COUGARS TIMES April 2015

WINCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL

Tornadoes What is a tornado? A tornado is a moving, destructive vortex of rotat- ing winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud. There are several warning signs that show a tornado is coming. Those signs are a dark, often green, sky, wall clouds or an approaching clouds of debris, even if a funnel is not visible, large hail that often is in the absence of rain, the wind may die down and the air might become very still before a tornado strikes, and a loud roar similar to a freight train may be heard. The safest place to go when a tor- nado hits is a basement, and if your house doesn’t have one go to a room with no windows. If you live in a mobile home when a tornado hits you must get out and go to the safest building closest to you. Tornado Season runs from early spring through mid-summer but a tornado can happen anytime of the year if the conditions are right, which is any time when warm and cool air masses collide. A tornado can reach 300 miles per hour. Damage paths of a tornado can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. They usually strike during the late afternoon and early evening but can occur at any hour. Kaylie Horrer

Spring This year spring began on March 20th and will end June 21st. Every year we all look forward to spring, because it means winter is finally over and summer is near! In the spring time we spring our clocks forward an hour. Flowers also begin to bloom. Hate rain? Too bad because we will be having “spring showers.” This year at the beginning of this month there were tornados spotted up north by Rochelle, IL, with a result of only one person being killed. Scott and Morgan County were under tornado watches and warnings. We got strong, damaging winds, a lot of rain, and hail. According to NOAA.com, between April 26th-April 29th of last year a large scale of severe weather and strong violent tornados, and flooding had occurred. This year it looks like our spring weather is going to be mostly around 70 degrees with thunderstorms and rain. Now let’s look forward to our May flowers that our April showers are bringing! By Brooke Bartmann

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Easter is Christianity’s most im- Easter portant holiday. Easter celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. It has been called many things one being the moveable feast, because Easter has no set date like most holidays. The Christian churches in the west celebrate Easter on the first Sunday, following the full moon after the Vernal Equinox on March 21. So, Easter takes place between March, 22 and April, 25 every year. Orthodox Christian’s will rely on the Julian calendar to calculate when Easter will occur. There are many sources that believe the word Easter came from Eostre, a teutonic goddess of spring and fertility. Other sources trace Easter to the Latin term hebdomada albaor white week, which is an ancient reference to Easter week and their white clothing worn by people who were being bap- tized during that time. Through, a translation error, the term Easter later appeared as Esostarum in Old High German. In Spanish Easter is known as Pascua and in French, Paques. Easter may be a religious holiday, but it also has a commercial side, such as the mounds of jelly beans and marshmallow chicks that appear in stores each spring. As like Christmas, over the centuries various customs and pagan traditions, including Easter eggs, bunnies, baskets, and candy have become a standard part of the holy holiday. -Kaitlyn McEvers

Mickey Mouse is the official mascot of The Company. In 1928 Mickey was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at the Walt Disney Stu- dios. Mickey Mouse typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves. Mickey has a girlfriend named who generally appears beside him in many cartoons and he also has a pet dog named Pluto. His best friends are and . Mickey first was seen in a test screening of . Mickey later starred in the short film in 1928, one of the first cartoons with sound. He went on to appear in over 130 films, including in 1935, in 1938, and Fanta- sia in 1940. Mickey appears mostly in short films, but also he also appears in some feature-length films. Ten of Mickey's cartoons were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and in 1978 Mickey became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Mickey was voiced by Walt Disney himself and his friend Donald Duck was voiced by Clar- ence Nash. The 1983 short film Mickey's Christmas Carol, Mickey was voiced by Wayne Allwine and he continued to be the voice of Mickey until his death in 2009. Mickey Mouse is a character that the world will remember for many more years to come.

Katelyn Chavez COUGARS TIMES Page 3 Rainbows What is a rainbow? A rainbow is an arch of colors that is formed in the sky in certain circumstances. It is caused when the refrac- tion and dispersion of the suns light by rain or other water droplets in the atmosphere.

There are seven colors in a rainbow. Those colors, in order, are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. One of the best ways to remember the colors is ROY G. BIV. Sometimes you see a double rainbow, which is a brighter rainbow with a dimmer one on top of it. The dimmer rainbow is produced in the same way as the brighter rainbow, but instead of the light reflecting once inside the raindrop, it's re- flected twice. If you look carefully, you'll see that the colors in the second rainbow are in the reverse or- der of the other rainbow. Kaylie Horrer

Spring Bass Fishing

Early spring bass fishing is the best time to catch big bass. Most southern states can start fishing earlier than us who live in Illinois, but most big bass will be caught between February and May. The reason for this is all the female bass come into shallow waters to for spawn. Catching bass is easier in shallow water rather than deeper water because you can present a lure more effectively. One good tip for catching big bass is using big lures. There are many lures you can use during the spawn because the females are very protective of their eggs. The top 3 lures for spring time are spinner baits, crank baits, and soft jerk baits.

You will need to stop by a local store to get your fishing license. You can get yours at Scotty’s gas station in Winchester, Illinois. I asked Colin Slagle where he likes to fish for bass at? He said “I fish in more farm pounds around Winchester be- cause I don’t have a boat to go out on the lakes.” Some local lakes around Winchester are Pittsfield Lake and Jacksonville Lake. The largest bass ever caught in Illinois was 13 pounds 1 ounce. Edward Walbel caught it in 1976 at Stone Quarry Lake. Un- til next time, stay focused, stay warm, and keep the line tight. By: Tyler Strohecker COUGARS TIMES Page 4

Cookies Cookies, as they are called in the United States and Canada, is a relatively small and flat baked treat that consist of flour, eggs, sugar, and butter or cooking oil. In other English speaking countries, they are called biscuits. In some of these countries, cookies are a plain bun. Cookies have been around since baking has, but they didn’t have the sugar of the other ingredi- ents such as chocolate chips, raisins, etc… They were more like a hard waffle that so popular because they travel well. They were originally founded in Persia when using sugar for the cookies became pop- ular in the 7th century. By the 14th century, cookies were popular in all levels of society because of their cheapness to make, and their popularity for being able to solve the sweet teeth of kings. There are nine classifications of cookies and over one hundred twenty variations of flavors. Some of the most popu- lar flavors are Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Macadamian Nuts, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Raisin, and Iced Sugar. Cookies have been a delicious sugar snack for kings, all the way down to peasants. Now cookies satisfy presidents down to the low income homesteads of people. Baking cookies, is also a great pastime for many people as you can make many different shapes, sizes, and flavors you can design. -Jachob Barnes

Two Directions

One Direction is a British boy band of five. Recently, Zayn Malik has left the band so now there is only four boys left. There was a scandal that Zayn had been cheating on his girlfriend, Per- rie Edwards. A few days after that, he left the band.

People think there are different reasons on why he left. One is that he just quit. He said in an interview he was just doing what “felt right.”

Another possibility is that he got fired. There had been rumors that Zayn had cheated on Perrie before. No one knows exactly. By: Linsey Alred COUGARS TIMES Page 5 West Central Softball Have you ever wondered what it was like in the head of a softball player? This week I decided to interview two of the West Central softball players, Mackenzie Evans and Kaitlyn Wade.

The first question I asked both girls was if last season was as successful as they wanted it to be and they both said,” Somewhat because even though we had a lot of wins, we still didn’t win regionals or conference.” The next question I asked them was what they thought some of the problems were last year. Both girls said that they felt like they relied on a few players to win the games, but Mackenzie also added that,” Favoritism” was a big part in last year. Mackenzie’s favorite thing about softball is becoming good friends with members on the team while Kaitlyn’s favorite thing is all the memories made together.

After I asked them both the same questions, I asked Kaitlyn and Mackenzie separate questions. The first question I asked Mackenzie was what inspired her to play softball, and she said that her aunt used to play. The next question I asked her was how many out of the park homeruns she has hit and she said 7. Her favorite position on the field is right field because that’s where she has always played. The final question I asked her was some of the goals she had for this season and her response was,” To win regionals for once.”

After I had finished asking Mackenzie her questions, I asked Kaitlyn a few as well. The first question for Kaitlyn was if she felt a lot of pressure was on her being the pitcher. She said,” Yeah, sometimes. It just depends on the score and where runners are and who we are playing.” Kaitlyn’s dad taught her to play softball and she likes pitching because you’re in control of what happens in the game. The last question I asked Kaitlyn was if she plans on playing softball in college? She said “no”.

If you really enjoy watching girls’ softball then you should come down to the softball field and watch these girls play.

By: Kaitlyn Drake COUGARS TIMES Page 6

Furious 7 Furious 7 is the seventh installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise. The film stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jor- dana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Kurt Russell and Jason Statham. Furious 7 takes place after the movie Tokyo Drift. The original release date was set-up during the summer of 2014, but because of Paul Walker’s passing the movie was put a hold. The fatal car crash that claimed Paul Walker's life was on November 30, 2013. The production of the movie resumed in April 2014. The new release date for the movie was April 3, 2015. Filming was delayed for script rewrites and Paul’s brothers, Caleb and Co- dy, were used as stand-ins to complete his remaining scenes. Not many people know that there weren’t a lot of scenes left to finish. Paul Walker was in 85% of the movie before he died. The cast of Furious 7 was heartbroken by Walker’s death, which is why this movie pays tribute to him. Paul Walker was and always will be Brian O'Conner. I once read somewhere that Paul live by the speed. He would say, “If the speed doesn’t kill me, I don’t know what will”. The brotherhood between the characters in this franchise will live on forever. This cast isn’t just a cast, they’re a family and they always will be. For more information, go to www.imdb.com/title/tt2820852/ You can also watch the tailor here -----> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yISKeT6sDOg By: Kayden Savage

April Fools’ Day

April Fool’s Day is sometimes called All Fools' Day. Historians claim that on this day in 1789, after the French people deposed King Louis XVI, King George III of England made an historic joke. They have continued the tradition to this day. April Fool’s Day is a day for playing pranks or jokes on people. In the United States, the pranks last all day, but in other countries they only take place until noon. April Fool’s Day isn’t a national holiday in any country. Many people have their own beliefs on how it originated. Some say historians trace April Fool's Day back to Chaucer's Can- terbury Tales, in the late 14th century. Others say it was when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. To this day it still remains a mystery on how April Fool’s Day originated. By: Skye White Page 7 COUGARS TIMES Tracy Tracy Chapman was born on March 30, 1964. She is an American singer and songwriter, known for her hits "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason", along with other singles "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Crossroads" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.

In 1987 Tracy was signed to Elektra Records. The following year she released her debut album Tracy Chapman, which became a multi- platinum hit. The album Chapman released was Grammy Award nomina- tions, including Album of the Year, , Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her single "Fast Car", and Best New Artist. Chapman released her sec- ond album Crossroads the following year.

Crossroads got her an additional Grammy nomination. Chapman then experienced further suc- cess with six more albums, which include her multi-platinum fourth album New Beginning, which she won her fourth Grammy award, for Best Rock Song, for its lead single "Give Me One Reason". Chap- man's most recent release is Our Bright Future, in 2008.

By: Katelyn Chavez

The RMS Titanic was the world’s largest passen- The RMS Titanic ger ship when it entered service, measuring 269 meters in width and 882 feet in length. It was the largest man-made moving object on Earth. The Grand Staircase on board descended down seven of the ship’s 10 decks and featured oak paneling, bronze cherubs and paintings. Replicas can be found at the Titanic Muse- ums in Branson, Missouri. The iceberg was spotted at 11.40pm on April 14, 1912, by lookout Frederick Fleet. The last remaining survivor of the disaster, Millvina Dean, she was two months old at the time. She died on May 31, 2009, aged 97. The wreck of the Titanic was discovered in 1985 and lies 370 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, around 12,500 feet below the surface. The marine dive specialists Deep Ocean Expeditions previously offered trips to the wreck using a MIR Submersible chartered from the Russian Academy of Sciences The ship received six warnings about icebergs during the voyage, but continued to collide with one. Not only were there not enough lifeboats to save everyone on board, most of the lifeboats that were launched off the Titanic were not filled to capacity.

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Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was born on April 27, 1822 as Hiram Ulysses Grant. He had 3 sisters (Mary, Virginia, and Clara), and 2 brothers (Samuel and Orvil). He and his family lived in Point Pleasant, Ohio, but a year after Grant was born his family packed up and moved to Georgetown, Ohio. Growing up Grant was really shy and didn’t have a lot of friends. His dad was worried about his social life and his grades in school so he arranged for him to en- ter the United States Military Academy at West Point. When he was just 17 years of age he joined the academy. He got his name Ulysses S. Grant because whenever they entered him at the school there was a clinical error with his name listed as “Ulysses S. Grant” so he decided to just change his name right there on the spot. When Grant first started off at West Point he just got average grades. He only planned to stay in the military for four years and then resign, which was the complete opposite of what happened. After he graduated he met his future wife, Julia Dent, in St. Louis, Missouri. Before the couple could get married after Grant proposed, he got shipped off on duty. Ulysses and Julia were finally wed in 1848 after a four year engagement. Over the next six years, the couple had four children. Grant had only met two of them though since he was always sent on a mission. Since he missed his wife and his family, he began to drink a lot, and get a reputation that stuck with him with the rest of his military ca- reer. Grant resigned from the army in 1854. When the Civil War began it sparked Grant’s patriotism and he volunteered for the military again. At first he was denied but then he was appointed as commander of the 21st Illinois Volunteer Regiment. He made sure his combat squad was ready by September of 1861. After the war ended, Grant was promoted to full general and oversaw the military portion of Reconstruction. In 1866, Grant was elected the 18th president of the United States. At age 46, Grant was the youngest president the United States had ever had. After Grant had served all the time he could at the White House, he became a partner of the financial firm “Grant and Ward” only to have his partner embezzle money from him. Both Grant and the firm went bankrupt in the year of 1844. In the same year Grant found out he had throat cancer. On July 23, 1885, at age 63, Ulysses S. Grant died. He is buried in New York City. His legacy and memories will forever live on in history.

By: Kaitlyn Drake Page 9 COUGARS TIMES Teen Pregnancies By Brooke Many teens get scared of getting pregnant at a young age because of how people would treat them, or they are not ready right now and a baby would ruin their future plans. If your one of those people who don’t want a baby while still in high school then practice abstinence or don’t have sex period. Many kids who don’t practice safe sex may get pregnant or catch HIV, AIDS, or STDS. According to CDC.gov in 2012, a total of 305,388 babies were born to women the ages of 15-19 years old. Many teen mothers are called names and tend to get made fun of because of getting pregnant at a young age. I hon- estly think if you can take care of yourself and make the choice to have unprotected sex, then you’re able to take care of a child. Looking back on the subject of teen mothers thinking their life is going to be ruined because they find out they’re pregnant; I can tell you now their life isn’t going to be ruined like they think. I know 4 other teens that got pregnant in this school and their life isn’t ruined. Most are living on their own or with a loved one, are attending college, and even working. If you have any questions you can talk to a parent/ trusted adult or a health care provider. If you’re unable to raise your child you can always put it up for adoption, don’t abandon your baby.

Apple Watch Apple is not only introducing one Apple Watch, they are introducing three. These watches include the original Apple Watch, the Watch Sport, and the Watch Edition. The Apple Watch collection introduces highly polished stainless steel cases. The display is protected with sapphire crystal, and you get to choose between three different leather bands, a link bracelet, a Milanese loop, and a band made from high perfor- mance fluoroelastomer.

The Apple Watch Sport collection cases are made from lightweight anodized aluminum in silver and space gray. The display is protected by strengthened Ion-x glass, and you can choose out of five differ- ent fluoroelastomer bands. Apple created an alloy of 7000 series aluminum that is thought to be 60 percent stronger than standard alloy. Yet it is very light. The Apple Watch Edition collection features eight uniquely elegant expressions of Apple Watch. Each Watch Edition has a watch case made from 18 karat gold. The display is protected by polished sapphire crystal, and exquisitely designed band provides a striking compliment. If you would like to know more about the watches that Apple has produced go to Apple.com for more information. By: Kaitlyn McEvers COUGARS TIMES Page 10

Braces Did you know there are several names for braces like dental braces, orthodontic cases, or just cases. Braces are used in orthodontics to align and straighten teeth. They also help to position teeth to align a person's bite. Braces are often used to correct underbites, malocclusions, over- bites, moth bites, open bites, deep bites, cross bites, crooked teeth, and various other flaws of the teeth and jaw. Braces straighten your teeth by applying steady pressure on your teeth and by staying in place for a certain amount of time. Today, braces are much less noticeable. Metal braces are still used to- day, but you might be able to get clear braces or braces that are the same color as your teeth. There are braces that can even go behind your teeth where they can’t be seen. The wires used today are smaller and better than they used to be. They're made of a space-age material that straightens your teeth faster and easier. Also, the rubber bands that you wear with braces come in colors now. Everyone has to wear braces for different lengths of time because of the shape their teeth are in. Most people usually only wear braces for about 2 years, some less, some more. You have to do what you’re supposed to be able to get them off in time. By: Kayden Savage

West Central Track Team

Winchester’s track team has done exceptionally well this year, considering their small size of 19. The girls team did well at the Carlinville meet last Saturday. They placed 5th out of 10 with only eight girls. At the Pittsfield meet the girls team placed 4th out of 9 teams. This success has been due to hard work, and their amazing coaches, Jackie Kuchy and Celeste Lashment. They are always pushing the track team to do their next best. A few athletes that this hard work has paid off for is Emily Krawl who has ran state qualify- ing in the 400m at the last few meets, and Mazi Walker who threw 106’ in disc at Pittsfield and currently holds the school record. As you can see even without an adequate track to run on or a large team the West Central Track Team makes it work. They are a closely knit group that sticks together that is always looking for more members to add to the team next year.

By: Leah Cockerill COUGARS TIMES Page 11 Winchester Drama Club Plans Trip to Iowa

The Winchester High School Drama Club is taking a weekend field trip to Des Moines, Iowa. There are twenty four students and four adults going on the trip. The group will leave school early on Thursday May 7th on a five hour drive to De Moines. The group will spend their nights in Des Moines at the Quality Inn and Suites hotel until Saturday May 9th when they will come home. The Drama Club has a very packed weekend. They plan to see the Lion King Musical. They will then get some comedy when they go to see The Last Laugh. The group also plans to spend some down time at the famers market shopping. They will not just be in Des Moines all weekend as they plan to go see Tulip Time and a parade festival in Pella, Iowa. All the students in Drama Club are looking forward to the trip. Jackie Kuchy, the English teacher at Winchester High School, has put in a ton of time and work into the Drama Club and has gotten excellent results. The students had two plays this year. The first play put on was The 12 Days of Christmas during December and the last show was Peter Pan Jr. put on in March. Each show had a lot of success and every- one who came really enjoyed watching. The Drama Club is going on this trip in celebration of another great year. The trip is mainly for fun and relaxation for all the kids. The drama department plans to keep expanding and fulfilling success in years to come. By: Tyler Strohecker

Autism Awareness Month Every April is a month dedicated to raise awareness of Autism (Autism Spectrum Disorder.) Autism Spectrum Disorders are five brain disorders that affect how a person can function. It makes it hard for peo- ple to communicate, form relationships, and do normal activities. These five disorders are called PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Delay), Autism (Classic Autism or Autistic Disorder), Asperger Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. No one is completely sure what causes Autism. Autism spectrum disorders affect one in sixty eight children. It is most often diagnosed in boys. One in forty two boys and one in one hundred and eighty nine in girls are diagnosed with a disorder on the Autism spectrum. Almost 40% of children with Autism do not speak until later in childhood. This condition varies from person to person. Not every person with Autism is the same. There is no cure yet but it is manageable with medicine and treatment. Even though these kids have weaknesses in social situations and etc, they have a lot of strengths in other areas. They are often good at tasks that involve patterns, logical reasoning and correcting.

By: Linsey Alred

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The Freedom of Press The Freedom of Press is a vital part of the fabric of American Democracy. The ability for journalist of America to talk about what they want to who they want is all protected by the 1st amendment of the U.S consti- tution. The Freedom of Press was decided to be added to the 1st Amendment to mainly prevent an overreaching government from interfering in the Freedom of Speech as well. The Freedom of Press does have some rules that come with it though. Some of the rules are that the writer or journalist may not write anything offensive or derogatory towards a specific ethnic group or race. The topic must also be truthful and exact as in the feeding of untruthful facts to the public can be punishable by law depending on the severity of the crime. The United States is a special place since we are one of a few countries that actu- ally and whole heartedly guarantees and provides the freedom of press. If the journalist or writer publishes something that could affect national security though, the Supreme Court ruled it constitutional for the removal of all evidence that could prove the pub- lished work is based by facts. The Freedom of Press is one of the most integrated poli- cies in American culture and is almost as exercised as the Freedom of Speech.

Jachob Barnes The Winchester FFA The Winchester FFA Chapter hosted their Chapter Banquet Sunday May, 3rd in honor of all of the hard work their members have put in this year. First year members received their Greenhand Degrees for completely a year of FFA. Chaney Parker was awarded with Star Greenhand, which means she showed an interest in FFA that went above and beyond. Second year members received their Chapter Degrees which entail completing their first year of their Supervised Agricultural Experi- ence. Also, the five State Degree recipients, Leah Hembrough, Kait Hubbert, Noah Sellars, Rachel Sellars, and Danielle Suhre were rec- ognized for the degree they will receive at State Convention in June for completing two years of record books and meeting the various requirements for the honorable degree. Af- ter the conclusion of awards, Cyndi Young, a former member of the Winchester FFA, gave a Keynote Address to members with some advice on life. The Winchester FFA Chapter would like to congratulate its members and Mr. Barnett on a successful year. Pictured is Cyndi Young giving her Keynote Address. By Rachel Sellers