AEC Zephyr
7th Edition
Back row from left to right: Keith Tupper, Abby Toney, Austin Chandler
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Congratulations Mrs. Amy Goodson
1.Mrs.Goodson how do you feel about being the teacher of the year for A.E.C?
Answer: I don’t feel worthy of the title. I’ve only been teaching in public school for 5 years and there is still so much that I want to learn and implement in the classroom.
2.Mrs.Goodson are you surprised about becoming teacher of the year for A.E.C?
Answer: Again, I don’t feel like I deserve the title, so yes I was surprised.
3.Mrs.Goodson do you feel like you will get teacher of the year ever again?
Answer: There are a lot of good teachers at this school, so I hope everyone will get Teacher of the Year at some point.
4.Mrs.Goodson do you think a majority of your students through all grade levels respect you?
Answer: I hope so. My philosophy is that if you treat students with respect, they will respect you back.
5.Mrs.Goodson overall do you enjoy teaching at A.E.C?
Answer: Yes. This is an awesome school where we have great teachers and the small classes allow us to get to know our students.
James Woody
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Teen Life
Over the years, more and more teens are killing themselves. In my opinion, U.S. citizens need to work hard at finding helpful and logical solutions to address the problem of teen suicide. As a teen, I think that parents and adults don’t understand everything teens go through. Yes, once upon a time they were teenagers, but things have changed since then. There’s more bullying going on and teens are not equipped to handle it.
It’s sad that there are young people killing themselves over the things that their peers are saying to them. Teens are afraid to come out and say they are hurting inside over what might be going on at home, or in other places like school and in the community . Teens are scared to come out and say they are being bullied. This is more than some kids can bear alone and many develop self-destructive habits, are sad and become self - harming. Teens should be able to go to school and not have to worry about getting targeted by their peers at school over the way they might look, or that they are gay, or they like something someone else doesn’t.
In an effort to solve the problem, there are things we can do. For instance, there should be more schools with uniforms so that all kids look the same. It is not fun, but a life is worth more than what a teen sees as cool to wear school. If schools require uniforms, there will less bullying because everyone would be wearing the same thing. There should them having to come out and say they are hurt inside over what might be going on at home on in other places like school or in the community.
STEP UP! You are needed. Even if you think there is nothing going on around you, believe me, it is happening everyday in our schools. Adults should try and pull kids one by one and talk to them, that way, they are more likely to talk. If you come to them they might be scared too but they will talk to you over time. A bully might have told them they were going to hurt someone they love if they tell so that might be why parents do get told eventually. Pay close attention to what goes on around you. Talk to people who sit by themselves. Make them feel good for a change because no one should ever have to sit alone.
TEENS NEED YOU! PLEASE HELP! Kids are getting put in mental hospitals many times because nobody takes the time to understand them or address the issues they may be having. Look for these signs:
Looking for and talking about killing themselves
Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live
Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain
Talking about being a burden to others
Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs
Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly
Sleeping too little or too much
Withdrawing or feeling isolated
Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge
Displaying extreme mood swings
Watch for burns/cut marks on skin
Avoids people
Stays away from groups
Make sure children understand they are loved and that you care for them.
By Anthony Harkey
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ALIENS?
Otherworldly beings have always been an amazement and wonder to humans. Every single person on earth has probably contemplated the existence of extraterrestrial life. The ever expanding universe is so vast that it wouldn't be too impossible for there to be other carbon based beings, maybe under the right conditions they wouldn't even have to be carbon based.
When most people think of aliens they think of Roswell and New Mexico, but many other people, including myself, think that the Roswell incident was staged by the US government. The novel War of the Worlds sparked a craze in the nation, which in turn literally drove some people crazy. Some people believe that this novel will come true in the near future because of a broadcast that was picked up from outside of the solar system. Scientists said it was a lost satellite but conspiracists think otherwise. This radio signal came from many hundreds of miles away and was inaudible but was on the right frequency to be picked up as condensed static.
Then there was Stephen Hawking's prediction just a few weeks before he died. He had mentioned a set of statistics that he had been working on in his spare time, and they stated that the likelihood of extraterrestrial contact/communication in the next fifty years is very high. In fact, he said that he believes it will be sooner than that. Now I think it may just be a coincidence that Stephen Hawking died shortly after this remark, but some conspirators are saying that he was assassinated, or the government had something to do with his death, which is a possibility. The United States government has had some things go public and try to cover them up before, such as Project Paperclip. Operation Paperclip was a classified government operation that involved German and Nazi scientists. The main goal is really unknown but some have a suspicion it had something to do with alien technology. The government tried to cover up all of the conspiracies that people were coming up with. People were outraged when they found out that Nazi scientists were involved.
Anyway, there is such a great possibility that extraterrestrial life does exist out there. The former Canadian Defense Minister said that he has evidence and files referring to alien technology and contact dating as far back as early WWII. He says that there are four known types of species. There are billions of galaxies in this ever expanding universe, we are but a spec, and there are billions of habitable planets out there. So many possibilities!
There is a Youtube channel that I really like that focuses on aliens and extraterrestrials, it's called SecureTeam10. If you liked this article, you'd love this channel, and another named Riddle that talks about a lot of astro theoretical subjects.
By Kayden Campbell
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The Fifth of May
1944
Sirens flair from London Tower
Indeed, it was their darkest hour.
The spinning sputter of rotors,
As shrapnel breaks the dreams of hopers
Leave women and children dead in their homes
As pessimism seeps into their bones
Three and a half months we took our stand,
Swearing German feet would never touch land
Protected by sons of England, Scotland and Wales
Britannia’s heroes who never failed
Now to the beaches of Normandie
To knock forth the eagle from it’s seat
The mortars fire day and night
But we push on, despite our plight
Then, from France to the Netherlands, Denmark from sea,
With my Yankee and French comrades beside me
May 5th, liberation day
How songs were sung throughout May!
On the graves of soldiers, across the allied nation
The Dutch and Danes cheered for their salvation
Thousands, freed from their plight
Would not fade into that silent night
Together for victory, this 5th of May,
74 years from that fateful day
May we remember those who died in the fray,
As we rejoice from the 5th of May
Note from the Author:
This poem is dedicated not just to those who fought and died in the Second World War, but also to those who fight oppression every day. From the Barbary Coasts to Kurdistan, Afghanistan to Burma, remember the soldiers who fight and die for the freedoms we take for granted in the West.
By William B. Cline
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McDowell Alternative Education Center
Website: https://aec.mcdowell.k12.nc.us/
Location: 176 Lukin Street, Marion, NC, USA
Phone: (828) 652-1040
Twitter: @AecMcdowell