The Spear - Lake Gibson High School

THE SPEAR LGHS NEWS
Issue #1
11
The Spear
LGHS News
Septem ber 12, 2016
PHOTO: BRYANA FREEMAN
Lake Gibson Braves
by Atchara Lekphet
Toe meets leather at the kick-off classic,
‘Lake Gibson Braves vs. Lakeland
Dreadnaughts’. Braves took a loss at
their first game against The Red Devils.
The Spear got up close and personal
with a few players to get their thoughts
about the upcoming season.
When asked what improvements they
think the team should work on, # 22
Lavarrion Nereus says “I feel that we
have to get better at the little things,
which will carry on to help with the big
things. We have to come together on
offence and be able to do our job by
putting points on the board.” He is also
working on his hand placement and
quickness as he blocks. #9 Jaharie
Martin added, “We lack efficiency on
special teams and although we have
talent on the offensive side, we haven’t
quite got it all together yet.” #64 Jerry
Copeland also added that he feels like
special teams could use the most work.
Players were also questioned how well
they communicated and worked
together as a team “I think the
teamwork and communication on the
defensive side is great, everyone knows
their assignment and if there is a
problem we go to the sidelines and fix it
asap” says Martin. Nereus said that he
feels the communication off the field
could improve mainly because they’re
still bonding as a whole, but on the field
their communication and teamwork is
adequate.
When The Spear inquired about how the
players felt about their next opponents,
they all said they felt confident that with
enough hard work and practice that they
will be successful in the game. #5
Kevaris Thomas, one of the
quarterbacks, says he is working hard on
his accuracy as he throws the ball. He is
confident that the team will have a
successful season. The Braves believe
that watching tapes from their previous
games is essential to improving the
team’s techniques. They strategize their
next plays and work hard on perfecting
it. Braves new head coach, Doug
Demyer has high expectations for his
team.
#24, Cornerback, KJ Williams
Not only does he expect his players to be
successful on the field but he wants
them to but as well as off the field. He
prefers each and every player to get
good grades and work hard in their
classes to achieve their goals. “I treat all
my players as if they were my own sons”
says Demyer. The football team agrees,
“We are a family”. That’s the kind of
attitude you’ll get when you meet the Braves
football team. Let’s support our team as they
start their journey to a booming football
season. Remember, ‘Once a Brave, always A
Brave’.
Cokes For Cops
by Bryana Freeman
Cokes for cops is a local event in Lakeland.
Cokes for cops is where our community
members donate cokes to the Polk County
Police Force. Rosaland Lewis, a retired
Lakeland police officer, created the event to
show the officers that the community does
support them. In less than a week she
collected more than 3,200 cokes from the
community. Rosaland takes the donated
cokes to local police departments and hands
them out, hoping to put a smile on their
faces. The Lake Gibson Senior High Girls’
Volleyball team is participating in the event.
Starting the first week of September, they
are determined to make the officers feel
appreciated.
Our New Principal
by Lili Kramer
Formerly known as “Coach
Vann”, Mr. Vann has
officially been named the
new principal of Lake Gibson
Senior High. As a graduate
of LG himself, Mr. Vann
returned shortly after to
become a part of our
amazing staff.
He began his teaching career
in 2003, teaching both
American and World History,
as well as coaching football
and track. Since then, he has
also held positions as Dean
of Students, Director of Lake
Gibson’s Step Up Academy,
and Assistant Principal.
Mr. Vann is only the fifth
principal at LG, and he plans
to carry on the “great
tradition and success our
school has.” We welcome
you with open arms, Mr.
Vann! The staff and
students couldn’t be happier
that you’re our new
principal. Congratulations!
NEW TEACHERS AT LGHS
Look for features of all of our
new teachers in upcoming
issues.
THE SPEAR LGHS NEWS
Issue #1
11
Sports Stats
Gibson Girls
Varsity Football
9/1 vs. Winter Haven
9/9 vs. Dillard
By: Wendy Capule
postponed
W 26-22
JV Football
9/8 vs. Bartow
W 45-8
Varsity Volleyball
8/23 vs. McKeel
W 3-2
8/25 vs. Ridge Comm.
W 3-2
9/6 vs. Ridge Comm.
W 3-2
9/8 vs. All Saints
L 3-0
9/9 vs. Lakeland Christian L 3-2
JV Volleyball
8/25 vs. Ridge Comm.
L 2-1
9/6 vs. Ridge Comm.
L 2-0
9/9 vs. Lakeland Christian L 2-0
Varsity Swimming
8/25 vs. LHS, BHS, THS
3rd
3rd
Boys’ overall
Girls’ overall
9/1 vs. GJHS, BHS, LCS, SHS
cancelled
9/8 vs. SFC, GJHS, LCS, KHS
Boys’ overall
4th
Girls’ overall
3rd
Being a Gibson Girl is one of the
best ways to show school spirit
here at Lake Gibson. Also known
as the Dance Team, the Gibson
Girls perform at sports and school
events throughout the academic
school year. However, their
talented performances don’t
come easily; it takes lots of
practice.
The Gibson Girls practice
Monday- Thursday for an hour
and a half to prepare for their
Friday Night Lights performance
and other upcoming shows. Team
captains are responsible for
creating new routines for the girls.
Co-Captain DeAvion Williams
says, “Gibson Girls is talent-based;
some say it’s easy, some say it’s
hard. It all depends on who the
captains are”. With a large team
of 21 girls, 8 veterans and 13
newcomers, captains are also in
charge of making sure all dancers
are prepared to show off their
skills!
No matter the event, the Gibson
Girls can always get the crowd
hyped! If you haven’t had the
chance to see them perform, we
at The Spear highly suggest you
do. Maybe even consider trying
out next year, if you’re feeling
BRAVE enough to dance and
represent our school.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Plates are empty, but
tummies are full, thanks to
the new Free Lunch
program.
This column highlights opportunities
for students to earn community service
hours. Follow The Spear each month
for updated listings.
Goodwill
Multiple locations in Lakeland.
Volunteers will be stocking shelves,
sorting donations, cleaning the
floors, etc.
Northside Baptist Church
3131 Duff Rd, Lakeland.
Volunteers will assist in cleaning up
the chapel and raking/mowing the
property.
TLC Petsnip
1701 E Gary Rd, Lakeland.
Volunteers are needed to wash pets,
clean animal cages, feed and walk
pets.
Azalea Park Retirement Community
1325 Grasslands Blvd, Lakeland.
Help is needed in the kitchen setting
tables and delivering food to
residents. Volunteers may also work
with the staff to take care of the
residents.
Lake Gibson Middle School
6901 N Socrum Loop Rd, Lakeland.
Volunteers will help check-out and
shelve books in the media center.
Free School Lunch
by Christian Barbosa
No more growling stomachs!
Students now can enjoy a
breakfast and lunch right here
at LG.
Thanks to a new Polk county
School Board program, all
students can get something in
our stomachs while we work
our brains. Mrs. Gray, the
head of the cafeteria, told me
all about the new Free Lunch
and Breakfast Program.
What prompted Polk county
School Board to provide
students with free meals? She
The cafeteria ladies keep us fed and happy!
explained that other Polk
County schools have done it
PCSB Food Services gets
reimbursed from the
government in order to cover
the cost of food for lunch and
breakfast. The program has
been in place in several other
schools across the county and
has proven to be a success.
The food the school uses is
provided by approved
vendors. Students must scan
their Student ID in order to
receive a meal, and each
student may only have one
breakfast and one lunch.
Mrs. Gray sees how this
program is impacting student
lives greatly. “Some kids stay
here at school to eat and it
provides them with a full
stomach, which helps prevent
a lot of kids from being hungry
while at home. In return this
helps students do better in
class because they are not
hungry.” The school plans to
continue this program next
year.
THE SPEAR LGHS NEWS
Issue #1
11
Mr. Burdick’s Big Success
by Heaven Johnson
Lake Gibson staff and students
may know Mr. Burdick as the
school's Theatre and Stagecraft
instructor. But what most people
don’t know is that he is also an
accomplished playwright.
Recently, one of his plays,
“Insert Token”, was selected to
be produced at BoxFest Detroit.
As you can imagine, this is huge
news for Mr. Burdick, and Lake
Gibson is proud to acknowledge
this achievement.
BoxFest Detroit is an annual
theatre festival that showcases
and creates opportunities for
women directors. Originally, the
play was submitted to a local
festival; however, it was much
too long to be accepted. In turn,
it was sent elsewhere; and after
a while of waiting, the play was
among the 13 plays chosen to be
produced out of 500
submissions. As you can
imagine, Mr. Burdick was very
excited to hear this news.
The entire festival took place
between August 19th and August
27th, at the Plant Ant Theatre in
Detroit, Michigan. BoxFest is
widely known as the only film
festival in America which
provides new opportunities for
female directors, and at the
same time, showcases the hard
work of playwrights and actors.
Ultimately, the director of “Insert
Token”, Mycah Leigh Artis, won
second place for her directing of
Mr. Burdick’s play. We are
fortunate to have such a
talented theater arts director
sharing his skills and knowledge
with the students of Lake Gibson
High School.
SCHOOL EVENTS
Homecoming Spirit Week:
Dress Up at school Friday 9/16 – Friday 9/23
Friday 9/16 - What Decade are You From?
Tuesday 9/20 - Tacky Tourist
Wednesday 9/21 – What Age am I?
Seniors – Senior Citizens
Juniors – College Student
Sophomores – little kid/elementary
Freshmen – babies
Thursday 9/22 – Twins/Dynamic Duo
Friday 9/23 – School Spirit Color Wars
Seniors – Black
Juniors – Garnet
Sophomores – Gold
Freshmen – White
Homecoming Details:
Homecoming Game September 23, Kickoff at 7:30pm
Homecoming Dance- September 24, 2016
LGHS Reservation (Gymnasium) 8pm – 11pm
Tickets on sale during lunch
9/16 – 9/23 $2
Early Birds 9/16 & 9/20 ONLY $10
No sales after lunch on 9/23 or at the door
*Students must be free from obligations AND show
school ID to purchase.
The Spear Staff
Sponsor:
Mrs. Burdick
Editor-in-chief:
Reanna Rogers
Manager Editor:
Lili Kramer
Head Columnist:
Grace Richardson
Head Photographer:
Alysa Rosado
Writers: Emily Pierce, Greg Sims, Christian Barbosa, Atchara
Lekphet, Wendy Capule, Sierra Ross, Kenneth Caraballo, Bryana
Freeman, Hannah Fletcher, Amanda Luna, Hunter Lenhart, Marty
Bowen
Editors: Jaylen Page, Sydney Nance, Teron Boykins, Cassidy Dues,
Ikhyra Walker, Chris Bellido
Columnists: Tanner Oakley, Zyon Grant, Lacy Fitzgerald, Alysa
Rosado