still believe that fish are friends, not food! Including the fish guests we will meet for this first time in this a sequel. film. We hope they’re as nice as the school of swordfish that pointed out the way to Sydney!

We hope you enjoy this fast-moving, heart clenching, fish-friendly movie! Climb aboard the Dis- ney fandom! (A fandom is a fan base for those who don’t know). We hope you enjoy the movie as much as we think we will. By the way, the movie comes out in 2016, so hang tight! One more year until this amazing movie is released for the world to enjoy and cherish for years to come!

P A G E 12 A Summer Book Choice BOOKS recom- Review by Cady Layton mended for teens by goodreads.com Google each of these Asylum By Madeline Roux books and read an an- notated bibliography Sixteen year old Daniel Crawford was an outcast in high school to see if you might like and was determined to make friends his last summer before college at to pick one of these New Hampshire College Prep. Soon, Dan learns his summer dorm is a tried and reader rec- former asylum for the criminally insane. Dan also soon befriends Abby ommended reads. and Jordan and the three of them explore the hidden parts of the mysteri- ous summer home. They soon find out it is no coincidence the three of Just One Wish them ended up there. Brookline asylum hold untold secrets and some of By Janette Rallison them refuse to stay buried. “Featuring found photos of unsettling history and real abandoned asylums and filled with spine-chilling mystery Made- Stargirl by Jerry line Roux’s Asylum is a horror story that treads the line between genius Spinelli and insanity.” www.ny.times.com/books

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time

Indian by Sherman Alexie

The Eighth Day by Dianne K. Salerni

Gregor the Over- lander bySuzanne Collins

Banner in the Sky James Ramsey Ullman

Millions by Frank Boyce Cottrell

My Side of the Moun- tain by Jean Craighead George

The Prisoner of Cell 25 ( Michael Vey mystery) by Richard Paul Evans

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

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VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4 P A G E 13 ALMOST PERFECT By Azaviar Plummer

The 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats are the record holders for the most wins in a row with 38. No one seemed to be able to be competition for the Wildcats led by sophomore twin guards Andrew and Aaron Harrison, freshman guard Karl-Anthony Towns, and junior forward Willie Cauley-Stein. They dominated the regular season for the most part with only a two close games. They beat Ole Miss by three in overtime, then four nights later they beat Texas A&M, by only 6 in a game that needed 2 overtimes to decide the win- ner. They dominated the tournament by beating Hampton (16) 79-56 in the round of 64, Cincinnati (8) 64 -51 in the round of 32, West Virginia (5) 78-39 in the sweet 16, but it wasn't until the elite 8 when they were put to the test and only beat Notre Dame by 2. They finally secured their spot in the final four. Where they would face fellow 1 seed Wisconsin. Kentucky started the game to a 5-0 run but from there it was an evenly based game where two amazing basketball teams went head to head for a shot to win the NCAA National Championships. The game went right down to the wire but the Badgers just had too much momentum for the Wildcats to overcome. The game ended with a Wisconsin win 71-64.

Although the Wildcats couldn’t finish with an undefeated record, they still made history and most of their players are coming back, so watch out!! Because they will be a real contender for next year’s championship too.

P A G E 14 Anne Frank: We Still Care

Anne Frank Died Earlier Than Thought By Katelin Montgomery

Anne Frank, a Jewish teenager, during World War II had been hiding from Adolf Hitler's soldiers to stay alive and out of concentration camps. For many, reading Anne Frank’s diary was their introduction to the Holocaust, a terrible time in world history. Anne Frank was given a red plaid diary for her 13th birthday to write in. She did and brought it into hiding with her and wrote about what she was going through at the time.

She died at the young age of 15 from typhus, but now researchers think she died a month earlier than origi- nally thought. Her original death date was determined by Dutch authorities. Dutch authorities said that she died March 31, 1945. Researchers evaluated testimonies of survivors and Anne’s diary again, and now the new evidence contradicts the original date.

In 1944 Anne and seven others were caught hiding and were forced into a concentration camp for those of the Jewish religion. The concentration camp name was Auschwitz-Birkenau. Later on, Anne and her sister were separated from their mother and were forced to work as slaves at camp Bergen-Belsen.

Witnesses say that the sisters were showing symptoms of typhus before February 7. If you start to show symptoms on February 7 you probably wouldn’t survive to March 31st, according to cnn. The typhus outbreak caused thousands of people to die everyday during this time period. According to cnnnews.com ,”Typhus is an infectious disease caused by lice that breaks out in places with poor hygiene. The disease causes high fever, chills and skin eruptions.” Twelve days after symptoms appear there is a high chance of death. Blitz, Anne’s friend in the camp said, ”Anne never gave up hope. She was absolutely convinced that she would survive.”

Though the date of her and her sister Margot’s death is still unclear, the sad fact is that they both died too young. Her life is still an intense topic of study. We are at least able to read the world famous diary that has been translated into more than 70 different languages in over 60 nations.

Many authors have used parts of Anne Frank’s story in their novels. An example would be John Green’s, The Fault In Our Stars. In this novel, a chapter takes place in Anne Frank’s house where the main characters Hazel and Augustus started to fall deeply in love.

Anne’s now famous diary.

P A G E 15 What We Think….. By Bethany Lancaster

Band Ah, yes, the Petal Middle School band. So many people say "Oh you're in band? I'm so sorry!" Like, no, I don't need your pity, sympathy, or apologizes. I enjoyed band thoroughly. Whether it be chair tests, the instructor, or the music.

I only joined band because all my brothers were in band, all of them in brass, like me. I thought it would be interesting for Mr. G and Mr. Lymon to see yet another Lancaster. The truth is they did not prefer my brothers over non-trouble making kids; no, the instructors did NOT even like my brothers. (Ha ha ha) But they still got me as well.

The lovely subject of chair tests.... We all hate them. Except MAYBE Dawson Hoover, who lives for those moments. (We're friends, so it's cool if I call him out on this.) However, it does get the members used to playing in front of a group. Supposedly, it kills your nerves to play in front of peers, but I don't see how.

The music is great! We play the music the instructors tell us to, and more often than not, the music has a really good drum line or beat. It's saddening how badly the music sounds without percussion. It's actually really surprising how good you sound when it's just your section, but how more amazing it sounds when we all play together.

NOW THAT WE ARE ON THE SUBJECT OF BAND, I would like to point out that marching band is indeed a sport. The definition of a sport is "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment." Let's discuss this, okay?

Physical exertion: Well, you try surviving band camp, okay? If marching on field in formation, not being able to catch your breath, but still having to play the notes correct, is not considered a sport.... Hm.

Skill: if side and jazz stepping with a sousaphone isn't skill, your understanding of the word skill is out of whack.

Team: You're questioning that we're a team?

Competition: There are so many competitions; just check out our calendar sometime, okay?

So in conclusion, the instructors were much more than fabulous, chair tests suck, the music is also fab, and band IS a sport. Sorry (not really). Bye✌.

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VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4 P A G E 16 #LikeAGirl By Mackenzie Smith In the youtube video #likeagirl made in cooperation with Always, director Lauren Greenfield captures the meaning of the common insulting phrase. In this video people came to a realization how badly they were hurting others and even themselves. Whenever someone says “You hit like a girl!”, it really hurts women and girls. Young teen girls who are already vulnerable from puberty are affected when another person questions their gender’s strength and abilities. When older teen girls were asked after making such a statement about why they had just made fun of themselves, most did not even realize they were doing so.

When very young girls are asked to run like a girl or hit like a girl, they responded in a positive way— -they ran as fast as they could and gave it all they had. These girls show what the response should look like. However, when teenage girls are asked to run like a girl, they respond as if the stereotype was real and began to play out what everyone thinks a girl runs like. This video was made to prove that the stereotype does hurt girls. As one of the women responded, “Why can’t run like a girl also mean win the race?” This video was made to keep people from making girls doubt themselves. It asks us to think about what you say and how much it can impact a person.

View the video by opening this URL in youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs

The Secret Behind the Morning Powerpoints...

Dear Future Journalism Student,

Journalism is about teamwork. You should learn that if you do not have teamwork then you will have a difficult time in journalism. Journalism isn’t all about taking pictures or just a free period to do what you want. It is about working together and taking responsibility in your writing. You have to be able to listen to your teacher, meet the deadline of your task, and most of all, have a good attitude. Your teacher isn’t going to do all the work herself; she is going to need your help to make this journalism class the best it can be. In the auditorium, did you ever look at the powerpoints? Yeah, well I am going to let you in on the basic steps to operate the powerpoint. First, you have to go to your google slides, and put today’s date and everything else your teacher tells you to put on there. Next, you will have to share with your teacher. Then, the next day you need to go to the back of the stage. (SOO EXCITING!) In the back of the stage you have to go to the black cart and take the blue cord, and attach it to the projector. Then, I would put the sound cord (if you have a video) in before I turn on the projector, but it is your choice. Then, after the sound cord is in, turn on the projector. You will have to cut off the lights in the back, but I would advise you to do that first so you can memorize which ones need to be cut off. Don’t forget to keep the side lights on. Overall, I believe that you will do an excellent job since I’m retiring. If you mess up, try, try again. Don’t forget to be the best you can be. Sincerely, Danielle Ware P.S. I used a lot of smiley faces because you want everyone to start their day off with a smile. Don’t forget my signature symbol.

17 P A G E 17 Breakfast Around the World by Jaickie Patel “

There are many different kind of cultures in the entire world and each have their own meals they eat that are different from ours. I have been interested in different kinds of food ever since I was little. My family went to different restaurants that range from Chinese, Thai, Italian, Mexi- can, and of course American food. Some of them I have tried, and some I have not had the chance to—-yet.

Burkina Faso-millet seed porridge

This breakfast is mainly eaten in Africa and it consists of millet, which is a Natto is the only group of highly variable small-seeded grasses. It is eaten sweet (with milk thing I don’t really and sugar added at the end of the cooking process) or savoury with meat or plan on eating be- vegetable stews. cause the texture and taste doesn’t seem appealing. Japan-rice and natto

Natto is a meal with soybeans that are fermented with bacteria, and have a “I have been slimy texture. Sounds tasty right? It isn’t the most pleasant smelling as it lies somewhere between cheese and old socks. Do you know why this food interested in is popular even with all of these downsides? Natto gives you beautiful skin, a healthy heart, strong bones,and is vitamin rich. Source-http:// different kinds www.thejapanguy.com/japanese-food-what-is-natto/

of food ever New Zealand- toast covered with Vegemite

since I was Vegemite is a dark brown Australian food paste made from leftover brew- little.” ers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives.

Pakistan- Rooh afza and milk I have eaten plaintains Rooh Afza-is a fermented, but non-alcoholic, concentrated squash mixture before made with fruits, herbs and vegetable extracts. when we

were in the Jamaica- plantains, peanuts, and cornmeal food court

at the mall. Plantain is a banana containing high levels of They are starch and little sugar. Harvested green, they really sweet are widely used as a cooked vegetable in the and have a tropics. nice texture.

PANTHER PRESS

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4

China- rice gruel, pickled tofu, dried egg strips

Rice gruel-Gruel is a type of food consisting of some type of cereal—oat, wheat or rye flour, or rice—boiled in water or milk. It is a thinner version of porridge (think oatmeal, cream of wheat or any other hot cereal) that may be more often drunk than eaten and may not need to be cooked.

I have not eaten rice gruel before, but it kind of resembles cereal or even oatmeal.

India- idli with tea

Idli-A savory cake that is made by steaming a batter of rice and lentils. This is normally eaten at breakfast in India and served with tea. The cakes are usually two to three inches in diameter and are made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils. (de-husked) and rice.

I usually eat idli for lunch and not really for breakfast, but we

usually eat it with stew as shown in the picture. There are many

ingredients in the stew and we cover it with the idli.

Passport to Learning by Mrs. Holley

Summer is the time for NO SCHOOL, right? But, did you know that you can lose up to three months of the skills you gained this year over the summer months. Admit it, the days do get a little bit long and boring before summer’s up. If you would like to participate in fun, learning activities, Passport to Learning may be your ticket to keeping those skills from slipping. You can join an online Google classroom (accessible from anywhere you can get on the internet) and have access to three new activities every two weeks, one from math, one from language arts, and one from science. That’s just 3 activities, and you have 2 whole weeks to get them done!! It won’t take up too much of your summer, and it will help you start school off ahead instead of behind. You’ll also be able to visit the library each Wednesday beginning June 3, from 8:00 to 3:00. You can use the computers there, or check out books, or do some extra computer based learning activities. There are rewards for choosing to complete these totally voluntary activities. There will be a mid-point incentive this summer for all students who have completed the first 2 sets of activities by June 24th. Those who complete all activities will receive a t-shirt that can be worn on ANY day of the next school year. That’s any day (or every day if you wash it often) !! You don’t like polo shirts, get on board and use a little of that free time (that can get kind of long and boring, remember) for some fun but educational activities.

19 Summer’s Band (5SOS) By Hailey Cunningham There have been a few ‘changes’ in the music industry that dated way back to 2011 when they were just starting out, but started to finally get some recognition in 2013. You might be wondering who they are; of course, they are the continuously-rising-to-stardom 5 Seconds of Summer (or better known as 5SOS; pro- nounced 5sause) The funny and dreamy members have made their way to fame and along the way have also acquired a fandom! These four boys have amazing talents that some of us are glad they decided to share with the world. If you want to know the band, you must know their names and their most noticeable features. For starters, the lead singer is Luke Robert Hemmings. He has a lip ring on his left side and perfectly blond, quiffed up hair. The next member is Calum Thomas Hood. He looks distinctly ‘Chinese’ but he is actually Kiwi (no, not a fruit, a person from New Zealand) and Scottish . He is the bassist and has tattoos on his arms and blond highlights on the front of his brown hair. Ashton Fletcher Irwin is the band’s drummer. He has curly hair and always works out. The last and certainly not the least member is Michael Gordon Clifford. He is the guitarist. He usually has dyed hair (the color changes often), and he has an eyebrow piercing. Now that you know the members a little, let’s move on to their songs.

Their songs have an amazing blend of soft rock and pop. All of the members sing from time to time, but Luke is the one at the microphone most of the time. His raspy voice puts the perfect edge to their music. Some of my favorites are ‘Beside You’, ‘Don’t Stop’, ‘Lost Boy’, ‘Voodoo Doll’, and many more. If you are just beginning to fall in love with them, or just becoming curious about them, these songs are highly recom- mended by me.

The members are extremely fun and sweet, but what else sticks out about them? Michael is the funny, wild, showboat gamer who lives it up on stage in front of countless people. His quirky dance moves never fail him when he’s entertaining someone! Luke is a little clumsy, weird, awkward, and overall, would be the perfect funny first date. He’s sweet and passionate and all the perfect mixtures of exciting! Ashton is a little shy, sensitive, has the most contagious, adorable laugh, and very defined dimples. You’ll love him instantly! Calum Hood is crazy, wild, and loud. But weirdly, in some interviews, he seldom talks… what’s wrong, Ca- lum? Be the loud talented boy we know and love from the stage!

“Why 5SOS, you say? There’s only 4 of them!” Some questions similar to these roam around all of the time, but luckily, we’re here to end these continuous questions. Well, the band member Michael Clifford came up with the name in class one fateful day after they had had trouble deciding on a list of names, and their logo is 4 tally marks with a slash through them. The meaning behind the logo is much deeper than people stress. It means one tally for each member, and one more to keep them tied together. Aww, let’s hope they’ll always be together!

Now that you’ve experienced a little bit of their music, know the secret behind the logo, and have dis- covered their quirky personalities, it’s never too late to join in a fandom. And I sincerely recommend this fun, sweet, and also very talented band to devote your time to listening to and loving. So what are you wait- ing for?! Go listen to their songs! Your adven- (Left to right; ture starts now! (You’re welcome in advance.) Michael Clifford, Ashton Irwin, Calum Hood, Luke Hemmings)

20 Archery Team Goes to State and Represents Petal Middle School in a BIG Way by Carrington Brewer

The team has only been in existence for two years, but coaches Scott Conway and Robin Rector have already taken their teams to a World Competition and won this year’s state competition. The high school was named 2015 Aimes State Champion in Class 6A and Petal Middle School won the 2015 Class 3A Middle School State Championship. After winning at the state level, they went to Lousiville, Kentucky to compete in the National Champi- onship Tournament. There were over 12, 000 students in this competition and our team came in 85th out of a field of 200 teams.

They will advance to the World Competition Tournament again. Last year, they competed against archers from 25 states as well as archers from Canada, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mongolia, according to Teresa Holifield. The Middle School Panthers ranked 20th at the NASP World Competition in 2014. Wherever they go next, we know they will represent us with pride Riley Powell shot the 2nd Highest Score and skill. in the competition with a 282. David Scott won first place overall in the State competition by shooting a 287. Check out his individual trophy.

This impressive trophy was brought home after our team placed first in the state and won the right to go to Nationals and compete against 199 other U.S. teams. Overall, Petal had the top three high scorers in the state since 3rd place was shot by John Rob- inson, who at- tends PHS.

21 COUNTRY TALK P A G E 21 By Luke Watkins

.“How many countries are there?”

It seems like an easy question to answer, doesn’t it? Just grab a map and start counting, right? Well, no. It

actually depends on how you define the word “country”. For the sake of this article, I’m going to use Mer-

riam-Webster’s dictionary, which defines country as “an area of land that is controlled by its own govern-

ment.” Still, this definition seems pretty simple, doesn’t it? Well, the problem is, “country” is a subjective

word, meaning it means something different to many different people.

First of all, not all maps are equal. Borders are subject to change and differentiate depending on where you got that map from. But the easiest and admittedly least violent way is done by a special committee founded after World War II, the United Nations. It probably gives the most accurate count. The UN officially recognizes 192 countries. But there’s a catch!

Think of the UN as a class roster, but one that doesn’t include everyone depending on each students’ opin- ions of the other students. Take the Vatican City, for example, which technically is a country, but isn’t a member of the United Nations. The Vatican’s exact sovereignty situation is complicated (you can thank Benito Mussolini for that). I will explain that now.

Before 1870, a large portion of the Italian peninsula was ruled by a country called the Papal States. How- ever, years of war by imperialist Italian monarchs eventually reduced the Papal States to a small district inside Rome called Saint Peter’s Basilica. For the next seventy years, the Papal States refused to recognize that the Kingdom of Italy existed, while at the same time complaining about being massacred by the King- dom of Italy. The Italian king at the time decided that it’d be best to just wait the Vatican out, and hope that soon enough, they’d surrender.

But, generations came and went, and five popes and sixty years later, the Vatican still hadn’t given up. Benito Mussolini, Prime Minister of Italy at the time, was tired of hearing the Vatican complain. So, he came up with a document in order to score some political points, which kind of looked like this:

“To Pope; From Italy, 1. Italy gives Vatican to Pope. 2. Italy gives the Pope a bunch of apology money

In return: 1. Pope acknowledges that Italy exists.

2. Pope promises to remain neutral in politics and wars.”

A new country, Vatican City, was born. However, other countries aren’t that confusing.

Take the Republic of Kosovo, a small country which declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Let’s say Kosovo wants to join the UN, but membership requires that none of the “Big Five” countries choose to re- ject you. The “Big Five” in the UN are five countries that are ranked among the UN’s most powerful. They are as follows: The United States of America, The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, The French Republic, The People’s Republic of China, and The Russian Federation. —-continued on next page

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Let’s say Britain, the US, and China all recognize Kosovo as a country, but Russia and France just think it’s a rebellious little sister of Serbia. Since Kosovo got rejected by two members of the Big Five, they are unable to join the United Na- tions.

But Kosovo isn’t the only place that wants to be considered its own country. There’s Transistria, The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (which, hilariously is only recognized by Turkey), The Nogorno-Karabakh Republic, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia, all of which are not fully recognized by all the members of the "Big Five".

Now you might be thinking "OK, what's the deal? I don't care if these guys think this place is a country. Is it or not?" The answer is...maybe. These countries are all autonomous to some extent. Most have their own passports, currency, and government, and more or less control over the territory they claim is theirs.

What makes the concept of some of these areas fuzzy is that they're almost always born of conflict. Think about it like this. While the United States is clearly a country now, in 1776, not so much. Back then it was just a rebellious part of the UK. Much like what happened nearly a century later when she got her own rebel, which other countries refused to recognize, the Confederate States of America.

A notably awkward case is The Republic of China. No, not the incredibly large China you hear about in the news, but the small island known as Taiwan. Officially, the People's Republic of China is the mainland, and The Republic of China is Taiwan. However, the People’s Republic of China still claims sovereignty over Taiwan, and the other problem is, that only 146 UN nations recognize The People's Republic of China (aka mainland) as actually existing. This resulted from the Chinese Civil War, which is another long story

So I guess after this the answer comes rather simply. "How many countries are there?" Well, how many do you want there to be?

Yellow is the Peo- ple’s Republic of China, and red is the Republic of China.