Photo By - Mountain Home Public Schools

Volume 59,Issue 1 – September 17, 2010
Photo by: K. Menschik
Miranda Manchester, 12
Mariah Johnson, 11
Seth Nelson, 10
Movie
Review
P. 6
Tanning
Dangers
P. 12
Photo by: K. Menschik
lf
Go tes
da
Up . 4
P
Photo by: K. Menschik
p.8
Alex Harris, 10
ASophomore
Survival Story
Photo by: K. Menschik
P. 2 CONTRAILS School News
9/17/10
New School Year Brings Changes in Faculty, Rules
copy editor
•
ID badges now hang vertically, as opposed to horizontally in past years. The
new badges are color-coded: yellow for
CAB, green for ACME, Blue for HHS.
•
This year, cell phone rules are more
intensified. If a student is caught with
a cell phone, for the first offense, late
school and/or Saturday may be assigned.
o Cell phones are still permitted
during lunch periods.
•
The new library facility for MHHS is expected to be up and running by October
30.
o There are two teaching computer labs
o More space for more students
Photo by: D. Smith
o No big projects/major research
that requires the current library
should be planned at this time
For the 2010-2011 school years, there have been
several new additions to the MHHS faculty:
Russ Wortham
Coach Russ Wortham teaches civics, government,
American history and coaches junior high football.
In his spare time, he enjoys fishing, golfing, and
watching college football. As a first year teacher,
“MHHS has great students, but everything comes
fast and I have to just monitor and adjust.” Wortham
said.
Toni Rogers
Toni Rogers, an HHS academy adviosor for the
sophomore class, teaches sophomore English and
senior English. “My favorite thing about MHHS is
the professionalism of the staff and the passion for
student success.” said Rogers. “The schedule and
all of the first two days’ AAP paperwork was very
difficult.” When not teaching English classes, Rogers
reads, writes, listens to music, and spends time with
family and friends with her free time.
Danielle Prins
The new physical and environmental science
teacher, Danielle Prins, is also the girls’ assistant
volleyball coach.
Continued on p.14
Contrails Staff 2010-2011
Delaney Smith, Editor-in-Chief
Kayla Steffens, Copy Editor
Amelia Jaeger, Sports Editor
Anna Harris, Layout Editor
John Murray, Graphic Designer
Sonya Switzer, Photography Editor
Hannah Tribble, Co-Sports Editor
Sasha Kochurova, Staff Writer
Megan Adkins, Staff Writer
Kelsey Menschik, Staff Writer
Jennifer Crawford, Adviser
9/17/10
Technology
P. 3 CONTRAILS Modern Technology simplified
graphic designer
John Murray
New Technology is constantly changing. Most
things on teenager’s minds today are phones. New
phones come out every couple of weeks so it is
difficult to say which phone is better and greater.
One thing is certain: there is a war, and it is fierce.
The differences of the two competitors are what
sells or fails a phone.
The iPhone 4 (iPwn, for the aficionados) and
the Droid 2 are very diverse in composition and
fan base. The specs for the Droid 2 are incredible,
with a 1GHz processor and a dedicated graphics
processor, it is insanely powerful. It has a screen
resolution of 480x854 and a 8 megapixel camera,
that makes it a visual staple. The Droid 2 finally
comes together with the Android OS, this has the
advantage that anyone could write an android app
and publish it, or sell it third party.
The iPhone 4 has great features as well. The
iPhone does have a larger screen resolution,
(960x640 was jammed in pixels per inch) but the
main camera is 3 megapixels less than a Droid 2.
Also it has 2 cameras which serve a great video chat
purpose. Downfalls of the iPhone 4 are the lack of
tactile keyboard and the pain of app development
on a Mac.
There are 3 major types of operating systems that
rule cyberspace today. Mac, Windows, and Linux
dominate most every computer in the world. Mac
is the oldest, and therefore the one who started
innovation. It lately has fallen into a droll while the
company has changed the focus to devices and not
the operating system.
Windows is the most commonly used business
minded OS. While accused of stealing ideas they
remain at the top all over the world. Linux are the
underdogs of the computing world. In 1991 Linus
Torvalds brought his version of Unix operating
systems for free. Although not well known, it has
several programmers ready to pump out more
software.
Micro-processing is a technology that runs our
life. Microwaves, refrigerators, and even unmanned
aircraft run on a micro-processor, which is an
embedded chip that that runs hardware that is
applicable to our daily lives.
The source for most amateur developers is a site
called Spark Fun. This site provides products from
resistors to AMR7 processors.
This may seem overwhelming, however, with a
little practice anyone can be on their way to making
boards. The profession of micro-processing is an up
and coming, and important job that also pays a lot
of money.
Which operating system do you prefer?
Mac
Linux
Windows
Kamden Kellogg
P. 4 CONTRAILS Sports
9/17/10
Bomber Golf Season in Full Swing
MHHS opens season with inaugural Bomber Invitational
co-sports editor
Amelia Jaeger
The Bomber golfers have begun their 2010-2o11
golf season. Their first match was a tournament at
Big Creek Golf and Country Club on August 2 and
3. Richard Zimmerman, senior, placed first at the
tournament with a score of 71. The rest of the team
followed behind him.
At one of the next matches, the Lady Bombers
won with a score of 141 overall. For the Varsity
team, sophomore Holly Shook, took home a medal
with a score of 44. Seniors, Maggie Cooper and
Miranda Manchester, were close behind Shook with
46 for Cooper and 51 for Manchester.
“Golf was hard at first but now it’s a habit. I am
very excited for the state match this year.” Junior
Jenna Kucginski said. “The one person I look up to
on the team this year is senior, Maggie Cooper. She
is new to the team, but she stepped up to the plate
and took the senior leadership role. She is also a
great golfer and I want to be as good as her when
I’m a senior.”
“My brother was why I started playing golf. I
always watched him when he was in high school
and thought it would be fun to try.” Senior Miranda
Manchester said. “The biggest match for me this
year is the state tournament because as a senior
I have to be a leader and come out on top. Being
around great teammates is the best part of this
sport. I think the Lady Bombers are very close
this year and that’s a great characteristic of being a
team.”
The next match for the Bombers and Lady
Bombers will be September 13.
This year, the state tournament for the Bombers
will be at Big Creek; the Lady Bombers’ state
tournament will be in Russellville, Arkansas.
Game, Set, Match
Bomber Tennis Team begins season
co-sports editor
Hannah Tribble
On Tuesday, August 24, the MHHS tennis team began their season in a
match against the Highland Rebels at the Athletic Club. The match ended in
a split.
“The most challenging part of the game is my serve. You have to practice
serving everyday to be consistent with it.” Senior Kord Steffelbeam said. “The
biggest match of the season is the state championship match. My goal for this
season is to win state and go to overalls.”
Junior Cody Linck said, “My favorite part about tennis is hitting a good
forehand. The most challenging part of the game for me are backhands.”
The next match will be on Septemeber 14 versus the Marian Patriots. This
year, the Bombers will compete in six conference tennis matches against
Jonesboro, Searcy, and Marion.
The conference tournament will be held on October 18 and 19 in
Jonesboro at Allen Park.
A complete schedule for the Bomber tennis team can be found at the
Mountain Home Athletic website: <http://bombers.k12.ar.us/hs/hs_
athletics.htm>.
Photo Submitted
Golf coach Brad Morris answers questions about his team last year.
9/17/10
Sports
P. 5 CONTRAILS Raiders Knocked off High Horse
Mahan wins first game as Bomber head coach
co-sports editors
Amelia Jaeger
Hannah Tribble
Bowman’s 77 yards on 12 carries.
Feliccia ran seven times for 66 yards,
and Morris had 55 on four totes.
The Bomber football season has
started. They won their first game
against the Nettleton Raiders on
Friday, September 3.. The final score
of the game was 31-15. Unofficially,
Mountain Home outgained Nettleton
312-217 in total offense. Mountain
Home rushed for 205 yards, led by
“I was just proud of our kids. They
played with a lot of emotion and a lot
of heart. They’re proud to be Bombers
tonight,” said Coach Mahan. “I expected our kids to play hard, and they
did. There are always things we’ve
got to work on and get better at from
week one to week two and I expect us
to do that. I’m just proud of the kids
and what we asked them to do. They
played with tremendous effort and I
really enjoyed that.”
Being the first game of the season,
the stands were packed to the max.
For the most part of the game, the
whole section was standing. As for
the student section, needless to say
there was spirit running throughout
it. There have been many changes to
the football program this year; a new
coach means new traditions.
On game day, each player had to
wear a dress shirt and tie to school,
as well as to the pep rally. Instead of
running out on to the field through
a banner, they lined up in rows of
four hooking arms and walking out
through the tunnel as a team.
This season, the team has 22 seniors, 23 juniors, and 31 sophomores.
Being a large team has its advantages.
The more people there are, the greater
the selection of talent to choose from.
“Coach Tejcek is the person I look
up to the most, because he is always
there when I need him the most,”
junior Travis Morris said. “I play the
tail back position. As a tail back I am
one of the running backs furthest away
from the line of scrimmage, behind
the center. The game I am looking
forward to this season is Harrison.
It’s a rivalry game and we get to show
off our new skills at Harrison’s new
stadium this year.”
The next game at Bomber Stadium
will be September 17 at 7:30 p.m.
against the Batesville Pioneers.
Photo by: S. Switzer
Coach Carl Owens gives intsructions to a Bomber football player during a late-August
practice at Bomber Stadium.
P. 6 CONTRAILS 9/17/10
Movie Review:
Vampires Suck
staff writer
Sasha Kochurova
conversation, but the sound of a horn interrupts it
and they go outside to greet the White family.
Once upon a time, a girl named Becca Crane
moved to a small town Sporks, to live with her dad
Frank Crane. Becca didn’t know that the town was
flooded with bloodsucking vampires and that she,
soon, would get involved with them.
Skipping the Jacob/Becca talk and the not so
friendly fight between their fathers and going to the
Sporks High School, the parking sign for Becca’s
car made me laugh out loud: “Sad, lonely new
students with a crappy old truck PARKING ONLY.”
Then I saw the cafeteria scene where more characters were introduced. In Twilight, my favorite
character was Alice, in Vampires Suck, it was most
definitely Jennifer played by Anneliese van der Pol.
Becca sat at the table, she sees the Sullen family, where everyone seemed to be really close and
affectionate. Edward was played by Matt Lanter.
Edward’s facial expressions kept me laughing
throughout the movie; he looked like he was permanently constipated. In the biology class, Becca
smelled every spot on her body that could possibly
smell bad because Edward sat next to her with that
constipated look. Edward, then, juggled an apple, a
baby, and a bowling ball.
I went to see a spoof that all Twilight fans and
haters wish to see – Vampires Suck. Unexpectedly,
the movie wasn’t awful like the movie title might
have suggested. and was actually pretty funny. For
the most part, during the movie, I laughed my belly
off. The movie, though, required a special sense of
humor, and most of the Twilight lovers will probably hate it.
Before I went to see Vampires Suck, I read a variety of reviews about the movie, and, unfortunately, I don’t remember any good ones. Most of the
reviews said the movie was terrible and it wasn’t
worth the money that they paid to go.
Before I start completely spoiling the movie for
everyone who has yet to see it, I just have to say one
thing: Becca Crane, played by Jenn Proske, looks
so much like Bella Swan, played by Kristen Stewart.
Proske copied Stewart’s facial expressions like a
twin—constantly open mouth, I’m-out-of-breath
breathing, always-something-in-the-eye winks. I
don’t even know who I laughed about the most,
Becca or Bella. It was probably Becca because of her
two signature moves that I’m now stuck with: putting her hair behind her ear every five seconds and
biting her lower lip.
After Becca turns her iPod to “teen angst music,”
she arrives at Frank’s house and goes to her old
room, which looked like the last time she slept in
the room was when she was eight months old. Becca and her dad, then, had an extremely awkward
After that, Iris, the Vampires Suck version of Alice
from Twilight, went to Edward’s apartment where
he was hiding with his new girlfriend, Lady Gaga. I
Edward decided that his life is pointless without
Becca, so he is went to Spork’s High School Prom to
reveal himself in order to make Zoltury to kill him.
Becca saved him, though.
Daro and Jane were crowned prom king and
queen, and Daro made Edward bite Becca.
I think students with sense of humor should see
Vampires Suck at least once. And if not, remember:
some sagas just won’t die.
Later in the woods, Becca guessed the identity of
her beloved Edward. At first, she asks him if he is a
Jonas brother. He said, “No, I’m a vampire. Duh.”
Later in the movie, still in the woods, Edward
breaks up with Becca. Her life is worthless, once
again, and she is in hysterics: screaming, crying,
rolling on the ground.
With Edward gone, Becca starts spending
time doing reckless things such as going to the
movies with Jennifer and spending summer
with Jacob. With Jenifer they went to see Breaking Dawn.”How can anyone fall in love with a
vampire?”asked Jennifer. “And I can’t believe they
had a vampire baby!”
Somewhere along the lines, Jacob turned into
a Chihuahua, and his werewolf friends danced to
the song by The Weather Girls, “It’s Raining Men.”
Photo Submitted
Characters from the film can be seen in this movie
poster.
P. 7 CONTRAILS 9/17/10
Book Series Offers Suspense, Romance, Action to Teenage Readers
staff writer
Megan Adkins
changed when the tracker found her
in the school hallway.
on if the body rejects the change in
becoming a vampire.
“The House of Night” Series, written mainly for teen readers, is full of
suspense, drama, romance, action,
and humor. In the first book of the series, Marked, Zoey Montgomery also
known as Zoey Redbird, is an ordinary
girl with an ordinary life. She has a
mom, a controlling stepfather, and a
loving grandma. Zoey never felt accepted at her home since her mother
remarried. The only place where she
felt comfortable and accepted was
with her grandma, Redbird. But that
Zoey knew what was going to happen. Everyone knew about the tracker
and the House of Night. The House of
Night is a school for vampires fledgling. The House of Night provided her
a new life as a vampire fledgling. She
was bitten by the tracker, which is a
vampire with special skills to track
down the next person to become a
vampire fledgling. Fledgling is the
stage between getting bitten and
before becoming a vampire. Some
fledglings don’t make it, it depends
Betrayed, the second book in the
“House of Night” Series, some would
say was very dark and tempting. “I
love how they put teenaged humor
mixed with violence and drama “junior Katie Arnold said. At this point,
Zoey, After finally was adjusted to her
new found powers she received from
the goddess Nyx. Nyx is the goddess that the vampire and vampire
fledglings worship. She settled in and
found her crowd of friends and classes, but her human life started to fall
to pieces when human teenagers were
getting killed off. The strange thing
about it was that everything about
the murders was pointing back to the
House of Night. Zoey rare, distinctive powers were once again revealed.
They made her stand out from the
other fledglings at the school but also
influenced unwanted threats.
Chosen and Untamed, the third
and fourth books in the series in the
House of Night, are full of action and
blood lust. In a very short amount of
time, Zoey lost her best friend Stevie
Rae along with serial other fledgling
vampires, and it was up to Zoey to
figure out what was going on and to
pull everything back to the way things
were before the killings and deaths
started. Zoey’s friends were severely
angry about her keeping secrets from
them. This made it very hard to keep
her thoughts sane. “Personally, I like
the action and my favorite character
is Stark” sophomore Sharlet Johnson
said.
Hunted, Tempted, and Burned
are the fifth, sixth, and seventh books
in the “House of Night” Series. Some
say they are very intriguing, thrilling,
and unexpected.Awakened, P.C. and
Kristin Casts last book of the “House
of Night” series will be out January 4,
2011.
Junior
Shyanne
Villalvazo
reads one of
the “House of
Night” books
in the CAB
hallway.
Photo by: D. Smith
P. 8 CONTRAILS SOPHOMORES
9/17/10
Learning the Ropes
Sophomores Survive
First Weeks of
High School
Experience
staff writers
Sasha Kochurova
Megan Adkins
For every sophomore, the first week
goes differently. Some get lost, some find
their classes perfectly, some spend all
morning trying to open their locker and
end up being late to their first block class.
But first weeks are always the crazy ones.
It is Taylor Dewitt’s and Adam Burton’s
first year in High School.
On the first day of high school, everyone goes to his/her locker. Sophomores,
like Adam Burton, find searching for
lockers difficult when they are scattered
throughout the school campus. Taylor
Dewitt, on the other hand, didn’t have
any trouble at all, even though she missed
orientation.
Photo by: S. Kochurova
Sophomore Adam Bruton struggles to find his classes due to construction and his lack of knowledge of the
MHHS campus.
The school map can be helpful to all
students, but it can also be really confusing if it is read backwards. Dewitt used a
map during the first day, while Adam aimlessly asked people for directions, which
9/17/10
SOPHOMORES
Photo by: S.Kochurova
Sophomore Taylor Dewitt prepares for class during her
first week at school.
Dewitt, on the other hand, didn’t have any trouble
at all, even though she missed orientation.
The school map can be helpful to all students,
but it can also be really confusing if it is read
backwards.
Dewitt used a map during the first day, while
Adam aimlessly asked people for directions,
which caused him to being late to every class.
In junior high, 8th graders had second lunch
and freshmen had first lunch. Lunch in High
Photo by: J. Murray
Sophomores Taylor Dewitt and Adam Bruton
adjust to live as high school students.
P. 9 CONTRAILS Photo by: J. Murray
Sophomore Adam Bruton assembles a motherboard in
Mr. Young’s classroom.
School is mixed. “High school lunches are
so much better than junior high lunches.” said
Burton. “The high school cafeteria offers a much
wider variety of food to choose from. The hamburgers and fries may be the same but taste so
much better.”
Sophomores are the lowest layer at the high
school and some sophomores feel intimidated by
the upper classes. “It is a new experience for me,
and I am still getting used to all of the new faces.
In German, there are many juniors that I have
only recently met.” said Burton.
High school teachers became much stricter;
they want every student to be ready to go out in
the world. The homework has become more difficult,” said Dewitt. “The teachers assign it more
often and in bigger amounts.”
“I was definitely nervous, but not intimidated.
We are all students at MHHS and for most students, the classes are unfamiliar. No one should
feel intimidated by the upperclassmen; they are
kind and will help you whenever they can.”
P. 10 CONTRAILS 9/17/10
Student
staff writer
Sonya Switzer
Spotlight
This year, senior Richard
Zimmerman can be found
either marching in our high
school band or hitting the
fairways at Big Creek Country
Club. Zimmerman has been
playing golf since child hood
and hopes to play in college,
which might be possible considering his host of achievements.
Zimmerman has been golfing competitively since he was
12 and has had the honor of be-
ing a two-time state golf team
member.
Playing golf has given
Zimmerman some unique
opportunities over the years.
“A memory I’ll never forget is
having the opportunity to play
with Arkansas’s head football
coach Bobby Petrino,” Zimmerman said.
Since he was in the sixth
grade, Zimmerman has been
playing in the school band.
He enjoys playing the
drums, which have also led him
to some unique opportunities,
like marching in the 80th An-
nual Citrus Bowl Parade.
This year, Zimmerman is
excited for football season, “It’s
exciting to see the band get the
crowd and people involved,”
Zimmerman said. “’Bomber
Man’ definitely gets the players
as well as the students pumped
up.”
You might see Zimmerman walking down the halls
at MHHS, marching in the
band, or on the golf course, but
wherever you see him, you will
always be greeted by his smile
and friendly face.
RICHARD
ZIMMERMAN
Photo Submitted
Senior Richard Zimmerman introduces the golf team at a
pep rally on September 3 in the Bomber Hangar.
Academy Updates
HHS
- Academy reps plan Academy Kick-off Day.
- Focuses on Academy Day included: the
HHS theme presentation piece, and new
activities for the field rotation.
- HHS students will soon start preparation
for CSI in February.
ACME
- Academy reps plan Academy Kick-off Day.
- With a few final touches, the Fitness Trail
behind the high school will be complete.
- All ACME teachers went on an externship
to the Ozark Medieval Fortress in Lead Hill,
Arkansas. They are now working on putting together interdisciplinary units with the
Medieval castles in mind.
- ACME teachers will be doing a project in
conjunction with the Ozark Medieval Fortress.
CAB
- Academy reps plan Academy Kick-off Day.
- CAB club WRAP focuses on planning events such as a
Leadership Conference and a trip to the fourth grade.
Artwork by: Alison Swanson
P. 11 CONTRAILS 9/17/10
Summer Break Comes to End
MHHS students share their summer experiences
staff writer
Stephanie Bryant
Summertime in Mountain Home,
Arkansas means different things to
different people. Students at MHHS
spent their summers in a variety of
ways, but they each had one thing
in common: some type of relaxation.
While some students stayed in
the Mountain Home area, other
students ventured out for vacations
and family visits. Senior Sheldon
Zeltner spent time in other states
this summer. “I went to Texas to
visit family and to Florida to the
beach on vacation with family,”
Zeltner said.
Junior Taylor Gardner was in
Florida and she was able to do
something special: visit Disney
World. However, when Gardner was
not vacationing, she was spending
time in Mountain Home on the lake
or shopping at Walmart.
Gardner shopped, everday, at
Walmart, senior Alexis Coleman
was busy working. When Coleman
was not working she could be found
swimming at the lake or visiting her
sister in Missouri.
Junior Jenna Kucginski spent
part of her summer with the GAPP
program in Germany. Kucginski
and the other 24 MHHS students
spent their time sightseeing across
Europe, visiting with their German
exchange families, and of course,
dining on German cuisine. Kucginski enjoyed Hetzinger’s pretzels and
Stracciatella ice cream regularly.
When she wasn’t sampling the local fare, Kucginski was busy going to
class with her German partner. “We
had our first class, and then ‘Grobe’
Pause, which is a recess after the
first class,” Kucginski said. “Then we
went to the next two classes and by
about noon or 1 p.m., we were done
with school. After that, we hung out
with other GAPPers at the park or at
an ice cream place.”
Kucginski and the other MHHS
GAPP students took a weeklong trip
to Switzerland, Austria, and other
parts of Germany. “That was a week
of beautiful places, historic sites,
castles, and lasting memories,” Kucginski said.
MHHS is known for its diverse
population, which is made evident
by the various ways the school’s students spent their summer vacations.
Photo Submitted
Members of the GAPP 2010 group stop on their sightseeing trip for a photograph. Twenty Five MHHS
students spent a month touring Europe and living with host families in Germany.
A Uniform Change
MHHS NJROTC gets new uniforms this year
layout editor
Anna Harris
This year, the MHHS NJROTC
takes a turn for the new.
“This year we got new khaki uniforms to replace two of our old ones;
the black and white shirt.” said senior
Amber Iverson. “These uniforms are
much nicer and simpler to wear. They
are also worn year round instead of
changing colors.
Also, females do not have to tuck
their shirts in which I believe every
female will appreciate.”
Every uniform and item issued to
the MHHS NJROTC unit is completely issued from the Navy, and is made
to be worn with pride.
The new male uniform shirts have
the same measurements for their
J.R.O.T.C. bar, insignia, ribbons,
service star(s), name tag and anchor,
for their cover.
The new female shirts don’t have
pockets so the measurements are a
little different than the old ones. The
ribbons are worn 6 ¼ inches from the
left shoulder seam and centered on
the breast seam, the service stars are
worn ¼ of an inch above the ribbons,
and the name tag is worn 6 ¼ inches
from the right shoulder seam and is
centered on the breast seam.
While the male uniforms require
tucking in, belts with buckles, and a
clean shave and military style hair
cut, the female uniforms don’t require
a belt with buckle or the shirt to be
tucked in. Both require a white undershirt, black socks, shined shoes and
neat, ironed shirts and pants.
During the winter, instead of getting a whole new uniform, the girls
will be adding a black neck tab and a
standard relax fit jacket to their uni-
form and the males will just get the
standard Relax Fit Jackets.
“Personally, I love the change.
There is less issuing, more comfortable, and better all around.” Said
junior Heather Kelley.
The NJROTC students were
requested to wear their uniforms on
first day they have class starting either
on or after Wednesday.
For example: If the week has mostly odd days, the odd day NJROTC
classes will wear their uniforms on
Wednesday.
The even day classes wear their
uniforms on Thursdays. If the even
day classes fall on a Wednesday, even
day classes wear their uniforms on
that day while the odd day classes
wear their uniform on Thursday.
“Putting on the uniform not only
makes you look uniform, but it makes
you feel like a leader. When I put that
uniform on I feel like a completely
better person. I wear it with pride
and dignity.” said sophomore Briar
Schaffer.
“I look in the mirror and I think
I want to be fighting for my country,
making myself known as an American
citizen for my family’s future.”
Photo by: Anna Harris
MHHS NJROTC cadets show off their new uniforms
on their first uniform day on September 1.
P. 12 CONTRAILS 9/17/10
Band Update
graphic designer
Indoor Tanning Warning
A visit to the tanning bed poses potential threats
staff writer
Kelsey Menschik
John Murray
• First game was September 3
• The band received new wind suits and T-shirts
•Shorts will be worn for their first performance
•17 pages of drill were learned before the first day of school
•There were 85 pages of drill total
•The music is called “Revolution and Triumph”
•The band will be returning to Paragould to reserve their Mc Donald’s
Invitational Championship
•They have entered to go to The Rose Bowl in 2012
Each year, more than 8,000 people in the U.S alone die from the harmful
risks of indoor tanning. This comes to show the deadly dangers of the seemingly
harmless tanning bed. Indoor tanning is very dangerous, yet some people continue to believe otherwise.
Tanning beds use damaging ultraviolet rays that can cause melanoma skin
cancer. Melanoma is the most fatal type of skin cancer. Indoor tanning before
the age of 35 increases the risk of melanoma by 75%. Tanning can produce longterm skin conditions such as severe sunburns, skin cancer, premature skin aging,
and it can damage the immune system as well.
Madison Ingle, 12
It has also been proven that people, who use a tanning bed more than ten times
a year, are seven times more likely to develop malignant melanoma skin cancer
than those who do not.
The FDA estimates about 70,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma
this year. Melanoma is deadly because it can invade deep into tissues and spread
to the other parts of the body. International cancer experts have moved tanning
beds and other ultraviolet radiation onto the top cancer risk category, meaning
that tanning beds are as deadly as arsenic and mustard gas.
Melanoma is the most common cancer among people ages 15-29, and appears
to be on the rise. Another dilemma pertaining to tanning beds is the deterrent
tan tax that went into action on July 31. Obama has put a 10% tax on tanning.
The average price for one session is about $8.50.
Photo by: J. Kucginski
The tan tax only applies to services that use ultraviolet rays— this excludes
spray tans and airbrushing. The tax on tanning hasn’t had a huge impact yet,
but the government is expected to raise $2.7 billion over the next ten years from
20,000 indoor tanning salons. Artificial tanning may bring beauty in the shortterm, but the long–term risks outweigh the benefits.
Tanning involves a
multitude of risks
and a new tax has
been implemented
as a deterrent.
Photo by: J. Kucginski
Photo Submitted
P. 13 CONTRAILS 9/17/10
Childhood Dreams Come to Standstill
Paleontologists say that the Triceratops and Torosaurus were the same dinosaur
layout editor
Anna Harris
Paleontologists believe that even though there
are some differences between the Triceratops and
its cousin, the Torosaurus, the Triceratops may have
actually been a Torosaurus, just in a different stage
in growth.
Dinosaur experts at the Museum of the Rockies in
Bozeman, Montana, John Scanella and Jack Horner,
examined over 50 Triceratops in the continental
U.S. The Museum of the Rockies has one of the
largest collections of Triceratops in the world.
“A major decline in diversity may have put the
dinosaurs in a vulnerable state at the time when
the large meteor struck the Earth at the end of the
Cretaceous Period,” John Scanella said. “It may
have been the combination of the two factors—
lower diversity and a major global catastrophe—
that resulted in the extinction of all the non-avian
dinosaurs.”
The paleontologists believe that even though
this upsets more than a century of paleontological
assumptions, this shape-shifting has implications
for the amount of bio-diversity found within the
dinosaur population near the end of the Cretaceous
period and the Mesozoic Era.
“Paleontologists are at a disadvantage because
we can’t go out into the field and observe a living
Triceratops grow up from a baby to an adult,” said
Scanella.
“We have to put together the story based on
fossils. In order to get the complete story, you
need to have a large sample of fossils from many
individuals representing different growth stages.”
When Othaniel Marsh discovered Triceratops and
the Torosaurus in the late 1800s, the fossils were
so different, that it never occurred to him that the
two could actually be the same dinosaur. There are
a few characteristics that make the Triceratops and
the Torosaurus different.
For example, the Triceratops has three facial
horns and a short, thick neck frill with a sawtoothed edge.
While the Torosaurus also has three facial horns,
in contrast, its horns are at different angles, and are
longer and thinner as well.
Also, the Torosaurus, has a smooth-edge frill
with two large holes in it.
Information found at: <www.current.com>.
Things you can to do help clean
up the oil spill:
The oil spill has killed and endangered many animals. Thousands of people
have worked every day in the cleanup of the devastating occurrence.
Some ways to help:
1. Break your oil addiction
• Don’t drive if it’s not necessary
• Car pool
• Use an eco-friendly car
2. Volunteer
• Go to the Gulf of Mexico on your spring break and help clean up the oil
3. Write
• Everyone has freedom of press, so take advantage of it and write a
letter to a volunteer group telling your opinion about what needs to be done
4. Donate
• Donate money to a local or national organization working on front lines to help with the clean up
5. Buy eco-friendly brands
• Buy products that donate to the cleanup of the oil spill
Kelsey Menschik, staff writer
Photo Submitted
Numerous animals have been killed or injured in the oil
spill.
P. 14 CONTRAILS 9/17/10
Thanks for the Memories
Want your poetry shared
in the Newspaper?*
Give a copy of your
work to Ms. Crawford in
room 206 and we’ll share
it with everyone.
Let your voice be heard.
* All submissions must be school
appropriate.
Continued from p. 2
“My favorite thing about MHHS would have to be how welcoming the
faculty and students have been. I’m confused about educating myself on the
different career academies and AAP times.” In her limited spare time, she
is busy furthering her education. “I am currently working on my Master’s
degree from ASU.” Prins said. “I also enjoy spending time with my daughter
and son.”
Kyle Mallett
Kyle Mallett, another civics and government teacher, spends his time
away from school playing golf, hunting, and fishing. When he is teaching at
MHHS, he enjoys the staff and students. “It’s difficult to learn all about the
academies and how they work,” Mallett said.
Cathy Beckham
Orientation to teaching and JAG (Jobs for Arkansas Graduates) is taught
by Cathy Beckham. Beckham is also supervises the senior internships.
“The students are my favorite thing about MHHS. They are a great group
to work with and teach.” said Beckham. “It has been a very easy transition
from fourth grade to the high school, as far as the students are concerned.
They are a lot of fun, and I am really enjoying the kids in my classes.” In
her free time she spends time with family and friends, runs, watches and
participates in sporting events, and watches former students in all their
extracurricular activities.
Richard Grissum
Richard Grissum, the agri mechanics, agri structures, agri metals, and
agri science and technology teacher, now teaches at MHHS (the school he
graduated from). He enjoys family activities, racing dirt track cars, and
fishing. “I find moving from class to class every block difficult, since we
can’t use the agri building.” Grissum said.
To my favorite teachers
The ones who told me to keep going
To never give up,
Who gave me numerous chances
Even though I didn’t deserve them
To my crazy group of friends
The ones who were there from the start
Whose shoulder I could cry on
The people who never fail to make me smile
By cracking their lame jokes
To the class of 2010
The ones I’ve been surrounded by since 2003
Who I’ve made memories with
The ones who I don’t always get along with
But who I still care for
I salute you
It’s been an honor to be with you all these years
Run free like a pack of wild horses
Remember all you’ve been through;
Thanks for the memories
- Lisa Oberpriller
9/17/10
My Unreliably Reliable Cars and
a Look into Human Nature
P. 15 CONTRAILS High School:
A look back at the first day
editor-in-chief
Delaney Smith
This world has offered me a lot of
insight into true human nature. But
nothing has shown me how nice a
person really can be, more than my car
that continually breaks down. My first car was a red, Plymouth
Neon. It wasn’t in the best of shape
and it had a lot of problems that would
later pose more of a tribulation than
I had initially thought, but it was
occasionally good to me.
The Neon drove in an all right fashion. It sometimes failed to make it up
larger hills and the gas gauge and the speedometer were always on empty and
zero, but it had its shining moments.
It was, to give this article’s title credit, an unreliably reliable car and it broke
down just enough times to show me that there were still a few, real people left in
this world. The story was the same every time; my car would break down, some
gallant, common folk would come to my rescue (or my boyfriend, depending on
which day my car decided to quit), and I would be left feeling like decent human
nature had not completely dissolved from our society.
I can’t recall the number of times that my car had decided to quit right in the
middle of the road, and someone had offered time out of their busy day to pull
over and help me push my broken vehicle out of harm’s way.
I have never more persistently and annoyingly said thank you than to those
who have humbly helped me in my time of need. And I’m speaking of strangers;
people just passing on a good deed for the will of humanity. I’m sure they don’t
think of themselves as such, but I’ve thought a lot about it. I’ve had about fifteen
experiences to mull it over.
I have never been one to believe in something such as karma, but I guess all
karma really is, is doing a good deed for someone and that person passing it on
to the next. An endless cycle of our true compassion.
I currently drive an Oldsmobile Achieva and it too has its set of problems. It
too breaks down, and it too gives me the opportunity to truly see how people can
be.
staff writer
High school is nothing more than a vast learning center filled with dozens
upon dozens of cliques and groups trying to out-do everyone else.
My first day, I’ve learned to not really get into that chaos. I’ve noticed that
around every corner is drama, which really isn’t surprising, and how people
can be really rude for no apparent reason.
I asked for help on my first day because I didn’t know where a class was
and the person totally blew me off. So I didn’t ask any other person for help
from there on. On the other hand, my classes were somewhat simple.
I don’t really have trouble in any of my classes right now, but I’m sure I will
in the future. I like the high school because the teachers treat students more
like adults and not like kids.
Also, the lunch lines have more to choose from, which is always a plus. The
thing that benefits me most is how we have eight minutes between classes
instead of five. I can take my time and do whatever I need to do, and still get
to class on time.
The badges are a bit of a hassle because they can break easily, and if you
don’t have them on, there are serious consequences. The high school is definitely different and it’s going to take some getting used to, but I’m sure I’ll
manage.