The Lion Times
Spring 2016
What's Trending?
Students are always looking to find the most popular, trending items. There are so many different trends that students want to be a part of, including social media, apps, clothes, shoes, and even dances. We interviewed a couple of students to find out what they thought.
According to students at Whitesburg P8, Snapchat, a popular social media app where you snap photos and chat with your friends, was said to be the most commonly used social media application. Another trending item is mobile phones, the most popular being the Apple iPhone. Most kids can't seem to live without their phone.
Shoes have also been a popular trend, and this continues today. For students at WP8, the most popular shoe brands are Nikes, Jordan’s, Chacos, and Birkenstocks. If someone were to look around at Whitesburg, they would see students wearing Southern Marsh, Patagonia, Nike, and Under Armor clothing.
One of the many dances becoming popular in our school and around the world is the Dab. It is a well-known dance move invented in 2016 and is known by most kids. In this dance, you act like you’re in the middle of a sneeze. What trends are you a part of?
Concerns About WP8
Sometimes one hears students comment on the cafeteria food and general school cleanliness. To further investigate this, several students were interviewed about how they felt about the general up-keep of the school.
There were concerns about the quality and portion size of the cafeteria food. Some students said the food could be tastier, while others said we could simply have a heartier meal. Although some people want improvement, others think the food is fine the way it is. None of the complaints were about the cleanliness of the food, so a huge thank you to all of the cafeteria workers!
However, several people had concerns about how sanitary the rest of the school is. Students reported several instances of wads of gum, random balls of paper, and even a few cases of cockroaches. Although the school isn’t clean all the time, it’s almost impossible for a small custodial staff to keep up with over a thousand students. One way students can help keep the school clean is by pitching in and picking up after themselves. A massive thank you to the janitorial service as well!
It is obvious that there were a few concerns about the cafeteria food, but most students interviewed were satisfied. There have also been minor sanitation concerns, students have a lot of control over how clean the school is. Concerns about WP8 are to be expected by students that care about their school. Our school isn’t perfect, but it’s as close as it gets.
A Day With Mr. Richmond's Class
Thirty minutes later, the kids find their colored-plastic donut, which is attached to a rope. They use this to line up and go to PE, where their assignments are planned around their disabilities. They also enjoy doing things such as, cup stacking and running track.
These are two examples of how creating effective lessons for the self-contained classroom are difficult. Every week Mr. Richmond has to find a way for the students to learn the letter of the week, as well as participate in activities. Some of his students don't speak, so he even has to use sign language. Mr. Richmond obviously develops very good relationships with his students and practices a lot of patience.
After they do their lessons, they take a nap because some children have a requirement in their ITP, a contract between the teacher and the parent, to have a daily break. Later, they go outside and have time to socialize, have fun, and learn how to work together. To end their day, they sit in a circle and journey to other places by reading.
Track team of 2016
This year’s track team made our school proud. The team did outstandingly great. During every event they tried their best and worked hard as a team. We are hoping to have the same people for next year’s track team. Overall, it was an amazing experience.
Although the coaches, Ms. Norton and Mrs. Mulloy, could have picked a favorite, they felt it was better to describe their favorite as the team itself. Everyone worked well and made them proud. Coach Norton has suggested that the 7th graders who joined the track team should be welcomed back to track next year. Also, she is hoping that the 8th graders this year will go on to continue track during their high school year.
The coaches have high expectations for the team and they would like to continue to have players that love to have fun. The track team is hard working and supportive of each other, and this made their coaches very proud. They have proven how great they can be.
However, no matter how great the team is, the coaches still have requirements for their team. The coaches require the team to improve their physical education, as well as always making sure not to injure themselves during the season. All in all, this has been a great year for track and we hope for many more.
Behind The Scenes: The Cafeteria
The lunch room is a very loud and chaotic place. Many students look forward to going to lunch every day, yet for some it’s the only meal they get besides the school breakfast. The hard workers that prepare the food are Metha, Vanessa, Billy, Veronica, Lily, Rose and Mrs. Tamicla who is “head of the cafeteria”. Kids from the school love the staff members because of how kind, funny and caring they all are. The staff prepares food 24 hours ahead of time each and every day. Most of the staff come in to prepare the food around 6:00 and wrap up around 2:30. Mrs. Tamicla, otherwise known as “Mrs. T,” also orders a batch of food which lasts the school for an entire week.
The most common foods served here are cheeseburgers, pizza, and chicken nuggets. Although some kids enjoy the food made here at Whitesburg, some dislike it (as we discussed in a previous article). However, many love lunch and can’t wait for the time to get to go enjoy their delicious food. The problem, though, is that many of the students that dislike the food never eat it, which causes waste. In order for there to be less wasted food, Mrs. T has mathematically figured out a way to decrease this unneeded food simply by monitoring how much is consumed by students. This also helps her make more accurate food orders. Whether students enjoy the food or not, it's clear that a lot of heart goes into preparing meals for us every day.
Anime
Anime is Japanese hand-drawn or computer animation. The word is the reduced pronunciation of "animation" in Japanese, where this term references all animation without regards to the nation of origin. Outside Japan, however, anime is used to refer specifically to animation from Japan or as local to that country. In other words, most people in America view anime as an animation product from Japan. This style, often characterized by colorful graphics, vibrant characters and fantastical themes, has grown greatly in population among American youth in recent years.
One popular anime in America is called Attack on Titan. The anime is about giant humanoid creatures who try to destroy humanity. The four main characters Eren Jaeger, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, and Levi Ackerman. These characters are some of the strongest characters in the anime and are there to try to protect humanity. One reason for the popularity of this show is the action sequences and deep backstory.
Another popular anime is Fruits Basket. In this anime, all but one of the main characters can turn into small animals. While there is a rather tragic ending, the series is full of cute and adorable moments. Obviously, anime is not a "boys only" club. Perhaps it is this wide audience attraction that makes Japanese Anime so popular even here in the United States.
The earliest dated anime was created in 1917. Afterwards, many other people in the Eastern Asia region created their own anime, changing the style and design over the years. Some other popular and well known anime are Black Butler, Death Note, Naruto, One Piece, and Parasyte. Anime has a diverse art form with distinct drawing techniques along with graphical properties that outmatch that of normal cartoons. Animation techniques differ greatly, and art style is also a difference. Everyone should give it a try!
Our Staff
Editor In Chief- Nickolas Hale
Layout Manager- Mary Hannah and Nathaly
Camera- Sean, Jasmine, and Zakarius
Behind the Scenes- Payton and Sheet
Sports- Nathaly and Miguel
Interview with Mrs. Holcomb and Coach Crow- Payton
Concerns About School- Sean and Trevor
A Day With Mr. Redmond's Class- Faith and Payton
Track Team of 2016- Andrea and Jasmine
What's Trending- Abby and Faith
Interview With Officer Landry- Matthew