Spring 2018

A WEEK OF GRATITUDE FOR POLICE OFFICERS KICKS OFF MAY 11

By Jolia Heise and Sophia Savage

Annually, National Police Officers Week is held from May 11-17 and primarily acknowledged in Washington, D.C. It is meant to honor fallen officers and survivors still in the line of duty and not.

The U.S. loses anywhere from 140 to 160 police officers every year, courtesy of https://www.nationalcops.org/aboutnpw.html.

According to https://www.nationalcops.org/aboutnpw.html, National Police week is a time “to honor the service and sacrifice of U.S. law enforcement officers.”

The ways of actually recognizing Police Week include multiple events and opportunities for those wishing to attend.

One of the major events is the Candlelight Vigil on May, 13, hosted by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

“Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) hosts the National Police Survivors’ Conference on May 14 and May 16 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center,” says https://www.nationalcops.org/aboutnpw.html. Here, food, activities, and multiple programs are available to those who join.

“The Fraternal Order of Police and Auxiliary hosts the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service on the west front lawn of the U.S. Capitol on May 15” according to https://www.nationalcops.org/aboutnpw.html.

The family members who attend will have a chance to place a flower in a wreath in memory of the fallen officer they are representing and honoring.

Police Week is a time to honor and support those who risk their lives everyday for their country, many thanks are given to them for their sacrifices.

BLUE MOOSE BURGERS AND WINGS GOES OFF THE CHARTS

By Jade Pichierre

Blue Moose Burgers and Wings is on their way to the big leagues. Blue Moose is a sports-themed American restaurant with over a dozen flavors of wings plus burgers. Blue Moose is the place to go when you are looking for entertainment, great service, and hearty wings.

They have a 4.4 review for their service and an A for their health rating. According to Rachel R., customer, “The renovations look great, and I happily spend hours on the comfy couches nestled around the firepit on the patio.” Blue Moose has private parking and also has bike parking. Blue Moose accepts credit cards and Apple Pay. They take reservations and do take-out, but no delivery. This restaurant is a go-to place to eat out, and many people strongly recommend it.

Blue Moose’s address is 2430 Teaster Ln #108 in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. They are open Monday - Saturday 11 a.m. - Midnight and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

MR. COZAD AND MRS. PERKINS ARE MOVING UP TO 8TH GRADE

By Emily Smith and Cynthia Uhlemann

As you may know, Mrs. Perkins and Mr. Cozad, two seventh grade teachers on 7-3, are moving up to the eighth grade. Mrs. Perkins, the 7-3 social studies teacher, and Mr. Gibble, one of the current Social Studies teachers in eighth grade, are essentially switching places, as they are both moving grades. Mr. Cozad, the 7-3 math teacher, will be moving up to eighth grade as well, with Mrs. Catherine Hosack taking his place as 7.3 math teacher.

They are actually moving up behind their friend, Mrs. Barrow, who moved up this previous year, and was on their team for the first two years they were at League. Mrs. Perkins says that she is excited to move up to eighth grade, but will miss the rest of the teachers. Mr. Cozad says that he is not only excited to be moving up to eighth grade, but he is also excited to stay with this group of students, because he is interested in the idea of building stronger relationships with the students.

Mrs. Perkins is the coordinator of 7.3, and does not know who will be taking her spot. Both teachers said, when asked why, that they were asked by Ms. Anderson to move up and said yes. They did not have to go through the interview process again, as some might have thought. Mr. Cozad says that he will be on whatever team isn’t teaching Geometry. Mrs. Perkins is excited to teach about US and South Carolina history.

LEAGUE GIRLS SOCCER FACES GREENVILLE MIDDLE FOR AN UNEXPECTED ENDING

By: Madison Johnson

Tuesday, Apr. 24 the League Bulldogs took on the Greenville Rams for an unexpected score of 4-0 with goals scored by Mia Nitsche, Ella Wilson, Stella Garcia, and Shelby Garcia.

The first goal was scored by Mia Nitsche, and it was scored in the first two minutes of the game. It was a close up goal that was just tapped in right behind the goalie. After that goal not even one minute later Ella Wilson got the ball and kicked it in from the side for the Bulldogs to have the lead 2-0.

The first half the defense and offense worked together and made sure not many shots were taken, but by almost halftime our players were getting a little tired, and many balls got past, the Greenville Rams had many shots on goal, but with Lilly Jo Wise in goal no shots went in. But then Shelby Garcia got it out at the sideline and shot a long goal over the goalie's head that went straight into the goal.

After a pep talk and new mindset the bulldogs came out of halftime strong and ready to keep pushing through. The girls were communicating on defense, many balls were stopped from coming to the goal. With many penalties, and even a yellow card called, the girls didn't give up. Stella Garcia had the final goal, when the goalie stepped away from the goal to get the ball, Stella was too fast, she got the ball and took a shot for the score to be 4-0.

The rest of the game the defense kept it up and didn't let any goals get scored. By the end of the game the ladies had won the semi-finals, and are now advancing to the finals at Southside High.

CLEMSON TIGERS SHOW OFF SKILLS AT SPRING GAME

By: Rose Huff and Callyn Wright

The Clemson Spring Game happened this Saturday, Apr. 14. An estimated total of 55,000 people showed up for the game. The Spring Game is a showcase of all the new players, and also of the players that were there the previous year. There are two teams, Orange and White. The Orange team won 28-17 on Saturday. Clemson has drafted a new QB, Trevor Lawrence, who was on the Orange team. Kelly Bryant was on the White team. Clemson also saw some new skills from Tee Higgins playing WR, who also looks like he could be the new star. Lawrence definitely showed some skills, and Clemson may make him the new QB, with Bryant as a second string. A lot of fans are excited about the new QB. Emmie Coler, seventh grade said “ He (Trevor Lawrence) was looking really good. I am excited for the new season because Trevor looks very promising. “ But some people are nervous about the new season. Jake Wadas, seventh grade, said “I feel nervous about the new season. But I hope we will do really good.

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT! Interview with tight end Milan Richard!

Q1. What is your number? A1. 80

Q2. What is your pregame hype? A2. I always listen to rap music during pregame to get myself ready for the game.

Q3. What major are you studying? A3. My undergrad major was Communications. I graduated in December and started graduated school in Human Resource Development.

Q4. What do you want to be when you get out of college if you do not go into the NFL? A4. After college and the NFL, I’d like to eventually own my own business.

Q5. What high school did you attend? A5. Calvary Day School in Savannah, GA

Q6. Who is your biggest inspiration? A6. Both of my parents are an inspiration to me. My dad has really been a great role model for me.

AUTHOR JENNIFER CHAMBLISS BERTMAN SKYPES STUDENTS TO TALK ABOUT HER BOOK, BOOK SCAVENGER

By Brianna Nicoloff and Katharine Martin

Author Jennifer Chambliss Bertman Skyped League Academy students on Tuesday, May 22 for a chat about her book, Book Scavenger.

The Skype call started out with Bertman showing students her cat, Coco. She got her idea for Book Scavenger thinking about some of her favorite stories from her childhood such as The Westing Game, The Egypt Game, and The Goonies. She was also inspired by her hometown, San Francisco.

When she was a child she wanted to do something that involved books; however, she also wanted be a professional dancer. Then, she took a college writing course, and she fell in love with writing. Now she writes for young adults.

“It took me 12 years to write Book Scavenger and 10 years to write 6 different drafts,” says Bertman. She was later able to finish her latest books, The Unbreakable Code at 2 years and Alcatraz Escape at 1 1/2 years. The Unbreakable Code was originally going to be called The LightKeepers Revenge, but she later changed it to The Unbreakable Code.

Some of her favorite books include Harry Potter, A Wrinkle in Time, When You Reach Me, 3 Times Lucky, and The Westing Game. And her favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip.

AT ORCHESTRA CONCERT, STUDENTS CONTINUE TO STUN AUDIENCES

By: Callyn Wright

On May 8, the League Academy Orchestra participated in their third and final concert of this school year. First and foremost, congratulations to the Orchestra students for their amazing work this year. 6th graders, congrats on growing into who you are right now in Strings, considering most of you started just this fall. For the 7th graders, congratulations on making this your second Spring Orchestra Concert. You students have grown into amazing players if you listen to the old recordings of last year. Last but not least, give a big round of applause to the 8th graders! This must be a bittersweet moment for all of you. You have grown so much since 6th grade, and you have done amazing! But to get to the final product, of course Orchestra had to work really hard. The Orchestra Director and Conductor, Mrs. Becky Leonard, said “We have been working since the beginning of March, maybe even the middle of March.

The students loved the songs! Aubrie Ragsdale, 7th Grade, said “ My favorite song was Vanguard Overture.” Crisara McCraw, 7th Grade, said “My favorite song was Dragon Dances.”

All in all, the whole League Academy Orchestra performed brilliantly on Tuesday, stunning audiences with their unreal skill.

SPRING BAND CONCERT ENTERTAINS

By Rose Huff

On May 7, League Academy Band had their final concert of the 2017-18 school year. The 7th graders performed "March for Megan", a song from The Incredibles, and "Jungle Dance". In between the music and grade level switches, Mr. McBride did a contribution to all of his 8th graders. At the very end, his 8th graders did a surprise for him; they read a speech and gave him a few presents. 7th grade band students Ben Middleton plays the bass clarinet. He said that the reason he joined band was because his sister played band when they lived in Virginia. What Middleton really likes about his instrument is that he is the only one who plays that particular instrument. He also really likes playing that instrument. Middleton also said that his favorite part about band is the field trips that they go on.

LEAGUE HAS PEP!

On Thursday, May 3, League Academy hosted a Pep Rally in order to excite students to work hard on testing or as League calls it a “Celebration of Learning.”

This Pep Rally included many students interests such as “flossing” a type of dance involving moving your arms along with your hips.

Mrs. Swartzel, the drama teacher was one of the lead roles participating in the pep rally, stated that "Mrs. Anderson wanted to celebrate learning instead of just testing.” This is why we had the prep rally with all kinds of prizes after testing.

The pep rally included games such as the floss battle and other competition games to engage the audience.

The pep rally helpers, teachers and students alike, are predetermined to help out, and bring a competitive vibe to all of the grades and staff. The League pep rally is made to cause an excitement throughout the school for a certain event out activity. The pep rally was made for students to celebrate learning and do good on testing. Get lots of rest and try your best, Bulldogs.

THEATRE I PREPARES FOR SPRING PLAY

By Callyn Wright, Sophia Savage, and Jolia Heise

On Apr.19, Theater I had their performance, The Perfect Ending. Those who attended got to enjoy the unique and innovative use of the script, but what really happened behind closed curtains?

You've already seen the performance, and you've already seen the review, but what you haven't seen is how they executed such an intricate work so effectively.

Mrs. Swartzel, the director, had this to say about the preparation. Swartzel said that it took about four months to prepare. One step of this was auditions for the play parts.

¨You know you are in the show, you just don't know who you are gonna be in the show” said Dana Swartzel. There were some setbacks however, as there weren't enough parts, so Swartzel wrote in two parts. Also, the ¨grandpa¨ left school so 8th grade student Anna Knoble filled in as the ¨Grandma¨.

Anna Knoble, the “Grandma” in the play, already had a part set up for her. But the abrupt change of plans didn’t faze her. Knobel said, “It took me about a week to fully memorize my lines; About two weeks to get into the swing of things.

To get the costumes for the play, they rented costumes from Costume Curio. They also asked the actors in Theatre I to bring in props that they may of had at their house.

Claire Taylor, the Political Activist, said, “ I brought my shirt, some of my pins on the shirt, my jacket, pants and shoes.”

All in all, with few minor and large issues, Theater I is able to confidently say that they performed well, and deserved all of the applause that they received.

THEATRE I'S PERFORMANCE FILLED WITH LAUGHS!

By Brooks & Anna Kate Schemm

On Thursday, Apr. 19 League Academy’s 8 grade Theater 1 class presented a performance called The Perfect Ending a play about a “perfect” family trying to host a perfect dinner party, filled with unexpected guests and mayhem. This Comedic play is set in the 1950’s when the world will end at exactly 7:36 p.m. Still committed to hosting her perfect dinner party, mother only expects perfection.

The 8 grade performers said they did “really good” according to 8th grader Austin Hill who played Junior, he said that “I think the performance went really well, and I’m proud of everyone who contributed to the play.” Though the play went well no play goes on without problems. Hill stated, “Only small problems occurred, like a stutter or an awkward pause.” However, the actors did power thru and left these errors almost unnoticeable during the performance. Congratulations to all the performers for their adaptation of the play.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, OH GOD! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

By Sophia Fury and Brooks Schemm

The world is meeting its impending doom of a nuclear explosion, so come to the last dinner party and have some fun. Just kidding. But you should come see Theatre I’s play, The Perfect Ending, by B. Dwayne Craft.

This play is about a mother trying to make a perfect dinner party, even though the world is going to end. Nothing will get in her way of perfection. The play has a set of diverse characters, a 1950's time period, and lots of laughs! It is almost the exact opposite of life today. In our time on this earth most people are not afraid of their doom by nuclear explosion.

“Be there, or you're uncool,” says Dana Swartzel, Drama teacher. The play takes place on Thursday, Apr. 19, at 6:30 p.m. It will be held in the League Auditorium for $3 a ticket.

Swartzel says that the cast has done a great job portraying their characters and they were ready for the informance. Swartzel hopes she has enough time to prepare them for the big night.

DANCE CLASSES PERFORM SELF-CHOREOGRAPHED ROUTINES

By Nelly Vasilyev and Ava Mulfinger

League Academy’s Dance students performed their dances on Dec. 5. There were 6th, 7th and 8th grade students in each grade performing two dances. The Advanced Dance routine was choreographed by Ms. McCain. Morgan Avery, an 8th grade Advanced Dance student, says, “I was me in the dance, and my partner was my reflection.” They have been performing their dance since early September.

Alex Stern, an 8th grade dance student, feels “Amazing!” about their routine. “Confidence is key, and having passion is what really matters.” So who was needed most in the dance? According to Stern, “We need everyone, it’s a group effort and if one person is missing everyone is affected.”

Liam Armfield, another 8th grade Intermediate Dance student, says, “It was challenging but rewarding,” Armfield performed in the dance “Young and Beautiful”. For the most part, the students were assigned their parts.

Laya Casey, a 6th grade dance student performed in the dance “Trapped”. Casey and her class practiced for two months. She said, “It was pretty great!”

In conclusion, the self-choreographed dances were prepared for according to the students, and all the students felt like they did well and had enough time to practice. They were very passionate about the dances, and enjoyed performing.

2017-18 ATHLETES HONORED AT BANQUET

By Isabella McClain

The league academy athletic banquet was held on may 15 it started at 5:30 in the cafeteria were students attending ate food supplied by tropical grill.there were servers there and it was done buffet style. Eating time lasted about an hour, this gave time for scattered arrivals and time for participants to chat with parents and teachers.

After finishing up there was an announcement and groups casually made their way to the auditorium. Parents found there way to familiar faces and teams sat together in the first rows. All coaches had seats on the stage arranged in a half circle. Thin the main part of the night began. Assistants softball coach, coach ritter gave the inspirational speech of the night. Then the awards began flowing and the speeches were given.there was laughter and tears from not only our 8th graders moving on but many of our 7th grade athletes and managers scattered through grades.

Maddie johnson from 7th grade soccer said that “it was fun to be recognized with my team” the feeling was mutual for many other attending the banquet. This for many was a bit emotional but according to other sources it was a very “nice” evening.

WHAT DO YOU HEAR?

By Ava Quinn Amey and Hattie Jennings

Social Media is blowing up about whether you hear the phrase “Laurel” or “Yanny.” Ever since the big craze in 2015 on whether “The Dress” is black and blue or gold and white, people have argued about what they see. The thing is when you can only see something one way, it’s impossible to be able to see it the way other people do. Students also have been trying to tell if a shoe is gray and blue or pink and white. Using data collected from League staff and students, see who sees what. Seventh grade student, Izzy McClain, states that she hears yanny, and sees blue and black dress along with the grey and blue shoe and last a green and gold shirt. Everything nowadays revolves around social media and these kinds of things that go viral are big for people to figure out all over the world and to prove who is right.

GREEK FEST RETURNS TO GREENVILLE

By Rose Huff

The Greek Festival is an attraction in Downtown Greenville. It is held every year around the third week of May. Rain or shine, the Greek Fest goes on.

It starts on Thursday, May 17 and ends on Sunday, May 20. Lots of people attend this popular attraction every year. We interviewed Justin Huff, who works at the Greek Fest and goes to St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Huff said that “about 20,000 people come every year" and that the most popular thing at the Greek Fest was the gyro. We interviewed Jay Huff, another worker at the Greek fest. Huff said, “The Greek Fest is really popular because of the Greek dancing and the Greek food.” We also interviewed Canaan Poitevint a visitor to the festival. Poitevint said, “My favorite part was the lemonade.” She also said, “The food was AMAZING.” She learned about the Greek Fest from Rose Huff. And she said that the music was “very interesting.” If you would like to learn more about the Greek Festival, go online and search “St. George Greek Festival.” Hope to see you there!

CELEBRATE NATIONAL NURSE'S WEEK WITH NURSE EJIRI

By Sophia Fury

“I think it’s important that nurses are recognized.” says Nurse Ejiri, RN and League’s very own nurse. It is national nurse week, and it’s time you have some insight on what it is like to be a nurse and nurse week itself.

Ejiri decide she wanted to be a nurse in her first year of college. She was originally going to be a teacher. Her group was on a hospital visit and they were talking to some nurses “. . . and I decided at that moment I knew that was what I needed to do.”

She likes being a nurse because she likes to help people to learn to be healthy and how to take care of themselves. Ejiri really looks up to her college professors.

Ejiri heavily believes in nurses being recognized. She also likes that certain types of nurses are recognized on certain days.

During national nurse week the governor sends a declaration to every nurse in the state. Ejiri celebrates this week by thanking nurses that have helped her and her family with a note and a gift.

EOC'S A STUDENT'S NIGHTMARE?

By Brooks Schemm

As the school year comes to an end, state testing just starts to begin. All students have different opinions on the topic of testing, and have around four tests. But for students in advanced classes, they have to take both EOC’s and state testing, sometimes for standards that they have learned a year ago.

EOC’s are 10 percent of students final grades this year for the 2017-2018 school year. According to 7th grade student Sophia Fury, “I think the EOC is going to be pretty hard, because I have to remember so many things I have learned this year.”

However not all students just take the EOC, some in advanced honors classes take the EOC and have to take state testing on different standards that they haven't learned this year. Fury states, “I think that it is unfair! I and others have to take the EOC to show everything we learned this year. Why am I doing a 7th grade math test when I learned it last year.”

LEAGUE SHOWS UP FOR SPIRIT WEEK

By Ava Quinn Amey, Maddie Johnson, and Hattie Jennings

This past week League Academy students and teachers put on a spirit week for the start of the “Celebration of Learning” otherwise known as State Testing “The Celebration of Learning is basically a paradigm shift in the way students are looking at testing, and spirit week gets people excited and allows them to do things together” says seventh grade teacher, Ms.Payne. Principal, Ms. Anderson decided to put into place the celebration of learning program so that students would not be miserable during the testing weeks. The spirit week was from Thursday, May 3 to Wednesday, May 10. The students played trivia games for a prize at lunch and had dress up days. Everyone got the chance to get excited about State Testing, while they dressed up, and were given the chance to really celebrate learning.The days of dress up were; Thursday; League wear, Friday; fancy Friday, Monday; jersey and hat day, Tuesday; twinning day, and Wednesday; PJ day. “The days were all decided by students,” stated seventh grade teacher, Ms. McKenzie.

BAND, STRINGS, AND CHORUS STUDENTS GO TO DOLLYWOOD

By Cynthia Uhlemann

On Friday, Apr. 27, Band, Strings and Chorus students left on a trip for Dollywood. The car ride was around three hours long, and ended when they ate lunch at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant, where there was a prepared menu for them.

After that, they traveled to the Island, where they were able to buy to their money’s extent. There were three shops, each providing items for purchase.

Then, they traveled to Seymour high school, for the Strings students to perform for the judges. Both 7th and 8th graders were performing for the judges. At the time, many students of the Strings class believed that they would not get a Superior score, and would be most likely earning an Excellent.

Then, the whole group left for a dinner show at Hatfield & McCoy’s Dinner Feud. The show is about two feuding families, brought together again. While people watch the show, they dine on food brought out by waiters. They bring out a soupy appetizer, and then the meal course. The meal course is made up of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Many people loved the show, as many talents were included within the show, such as gymnastics, acting, and acrobatics.

The next day, they were essentially at Dollywood for the whole day. There are many rides at Dollywood, such as the Firechaser Express, the Tennessee Tornado, and the Mystery Mine. There was also an Eagle show provided by the American Eagle Foundation. There were many places to dine and to eat, such as the Market Square.

Later, during the evening, students gathered at the Celebrity Theatre for the Award Ceremony. Throughout the evening, League Academy’s ensembles got many awards and trophies. Amazingly, all League Academy groups and ensembles got Superiors. However, certain people don’t believe they earned them.

But, the teachers are very proud of their performances. All students are very happy that they went on the trip, and even more happy that we all earned superiors.

KONA ICE

By Ava Quinn Amey and Hattie Jennings

“I wanted something I could own myself and I wanted to bring joy to people” says the owner of Kona Ice. Kona Ice comes to League Academy on Fridays. They sell their shaved ice in multiple sizes, and various flavors. Here at league they come with the goal to make all students happy. Students buy the ice every week but they never stop to think about what the business is, or who the people who are providing it for them are. The owner of Kona Ice, Tony Lamb, states that ¨Everyone is always excited to see the Kona Ice guy!¨ Kona Ice was started up 7 years ago. But Lamb says that he works 60 to 80 hours a week during the busy season. With 4 trucks, getting them everywhere, hiring, and employees Lamb says that they have to work hard all of the time to get the job done. Next time you should take the time and thank the Kona Ice guy!

BAND STUDENTS ENJOY SPIRIT NIGHT AT TIPSY TACO

By Sophia Fury

On Monday, Apr. 25, at 5:00 p.m. Band Spirit Night started. The location of Spirit Night was at Tipsy Taco. At the end of the night the waitresses took 10% of the money that came from League and gave it back to the school.

Kathryn Yanov, a 7th grade band student who plays tuba, said she has on a scale of 1 to 10, level 10 spirit. She says she fell in love with band since the very beginning. Yanov says she loves playing tuba, because in the bass line, “...I am always heard even if you don’t realize it.”

6th grade band student, Nicholas Fury, says that he loves to learn notes in Mr. McBride’s class. He has 10 out of 10 spirit for band as well, but he is not sure if it is something he wants to continue in high school.

Overall, the band students believe that the band in general has a truckload of spirit, but there are a few people that are just not really into it. Mr. McBride says the band sounds the best it has sounded all year at this point in time, and is really excited about the Carowinds trip coming up. The band will also be performing their spring concert on Monday, May 7.

7-3 STUDENTS VISIT ROPER MOUNTAIN SCIENCE CENTER

By Sophia Savage, Jolia Heise, and Emily Smith

7-3 students visited Roper Mountain Science Center on Friday, Apr. 13 to solve the mystery of Chef Maitland Mandek. While there, they learned about DNA samples, blood typing, and mixture reactions.

Mr. Blizzard, the blood typing teacher, claims that his favorite part of the lab is seeing kids reactions to the clumps, or what he calls “gloopy gloops” in the “blood”. He likes to see if he gets grossed out by them, or are fascinated by them.

Mrs. Walsh, a former principal at an elementary school and the DNA teacher, says that her favorite part of the lab was “mashing strawberries”. However, her favorite lab that she has ever done would have to be the ‘mixtures’ lab that she did.

Having only been with Roper Mountain for two months, it is safe to say that Walsh is enjoying her new job.

While at Roper Mountain, 7th grade student Shataya Craig gave us her thoughts on the field trip. Her favorite part of the trip was mashing strawberries to extract DNA. Craig said that the experience was educational primarily to DNA.

Craig enjoyed being hands on and learned about blood typing. All in all, this was a fun trip away from school that was both educational and enjoyable!

STUDENTS AND STAFF SHARE WINTER BREAK ACTIVITIES

By Anna Kate Byford

Many students had an incredible winter break. After 2 weeks of no school we are back and probably have some amazing stories to tell.

Abbie O’Dowd, a 7th grade student, went to go see the new Jumanji with her father and brother.

Alexis Ontiveros, a 7th grade student, spent his break chilling with his family.

Jasmine Ortiz, a 7th grade student, spent some quality time with her aunt who had come down to visit.

Ella Tomlin, a 7th grade student, spent her break investing hermit crabs.

Jaxson Tucker, a 7th grade student, spent some quality time with his grandmothers.

But students aren't the only ones who had an amazing break.

Ms. Franke, Newspaper, Creative Writing, and Teen Leadership teacher, had a wonderful break at Lake Keowee, playing board games and watching movies. Mrs. Reeves, the seventh grade Communications teacher for 7-3, spent her break with family. Mrs. Aldrich, the seventh grade ELA teacher for 7-3, spent Christmas Eve with her side of the family, Christmas Day with her husband's side of the family, and New Year's Day with her neighbors. Mrs. Leonard, Strings teacher, went down to Columbia to visit family. Ms. Walser, the Advanced Strings teacher, went down to Texas to see her family.

What did You do over break?

BAND, STRINGS, AND VOICE SHINE AT LEAGUE'S HOLIDAY CONCERT

By Crystal Aguirre and Peyton Farrell

On December 15, 2017 League Academy had their annual holiday concert. In League's Holiday Concert, Chorus, Strings, and Band performed. There was also a duet with band teacher Graham McBride and Chorus teacher Casey Kerr. The two related arts teachers wowed the crowd as they sang together.

League Academy is full of talent and enthusiasm, and the show displayed just that. Along with the fantastic singing by related arts teachers Mr. McBride and Mrs. Kerr, there was a band and strings performance. Mrs. Kerr, Mr. McBride, and Mrs. Leonard had their students dress in Christmas attire. Some students went way out and wore Christmas sweaters and headbands, and some just simply dressed in red and green.

Overall the Christmas performance was a spectacular experience and a fantastic show. League Academy student Janiya Tate said, “The holiday concert was very exciting. I heard some people messed up, but for the most part it was amusing.”

NEW EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM OFFERS STUDENTS AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

By Jade Pichierre

Have you heard about all the fun you’re missing?! Well, come join your fellow students in the After School Program. There's lots to do. There's sports, exercise, games, making new friends, and last but not least, homework time. Before all the excitement, grab some snacks so when you get low energy after all the fun, you can refuel, courtesy of League Academy and the After School Program.

According to Annie Leila Moore, Reading Interventionist/Special Education, “It is a valuable program to get extra help with homework and downtime with a little fun. We eat, exercise, and we have some study time. We, the After School Program, spend as much time as they need on homework and offer help if they need it.” Also, according to Asya Robinson, ISS Aid and After School caregiver, “I think the After School Program lets parents not rush to get their kids, and the children who need help with homework can get help from us.”

The After School Program is open from 3:30 p.m.-6 p.m., Monday-Friday.

*Half Week= 2 day week as determined by the school calendar. (ex. Thanksgiving week is considered Half Week) Parents may opt for their children to stay only 2 days per week; this would be considered Half Week rates. Inclement weather may cause a Half Week. In this case, the following week parents would be charged the reduced rate.

STUDENTS OF LEAGUE ACADEMY SHARE THEIR WINTER BREAK PLANS

By Megan Hirst and Madison Kossuth

League Academy students, 6th and 8th grade, share what they had planned for winter break. Keep reading to find out more.

Before League Academy went off over break, 6th and 8th graders were interviewed about their break plans. Although some students were going off, out of town, to see family, most students stayed here in Greenville. Some students just had family come to them, while others stayed with family they see everyday.

6th graders from team 6-2, Allie Cobb and Ny’zaire Marsh, were chosen, out of the 6th graders, to be interviewed about their plans for winter break. Cobb explains that her grandmother is coming to her house for Christmas. She states that she is wishing everyone, “A holly, jolly Christmas!” Marsh, although, has other plans for Christmas. He plans on going to his cousin’s house for break. He states that he can walk to his cousin’s house, too!

8th grade students Kara Wiever, Emma Umberger, and Henry Delaney were also chosen to share what they would be doing for winter break. Wiever says she will be hanging out with friends. While Umberger says she will be, “Traveling-going to grandma’s house”. Delaney, on the other hand, says he will, “Stay in and watch The Office.” Wiever mentions how she “believes in Santa.” Umberger also mentions how she “likes everything about Christmas.”