Volume 2, Issue 2 October 2015 Winchester High School Cougars Times Winter prediction for 2015-2016 Inside this For this winter I have heard many things issue: that might happen. I have heard more snow than usual and very cold and I have also heard it’s sup- Playoff Time 2 posed to be warmer than normal and little to no snow. According to the farmer’s almanac the winter of 2015-2016 it is saying it will be Anime and 3 Anime Artist snow filled above normal and very low temperatures. The weather channel also says that Important 4 this winter here in the mid west we will see above average snow fall. Outlook Prediction for Role in School Illinois this winter is it will be colder than normal and below normal snowfall. Coldest peri- Cardinals 5 ods for Illinois is to be early to mid December and late December and mid January into late February according to long range forecast for Chicago. Halloween 6 The snowiest periods are predicted to be November all the way through late Febru- Go Cougars 7 ary. According to that farmer’s almanac if you love snow and cold temps the central states are the place to be this winter and that includes Illinois. Also the almanac is calling for above average precipitation. Also in the farmer’s almanac in bold letters it states it is pre- dicted for heavy snowfall and below average temps and a lot of precipitation this winter. This year’s winter predictions for Springfield Illinois they are prediction it is still supposed to be a wet winter. Also with lots of snow but they are also prediction that we could see temperature swings going from warmer than normal to well below normal temps. From what I have researched I can tell that this winter we are more than likely to have a colder than normal winter with more snow and precipitation. By: Alex Rueter Page 2 Cougars Times Its time! The 2015 IHSA football state playoffs are upon us and Playoff Time the 32 teams in the 1A class are preparing for the first round of the do or die games till there is only one team remaining who will earn the title, State Champions. The pairings for the first round happened on last Saturday at 8:10 pm. Since I know little of the teams in the north bracket, let us take a look at the south bracket. The number 1 team in the state of Illinois by most people’s beliefs, Tuscola (9-0) will be taking on a team that made the cut by the skin of their teeth Camp Point (5-4). Camp Point defeated Arcola last year and will be looking to complete the Cola sweep by attempting the biggest upset of the state. Leroy (6-3) will take on another 6-3 team in the shape and form of Greenfield-Northwestern. A battle tested Bridge- port Red Hill (5-4) team who losses have come at the hands of much larger schools will take on the state runner up from last year, Carrollton (8-1). Decatur Lutheran (5-4) will travel to a 8-1 Pawnee team who many consider a sleeper team. Mt. Olive (5-4) will be looking for a huge upset against the number 2 team in the south Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley (9-0). West Central (6-3) will be looking for a big game on the defensive side of the ball to stop the explosive offense of Decatur St. Teresa(6-3) Calhoun (5-4) gets their playoff bid after a huge upset against Brown County week 9 against Arcola (9-0). Catlin Salt Fork (6-3) will take on the WIVC North Champions Brown County (8-1). The playoffs are an exciting time for players and fans alike. It is always bitter sweet as you win, you get on more game but if you lose, your season is over. Just remember to be respectful to other teams and always support yours. Go Cougars! (16) Camp Point 5-4 @ (1) Tuscola 9-0 (15) Mt. Olive 5-4 @ (2) Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 9-0 (14) Calhoun 5-4 @ (3) Arcola 9-0 (13) Bridgeport Red Hill 5-4 @ (4) Carrollton 8-1 (12)Decatur Lutheran 5-4 @ (5) Pawnee 8-1 -Jachob Barnes Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 3 Anime and Anime Artist Growing up, the majority of us probably spent time watch- ing our favorite cartons on TV as a child. To me cartons mean so much more. As a child growing up I started drawing learning more about it until I found something I loved. Anime is a Japanese form of art or as you might say cartoon. When I discovered anime I be- came intrigued learning more about the career of becoming an anime artist. The Birth place of Animation starts in Japan. The difference between Japanese and American animation is that American animation is more for kids or young teens while Japanese Animation or Anime as they call it is made for people of all ages. The same applies in Japanese comics also known as Manga. What are some things artists and animators do? Artist and animators do many things for example they design complex graphics and animation using independent judgment, creativity, and computer equip- ment. They create two and three dimensional designs. They put objects in motion using computers and other programs. They also make scripts and draw pen and paper designs to be scanned edited colored and textured by computers. Everyone loves watching a good TV show or movie, but what makes them better? Special effects are another things they do anywhere between mixing chemicals, fabricating needed parts from wood, metal, plaster, or clay. One thing that helps them see their image is using model designs they create. Personally my favorite type of animation is the Japanese art of anime. There are hundreds of dif- ferent types of animation. To start a career in Japanese anime a formal education is not required. Relevant training can be found through undergraduate and graduate programs in the fine arts. Skills required draw- ing, pen/ink skills, and computer graphics. Salaries in the field can vary differently depending on projects, art work, and jobs they set you up with. There’s a large amount of art schools in Japan many are highly recommended for people interested in this career. By: Lexi Harrell Page 4 Cougars Times Who plays an important role in our school? Who plays an im- portant role in our school? Math teachers! Hello, I’m Joey Neff and I interviewed the math teachers at WHS. A question I asked was, why did you pick this job? Mr. Hagen our Algebra and Geometry teacher said that he picked this job because he wanted to make a difference. Then I asked what’s your favorite thing about this job? He replied “working with students , and also doing math all day!!” I asked him if he liked the environment that he worked in and he said that he did, and he loved where he worked. He said he wouldn’t rather work anywhere else. He also said that he truly loves his job, staff and the students. He loves coming to work eve- ryday so he can teach and visit with students and staff. Mr. Hagen has a good personality in the class room. He’s serious about teaching the kids and making sure they understand every step that they make to- wards solving a problem. Not only is he serious about his job, he also likes having fun while doing it. He will joke around with the students while he teaches but he keeps it to a limit. He likes having fun while teaching. He isn’t a blunt strict teacher like a college teacher would be. If you push his buttons too much then he’ll let you know by giving a pop quiz on what we just learned. He always says “ since you guys would rather talk then learn this assignment then you know everything there is to know about it.” I asked him to make a comment about how the kids could learn better and he said “If you want to improve at something you must work hard.” That can go for just about anything these days. As he stated it applies to all things in life including math. You use math everyday of your life and you probably don’t realize it. He said “ students need to understand why math is so important in their lives, that’s why I’m constantly trying to show my students.” That’s why he takes the question “when are we going to use this” seriously. By: Joey Neff Volume 2, Issue 2 Page 5 The St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals is a professional baseball team from St. Louis Missouri. The baseball team consist of Matt Adams, Dean Anna, Matt Belisle, Peter Bourjos, Jonathan Brox- ton, Matt Carpenter, Randy Choate, Steve Cishek, Tim Cooney, Tony Cruz, Ed Easley, Greg Garcia, Jamie Garcia, Marco Gonzales, Randal Grichuk, Mitch Harris, Jason Heyward, Jon Jay, Pete Kozma, John LacKey, Lance Lynn, Tyler Lyons, Seth Maness, Yadier Molina, Brandon Moss, Jhonny Peralta, Tommy Pham, Stephen Piscotty, Mark Reynolds, Trevor Rosenthal, Kev- in Siegrist, Miguel Socolovich, Travis Tartamella, Sam Tuivailala, Carlos Villanueva, Michael Wacha, Adam Wainwright , Kolton Wong. The St. Louis Cardinals have won 11 World Series championships, 19 National League pennants, and 13 division titles. In 2015, the St. Louis Cardinals were valued at $1.4 billion by Forbes, making them the 6th most valuable franchise in MLB.