DELRAN HIGH SCHOOL The Bear Facts result of having Monday the 14th off from have won their homecoming game. Homecoming 2013 school, there were only four spirit days as op- Saturday morning marked the last By Kacey Engel posed to the usual five. Tuesday was Color day of homecoming, but also the most highly What is the first thing that comes to Day; therefore Freshmen wore blue, Sopho- anticipated day of the week. Everyone in town mind when you hear the name, “Delran”? mores gathered on the streets of Delran at 11:00 a.m. Aside from our school mascot, the bear, most wore to watch the floats for each class parade to the people say it is the extravagant homecoming white, high school with the students dressed in cos- event that takes place each October. Students, Juniors tumes and passing candy to children. After teachers, administration, and alumni all look wore they arrived and were getting settled before forward to this tradition year round. This black, and presenta- year‟s homecoming took place during the Seniors tions were week of October 14th-19th. It kicked off with wore yel- to begin at the selection of the general theme, which low. approxi- turned out to be a literary/motion picture se- Wednesday was College Logo Day. Thursday mately ries, and from there each class‟s student coun- was Theme Day where each class dressed in 12:00 p.m., cil chose a particular costumes appropriate for their theme, homecom- theme within that and Friday was Freaky Friday for the ing King category. This underclassmen and Toga Day for the Troy Ma- year‟s Freshman Seniors. Also taking place on Friday rino and Queen Kelsey Goodwin accepted class chose “Star afternoon was the pep rally. Each their crowns. All smiles, they posed for a Wars,” the Sopho- class got fired up and full of school quick picture and then dashed off to change mores chose “Back spirit to compete head-to-head in into costume for their skit. Shortly after, each to the Future,” the charity races, games, and show just class descended upon the field, beginning with Juniors chose how loud and full the Freshmen, and everyone joined “Shrek,” and the of spirit they could in the singing of the Alma Mater. Seniors chose “Toy Story”. After everything be. All of these activities Students continued to wow the had been officially settled, each class met at were scored and the points crowd with a dance that told a sto- their designated work site within the town and counted towards the tally to ry related to their movie. Once initiated the building of a float, choreo- find the overall winner of each class had finished, everyone graphing a skit presentation, and working on the pep rally. The gym was anxiously awaited for the judges to various other components to be competitively filled with boisterous cheer- announce the winners of each cate- scored throughout the week, such as hallway ing and chants that were gory for the week. When seniors banner, parade banner, and spirit strategies for created by each of the classes. Newer teachers were declared the overall winners of Home- pep rally. on staff were amazed at just how wild and full coming 2013, the field erupted with cheerful During the school week, each day of energy their students could actually be at screams and even some tears from some stu- was assigned a different clothing theme. Stu- school. Later that night was the annual home- dents who were sad to see it end for the last dents who participated were counted in their coming football game, which had been re- time. grade level homerooms, and whichever class scheduled from the normal Saturday after- Homecoming 2013 was as successful had the most points won for that day. As a noon. It was another category in Spirit Week, as ever, and most DHS students can hardly measured by wait until next year‟s festivities begin all over FRESHMEN SOPHOMORES JUNIORS SENIORS which class had again. th nd rd st the greatest at- SPIRIT WEEK 4 Place 2 Place 3 Place 1 Place tendance at the INSIDE THIS ISSUE: PEP RALLY 4th Place 2nd Place 3rd Place 1st Place game, so the stands were FLOAT 4th Place 3rd Place 2nd Place 1st Place packed. The game News 2-3 was held at 7:00 th rd nd st SKIT 4 Place 3 Place 2 Place 1 Place p.m. and the Bears Features 4-6 rd th rd nd dominated the HALLWAY BANNER 3 Place 4 Place 3 Place 2 Place field against Flor- Sports 7-12 ence with a final rd nd th st PARADE BANNER 3 Place 2 Place 4 Place 1 Place score of 27-2. The Op-Eds 13-15 team and crowd FOOTBALL GAME 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place 4th Place were ecstatic to Advertisements 16 ATTENDANCE DELRAN HIGH SCHOOL The Bear Facts The Government Shutdown istration stated that a private charity would Amendment which prevents Congress from pick up the costs and payments for military changing its own pay. By Fiona McLoughlin families during the shutdown. Many service members also take college courses during off- The government shutdown ended on The government shutdown that began duty hours, but the military has also stopped October 16, 2013, and many people were very on October 1, 2013, and ended on October providing tuition assistance to these men and grateful for it reopening. Jobs resumed and 16,2013, in Washington D.C., left many peo- women. As a result, these service members benefits began being paid again. This shut- ple in difficult situations. Problems ranging who are seeking an education have no way of down flipped many people‟s worlds upside from small business loans not being paid out paying for it. down by changing what they had once ex- and passport requests not being processed, left pected and depended on. Thankfully for most, people helpless without ideas about what to Along with these veterans and mili- things have once again gone back to normal. do. Millions of people were affected by the tary families, more that 800,000 federal work- shutdown, but veterans and military families ers‟ paychecks were in jeopardy. While all were hit the hardest. these people were not receiving paychecks and their promised death The shutdown of the government benefits, President prohibited these dedicated citizens from being Obama was still collect- able to do many things that they were able to ing the 400,000 dollars do before and kept them from certain benefits he receives because it is that had been promised to them. While the considered “mandatory shutdown was in effect, the Defense Depart- spending.” Along with ment didn‟t have the power to pay death bene- the president, Congress fits to the families of service members killed also continued to receive in action. Furthermore, they weren‟t able to their paychecks. Their fly family members out to funerals or provide continued paycheck is money to plan the funeral. The Obama admin- protected by the 27th The TPP Crisis only five of the twenty-nine chapters of the that if these changes came into effect, future agreement are related to trade. advancement of the Internet would be diffi- By Zoria Wood cult to achieve. As reported by eff.com, the TPP Government leaders from across the threatens to criminalize standard online ac- Under the TPP, food safety could world, including Barack Obama, were sched- tivity such as blogging or the use of social change as well. Food that doesn‟t meet our uled to meet in early October to discuss the networking sites. Copyright laws would ex- country‟s food safety qualifications could be Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This free- tend so that copyrighted images or any other transferred to the U.S. for consumption. As trade agreement is currently in the process of type of media used for only a small amount stated by alternet.org, trade expansion could being finalized. Obama of time, increase the importation of tainted seafood, wasn‟t able to attend the without chicken, and beef. meeting held in Indone- the per- sia due to the shutdown, mission of Although more than 100,000 people but his absence didn‟t the person have shown that they‟re against this by sign- prevent the deal from it original- ing petitions online, any resistance at this further progressing. The ly came point might be futile. The TPP is being fast- TPP is a prodigiously from, tracked; meaning Congress members will secretive trade agreement would be have to vote on the agreement without any that‟s being contracted considered chance of discussing it with fellow members. by representatives from a violation. With such urgency, the TPP may very well the following twelve People be completed by the end of October. If so, countries: Australia, Bru- have used the Internet we‟ve grown so accustomed to, nei, Canada, Japan, Chile, Malaysia, New content from the web harmlessly for years, along with the quality of our food, could be Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Mexico, Vietnam, making this new proposition somewhat unre- subject to drastic changes. and the United States. The agreement re- alistic. Government officials would be able mains so secretive that not even members of to legally force Internet service providers to Congress have a concrete idea of the topics release a person‟s confidential information if being discussed. In fact, the only information they‟re accused of copyright infringement. being released to the public are from leaked Internet content could be taken down or even documents that prove the TPP is about more whole websites altogether, and the risk of than just international trade.