THE HI-LIFE - Henderson ISD

News
Page 8
News Briefs
Drama
A one-act play organizational
meeting was scheduled to be
held yesterday so that students
interested in participating could
begin sorting through plays to
select one to perform at competition in the spring.
Choir
The choral music department held its annual Christmas
concert this past Monday night
at Calvary Baptist Church. The
varsity mixed, JV and varsity
women’s choirs all participated.
For the first time, the high school
choir was joined by the Henderson Middle School mixed choir
directed by Jamie Olsen. The
middle school choir sang some
of their own pieces of music,
and then joined the combined
high school choirs in two songs
at the end of the concert.
Last Friday, the varsity mixed
choir performed for residents of
Autumn Leaves Nursing and
Rehab Inc. and Kingsley Place.
The group was also invited to
sing for members of the Rotary
Club at their weekly meeting at
Golden Corral. The choir sang
pieces that they performed for
their Christmas concert.
UIL
The social studies academic
team, under the sponsorship of
world history teacher Carolyn
Wimberley, won “Best Overall
Team” in the Region 10-4A Academic Tournament at Greenville
High School Saturday, Dec. 13.
Medaling were senior Sloan
Brown with first, junior Tyler
Meis with second and sophomore Scarlett Price with sixth.
Also participating was junior
Isaac Ramirez.
T he s t ud e nt s c omp et e d
against academic powerhouses
Commerce, Cooper, Greenville, North Lamar, Richardson,
Rowlett, Terrell, Texas High and
Venus.
It was the team’s second time
to compete in a practice UIL
meet this year and first time to
place.
Student Council
Choir director Floyd Satterwhite’s third period class won
the toy drive contest sponsored
by student council. The group
is currently conducting a candy
cane sale.
December 18, 2008
THE
HI-LIFE
The Student Newspaper of Henderson High School
P.O Box 728 • Henderson, Texas 75653 • [email protected]
Vol. 79, No. 4 • December 18, 2008
“If a person goes to a country and finds the newspapers filled with
nothing but good news, there are good men in jail.”
—Daniel P. Moynihan, former U.S. Senator, 1927-2003
Editors: Sarah Leitner and Rachel
Sanders Advertising & Business
Manager: Meagan Young Reporters: Micaela Akin, Jesika Allison,
Kelton Ashcraft, Caitlyn Dunphy,
Faith Gardner, Diana Lopez, Kelsey
Ricks, Logan Stewart, Meagan Young.
Artist: Faith Gardner Adviser: Neva
Hand. The Hi-Life is printed by the
Kilgore News Herald.
The Hi-Life is a member of
the Interscholastic League Press
Conference. Published nine times
a year, The Hi-Life is distributed
free to students, faculty and staff of
Henderson High School. Mailout
subscriptions are $10 per year.
The Hi-Life will refrain from
printing material that we consider libelous, invasion of privacy or subject matter intended
to cause severe disruption of
school activities. Opinions expressed on opinion pages are
those of the staff and do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of
the HISD administration or staff.
Letters to the editor that address current local events, issues
of interest or topics which are
pertinent to the student body as
a whole are welcomed. All letters
must be signed; however, the name
of the writer will be withheld
upon request, if circumstances
warrant.
Advertisements in The Hi-Life
are $5 per column inch, with discounts available for large ads and
multiple insertions. The Hi-Life
reserves the right to refuse any advertisement for any or no reason.
*Very unofficial, quite random,
not-exactly-representative-ofeveryone poll.
Powder Puff
results...page 4
Vol. 79, Issue 4
THE HI-LIFE
The Student Newspaper of Henderson High School
PO Box 728, Henderson, TX 75653
Habitat for
Humanity...page 7
[email protected] December 18, 2008
Students dance in Macy’s parade in New York
Jesika Allison
staff reporter
The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was held on
Nov. 27, 1924. Today the Macy’s
Day Parade is held every year to
kick off the holiday season with
bands, balloons and floats, and
this year, 10 Henderson girls
were a part of the parade.
Seniors Brandi Cook, Cortland Hollis and Brittany Bumgardner; juniors Kali Bradford
and Catie Foster; sophomores
Tei la Wa sh ing ton, Nata l ie
Bagley, Rebekah McCauley,
Dlaine Miley and Carli Dorman
were the 10 chosen to dance in
the traditional event.
“The girls were nominated
either as outstanding dancers
or cheerleaders from a camp
that they attended or by a dance
studio,” English teacher Cindi
Rains said.
All 10 girls traveled to New
York City and stayed in the
Hilton on 53rd and Sixth that
was paid for by the Mike Miller
Associates (MMA). They were
in New York from Friday, Nov.
21 to the following Friday, Nov.
28.
Each girl was accompanied
by family members, but once
checked in with MMA the chaperones, Rains and her husband
Gaylon Rains, high school cheerleading coach Sarah Dotson,
and mothers Tangela Washington and Kelly Bumgardner, were
responsible for the girls.
“The experience was great
and I loved it so much last year,
I was thrilled to be able to go
again,” Hollis said.
People came from all over
the country to participate in the
parade.
“It was really fun to meet
people from all over,” Teila said.
“The atmosphere is so different
from Texas, but I’d definitely go
back if I had the chance.
The package that the girls received for being chosen to travel
to New York included tickets
to the Radio City Rockettes
Christmas Spectacular and a
Broadway show. They saw the
Emmy Award-winning “In The
Heights.”
HHS cheerleaders were all smiles, even at 5:45 a.m., awaiting their debut in the Macy’s Thanksgiving
Day Parade. The girls traveled to New York City over the Thanksgiving holidays, performed with
other cheerleaders from all across the world and got to experience the crazy atmosphere of the Big
Apple.
The girls’ sightseeing in the to visit, but it’s way too busy to and it was freezing cold; but
Big Apple included visiting live there,” Hollis said.
the shopping made it all worth
Ground Zero, Statue of Liberty,
In addition, they went on while,” McCauley said.
Town Square, the Empire State shopping excursions to China
Building and Central Park.
Town and Macy’s.
“The city is a very fun place
“There was a lot of walking,
Psychology, sociology classes to visit Holocaust Museum
Jesika Allison
staff reporter
The psychology and sociology classes will visit the Dallas Holocaust Museum for an
educational field trip. The day
of the trip was postponed until
after the Christmas holidays, but
a specific date has not yet been
chosen.
“I have always wanted to take
the psychology class on a field
trip because I want the students
to see in action what we theoretically read about or talk about in
class,” psychology teacher Cindi
Rains said.
The students will be able to
see pictures, read stories and
witness vivid recreations of a
reprehensible time in history.
“It will also serve to reveal
why the Holocaust happened
and what the Holocaust victims
went through physically, emotionally and spiritually,” Rains
said.
From a sociological point of
view, it will help explain deviance and show studies of race
relations.
“Extermination is the most
horrific idea that sociologists
must try to grasp, and this will
explain to the students the events
that sociologists observe to comprehend it,” sociology teacher
Chris Wheeler said.
Although the Holocaust has
been taught and discussed extensively over the years, “I want
the students to walk away with a
greater appreciation for human
life and a deeper respect for
people who are different than
they are,” Rains said.
The students will also be
given the opportunity to visit
with a Holocaust survivor.
“As heartbreaking as it is to
see, I want them to be stunned
and see how incomprehensible it
was,” Wheeler said. “I think that
visiting with a survivor will be
quite powerful.”
Understanding race relations
is another key aspect in both
sociology and psychology.
“Sometimes, we judge people
by how they look, talk, dress or
what we have heard about them,
not caring enough to get to know
them on our own,” Rains said.
“Unfortunately, when we do so,
our preconceived biases get in
the way.”
The students will not be given
an objective test, but there will
a written assessment as well
as opportunities for expressive
writing.
“I truly want to know what
the students gleaned from the
experience and how it changed
their perceptions on authority,
religion, hate crimes and learned
helplessness,” Rains said.
“The students must understand that the extermination
of the Jews was not the first
genocide and was not the last,”
Wheeler said. “It still exists
today.”
Features/News
Page 2
December 18, 2008
School groups participate in Christmas parade
Jesika Allison
staff reporter
The annual Christmas Parade
held to help kick off the Christmas season locally by bringing
together the community with
fun music, decorations and holiday cheer was held Dec. 4.
The band met at 6 p.m. at the
Rusk County Library in their
marching uniforms with the
twirlers wearing their warmup
suits and performed a concert
of “Santa Claus is Coming to
Town,” Grandma got Run Over
by a Reindeer,” “Feliz Navidad,”
“Sleigh Ride,” “Angel Medley”
and “You’re a Mean one Mr.
Grinch.” Band sweetheart senior
Meredith Gunz and band beau
Brant Mapps rode on vehicles
behind the band during the
parade.
“Since Meredith was the band
sweetheart, I got to fill in as the
drum major,” senior Jordan
Keeling said. “It was really nerve
racking, but it was a really cool
experience.”
Wearing their star wind suits
and carrying sparkly red and
silver wreaths to go along with
the parade’s theme, “Christmas
of Wreaths.” varsity drill team
members marched behind the
band. Drill team sweetheart
senior Whitney Williams,waved
to the crowd from the following
vehicle.
Key Club sweethearts are
seniors Ashley McNew and
Chelsea Culp. McNew rode on
the club’s sponsor Karen Mobb’s
Mitsubishi convertible while
Culp chose to march with the
band since it was her last chance
to do so.
Varsity cheerleaders road on a
Jerry’s Wrecker Service vehicle
with senior mascot Brandi Cook
in her Lion costume.
Student Council president
junior Rusty Lowe and vicepresident senior Victoria Waugh
represented their group by rid-
ing in a 2008
maroon Corvette.
The ag department built
a f loat w ith
four Christmas
trees, wrapped
presents and
“snow.” FFA
sweetheart
senior Brandy
Cotton smiled
and waved
to the crowd
w h i l e ot h e r
a g member s
shouted “Merry Christmas”
to parade
watchers.
“The light The drill team danced to the band’s “Angels We Have Heard on High” with Christmas
up FFA sign wreaths.
Homecoming queen senior in the parade, although it was
looked specMarissa
Yarborough smile and cold,” Yarborough said. “Celtacular,” senior Holly Greer said.
waved
as
she rode though the ebrating the upcoming Christ“Everyone else was definitely
downtown.
mas holiday with the town was
jealous.”
“It was really exciting being a lot of fun.”
Breakfasts wasted in school cafeteria for juice
Logan Stewart
staff reporter
Recently in the high school
cafeteria, some students have
been throwing away the majority of their breakfast because all
they want is the juice.
The Texas Public School
Nutrition Policy states that
“school breakfasts must provide
one-fourth of the Recommended
Dietary Allowances of protein,
vitamins A and C, iron, calcium,
and calories.”
Four components are required to be served for breakfast:
milk, fruit or vegetable, and a
bread and/or a meat.
In order for a meal to qualify
as a reimbursable meal, a student
is required to have three of the
four components. Because some
items count as two components,
such as the breakfast pizza, the
breakfast pizza and a bottle of
juice or milk can qualify as a
meal.
If a student wishes to get only
one or two components, he must
pay the a la carte price for each
thing.
“Studies have shown that
students who eat breakfast have
longer attention spans and can
concentrate on their studies better than students who do not eat
breakfast,” HISD child nutrition
director Kathy Deason said.
A full price student breakfast
is 90 cents; a reduced price meal
is 30 cents and a free student
meal is provided free of charge.
On the reduced meals and
free meals, a student cannot get
juice for free unless he gets all
the necessary components.
“Our preference is that students pick up the complete meal
and at least try to eat some of all
of it,” Deason said.
Features/News
December 18, 2008
Key Club members help build lives
Kelsey Ricks
staff reporter
Members of the Key Club
have been and plan to be very
busy throughout the school
year.
So far, members of the service
organization have participated
in a number of events and activities taking place throughout the
community. One way they have
served is by volunteering at the
elementary school family fun
nights. Students helped in any
way they could, from serving hot
dogs to painting faces.
“Family fun nights were a lot
of fun because I worked with my
friend Rachel and we had fun
interacting with the kids,” senior
Hillary Decker said.
Key Club also participated
in the Thundering Sneakers
Fun Run held downtown for the
public library Nov. 1. Students
managed the drink stands and
helped runners with directions.
“Thundering Sneakers is a
great experience,” senior Jessica
Rivas said. “It is wonderful to
spend time serving the community with fellow Key Club
members.”
Many participating members
also volunteered at the Day for
Kids sponsored by the Boys and
Girls Club of Rusk County held
at Yates Park Sept. 20.
“I enjoyed feeding the kids at
the park,” junior Amadeus Tec
said. “It’s good to please and
interact with them.”
On Saturday, they helped
with Habitat for Humanity by
roofing and decking a home.
They also helped the Kiwanis
Club by wrapping presents for
children in need. Because of
its success in the past, the Key
Club decided to have the angel
tree again, but its proceeds will
be used differently than they
have before.
“This year, the presents col-
Logan Stewart
staff reporter
The blood drive that took
place in the multi-purpose room
Dec. 18 brought in 77 units of
blood.
Out of the 84 people who
signed up to donate, only 69
“Serving Rusk County Since 1929”
Our Student Checking Account requires only $25 to open, there is no monthly
service fee and your first box of checks is free! Personalized ATM/Debit cards
are also available on this account. Come in and check us out!
Visit us on the web at www.hendersonfederal.com!
Member FDIC
lected from the
angel tree are
items meant
to brighten up
the lives of people in nursing
h o m e s ,” K e y
Club spon sor
K a ren Mobbs
said.
Next spring,
the Key Club
plans to assist
in the Kiwanis
Pancake Supper,
spend more time
with Habitat for
Humanity and
par ticipate in
Relay for Life.
photo by chelsea springfield
Each memSophomore
Tori
Boaze
handles
a
staple
gun
while
helping
out Habitat for
ber participates
Humanity.
in these organiexperience.
feels really good knowing that
zations because
“It’s good to help out the com- we’re making a difference in
of the opportunity to make a
difference in the community munity without a price,” sopho- someone’s life.”
and the rewarding feeling they more Kristine Uy-Oco said. “It
Blood drive saves 231 lives
Henderson Federal Savings Bank
130 N. Marshall • Henderson, Texas 75652 • 903-657-2577
Page 7
photo by logan stewart
Senior Jessica Rivas prepares to give blood at the blood drive.
were able to give, but eight students gave an extra unit.
It is estimated that 231 lives
can be spared now because
every unit of blood donated,
which is 500 ml, saves three
lives apiece.
Students who donate two
times during their senior year
will be eligible to wear a red
citation cord at graduation to
recognize that they donated
blood.
When blood drives are held at
high schools, trainees are used
in helping to take blood from
students.
Junior Leina McQuigg gave
blood and experienced one of the
more painful attempts of having
blood drawn.
“I would give blood again,
though, just because I want to
have the opportunity to help
people,” McQuigg said.
The next time the Stewart Regional Blood Center is scheduled
to host a blood drive at the high
school is May 5.
First time in 18 years
Physics class Six Flags
’08 trip won’t happen
Caitlyn Dunphy
staff position
For 18 years, physics and
IPC teacher Tim Loomis has
taken his physics class to Six
Flags where students study
how laws of physics apply to
an amusement park. This year
marked the first time Loomis
has had to cancel because of
students’ previous engagements
and other reasons.
“There are a couple of different reasons [for canceling],
but the main reason is so many
schools go to Six Flags on
“Physics Day” and take students for fun, not to work,”
Loomis said.
Students also had theories
as to why they weren’t going to
Six Flags.
“It might have been a lack of
money or maybe something bad
happened previously,” junior
Joel Livsey said.
Another reason for the cancellation is students’ previous
commitments including jobs,
sports and other things. The
trip was mandatory, and if students didn’t attend, they had to
complete another assignment.
“[The trip] was something
different and we would actually get to see how those crazy
equations could be applied in
real life,” junior Krystin Sessions said. “[A positive side is]
we don’t have to do the big fat
packet that comes with it.”
The trip, taken at the end
of April, included the entire
physics class while Loomis
chaperoned with the occasional
help of biology teacher Pamela
Clifton.
Features
Page 6
Hello! I’d like you to meet...
Kelton Ashcraft
staff reporter
Henderson
native Rachael McGinnis is the new
world geography/world history teacher.
When she
Rachael
was a student
McGinnis
here, she was
a co-captain of the drill team.
“Spring show was always exciting,” McGinnis said.
After high school, she attended Kilgore College then finished
at the University of Texas at
Tyler. Her major is in history and
her minor is in social studies.
Her hobbies include going to
the movies and cooking, and
she wants to learn how to knit.
She is a fan of the Buffalo Bills
football team.
She has been married to her
husband, history teacher and
coach Patrick McGinnis, for
three years.
“I hope to be a positive influence on my students by teaching
them that anyone who is willing
to work to accomplish their goals
can succeed,” McGinnis said, “I
wish that more students believed
in themselves.”
Caitlyn Dunphy
Christopher, 22. She has seven
grandchildren.
When she was little, McAllister said she wanted to be an
interior designer.
In her spare time, McAllister
likes to play piano and sing gospel music. She has played since
she was little.
“I hope to help students find
confidence in themselves, to be
able to have a long happy life,”
McAllister said.
Diana Lopez
staff reporter
Cinthya
Olvera wa s
born and
raised in Costa Rica and
is now teaching Spanish I here at
Cinthya
HHS.
Olvera
She came
to United States when she was 13
and went to Center High School
in Center, Texas.
She lives in Nacogdoches and
graduated from SFA.
Olvera is currently working
on a masters degree in interdisciplinary English, Spanish and
Latin American languages.
“It’s hard to learn a second
language,” Olvera said. “When
people talk in a different language, you don’t understand
what they’re saying.”
Her experience from learning a language comes from her
childhood. When she came from
Costa Rica to the United States,
Olvera said that she didn’t go
to a class where she could learn
English like ESL, a class to learn
English as a second language; instead she attended a full English
class where no one could speak
Spanish.
“Students have to put a lot of
effort [into learning] and cooperate,” Olvera said.” But it’s not
impossible, and when you learn
it’s worth it.”
Olvera said she loves to spend
time with her family outside
school.
She is married to Jose Olvera
who has a degree in business.
She has two daughters, Lizette,
16, and Jessica, 15, who attend
Nacogdoches High School.
She has four dogs named
Chispita, Bonbon, Boots and
Romeo, and she likes to run in
her free time
“It relaxes me, takes my stress
away.”
The inspirational words she
offers students are, “ If you learn
a language, it’s a key that will
open many doors.”
December 18, 2008
Calendar of Events
December 18............................ Drama Dept. performs “Miser”
December 19..................................................... Early Dismissal
December 22-January 2..............................Christmas Holidays
January 5.........................................................Return to school
January 10................................................. Choir Area @ Plano
January 16............................................... End of 3rd Six Weeks
January 16........................................................ Early Dismissal
January 19............ Martin Luther King’s Birthday—No School
January 20.................................................Begin 4th Six Weeks
January 31.................................. HHS—All Orchestra Concert
January 28............................Senior Panoramic Picture 10 a.m.
39 girls selected for next
year’s varsity Lionettes
Girls tried out for the drill
team varsity line last Friday.
Girls who made next year’s
line include Micaela Akin,
Taylor Baxter, Markeyshia
Bell, Cindy Blanton, Tori
Boaze, Lauren Clifton, Chloe’
Davis, Carli Dorman , Andie
Duma s, Mela n ie Duma s,
Adrionna Edwards, Krystal
Evans, Kristie Hays, Whitney
Howard, Tif fany Hug hes,
Mandy Jones, U’Mika Jones,
Breanna Jordan, Lauren Lane,
Grace Medford, Linda Meruelo, Dlaine Miley, Bailey
Moody, Yohanna Morales,
Shay Neal, Ambreshia Pauley, Amber Riddell, Courtney
Roquemore, Rachel Sanders,
Caitlin Smith, Chelsea Springfield, Dakota Taylor, Logan
Thompson, Valerie Vaughn,
Alex Velasquez, Tae’Una Walters, Bria Whitehead, Keke
Young and Tyeshia Young.
staff reporter
Te a c h e r
a id e Wi l l ie
McAllister is
new to campus this year.
Bor n in Tyler, McAllister graduated
Willie
from Robert
McAllister
E. Lee High
School.
She taught as a teacher’s assistant for 12 years at Jasper,
Luf kin and Greenville school
districts. She got the idea of
teaching from her son’s teacher.
“I was room mother for my
son, and his teacher Helen King
got me started subbing at school,”
she said.
McAllister has been married to Dwayne McAllister Sr.
for 32 years, and they have
two sons, Dwayne Jr., 30, and
ROOTS CAFE
127 E. Main Street
In downtown Henderson...
Grow your roots in Christ!
Open Monday and Thursday after school
and on Saturday nights.
Watch for Special Events other times!
(a ministry of
First United Methodist Church)
Opinion
December 18, 2008
Powderpuff football should be ‘friendly’ fun
Page 3
December is a month of
many traditions. Here at HHS,
one of those traditions is that of
the annual powderpuff football
showdown between junior and
senior girls.
The Henderson girls should
be recognized for their sportsmanlike conduct, although tension between the rival classes, at
times, runs high; however, often
complaints about rough play or
cheating are heard around the
school.
At Glenbrook North High
School in Chicago, hazing on
the powderpuff field became
brutal and five girls ended up in
the hospital, one with a broken
ankle and another in need of 10
stitches in her head in 2003.
Granted the situation at our
school is not and probably never
will escalate to that extreme and
whether or not the complaints
voiced around our school have
any basis, a close look should
be taken at how powderpuff
football should be played as a
display of leadership and ideal
sportsmanship.
This most certainly begins
within the class and making sure
that each girl who wishes to participate gets to play in the game,
thus giving everyone who wants
to play a chance to contribute to
the team effort.
Complaints of rough play
during the game can also be
put to an end if both the seniors
and juniors consider setting an
example of leadership. Yes, the
seniors enjoy winning because
they have seniority. Likewise for
the juniors, who look forward
to an upset victory if they win.
But neither should be obtained
by rough play or other displays
of unsportsmanlike actions.
The game should pit the rivals
together in a fun and friendly
environment. The ability for
the game to gain that competitive edge rests with the maturity
of the players and their ability
to handle themselves in highly
competitive situations.
A precedent should be set of
fair play at our school, not only
in the game itself, but within the
team by allowing each player
to play and contribute to the
team equally. An example of
sportsmanship should also be
set on the field. Rumors of foul
play will cease to exist if there is
nothing to spark them. By starting this tradition and setting this
example, the game will become
more enjoyable and friendly
competition will become the
norm, and it will continue to be
a longstanding tradition.
Kelsey Ricks
year. “Black Friday” traditionally marks the beginning of the
holiday season for retailers and
brings in a major portion of their
holiday income. Stores open in
the early hours of the morning,
offering huge discounts on their
merchandise, and eager holiday
shoppers rush to get the best
deals possible.
One might argue that the
large turnout of shoppers on
Black Friday shows the abundance of generosity in the hearts
of Americans. But according
to the International Council of
Shopping Centers and Goldman
Sachs, 81 percent of consumers
planned to shop for themselves,
not others, on Black Friday.
Especially now due to the
weak economy, consumer desperation has taken over, and
Black Friday has become a day
full of mass chaos in which
people will do absolutely anything for a bargain.
In Columbus, Ohio, a 19year-old woman jumped onto a
man’s back and pounded on his
shoulders when he tried to take a
flat screen television that she had
already claimed as hers. A police
officer and a security guard were
both involved in breaking up
the fight.
At a Wal-Mart in Niles, Illinois, a distraught mother held
back tears when she realized
that someone had stolen her
shopping cart full of toys for her
children.
The most shocking Black
Friday story of all took place in
Long Island, New York, where
temporary Wal-Mart employee
Jdimypai Damour, 34, was
trampled by a mob of 2,000
holiday shoppers that busted
through the locked doors, all
searching for that perfect bargain. Workers tried to help him,
but they were knocked down as
well. An hour later, Damour was
dead. Even as he lay dying on
the cold Wal-Mart floor, people
continued to rush the store seeking the perfect deal.
One has to wonder what
this says about the values of so
many people during this time
of giving and generosity and
what the meaning of Christmas
has become in our society. It
has become more important to
save a couple hundred dollars
on a new flat screen than to be
a caring, moral person. Yes,
shopping is fun and exciting,
and yes, it’s thrilling to find good
bargains, but is it really worth a
man’s life?
T he focus of
Christmas needs to
shift away from the
material things to
what really matters.
Christmas time needs
to become the season
of giving once again.
So instead of buying something for
selfish reasons, buy
a toy for a child who
may not get any this
year. Instead of racing into the mall, stop
and drop a donation
into the Salvation
Army bucket. And
instead of rushing
through the holiday
season focused on
presents and parties,
take some time to
stop and appreciate
what Christmas really means and what
is truly important in
life.
Black Friday brings shoppers, early risers
staff reporter
It’s that time of year again,
and reminders of the Christmas
season are at every turn. When
driving through town, it’s impossible to miss the decorated
trees glowing through the windows, the line of people waiting
to see Santa Claus, or the group
of first graders caroling on the
courthouse steps. Every mom is
wearing her Christmas sweater,
every grocery store is playing
“Jingle Bells” on the intercom,
and every television channel
is showing “A Charlie Brown
Christmas.”
Charities and organizations
reflecting this time
of giving are also
very active; food
banks are overflowing, angel trees are
surrounded with
gifts, and Salvation Army bells
are ringing in front
of businesses and
shopping ma l ls.
Un for t u nately
though, for some
people the focus
a nd mea n ing of
Christmas has
changed and the
glorious season of
giving has become
the season of getting...at all costs.
In recent years,
the Fr iday after
Thanksgiving has
turned into one of
the busiest shopping days of the
Sports/Features
Page 4
December 18, 2008
Sports
December 18, 2008
Page 5
Online profiles gain popularity in the virtual network
Lady Lions to meet Pleasant Grove Friday here
Faith Gardner
Rachel Sanders
staff reporter
Yet another phenomenon to
arise from the communication
generation, social networking
has quickly become the trendy
and convenient way to keep up
with old friends and meet new
ones. Online communities offer
different options and features
that allow users to connect with
friends, family and other users
with similar interests.
One of the most popular
social networking sites is MySpace.com. It appeals to and is
used by a variety of individuals
and offers scores of features to
personalize user profiles. From
vibrant background templates—
many of which can be found
free on the Internet—to video
posts and music, users can alter
the design of their profiles to
express themselves. Users can
add other users and musicians
and bands to their friend lists,
and comment, message or even
use MySpaceIM to keep up with
friends. MySpace’s homepage
also offers a daily news section,
announcing updates in general
media, music and, typically, an
irrelevant, entertaining video.
One downfall of MySpace, however, is its user unfriendly setup.
Not only can features often be
difficult to find and use, but user
support is almost non-existent.
One could almost have more
chance for assistance by walking
out his door and tracking down
Tom, the site’s now-famous
president, himself by foot. Any
reports, complaints or problems
must be reported through an inefficient inquiry, and responses
from administrators are usually
slow.
Another widely-used online
community is Facebook.com.
Originating as a network for
college students, it has expanded
to offer online communities and
groups for almost every age and
interest. Users can message
friends and comment on their
profiles, join or start specialinterest groups that connect hobbyists, friends and class graduates, and send virtual postcards.
Facebook offers some features
unique to the site, including
“walls” where friends can post
public messages to one another,
and “pokes” which simply notify the pokee that he has been
poked, the virtual equivalent to
a friendly, wordless wave across
the room. Facebook’s layout and
setup, less elaborate and customizable as MySpace’s, is simplistic
and organized, causA Refresher on Internet Safety
ing less headaches for
Although
social
networking can be a fun way to meet new friends
its users.
A social network online, precautions should be taken to protect your identity from
for music aficiona- unwelcome strangers.
dos, P u revolu me. •Don’t divulge personal information- age, school grade, last names,
com connects fans
phone numbers or location- to anyone you don’t know personally.
and performers. Like
Facebook, the lay- •Use the site’s privacy options. These allow you to keep personal
out is simplistic, but information, such as age and location, absolutely private or only
offers features that accessible to friends you have approved.
most social network- •Don’t leave clues. Don’t post photographs that hint at location (street
ing sites do not. Al- signs, house numbers, etc.), and don’t use your age or birth year in your
though users can add,
username. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to deduce that CutiePie93 is
message and comment on other user’s 15 years old.
profiles, Purevolume •Think before you post. Many prospective employers, colleges and
also enables users some schools may screen your online profiles. Don’t post pictures,
to keep close tabs videos or stories that could harm your reputation in the future. People
on favorite artists have actually lost their jobs for inappropriate pictures posted online.
and musicians. After
•Trust your instincts. If a user makes you feel uncomfortable or
an artist is added to
the favorites list, us- harasses you in any way, report him or her immediately to the site’s
ers are automatically administrators.
updated when artists
nical support and problems are each community offers different
add announcements, tour dates,
reported in forums or through features and options that apmusic and blog posts. Artists
direct e-mail to administrators, peal to different users. Because
can post songs and tracks for free
where answers and responses are membership in most of the comlistening, including unreleased
usually speedy.
munities is free, joining more
tracks, and sometimes for free
Whether used as an artistic than one could provide personal
downloading. Unsigned and inoutlet or as gathering grounds feedback for the user who isn’t
dependent bands can also create
for social butterf lies, online sure which way to go or has
profiles and post music to attract
communities provide a unique trouble making up his mind. The
listeners. Users can post and disconnection to friends and fam- virtual community is waiting...
cuss various topics in personal
ily. Although innumerable op- and growing.
blogs and public forums. Techtions for social networking exist,
Senior girls win annual
powderpuff football game
Logan Stewart
Staff reporter
The Junior “Lady Lion” football team faced off against the
Senior “Lady Lion” football
team at Lion Stadium in the 3rd
annual PTO sponsored powderpuff football game Dec. 5.
The pre-game pep rally started at 6:30 p.m. before the game
and included performances by
the band’s drumline and five
male twirlers, seniors Caleb
Young and Nehal Patel and juniors Kelton Ashcraft, Josh Voss
and Patrick Ross.
The teams kicked off at 7
p.m. and led to the junior girls
making the first touchdown of
the night with junior Ikedria
“KeKe” Young putting the juniors on the scoreboard with
six points.
The seniors scored a touchdown two minutes later and
also successfully completed a
two-point conversion which
put the senior girls ahead of the
juniors 8-6.
Before the halftime break,
junior Hannah Henderson made
a touchdown for the junior team
adding another six points to the
junior side of the scoreboard.
The two-point conversion failed
leaving the score at 12-8.
The senior girls scored again
after the juniors adding six
points to the senior side and left
the scoreboard with a 12-14 score
during the halftime break.
While the seniors talked over
the game in the field house, the
junior girls watched the twirlers
put on another performance
during halftime and watched
the crowning of the powderpuff
queen, senior Brodrick Warren. He was presented with a
crown and a bouquet of flowers
by seniors Cortland Hollis and
Lauren Smith.
The seniors scored during
the second half and completed
a two-point conversion to bring
the final score to 22-12.
co-editor
Varsity
The Lady Lion varsity basketball team will play Pleasant Grove
tomorrow here at 5 p.m.
The girls played Pleasant Grove
Tuesday, but results were not available at press time.
The Ladies lost both their games
at the Brownsboro Tournament
Dec. 11-13. They fell to Mt. Pleasant
52-56 and Palestine 40-55.
They played Van Dec. 9 at home
losing 55-60.
Spring Hill tournament Dec. 4-6
away the Ladies won two of their
four games. They were defeated
by Hallsville 37-71, came back to
win against New Boston 36-30, fell
to Texas High 30-35 then defeated
Carthage 49-46.
The girls lost against Brownsboro Dec. 2, 28-56.
Leading in scoring was Dudley
with 7 points and White and Centers both with 6 points. Moore had
7 rebounds and Tasha Neal had 3
assists.
The varsity won their game
against Gladewater Nov. 29 at home
48-46.
Horton led again in scoring with
20 points for the Ladies and Osteen
with 8 assists.
They fell to Pine Tree Nov. 25
at home. The determining scores
were 40-49.
Girls who led in scoring where
Dudley with 10 points and Horton
with 9.
The Ladies defeated Chapel Hill
Nov. 21 in an away game 59-49.
Leading with scoring was Horton with 16 points and Sabella with
12. Horton also added 11 rebounds
for Henderson.
White, Mallard and Sabella all
scored 3-pointers.
In the game against Palestine
Nov. 18 the Ladies won with a close
score of 39-38.
Dudley scored the most that
game with 16 points.
They played Bullard Nov. 15 in
an away game losing 17-60.
Horton scored a total of 6 points
and White scored 5.
JV
The junior varsity girls basketball team will play Pleasant Grove
tomorrow at home.
They played Pleasant Grove
Tuesday, but results were not available at press time.
They Ladies played Van Dec. 9
but scores are not available.
Wrestlers set for Border Bash
Clay Brown
Guest reporter
Henderson’s varsity and JV
wrestlers are scheduled to compete
in the East Texas Border Bash here
on Dec. 20.
Last weekend the team traveled
to Turner for the R.L. Turner Invitational Meet. The varsity wrestled
on Friday with only one wrestler
eliminated. Both varsity and JV
competed Saturday in a double
elimination tournament with two
wrestlers medaling. Freshman Jake
Cloutier took first place and junior
Trace Warner took third.
The varsity Lions participated in
a meet near Shreveport Saturday,
Dec. 6, competing in both singles
and team matches.
“It was my first time to wrestle
for the varsity,” Warner, a heavyweight, said. “I was excited the
entire time.”
Medaling were varsity wrestlers
Warner and junior Logan Holland
with second places, Cloutier with
a first and senior Josh Youngblood
taking a third place.
The team started the season
at the Richardson Invite in Richardson in a two-day tournament.
On Friday, the varsity including
Holland, Warner, Cloutier and
Youngblood, sophomores Blade Gillispie, Jermel Oliver, Brady Brian,
Chris Hambrick, Cord Fletcher, and
freshmen Tim Sanders, Dee Brown
and Blake Stegall placed eighth out
of 12 schools attending.
“Coming back from last year the
meet was easy; I felt like I didn’t
want to stop myself,” Fletcher
said.
On Saturday, individual medals were awarded to Fletcher and
Warner who both took first places,
Gillispie and Holland with second
places and Kyron Reese with a
third place.
“They [the new freshmen] have
a lot of potential,” wrestling coach
Matthew Dyson said. “They will be
good athletes.”
The next meet after this coming
weekend’s will be the Evangel Invite
Dec. 29-30, for varsity and JV.
At the Spring Hill tournament
Dec. 4-6 the girls lost to Hallsville,
but beat Sabine and Texas High for
the consolation trophy.
They fell to Brownsboro Dec.
2, 20-31.
We apologize for game results
that were left out.
Micaela Akin
staff reporter
Freshmen
HHS freshman girls basketball
had a few games over the Thanksgiving holidays. They played Pleasant Grove Dec. 16 but the results
were not available at press time.
“With the help of coach Lawrence, we improved this year,”
freshman TaeUna Walters said.
“Freshmen rock!”
They lost to Van 20-40 Dec. 9.
On Dec.6 they played against
Spring Hill at the Spring Hill Tournament and lost 12-16. Also at the
Spring Hill Tournament freshman
girls beat Pine Tree 26-25, but lost
to Texas High 23-32.
Dec. 2 freshman played Brownsboro and lost 17-34.
“I think the season is going to be
very good because our team is working very hard,” freshman Tyesha
Young said.
On Nov. 25 freshmen lost to
Pine Tree 16-33.
Nov. 21 they played against
Chapel Hill and came out with a
score of 33-14.
Nov.18 they played Palestine
and won 18-8.
The first game that the Lady
Lions freshman basketball team
played was against Spring Hill, and
they won 18-8.
Lions in Tatum tourney
Kelton Ashcraft
staff reporter
The varsity and JV boys basketball teams started their seasons
before Thanksgiving break.
Currently the varsity team is
winless with a record of 0-7 while
JV has a winning record of 7-2. JV
and varsity had their open day Dec.
12; they faced Hudson on Tuesday
and will face Corsicana Dec. 22.
Varsity has the Tatum tournament
today through Dec. 20. and the
Wagstaff Classic Dec. 29-31.
Varsity
Varsity lost to Marshall 56-44
Nov. 24 and lost to Grace Community Nov. 28, 48-51.
The Lions lost to Diboll Nov.
25, 56-62 and to Chapel Hill 46-59
on Dec. 5.
At the Madisonville Tournament, Henderson lost to Westwood
51-44 Dec. 8.
JV
At the Hudson Tournament, the
JV team won two games and lost
one Nov. 16.
JV defeated Diboll 69-54 Nov. 25
and pulled a big win against Grace
Community 42-17 Nov. 28.
At the Henderson Optimist
Tournament Nov. 30, JV won two
games before losing to Tyler Lee
64-36.