Volume 7, Number 3 - March 2014
Transcription
Volume 7, Number 3 - March 2014
RBS SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: • Honor Roll • Close-Up • Dean’s Note • Senior Spot- STAR EXPRESS V O L U M E 7 I S S U E 3 M A R C H 2 0 1 4 MBI makes an impression MBI Interview with Julie MacDonald lights • Basketball • HorrorScopes • No-Tardy Party INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Around the School 2 CloseUp 4 Governor Visits 5 Elementary SOM 6 Basketball Highlights 8 Senior Spotlights 10 HorrorScopes 12 We are seeing success with MBI. There are many differences within the schools. Many students are reminding others of the universals and they are using the “Level 0” signal in the hallway. Also, this year our hallways are quieter and calmer. We have seen better playground behavior as well. Together we have many programs. We give out STAR tickets and draw names of ticket winners each Friday. We also celebrate when our kids have earned a combined total of 100 tickets. We threw a pizza/movie party for the first 100 ticket winners. Rocky Boy school had a big eye opener when they saw how huge of a success other schools had come by with MBI. Rocky Boy started MBI this year and knew it would be successful, also. There are many goals we want to meet by the end of MBI. We want to create a calm, respectful atmosphere. Not only have that but have our students feel safe. We feel the students will learn better Students practice MBI! and be more successful. The students also wrote a song about the honor of being a star which is on the schools website. If you visit, click on MBI. Preparing for SmarterBalanced testing This year the school is transitioning from taking the MontCAS tests as our Standard Test and moving toward the SmarterBalanced tests. The science tests are still administered as paper and pencil. The SmarterBalanced tests are 100% online requiring students to log on and navigate through the document using only the tools provided by that site. Although some kids wont have a problem with it, others are going to find it over whelming and become frustrated. Taking the practice test to familiarize yourself with the layout can help take away some of that anxiety. You can find the practice test on SmarterBalance.com. PAGE 2 Who is Ms. Blair? What brought you to be a teacher in Rocky Boy? I am student teaching while working as a full time teacher. How do you like teaching at Rocky Boy schools? I really enjoy the kids and the challenge Rocky Boy has given me the opportunity to work with. Ms. Blair’s new this year What are some rules you made in your classroom? Do you best! Be honest Ask for help What are some interesting things you like to do in your classroom? Cooking Building things Where did you get your teacher’s degree at? I originally received my bachelors from Carroll College and my endorsement from UM Western in Dillon. I will start a dual masters program through Bozeman and MSU Billings. What do you enjoy about teaching? The students. They have good ideas. I learn more from them than I teach, sometimes. Message from the Dean Students earn rewards and prepare for new Standardized Testing Ms. LaMere is now our full-time 712 Dean of Students. STAR Hello parents and students. It is with pride that I write this letter to let you know what is going on with Rocky Boy Junior/Senior High School. Our students have worked hard to earn the privilege of attending a trip with Close-Up. Thirteen students are presently in Washington D.C. to learn and discover how our government works. Mr. Griggs and those students raised money from the beginning of the year to fly out of Great Falls last Saturday and will return this Friday. Mrs. Rennick took eight students to Billings for FCCLA on Sunday and they will return Tuesday. They will take part in several intensive workshops and competitions while they are there. On March 17 we had 21 students eligible to take part in the NO-TARDY PARTY. This was an incentive for those students who were not late to ANY of their classes in the 2nd Quarter. They watched movies, were rewarded prizes and ate pizza. Another incentive was the Honor Roll Trip; 64 students were eligible to go to Havre for a movie. If they could not make it to the movie, they were given gift certificates to go at their leisure. We are proud of these students for working hard and making honor roll for the 1st Semester. EXPRESS On March 12th, 13th and 14th our 8th and 10th grade student took the Science portion of the MontCas. This is a standardized test to check their aptitude up to this point only in science. As a reminder, ALL students 7-12 will be taking the Smarter Balanced Test in the month of May. Math has been working with technology and doing the Renaissance Learning program which is directly related to our Common Core requirements. This will help prepare them for the Smarter Balanced Test in May. Finally, I would like to invite all parents and students to attend the Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday, March 27th. We look forward to meeting with you from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. Dinner will be provided as well as door prizes. Have a great week everyone. Deborah LaMere, M.Ed. Dean of Students VOLUME 7 ISSUE 3 PAGE . SmartBoard sounds Cree classes at both the elementary and the junior high are stepping it up with the integration of newly learned technology. Both Ms. St. Pierre and Mr. Sunchild recently took a workshop on a program called Audacity. They learned how easily the can record The sound files can now be attached to pictures so that clicking on a graphic (photo, drawing, letter, number, etc.) will allow students to hear the Cree words as they see the pictures. Creating these audio to picture connections will help out the non-Cree speaking teachers also. Now, the teachers who speak only English will be able to learn the Cree phrases so that when students need something, they can ask any of their teachers in Cree. This is the 1st Semester and 2nd Quarter Honor Roll list. The new list sounds, edit them, and then export them as MP3 files. Exporting them as MP3 files is crucial to the next step. As MP3 files, the sound bites can be added to SmartBoard’s Notebook files New Year’s Resolutions Deb LaMere: Lose Weight Alyx Seaton: Get all my work done and handed in. Zellah Nault: Give up pop Skylar Parisian: Get out of high school and go to college Aubrey Henderson: To be a nicer person. Jillian Top Sky: Stop being shy. Carrie Gopher: To be the school librarian. Kendall Griggs: To be a better teacher. Mrs. Lorett: To have a miracle. Mona Sunchild: Spend all the time I can with my Grandbaby. Donna Raining Bird: Spend all the time I can with my twin babies. Cheralyn Stump: To lose all of this *slaps her tummy* .Katrina Lafromboise: Hope that one day John Henry could beat me at basketball. Stormie Eagleman: Don’t go to jail this year. Sequoia Demontiney: To write 2014 instead of 2013. Donelle Yellow Tail: Stop drinking. Mr.Tull: Finish my sleeves Mrs. Engrebretson: To learn to not make one. Kordell Small: Come to school. Kolie Wolf Child: Quit smoking. Minnie The Boy: Get Skinnier Mike Mithlo: To grow my hair longer. Jake Duran: To increase my vertical. Clayton: Grow little braids like Rocky will be posted Seniors Teshia Big Knife Jodee Demontiney Payge Gardipee Eric Houle Jr. Ashley Lindberg Jeesi Mitchell Codi Parker Desmond Parker Shania Parker Chanal Standing Rock Martin Zarco Juniors Tristen Belgarde Elijah Gopher Isiah Murie Ariana Patacsil Thalia Vazquez Rainey Singer Savannah Stump Sophomores Dusti Demontiney Juanaya Gamble Andrea Meyers Logan Rock Bowen Standing Rock Cameron Taylor Jude The Boy Skyler The Boy Isaiah Turn Toes Porfirio Zarco Freshmen Chris Arkinson Chase Corcoran Jarrell Gopher Katrina Laromboise Roselynne Parker Shania Patacsil Dallas Reese Minnie The Boy Sterling Trahant Zenjo Wolf Child Ayana Bacon 8th graders Trystan Abeita Leilani Denny Aliyah Eagleman Kade Galbavy Aubrey Henderson Sean Henry Salyntha Houle Benjamin Iron Eyes Jaycee Lewis Jaylynn Mitchell Taylor Reese David Russette Jr. Kiara Small Kordell Small Jillian Topsky 7th Graders Deah Demontiney Eryn Ferguson Janae Johnson Britney LaFromboise Anthonio Nation Jeremiah Parker Rochelle Pease Alyxandria Seaton Makavelli Sutherland Henry Webster lll Marcus Zarco during Parent/ Teacher Conferences! 3 PAGE 4 Rocky Boy Close Up Embarks On DC Trip Close-Up Advisor Kendall Griggs STAR At 3:00 AM on Saturday, March 22 thirteen students will be accompanied by Mr. Griggs on an educational trip to Washington DC. The Close Up Program is designed to inform, inspire, and empower young people to exercise the rights and accept the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy. The students will be in the Nation’s Capital for an entire week touring the sights, learning about the democratic process and taking part in various workshops. Starting back in September the students began raising money for their trip through numerous fundraising events. After many hours of food sales and with generous donations from numerous tribal offices, businesses and programs as well as the Rocky Boy School District the students finally reached their financial goal. The students have worked hard for this trip and will enjoy a once in a lifetime experience while in DC. Along with seeing DC’s numerous museums, memorials and sights the students will also have a chance to meet with the EXPRESS State Senators and Representatives for a Q and A session. They have been given VIP passes to the Holocaust Museum from Senator Tester’s Office and will also get a private tour of the US Capitol Building. On Wednesday the students are attending the Washington Wizards vs. Phoenix Suns NBA matchup and will also tour the National Museum of the American Indian. On Sunday Mr. Griggs plans to show the students how to ride the DC Metro system and enjoy a free day of touring DC and seeing the Nation’s Capital at night. We would all like to thank the Parents who helped with numerous fundraisers and the businesses that helped us to reach our goals. RJS Associates, Chippewa Cree Construction, Northern Winz Casino, Dry Fork Farms, Tribal Housing, and Thinks Finance (Plain Green). We would also like to thank Senator Tester’s Office for lining up Tours of the Capitol Building and VIP passes to the Holocaust Museum. Without your help we would never have been able to make Close Up a reality. Please ask any of the students about their trip when they return as Mr. Griggs plans to make Close Up a yearly or possibly bi-yearly event for Rocky Boy High School Students. If your student is interested in Close Up next year have them speak to Mr. Griggs to start fundraising this spring and throughout the summer. The Close-Up students will also be making presentations to the Tribal Council and School Board about Close Up when they return. VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 PAGE Spelling Bee Results Spelling Bee Results: 1 Jaynah Gopher 2 Aaliyah Eagleman 3 Alex Belgarde 4 Lacey Arkinson 5 Melvin Morsette 6 David Russette 7 Sheydon Standing Rock 8 Monique Standing Rock 9 Wyatt Caplette 10 Kylinn Hay 11 Clayton Gardipee Alternates: Brian Jones Derrelle Fiddler Kiara Small Olin Arkinson The Hill County Spelling Bee was February 12th, Havre Middle School, 9AM. A big thank you goes out to all those who helped in any way. I apologize if I left anyone out... Jennifer Duncan Amanda Blair Les Callas Julie MacDonald Bev Terry Lacrissa St.Pierre Ben Tull Mary Russette Mike King Kendall Griggs and his Close-Up students and parents Teresa Olson Dorrina Ojeda Governor Bullock visits What would you ask the Mr. Bullock was very forthcoming with his salary, $100,000 a year, how much traveling he does, and that last week he only had two hours during his busy schedule to actually sit down and work. After speaking with the students, Mr. Bullock sat with the teachers to discuss their concerns. Of course, the new Smarter Balanced Test was On March 24, Montana Governor Steve Bullock came to speak with the students. He had encouraging words about the outstanding graduation rate here at Rocky Boy. Rocky Boy earned the highest percentage of students applying for college of any high school in the sate for 2013. The Governor fielded questions from the students also. Students asked questions about what his job is, how much does he make, and even if Mr. Bullock likes his job. one of the first topics. Another topic addressed was the unemployment rate here on the reservation. Mr. Bullock hopes that the increased enrollment in higher education will help to bridge that gap between unemployment and business opportunities. Governor if given a chance? 5 PAGE 6 LIBRARY STUDENTS OF THE MONTH The Rocky Boy Elementary Students are the library students of the month for February. The 320 elementary students not only met, but also surpassed the librarian challenge of reading 1525 books during I Love to Read Month. These enthusiastic children read 1775 books from February 1 through February 28, 2014. Specific classes that read an extraordinary amount of books are Mr. Harkin’s kindergarten who read over 300 books, Mrs. Treber’s first grade students read over 300 books, and Ms. Terry’s sixth Ozias Ojeda Ozias is a super star second grader in Mrs. MacDonald’s class who is hardworking, responsible, and respectful of others.He rarely ever misses a day of school and gives 100% effort while here. STAR EXPRESS Ozias can be counted on to participate in classroom activities and uphold our school universals in every area of the school. Several other teachers have com- grade read over 160 books. Congratulations to the Rocky Boy Elementary School students on reaching for the stars! mented and rewarded Ozias for his respectful, caring attitude. He uses his manners and treats everyone with kindness and respect. Ozias has been working hard on becoming an excellent reader and writer this year, and it shows in how much reading fluency growth he has made. He excels in math and is a whiz at addition and subtraction math facts. We really enjoy having such a fun boy in our class! VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 PAGE 7 Lanaya Stump Lanaya Stump is the student of the month for January in Mrs. Colliflower’s second grade class. Lanaya is a great example of a Star Student; she is responsible, respectful, a learner, and she is safe. Lanaya has great attenCaption dance and aldescribing ways has a picture or great attitude graphic. towards learning. She always participates in class as she is never one to sit back and be shy. Lanaya loves to read science books, her favorite game is tag, her favorite T.V show is Jessie, and when she grows up she wants to be a scientist. Lanaya is the daughter of Ron Stump Jr. and Julie Werk and she has two dogs named Leroy and Okie. Congratulations Lanaya and keep working hard at Talise Broncho Talise is a super star second grader in Mrs. MacDonald’s class who strives to do her best and is always careful and consistent with her work. She is a very active learner, always eager to add to the classroom conversation, while also respecting and listening to the ideas of others. Talise models excellent classroom behavior and can be counted on to model our school universals outside of the classroom as well – always being safe, responsible, respectful, and being a star Faren Geboe learner. She listens carefully to instruction and applies what she learns to her classwork. Talise earns top scores in reading, math, and spelling and is quite an amazing author as well. News Staff Faren Geboe is the January Student of the Month for Mr. Harkins’ Kindergarten class. Faren is the daughter of Mike Geboe and Delia Morsette. Faren is an exemplary student. She listens, follows directions, works very hard, and is always willing to help out. She is polite and respectful towards her teachers and classmates. Faren is a joy to have in class. Editors—RoseAnn Saddler & Teri Lynn Olson Sports—Chayse Coffee Features—Rainey Singer, Savannah Stump, and Thalia Vasquez HorrorScopes—Jonas Rickett Advisor—Ms. Duncan To see more photo albums from this year’s events and created by Wes Benally, visit the school’s web site www.rockyboy.k12.mt.us PAGE 8 Boys basketball highlights The Rocky Boy Northern Stars had a rough beginning. They ended the regular season with a 8-12 record. Coach Ferguson, Coach Gopher and Skylar Parisian talk. STAR With a record like this, many doubted the Stars would have any chance at divisionals and counted them out from the beginning of District Tournaments. The boys proved those doubters wrong by taking first place and winning the coveted spot at the Divisional Tournament. The boys started the Divisional tournament slowly and barely squeaked past Harlem in their opener with a final shot EXPRESS by Isaih Murie from the freethrow line to break the tie. The second game was less eventful, and the boys lost by a narrow margin moving them in to Saturday play. On Saturday morning, the Northern Stars took on Conrad in a very close match-up. The Stars had a one point lead with 3.4 seconds left to play and Conrad at the free-throw line for two shots. Conrad made both shots all but sealing a one point victory for the Cowboys. The Stars had only one chance left. They got the ball to their quickest player, Skylar Parisian. The Cowboys didn’t even think to slow him down as he raced straight down the middle for a game-winning layup. This buzzer-beater victory put the Northern Stars up against Choteau in the consolation game on Saturday night., but being plagued by some fairly serious injuries kept the Stars from moving on to the state tournament.. The Stars can hold their heads up high though and are already building on their successes to make another try for a state win in 2015. VOLUME 7 ISSUE 3 PAGE “A winner is someone who recognizes his God – given talents, Girls basketball highlights The Morning Stars made it to divisionals for the first time in their Class B history placing fourth in the District 1B Tournament. Coach Jazz Parker says he owes his team’s success in part to his wife who is not only his assistant coach but also the person who reigns him in and keeps him under control. Coach Parker also shared that when he started coaching these girls three years ago he wasn’t expecting them to win right away. He’s been building his team up to be stronger and better each year. The Morning Stars have some explosive players with Chanal Standing Rock who has the record for most points scored in a game this season, even out-scoring the boys. The Morning Stars went up against Malta in their opening game in the Northern B Divisional Tournament in Conrad. The Stars were slightly out-scored in the first three quarters and worked toward a come-back in the final quarter to come within nine points of the heavily-favored Malta team. Friday’s game against Glasgow was a sweet victory. Rocky Boy girls won by 16 points. The final score was 54-70. This win kept them in the tournament for the Saturday morning game against Conrad. That game was hard-fought and wasn’t decided until the Stars took control in over time. The Stars had a chance to bring home some hardware and went up against Glasgow in the consolation game. The game was easy for the stars during the first two quarters, but Glasgow gained the lead in the third and out-scored the Stars making it a close match up. The Scotties couldn’t make any of their 3-point attempts, while Rocky Boy made half of theirs. The Glasgow girls works his tail off to develop them also were only 50% from the freethrow line while the Stars improved their free-throw shooting from just over 50% at the district tournament to 75-80% at divisionals. This improvement at the charity line was all the Stars needed to move from a fourth place finish to third. The same four teams finished in the top four, with Fairfield remaining undefeated and the Morning Stars moving up from fourth to third. The Stars did not move on to the state championship, but got a taste for victory and will work just as hard next year to get to the big show. into skills, and uses these skills to accomplish his goals.” 9 PAGE 10 My name is JoDee and I am probably the most awesome person you will ever meet. I am currently 18 years of age, and my birthday is February 9th. I am very jealous of my parents Velma and Floyvin because I’ll never have a kid as cool as theirs. I have one brother, Preston, and three sisters, Audrey, Lola, and Kyla. I am the youngest of my three biological siblings. I like to draw, take pictures, and look at trucks. One day I want to drive a bad looking Ford truck, but I don't mind Chevys. I like my senior year so far because its easy, and I learned a lot about having to grow up so quick and start doing things on my own. Sometimes I get scared that I wont be able to do it but then again I have a lot motivation to. This January I stared taking classes at Stone Child while I finish high school. Later on down the road I would like to further my passion for art and photography. I want to make enough money so I can live comfortably and support myself. STAR EXPRESS Hello my peers, my name is Shania. I have amazing nun-chuck skills and I practice in the ancient art of origami. When I was eleven I was waiting for my acceptance letter to Hogwarts; unfortunately, it never came. My parents Judy and Martin Parker are very blessed to have a spectacular child like me, and my siblings: Carly, Joel, and Janae feel the same way; ask them. I enjoy Netflixing. in fact, I believe it is my hobby. If you are still reading, congrats you’re awesome. I enjoy living in the now, and it might even be my downfall. I like my high school career so far, and I am looking forward to a new adventure in college. I may be lost now on what I want to do, but one day I believe I can change the world. I have made many connections with my teachers and fellow students in the many years I’ve devoted to my education, and I hope I never, ever see them again. I hope in my future endeavors I can make the same bonds I have made here. My future would not be possible without the love and support of the people I know. PAGE 12 What happens to your character? Aries— Adventurous and energetic Taurus—Patient and reliable Gemini—Versatile and eloquent When a student turns the horoscopes into a horror story, this is what you get. Story by Jonas Rickett STAR Horror Scopes Aries You’re adventurous and energetic but you’re also selfish, quicktempered, impulsive, impatient, foolhardy, and a daredevil. You’re the one who causes the incident; you unknowingly risk all your friends’ lives for your selfish curiosity. Carelessly you plunge into the dark woods after hearing about the dark dangerous creature that lives in it. Challenged by a dare you walk into the dark woods with nothing but a flashlight and your friends close behind you. Just barely into the woods you get separated from your group as you stop to take a leak. You hear a rustle in the bushes behind you; assuming it’s your friends trying to play a prank on you, you antagonize it. “Come out you idiots. I know it’s you!” you shout; but there’s no response. Your impatient side starts to get the best of you, you pick up a rock and cast it at the bush with all your might, then shine your flash light at it expecting to see one of your friends walk out from behind a bush, but all you see is a quick flash of a large, black figure run to a nearby tree before you can turn and catch another glimpse of it. The creature is already up a tree cloaked in the branches and leaves. The only image you can comprehend of it is that it’s a large, black four-legged creature. It quickly pounces out of the tree; you dive to the side barely dodging its claws that tear through the sleeve of your sweater leaving four shallow gashes on your arm just above your wrist. You start to crawl away, but the creature is too fast; it quickly changes directions and plants its large paw in the center of your back pinning you in place. You feel terrified knowing this may be your last moment on this earth. The creature puts its other paw on the back of your head and starts to apply pressure; you squirm to try to get free; your attempts are useless and only upset the creature more. It starts to apply more pressure, crushing down on your skull. The last sound you hear is the cracking of your own skull under the creature’s gigantic paw. You die alone in the woods while EXPRESS your friends wonder where you went. Taurus You’re patient and reliable but you’re also jealous, possessive, resentful, inflexible, self-indulgent, and greedy. You’re the first to notice that Aries is gone so you stop to see if he just fell behind too far - not realizing you just separated yourself from the group too. You look around then realize that the others kept walking on without you. A flash of anger courses through you as you think to yourself “I can’t believe they just left me.” You begin to look around not sure which way they went. You walk off in the direction you think they went not realizing you’re going in exactly the opposite direction. You wander aimlessly through the woods for a while stepping over roots sticking out of the ground and small shrubs until finally you trip over something on the other side of a fallen tree. You look back curious about what it is. You pause in terror as you realize it’s a skeleton, it appears to have been there for a long time possibly since before you were even born. You pick up your flashlight and begin to run through the woods not paying attention which way you’re going and not caring as long as it’s as far away from that skeleton as possible. Soon you can feel something watching you; you stop and look around wondering if it’s the others. “Guys you there?” you say shining your flashlight around then pausing, hoping for a response. There’s nothing, only the sound of what appears to be an animal growling. You pick up a stick to protect yourself. The stick has a large knot at the end of it, making it the perfect makeshift club to protect yourself. You franticly shine your flashlight around while fiercely gripping the stick in the other hand. You catch a glimpse of the creature running around you, you quickly spin around swinging the stick with all your might; it’s caught on something, you’re not sure what it is, but you can’t pull it away. You lift up the flashlight and direct it to the end of your stick. The first thing you see is a set of razor sharp teeth clamped onto the end of it. As your eyes start to adjust to how close you are to the creature, you see a pair of completely gray lifeless eyes just above the teeth. The beast quickly swipes its large paw at your stomach, its claws tearing you open. You die with your insides sprawled onto the ground somewhere in the darkness of the woods. Gemini You’re versatile and eloquent but you’re also nervous, tense, superficial, inconsistent, cunning, and inquisitive. You’re calmly walking in the back of the group with Virgo when you notice Aries and Taurus are missing. “Virgo, where’re Aries and Taurus?” you ask, stopping your close friend. “I don’t know. They were behind us. Should we go look for them?” replies Virgo to you. You simply nod to Virgo before turning around to follow Virgo back a little ways. As you and Virgo look around for the others, you realize that you both have also become separated from the group. You and Virgo start looking around to see if you can spot any sign indicating to you which way you came from. You spot nothing but a pair of gray eyes reflecting against the light. You release an ear-piercing scream as the creature charges you and Virgo; Virgo gripps your shoulder and pulls you out of the way. “What are you doing? Get moving. I’ll hold it off to give you time to escape.” commands Virgo, pushing you in a direction that you’re not even sure leads out of the woods. “No I won’t let you sacrifice yourself for me.” you reply, trying to hang onto Virgo’s sleeve. “Shut up and go, we don’t have time for this!” shouts Virgo, still trying to push you, but changes his mind and pulls you back in to kiss you for the very first time. “I love you….NOW GO!” You begin to run in the direction Virgo pushed you in; you glance back to see what’s going on; Virgo picks up a stick and begins to swing it at some horrid creature. Virgo glances back at you and gives you a little smirk before turning his attention back to the- VOLUME 7 ISSUE 3 creature. You make it out of the woods alive. Walking down the hi-way back to the city you begin to cry as you realize the one you always secretly loved sacrificed himself to save you. You live the rest of your life alone unable to love or even tolerate other people before your die at the age of thirty-six. Virgo You’re analytical and diligent but you’re also overcritical, harsh, and a perfectionist. You glance at Gemini as she flees the woods knowing that will be the last time you ever see her beautiful face before you put all your focus on the creature.You charge the creature hoping to kill it or at least do some damage to it. You swing the stick down on top of the creature’s head, temporarily dazing it, giving you just enough time to land three more swings before the creature fully comes to. The creature swings its giant paw at you; the backhanded blow sends you sliding across the woods’ hard surface. “THAT ALL YOU GOT, FLUFFY?” you antagonize him. Quickly, you get up, grab your stick, and begin to sprint through the woods leading the creature as far away from Gemini’s direction as possible. As you bolt away, you run by the others. “RUN YOU IDIOTS!” you shout as you run past them. “What’s going on?” asks Libra, not looking behind you. The creature quickly flies by them almost knocking Libra over. Libra and Scorpio begin to sprint after the creature. Soon after you realize the creature is closer then when you started running and will soon catch you, you decide to make a final stand here. You spin around swinging the stick hard, the stick catches the creature in the jaw knocking it to the ground. Libra and Scorpio catch up. You all watch as the creature lay on the ground either dead or unconscious with its jaw hanging down to the side. “Come on guys. There’s nothing to fear in these woods now.” You brag as you turn and walk away with Libra and Scorpio following you. Suddenly you head a cracking sound, unsure what it is, you stop to listen. With short notice you feel as if something is jerking you forward, you look down and see the creature’s large bloody paw is impaling your chest. The creature quickly yanks it back and out. As you fall to the ground, you realize this will be your last breath and your last thoughts; you start to think of Gemini and die with a smile on your PAGE face, proud of yourself. Your only regret is not doing more damage to the creature. Libra You’re easygoing, and sociable, but you’re also indecisive, changeable, gullible, easily influenced, flirtatious, and self indulgent. You look over just in time to see Virgo hit the ground. You quickly drop to your knees to be by his side. Virgo smiles up at your as the creature is about to swipe its paw at you. Before it can, Scorpio quickly tackles it. “You just had to be a hero didn’t you? You just couldn’t have left her to die alone.” You say, addressing Gemini as you hold your brother close. “You know me better than that.” replies Virgo coughing up a little bit of blood. “Love you, brother. Be sure to tell mom and dad I love them too.” Virgo fades away as the life leaves his eyes and his body goes limp. You begin to cry as you kiss your brother on the forehead and your tears land on his pale cheek. “Rest now, my brother, I’ll see you soon.” You pick up your brother’s stick and pull your flashlight out of your back pocket. You stand up ready to take revenge on the creature for killing your brother. You rush at the creature while its back’s turned and jump on. You begin to bash in the back of its head with the stick and flashlight in your hands. Your swings begin to stun the creature slowly knocking it to the floor, but that doesn’t stop you, you keep swinging--each swing filled with more anger and hatred for the creature than the last. When you finally stop, you stand up breathing heavily, exhausted from the day’s events. “Get back up after that one.” You say as you start walking away. Suddenly you hear a familiar sound, the sound of cracking bones. It takes you a second to realize what it means. You quickly spin around ready to fight the creature again. But it is no where to be found, not even the body is there, just a small amount of blood. “Look around; he likes to pop out of no where.” You say, just seconds before the creature dives down from a tree and using its razor sharp teeth decapitates you in one swift bite. You die with your head in the belly of the creature. Scorpio You’re determined and forceful, but you’re also jealous, resentful, compul- sive, obsessive, secretive, and obstinate. You pick up the stick and flashlight that Libra and Virgo before him had used. Unsure if it’s worth fighting for, you look up at the creature that is now standing less than 15 feet away and closing in. “Don’t be a coward, Scorpio!” shouts Sagittarius before football charging the creature and connecting directly in the ribs sending it sliding across the ground. “I know what you’re thinking, and yes, it is worth it, to fight against something that killed our friends. It will pay even if I have to drag it down to hell myself. NOW, ON YOUR FEET, SOLDIER. WE GOT A DEMON TO KILL!” Sagittarius, being abnormally large for a high -school student, picks up a broken log and rushes at the creature. You quickly come to your senses and pick up the blood stained stick and begins rushing at the creature too. The creature swings at Sagittarius; he ducks out of the way; and you quickly rush up, plant your foot on the center of Sagittarius’s back and push off. Mid air you swing your stick at the creature and catch him in the eye with it. Landing on its back, you bring the stick down under the creature’s neck and yank up with all your might, determined to either break its neck or put it to sleep. It tries to roll over onto its back to make you let go, but you keep holding on even as the creature’s large weight begins to crush your entire torso. You hear a cracking sound and a sharp pain in your chest. You let out a loud yell in pain but still hold your grip dedicated to killing the creature. It rolls back over and takes off full speed towards a tree with a low hanging branch and jumps up towards it. You feel the branch hit you, feel a sharp pain at the same time you hear a dull “crack” and realize your spine has just snapped in two. The creature begins to slow down from loss of oxygen, and you’re still holding on around its neck as Sagittarius walks up. “You look like you can use a hand.” He said leaning down towards you. “I’m not letting go of this stick.” You say as you feel yourself slowly start to drift. “Take care of the others; they’re all you’ve got left.” You drift off still gripping the stick around its neck. Sagittarius You’re freedom loving and good humored, but you’re also blindly optimistic, careless, irresponsible, superficial, tactless, and restless Virgo— Analytical and diligent Libra— Easygoing and sociable Scorpio— Determined and forceful 13 PAGE 14 A nightmarish tale! Sagittarius— Freedom loving and good humored Capricorn— Ambitious and disciplined Leo— Warmhearted and creative STAR Horror Scopes—continued “Yea… I know; I’ll see you on the other side bro.” You say, patting Scorpio’s head and walking away with the log resting on your shoulder. “Come on guys, we better get going. Who knows if that thing is going to get back up or not?” You say, walking by the others. “What about Scorpio?” asks, Pisces, the runt of the group. “He’s gone now; let’s move.” You continue on trying not to mourn your lost friend. About a quarter mile from the end of the woods you hear a loud howl and immediately know where it’s coming from. “Run, I’ll hold it back.” you say, gripping the log and facing the darkness ready to join Scorpio. “We’re not leaving you.” says Leo, standing next to you. “Yes, you are. Now move!” you order, pushing Leo back while still facing forward. “Come on man, Sagittarius will be ok.” says Capricorn. Leo turns and walks away. You set the log on your shoulder and smile knowing they’ll be ok thanks to your sacrifice. Soon the creature rushes head first into your chest; you quickly shift your weight so you come down on the creatures’ neck. You hear a loud snap then quickly jump and rush for your log. You quickly turn around and look at the creature waiting for it to get back up, the sound of bones cracking comes back, then the creature stands up and faces you. You grip the log, ready to fight him. It quickly lunges at you, but you instinctively step to the side and bring the log down on top of its head with such a force as to splinter the log on impact. The creature falls to the ground. Seeing this as an opening you jump on top of it and begin to bash its head with your fists. The creature pushes you off with its hind legs, sending you though the air; you quickly recover and charge back at it. The creature rushes back and dives at and takes hold of your neck. The creature swings you around like a doll; then tosses your limp body at a tree, breaking your back. You die at the base of an old oak tree. EXPRESS Capricorn You’re ambitious and disciplined but your also pessimistic fatalistic miserly and grudging. You’re the eldest of the group now it’s up to you to make sure the others get to safety now. “Come on guys we don’t know how much longer we got.” You say making sure the others are in front of you. “Wait, where’s Aquarius?” “I’m here.” says Aquarius catching up. “Ok let’s keep moving.” You say pushing the others onwards. Soon you can feel something running up behind you, you quickly spin around swinging hoping to hit what ever it is; the creature latches it self on your forearm “GO ILL HOLD IT OFF!” you shout back at the others. You hear the sound of them running off. “Just me and you now.” You say looking the creature in the eyes; its’ dull gray lifeless soulless eyes. You quickly remember your training and start hitting the creature in the base of its jaw so it will lose grip once it let go you kick it off and jump to your feet ready to go. You dive at the creature ready to die to save the others. You continue to blindly hit the creature thinking of all the bad its done to you “You killed Sagittarius, Scorpio, Libra, Virgo, Taurus, and Aries but you will not kill me THIS IS WHERE YOU DIE FOR MY FRIENDS!” you yell hitting the creature faster and harder. The creature plants its hind legs on your stomach and kicks you off. You recover quickly and rush back in but your not fast enough the creature catches you by your leg and flings you at a tree you collide with the tree breaking your arm. “Is that all you got? I will not lose.” you shout rushing back at the creature, you kick up dirt into the creatures eyes to distract it then bring your foot around and hit it on the side of its head. The creature tackles you to the ground and pinning you down with its giant backs you begin to hit it in the side of the head with your good arm; it only angers the creature more. The creature leans down and latches its razor sharp teeth onto both sides of your head and begins crushing it. You swing one last time before it crushes your skull. You die with bits of your skull stuck in the creature’s teeth Leo You’re warmhearted and creative, but you’re also pompous, patronizing, bossy, interfering, dogmatic, and intolerant. “Come on guys, we’re almost there. Wait. I think Aquarius fell behind again,” you say, looking back and seeing Aquarius slowly catch back up. “I’m sorry guys. I can’t run as fast as you.” says Aquarius catching his breath. “It’s cool. We should be far enough ahead to take a break.” you say as you rest on a log. Suddenly, you hear the howling again and know your break is short lived. “Ok, back on your feet guys, time to go.” Then you realize you can’t outrun it; the best you can do is try to fight it so the others can get away. “You guys go ahead…” “We’ll hold it off so you two can get away.” says Cancer, cutting in. Shortly after, the others start running. You look over at Cancer and say “Are you sure about this? I could hold it myself if you want to run.” But you already know Cancer’s answer. He looks over at you and smiles then says “That’s funny, br. We go down, we’re going down together. Here he comes.” The creature jumps out a tree at you, but Cancer dives and tackles him mid-air, you take off your belt then tell Cancer “Drag him over to this log.” You quickly rap the belt around its neck then jump on the other side of the log and begin to pull with all your might. Cancer jumps over, grabs one side of the belt and shouts “Plant your feet on the log to get more force.” You both push your feet against the log and begin to pull using your legs more. The creature is squirming franticly trying to get away, but you both won’t allow that. Soon you hear a cracking sound then the creature stops struggling. “Shhhhh, just go to sleep.” You whisper as you release your grip on the belt. VOLUME 7 ISSUE 3 “Quick! We need to hang it from a tree so it can’t get away.” says Cancer, grabbing both sides of the belt. “Climb the tree then I’ll hand it up to you.” You get a running start, plant your foot on the trunk, and then push yourself up grabbing onto a branch and pulling yourself up. You secure the belt on to the branch, suspending the creature in the air; “Don’t die. . . not yet.” Cancer You’re protective and cautious, but you’re also changeable, moody, overemotional, touchy, clinging, and unable to let go. “YEA, WE TOOK IT DOWN! WE’RE BAD!” you say celebrating. “O YEA, WE SHUT IT DOWN, BRO!” says Leo. But your victory is short lived as you turn around and see that the creature is gone. You look at Leo and say, “Dude, shut up, it got away.” Leo stops his victory dance and begins to franticly look around. You start to wonder how you could have missed it, then you remember you saw a fast-moving shadow running to a tree behind you. “LEO MOVE!” you shout, just before the creature pounces out of the tree and bites Leo’s head off. You quickly rush at the creature to fight it, but it throws Leo’s body at you. You quickly side step and dodge his body. You continue to rush the creature, but it’s too fast. It quickly dodges your swings. The Creature swipes at your leg, you jump back barely missing the base of his paw, but realize that you have four large cuts on your calf. You dive back at the creature, swinging faster then you ever have before, but it still isn’t quick enough. The creature quickly dodges each swing and begins to rapidly swing back, first hitting your legs, knocking you off your feet. Before you can touch the ground again, the creature swings its giant paw down into your stomach. You’re laying on your back when you hear a familiar voice “You’ve held on longer then the rest; but that was to be expected from you.” You roll over to look around and you see who the creature turns into. “Aquarius, I thought we were friends. How could you do this to us?” “Friend? I was never your friend. You guys didn’t treat me like you did the others. “I was the ‘runt’ of the group the one everyone picked on. Well now you all got to see my true talent.” He says before planting his boot on your head PAGE and begins to crush it. “Good bye Cancer, you will not be missed.” He slams down his boot on your head crushing your skull. You die by the boot of someone you thought was a friend. Pisces You’re selfless and kind but you’re also escapist, idealistic, secretive, vague weak willed, and easily led. “Aquarius where are you?” you say scared and shaking, you wave your flashlight around looking for your friend. You see nothing so you continue on without him. About ten minutes later you hear growling coming from the bushes behind you. You quickly spin around and face the bushes. “I can do this, I can do this.” You say out loud waiting for something to come out of the bushes. “Pisces, help me.” You hear Aquarius’s voice. You quickly drop your flash light and rush over to help him. His shirt is all torn apart and he has three large cuts on his face. “What happened are you ok?” you ask picking him up. “I’m now.” He says as he grips your shoulder, you look at his hand and see it’s starting to rapidly grow thick black fur. You quickly push him away. “Ha-ha-ha why’d you push me away I thought we were friends right.” He says standing up and smiling at you. “You’re it, you’re the creature. You killed the others. Why?” “I was never their friend, they just kept me around to pick on me pick on the quite small guy. Now they’ll never pick on someone ever again.” He says rushing at you; you raise your hand and he stops mid-air. “Well I’m sorry I can’t allow you to kill me, or anyone else for that matter.” You spread your fingers and Aquarius flies back with so much force he goes through a tree. “You’re a spell caster. I should have known it was you.” He says standing up and wiping the blood from his mouth and chin. You maintain a strong stance but a fearful expression as you hold your ground against the creature you called friend. The Creature rushes at you again this time he tears through your force field. You quickly use your magic to bring a large boulder out of the ground in front of you. He hits it with enough force to slide it back into your chest. You don’t die. Aquarius You’re original and independent but you’re also intractable contrary, perverse, unpredictable, unemotional, and detached. You quickly jump back from the rubble. “You may have your little magic, but you still can’t take me.” You cough out as the dust clears. You see a large shining orb in the dust cloud. It’s Pisces standing with her arms stretched out in opposite directions. She looks up at you and smiles, “That all you got?” she mocks dropping her shield. You quickly rush at her with anger and disgrace coursing through you. You begin to swing rapidly at her, your hands so fast they’re just blurs attached to a body. She’s dodging and weaving through your attacks just as fast as you’re sending them out. You feel a sharp pain in your stomach. As you look down, you realize she just stabbed you with a bright blue glowing sword; you look back up at her. She just smiles then flicks your forehead. That flick has enough power behind it to send you reeling across the woodland floor. Moments later, your magic heals you, and you rush back at her. This time you stomp down on her foot so she can’t keep dodging, you swing again hitting her in the cheek she stops and looks at you. The wind picks up sending her crimson red hair flying all over around her face as her eyes begin to glow blue. She blinks, and you feel a strong pulling pressure on your entire body as if someone was pulling all your limbs apart at the same time. “You should have just stayed a good little dog. I’ve tolerated Leo hitting on me for years now and never even considered killing any of them. But I’ll enjoy killing you.” She says as she lifts her hand into the air and begins spreading her fingers. Again you feel a strong force grab onto each of your limps and pull. You let out a loud yell in pain. “Hurts, don’t it? I would assume so. This is the same way spell casters’ve been killing your kind for generations. Now be a good little mutt and just die.” You arms and legs and head quickly get ripped off your torso. You die at the hands of a dangerous little freshman girl with a special ability. Pisces calmly walks away and goes home back to her parents. Walking by them she proclaims, “I found it, and killed it.” Cancer— Protective and cautious Pisces— Selfless and kind Aquarius— Original and independent 15 What they mean Stars Night before last North Ti Pis Kahw Wednesday Noon Morning Spring Aw Wahs Ti Pis Kok Ki We Ti Nok Day before yesterday Sun Thursday Tuesday West Find these words (spaces had to be removed for the puzzle).