- Jackson County School System

Issue 2
French fries,
milk shakes,
obesity,
OH MY!!!
Best Dressed Teacher
By: Sarah Nichols and Amanda Jefferson
You voted and the results are in! The student body elected Coach Brubaker and Mrs.
Williams (DeMott) the best-dressed teachers (or best looking…?). The race was a close
one, though, and Mr. and Mrs. Powers came in a close second. Lagging behind were
Coach Reid and Mrs. McMenomy.
Both Coach Brubaker and Mrs. Williams felt honored that they were chosen.
“I’m glad all my hard work paid off ” Brubaker said with a sly smile, adding, “Ties are
overrated”! When asked where he shops, Brubaker blushed when he wittingly admitted
“My mom picks out my clothes.” Mrs. Williams shops at Nordstrom and Target “two
ends of the spectrum” as well as Encore and Herry’s in downtown Athens. “Now I’m
going to have to ask my husband to up my wardrobe budget! [If he doesn’t do that I will
have to] sneak a lot of my clothes in my closet, cut the tags off and say ‘these jeans? I’ve
had these things forever!” joked Williams.
Both teachers agreed that their mood determines what clothes they choose
to wear. Brubaker jokingly added that “it’s a long process-I lay my clothes the night
before, and if I still like them in the morning, that’s what I will wear.” Mrs. Williams
admitted that she picks out “what doesn’t need to be ironed”. Outside of school,
Brubaker “strives to be the best dressed-no matter where [he is].” Mrs. Williams, on the
other hand, wears jeans, flip-flops, t-shirts and work out clothes around the house. When
asked if her workout clothes were purple spandex under a leotard and a headband, she
responded with a huge resounding “NO!”
Each teacher was asked to provide fashion advice for the faculty, staff, and
student body. Coach Brubaker’s advice: “Be true to yourself and trust your mom’s
advice.” Mrs. Williams’ genuine advice: “History repeats itself. Never throw any of your
By: Colleen Colvin
French fries, milk shakes, cookies, cake–sounds good,
doesn’t it? Until you step on the scale! Overweight people are
becoming more and more common across the United States.
America is known as the fattest country in the world and
we’ll just keep getting bigger unless something is done. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry, a child who is obese between ages 10 and 13 has
an 80 percent chance of being obese as an adult.
The most common causes of obesity are bad
eating habits, lack of exercise, and depression. If they aren’t
dealt with quickly, major side effects of obesity can settle
in. (Side effects include risk of heart disease, high blood
pressure, diabetes, breathing problems, and sleep problems
among others.) However, it is important to remember that
these issues can easily be fixed!
Why are we so fat? Researchers can sum that up
in two words: fast food. Of course fast food chains have
lots going for them-they provide fast, easy, cheap meals,
and with most of them you don’t even have to get out of
the car! However, they are not at all healthy for a person’s
body. Lately, more of these restaurants have been adding
“healthier” choices to their menus. But there are still things
they might not be telling you. For example, a regular cheeseburger at McDonald’s has 300 calories and 12 grams of fat.
That’s pretty disgusting! Let’s say you want to drive through
McDonald’s for a nice, cold medium chocolate shake. You
are consuming 580 calories (120 calories from fat) and 14
grams of fat. Most Americans consume “average” products
like this daily. But this needs to change. If America’s eating
habits change, maybe so will our pants sizes.
A big question is, do American schools promote
obesity? Well, most schools don’t openly promote bad eating
habits and lack of exercise, but it might be in-between the
lines. For example, when a school (like ours) serves french
fries nearly every day of the week, kids are usually going to
choose fries over a fruit cup. When schools fill their hallways
with snack and drink machines open for student use, this is
giving them permission to snack and drink during the school
day. The majority of schools in the U.S. don’t even require a
mandatory physical education class anymore. At our school,
P.E. and Health are only mandatory one semester during a
student’s entire enrollment in high school. Even elementary
schools are giving their students less time to play outside,
cutting recess out entirely.
The United States is home to 66 percent overweight or obese citizens. Although that’s a lot of people with
unhealthy habits, the numbers can easily go down. All we
have to do is cut down on those fatty, greasy foods and add
on the exercise. There is a lot of work to be done but we can
lower the percentage. Something must be done about these
growing numbers…and these growing people.
October 23, 2009
clothes away because they will come back into style”!
Mr. Brubaker
Mrs. Williams
By: Preston Brooks
Today is May 29, 1790, and what a sunny spring day it is. Things
have heated up here in the 13 colonies, now known as the United
States. Three years ago in Virginia, our great Constitution was
signed, beginning the history of our even greater nation. But today
is the day that Rhode Island, the last of our United States, signs
the Bill of Rights, our first amendments. These rights give us the
right to free speech, guns, judicial review, Miranda rights, and most
importantly, freedom of the press.
The freedom of the press, one of the more infamous
amendments in the Bill of Rights, advocates the right of anyone to
print and distribute anything. Chief Justice Hughes (1938 Lovell v.
City of Griffin) described the press as, “…every sort of publication
which affords a vehicle of information and opinion.” This simple
definition implies much to America, though, as is shown through
the history of newspapers. From the very first, Public Occurrences:
Both Foreign and Domestic, to modern newspapers (such as The
Wall Street Journal, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, etc), the
freedom to relay information has proven key to American culture,
events, and life itself.
Referring to freedom of the press, the Constitution explicitly
states this:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging
the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress
of grievances.”
Now, of course these freedoms are not always respected,
granted, or allotted. In fact, in one case, the media of Florida was
forced by the state to publish information (1974 Miami Publishing
Co. v. Tornillo). The Supreme Court later ruled this unconstitutional.
Earlier, in 1964, New York Times v. Sullivan, set the standard called
“actual malice.” In this case, Chief Sullivan of an Alabama police
district, claimed libel (intentional defamation through words) on a
New York Times article supporting civil rights, which, he claimed,
was defaming his reputation. Sullivan won the case (along with
$500,000), and since then “actual malice” has been given significance
in the constitution.
On a more recent note, April 25, 2003, FBI confiscated a
FedEx package containing unclassified FBI documents. Apparently,
according to FBI officials, these documents related to an involved
member in 9/11, and the American public was too sensitive to view
them. Regardless of the consequences and inclinations of the FBI,
this action is totally unconstitutional. Do the ramifications justify
withholding information?
Through and through, the American public needs to be
reminded that our Bill of Rights has been infringed on in the past,
and will continue to be unless we fight for our rights. We have always been rebellious soldiers for Liberty. These virtues of America,
I feel, are what separate us from all other nations. We are free, which
is more than can be said for some countries, and we need to remain
free.
Index
Clubs
Entertainment
Sports
Local
World
Op ed 2
3
4-5
6
7
8
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Issue 2
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October 23, 2009
Follow-up: How to Undo Your Unhealthy Habits
The Panther Pause
Published at Jackson County Comprehensive High School
1668 Winder Highway
Jefferson, GA 30549
Phone: 706-367-5003
Fax: 706-367-5007
The Panther Pause reserves the right to refuse advertisements or content that
is inappropriate for publication. Letters to the editor are always welcome.
Press releases are welcomed but must be received as soon as possible. All
manuscripts must be accompanied by a name.
ED LETTER
As I am writing this 3OH!3 is playing on my laptop and the final
touches are being made to our second issue of the year. The first issue had a
good turn out with very few errors. Our biggest error was not crediting one
of our writer’s, Samantha Kennett, for her work with Jonpaul Bruner on the
article “Better Late Than Never” on the new gym.
Our second issue came with minor changes to the cover along with a more
organized look for the inside. Since this month is Halloween we tried to add
a little holiday spirit to our issue (Notice: the Shaun of the Dead font, Zombie movies, halloween parties, etc.) So have a fun and safe halloween night, I
know I will.
HILARY BRADFORD
By Kasey Dixon
We high-schoolers have our own adages about food – everyone knows Diet Coke
gives you cancer, and McDonald’s fries are one ingredient away from plastic. For
the most part, though, we ignore them: we’d rather complain about school food
(which is poison) than adjust the rest of our routine.
That needs to change, and soon. While we joke about super-sized
America and chow down on fast food, our health is quickly going out the drivethru window. Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do to fix that.
•Work out. To keep in shape, it’s recommended that you get 15-30 minutes of
exercise per day – and no, walking around school every day doesn’t count. You
have to get your heart rate up: so go play Wii, chase down your dog, or join the
Ultimate Frisbee Club. If you don’t have a lot of spare time, jog or stretch whenever you get the chance – a little exercise is better than none at all!
•Eat real food. Surprise! Processed foods really aren’t good for you – even the
“low-fat” and “no-fat” ones. Often, they’re loaded with preservatives and sufficiently lacking in nutrients. (In other words, they have the nutritional value of
greasy cardboard.) By balancing out the cardboard with home-made or naturally
grown foods, it’s a lot easier to stay healthy and (hopefully) happy.
•Get all your vitamins and minerals straight. Even if you’re eating three-squarehome-cooked-meals a day, you might not be in the clear. You have to keep a
variety of foods in your diet in order to get the vast assortment of vitamins and
minerals you need to keep puttering on. Don’t be fooled by the box – even if a
product says it has a full day’s worth of iron, calcium, and Vitamin A-B-C-D,
it’s probably not in a form that’s useful. The same goes for vitamin pills and
supplements! Your body needs additional nutrients in order to absorb and make
use of them – taking some commercial mineral supplements is about equivalent to
swallowing a penny.
•Chew, then swallow. …Don’t just inhale it. Not only is it a nauseating to watch,
wolfing down food is actually bad for you. It doesn’t give your stomach time to
figure out whether or not you’re actually hungry – that could take twenty minutes
or more, depending on what you eat. Keep at it, and the walls of your stomach
stretch out – so your body never gets the message to lay off the food. (And oftentimes, the issue isn’t what we’re eating but how much of it.) By slowing down at
the dinner table, you eat less, feel better afterwards, and eventually start to weigh
less, too.
•Water-down your diet. Drinking water keeps you hydrated and helps clean out
your system – which is good for getting rid of all that junk food you’ve been
eating. This is one of the simplest ways to stay healthy: while getting additional
minerals and cleansing your body, you’re also replacing the high-calorie, highsugar drinks found in most teenager’s diets. In between meals, fill up a water
bottle instead of buying another energy drink – or the next time a waiter offers
you a refill, get water the second or third time around.
…It isn’t necessary to make radical lifestyle changes to be healthy – usually it’s
the little things that make the biggest differences.
Journalism Staff
Online
Page 2
As a journalism class and
as a newspaper we’ve
accomplished more this
issue than in any previous one. Thanks to our
talented writers and editors (pictured on the left)
whose exceptional skills
have made this paper a
memorable experience.
So from all of us to all
of you, have a great
Halloween!
- Advisor Natalie Peterson
- Editor-in-chief Hilary Bradford
- Assistant Editors Kasey Dixon
Christina Romo
- Layout Designers Stephaine Vickery
David Serna
- Columnists Meghan Jackson
Brittany Bryant
Angela Edge
Hillary Hudgins
Colleen Colvin
Brandy Peebles
James Parks
Brent Vanfleet
Kyle Funderburk
Amanda Jefferson
Samantha Kennett
Jonpaul Bruner
Curly Compton
Josh Evans
Seth Snyder
Daniel Sipel
Preston Brooks
Tyler Ladanyi
Nicole Heaslip
Alex Shuman
Crystal Stichcomb
Cassie Cofield
Sarah Nichols
Issue 2
ENTERTAINMENT
Classic Twist
Remember in elementary school, when the boy would pull his crushes hair to show
affection. He’d bring her worms and frogs when his pals were looking and he’d pick her daisies and
dandelions just as soon as their heads were turned.
Freshman year, not much has changed. The freshman guys still think teasing and being
rude and impolite is the way to go. Ha, sorry, “hey guh!” isn’t going to get her attention. And they
wonder why the freshman girls they’ve had their eyes on since sixth grade are into the older guys.
Sophomore year rolls around and only a handful of guys have realized what it takes.
That’s only because they’ve learned a thing or two from the upperclassmen they hang around. The
rest of the male population act the same ole disrespectful way, practically begging for the girl’s attention. Only this year they’re a little taller and their voices are getting deeper. The girls are still after
the older guys and the upperclassmen are taking advantage of it. Drama quickly ensues.
The young guys continue on into their junior year, everyone has changed in one way
or another. Some, you can’t even recognize who they are. No one stays the same, and now, just
about every guy has changed the way they act around women. Guys have gotten nicer, sweeter, and
sneakier; they can weasel their way into a girl’s head. Everyone has a clean slate basically, and every
guys flirting mentality has changed. But, like always in every situation, you have a group of guys that
stay the same ole way, disrespectful, think they’re bad. They have no game at all, that’s why their
attitudes are so bad.
The last year, seniors, you have it made. The guys fall in to two groups, those who are
sincere, and those who are sincerely liars. And the liars are good at it. It’s all about being sweet, being respectful, courteous, and showing them you’re willing to listen rather than talk yourself up.
For those who haven’t gotten it yet, it’s all about the other person. Whether you’re a
girl or a guy, people are attracted to others who make them feel good. You can’t win someone over
with “hey guh!” or any other disrespectful derogatory language, because, it’s just not attractive. Be
sincere, whether you mean it or not, hopefully the girl will be smart enough to tell the difference.
Zombieland Review
By: Crystal Stichcomb
If you were the last person on earth, how would you respond to a full
fledged zombie attack? Zombieland is this year’s gore comedy, based upon
the end of human society. The question is, would you go crazy and fall
into the hands of the living dead or would you rely on own set of rules
to keep yourself alive? Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) follows his own set
of rules, hoping he can make it to his house alive by leaving his college
in Texas. On the way he meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), another
survivor who takes out his anger on every zombie with torture and pain.
Tallahassee is a strong character with a mean presence and seems to have
no emotion. His only desire is to find an infamous Twinkie.
While Tallahassee and Columbus sort through their huge differences, their world gets turned upside
down. They meet two girls named Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) who make
their life more like a living hell. Their adventure takes them through the “Zombieland” that the United
States has become. This leads them straight to California, where the supposedly zombie-free Pacific
Playland is located. This movie is both funny and sad, but mostly funny. If you have a strong enough stomach to handle
Live from New York…Vulgarity!
By: Christina Romo
The long running TV show Saturday Night Live opened its 35th season with a slew of headlines.
No, it wasn’t about the much buzzed about season premiere, or that the host of the show was the
Transformers star, Megan Fox. It wasn’t for the comedic writing of the newly hired SNL writers, it
was for something not on the script said by one of the newly hired actors.
Jenny Slate, one of the two newest Saturday Night Live cast members, proved why SNL
was truly “not ready for primetime,” when she accidentally let slip an infamous four-letter word.
In the now infamous sketch, Slate played a female biker who frequented the word “freakin” (a
substitute for its much more vulgar counterpart). Unfortunately, the vulgar counterpart was muttered mid-way through the sketch, much to the shock of the viewers. The show, known for its Live
broadcast and the rapid speech of the actors may have been Slate’s downfall.
Jenny Slate, a 27 year old comedian who recently joined the SNL crew, was hand picked
from Upright Citizens Brigade, a New York based comedy improv Theatre co-founded by SNL
alum Amy Poehler. As one half of the comedy duo Gabe & Jenny, she has had plenty of practice in
comedy. But apparently, not enough to avoid her flubbing some very important lines.
Charles Rocket, the last cast member who proudly said the same word on air back in
1980, was fired shortly after the same broadcast.
The sketch, which was shown a little after 12:40 am on September 27, 2009, was not
subject to fines by the FCC. Reps from NBC commented that contrary to Internet rumors, Jenny
Slate would not in fact be fired for her own f-bomb slip. Lorne Michaels, executive producer, said
he had no interest in firing her, explaining that the incident was an accident. “It has to be an actor’s
worst nightmare,” Michaels said. “Your first time on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and this happens. You
could sense the mortification in the studio.” Head Writer and fellow SNL cast member Seth Myers
was seen hugging an upset Slate as the credits began to run at the end of the show.
Saturday Night Live has long been the source of controversy because of its live format,
one of the most famous occurrences being Sinead O’Connor’s shocking attack on the Catholic
Church. She infamously sang an accapella version of Bob Marley’s song “War” as she pulled up a
picture of Pope John Paul, tearing it to shreds on live TV. Another incident on the SNL stage was
Ashley Simpson’s lip syncing surprise of 2004.
The latest show of Saturday Night Live featured the other newest cast member, fellow
UCB member Nashim Pedrad, in several sketches. Slate, understandably, had no speaking parts and
appeared in very few sketches.
No matter where Jenny goes in her Saturday Night Live career, she definitely had a memorable
debut.
blood and vomit, then join the club and get your ID’s ready for this R rated sickening adventure!
Brand New: Daisy
By: Cassie Cofield
When a band ages, their sound naturally changes; all people
change and evolve. Unfortunately, that change tends to be for
the worse. Brand New happens to be the exception to this pattern. They are known to switching up their sound every album
they produce. A lot of people have it in their head that change is
a bad thing, but with Brand New it’s the exact opposite. Jesse
Lacey is notorious for being influenced by Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum and this is plainly
obvious in their 2006 record The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. One would only expect that
to continue into Daisy, but that is on the opposite side of the spectrum. Some say it’s reminiscent of
Modest Mouse.
If a loyal fan was to pop in Daisy for the first time, they’d be a little shocked. It opens with the track
“Vices” which begins with odd female operatic vocals. It then transitions into aggressive yelling that is
different from Jesse Lacey’s normal angsty vocals. It’s a very raw and different sound. “Bed” is the follow up track and is very dream-like with the confrontational and personal lyrics that most are familiar
with. There’s not a consistent sound throughout the album. If you look past the shrieking and anger,
there is actual lyrical genius.
Daisy can leave someone disoriented and a little confused. Overall, the album is a bit more loud and
grungy than expected. It’s not one of those cutesy albums that you can listen to once or twice and
fully enjoy it. It needs to be sat through at least five times for it to be truly appreciated.
O Find our newspaper online at http://my.hsj.org/ga/jefferson/jcchs O
Masquerade
Atlanta
November 16th
Hatebreed/Cannibal
Corpse: $22.50
November 21st
Underoath: $20
October 23, 2009
By: Jonpaul Bruner
“It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in
possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”
… A sentence that would make Jane Austen roll in her
grave? Maybe not. Seth Grahame-Smith is the mastermind behind
the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a monster mash-up
created by the people of Quirk Classics.
In an interview with BBC News, Seth stated “I think [Jane Austen]
would have a sense of humor about it. I think reading her again
you’re struck by the sharp wit she had.” He also admitted that he
hadn’t read the book since he was fourteen and didn’t really enjoy the experience until now.
Quirk Classics is a company that takes classic books and puts an unusual spin on them. They started
out writing them just for fun – and ended up getting more young adults interested in classic literature.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is essentially Jane Austen’s book, with gory zombie mayhem. Elizabeth Bennet becomes a zombie-slaying kung-fu master (yes, there are ninjas!) who still finds
time to attend social balls and fall in love. The other characters seem to stay the same ESPECIALLY
Mr. Darcy.
This book is hilarious and definitely worth the read. It’s recommended to read the original first so that
you can compare it fairly.
If you want to test drive it first you can go on the website www.QuirkClassics.com and view chapters
1-3, funny pictures, and comments.
October 28th
Mayday Parade/ The
November 10th
Academy Is: $15
Say Anything: $16.50
Page 3
“Hey Guh!!” The Evolution of Flirting
By: Brittany Bryant
November 5th
Passafire/
Groovestain: $10
The
Panther
Pause
Tabernacle
October 24th
Atlanta
Hollywood Undead/
Atreyu: $25
November 1st
October 27th
The Used: $29
November 12th
Paramore: $27.50
Queensryche:$27.50
November 5th
Dethklok/Mastodon: $34.50
November 19th
November 8th
The Rocket Summer/
Boys Like Girls/Cobra Starship:
Forever The Sickest
$25
Kids: $16
November 16th
AFI: $26.50
October 30th
Gogol Bordello: $29.50
November 7th
Badfish (Sublime Tribute):$18
November22nd
Imogen Heap: $25
Variety Playhouse
Atlanta
Halloween Party
at
Centerstage
The Loft
The Vinyl
(All images credited to Google images)
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Sports
Issue 2
Find our newspaper Online at: http://my.hsj.org/ga/jefferson/jcchs
Excessive Celebration
By: Kyle Funderburk
In a sport fueled by emotion there is one rule that looks to suck the fun right out of the game itself.
Yes it’s the “excessive celebration” penalty. It is quickly destroying a sport held dear in the hearts of
fans. What started as a rule with good intentions have become a disgrace and a mockery of college
football.
Now I can understand if a player dives into the end zone without a single defender near
him or if the entire team comes off the bench to celebrate a touchdown but when you’ve just made
one of the most spectacular catches ever seen and all you do is hug your teammates and walk back to
the bench?
I’m talking about AJ Green’s spectacular, should’ve been game winning, catch against LSU.
The penalty made Blair Walsh kick from the 15 yard line to Trindon Holliday, who might just be the
best kick returner in the nation.
This wasn’t the first time it happened. Early in the third quarter freshman tight end Orson
Charles made a catch that put Georgia in striking distance. After he made a mild gesture to get the
home crowed pumped up, the referees found that “excessive” and pushed us back 15 yards to the
original line of scrimmage, zapping us of all the momentum gained.
Many Georgia fans can live with the Orson Charles penalty, but the AJ Green call pretty
much decided the game and maybe the fate of the Bulldogs season.
The following Monday the Southeastern Conference made an announcement saying that
AJ Green shouldn’t have been called for “excessive celebration”. Too late now Georgia dropped to 3-2
and out of the top twenty-five.
Panthers Football:
From Top to Bottom
By: James Parks
After the best start ever for the panther football team, the teams win column has come to a sudden
halt. When the panthers lost their first game 14-7 to the Bulldawgs of Morgan County they believed
that it would be the only loss for a while, but unfortunately they were proven wrong a week later by
another pack of dawgs.
The Panthers stayed home for the Hart County game ready to prove that the 3 game win
streak at the beginning of the season was no fluke, but they could not tame the Dawgs with the night
The ULTIMATE Article
By: Jonpaul Bruner
Jonpual Bruner
Everyone has heard the hype about Ultimate Frisbee. Both teachers and students
are wondering what the big deal is and if there really is an Ultimate Frisbee Club
at Jackson County High School. Yes, there is a UFC at Jackson Co. and just about
everyone and their brother is involved.
So what is the big deal about Frisbee? Why is it so talked about, why
are so many students showing up to play? Some may think that Frisbee is just a
silly game, second to every other sport. Absolutely not, Ultimate Frisbee is a combination of several sports taking the best aspects from each field, and other than
the fundamentals, rules go no further than unsportsmanlike conduct and fair play.
For those that think that UF is for people that can’t handle the contact of Football,
Frisbee is just as rough as football, ask freshman Danny Butler, who’s arm was put
in a cast due to a collision with another player in an early Labor Day game.
Since the first meeting the club has exploded. The meets have anywhere from 30 to 70 students, all having a blast playing Ultimate Frisbee. The club
itself has just now taken off and is subject to be bigger than FFA. The ultimate
officers of UFC have very high hopes for this club.
UFC is open to all students, whether they are freshman or seniors, boys or girls.
Meetings are EVERY Saturday from 4 until 6. During the meetings we
practice throws, catches, and the fundamentals of the game.
Afterwards, we play Ultimate Frisbee from 6 until 8, playing two games at once,
dividing teams evenly.
Everyone that has played once has returned time and time again, and
are promptly joining the club. It’s so easy to join too, neither good grades nor a
clean disciplinary record are needed. Just turn your name, student number, and
dues of $5 in to one of the officers; Jonpaul Bruner President, Vice President
Rachel Glenfield, or Megan Carter Treasurer.
Frisbee is a lot of fun, to play and to watch. So if ever you find yourself with nothing to do on Saturday, stop by West Jackson Middle anywhere from 4
to 8. UFC would be thrilled to have you.
Page 4
October 23, 2009
Now I’m not one of those fans who believes the world is out to get me and the refs are
always making calls against my team, but the rule needs to be reworked for the benefit of everyone.
The rule as it stands now is way too strict.
One of the biggest no-no’s are gestures to the crowd, but what if it’s your crowd? Is that
unsportsmanlike? Penalties for making gestures at the home crowd when you’re the visitor I can see
the problem in that.
I’ll even do you one better; what if you make a gesture to your student section, your classmates? You’re going be celebrating with them all week any way so how is that unsportsmanlike.
Another issue with the rule is saying that you can’t do anything to draw attention to yourself, but if you just made a huge touchdown you’ve already drawn everyone’s attention.
It has also been called inconsistently. A few weeks ago in the Florida versus Tennessee
rivalry game, a Florida defender sacked Tennessee quarterback Casey Crompton and then made a
gesture similar to a false start sign (rolling arms).
Moments later a Tennessee defender sacked Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and did
several chest bumps and wasn’t flagged, The Florida defender however was. Although the call had no
impact on the game it was still a bad call.
And then there are calls that do impact games. Last year the Washington Huskies (looking
for their only win) sought to have an upset over Brigham Young. The player had done just about the
same thing AJ Green did a few weeks back. Because of that call, the Huskies lost and finished the year
0-12.
For now, many will just have to live with the “excessive celebration” penalty, at least until
all the pushing from college football’s biggest names finally gets to the NCAA. Until then this kind of
screw up will continue in college football.
ending in the form of another loss coming in at a disappointing 42-7 loss. With that loss the panthers
went 0-2 in region play and 3-2 overall standing.
Week 6 came with an invitation to the Franklin County Lions homecoming game. The
Panthers looked to make it a sad Friday night for the Lions but once again were pushed around and
beat 44-7.
With this being the 2nd time the opponents having their pre-homecoming festivities on the day of the
game, the Panthers found it to be a slap to the face from every team in the region and look to fight
their way back to the top of the region.
Unfortunately the Panthers were struck down again by the Eastside Eagles with a depressing 49-0
score. With the entire night of bad plays from the panthers, it lead to a dominant performance from
the Eagles. Now at the last three games of the season the panthers hope to finish the season on a high
note.
Sports
Issue 2
Find our newspaper Online at: http://my.hsj.org/ga/jefferson/jcchs
Volleyball:
Plan By:for
the Future
Samantha Kennett
Though the volleyball team hasn’t really had the outcome that they’ve wanted, they played hard and
did their best. At the area tournament on October 10th at Archer High School, they played the best
that they’ve ever played. Facing Morgan County they beat them in the first match 25-23, but fell in the
next two by very little with 16-25 and 19-25. The Lady Panthers then went on to face Eastside and
fought two very hard and close games with the final scores coming to 23-25 and 16-25. They placed
5th in the region.
This year, the team competed in the Conyers Classic on September 25th and 26th. This
tournament allowed them to play more challenging teams that gave them a chance to mature as a team.
Though they didn’t come home with a win, they played hard and didn’t go down without a fight.
One of the problems, according to Coach Colley, is finishing. The team plays well, but lets
the other team catch up with them and win. The main issues, she said, were in consistency in serving,
communication on the court, and dedication. As far as key players go, Colley said that each and every
girl is a key player; no one on the team stands out. Some improvements the team made this year are
more accuracy on digging and a better ability to get a pass-set-hit.
She is hoping that maybe in the next few years, the team will have a more successful season, “I’m really excited about the future. We have a lot of young players to build our program.”
Cheerleading:
By: Colleen Colvin
Despite some rocky preseason
drama, the JCCHS varsity competition
cheerleaders managed to pull off second place at their first competition of
the season at Apalachee High School.
The team of 17 plans to improve and
beat more teams at their upcoming
competitions during the season. Of
course there are tryouts for the cheer
team, like any other sport, but what all
goes into being part of a competitive
cheerleading team?
Competition cheerleading is a difficult and dangerous sport.
Colleen Colvin Cheerleading is classified as one of
the most dangerous sports out there today. An average competition routine consists of motions, an
opening stunt sequence, a jump sequence, running tumbling, standing tumbling, a cheer/chant, basket tosses, a pyramid, and finally, a dance. Sounds like a lot to cram into just two and a half minutes,
doesn’t it? Of course everything in the routine has a different level of difficulty. For example, triple
toe-touch jumps, a flyer pulling a scorpion and then spinning twice in her cradle from an extended
stunt, or a kick double full basket toss are some of the most difficult skills a team can compete with.
Not only do cheerleaders have to perform their stunts, tosses, tumbling passes and
dances while keeping up with each 8-count in two and a half minutes, but they are also being judged
by five judges. Each judge at a cheerleading competition judges routines based on the degree of
difficulty and execution levels of the motions, stunts, tosses, dance, jumps, cheer, running and
standing tumbling. The judging scale is based on a range of 1 through 5 or 1 through 10 depending
on the section of the routine. On top of all this, each member of the team has to smile and look
excited–like they are having a blast during the whole routine, no matter what happens.
A good cheerleader can make her routine look fun and easy to perform. However,
not only can those stunts, jumps and more leave one out of breath and exhausted, but they are
extremely dangerous, too. For example, there are almost 3 million high school female athletes in
America today. Just 3 percent of these girls are cheerleaders, yet cheerleading is the cause of 65 percent of all female high school athletic injuries, says sciencedaily.com. Cheerleading can be dangerous
if one does not know what they are doing or exactly how to perform a specific skill. So next time
you think of cheerleaders, don’t think of dumb little girls prancing around in short skirts; think of a
team of hard working, competitive athletes.
October 31 – 10:00 am @ Winder-Barrow High School
November 7 – TBA: Regionals at Putnam County High School
The
Panther
Pause
Page 5
October 23, 2009
Cross Country:
Going the Distance
By: Kyle Funderburk
After a great start the Panthers are still going
over all. Sydney Baird also had another great
strong with a couple of great performances at
run finishing sixteenth. All in all the Lady PanBanks County and at East Jackson.
thers finished sixth.
At the Banks County meet the PanThe boys fronted by Austin Moser, Miguel
thers were led by the ever so dominant Brittany
Guereca, and Thomas Carroll ran well given the
Aikins who finished first with a time of 22:41.
surface they were running on.
In Brittany’s footsteps was Rachel Pasko who
The Panthers still have the Main
finished second over all. Another Lady Panthers
Street Meet at East Jackson, a meet at Buford,
who had a great run was Sydney Baird who in
followed by a regular season ending meet at
her first 5K meet finished sixth.
Riverside. When that’s over the Panthers travel
Despite having several runners
to Athens Christian for the AAA region 8 meet.
missing the boys had a good meet that had
Then when that’s over the Panthers aspire to
Austin Moser and Miguel Guereca finishing side
travel to Canollton for the State Meet.
by side with an even time of 23:21. David Serna
With only a few weeks remaining
also had a good finish with a 24:22.
in the season the Panthers, both girls and boys,
Then on a wet and muddy field the
look to finish strong with girls hoping to make
Panthers had a good showing in the Eagle Run
it back and possibly win state. And after a few
at East Jackson. Brittany Aikins once again had
more good meets the boy’s could find their way
a great run for the Panthers finishing second
to State.
October 24 @ Riverside Military Academy
October 29 @ Athens Christian (Region 8-AAA Meet)
November 7 @ Carrollton (State Meet)
Outdoorsmen:
October Update
By: Hillary Hudgins
Bow Hunting Deer season opened
September 12. The wait is almost over.
You can use your muzzleloaders on
Oct. 10 and your rifles on Oct. 17.
Many of the deer you are seeing right
now are changing their eating and
movement patterns as the deer season
begins. One of the main reasons the
deer change their patterns is because
they notice the addition of hunters
into their environment. They can
google images sense the danger and notice other deer
being cautious. In order to increase
your chances of seeing a deer you need to recognize the changing of their patterns and make the
proper changes to better your chances of seeing a deer. Also, depending solely on food plots is a mistake many hunters make. Yes, food plots are a great thing and grow and bring in nice bucks. However,
they can also fail you. Deer eat where they think it’s safe, they might not go to an open field of peas
when they can eat at an acorn tree with natural cover. So keep your options open and pay attention
to the deer movement and you will have a good chance of a successful deer season. If you have the
opportunity of tagging a deer, you can bring it to the following processing deer coolers that are in
Jackson Co.
1.) The Deer Market, 7160 S. Apple Valley, Jefferson, (706) 367-2830.
2.) Palmer’s Deer Cooler, 790 Sanford, Nicholson, (706) 757-2227.
3.) Wood’s Abattoir, 4745 Mt. Olive Rd., Commerce, (706) 335-5736.
4.) Sealey’s Deer Cooler, jerky
5.)summer-sausage processing, 5675 S. Applevalley Rd., Jefferson, (706) 335-9304.
For more deer coolers closer to your hunting locations you can go to the following link and find coolers in any county. http://www.gon.com/page.php?id=59
HOW TO ENTER:
• Be a paid GON subscriber.
• Bag a Georgia buck.
• Submit an official Truck-Buck entry form.
• Have your buck officially scored by GON scorers.
http://www.gon.com/page.php?id=126&cid=172
Issue 2
The
Panther
Pause
Local News
Page 6
Find our newspaper online at http://my.hsj.org/ga/jefferson/jcchs
Young Georgia
Authors contest
“SADD Shows the Love”
By: Hillary Hudgins
This October is Domestic (Dating) Violence Awareness Month. We have made love bugs
to shows the love and not violence. Through the SADD organization, JCCHS students plan to connect with supporters across the nation who are working to end violence against women and children.
In support of the Protect Safe program in Athens, we are collecting bath and body supplies. We will
be collecting shampoo, lotions, deodorant, conditioners; the collection box will be in the front of the
office. Through the love bugs, we hope to help raise awareness and help those who are in danger.
1 in 5 female high school students reports being physically or sexually abused by a dating
partner. Abused girls are significantly more likely to get involved in other dangerous acts such as
heavy drinking, drug use, and unprotected sex. They are also 4 to 6 times more likely to get pregnant
and 8 to 9 times more likely to have tried to commit suicide. In Jackson County alone, there were
1298 occurrences of weapon use towards family. 430 of which were hand/fist violence. There were
also 913 male aggressors, 219 of those used abusive language towards their victims. Family violence
or abusive relationships should not be taken lightly.
If you or someone you know is in danger, you can call the school’s emergency hotline at 706-3675003 (Extension 7). Your call will be completely anonymous!
Come join SADD and help spread the love with our happy love bugs
Call for Submissions
Pegasus, ABAC’s Literary Magazine is seeking highquality submissions of fiction, creative nonfiction,
poetry, artwork and photography for the 2010 issue.
Pegasus accepts only electronic submissions
See http://www.abac.edu/pegasus
for full submission guidelines
Publications will be announced in April 2010
A Vacation from School
By: Nicole Heaslip
I always thought of myself as the type who will
get average grades in high school then move on to college
right after and get average grades there and land an average
job in some sort of average business. My change in mind
came abruptly one day sitting in class talking about college
with friends. I actually thought about it for once. I concentrated on how miserable I would feel if I never got to do
what I wanted to do. There has always been one thing I’ve
wanted to do and never put much thought into it because I
thought I would never be able to do it. I want to backpack
through Europe. Don’t get me wrong, I want to go to college,
just not immediately.
Of course I was terrified of telling my parents
but I had to. It got to the point where any time somebody
mentioned college I would panic because the idea was so horrifying to me. I couldn’t just bite the bullet and attend college
just because I thought my parents would be disappointed
with any alternative choice. But as usual my parents did
exactly what they said they would do in such a situation. They
supported my decision. They were thrilled actually.
So I started to plan. It wasn’t easy at first. Europe
is a pretty broad idea. I want to see all the countries, but I
don’t want to be away from home forever. The first thing I
did was narrow it down to about ten countries. I refuse to
give myself a set time limit to be gone. Maybe six months…
maybe a year. However long it takes for me to do my independent studies or whatever it is I want to do.
While my peers are taking SATs and applying
to colleges I will be speaking with travel agents and reading
brochures, looking up means for transportation and a place to
stay, finding places to study and interesting attractions.
My plan may be a little unorthodox, but I just need a vacation
from school.
If you are also interested in traveling after high school, here
are some links I find helpful:
· http://www.backpackeurope.com/
· http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/destinations/europe/
· http://www.eurotrip.com/hostels/netherlands/amsterdam
In the next edition I’ll have a report on my first trip to a
travel agent.
October 23, 2009
Any type of writing is accepted:
Short stories, poems, essays, journals, personal narratives, reports, and any other
original work.
• Typed (double spaced, 12pt font) or neatly handwritten on 8 1/2 x
11 inch paper
• Limit of 5 pages
• Dictated stories are not eligible
• Must turn in an entry form which requires a parent signature (see any
English teacher)
• Do not put your name (or school name) on the work itself, only on
the entry form!
“Puttin’ on the Ritz for Homecoming”
By: Seth Snyder
The Panther pack gathered early outside the new and improved “ Jazziness”, as they
awaited the beginning of our very own 2009 homecoming extravaganza! Friends greeted each other
with smiles and hugs as they arrived in their flappers, derbies, black slacks, and all that jazz. If you
were there you may have realized how difficult it became to recognize people you knew because of
the transformation. That’s right, as each “Bland Dan” entered the double doors, they were instantly
transformed into super fly, Chicagofied, motion magicians.
The gym was jazzed out with psychedelic lights, and silhouettes of Model-T Fords and
“Tangoers” dancing on our freshly painted walls. As the students danced, the DJ constantly reminded
them that “tonight’s gonna be a good night.” We took a hefty risk when we decided to hire an amateur
DJ to slap the tracks at this year’s homecoming, but I think I speak for everyone when I say it was a
risk well worth taking. The students danced until their ankles throbbed, limped into the Panther Café
for some refreshments, and dashed back onto the dance floor to dance some more.
As I mingled with my fellow classmates, I couldn’t help but overhear all the talk about the homecoming queen herself, Jessie Hodges. Yes, the votes were in and Jessie was announced the homecoming
queen at the game on Friday. Judging by the comments people were making, I have come to the
conclusion that the students were quite pleased with the results of the votes, and I am sure that Jessie
deserves the title.
At the end of the night, the students crowded in front of the auditorium as they awaited their rides.
They smiled and chattered excessively about the happenings of the dance. One by one their rides arrived; they shook their good byes, parted from their dates, and took their leave. I waited and watched
quietly as the last couple got into their car and left the parking lot. I took off my black fedora, and
held it in my hands as I thought of all the events I had witnessed, and knew that my night in Chicago
would be a night to remember. They’re cute, when they’re not yours.
By: Amanda Jefferson
As Ava rounded the corner on her way to pick up her son Parker
from day care, she began to reminisce on how her life became so
second-rate, tedious and honestly just down right dull. She thought
back to the days when, in her family and friends eyes she had been
an innocent, fun-loving fifteen year old. Although only two years
had passed, she felt as though she was living an entirely opposite
life now. She remembered the day she told her mother that she was
indeed with child. She thought her mother wouldn’t have her voice
the next morning due to how loud she had screamed. The shriek
resembled something from a horror flick. Their house was home
to mass amounts of silence, tears and loud outbursts of anger for
months following.
Ava threw the car into park and sat there. She wished at
that moment she could stop time completely and sit in her air conditioned car forever. She knew the minute she picked Parker up, that
her already exhausted body would be absolutely beat by the time she
would finally get him to bed. As she opened the door, the realization
that reality was still waiting for her rushed in like the hot August air.
She staggered through the day care doors just like she had everyday,
getting a faint whiff of finger paint and urine. She got closer to the
doors where she knew her son would be waiting for her. As soon as she stuck her weary head into the classroom, she got the most miraculous smile. “MOMMY!” Her upbeat,
thirteen month old child uttered one of the only words he knew. As Parker ran into his mothers expectant arms he showed her
everything they had done at school that day. His preschool teacher
then gallantly approached them. Ava desperately wanted to take
off running. That’s what a normal sixteen year old would do, but
she then reminded herself that she wasn’t a typical sixteen year old. “Oh Ava,” Parker’s teacher said, “You owe me for two months of
childcare. That would total one thousand dollars. Unless I get that
with next months check, you are going to have to find another place
to take Parker.” “Yes ma’am.” Ava shot back, with ice in her voice. Ava had no earthly idea how she was going to come up with one
thousand, five hundred dollars by next month. She had no support
from her child’s father and her parents were already living paycheck
to paycheck. Even though children are miracles, we as high school
students aren’t emotionally or financially capable for that much
responsibility. Children are amazing, don’t get me wrong, but you
also have to think about the child in this situation. Because Parker’s
father, James, had such a care-free attitude, Parker is going to grow
up without a father and with a mother who always seems unhappy. This is a completely fictional story, but teenage mothers
do go through this. Babies are a GIANT responsibility. They may
seem cute when you’re only with them for a couple hours, but try to
baby-sit for an entire week. By Friday, you’ll be pulling your hair out. Not only are you completely drained, but it is incredibly pricey. Day
care alone for a child is, on average, five-hundred dollars a month
That’s not including diapers, food, toys, cloths, books etc. I’m sure everyone has heard that Jackson County has
the highest teen pregnancy rate in Georgia. Well that is no myth:
there is a teen pregnancy crisis in Jackson County; we have more
teen mothers than in Europe and in Mexico!! Some people will
give you excuses like ‘we have nothing to do’, or ‘it’s so boring in
this town’. To that I say ‘drive to the movies’ or ‘do something with
friends’. Jackson County isn’t confined from the rest of the world!! 70 percent of teenagers are sexually active by their senior year. We
can fix this together. We could recruit teen mothers to speak to our
female students about the consequences of their choices. Our health
teachers could also discuss more about contraceptives. WE as a
school and WE as Jackson County need to do something about this. And that’s reality. Issue 2
National News
Find our newspaper online at http://my.hsj.org/ga/jefferson/jcchs
Kindle: The iPod of Literature?
By: Samantha Kennett
Back in November of 2007, consumers everywhere discovered a new way of reading. You no longer needed all the paper and weight of a regular book; they had discovered the Kindle. The Kindle
is an electronic reader that allows you to carry your books with you on the go, wherever you go.
There are three different Kindles: Kindle Generation One, Generation Two, and the Kindle DX.
Though there is a steep price, many consumers have taken an interest in this product.
Each generation of the Kindle allows you to easily download any book anywhere
anytime. They also have built in wi-fi that uses the same technology that internet accessing cell
phones use. But the Kindle isn’t solely for books. You can also access Wikipedia and the New
Oxford American Dictionary at any time. This is very useful while doing research or when you’re
just curious about information. You can also access over 2,000 blogs that are updated by the hour
as well as subscribe to newspapers that are delivered to your Kindle before they even hit the news
stands. Most books that you get from Kindle are a modest $9.99 rather than the $20+ that you
would usually pay at book stores. The price on the Kindle is a bit high, but if you are a big reader,
you will make up for the money you spend on it with the money you’ll save on books.
The price is one of the few complaints that people have had. That and the fact that,
despite all this high-end technology, all of the Kindles are still in black and white. Other than that,
people have been pleased with their Kindles.
The battery in the Kindle will last you days with your wi-fi on and weeks with it off.
There are no computers required to work your Kindle and no commitments or fees like you would
have with a cell phone or internet company.
The only differences between the first and second generation Kindles are the physical
size, internal capacity, and location of the page turning and volume buttons. These differences
are quite subtle. The second generation is slightly slimmer and the buttons are more conveniently
located. The internal memory holds over 1,500 books, blogs, and newspapers. The only thing
different about the Kindle DX is the fact that the screen can rotate to landscape view and that it is
approximately 3.5 inches larger and 9 ounces heavier.
Some people may wonder whether the Kindle is really worth it. For college students,
and their parents, it is a huge money saver. Textbooks through Kindle are approximately 23%
- 35% cheaper than text books from a store. This eliminates the weight of all those textbooks you
have to carry around, not to mention the price of multiple $200+ text books. The
Panther
Pause
Page 7
October 23, 2009
Kindle First Generation
$149.99
Kindle Second Generation
$299.99
Kindle DX
$489.99
screen has no glare; easy to
read for long periods.
screen has no glare; easy to read
for long periods.
screen has no glare; easy to
read for long periods.
holds over 200 books
holds over 1,500 books
holds over 1,500 books
uses four shades of grey
uses sixteen shades of grey
uses sixteen shades of grey
X
X
rotating dispay
(landscape view)
text-to-speech function
text-to-speech function
text-to-speech function
X
PDF file support
PDF file support
250 MB of internal memory
2GB of internal memory
4GB of internal memory
Slot for an SD card
X
X
The Kindle (shown on the left) is the
new craze for book worms everywhere.
I mean when was the last time you could
fit your entire book shelf into your bag?
(image credited to Google images.)
Czars In America?
By: Tyler Ladanyi
Some people feel that America is being run by
czars. A czar may have been one of the former
leaders of Russia, but when the media uses the
word, they are refering to one of the handpicked, professional advisors of President Barack
Obama. These advisors have taken a lot of criticism recently.
The origin of the word ‘czar’ comes from Russia.
Webster dictionary defines the word as, “The
ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution,” but it
now means someone who has certain power over
a political issue. It’s usually used by the media
rather than as an official title or profession. The
president usually picks these czars. In 1974,
Richard Nixon established the first czar, who
handled the energy crisis. Since the first in the
1970’s, these czars often make difficult decisions
that other officials can’t make. Other times, their
job is to gather and report information. They may
also offer advice or recommendations. For example, regulatory czar Cass R. Sunstein reports
to the Office of Management and Budget head.
Not all czars report directly to the president, but
it is believed that these advisors and managers
give too much power to the president. Power that
is neither checked nor as balanced as our government has historically been.
I realize all this information can seem dull, but
this is far from a boring topic. People everywhere
are upset and mad about these czars, but their
voices have only taken the form of conservative
media and these people are sometimes dismissed
as silly, misinformed, or otherwise crazy. Obama
initiated 18 new czars in the first three months of
his presidency. There are currently around 32 total czars. That is a lot more than the couple who
were in office prior to George W. Bush’s presidency. People fear that the president may have
appointed these people on account of personal
disposition. The president said of the regulatory
czar that I mentioned earlier, “Cass is not only
a valued advisor, he is a dear friend”. There is
nothing wrong with knowing the czar personally, but some of these leaders cannot withstand
the congressional scrutiny that cabinet members
do, either. This leaves them checked only by the
normal people criticizing them. Does the extra
edge that these men and women have throw off
the balance of power by giving too much influence? And for that matter, are these jobs even
necessary? Many jobs already fall under existing
branches of office. Do we really need a “Weapons Czar” when the defense department already
takes care of the job?
John Holdren is the science czar and advisor to
the President. In 1977, he wrote a book titled
“Ecoscience.” In it, he describes some radical
ideas and his own personal goverment ideals.
One of them addresses the possible problem of
our nation’s growing population. He argues that
because the government secures certain personal
laws, such as marriage rights, it could also
control birth. He believes mandatory abortions
should be introduced in order to better control
the country’s population, much like communist China does. This man obviously has some
questionable ideas. However, false information is
spreading about these people, such as the notion
that was stated on an interview on c-span about
the science czar, “…he believes in abortions up
until the age of two”. This idea makes no sense,
but people still believe it. Linda Douglas is also
another controversial figure. She called herself
head of “disinformation”. This means that she
overlooks and tries to get rid of false information
on the web. In a broadcast, she said that people’s
views on Obama’s plans for health care are false.
Why, as an executive official, would she try to
shut down sites on the web? Some people consider this an infringement on their rights.
The czars are very controversial. They
handle all sorts of jobs, from the Faith-based
Czar to the Great Lakes Czar to the AIDS Czar.
But with their positions facing a lack of clarity,
their often times radical personal agendas, and
their influence within the presidency, they should
definitely be checked by the people
JFK Writing Contest
To all seniors who are interested
in money for college here is your
opportunity to win money for
college.
All applicants are to write an original essay and creative essay of less than 1,000
words. The essay must show an understanding of political courage that is
described in JFK’s book Profiles In Courage. The essay should have many different sources such as newspaper articles, books, and/or personal interviews.
ESSAY TOPIC:
Describe and analyze the decisions, actions, and risks of an elected public official in the United States since 1956 who has courageously addressed a political
issue at the local, state, national, or international level.
Deadline: January 9, 2010
For more information and essay requirements you can google JFK Essay Contest and the first link should take you there.
Regional Literary Meet
Held on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at Morgan Co. High School
One boy and girl will be selected to compete in the following events:
> Essay Writing <
> Extemporaneous Speaking <
> Dramatic Interpretation <
For more information a meeting will be held on Thursday, October 22 in B-11
after school. Full details, rules, and other issues will be discussed. See Ms.. Williams, Mrs. Roberts, or Mr. Chandler if you have any questions.
What Romo says
Issue 2
Find our newspaper Online at: http://my.hsj.org/ga/jefferson/jcchs
“All across America”
By Romo
It promoted education, trying hard, and said basically what our parents and teachers have been drilling into our heads for years. So why did Obama’s speech to the
children have the nation up in arms?
He addressed a Virginia school and subsequently the children of our
nation, via a live broadcast, on Sept. 8th, 2009. The transcript for the speech was
released a few days beforehand, but even with his words in front of their faces,
people questioned his intentions.
A mother from Colorado expressed her fears for the country as well as
fears for her children; “Thinking about my kids in school having to listen to that
just really upsets me.” The concern of a parent, especially for a young child, is
understandable in almost all situations. In my opinion, though, it is hard to sympathize with her. Do people truly believe that any of their children were forced
to do anything? Not only that, but is it not true that she could’ve read the speech
transcript days before the event even occurred? And if, even then, you somehow
found something that contradicted your political or moral ideals, you, as the parent, could keep your child home from school. Better yet, you could protest the
school’s viewing altogether. School districts cater to the people that fund them:
the tax-paying parents!
The
Panther
Pause
Page 8
October 23, 2009
Now, as you may or may not know, there has previously been other
presidential address to children, but from the opposite party. President George
H.W. Bush, in particular, faced criticism in September of 1991. His teleconference
with schoolchildren during the annual National Space Science Symposium was
received as being staged for his own political benefit. But unlike Obama’s speech,
the majority of the criticism came afterwards. Perhaps this is why parents were
cautious long before Obama’s speech had even left his mouth: If a president has
spread his political ideals to children before, it could always happen again. Were
they afraid that the past might repeat itself ?
Regardless, I believe that the reaction to Obama’s speech was blown
way out of proportion. I don’t think I will ever understand why a speech that
encouraged personal responsibility and accountability wasn’t favored by parents.
And even if you don’t agree, do you really want your kids to be shut off from the
goings-on of the political world? Because whether you or I like it or not, Obama
is the president of our ever-changing country. Obama’s speech, despite his beliefs,
carried a message of the tradition that has run America since the beginning: hope
for a better future.
‘And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and
you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself.’
Maybe they shouldn’t have been so quick to fire back. Maybe they
should’ve just listened.
Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper
– but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class.
~Obama