Mock Trial Team Wins State Tourney

Last week, the Montgomery County Mock Trial team competed in the Mock Trial state tournament. The MoCo Mock Trial team had a really great season leading up to the state tournament, and both the team and their coaches went into the tournament with high hopes and great expectations. Those hopes and expectation were met and exceeded when the MoCo Mock Trial Red Team defeated Model Lab and walked away with a state championship!

Along with a state championship title, Shayna Garrett from the MoCo Red Team was awarded Best Attorney in the State and Best Attorney during the championship round. Bryce Charles also took an award for Best Witness in state and also during the championship round

The Mock Trial Blue Team also had success at the state tourney. The MoCo Blue Team tied for 10th place, making MCHS the only school in the state to have two teams place in the Top 10. Adding to the teams success, Emma Combs was named a Top Ten Attorney in the State. Drew Thompson and Kaden Gillum were both awarded Top-10 Best Witness Awards.

According to our resident social studies guru, Mr. Chip Manley, this is the 14th state tournament championship win in Montgomery County High School's history, which is more state championship wins than any others team in the state of Kentucky.

Members of the mock trial red team include: Caleb Cannoy, Shayna Garrett, Sydney Harris, Bryce Charles, Maddie Brother, Ollie Fegenbush, and Brooks Pinney.

Members of the mock trial blue team include: Ben Allison, Wyatt Blevins, Clair Donaldson, Kaden Gillum, Tyson Greer, Cooper Gross, Emily Murphy, Taylor Pate, Andrew Thompson, Emma Combs, Lexie Frazier, and Bailey Reeves.

The MoCo Mock Trial team is coached by Elizabeth Davis, Ryan Allison, and Jamie Allison.

Student and Staff Opinion: How Can You Spread Kindness?

A few weeks ago, Montgomery County High School celebrated Kindness Week- a week long celebration dedicated to acknowledging the importance of spreading kindness, not just at school, but also within your everyday life.

We asked several Montgomery County High School students and teachers their opinion on different ways in which someone could spread kindness. Here are some of their responses:

"One way to spread kindness is to show love to everyone. Hugs are always nice, too."
--
Kyleigh Bartley, Senior

"One way to show kindness is to smile at everyone and to offer help to someone in need."
--
Jamie Allison, Math Dept.

"One way to show kindness is by doing good deeds when they aren't expected. Random acts of kindness are always appreciated."
--
Tommy Thompson, Senior

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"An easy way to spread kindness is to make sure that, no matter what we are doing, we are creating a culture of respect and tolerance."
--
Jeanette Burke, English Dept.

"You can show kindness is to go out of your way to make everyone feel special and wanted. Everyone wants to feel like they matter."
--
Dustin Smith, Senior

Moco Celebrates Mr. Willie Carver: 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year

Montgomery County High School has always known that our teachers are amazing; however, recently the rest of the state learned just how wonderful our teachers are when Mr. Willie Carver, a French and English teacher here at MCHS, was chosen as the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year!

Mr. Carver is originally from Floyd County, Kentucky, and has been a teacher for 10 years, most of which have been at Montgomery County High School. He has also taught in France and in Vermont; however, when given the opportunity to return to MoCo, Mr. Carver jumped on the chance.

"My husband, Josh, and I were living in Vermont, and not very happy," Mr. Carver said. "When Josh asked me where I wanted to go, my first answer was that I wanted to go back to Mt. Sterling."

Mr. Carver had previously worked at MCHS, but had moved to Vermont in order to marry his husband, Josh. At the time, gay marriage wasn't legal in the state of Kentucky, so the two were forced to move; however, as soon as same-sex marriage was legalized in Kentucky, Mr. Carver knew that he had to come back home.

"I always knew that Kentucky was my home," Mr. Carver said. "I wanted to come back and make a difference."

Once back in Mt. Sterling, Mr. Carver stated that he wanted to make advocating for his LGBTQ+ students, as well as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students, one of his main priorities as an educator. According to Carver, both LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals are two student populations who are typically at the most risk for bullying and discrimination. With that in mind, Mr. Carver established the Open Light club at MCHS.

"It was really important for me to come back here and set up a club where everyone was welcome," Mr. Carver stated. "The goal of Open Light is to be safe and welcoming space for all students; a place where they can be themselves and work towards bettering their school and their community."

Mr. Carver is currently on hiatus from teaching due to his Teacher of the Year obligations; however, he wants all of his students to know that he is available to them at anytime.

"I'm available, day or night, if my kids need me," Mr. Carver said. "I'm just one email or Remind message away."

Everyone at Montgomery County High School would like to thank Mr. Carver for all of his hard work and dedication to his students, and we can't wait to have him back with us! Congratulations, Mr. Carver!

Article by Morgan Vice

5 Steps to improving your mental health

Studies show that students today are more stressed than ever. However, studies also suggest there are 5 steps you can take to improve your mental health and wellbeing. Trying these things could help you feel more positive and able to get the most out of life:

  1. Connect with other people! Good relationships are important for your mental wellbeing. They can help you to build a sense of belonging and self-worth, give you an opportunity to share positive experiences, and provide emotional support and allow you to support others

  2. Be physically active. Being active is not only great for your physical health and fitness. Evidence also shows it can also improve your mental wellbeing by raising your self-esteem helping you to set goals or challenges and achieve them, causing chemical changes in your brain which can help to positively change your mood.

  3. Learn new skills. Research shows that learning new skills can also improve your mental wellbeing by boosting self-confidence and raising self-esteem, helping you to build a sense of purpose, helping you to connect with others/ Even if you feel like you do not have enough time, or you may not need to learn new things, there are lots of different ways to bring learning into your life.

  4. Give to others. Research suggests that acts of giving and kindness can help improve your mental wellbeing by creating positive feelings and a sense of reward. giving you a feeling of purpose and self-worth, helping you connect with other people. It could be small acts of kindness towards other people, or larger ones like volunteering in your local community.

  5. Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness). Paying more attention to the present moment can improve your mental wellbeing. This includes your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you. Some people call this awareness "mindfulness". Mindfulness can help you enjoy life more and understand yourself better. It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges.

    Article by Keyuane McGowan
    Work Cited: www.nhs.uk

Student Spotlight: Hayden Barrier

Q. Tell us about yourself.
A. "My name is Hayden and I play basketball for MCHS. I love to name my plants, and I also love Legos."

Q. What activities are you involved in?
A. "Other than basketball, I am also involved in Key Club and the Mental Health Matters Club."

Interview by Becky Webster and Morgan Vice
Photo by Tonia Witt

Teacher Spotlight: Seth Sparks

Q. How long have you been at MCHS?
A. "I've been at MCHS for 1 year."

Q. What classes do you teach?
A. "Currently, I teach English II and English III."

Q. What activities are you involved in?
A. "I am involved in the Mental Health Matter Club and in PBIS."

Q. What else can you tell us about yourself?
A. "I have really long hair. I love to read and pass that love of reading onto my students. I have a cat and 2 dogs, and my wife works here too: Mrs. Sparks!"

Interview by Kaitlyn Sorrell and Keyuane McGowan

Student Work Spotlight: Flash fiction

"Southern Beauty"

Mckenzie was a sweet southern beauty. She had long auburn hair and eyes of emerald green. Everyone thought she was perfect until she made one big mistake.

Blayke was a small town problem. He never followed the rules, but he was always respectful. Blayke grew up with tons of struggles. He had to live with his grandma from the age of 8 because his dad had gone to jail, and his mother had died when he was born.

Blayke always felt as if he knew her, however. He saw things every day that reminded him of her even though he never really knew her. He had dark brown hair and pretty hazel eyes, just like his mom. It was hard for a girl not to fall in love with him.

Mckenzie and Blayke never knew each other; however, little did they know that their lives were about to change forever.

Mckenzie and Blayke went to the same high school, but they didn’t have any classes together. Mckenzie spent most of her time in the library as she had reputation as the "smart girl" to keep up. Blayke never went into the library. Needless to say, the were complete opposites.

One random day, while walking in the hallway on her way to class one day, Mckenzie's books are knocked out of her hands by Blayke, who is rushing down the hall and not paying attention.

“Oh, my goodness! I needed those for class,” said Mckenzie.

Blayke picked one of her books up and started flipping through it.

“James Parker, huh? What a loser,” Blayke said shaking his head.

“Give that back!” Mckenzie exclaimed as she reached for her journal.

Blayke jerked it away. He towered over Mckenzie as she was very short.

“Why should I give it back? Maybe I’ll tell your little crush about you.” He handed the book back to her.

“The name is Blayke," he said. "Blayke WIlliams.”

Mckenzie snatched the book back and clutched it tight to her chest.

“Mckenzie Adams," she replied. "People call me Kenzie.”

Mckenzie watched as he ran his fingers through his curly hair.

“Well, ‘Kenzie’, it was nice meeting you," Blayke said with a sly grin. "Maybe we could get to know each other better?”

Without a word, Mckenzie turned and walked away, leaving Blayke with a feeling of curiosity. It was a small school, and he knew her father. It wouldn’t be hard for him to find her anytime he wanted to.

A few days later, it's Saturday and it’s party time. McKenzie’s parents were out of town, which meant she was free.

“I’ll be there in a second, Mal," Mckenzie said while on the phone with her best friend, Mallorye. "I’m picking up something from the store.”

Mallorye and Mckenzie had known each other since they were born. Mallorye's parents were never around, so almost every weekend she had a party.

Fifteen minutes later, Mckenzie showed up to Mallorye's house. The yard had already filled with cars, and the music was super loud. The second Mckenzie walked in, the terrible smell of alcohol and B.O. hit her face. Quickly, she searched the house trying to find Mallorye.

However, instead of her best friend, Mckenzie bumped into someone familiar.

Blayke Williams.

That was the moment when Mckenzie's life changed forever.


Story by Makynna Garrett
Submitted by Ms. Burke, Honors English I