Another homecoming has

come and gone for the students of

SHS, and I’m sure it will be one they

will never forget. The week was

started by celebrating class color day

on Monday, Tuesday’s twin day, fol-

lowed by jersey day on Wednesday,

costume day on Thursday, and, of

course, purple and gold day on Fri-

day.

Throughout the week the stu-

dents brought in canned food to help

with the “Stop Hunger at Home” pro-

gram in affiliation with the Home

National Bank, and they also partici-

pated in penny wars; the money

raised from the activity went to The

Breast Cancer Research Foundation

and to a family of a Southern High

student, who is currently hospitalized

in Columbus, Ohio.

The students also had various

activates during the week such as

Powder Puff Football, Homecoming

Olympics, and Volleyball games.

The seniors took home the top spot

for overall participation during the

week, and the freshmen took home the

win for their themed float.

On Friday, the district- wide pep

rally was held in the new high school

gymnasium and the parade followed.

Many from the community attended and

cheered the students through Racine.

The football game kick off was

7:30 and during halftime Jordan Hud-

dleston was crowned the 2013 Home-

coming Queen. The Southern Torna-

does beat the Waterford Wildcats 33 to

0. A new switch for this year was the

timing for the Homecoming dance. The

dance was held on Saturday evening in

the K-12 cafeteria.

It was a great week to be a Tor-

nado!

Nov. 1, 2013

920 Elm Street Racine, Ohio

Southern’s Homecoming A Win! Jordan Huddleston Crowned Queen By Jamie O’Brien

Echo Southern High School

Echo Southern High

School

Special points

of interest: Submit your

poem. Informa-

tion on page 6.

Poem competi-

tion @ SHS.

At left: Students en-

joy a day in the pa-

rade! Above: South-

ern players come

together before the

big game. The game

core was 33-0, Tor-

nadoes victorious.

Football Team

On Way To

Playoffs!

Page 2 Echo Southern High School

Pictures submitted by junior Alex

Cundiff. If you have a picture of an

event for SHS, please send it to san-

dra.mayes@southernlocal.net for

possible publication. Please include

the event and names in the email.

The staff appreciates your help.

Page 3 Echo Southern High School Volume 1, Issue 1

Halloween is here!

By Hannah Adele Cochran

Death to disaster,

Disaster to death.

The dead is out,

And the wolves are howling.

The people are screaming,

And the children are calling.

Death to disaster is coming,

So beware.

The first has fallen,

Now the wolves are howlin’

Death to disaster,

Disaster to death.

Ghosts are tricking,

Vampires are eating,

Wolves are crying,

People are fearing.

Pumpkins are glowing,

Stars are shooting,

The moon is full,

Tricks are pulling.

My trick is your treat,

Halloween is sweet.

If Zombie’s bite,

You’ll die.

Halloween is here,

So beware.

Happy Halloween!

For Now and Forever By Ryan Daugherty

As I look out my window of pain,

I can see nothing but my sorrow.

Because it looks like it's going to rain,

for now and for tomorrow.

The Weather seems to bring

a gloomy and troubled look

but all i can say or do

comes from an empty book.

How do we know if tomorrow,

its going to rain?

because the weather seems to change

for now and forever.

Nothing is as it seems

when there is nothing to gain

because the weather seems to change

for now and forever.

Southern Pride Shows In Band Program, Dodson

man spirit, elevation of

hope, and soaring into the

realm where triumph

trumps tragedy. This is

really the story of our band

program. We came from

the ashes. We rose on

shaky and uncertain legs.

But finally, after many

years of hard work, the

kids find themselves in a

place where possibility is

evident as they soar in a

place where most thought

they could never go. They

have flown themselves

into a grand and utterly

bright future. That's what

this show means to me. It's

a joyous celebration of the

kids’ accomplishments.”

Everyone is pepped by the ex-

citement of football this year! But no

one is as pepped as the Southern

Marching Band!

This year has been hectic and

satisfyingly superb for the band, as they

put together the epitome

of their show history.

With this year's show

Flight!, director Chad Dodson is

hoping to lead his award-winning

Marching Tornadoes to nationals

this year! With last year's first place

win, the band has decided to soar be-

yond limitations by attending the Bands

of America Grand National Champion-

ships! Upon the turf of the pro- football

team, The Indianapolis Colts, they will

march their adrenaline-pumping show

in Lucas Oil Stadium.

All summer they have faced ad-

versity, primarily not being able

to have access to a secure build-

ing environment. But despite

these bumps in the road, they

have persevered and are now

striving to what is to be the best

marching

show in the

band's his-

tory! It's exciting! And it's be-

yond the limits of the sky!

When interviewed about

his show, director Chad Dodson

said, “This year's show is about

elevation. . . elevation of the hu-

Page 4 Echo Southern High School

Positive Thoughts

By Lauren Dunn

Don't ever think that you cannot reach a

goal or reach your dreams. You are capa-

ble of anything you put your mind to do;

you just have to believe and have faith.

Work hard for it and really want it. You

can make it happen and be successful.

Don't ever think too small; every idea or

thought counts. Make a mistake? Go

back and fix your mistakes so you can

learn from what you did wrong, so you

are better prepared for next time. Don't

be afraid to reach the stars or take that

one chance. You'll never learn from any-

thing or know what to expect to happen

if you do not take that risky step. Be con-

fident and hold your head high and have

a voice to speak your mind; never doubt

yourself and hang your head low because

you can do whatever you want and be

anything you want. You are the one who

decides your future. So what do you

say? Are you ready to take that step and

take a chance in your life?

Seniors! See your guidance

counselor, Miss Cline, for col-

lege application help and tran-

scripts. If you need recommen-

dations written for colleges, ask

teachers now. Do not wait un-

til the last minute. Good luck!

Images From Costume

Day At Southern High

Page 5 Echo Southern High School Volume 1, Issue 1

Students paraded

through the halls for all

to enjoy the costumes as

part of Homecoming

week at SHS. The ele-

mentary students

cheered on the high

school participants.

Clockwise from top left:

Period 9 smiles with Mrs.

Mayes; Sarah Lawrence

and Brandon Gruesser

show senior spirit; Little

Red saves her grand-

mother with help from

Batwoman and Batman!

Students said that this

year showed more spirit

than ever. Great for

SHS!

Gravity

By Jacob Hoback Have you ever won-

dered what it would be

like to go into outer

space? Alfonso Cuarón’s

Gravity is a Science-

Fiction movie starring

Sandra Bullock, a female

astronaut who (for the

most part, independently)

encounters many difficul-

ties during her first mis-

sion. She is very scared to

die, but attempts suicide

because of the depression

through which she was

enduring, for her only

daughter had passed

away; that had been her

only reason to want to go

to space. She enjoyed the

quietness and peace. On

the voyage, she felt abso-

lutely worthless, for she

feared that no one would

care if she were to die,

but after the mission

when she first stepped

onto Earth since her mis-

sion, she felt so self-

pleased and she found out

who she truly was.

From the phenome-

nal video editing, to the

amazing thrills, and to the

stunning acting done by

Bullock, the movie is

both jaw-dropping mas-

terpiece. What I had

found most interesting

was how the movie was

presented to its audience.

There was mainly only

one character, but I had

felt like several were in

the movie (those of

whom being Bullock’s

multiple personalities).

There was a very minute

amount of dialogue, yet I

had felt like the movie was screaming at me the

whole time, for its stunning 3D effects made me

feel like I was actually in space. I remember walk-

ing out of the theater and feeling dizzy, because I

had felt like I was spinning upside down, just like

how an astronaut would be if he were in space. The

graphics, character, and setting were what made the

movie.

For everyone, this movie can be very relat-

able; Bullock suffered through lots of depression

and mixed feelings throughout the movie. In the

first scene, she felt very anxious to get the job done,

as well as loving space while in the process, and in

the second scene, she felt in love to the antagonist

with whom she was on her voyage. Unfortunately,

he later died. In the third scene, she felt hopeless to

get her job done. She turned down all of the oxygen

levels to make her suffocate. In the fourth scene as

she was dying, she had an epiphany about how her

life did mean something. She eventually makes it

out of space, and feels victorious!

This movie was something I didn’t expect.

Just like all of the other major critics, I am positive

to give this movie a 5-star rating. I recommend

anyone to check out this movie; it’s out of this

world!

Echo Southern High School

Thoughts On New Southern High

This school year hasn't impacted me as much as it has the

seniors who have been at SHS since their freshmen year. One

realizes that most of his or her family graduated from SHS but not

in the same building where he or she is standing. They've ex-

changed gossip in the hallways, dropped books once or twice, or

even fallen up/down the stairs. (Did you nod like I did?)

Right now as we are all young, rebellious teens, we don't

see the sentimental value in our new building. This is history in

the making, really. People 30-40 years from now (hopefully the

building is still here) will look at the worn- down desks and crick-

ety doors, and wonder, "Was this place ever brand new?" But

when we're old and sending our kids off to this blessing of a new

school, we'll remember all the times we've spent in these new

halls. We’ll think of the classrooms, where the lunchroom

is, and the games in the gym. We can share fun little tidbits

and stories about our time in our new school that will earn

its sentimental value one day.

So you think you can write a

poem? Submit your poem to

room 306, and the Echo writ-

ers will evaluate your writing.

The winner’s poem is printed

in the next edition and winner

receives a $5 McDonald’s cou-

pon. Only one poem allowed

for each month’s voting. Ques-

tions? Ask Mrs. Mayes.

Page 6

Community Events

November 6 from 4-6:30 is

open house for the new high

school.

November 22 is the dedication

ceremony of the new high

school.

The Breathing Ghosts By Amy Bennett

The Breathing Ghosts is written by Eleanor Keane. It is a dark vampire fantasy, published February 2013, aimed at young adults. Eighteen year old Rowan Oakwood isn’t quite like other girls. She’s a lesbian, a loner, an orphan and the first and last female vampire hunter of her line, forced to hunt vampires with a magic she can barely control. But when the cold-hearted and cunning vampire Virgil Valvayne sets out for a brutal revenge, she soon finds herself a target. Rowan knows she has no choice but to kill Virgil, so why is she so

drawn to his beautiful and reclusive sister? And is Violet Valvayne really all she seems?

Twinkle leaned back in her chair and clicked her fingers. There was a tiny burst of black light as her fingers made contact, and then a slim pink emery board appeared in her hands. Rowan jumped with fright and looked around, scanning people’s faces. No-one had seemed to notice, apart from her. Twinkle proceeded to busy herself by pulling off her long gloves and filing her nails with the emery board. Her fingers gleamed with an assortment of finely-wrought gold rings, but she wore no wedding or engagement ring. From the corner of her eye, Rowan caught her give Bert one last, wistful glance (The Breathing Ghosts, copyright Eleanor Keane

2013).

The unusually-named Twinkle Foster is a young turned vampire who loves make-up, fur coats, fluffy skirts and high heels. She also happens to be Bert Wintergrave’s (current) girlfriend. On confronting her, Rowan’s first impression is that there is little more to Twinkle than long, fluttering eyelashes, kewpie-doll lips and a flirtatious manner. It seems unthinkable that Twinkle - vain, Bambi-eyed and needy as she is- could ever pose a threat to her. Even as a mortal, she was unremarkable as a failing, little-more-than-mediocre ac-tress. But Rowan is soon proved very, very wrong, for underneath the sweet coating of frivolous clothes lies a truly dark heart. After an unexpected and brutal rejection, Twinkle’s syrupy-sweetness turns to bitterness, and her thoughts turn towards revenge, a theme running throughout the novel. It is not too long before Twinkle’s

natural cruelty rises to the surface, pushing her further and further towards insanity and equally insane deeds.

Florence Wintergrave is Bert Wintergrave’s older sister, and therefore a born vampire, one who is born, rather than turned into a vampire. As a result, she has no human memories to stir compassion and no recollection of human weakness. Instead, she is cold, arrogant, sophisticated and aristocratic, rather like her brother, and fiercely loyal to the Wintergrave clan. Family, wealth and power. These are the privileges that

Florence takes as truths.

Florence Wintergrave is cruel and cold, and she is also a little insecure, whilst her brother can charm usually anyone with his boyish good looks, she is less conventionally attractive and more striking: high cheek-bones, bleached-white hair, sharp nose. It is perhaps this insecurity over her looks that leads her to follow flat-

tery, rather than her instincts, and make a hasty marriage to someone who only wants the worst for her.

Initially, Florence sees things in black and white. She sees the threads of her life in black and white, and knows every card that Fate deals her. Florence believes that she is superior in every way to other vam-pires; she knows that she is an accomplished fighter; and that she will take revenge for the murder of her grandmother- Estella- who was killed by Rowan Oakwood’s vampire hunter grandfather decades before. This need for revenge stems from her fascination with her grandmother, who, as a beautiful and graceful socialite, was everything Florence isn’t. Left to fester, this need for revenge soon turns into a dangerous obsession, and

leads her to places that are far from beautiful and far from graceful.

Alone with only her pride to fall back on, cut off from her brother and obsessed with revenge, Florence Wintergrave finds herself in an unexpectedly vulnerable position. All too soon, the black and white squares of her life blur into a grey no-man’s land between good and evil, revenge and forgiveness. But where will her

allegiance lie?

Echo Southern High School Volume 1, Issue 1 page 7