discover. tomorrow. today.crimsontimes.

Bloomingdale High School1700 E. Bloomingdale Ave., Valrico, FL 33596

Volume XX October/November 2009

Obama’s New School Agenda

On October 10th, 2009, our homely cafete-ria was transformed into an Egyptian Paradise in order to suit the Homecoming theme, “A Night on the Nile.” Ultimately a success, with Kelsey Anderson being selected as Homecoming Queen and Justin Feist winning King, the school came together and celebrated with a night of dining, dancing, and dresses. When asked a few questions about the October 10th evening, here is how some students responded:

1. Did you think announcing the Homecoming King winner at the game was better than in previ-ous years, where he was announced at the dance?

Yes: 80 % No: 20%

“At Homecoming you just want to dance, an-nouncing the King at the game was better.” –Amy Schwartz, 12

2. Did you like the theme, “A Night on the Nile”?

Yes: 60% No: 40%

“The theme was semi-creative, but when you are dancing no one really pays attention to the theme.” -Brett Kaiser, 11

3. With other schools having a few problems with alcohol disrupting the environment of their Homecoming’s, do you feel that alcohol influenced

the Bloomingdale Homecoming in any way? Yes: 0% No: 100% “I think that because other schools got

caught and the kids got punished, students here thought twice about drinking.” –Travis May-hew, 11

4. Did you like the music that was played? Yes: 80% No: 20%

“He kept switching songs in the middle of them, and he played songs that you couldn’t really dance to, like Miley Cyrus.” -Kathryn Haase, 10

5. Do you wish that the Homecoming would have been held somewhere else, instead of the cafeteria?

Yes: 80% No: 20%

“Our cafeteria is too small for Homecom-ing, and everyone gets crowded and hot.” –Jory Keller, 11

Do you want to express your opinions on our Homecoming? Write your thoughts down and drop them off in room 244 to see them in next month’s issue!

It was an average day in Mrs.Radebaugh’s Drama I class, and Mrs.Hunsucker’s AP Language class when Mr.Ackett, followed by four police officers, interrupted. The class was assured that no one was in trouble, but a routine search for weapons would be carried out during class. This practice is common. Ac-cording to site coordinator, Officer Jack Gallagher, the program is already nine years old. A group of officers is assigned 10 schools, and they visit one per day. Which school and class room they visit is based on a random lottery system. Each school is given a number (Bloomingdale is number 7), as well as each section of classrooms within the school. Bloomingdale has been visited only one other time this year, and according to Mr.Ackett, it is a very uncommon happenstance.

Officer Jack Gallagher, who was in charge of the team who searched Mrs.Radebaugh’s room, has been in the program for three years. Most of the officers, he says, are retired from other jobs in law enforcement. He reports that it is rare that they find students carrying weapons. The times they have, the most common have been hunting or fishing knives that he suggests might have been misplaced after a weekend hunting of fishing trip. Any weapons found are confiscated and given to the administration to handle. Students carrying a weapon longer than five inches can be charged with a felony.

By: Emily Guthy

Democratic President Obama has made it far. He surpassed “100 Day” mark, first coined after the presidential election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 with no difficulty, and surprised the nation with his go-to attitude. Since his inauguration on January 20, 2009, Obama has passed an Economic Recovery Plan and reversed a deci-sion of Bush’s Global Gag Rule. However, his next big plan could come as a shock to students nation-wide, and is currently being surrounded with controversy. According to Obama, stu-dents of the United States do not spend enough time in school, and that is putting us at a global disadvantage. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said he and Obama just want to “level the play-ing field,” something that might not make a lot of sense to a student who is not informed on the school systems of the rest of the world.

The United States school calendar is based upon the agrarian society that was in place over a century ago. Most children needed to remain at home and farm, and no specialized skill that could be taught at a school was needed in order to do so. Parents taught children all that was needed in order to perform the agrar-ian trade, so school was not a necessity for survival. However, as the States urbanized, the school calendar did not change, something that did not seem trivial until the past few years. Other countries around the globe have changed their school schedules with the change of society, something that has given them

an advantage. “Young people in other countries are going to school 25, 30 percent longer than our stu-dents here,” says Duncan, which therefore results in

higher test scores, especially in math and science. It comes as no shock to students that Asian countries continue to outscore the United States in these sub-jects, and maybe the reason is that they are school for longer periods of time.

The new plan would constitute longer school days, maybe only lengthening classes by ten minutes apiece, and a shorter summer. “We’ve let our grades

slip,” Obama declared at his March 10th speech, where he first announced his new academic agenda. 21st century challenges are rapidly aris-ing, and the United States could fall behind in their efforts to solve them, simply because other countries are educating their students more ef-ficiently, enabling them to solve challenges they will face in the future. New principles would include urging states to adopt global education standards, improving pre-kindergarten pro-grams, reducing student drop-out rates, and giv-ing teachers more pay if their student’s achieve-ment soars. Obama’s ultimate goal is to give our students a boost, and help prevent an academic gap between other countries and the United States. However, problems will certainly arise with this new plan, especially from the students. Will more kids simply drop out earlier to avoid more schooling? Will standardized tests become more of a priority to ensure a higher teacher’s salary? Time will only tell the fate of our school systems, and the consequences that will follow.

For more information regarding President Barack Obama’s plan, check out: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29612995.

Want to express your opinion? Write a letter to the editor with your outlook on Obama’s new plan, and see it in the next issue of the Crimson Times!

By: Sarah Binkerd

Obama gives a speech

An Egyptian ParadiseBy: Sarah Binkerd

School Searches: Are You Next?

news&featuresreport. inform. enjoy.

2

More than Just a Bucs FanBy: Sloane Hovan

A highly motivated student becomes part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Student Advisory Board

Robert Gordon is not your average high school senior. He has exemplary grades, is head of the Spanish Honors Society and a member of the National Honors Society; but what you may not know is that Gordon is also involved in making the community a better place. Robert applied to become a Buccaneers Student Advisory Board Member over the summer, and was selected, along with forty to forty-five other students from various schools, to join the group. “I wanted to join the Board so I could work with the Buccaneers. I’m a huge football fan, and I’m thrilled to be able to learn more about the inner-workings of the team,” states Gordon. When Gordon says “inner-workings” he isn’t exactly referring to what goes on in the locker room or on the practice field. The Student Advisory Board in an important addition to the Buccaneers community relations team, which strives to bring a better representation to the Tampa Bay area. Extremely bright and talented students are brought together to make a

connection between the team and schools. The students are able to improve their leadership skills while serving the community; and the Bucs

franchise is expanded to the public through this service. “As a student advisor my primary responsibility is to perform community service in the Tampa Bay area,” explains Gordon, “This year, the Board has various community service opportunities, including Turkey Time with the O-line and Zoo Boo at Lowry Park Zoo.” Student Advisors also work as Club Level Customer Service Representatives; encouraging team spirit at home games. So far, Gordon hasn’t met any of the

players, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t an essential part of the team. The SAB here in Tampa is the only one in the NFL, and has dramatically increased the productivity of the community relations team over the last ten years. As a member, Gordon helps enhance the team’s community image, attends benefits, and eventually he will meet a coach or player. Plus, he gets a ton of free Buccaneers stuff. “We receive loads of promotional items. Some for personal use, and some for distribution,” comments Gordon. Again, the main goal of the SAB is to distribute to the community. The students are used to bring the team to community events the players/staff may not be able to make it to. I guess you could say the Board is like the community offensive line, tackling service project after service project. Robert Gordon has found his experience on the Board so far to be an “amazing” one. He has seen first-hand the important role sports can play in a community while working with the Bucs; and even though he hasn’t become best friends with the quarterback, he did get to walk by Josh Freeman in the dining hall.

Bloomingdale Friday night football games are known for a lot of things. One of them is the sights and sounds of the Rajun’ Bull Marching Band. An average person, though, doesn’t know that football games are only practices for them. They are preparing for their most important competition of the year, FBA.

What exactly is FBA? It stands for Florida Bandmaster’s Association. It’s as important as the Super Bowl, in band terms. Our very own band performed on Saturday, November 14th, at Gaither High School. Everyone seemed anxious, and some even nervous as the band made its way from their warm-up space to the holding area. Even though the butterflies in their stomach wouldn’t fly away, they knew they were about to bring it. Searching for another “superior”, since Bloomingdale has known nothing else, they brought it to the field.

Senior Kelly Johnson stated, “The band has worked so hard and has improved so much in the last few weeks. I’m so proud of the outcome of our show.”

With their heads raised high, the band came off the marching field, knowing they did the best they could. The band was judged on marching techniques, carriage of their horns, and musical ability.

“After performing the show, I was so happy and proud of the dolls. All the hard work really paid off in the end,” said the doll captain, senior, Katie Masse. Some people were so proud of the band, they got teary eyed at the end of the performance. Junior, Dakin White said, “The crowd started roaring after we finished. My heart was beating so hard because I was so proud of our band, no matter what rating we received.”

Other people were happy just to be a part of such an amazing organization. Senior trumpet player, T.J. Shriver stated, “The marching was okay, but knowing my best friend, Mr. Sever, was proud of me, made my day.” Once again, our Bloomingdale Rajun’ Bull Band has done their best.

Journey to Success Senior Nick Wing-Holt broke the 6-dive record at a dual meet against Jesuit with a score of 289.75, and the 11 dive record at Western Conference with a score of 497.7. He is now one of the top high school divers in the state of Florida, and is aspiring to make top three in the class 3A competition.

SH: How long have you been diving?NW: Nine years, or since I was eight years old.

SH: How often do you practice?NW: Before this year, I practiced two hours a day, five days a week. Over the summer, it was four hours a day, 6 days a week.

SH: What was your reaction when you found out you had just set a new 11-dive record?NW: I was pretty sure I had done it, considering how well I was doing. It was the best meet I have had in a long time. The 6-dive record I didn’t think I would get though, especially because I scored so low on my fourth dive.

SH: What would you attribute to your success in diving?NW: I would have to say my Coach, Joe Greenwell, along with my team, Jetstream Diving. Joe isn’t able to coach me right now, but he did teach me everything I know. I would be nothing without him.

SH: How do you juggle diving, orchestra and school?NW: Honestly, I don’t know. My love for diving is just as great as my passion for music and my school responsibilities. Trying to balance everything has been tough.

SH: So, who (or what) inspires you?NW: Jesus Christ is my main inspiration. Everything I do, every record I break, every meet I win…is for His glory.

Diving ExtraodinaireBy Sloane Hovan

By Kelsey Lay

The Rajun’ Bulls Marching Band

SUBMIT YOUR WRITING TO

THE NEWSPA-PER AND YOU COULD SEE IT

HERERoom 277 or 244

3

advertising

sports.practice. play. win.

4

Cheering for a PurposeBy: Kathryn Haase

The Bloomingdale Cheerleaders are some of the most dedicated athletes to their sport in the whole school. Most people don’t realize all the additional things the cheerleaders do throughout the school. They spend their lunch periods on pep rally days painting people’s faces, and spend Thursday nights making beat tags for their assigned football players. Along with all of that, the girls work hard at practice every day, and give up their Friday nights to cheer at the football games. After, and even during football season, their main focus is on winning the state title. The now 2 year champions feel the pressure to uphold the title again for the third year in a row and are hoping their new coach, Mrs. Teague, can guide them to it. They use the football games to practice tumbling, stunting, and cheers because every extra bit of practice helps. Every varsity member on the team last year made it again this year, making the team packed with juniors and seniors. The team is also

made up of girls who were on JV last year, and one freshman. The returning varsity members are getting the new girls accustomed to the team, and instilling perfection in their skills. Even though March is months away, the date is approaching fast, and the team has already started to work on their routine for states. Returning varsity member, Mallorie Harber, sophomore, says, “We are working hard on our routine everyday at practice and there are a lot of great ideas in the air right now, so we are in the process of putting the best ones into the routine.” The girls practice everyday from 3:30-6:00PM, except on Tuesday when they all go to Brandon All-Stars to practice their tumbling and stunting. With their focus everyday on nothing but cheer, the girls are expecting a good turnout at states, and are hoping for the number one title again.

The football game on November 13, 2009 would have been like any other game, aside from one small detail: This was the last time that this year’s seniors would play for Bloomingdale. Seniors on the football team, cheerleading squad, and in the marching band knew this was their last game, their last time to perform at Charley Harris Stadium. During pre-game, all senior football players, cheerleaders, band members, and Crimson Dolls were called down in front of their peers and recognized for their hard work over the duration of the stay at Bloomingdale. Many seniors had mixed emotions about the night, as it was certainly a bittersweet event. Feelings of excitement, accomplishment, sadness, and nostalgia were common among many of the students. Natalie Schaedler, a senior in the Marching Band, stated, “Senior Night was awesome because it helped me look back on all of the good times I’ve had in band these past four years.” Although the class of 2010 is already looking forward to graduation, it is hard for some

students to move on. Over the past four years, seniors have grown to love Bloomingdale High School and it will forever hold a place in their hearts. Being a senior is, without a doubt, one of

the best positions a person can be in. When asked how her year was going, senior Jessika Stumpf responded, “This is definitely one of the most fun but also most

expensive years of my life.” As a senior, students have many financial responsibilities, such as Senior Ads, college applications, and cap and gown orders, which were placed in late October. Possibly the most important part of Senior Night, was the football game. The Bulls delivered a great performance, and the team’s strength has increased greatly since the beginning of the season. The night went well, many great plays were made, and the team remains full of “Bull Pride.” Joe Campoamor, a senior, and one of the captains of the football team, recalls, “This was a fun night that I will never forget.” When the clock hit zero and the game was over, only one thing mattered to the senior class of 2010. It was not the score on the board, not the fun that was had on that evening, and not the exhaustion felt by the end of the night. The only thing that mattered was that every senior out there, whether a football player, cheerleader, Crimson Doll, or band member, worked their hardest all season and on November 13, 2009, left it all on the field.

Here’s to the NightBy: Tracy Mare

The Bloomingdale Swim and Dive Team had a very successful ’09 season with a win-loss record of 6-3. “We worked pretty hard this year, especially the new swimmers,” stated Junior Elise Heron, who has been on the team for two years now. A majority of the swimmers on the team this season really did have to work hard to compete, considering most had never been on a high school swim team before. With a team consisting of mostly underclassmen and new athletes, there was a lot of nervous anticipation as to how the Bulls would stack up against more experienced teams. However, it was evident

after the win at home against Durant, that the Bloomingdale swim team would be a threat come Districts. With a perfect combination of practiced upperclassmen, such as Senior Captain Brian Woodcock, and promising new talent, exemplified in freshmen DJ Waite and Allison Lehr, the Bulls became a very balanced team. The new swimmers that arrived this year also proved to be very versatile in how many events they could swim, which helped gain points during meets. “We had a young team this year that, in my opinion, swam very well,” commented Coach Beard.

At the District Meet Bloomingdale girls placed third overall, and the boys exceeded all expectations by taking second. Eleven swimmers made top eight and qualified to compete at Regionals either in individual events or relays. On top of that, the swim team had a large number of swimmers that made top 16, also known as consulation finals. With such a great end to the season many swimmers are excited for next year. “The great thing about having a young team is that we won’t be losing a lot of swimmers,” says Junior TJ Donahue, “and the athletes we have now can come back next season even better than before.”

Making a SplashBy: Sloane Hovan

in-briefshort. sweet. to the point.

5

Bloomingdale Senior High School1700 East Bloomingdale AvenueValrico, FL 33594

Phone Number(813)744-8018 ext. 250

Volume XX, Issue II

Front EditorSarah Binkerd

News/Features EditorSloane HovanSierra Reynolds

Entertainment EditorEmily Guthy

Sports EditorKelsey Lay

In Brief EditorKathryn Haase

Focus on You EditorTracy Mare

Op-Ed EditorKelsey Rodriguez

Advertising ManagerKathryn Haase

AdvisorMs. Jaime Melton

Staff WritersSarah BinkerdEmily GuthyKathryn HaaseSloane HovanKelsey LayTracy MareSierra ReynoldsKelsey Rodriguez

Crimson Times is published at the end of every month during the school year by the journalism students of Bloomingdale High School. Letters can be submitted to Room 272 and are subject to editing.

Advertising rates are available on request, call 813-744-8018 ext. 250 or email jamie.melton@sdhc.k12.fl.us

NOVEMBERC ALENDA

11/2/09 avid field trip @ usf11/3/09 7:00 girls soccer @ plant city11/4/09 early release/red club day11/5/09 7:00 girls soccer vs armwood @ home11/6/09 regional diving/ varsity football @ riverview 7:3011/7/09 9:00 district cross country/ 9:00 regional swimming11/9/09 8:30 blood drive in front of school11/11/09 no school- veteran’s day11/12/09 white club day/girls boys soccer vs plant home11/13/09 varsity football vs brandon senior night @ home11/14/09 fba at gaither11/17/09 6:00 girls/boys soccer @ alonso11/18/09 black club day/ 6:30 girls soccer @ venice11/19/09 homeroom schedule/ report cards11/21/09 varsity wrestling @ sickles/ the sound of music 7:0011/23/09-11/27/09 thanksgiving holidays12/1/09 6:00 girls/boys socccer @ wharton/varsity boys basketball vs armwood @ home 6:3012/2/09 red club day/ 8:30 poetry jam in media center12/3/09 freshman/ sophomore night/ boys basketball @ spoto 6:30/ boys soccer vs armwood @ home12/4/09 girls/boys soccer vs brandon @ home 6:00/ varsity boys basketball vs plant @ home 6:3012/5/09 sat 300 wing/ jv girls basketball @ home 9:00/ jv boys basketball @ mulrennan 9:00

SPIRIT WEEKWinners from spirit week:

Mismatch day- Sharky Feist and Taylor Geise

Age Swap- Erika Batchelder, Kelsey Anderson, Kyle Wilkinson, Zack Field, and Cameron Buck

Character Day- Megan Offen-houser and Nick Moore

Nerd Day- Becca Cardenas and Kevin Albert

opinion&editorialtalk. think. voice.

6

Letters to the EditorDear Editor, I personally enjoyed the article “How to Land

a Job”. I know for sure that these tips work because I have a job at Publix and I have used these to get my job. I think it’s very good that you are giving this ad-vice, because many teenagers, like me, were unfamil-iar with the ways to get a job, and these tips will save someone in search of a job a lot of time. Finding a job can be hard, but I think it’s important for the school to help out their students. These issues are important to the students and good subjects. Keep covering them!

-Sarah Avery

Dear Editors, First off, the paper is really good. I really like

the “Stress for the Dress” article. Homecoming is a huge event in our school, so it’s nice to see this topic in the paper. You’re definitely right about Homecom-ing being fun in a big group. I went with a bunch of friends and had a blast! I think the best parts are dancing and having a good time with friends. When the night came to an end I wished it could last lon-ger, but then that wouldn’t have made it as special. I think many people wait for this night and being one of them, I have to say it was worth the wait.

-Megan Smith

Dear Editor, I thought the article on exam exemptions was

informative. I hadn’t known the policy was due to the H1N1 virus. I think it was a good idea. It would be too dangerous to encourage people with conta-gious illnesses to come to school anyway. However, I believe that exam exemption, at least based on at-tendance, shouldn’t be given at all. Presence in class doesn’t prove that a student knows enough to skip tests, and it doesn’t give them the right to. Exemp- tions should be based on a student’s grades because if teacher’s have enough reason to believe that someone doesn’t need to be tested, the student should have the option no to take the exam. But, even then, it would be good for students to test anyway because it could help them to keep up with the class.

- Matthew Yeath

Dear Editor, I really liked the article about getting a job.

It’s inspired me to get a job. This was a very well written article. If there were more like this I’d read the paper more often! I also thought the cartoon was rather humorous. Keep up the good work.

-Jeff Jolly

Dear Editor, I found the article “How to Land a Job” very

helpful and informative. I have been applying for jobs like crazy and nobody has called back. I needed a few helpful tips to get noticed. Making a resume never even occurred to me; I always thought it was some-thing you did once you already had job experience and were getting into your career. I will be sure to do that next time. It is a bit difficult to talk to the manager because most places have online applications and they tell you to just complete those. I will ask for the manager directly next time though. Adding the view point of the employer also helped. It gave me insight into what managers look for. I will be sure to apply these tips when I am looking for a job. Thanks for the advice.

Regards,Amanda Brodeur-Orozco

POTTY BREAK?By Kelsey Rodriguez

Okay, so listen up and listen real close. I don’t know about you, but it’s true: When you gotta go, you gotta go. To the restroom that is. Any other bathroom routines are strictly your business. Let’s just put it that way.

Have you ever sat in class, and had to go so badly you thought you would burst? Did your teacher not let you go either? Hey pal, I am in the same boat over here. I once had to pee so badly, that, no, I didn’t pee in my pants, but I nearly begged and pleaded and the only words my teacher could mutter were: “If I can hold it, you can hold it too.” Yeah, it was ridiculous. So what’s the issue with using the little ladies’ or little boys’ room, for those that fall under that extreme category? Why are teachers so against students using the bathroom? Is it because we abuse our privileges and use passes too frequently? Or because they just don’t want to take the time to write out that lengthy pass, which pulls the attention away from the class solely to care for your personal needs? Which is it?

I’ve figured it out Bulls. Here it is. It’s not about the lengthy pass, or if a teacher “likes you” or not. It’s about the interruption of valuable learning time in class, and too many students abusing the restroom privileges. I sat down to get the inside scoop on the way Ms. Schuerman handles these problems.

I asked, “When is the best time to use the restroom?” and clearly, she stated, “When I’m not teaching, but I promise you I teach bell to bell so if I can hold it, you can hold it too.” There goes that line again.

Jokingly I asked, “Are there any circumstances where you will allow students to go?” Laughing, she said, “If they look like they’re going to die, their eyes are turning yellow, and they have a doctors’ note. I can tell the difference between an emergency and a non-emergency.”

I sat back a giggled along with her. So Bulls, there you have it. Don’t abuse your privileges and don’t ask during the class. Ultimately, it is rude and if you’re not dy-ing, more than likely, you’re not going. Honestly, I don’t think anyone as ever died from holding in their urine for 50 minutes. Maybe we all just have to give up a social conversation or two during our six minutes of passing and relieve what is needed so we aren’t struggling to get comfortable in class. A helpful hint that I’ve always used is to get to class early and go before class starts. In this case you’re not interrupting class, or holding it in.

Advice!Hello Whoever You Are, My two best friends are in love with each

other, but they both feel insecure with the relation-ship. They both think the other is going to break-up with them. I feel like I’m constantly stuck in the middle because they tell me everything all the time. What should I do?

-Anonymous

Well, first of all it’s never good to squeal on a friend. I wouldn’t become the messenger of bad news and tell one that the other is insecure, or vice-versa. Chances are they should already know there is tension in the relationship if they both feel the way they do.

Secondly, it is not your responsibility to play cupid and patch everything up. If your friends value the friendship you all have, then they should be wise not to let this relationship make you feel uncomfort-able in any way.

On the other hand, I wouldn’t get angry with these two. High school relationships, however dra-matic and ridiculous they can be at times, are nor-mal and almost unavoidable. The fact that they are constantly bringing up this problem in conversation, doesn’t mean they have forgotten about you as a

Okay, the gas had to go somewhere right? I mean, it’s hard to say what chance you still have with this girl, but to be honest I don’t see why this would be that much of a turn off. I think it’s hilarious, and the fact that you can laugh at yourself is great!

Perhaps she isn’t comfortable with address-ing bodily actions quite yet. I could understand the girl’s lack of laughter if she hasn’t known you for very long, or if she was unexpectedly caught off guard. Then again, she could be one of those overly-demure types that expect you to hold in your flatulence until you explode. Either way, you will need to talk about the incident so it doesn’t become that elephant in the room, if you know what I mean.

I think the best way to avoid any further em-barrassment and possibly win back the girl’s affection would be to use humor. Maybe send her a text saying, “Sorry my gas doesn’t smell like fresh-cut roses, hope-fully this doesn’t change anything between us!” If she doesn’t respond, then don’t feel bad. Perhaps this is fate. If she does give a positive response, make sure next time you see her you have some Tums soft chews handy.

As for the explosiveness….ever consider see-ing a dietician or gastroenterologist?

friend, but instead, understand that they trust in your confidentiality (yes, I realize how ironic this is con-sidering it’s now in an advice column.) All I can say is, the best thing you can do for them (and yourself) would be to offer your support and advice, but nothing more. If their relationship starts to get on your nerves, tell them; in a nice way of course. As far as advice I would give to the two love-birds… If you really care about the guy (or girl) tell them how you feel! Honesty is key in a relationship. My other advice? Chill-out. If it was meant to be than no one will be breaking up with the other any time soon. The less you worry, the happier the relationship; plus your friends will be less annoyed. Trust me. Good Luck!

Dear Advice-giver, So, I really like this one girl…but I think I may

have messed up my chances. One day, while hugging good-bye, I accidentally passed some explosive gas. Unfortunately, I started giggling for some reason right after it happened. However, she did not. Do you think I blew any chance I had with this girl because of what happened?

-FlabberGASted

entertainmentwhat. really. matters.

7

By: Kelsey Rodriguez

Boys top swimmers’ include:

-Ryan DeMott: 100 fly, 200 individual medley and 400 free relay-Bill DeMott:500 freestyle-TJ Donahue: 100 butterfly-Eric Hnidzel: 200 medley relay-Constantine Tedrick: 200 medley relay, 200 free, 100 backstroke, 400 freestyle relay-Deane (DJ) Waite: 100 freestyle, 50 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay-Brian Woodcock: 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 medley relay, 400 free relay

Girls top swimmers’ include:-Elise Heron: 100 freestyle, 400 free relay-Allie Lehr: 200 individual medley, 100 butterfly, 400 free relay-Liana James: 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 400 free relay-Lauren Singer: 100 backstroke-Julia Jenie: 100 breaststroke, 400 free relay

-Sydnee Mooreland: alternate for 100 backstroke

Two divers, Nick Wing-Holt and Mitch Nelson, have also done exceedingly well, easily qualifying for diving Regionals.

GREAT WHITE BITE. A 10 foot Great White shark was found off the coast of Australia, bitten almost in half by another Great White. The shark was still alive when it was dragged out of the water onto a boat. The surviv-ing shark, still at large, is estimated to be at least twice the size of its victim.

Read about it at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223001/Great-White-Shark-bitten-nearly-half-BIGGER-monster.html

MONKEY TALK. Scientists at the University of California believe that the difference between chimpanzees and humans lies in a single gene, FOXP2. The gene is re-sponisible for activating and deactivating other genes

in both species. Scientists are looking into the genes affected by the human and chimpanzee varia-

tions of the gene to learn more about the evolution of the human brain.

Read about it at: http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/why-can-t-chimps-speak-111961.aspx

BUNNY LOVE. Research done at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center’s Institute for Regenera-tive Medicine in North Carolina has led to the regeneration of male reproductive organs in

rabbits. Once damaged male rabits were able to fully utilize their newly regrown organs.

Read about it at: http://www.livescience.com/health/091109-artificial-penis-tissue-rabbits.html

Weird FactsContinued from p.4

Just keep swimmingBy: Sloane HovanBy: Emily Guthy

By: Emily Guthy

Aries: (03-21/04-19)Slow down and take a look around. You seem to be going so fast that opportunities are passing you by. If you rush through your life without looking around, you won’t see the pretty scenery.

Taurus: (04-20/05-20)Just let go, and start focusing on the future. Obsessing over the past and what you cannot change will only create issues and more problems than you need. You can only have the future, once you have let go of the past.

Gemini: (05-21/06-21)Nothing is perfect and everything (and everyone) has their faults. Calm down and give someone a shot. If it changes your life- let it. You’ll be surprised as to what you might find.

Cancer: (06-22/07-22)The secret to success is knowing yourself as a whole. Knowing how to push forward even when the pain gets too hard to handle. Until you figure out what you do and don’t like, you will be angry with yourself.

Leo: (07-23/08-22)Relationships die, but love is forever. Love is powerful, and could possibly be very destructive. So in the mere presence of that certain someone, be careful.

Virgo: (08-23/09-22)Once you let someone into your life, it is much harder to be objective about them. Today you need to follow your instincts and get a good grasp on who the person is before you let them in.

Libra: (09-23/10-22)You love to create and creativity is flourishing all around you. Take a dive into something different; create a picture for yourself or a loved one. Maybe it will make them smile.

Scorpio: (10-23/11-21)Sometimes one can miss an opportunity because they are pushing too hard. Odd, I know. Take it easy, and give things their own time to develop at their own speed.

Sagittarius: (11-22/12-21) Good company will make a day go faster than one may think. If you can, share personal time with someone you enjoy being around.

Capricorn (12-22/01-19)You’ve got to open up and accept things as they are. After its all said and done, you can’t change a thing. Open the door to something new and don’t let the possibility of today get lost in tomorrow’s dreams.

Aquarius (01-20/02-18)Today is the perfect day to break a habit and get back involved with the human race. Involve yourself with someone you care about. People need people, or else they become animals.

Pisces (02-19/03-20)You love to dream, and why not when dreaming is better than reality. Hiding in your fantasy is very nice, I agree. But in the same sense, fooling yourself is not. Realize that not everything is how they are in dreams. Don’t put too much time in dream life, or else you’ll begin to neglect the real one.

HoroscopesMorale

Please submit you Letters to the Editor to room 272 or

244!

focus on youschool. work. life.

8

7 things for 7 days

NOW HIRING!by: sierra reynolds

What Stresses You Out?

Jake Gonzalez, freshman1. The ladies2. Hunger3. Homework

Jessica Luty, freshman1. School2. No sleep3. Drama with friends

Cody Dalton, sophomore1. The amount of extracurricular activities I do2. School work3. Parents

Meleah Baker, sophomore1. Lack of sleep2. Being hungry3. Kyle Wilkinson

Kyle Wilkinson, junior1. Happy Farm on Facebook2. Trying to be a goodperson3. Ignorance of others

Ashley Kinney, junior1. Parents2. School3. Tests

TJ Schriver, senior1. Crying babies2. Gas prices3. The color purple

Jessicka Stumpf, senior1. SAT and ACT tests2. Being a senior3. Parents

BY: KELSEY LAY

BY: TRACY MARE’

Looking for something new to do each day of the week? Here are a list of seven fun activities to do for seven days.

Watch an old, classic movie with some friends.

Learn to fold origami. If you need help, visit: http://www.paperfolding.com/

Be nice and help someone out. Go out into your community and help the homeless or get involved in a church group.

Get ready and study for exams. Remember that they are after the winter break this year.

Come support your Bulls basketball team on December 1st, in the gym (vs. Armwood).

Treat yourself and buy a new song off of iTunes.

Try new food that you thought you would never eat. You can find recipes in cookbooks at Borders.

Need a job? See who’s hiring.

1. Being high school students, Publix is your best bet. They have quite a few positions that would be suitable, depending on your age. Plus, even if they aren’t hiring at the time you apply for a job, they are always accepting applications.

2. The holiday season is coming up and Macy’s is hiring for the holidays.3. Sports Authority is hiring right now. They are always accepting applica-

tions too.4. Toys R Us is hiring for specific positions: Bike assembler and seasonal

team members. That means you could have a job during the holiday seasons.5. Kohl’s is accepting applications. *Must be at least 17 for this job though.*

6. Cracker Barrel is hiring for almost every position. 7. Dunkin’ Donuts is hiring cashier positions and accepting applications

for other positions too.8. JC Penny’s is hiring sales positions and accepting applications for oth-

ers.9. Seville Cleaners on Lithia regularly hires high school students as

Cashiers and other various positions. They are super busy during holiday season so that is the best time to apply. They only accept applications when positions are actually open though. This is one you just need to keep your eye on.

10. Sally’s Beauty Supply is just recently opening so they are looking for a load of positions. Best bet would be cashier unless you are 17.

Question: What are the three things in your life that stress you out?

Have some stress relief options? Let us know!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________