Highlights from the Drama Informances

By Will F. and John T.

The drama informance was very interesting. The informance showed a little bit of what the whole play was going to be about. It also showed a little bit about who the characters are and what they are like. But the actors mainly introduced the plot of the story. The actors and actresses also articulated and projected their voices well. Some of the characters could have spoken a lot louder, but for the most part, they were very good. The setting was well thought out, and the props were really cool. In addition, the drama students practiced for weeks, and when the time came, they did a great performance. However, some of the actors needed to improve on specific details. Some of these small details included not turning their backs on the audience, and speaking clearer/louder. The informance was an overall pleasure to watch, and the rest of school should be looking forward to seeing the play.

Close up with Graphic Art and Design

By Faith F.

On Jan. 3, two newspaper students (Faith Fountain and Adrianna Bonner) got the inside scoop of Graphic Art and Design. Graphic Art and design means communication design or designs that tell a story. They uncovered the true things that graphic designers do. Mr. Mednick, is the Graphic Art and Design teacher. This is his 8th year teaching, but first year doing Media Arts. He told them in his interview that he had always wanted to create things like Pixar, animations for films. In this class( you) can create and program your own virtual worlds. “We are working and making stuff on the computer a lot,” quotes Trey S. All of the students that they interviewed all said that they wanted to do this class for something different and that they all love coming and making virtual worlds. Mr. Mednick teaches other classes. Down below are the other classes that he teaches:

1st Period: Graphic Art & Design 7th

2nd Period: Video Production 8th

3rd Period: Graphic Art & Design 6th

4th Period: No Class

5th Period: Digital Media Arts 8th

6th Period: TV Production 7th

7th Period: Planning Period

8th Period: Graphic Art & Design 6th

Juvie and Hoodie

By Morgan M. and Jessalyn B.

On Thursday, Nov. 17, the seventh-grade intermediate drama performed their play "Hoodie", then the eighth-grade advanced drama performed the play "Juvie" right after them. The performance started at 6:30 p.m. and both were over by 8:30 p.m. These plays took a lot of time and effort to prepare to perform. One hard thing was picking which part the actors would play. Mrs. Swartzel said, “It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made.” She also said that it’s like a Rubik's cube, because you put one person in a spot, but that mixes up everyone else’s parts, just like a twist of a Rubik's cube. It takes a lot of time, but when you get it right, it works perfectly. Even though the parts were hard to pick, the ones given to the actors were definitely the right decisions. All the actors eventually did agree that the parts they were given all fit together really well. In "Hoodie", the parts actors were given forced everyone to work together, like in the ‘Clump’ which forced them to walk and talk in sync. Also, the techs and the actors used a lot of cues that required the right timing with each other.

"Hoodie" was mainly about middle school problems with popularity and self-worth. The play addressed those issues by the actors saying what their character felt insecure about. "Juvie" was about what goes on in a juvenile detention center. The play addressed the problems by sharing what some teens had done that got them into juvie. Each character in "Juvie" recalled what events and decisions caused them to end up in detention, which showed some were assumed guilty just by association with groups who do illegal things. The climax of the play was the announcement of each character’s punishment.

Most actors and actresses said it took them about a week and a half to get their lines memorized. They all practiced their lines over and over until they were completely off-book. Overall, these plays were so different, but that is what made them work so well together, especially the transition from "Hoodie" to "Juvie". Police sirens came on and ran the 7th graders off the stage, making way for the eighth graders and their performance. It was unexpected which made it so good. There is one thing each play did well. First, in "Hoodie", the cast were good at projecting their voices to the audience. Secondly, “Juvie” had very realistic fight scenes, however you couldn’t hear them quite as well.

These plays were very easy to enjoy. After the performance, some of the actors were asked what they thought. Nalla Fisher of "Hoodie" summarized it well saying, “I am really proud of the casts of both plays and I know we did a great job. I am so sad it is over” while Claire Taylor said, "I don't know; there's such an adrenaline rush when you perform, but I would say I'm relieved it is over." Many audience members said these were very good plays, and they were glad they saw them. So the plays were well worth the effort to come out and see.

New presidency meeting in the White House

By Cherish A.

Now knowing who our new President is for the next four years, it is up to us to stay updated with all the media and news. Trump has come a very long way with this election plus it's also his first time being in politics. Earlier in his life he was a reality television star and had his own show.

Obama and Trump had a face to face 90 minute meeting with each other on Nov. 10. This had been the very first time both of them have met in person. It has quoted to be a very cordial meeting and Obama had said that Trump is a “good man.” Everyone has their differences on both Presidents. The first impression may not always be what you can expect.

The meeting was not as awkward as it had intended to be. It went a little smoother than you could imagine. Just think about taking the place of being President and making decisions for our nation.

Trump is the new president

By Sully S. and Elijah A.

Dow Jones plunged 750 points after Donald J. Trump was elected president. Donald Trump had 290 electoral votes compared to Hillary Clinton’s 228 electoral votes. Clinton was winning the polls before election day by 3.5 points, and she had a 84% chance of winning.Three main states that helped lead Trump to victory was Michigan, Florida, and North Carolina. If Trump had not won those states, he may have never won the presidency. Trump says that when he is officially president on January 30, he will replace Obama Care. Trump thinks the government shouldn’t fund abortion. As you may also know, he wants to build a wall to keep illegal immigrants out of this country. Trump is an inexperienced politician having zero political office experience at all. Hopefully, he will do a good job as president.

Smoke in Greenville

By Harry C.

Wildfires in North Carolina are burning trees and other things in the woods. The smoke coming off of the fires is coming down to South Carolina and causing a big uproar. A fire burning near Table Rock State Park in Pickens County has burned more than 400 acres. The fire has been burning since Tuesday. No evacuations have been ordered, but residents in Pickens County need to be prepared to get out of the area fast. Greenville County says, "The ongoing drought, combined with leaf fall, low humidity and high winds, is making conditions ripe for wildfire," so everyone needs to be prepared in case a wildfire appears. Wildfires can have different outcomes because the fire could stop halfway or burn the entire forest down in seconds.

Movie review: Doctor Strange

By John T. and Will F.

Doctor Strange, some would say, was a big hit for Marvel. Some people might disagree, but overall, it really just depends of which genre you enjoy the most. This movie included some of the best special effects that any Marvel movie has had. I wouldn't recommend this movie for anyone nine and under because there’s cursing, and you might get dizzy from all the twisting and turning involved in the movie. If you're under the age of 13, you need a parent or guardian for permission to come (PG-13). I feel like the movie was well-made and had good actors that made the movie an enjoyable experience. Benedict Cumberbatch did a great job being Stephen Strange, who was very funny and clever. The plot was well thought out, and the origin of Doctor Strange was revealed in an easy-to-follow way. The action scenes were great, and they felt like something different and new. The setting of the movie takes place in modern day New York, Nepal, Hong Kong, and London. Basically, all this movie did was explain the origins of Doctor Strange. However, the story left off in a suspenseful way, and fans should be expecting a sequel.

7 study tips for midterms (or second quarter benchmarks)

By Addison C., Jessalyn B., & Grace B.

With midterms and benchmarks coming up soon, many students get very stressed. With these tips, students can lift the stress off of testing.

• Be sure to get a good night's sleep- Sleep helps everyone’s brain rest and recoup from the day. If a student doesn’t get a good amount of sleep, it will take longer for them to process questions and remember what was studied.
• Eat a good breakfast- Eating a good breakfast can influence someone’s test scores in a good or bad way. Studies at easacademy.org say, “ Breakfast is a critical meal because it influences practically every dimension of our being during the course of the day, including how we perform physically and mentally.” Students should include some protein, fruits, and veggies for best performance.
• Look over the study guide- Teachers give students a study guide to either look over or fill out. It is important that they at least try filling it out on their own because it is scientifically proven that when someone writes something down, they remember it better. Sometimes students are allowed to have gum and/or mints before taking a benchmark/midterm. Some have said if the piece of mint/gum has a unique, odd, or uncommon flavor while studying, and the same flavor while testing, students can remember things because the mint/gum associated with that taste.
• Wear comfortable clothes- When students are testing, it’s important to be comfortable. If the student is not, they’ll be moving around some and won’t be able to concentrate as well. If they can’t concentrate, they ultimately won’t do really well on the test. If they’re are comfortable, they’ll be able to remember things without the distraction of uncomfortable clothes.
• Use the process of elimination- Sometimes, a student might not know an answer. Instead of them picking a random answer, they could eliminate answers they know aren’t correct. Then, the student could pick out of the remaining choices they have left. This gives them a much better chance to get the question correct.
• Take your time and check over the test- If someone goes back to check their work, students can catch silly mistakes they might’ve made earlier in the test. Especially if the test is not timed, students would be advised to check their work to ensure a better grade on their test.

Don't put too much pressure on yourself- These tips may seem easier said than done, however using these suggestions can make students confident going into their test. Even if they don’t do well, they should remember that teachers are not out to trick students. If someone needs help they don’t need to be afraid to ask. ( Just don’t wait until the last minute!)

Schools To Watch

By Adrianna B.

League Academy is a school to watch! Schools to Watch recognizes the improvement and growth of high-performing schools. On Nov. 14 League had representatives come and observe the different classes. The representatives did an excellent job, and so did the students. Later on that week, League's Principal, Mary Leslie Anderson, announced, “I am happy to announce that League will be named a Schools to Watch Re-Designation II School in 2017. This could not have happened without all of us working together! I am so proud of our school community! Congratulations, League!”

Girls on the Run

By Addison C. and Faith F.

Girls on the Run is a running program that inspires girls to be themselves while learning the values of running and being healthy. Their motto is, “We inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.” Coach Barrow said that she loves coaching this program, “ This program is great because the girls learn something about themselves.”

What Do They Do?

At Girls on the Run, the girls obviously focus on running, but they do many other activities. Coach Barrow said, “They do lots of activities, like levels of running, intervals, and team building.”

What Do the Coaches Have to Say About Girls on the Run?

Both coaches love seeing the girls connect and seeing them bond without popularity and how you dress and without judging each other.

What’s Their Favorite Activity?

Their favorite activity is group bonding. They do lots of team building as well. When they do group bonding they work as groups and all help each other.

When Do They Meet?

They meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:00. The season lasts about as long as the regular running season. If anyone has any questions, contact Coach Barrow or Coach Daniel.

Dance informance

By Cherish A. and Rebecca K.

On Dec. 1 seventh grades first period dance class had their first informance. The dance had a certain meaning behind it, such as “Pandora’s Door.” Classical upbeat music was what Mrs. McCain picked out for the dance. It is required by the students' standards that this performance be done by the students themselves. All of the choreography was directed by the students and they picked the theme together.

Since there were all different groups, everyone was incorporated with a different costume. A costume of camo meant war, gray meant Disease, white equaled Hope and the rest of the dancers dressed as kids. In the beginning the kids opened a door that said “DO NOT OPEN.” Then, all of the different characters came out of the door. At the end the Hope characters pushed everyone back into the door. But, the bad characters snuck out and froze as the lights went down.

Mrs. Urps (the previous Creative Writing teacher) ran the lights. She has been doing the lights for the past ten years for almost every informance and performance.

Evening of Dance

By Adrianna B.and Monica A.

The annual Evening Of Dance was on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. Backstage had chatter and excitement was filling in the air. Six dances were performed, two dances per grade. All of these dances, except one was choreographed by the students.

The first dance of the night was We Can Do It! This dance was by the 8th Grade dance class. The dance was based off of Rosie The Riveter. The music used in the dance was by Glenn Miller.

Up next was 7th Grade class, and they performed a dance called, “Pandora’s Door.” The dance was a modern version of a greek myth, Pandora’s Box, featuring Hope, War, and Disease. Modest Mussorgsky was the artist for the music used in the dance.

The 6th Grade dance class did a dance called, “Almost Gone.” It was about deforestation. The music used for this was by NorthSound.

The fourth dance performed was, “True Shades,” by the other 7th grade dance class. This dance was about bullying. The dance included bullies, bystanders, victims, and helpers.

The other 6th grade dance class did a dance about being confident on who you are and inner beauty. This was called, “You Are Beautiful,” with the music by Alessia Cara.

The last performance of the night was by the 8th Grade Advanced dance class. It was choreographed by our dance teacher, Mrs McCain. It was called, “Colony.” The music was by Ryan Lott. The dance was representing the dancers as ants.

After asking some of the students a couple of questions, they spoke about how they felt about their performance.

What was the hardest thing about your dance?

“Being in unison,” says Sydney M.

How long did you have to choreograph this dance?

“We had 8 weeks,” says Sofia V.

How do you feel about how your class did on your performance?

“Good,” says Faith P.

Spanish interview

By Adrianna B. and Jessalyn B.

On Nov. 22, three students in Mrs. Bell’s Spanish Class were interviewed; Ty’Keishione T, Owen L, and Ashlynn. A few questions asked were: What is their favorite thing about Spanish? What is their favorite thing about Mrs. Bell?

All together, they responded to each question similarly. What’s your favorite thing to do in this class? The students responded with these answers, “We like to play games and be able to learn a new language.” Why did you want to join this class? “We like to be able to work with each other,” Owen L. specifically said that he wanted to be able to communicate with others by learning Spanish, where if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have been able to talk to them. What is your favorite thing about Ms. Bell? “Ms. Bell is always open-minded and can always help when you don’t understand something. She always has a positive attitude and loves to have fun.” Also, Ty’Keishione said that she was funny and intelligent. This was the interview of the Spanish students.

League goes Nomadik

By Morgan M. and Catie E.

Nomadik Few made its first appearance this year at League Academy. What makes this shaved ice truck unique is its 16 organic flavors and biodegradable 8, 12, and 16 oz bowls. Other biodegradable items include their spoons, napkins, and straws. All of the bowls are equipped with a QR code so you can find the nearest composting site so you can dispose of your bowls in a Earth-friendly way.

The whole theme of the business is being nomadic, which means to always be moving. Therefore, the biodegradable bowls, napkins, spoons, and straws represent their brand because they are easily disposable. Their cart is entirely made of reclaimed wooden panels.

“We've added King of Pops and Nomadik Few this year, so we can have more variety. The PTA would like to find an additional treat company to be at school for the remaining Fridays of each month,” said Mrs. Western, a member of the PTA.

Nomadik Few is one of the few organic shaved ice companies around, and they’re the only one that comes to our school. They come on Friday, Dec. 9, and we won’t have it AGAIN!

Kona Ice day

By Jamiah P. & Stella G.

This Friday the Kona Ice truck will be coming to League Academy to sell their shaved ice to the students at their lunch (Dec. 2). Kona ice truck workers said, “Shaved Ice Cups Kowabunga and Color Changing Cups Receive $3 Refills.”

Food Size Price

Cup Regular $3.00

Cup King Kona $4.00

Cup Kowabunga $5.00

Cherish A. says, “My favorite flavors are blue raspberry and tiger’s blood.” Other students prefer, pina colada, watermelon, and flavors like cotton candy. Kona Ice is a fun way to discover the new fun flavors they have every two weeks. Fridays are always a very happy day so, it is a great day to get Kona Ice and give the workers a fun day and an advantage. The next Kona ice day will be on Friday, Jan. 7. Student enjoy this fun Friday at League Academy lunch!

Students gear up for winter break

By Marah S. & Grace B.

Winter break is a fun time for everyone. Students get off from school and those that are working get a break from the daily projects and money management that come with working a job. Different families have different traditions that come with the way our previous generation grew up. There are also the foods you eat around the holidays such as mac 'n' cheese, holiday ham, banana pudding, and fruit cake. There are also some more diverse options depending on your cultural background. Of course there is also the small party snacks and finger food during the parties celebrated for the holidays. Those parties are something people do over the winter break. There are plenty of things to do over winter break such as cooking, sports, and just hanging around with friends. Everyone in Newspaper hopes people all across the world enjoy their break.

LEGO Club Termigator first place win

by Harry C.

The termigator tournament happened June 2016 in Washington, D.C. The competition explores how normal people can recycle using different methods, Leagues team used mealworms because they eat styrofoam and other kinds of waste. Schools from all over America came to participate in this tournament and make different ways to recycle and make the most productive way to recycle. The Lego Club set of some booths in public and in the building to show how their project is productive with mealworms, they set it up with a box with mealworms and styrofoam and had gummy worms as a reward to look at their advertisement. The Lego club had hundreds mealworms in a wooden box, they recorded how much the styrofoam was eaten. The lego team interacted with the public and other teams traveling around the world, the Lego team won the FIRST Global Innovation Award competition and they said “ the valuable experience was one they will never forget”. The Lego club won the competition with their project named the wormhole.

Student Holiday Concert

By Morgan McClain & Catie Ebert

On Dec. 16, 2016, the student holiday concert was showcased to all grades in the school. In League’s auditorium, the holiday themed performance by the arts students was designed to spread holiday cheer before winter break. This was all made possible by Ms. Donnan, a League staff member.

The performance included the school’s seventh and eighth grade band, orchestra, and chorus students, who played/sang well known and remixed Christmas songs.

These songs included “Last Christmas”, “Carol of the Bells”, and Christmas remixes of “Jingle Bells” and “Deck the Halls”.

There was even a surprise reading of “The Night Before Christmas” poem, League style. The teacher of the year, Mrs Leonard, did the honors this year by reading the poem to the League students.

The festivity of the performance wasn’t limited to just the music. The performing students wore a variety of holiday attire, like ugly Christmas sweaters, Santa hats, and onesies.

A special thanks to all those who performed in the concert and who made it possible.

A Poetry Slam

By Marah Susko

A poetry slam. Mrs. Franke has five classes that she did the poetry slam with. Two sixth, two eighth, and one seventh grade class. Having a poetry slam does more for people than just teach poetry and yell it out to the audience. It teaches you to to constantly be prepared because of the random selection order. It also teaches you to evaluate your peers because three students were judges at a time along with Mrs. Franke and an administrator. Speaking of scoring “the highest and lowest score of a poem would be thrown out” according to Mrs. Franke. The criteria for a poem is that you must have stanzas, figurative language, imagery, and it be a certain length.

The process of writing the articles went kind of like this: on the first day they talked about and brainstormed wildfire poems. They did this for the following two days except they changed the topics to passion poem and autobiographical poem. On the fourth day students picked their favorite theme and wrote their final poem for the actual slam.

League Academy vs. Ralph Chandler Boys Basketball Game

By Luke Anderson and John Trembly

Yesterday, at 6:30 p.m. the boys League basketball team faced of Ralph Chandler’s basketball team in the League Academy gym. The final score was 42-29, League comes out on top. It was a very intense game and it was about neck and neck throughout the whole game. The coach took out most of the starters at the end of the game to give the other players more playing time. Both teams competed and played very hard, but League’s team pulled away. “It was a collective team effort, we all put in work,” says point guard Elijah Allen. You could tell the chemistry between this team was perfect. The next boys basketball game will be an away game at Sevier this coming Thursday. The boys will come out after the girls basketball team at Sevier at 6:30.

Community Service

By Stella Garcia and Jamiah Pickens

Boys and Girls basketball teams are all set for the 2016-17 school year. Community Service will be held on Nov. 13, by the boys and girls on the team. The Girls and boys (plus the VOICE club) go around to local parks and help out the community, and pick up trash.

On Sunday the teams (and the VOICE club) went to Holmes Park, around League’s track, Tennis Courts, and the “Big Pond” to give back to the community. They found, tires, pillows, empty beer cans, etc. This was a great way to get to know our teammates, and friends better. At the beginning of the service, the students were split into groups with a parent/teacher to walk around, and pick up trash. It was a beautiful morning to do it, but super cold! After everyone was done, the parks, ponds, and courts were clean, we all took a group picture and showed the improvement of the parks. It was a successful day!

College Football Playoff Coverage

By John Trembly and Sully Sterling

In the College football playoffs the teams that are playing are Clemson against Ohio State, and Alabama against Washington. We took a class poll and Alabama got ten votes, Clemson got eight, Ohio State got one and so did Washington. There has been controversy this year between big ten teams Michigan, Ohio State ,and Penn state. The thing that is controversial about these teams is the that Ohio state made it into the playoff even though Penn state beat Ohio state and won the Big Ten championship. While Michigan lost to Ohio state but they blew out Penn state. The playoff has been around for three years now, and in the first year Ohio state won the championship and last year Alabama beat Clemson. This year however, we have Washington who has never been in the playoffs and is ranked fourth and they are facing off against Alabama who is first in the Chick fil a Peach Bowl. The last time that these two teams have faced each other was in the 1986 Sun Bowl and Alabama won. Clemson is ranked second and they are going up against Ohio state who is ranked third in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. The two teams faced off two years ago in the Orange Bowl and the tigers won 40-35. The winners were Clemson, and Alabama, so they will face each other in the 2017-2016 National Championship.

Greer Boys Basketball Tournament

By Sully S.

There was a middle school tournament for basketball in Greer. The teams that participated were Sevier, Beck, Blue Ridge, Hillcrest, Fisher, Greenville Middle, Greer, and League Academy. The championship game was League Academy against Hillcrest. Hillcrest defeated League Academy 45-38. But for the championship game League Academy basketball player Ashton Whitner scored the most points. For the whole tournament however, Michael Sanders scored the most points for League. The teams that League Academy beat were Blue Ridge and Sevier. Hopefully next time League will come out with a W in the championship.

League vs. Beck Boys Basketball Game

By Luke Anderson and Will Flora

On Monday, Dec. 5, the League boys basketball team played Beck Academy at 6:30 p.m. in League’s gym. League was able to defeat Beck 53-61. It was a non-conference game, so the result didn’t affect the team’s standings in their bracket. The game was slow in the beginning, and League Academy had a clear lead. However towards the end of the game, the score became really close, and both teams started to push themselves to able to win. “It was a little sloppy because we were up by 15 at half time but then they came back,” said point guard Elijah Allen. The next game for the boys will be Thursday Dec. 8, against Tanglewood at 6:30 p.m. It will also be played in the League gymnasium after the girl’s basketball game at 5:30 p.m. The League boy’s record so for is 2-1 while the girl’s record is 2-1 just like the boy’s.

The fight for the Heisman award revealed

Lamar Jackson of Louisville won the Heisman award on the night of Dec. 10. Lamar has also won the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, The Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award and made the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Football Team in his career. Deshaun Watson, Dede Westbrook, Jabrill Peppers and Baker Mayfield all fought for the award, but Lamar came out on top. Watching were the families of the nominees and former football players. Before the award was announced, all former winners of the award walked across the stage to get recognized.

In the 2016 year, Lamar has scored/assisted 36 touchdowns and has driven the ball 272.5 yards. He also has 9 interceptions. He was born in Pompano Beach, Fla., on Jan. 7, 1997. On Rivals.com he was rated as a four-star recruit, and that is how he became committed to University of Louisville to play football.

Spring Sports Conditioning Begins

By Jamiah Pickens & Stella Garcia

Do you like to play baseball, softball, or soccer? Well then conditioning for League Academy’s spring sports are a great way to be prepared for tryouts! Usually the conditioning will happen after school, to prepare for tryouts. First cuts for girls soccer will be Jan. 31, final cuts will be after the fourth day of tryouts, Feb. 2, with Coach Smith, (8th grade ELA). Only 20-22 girls/boys will be on the team(s). Softball coach Ms. Franke will have the softball tryouts and final cuts on Jan 30. Baseball will follow softball. Only 7th and 8th graders can participate to being on the teams. 6th graders can manage the teams. The soccer, and softball teams schedule will be the same, and play the same teams. Baseball will also have the same schedule just opposite locations/fields. All players interested must also have no discipline referrals and grades that are not lower than a ‘C’ (70+) in any core classes.

What is Red Ribbon Week All About?

By Will Flora and Sully Sterling

What is Red Ribbon Week? Do you know what Red Ribbon Week is really about? These are some simple questions that we can answer for you. We usually celebrate this holiday on the week of Oct. 23-31. Red Ribbon Week is a cause dedicated to raise awareness for anti-drugs because a Drug Enforcement Administration Agent named Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was kidnapped, tortured, and brutally murdered in 1985. Red Ribbon Week has become an annual event for schools around the US to enjoy. It is also a drug, alcohol, tobacco, and violence prevention week.

We asked a student, Catie Ebert, “What is the meaning of Red Ribbon Week to you?” She answered back, “A time when a lot of attention is given to the fact not to do drugs.” We asked the same question to another student, Garrison Hill, who replied, “Don’t do drugs or drink alcohol.”

Now do you understand Red Ribbon Week better, or maybe in a different point of view? Hopefully, you can say yes and truly understand the point of this holiday and why we celebrate it.

Students "Falling" All Over PTA Fall Party!

By Addison Cate and Catie Ebert

If you heard screaming kids, loud music, and lots of fun last Friday, then you may have been at the PTA Fall Party. This party included everything from eating to dancing. "I like to hang out with my friends," said Maddi L. The party allowed for people to go crazy at school with their friends, when they normally have to be serious.

Although this party was great, some people gave some constructive criticism. “I would make the music softer,” said Luke M.

However, everyone’s two favorite activities were the dancing in the gym and eating at the concessions stand. We offered a survey to see what the kids liked to do best, and not surprisingly, most students said eating was their favorite. “ My favorite part was eating,” said Emily S.

When asked how they would change the party, Morgan W. said, “ I wouldn’t,” All in all, the party was fun for all who attended.

Fall Book Fair

By Marah Susko

The book fair is a great time to find out what authors you like, and what book genres you like and dislike. There are books of all reading levels so that no one is left out of the book fair fun. This year in the fair, we have lots of featured books by many award winning authors. The fair this year has a new fun theme called “bookaneers” for the name of the League Academy pirates. The problem is that the Fall book Fair only lasts from Monday, October 24 to Friday, October 28. There are many things you are able to get at the book fair. You are able to select office supplies and fun kits to use as well as all the other books.

The book fair is not only made for allowing students to buy books, but also to make extra money for the school. Most of the proceeds from the book fair goes to the library. Ms. Joseph would like to purchase some new books, digital photo frames, and some air fragrance. According to Ms. Joseph, “the library should be a safe haven for students to come into a comfortable place relax and learn”. Ms. Joseph is always buying new books. You are allowed to request books for the library to order. Overall, the book fair is a wonderful event that allows students to interact with parent volunteers, buy books for a cheap price, raise money for our school, and allow Ms. Joseph to learn who likes what types of books. If you did not come to the fall book fair then I suggest you go to the spring one.

Strings Regional Orchestra Concert

Saturday, the Regional Orchestra played at Anderson University, at 5 p.m. It was a great success! The Regional Orchestra is made up out of 3 different orchestras. Junior Orchestra, Senior Orchestra, and Seniors Honors Orchestra! They performed three pieces. Agincourt by Doug Spata, Highland Celebration by Alan Lee Silva, I Remember by Susan H. Day, and Royal Fireworks by Todd Parrish. All of these songs were directed by Rebecca Leonard. The next orchestra concert is going to be a Christmas concert on December 15th. This concert happens annually where the strings orchestra play Christmas songs to get you into the mood of Christmas spirit! The strings orchestra is currently practicing very hard to be prepared for the concert so that once it comes, it will drop jaws. The concert they usually play traditional, standard Christmas songs like Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, and Jingle Bells. We can’t wait for this date to come!

Reflections

By Faith Fountain

Reflections are back, and we learned more about “ Your Story.” Reflections are my favorite way to learn more about my schoolmates. This year the theme was, “What Is Your Story,” so the artist got to show their story. You can enter in many different categories such as, Visual Art, Photography, Dance Choreography, Literature, and Film. The process is very simple, you take a photo, video, or write a story. You then will put you school, name, date, and title of your piece, and as an option, you can write a story to describe your artwork. The process can take a while. The wait is hard because you want to know if you placed. If you placed at your school, you will move to district, where the they will judge your art. If you place in first or second you then will move to State. It is the same in State, you will have your art judged by the judges again, only the first place winner will move on to Nationals and you will compete for the final first place for your category. All of the art is very well done and you may even see your friends place high up in the categories.

Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade Orchestra Concert

By Grace B. and Jessalyn B.

On Tuesday, Oct. 18, a strings concert was held in the auditorium of League Academy. That night, all grades performed with some band members that auditioned to be part of the full orchestra. The strings teachers, Mrs. Leonard and Ms. Walser, worked really hard with the band teacher, Mr. McBride, to have the best performance that they could.

First, the sixth grade orchestra played four pieces: “Mozart Melody”, “London Bridge Duet”, “Lightly Row”, and “Bile ‘Em Cabbage Down”. Ms. Walser said, “6th grade did great.“ The advanced sixth grade orchestra played the piece “Miniature Symphony”.

After the sixth graders, the seventh grade orchestra played the pieces “Star Wars”, “Theme From New World Symphony”, “Accents”, and “Secret Agent 440”. They used glow sticks taped to their bows during the song “Star Wars”, wore sunglasses during “Secret Agent 440”, were accompanied by the band students on “Theme From New World Symphony”, and the band teacher conducted that piece.

The eighth grade students played the pieces “The Abduction from the Seraglio” with the band students, “Alice in Wonderland”, “Haunted Carousel”, and “The Second Anniversary Waltz”. “The Second Anniversary Waltz,” has two solos from violin player Julia, and viola player Gabe. The next strings performance is Dec. 15, and it costs $3.00 per ticket.

Wire Choir

By Faith Fountain and Monica Arizmendi

Wire Choir is a school-wide club for 7th and 8th graders. Students have auditioned to be in this club that meets Wednesday mornings at 7:45am until 8:15am, unless told otherwise. This club is voluntary, not forced. If you love to play, then this club is for you!

The audition process is to record yourself on video playing the selected audition music selected by Mrs. Leonard and Ms. Walser. Both of the Strings teachers will review your performance, and then they will tell you your results.

Wire Choir will perform at many events such as Open House, Magnet Open House, Winter and Spring Orchestra Concerts, and many other events. Wire Choir plays many new or well known songs such as “Clocks” by Coldplay, “Allstar“ by Smashmouth, “Firework“ by Katy Perry, and more.

Auditions for Wire Choir are at the end of the school year, and sometimes are at the beginning of the school year.

Condition and Swishin’

By Rebecca Kaup and Cherish Allen

For the 2016-2017 school year, Boys Basketball tryouts for seventh and eighth graders were held on Oct. 31 from 3:30-5 p.m. and Nov. 1, 2, and 3 from 5-6:30 p.m. in the gym. Coach Powell (boys basketball) and Coach Stone (girls basketball and athletic director) had supervised the tryouts and determined the final cuts on the fourth day of tryouts, which was on Nov. 3. The first cuts were made on Nov. 1 to narrow it down a little bit. Mr. Powell has decided to keep the best 14 players for our school team. He did not pick a certain amount of players from each grade.

65 people originally tried out. 25 made it through the first cut and all came to the tryouts to continue. To start, the boys did stretches consisting of high knees, butt kicks, sprints, jumping, and burpees. Following after they split up into positions and did consistent drills. Within all of the drills Mr. Powell gave advice to the whole group on how to improve their skills. Finishing, they played an official game. But overall, everyone worked their hardest to compete for their spot on the team this season. The team will be announced on Nov. 3.

Nothin’ But Net

By Stella Garcia and Jamiah Pickens

This year’s Girls Basketball tryouts are going to be a big swish. This will be happening on November 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the League Academy gym. The girls basketball coach will be Coach Stone, for the Lady Bulldogs. This year there will not be a lot of girls trying out. Coach Stone quoted, “You will find out if you actually made the team on Monday.” The 1st day of tryouts and conditioning were very brutal to some people.

Tryouts this week are from 3:30 until 5. With an additional day of practice on Monday. Probably only 14 or 15 girls will be on the team this year. With full court scrimmages during tryouts, there are only a few more days to find out if you made the team. The first scrimmage will be Thursday, November 15 against Riverside. The first game will be a home game, Monday, November 28th against Ralph Chandler.

Trump vs. Clinton

By Elijah Allen

This presidential election might be the most interesting yet. It has been filled with scandals, insults, and flat out drama. The candidates in this election are Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Clinton is the Democratic representative, and she is leading the election against Trump, the Republican representative, by six points.

This election has been filled with scandals and insults. Donald Trump has said that Hillary Clinton is part of ISIS. Hillary has said Trump doesn’t like women. All of that drama aside, this election might be the best yet.

Trump and Clinton are two very smart people. But Hillary might have an advantage having already been in the White House for 8 years. The other advantage Clinton might have is votes from women, especially African American women. Clinton is winning votes with the African American educated and uneducated women. Trump’s edge comes with white males. He hasn’t had to try hard to get their support. All in all, when election time comes, we will see who will win.

Movie Review: Boo! A Madea Halloween

By Aidan Hall

BOO! A Madea Halloween was a great movie. It was extremely humorous and attention grabbing. I only recommend this if you're over 12 and don’t get offended easily. This movie was extremely well done and well made—after all, Tyler Perry did play two roles in the movie, the acting was good, and it almost always made you laugh. It has a very good plot, too. I cannot stress this enough that this is a very good movie. If you enjoy comedy and you enjoy Halloween movies, this is definitely the movie for you. It has good actors, good plot, and much more. This movie will have you rolling on the ground laughing because it’s so funny. If you liked this Madea movie, then you will definitely like the other ones. This may have been a short review, but I hope it will help you know what this movie is like and even encourage you to go see this movie!

Literacy Week!

By Harry Cunningham

Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, teachers and students at League will do very unique things on each day of the week. Some students will love this week and some will think it’s some sort of festival. It’s a week for students to be reading superstars.

Here are some of the week's events:

• Daily Read Aloud - Every day teachers will share something literacy-related with their classes.
• DEAR - Drop Everything and Read. You never know when it’s going to happen. Drop everything you're doing and read for ten minutes.
• Poster Decorating Competition - Each team will select some students to create a book-inspired poster in the cafeteria.
• VOICE Club - Needs students to donate books and to send to the libraries in Charleston that were damaged by Hurricane Matthew.
• Caught Reading Cards - Teachers will sign when a student is reading to promote carrying a book at all times.

This is happening all week, so all League students can have a fun week packed with literacy!

Magnet Open House

By Marah Susko

The magnet open house is a great way to meet teachers, other students, and see what you are able to do at League. Meeting teachers and finding out what clubs there are, what classes there are, and the school’s layout are all part of choosing a school.

Going to an open house is very important for these reasons. The teachers at our school are always trying to better themselves and their students just like Mr. Ian Lynch. He says, “I want to integrate arts into each unit at least once and make it so that my students are able to realize their mistakes just as much as they realize the past mistakes of our ancestors”. All of our teachers are trying to achieve great things while pushing the students to make change in the world.

If you were not able to come to the open house, then try coming to some type of show such as a dance performance or a concert from our music department. You should never forget about our sports games either. We are now at the end of this lecture on paper and my last message to you is try to understand the heart of the school you are going to.

Kona Ice Vs.King of Pops

By Morgan McClain

Do you like King of Pops or Kona Ice better? This is the question I posed to ten students from League Academy. Kaleigh Nelson, seventh grader said "I prefer King of Pops because it honestly tastes better”. The second student, seventh grader Nalla Fisher, said "King of Pops because it tastes natural. They only have one price, so you know what to bring. They also have amazing flavors for us to choose from.” Nine out of the ten students asked said they prefer King of Pops, so it seems like King of Pops might be winning this ‘battle’ with some students. But I am sure there are many others who prefer Kona Ice over King of Pops, or we wouldn't have Kona Ice offered so often.

Upon researching, I found Kona Ice has “giveback programs” which means the company serves as a fundraiser for the school. Kona Ice has given back $75,000 through fundraising since 2012! (http://www.konaicegreenville.com/Fundraising.html) I couldn’t find anything about fundraising goals on the website of King of Pops.

The goal of King of Pops is “to provide an ecologically responsible, fresh, all-natural frozen treat in a fun neighborhood environment” (http://greenville.kingofpops.com/about/our_story). Kona Ice lists their shaved ice as “low calorie Vitamin C Konas, with 40% less sugar, will boost immunity and act as a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin C will keep you active and ready for playing…” (http://www.konaicegreenville.com/index.html) However, the Kona Ice trucks have different sizes to purchase and added flavors that can pack on the calories and sugar. Some of their trucks have ice cream treats that aren’t low calorie or natural at all, but League Academy doesn’t allow those at the school. So, it seems like King of Pops definitely wins the battle of being healthier and having a limited sugar intake...unless someone buys five pops!

Many times which company comes to League Academy comes down to which company the PTA board chooses to bring in. I interviewed PTA secretary Suzanne Western to find out the process. Mrs. Western first reported some history, “League PTA used to do a ‘Tea & T day’ which was selling sweet tea during lunches and students paid $1 to wear a t-shirt. Once the ‘Healthy Snacks’ rules came about, PTA changed to Kona Ice.”

The PTA must consider how much work on the part of PTA parents any project will require as well as how it might actually help the school. Western stated, “having a company come in and do the work while kids get a tasty treat and PTA gets a check is a win-win-win. It can be hard to find lots of volunteers to come and help out. This is a fundraiser that doesn’t require lots of work on the PTA's part and the treats are all within the district’s ‘healthy snacks’ guidelines, so that's a plus. Kona Ice has worked with League Academy for several years now (at least three that I know of, maybe more).”

Another consideration for the PTA is what will make the teachers happy so they feel they are getting treated too. “Earlier this school year, PTA asked teachers and staff for suggestions of food trucks and sweet treats; King of Pops was on that list,” said Western.

Having either Kona Ice or King of Pops does generate money for the school’s PTA. Mrs. Western explains “money that comes in from Friday Treats, which includes the money from students being able to wear athletic shorts/pants, hats, etc., goes into the general PTA fund and is used for any of the many ways PTA supports the teachers and students at the school. This might be money for the teachers to buy items for their classrooms, for example, extra books, school supplies, beanbag chairs, etc. Teachers can apply for grants to buy something big to help them (the music teachers bought a cool computer gizmo that helps them grade students' playing). PTA also uses the money for ongoing expenses -- supplies for Teacher Appreciation, printer ink for the PTA printer or other office supplies and prizes for the Reflections art contest, etc.”

There is a difference in the amounts League Academy’s PTA receives from the different companies. Western reported, “it's pretty close - 25% of sales from Kona Ice and 33% of sales from King of Pops” is given to PTA.

Currently, no formal feedback from the student body is received about which treats they might prefer. Students are probably just glad to be offered a treat! Most PTA members informally ask around and are focusing more on providing a variety than picking one vendor over another. “We've added King of Pops and Nomadik Few this year, so we can have more variety. PTA would like to find an additional treat company to be at school for the remaining Fridays of each month.”

The schedule shows Kona Ice and King of Pops are going to keep alternating times. For example, we are having Kona Ice on November 4 then we are having King of Pops on November 18. It seems the PTA is responding to the requests received earlier in the year from the teachers and staff, so League will be lucky enough to get a taste of each while also adding more variety with additional trucks like Nomadik Few coming.

Why Dance Is Better Than P.E.

By Adrianna Bonner

Dance is so much better than P.E. I truly think that Dance is better because you can express yourself better than in P.E. I know that it may be a "girl's" class, but there are boys who take dance. With Dance you get to choose more ideas, and everyone gets to pitch into everything. With Dance it’s mostly group work, and that can help with shy people’s self-esteem. Although dance doesn’t have as much exercise as P.E., we do get a good workout with all the moving that we do. We have stretch warm-ups and we have a group leader role that everybody shares. In Dance we have an eight-week project of the whole class working together for an end-of-year performance. That is why I think Dance is better than P.E. Do you agree with me now?

Why P.E. is Better Than Dance

By John Trembly

P.E. and dance are the two related arts classes at League Academy that students are required to take. Each year a student is required to take one of these classes. However some students have very different opinions on the classes. Some students take one class because their friends took it, some students take it because they like to dance or they like sports. However everyone has a reason that they didn’t choose one of the classes. I took P.E. because I don’t want to become a ballerina or any of those kinds of dancers. Also I chose P.E. because we play games almost every day. P.E. Student Brody M. said,"I can’t dance, and dancing isn’t fun." Another P.E. student, Jackson S., said, "We get to play fun games like dodge-ball and speed-ball." In P.E. we get to choose what units we want to do, and in Dance you don’t get a choice on what you want to do. In P.E. we get much more exercise than in Dance because we run half a mile every day and we do push ups and curl ups everyday. This is why I believe P.E. is a better class to take than dance.

Harry Potter Halloween Party

By Grace Brockman

On October 31st, Mrs. Osborne’s Harry Potter Club had a Halloween party. Lots of people came. There were many foods such as exploding bon bons, pretzel wands, butterbeer fudge, and candy brooms. There were also drinks such as butterbeer, polyjuice potion, and love potion. At this party there were Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans challenges, pumpkin decorating, and lots of arguing about which house was better, but no matter what house, the reason they joined stayed the same. “I love Harry Potter, and it’s my favorite book series.” said Emmy Jantz, Ravenclaw.

Mrs. Osborne created this club because she “loves Harry Potter and wanted to create an environment for everyone to come together and love Harry Potter too.” While i talked to Mrs. Osborne, I found out that she has big plans for the club like learning to play Quidditch. This club has mostly sixth graders, a few seventh, and a table of eighth grade professors. Mrs. Osborne hopes to see you join.

Inspired Authors Participate in NaNoWriMo

Inspired Authors club members are spending the month of November trying to reach a personal word count goal as part of the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Young Writers Program. NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit organization that reaches thousands of writers around the globe, including students here at League. Together, the Inspired Authors have written over 40,000 words this month. Many of the club's members have already met their word count goals, and November is not over yet.

The Inspired Authors meet every Tuesday after school, though optional Monday writing sessions are occurring during November to help the writers meet their word count goals. Any student interested in joining the club should see Mrs. Rigot or Ms. Franke.

7th Grade Cultural Projects

By Marah Susko

This cultural project allowed students to research a country and learn about its traditions, food, music, holidays, government, and just over all culture. The process of everything took about a week. First they were sorted into groups based on which country they would be doing their research on. Second, they conducted research. Then they created their presentation, and finally they showed off all their hard work to the class.

The kids have very different ideas about what they thought of the project. Some things that kids thought about the project are, “I enjoyed learning about the different cultures and what they have to offer” Sydney McAfee. Emily Parker says that “the project was hard and confusing, but worthwhile." The projects took a little over a week to make and over two days to present. Overall many believe that it was fun and interesting. The students got to learn about cultures all over the world and see what their daily lives were like. Hopefully students will continue to learn about cultures and other people around the world for years to come.

Thanksgiving: Past & Present

By Addison Cate and Catie Ebert

Thanksgiving is a holiday rich with traditions new and old. Old traditions have melded or adapted to new ones, but one thing never changes: the heart of the holiday.

History of Thanksgiving

Long ago, the First Thanksgiving included 90 Wampanoag Natives and 50 pilgrims who gathered for a feast. They celebrated gratefulness for each other in the fall of 1621. Many years later, on Oct. 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving an official holiday.

Thanksgiving Foods

Now to everyone’s favorite: the food! As illustrated in the graph above, it was a pretty close race between pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, and the other category. This included various options of stuffing, mac n’ cheese and ham.

Veterans Day Breakfast

By Harry C.

On Friday, Nov. 11, veterans came to League to eat breakfast with their family that are students of League. The veterans ate breakfast as proud heroes. Some of the veterans were young and some were old, but they are still heroes of America and fought for the people you see everyday! There were about 60 people eating breakfast. Some of the veterans said, “We fought for the people of the country, but we are still normal people” and other veterans said, “We were kids like you that loved our country." These veterans ate and then left near 8:30 a.m., heading back towards cars. One of the biggest facts of today is that they fought for a country that loves their people! Also strings performed in the hallway and chorus sang the National Anthem for everyone's enjoyment. The veterans loved it!