Winner of halloween writing contest

They're Watching- Jovie Zitting

I always got this peculiar feeling that someone was watching me, but when I’d turn around, no one would be there. I’d heard that being in a ghostly presence can provoke a fear of being watched, but I was never one to believe in ghosts. Scopophobia can also cause someone to fear being watched, but I never felt uncomfortable by people staring at me, which is another symptom. Social anxiety also causes people to fear being watched, which I did have. 

I started feeling like someone was watching me even more after I moved and switched schools in 7th grade. My mom kept telling me that it was just my nerves acting up, and I chose to believe her. A part of me didn’t want to believe her, but I decided it’d be best to not add even more stress to my life. Things got better after I made a friend at my new school; she took my mind off of everything that brought me down. We started hanging out together every day after we discovered that we both loved Halloween. We just seemed to bond by talking about that one day a year we’re allowed to take candy from strangers. 

I was ready for school by 7:30 that morning, the morning of Halloween; the best day of the year. My mom went costume crazy for my first Halloween in North Vernon. She loved this holiday just as much as I did, and we never forgot to show our admiration for it. We hadn’t gone a year without dressing up and trick or treating in our lives. It was just us my whole life, so we usually went with matching costumes. We dressed up as the creepy twins from The Shining one year, and when I was 3 she made us matching Minnie Mouse costumes. Those were my favorite ones that we did together.

I got onto the bus in my pink witch costume at 7:50 a.m. There was only one other person on the bus who was dressed up, and it was Allie, my best friend.

“Hi, Molly!” She shouted excitedly from the back of the bus.

“Hi, Allie!” I made my way to her in our usual seat. She was wearing sparkly fairy wings and a ruffled blue dress, and her hair was up in two little space buns with a butterfly barrett in each one.

We talked about our trick or treating route for that night during the whole ride to school. We’d start off in the rich neighborhood, so we didn’t miss out on the full size candy bars. Then we’d go down the street my aunt lived on; her neighbors all handed out chocolate candies. After we got our chocolates, we’d go through the neighborhoods heading back to my house to then trade our candy. 

When we got off of the bus at school, I rushed to the nearest bathroom inside to make sure my costume still looked good. I stood looking in the full length mirror in my pink witch dress, white leggings, black ankle boots, and black, sparkly witch hat. My blonde, curly hair was bouncy under my hat, and my green eyes were surrounded by glittery eyeshadow.

I walked out of the bathroom and made my way to the cafeteria where I saw very few students dressed up for Halloween. A lot of the costumes were on the teachers and staff. Most middle schoolers would be embarrassed to have been the only one dressed up at school, but my love for Halloween was so strong that I embraced my costume throughout the day with Allie. We weren’t ashamed of celebrating our favorite holiday.

I met up with Allie that night in the rich neighborhood of North Vernon. A street full with two story houses, long driveways with built in basketball hoops, big backyards, and two car garages. We both had on our costumes and each had an orange pumpkin bucket for candy. 

Winner of halloween writing contest

They're Watching- Jovie Zitting

I always got this peculiar feeling that someone was watching me, but when I’d turn around, no one would be there. I’d heard that being in a ghostly presence can provoke a fear of being watched, but I was never one to believe in ghosts. Scopophobia can also cause someone to fear being watched, but I never felt uncomfortable by people staring at me, which is another symptom. Social anxiety also causes people to fear being watched, which I did have. 

I started feeling like someone was watching me even more after I moved and switched schools in 7th grade. My mom kept telling me that it was just my nerves acting up, and I chose to believe her. A part of me didn’t want to believe her, but I decided it’d be best to not add even more stress to my life. Things got better after I made a friend at my new school; she took my mind off of everything that brought me down. We started hanging out together every day after we discovered that we both loved Halloween. We just seemed to bond by talking about that one day a year we’re allowed to take candy from strangers. 

I was ready for school by 7:30 that morning, the morning of Halloween; the best day of the year. My mom went costume crazy for my first Halloween in North Vernon. She loved this holiday just as much as I did, and we never forgot to show our admiration for it. We hadn’t gone a year without dressing up and trick or treating in our lives. It was just us my whole life, so we usually went with matching costumes. We dressed up as the creepy twins from The Shining one year, and when I was 3 she made us matching Minnie Mouse costumes. Those were my favorite ones that we did together.

I got onto the bus in my pink witch costume at 7:50 a.m. There was only one other person on the bus who was dressed up, and it was Allie, my best friend.

“Hi, Molly!” She shouted excitedly from the back of the bus.

“Hi, Allie!” I made my way to her in our usual seat. She was wearing sparkly fairy wings and a ruffled blue dress, and her hair was up in two little space buns with a butterfly barrett in each one.

We talked about our trick or treating route for that night during the whole ride to school. We’d start off in the rich neighborhood, so we didn’t miss out on the full size candy bars. Then we’d go down the street my aunt lived on; her neighbors all handed out chocolate candies. After we got our chocolates, we’d go through the neighborhoods heading back to my house to then trade our candy. 

When we got off of the bus at school, I rushed to the nearest bathroom inside to make sure my costume still looked good. I stood looking in the full length mirror in my pink witch dress, white leggings, black ankle boots, and black, sparkly witch hat. My blonde, curly hair was bouncy under my hat, and my green eyes were surrounded by glittery eyeshadow.

I walked out of the bathroom and made my way to the cafeteria where I saw very few students dressed up for Halloween. A lot of the costumes were on the teachers and staff. Most middle schoolers would be embarrassed to have been the only one dressed up at school, but my love for Halloween was so strong that I embraced my costume throughout the day with Allie. We weren’t ashamed of celebrating our favorite holiday.

I met up with Allie that night in the rich neighborhood of North Vernon. A street full with two story houses, long driveways with built in basketball hoops, big backyards, and two car garages. We both had on our costumes and each had an orange pumpkin bucket for candy. 

Seniors After-Graduation Plans

As the spring season rolls in, many sports are starting to spring into action. With games and events going on left and right as the school year comes to an end, JCHS students are enthusiastically discussing summer plans and senior after graduation plans. The yearbook staff has interviewed a handful of seniors about what after graduation looks like and here are the results. 

Our first interviewee is Owen Law who explains that he plans on working over the summer and proceeding to college this coming Fall to major in business. Owen implies that he is going to miss highschool when he says, “Enjoy it while it lasts. This is definitely the best time of your life.” 

Our next senior, Megan Vogel, is beyond stoked about going to Hanover to play college volleyball and major in kinesiology and physiology. She tells us that alongside this she is looking forward to being more independent and plans to get a summer job before heading off to college. 

The third senior we interviewed, Lane Zohrlaut, plans on going to college to play baseball and is very excited about doing so. While going to college he intends to major in something medical related. Over the summer, Lane has plans to help coach younger kids in baseball. All of the seniors we discussed today have unanimously agreed that highschool is a time that should be enjoyed, as it passes very quickly.