December Issue

Journalthe

December2011Volume Seventeen Issue 2

Decatur High School

>>Christmas Edition

Trashy parking lot 4

New old basketball coach 6

Theatre holiday lunch 19

>>Photo by Samuel Kevetter

2 TheJournalDecember2011Inside

Dear Readers, Majority of my day is spent working on newspaper, school and thinking. Every day I try to make a di� erence in some way. I try to smile more, talk more and encourage more. At school I am known as the quiet girl, but that’s not me. I am surprisingly a very outgoing person. I am doing this project, where I read the Bible in a year. I am ten months in and it’s been a life-changing experience for me. I have made more friends in these past ten months, than I have in the past � ve years. I learn a new life lesson each day and I never go a day without making the best of it. I think about the positives of every situation and live every day as if it were my last. I am so blessed to be a part of the newspaper sta� and share news and stories about your fellow classmates you wouldn’t � nd anywhere else. I would like to take a minute and congratulate all the fall season extracurricular accom-plishments. Undefeated football teams, volleyball going to playo� s, cross country placing at state, band winning sweepstakes, drill team and cheerleaders Friday performances. I would also like to say good luck to extracurricular still going on: mock trial, debate, UIL practice meets, basketball, soccer, swim, golf and tennis. I am really excited to see what these groups bring in this year. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Years. For those who are traveling or just staying home, be safe and have fun. Don’t forget anything over the break because exams are the week we come back and you are taking all your exams. Here it is, another print issue of the Journal. Enjoy the special holiday edition and remem-ber to check out the online website: decaturjournal.com. � e next print issue is coming out in March 2012. If you have any suggestions email us at [email protected].

� anks,

Letters to the Editor:� e Journal welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be submitted one week prior to publication and must have a word count no greater than 300. Length may be subject to editorial judgement, and letters will be edited for obscene language, racial remarks and libelous material. All letters must be signed and writers’ names will not be withheld. � e Journal is not obligated to run any letters. Letters can view any matters directly or indirectly related to Decatur High School, sta� and students. Views and opinions expressed in letters do not re� ect those of sta� members of � e Journal, Decatur High School or Decatur ISD.

Members:•CSPA•NSPA/JEA•Interscholastic League Press Conference•Texas Association of Journalism EducatorsHonors:•ILPC Silver Star Award 2003, 2005, 2006•ILPC Bronze Star Award 1999, 2007, 2008, 2009•ILPC Award of Distinguished Merit 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011•CSPA Gold Medalist 2009

Cristin Morgan Editor-in-Chief, print

Visit www.decaturjournal.com or scan this code with a QR reader app.

>>Check out the websitewww.decaturjournal.com>>Like the Journal on FacebookFacebook.com/decaturjournal>>Follow the Journal on TwitterTwitter.com/decaturjournal>>Email the online editormadeline.peñ[email protected]>>Questions/suggestions/[email protected]

D e c a t u r H i g h S c h o o l750 E. Eagle Summit Dr • Decatur, TX 76234

Journalism phone • 940.393.7231O n l i n e : w w w . d e c a t u r j o u r n a l . c o m

Newspaper Sta 2011-2012

Cristin Morgan >>Editor-in-Chief, Print >>Business Manager

Madeline Peña >>Editor-in-Chief, Online

Austin Lamirand >>Video Editor, Design

Sarah Stromberg >>Sta writer

Allie Davis >>Photographer

Paris Walther >>Health/Opinions Editor >>Artist

Jackie Trujillo >>Sta writer

Christy Maha ey >>Sta Writer

Cindy Berry >>Adviser

3TheJournalDecember2011 Inside

Exclusive Look:>>The Journal Online<<

www.decaturjournal.com

>>In this issue

>>Opinion

>>HolidayNew old basketball coach 6

Holiday traditions 10

Skills USA angel tree 11

Life Skills luncheon 12/13

Trends 15

Trashy parking lot 4

Sta� er scared to drive 4

Sta� er re� ects on past Christmas 5

Sta� picks: Worst gi� received 23

Fit and healthy over holidays 7

New Year’s Resolutions 14

More than one Christmas 18

� eatre holiday lunch 19

Holiday Recipes 20

Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays 21

Community events 22

Moonlight Madness parade 24What makes you smile? ‘Video’by Austin Lamirand

What are you thankful for? ‘Video’by Paris Walther

Tips from past journalism graduates

Updated weekly

12/1311>>Photo by Cristin Morgan >>Photo by Cristin Morgan >>Photo by Lupe Perez

24

Coming back from l u n c h , s tudents should re-frain from

carelessly tossing their trash and drink cups into the back of other vehicles around them. � is remains a common cour-tesy and respect for another’s property. Everyday, students drive to school and leave their vehicle in the parking lot. � ese vehicles range from brand new cars o� the lot to old work trucks from the barn. Nev-ertheless, these cars/trucks takes a person where they need to go. � e owner or a fam-ily member most likely pays for its gas, oil changes, car washes, possible car payments and other costly expenses as well. Absent-mindingly throwing soda in truck beds or

leaving trash on top of cars blatantly disre-spects the vehicle along with the owner. Janitors already work to keep the park-ing lot clean of litter and garbage strewn about. Failing to just merely carry le� over food and bags to the trash can provide more work for the janitorial sta� . � e trash could blow out of the truck, spewing hundreds of napkins, wrappers and empty drink cups all over the extensive parking lot. � is could easily make an hour’s worth of work sud-denly drag into a miserable two hours of not being able to go home and spend time with family. It doesn’t seem right to make the school clean up trash when it is just as easy to throw it away. Compared to most other high schools in the county, Decatur built an expansive fa-cility to give students a quality atmosphere to learn in. Along with a top-notch athletic facility, ag barn and school in general, the parking lot does not struggle to maintain every vehicle driven to school. It is spacious enough to allow students to park wherever they please and without fear of needing park too close to another car. Purposefully

trashing it and the ve-hicles occu-pying spaces makes the lot look ragged and unkempt. S t u d e n t s should take pride in be-ing given the opportunity to learn in a prestigious school. Leaving it clean and aesthetically acceptable doesn’t have to be a priority, but should not be ig-nored. Students should take a good look at their own vehicles and ask themselves whether or not they like having to pick up garbage out of it. If the answer is no, they need to abstain from lazily tossing drinks or other le� over lunches into another vehicle. If any cliché rings true at all, it is the one saying to ‘treat another as you would like to be treated.’ Or as the the edited version goes, ‘don’t throw french fries in someone else’s truck.’

4 TheJournalDecember2011Editorial

>>Trash talkStaff

Editorial Vote>> 7/8

Agree

It’s what every teen rejoices over. � ey count down the days, make room in their wallets for their license and beg their parents to take one little spin around the neighborhood. I’m not included in this number of teens. When I was younger I had ambitions to drive, but they seem to slowly disappear as I hear about car wrecks announced on TV or in the papers. I admit it, driving scares me. I want to drive, I want to take a second step into adulthood but I’m scared. I don’t exactly know why I am so afraid. I’ve had dreams about driving and I have no control, like the brakes go out and I hit some-one or someone causes a bad wreck behind me. � ese dreams feel so real I get this nervous feel and, driving is a serious situation and I don’t want the cost of someone’s life to disappear on my account. Or maybe I worry about driving because it makes me realize that I am that much closer to leaving the nest. Don’t get me wrong, I want to move on and go to college, but at the same time I worry myself about it. I worry about a lot of things; I’m kind of a worrywart. No let me take that back I AM a worrywart. I think this is what mainly plays into my fear of driving. Yes I know what you’re thinking, “� ank you captain obvious.” It seems like the answer is obvious; just stop worrying. “We need to get you driving so you can hang out with your

friends,” my mom says. We both laughed knowing how messed up this situation truly was. Normally in a Brady Bunch kind of a situa-tion, the daughter would have said, “Mom I really want to drive! I have to go hang out with my friends.” And then the mother would say, “Sweetie, it’s to dangerous, you might as well load up a machine gun.” Well maybe things will get to that point one day. I know I can do this; I can persevere through this situation like I did in ballet when I sprained my ankle and broke my arm. Or push-ing myself through a bad day at school. I can do this. Why is it such an issue for me? I talked about the bad dreams I had with driving but what I haven’t mentioned are the good ones. � e ones where it seems like I have total control of the car and everything around me. Dreams like these make me realize that I do have control of my life and at least some of the things around me. I can make the choice to drive with con� dence. I can make the choice in where I want my future to lie. I can make the choice in which road to take. I have control of the wheel in my life. I can turn the car anyway I want. I can pull over and stop to think about what situations I am getting myself into. No matter which way the road takes me no mat-ter which road God wants me to take, I’ll do it with a full tank of gas.

>>� e road that lies aheadSta� er shares driving scareMadeline Peñ[email protected]

Leftover lunches abandoned in vehicles angers students

5TheJournalDecember2011 Column>>Christmas I will never forgetSta� er re� ects on past holiday seasonCristin [email protected]

Nineteen hours in a truck. Stuck in two feet of thick snow. Not much food. No bathroom. No kleenex to blow nose. Phone’s dead. And freezing.

Dec. 22 My family of � ve head to Am-arillo, in our truck, to see family for Christmas.

Dec. 23 � at night we feast on ham, buttered mashed potatoes and homemade pecan pie. We all gather and open gi� s together. I unwrapped a knitted scarf made by my Memaw. We ended the night with a game of ‘In a Pickle.’

Dec. 24 - Christmas Eve We wake up and say our good-byes. My Memaw makes six ham sandwiches for the road.

9:30am We meet my stepsister and her husband at Starbucks in Amarillo. It’s snowing as we begin our normal four-and-a-half hour drive home. � e weather chan-nel said the snow will stop about an hour outside of Amarillo, so we � gure it should let up. Wrong. It got worse. Hour a� er hour a� er hour. Snow and ice everywhere. We drive and see a car stuck in a ditch. My stepdad pulls o� the road and ask them if they want to be pulled out. � ey said ‘A tow truck was on the way.’ My

stepdad said ‘It’s Christmas eve: let me save you a few dollars.’ He grabs the tow rope behind the back seat and pulls them out. � ey thank him and we con-tinue our way. As we keep traveling, at about 5mph now, we pull more cars out, and then come to a com-plete stop. 1:30pm We should be home by now, but we haven’t moved in a while. We were getting hungry and we had six sandwiches to feed sev-en people and two dogs.

As we begin to move slowly, the highway is a solid rock of ice. Before reaching Wichita Falls they were closing down the highway. Cars start taking the risk and pull o� into side roads. But, with snow to my knees, no one could tell the di� erence be-tween a road and a ditch until they get stuck. We � nally take the chance and we end up on a back road. We started down the road, still at a slow pace. We stop a few more times to help pull more

cars out of the ditches, then once again came to a complete stop. 5:30pm Still on the back road, not moving, we meet some very nice travelers as we work as a team to pull out vehicles in ditch-es. Until, we came across one SUV. As we start to pull them out, they turn their wheel the wrong way and get us stuck. We couldn’t do anything be-cause no one could pull us out. 7:30pm Two trucks make their way up

to us and both work together to try and get us out. With the two big trucks and about 40 people pushing in the freezing cold, we eventually get out.

12:00am We get to Wichita Falls and drop o� a Schwan’s man. We gave him a ride since his truck was pushed into a ditch because it wouldn’t make it up the hill. � en my stepsister’s car got stuck. � at took a while to dig out but again we got it. By that time my stepdad had probably pulled out 20 cars.

On our way home there are empty vehicles lined up and down the highway. It ends up that security came and took all the families to a shelter for the night. My stepdad was determined to get us home because of my brother, Brandon. He began to cry when we were stuck and said, “I don’t think Santa is coming.” It broke our heart to see a six-year-old cry because he didn’t think Santa was coming. � at makes my stepdad do what-ever it takes to get us home by Christmas. 4:00am- Christmas morning We are driving through Boyd and about to arrive at Decatur. Everyone that we called told us it snowed like crazy in Deca-tur. We couldn’t believe what they thought was a lot of snow compared to what we had been through. It looked like noth-ing happened compared to the snow I was in all day. 4:30am We arrive in our drive way. Go inside. And go to sleep. 8:30am We wake up to open gi� s. I will never forget the Christ-mas when I was stuck in a truck for 19 hours, had very little food, no bathroom and a little space to bond with my family. Wow, what a Christmas!

On our way home there are empty cars lined up and down the highway. Then

security came and took all the families to a shelter for the night.

�“ �”

>>Travelers join together to help pull a car out of the ditch on a road west of Wichita Falls.

Cristin Morgan>>Photo by

6 TheJournalDecember2011

Sports

As the basketball season whips around the corner, a new coach is back in town for the JV team and assistant varsity. Coach Larry Hicks returns. “He’s a great advantage for our program,” varsity boys coach Rog-er Brown said. “He has great coaching experience.” Brown and Hicks coached together for two years in 1994-1996. “I le� in ‘96 and came back in 2007,” Brown said. Hicks’ � rst year coaching in Decatur was 1986. He then le� in 2007. “Decatur feels like home to me,” JV coach Larry Hicks said. “When I came back it almost seemed like I was never gone.” Brown enjoys working with Hicks again. “I love it,” he said. “[Hicks] has a passion for the game. Loving the game, Hicks’ favorite part is the competition. “I’ve always loved it,” Hicks said. “I’ve been around it my whole life.” Back for the � rst time in four years, the team enjoys his presence. “I like coach Hicks,” junior Nathan Mitchell said. “He’s a good coach.” Brown describes their coaching skills as opposite. In the end, it works. “We balance each other in practice and games,” Brown said. Working well together, Hicks learns from his old assistant coach. “Brown has gained a lot of experience,” Hicks said. “It’s nice com-ing back, working with him and learning from him.” Di� erent than before, now the coaches watch their sons play bas-ketball. “I think it’s really cool we now have boys and we get to see them play together,” Brown said. � ey make three goals for the season. “Our � rst goal is to always win the district championship,” Brown

said. � e teams’ second goal is to make the regional tournament. “Our � nal goal is to be the � rst boys basketball team in Decatur to make state tournament,” Brown said. Individual goals are set in the mind of each player. “[My goals include] working hard through every game, do the best I can and keep improving,” Mitchell said. Practicing every day, Brown describes coaching as a challenge. “� ere are so many personalities out there,” he said. “Players, coaches, parents, o� cials.” Dealing with all di� erent types, Brown’s favorite part is watching the guys come together as a team. “I’m drawn to the intensity and competitiveness of the games and practices,” Brown said. Varsity assistant coaches Hicks and Casey Jones help lead the team to success. “I think Coach Jones has played a big role,” Brown said. With coaches around every corner, the players enjoy their assis-tance with tips and comments. “� ey help me with dribbling, workouts, weight li� ing, di� erent drills and discipline,” Mitchell said. Mitchell’s position on varsity basketball is center and forward. He describes the sport as challenging. “Every opponent that you have and every game you play has a unique di� erent challenge,” Mitchell said. Coaches create high expectations for the team to reach and ac-complish. “� ey expect hard work, dedication and e� ort,” Mitchell said. Hick’s expectations for the JV include continually getting better. “I want to be able to move on to varsity level competition and prepare them for the future,” Hicks said.

>>Old SchoolReturning basketball coach

Cristin [email protected]

>>JV coach Larry Hicks and Var-sity coach Roger Brown take on a season of basket-ball together for the � rst time in 16 years.

Allie Davis>>Photo by

Try a Spin class Tuesdays from 5:15-6:00 p.m.

Hitting the alarm clock early in the morning, senior Erika Lampkin rolls over and wills herself to open her eyes. Her warm bed beckons, but the will to workout perseveres. Pulling into the Fit-N-Wise parking lot around 5:45, she knows that she made the right decision. “I feel energized in the mornings,” Lampkin said. “I may not be when I wake up, but a� er I get going I feel accomplished.” Not alone in her work-out endeavors, junior Haleigh Newville joins her in the gym. Together, they decided to make a pact to become more � t. “Me and Haleigh just decided to get in shape now that her cross coun-try season is over,” Lampkin said. “And I want to have that prom dress � t just right.” Initially, the gym appeared intimidat-ing to the girls. � e equipment looked strenuous and un-familiar and it was hard to walk in without fear of oth-ers judging them. “Everyone is just sitting there li� ing all these heavy weights and I didn’t really know what to do,” Newville said. Eventually, the gym became less nerve-racking and more relaxing. “It gives me time to think things through,” she said. Both girls prefer to begin their day at the gym, giving their bodies the kick-start they need to get moving. “Whenever I go in the mornings, I am energized and feel good about myself,” Newville said.

Waking up early to � t in an hour -long workout almost everyday isn’t easy, yet the girls know that the end result will be worth it. “Managing time is the hardest thing,” Lampkin said. “I guess if you really want something, you make time for it.” Yet, when time and scheduling does get the best of them, both girls experience feelings of remorse. “I feel bad because I know I should

have gone,” Lampkin said. “Usually if I don’t go in the morn-ings, I try to go in the a� ernoon.” When Newville � nds it particularly hard to make herself work out, she � nds inspiration in her brother, a state powerli� ing champion. “My brother got me interested in Fit-N-Wise because

he’s always going up there,” she said. “He’s in really good shape and he motivates me to be � t.” Fit-N-Wise not only o� ers the gym equipment, but di� erent exercise groups such as Yoga, Spin classes and fast paced dances like Zumba. “Wednesday nights I do Zumba,” Lampkin said. “In the mornings I usually do the treadmill and then the elliptical and then some lunges.” Starting a new routine is the � rst step to making a change. Lampkin and Newville hope to express this to others interested in joining a gym. “It’s really rewarding,” Lampkin said.

Managing time is the hardest thing. I guess if you really want something, you

just make time for it.

>>Erika Lampkin, senior

�“ �”

>>Shaping upJoining gym improves student health, tnessParis [email protected]

But which exercise class is right for me?If I want to

challenge myself...If I want to

feel the burn...If I want to dance...

If I want to strength-en my core...

Try a Pilates class Wednesdays

from 4:30-5:15 p.m.

Try a Power Hour class

� ursdays from 4:25-5:25 p.m.

Try a Zumba class Tuesdays

from 7:30-8:15 p.m.


Based on December schedule

7TheJournalDecember2011

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Journalism 1

Here comes that time of year again. Present wrapping. Orna-ment hanging. Cookie baking. Christmas has to be the most beau-tiful holiday I’ve ever seen. It’s the celebration of the birth of Jesus. I celebrate Christmas with my whole family every year. First we wake up with much joy to opening tons of presents. � en everyone puts their things away and we clean up all of the wrapping paper. � en the adults begin making Christmas dinner. Once dinner is made we gather around the dinner table, say a prayer, then enjoy a nice meal. We end the night by gathering in the living room and watching classic Christmas movies: Home alone and Christmas Vacation. � is is my Christmas tradition. >>Holiday traditions around the school: • “First we start decorating for the Christmas season right a� er � anksgiving, then on Christmas Eve we cook cookies for Santa Clause, AKA my parents! � en we wake up the next morning to open presents; then cook a turkey for lunch,” freshmen Kaitlyn Stanford said. • “My family gathers at my aunt’s house to exchange gi� s and

have a big meal every year,” freshman Carey Smith said. • “I am going to spend Christmas with my host parents and they are having friends coming over. I’m sure I will have a good time. We also celebrate Christmas in Germany every year,” junior for-eign exchange student Lena Moles said. • “I spend my Christmas with my mom and step dad every year. � e second week we have of Christmas break we load up the truck and drive to Colorado,” freshman Paige Christian said. • “Every Christmas Eve night my family gets together and watches Polar Express,” junior Tim Slimp said. • “We buy our children three gi� s each because that’s how many the wise men got. It’s a very aggressive Chinese Christmas with the Park family and kids. My brother in law, David Park, always cheats,” librarian aid Dainya Park said. • “All my family comes over for Christmas and we do a gi� ex-change,” freshman Jennifer Romero said.

>>All work submitted by Journalism 1 students

>>Holiday traditionsAshley [email protected]

What is the best gi� you’ve ever received?

“I got an Xbox 360” ~freshman Jimmy Johnson

“When I was six I got a cat named Pepsi. Sadly he ran away, but he used to hug me.” ~freshman Brooke Speed

“My mom got me a ring with engraving on the inside saying ‘my daughter, my love’. I wear the ring everyday.” ~freshman Mackenzie Simpson

“I went and bought my guitar with my own money.” ~junior Stephen Gutierrez

Favorite gi� sWorst gi� sWhat is the worst gi� you’ve ever received?

“I got socks from my grandmother one year. I got to what I thought was gonna be the best present, turned out to be the worst present in the history of presents. Socks for real!” ~freshman Celeste Chavana

“I got the fuigi for Christmas, I wanted so bad but when I got it, it was a complete joke! I hated it so much it didn’t work at all! It was just a glass ball!” ~freshman Hailie Noe

“� at would be underwear! I thought it was awkward because I got it from my aunt!” ~freshman Eddie Martinez

“My mom got me auxiliary plugs for something I didn’t even have. I was angry because it was Christmas and was hoping for something a little better!” ~freshman Marissa Hall

“I got a calendar from my parents one year. I was thinking what am I going to do with this?” ~sophomore Jaclyn Hicks

“I got a sweater from great aunt. It didn’t even � t and it was ugly!” ~sophomore Samantha Ashmore

Taylor [email protected]

Jessica [email protected]

11TheJournalDecember2011 Feature

Fi� een years and counting, Skills USA welcomes the holiday sea-son by funding 21 angels from the angel tree. “We have been doing the angels for � ve years now,” Skills USA sponsor Ricky Stutt said. “But we have been participating in the Spirit of Christmas for 15 years.” It started out with the Skills USA restoring bikes. “� ey would line up the bicycles at di� erent areas, sometimes Wise County Posse grounds, and the kids would come and pick out the bicycle they wanted,” Stutt said. � is year the group headed to the banks Dec. 1, to pick angels. “All the banks in Decatur get together and set ‘Spirit of Christmas’ up,” Legend Bank president Dwight Reeves said. “I have been associ-ated with it for 10-12 years.” Di� erent organizations take cash/check donations to help fund this event. “� e Wise County Adult Probation o� ce has been taking contributions for several years,” Stutt said. With a total of $1700 donated this year, the Skills USA � nd the angels they want. “It’s neat when the students start look-ing at the angels because they start acting like Santa Claus,” Stutt said. � e next step for Skills USA is to go to Walmart and purchase the gi� s. “My favorite part of the event is actually buying the gi� s because it shows us how to give back to the community,” junior Ricky Sa-mano said. Spending $75 on each angel, the students proceed to Walmart Dec. 8, to purchase the gi� s. “I think it’s wonderful they’re doing this,” Walmart pharmacy tech Janie Grisham said. Former Skills USA member and Walmart employee Cristina On-ofre, 2007 graduate, agrees with Grisham. Onofre was involved in this event her junior and senior year.

“It’s pretty cool they’re still doing this,” Onofre said. “� ey could have stopped, but didn’t. � e students enjoy this part of the project because there is a con-test involved. “� ey break up into groups and each group get a certain number of angels, that vary in ages,” Stutt said. “� e amount to spend on each angel is determined and the groups that get the closest to that amount without going over wins the contest.” Searching the Walmart aisles, each group digs through the shelves to � nd all the di� erent gi� s the kids request. “It shows us how to use teamwork and to get the most value for the dollar,” Samano said.

A� er they purchase the gi� s, they send them o� to the angels hoping they helped a family who couldn’t a� ord a Christmas. “It is never about what you receive,” Samano said. “It’s about being with the people you care about.” Stutt agrees it’s about giving back. “My whole purpose is to help teenag-ers become respective and responsible adults,” he said. “Community service

helps that. � e work, the pleasure and the gratitude of giving back to the community is great. People believe teenagers are all about themselves, but when they are given the opportunity to help others, they step up.” Stutt keeps his program involved in this organization year a� er year. “It’s great to have participation from the school,” Reeves said. “I appreciate all the giving everyone does. It’s a big project getting all the toys together and sending them out to the kids.” Participating in Skills USA for three years, Samano is the chapter treasurer, district 4 president and state district vice president. “Skills USA isn’t just about the competition,” Samano said. “It’s about getting into the community and preparing us for the future.”

>>Giving back to the communitySkills USA adopts angels for � ve years

Cristin [email protected]

1. One team picks a bike for their angel. 2. Scarlett Psutka picks out the angels at Legend Bank. 3. � e students proceed to checkout.1

2

3

It�’s inspiring because people believe teenagers are all about themselves, but when they are

given the opportunity to help oth-ers, they step up.

>>Ricky Stutt, Skills USA sponsor

�“�”

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Feature

Ski

lls

� ey wait in the cafeteria at the administration building anx-iously. Walking around making sure everything is ready to go, they watch as time goes by. Twice a month the life skills students prepare and serve to the administration. On Nov. 15, they served baked potatoes, salad and cookies. Each student was designated to a certain area during the lunch. Senior Shaina Beavers’ job included handing the administrators the menu and saying, ‘Welcome’. “I think they learn the importance of customer service,” life skills teacher Brandy May� eld said. “I was super excited to see how they would handle the situation. We practiced in class and then they did perfect when we got over there.” A � er Shaina welcomed them, senior Kassie Howard directed the guests to their seats. “Come this way,” Kassie said. A � er they took a seat, one of three students take their order: freshman Wesley Young, sophomore Bo Carr or senior Austin Jones. “What do you want to drink?” Bo said. With the choice of tea or wa-ter, Bo went to � ll their drink. � en the administrators � ll out the menus made by the class. � en Austin or Wesley, whichever wasn’t taking another order, took the menus to the kitchen and put the trays together with the help of May� eld. “ � ey learn to really focus on listening skills,” May� eld said, “by having to listen to the order, then go back to the kitchen and prepare the order on how they heard it.” Also in the kitchen helping prepare is senior Maria Torres. Hid-ing behind the scenes, she placed all the potato toppings and salad

dressings on the trays. � e waiters take the potato and open it on the tray; then May� eld adds some lettuce on the side. Next, they go to Maria and tell her all the toppings they wanted. � ey � nish by placing a packet of two red velvet cookies on the tray. One will deliver the tray to the correct administrator; then they move on to the next customer. “My favorite part is serving the food,” Austin said. “I like talking to them and it felt good to serve people.” As more administrators � ll empty seats, the waiters and waitress-es walk around table to table making sure everything is good and re� lling their drinks. “It’s good for us to learn how to serve,” Wesley said. “I like to do

it and it’s fun.” As they walk around to pick up trash or re� ll drinks, administrators appreciate the hard work the class puts into the lunches. “I love it,” PPCD teacher Kristin Mathis said. “� ey’re learning great skills and they’re meeting more peo-ple in the community. � ey get to work toward a goal.” Mathis and PPCD teacher Shauna Paque teach life skills to three and

four years old. “I love it,” Paque said. “I can’t say enough good things about it. It’s great for them, it’s great for us, it’s bene� cial for everybody.” Paque taught some from this group years ago. She enjoys seeing them come into the community and a part of something where oth-ers can see the work they put into each and every day. “Getting to be around these kind of kids is a di� erent dimension,” she said. “� ey are so polite and it’s great to interact with them. I’m glad to see them out and a part of the community.” Administration only sees the end product. � e waitors,

>>Service with a smileSix classmates serve lunch to DISD administrationCristin [email protected]

Pictured: Wesley Young, Bo Carr, Kassie Howard, Austin Jones, Shaina Beavers Not pictured: Maria Torres

13TheJournalDecember2011 Feature

waitresses, cooks and greeters take time beforehand to prepare the meal. “I washed the potatoes and wrapped them in foil,” Bo said. While Bo washed potatoes, Kassie helped Priscilla Lingle, life skills aid make cookies. “I put eggs [in the mix],” Kassie said. “I put them in the oven.” Substitute teacher Amanda Do-nahue helped the class during the lunch by marking o� names and taking the money. “My favorite part is watching them have teamwork,” Donahue said. With few administrators still eating, all six workers begin to clean up. “� ey are learning lots of responsibility with the public,” curricu-lum secretary Nancy Pulse said.

District test coordinator Melinda Woods agrees with Pulse. “It’s an opportunity for them to learn social skills,” Woods said. “It’s very nice and a great idea they thought of doing this.” Before they wipe o� the tables and pack up the bus, they sit and talk about di� erent life skills they learned and what they want to do

with these lessons. “I want to be a waiter at Sweetie Pies,” Bo said. May� eld feels as if the life skills are her own personal kids. � is event is one of many ways she

helps them learn life lessons to improve their living skills indepen-dently. “It surprises me the things they pick up on and how they relate it to their life,” May� eld said. “� ey take what we learn here and take the job skills into the real world. � ey always come up with a way to accomplish things.”

Other participation projects>>Wal-Mart ShoppingEvery � ursday the class travels to Walmart with a shopping list. Responsible for locat-ing each item, the goal is to � nd the best deal and get the correct number of each item. � e students also earn quarters throughout the week. Once they � nish shopping from the list, they � nd something to purchase with the money they earned.

I want to be a waiter at Sweetie Pies.

>>Bo Carr, sophomore �“ �”

>>Christmas Wrapping� e students wrap Christmas gi� s for the district employees. � ey set up an as-sembly line to � nish more than 500 gi� s. � ey pre wrap the gi� s, then put them in boxes, seal the boxes with a label and then wrap again. “Any repetitive work proves to be great job skills for the stu-dents,” May� eld said.

>>High school luncheon � ey cook lunch for the high school teach-ers every other week. “� is not only allows the students to use life skills in the kitchen; it also provides them an opportunity to social-ize with all teachers on campus,” May� eld said. Science teacher Christy Carreno enjoys the lunch. “It’s nice to have a home cooked meal every two weeks,” she said.

What do you like most

about school?If you could have any superpower what would it

be?

What is your favorite

movie?

Shaina Beavers,

12

Kassie Howard,

12

Austin Jones,

12

Maria Torres,

12

BoCarr,

10

Wesley Young,

9

“Choir”

“Run”

“Mrs. Lingle and Mrs. May� eld”

“To � y”

“P.E.” “Cooking for teachers”

“Coach Coker, he’s

nice”“� is class

[life skills]”

“Run”“Freeze things”

“Be invisible”

“Fly”

“Twilight”“Transform-ers”“Bring it on”“Black

Beauty”“� e

Chihuahua”“Cars”

Bio Box

Shaina Beavers Wesley YoungBo CarrAustin JonesKassie Howard

Cristin Morgan>>Photos by

14 TheJournalDecember2011Entertainment

“I want to lose ten pounds for New Years.” ~Freshman Graham Cowdrey

“I need to get better grades next year!” ~Freshman Kathy Davenport

“Next year, I want to stop slacking o� .” ~Freshman Lino Mares

“I want to stop procrastinating and do my homework.” ~Freshman Dakota Sellers

“For my New Year’s Resolution, I want to focus on school more.” ~Sophomore Brandon Boswell

“I want to get better grades and exercise more.” ~Sophomore Mirtha Camacho

“My New Year’s Resolution is to make bet-ter grades in school.” ~Sophomore Jaclyn Hicks

“I guess I just want to try to be a better person over all.” ~Sophomore Logan Hu�

“To have a better swim and soccer year next year. And a chance to go to Regional.” ~Sophomore Baley Phariss

“My New Year’s Resolution is to try out for the soccer team next year.” ~Sophomore Jessica Velazquez

“I want to stay � t.” ~Junior Hutch Cheyne

“My New Year’s Resolution is to make more friends and make wiser choices.” ~Junior Will Cryer

“To stay out of trouble.” ~Junior Brittany Gossett

“My New Year’s Resolution is to witness to 10 more people than I did this year.” ~Junior Kyle Hubbard

“To get ready for college.” ~Junior Franklin Killen

“To quit drinking soda.” ~Senior Bobbi Clemmer

“To be healthier, more � t and less lazy.” ~Senior Zoe Estrada

“To give back more and be more caring to others.” ~Senior Andrea Rivera

“I want to show up to school more o� en.” ~Senior Mason Terrell

“To not sweat the small stu� as much.” ~History teacher Jay Harris

“To spend more time with my family and less time grading papers.” ~Math teacher Carrie Oberle

New Year ’s Resolut ions

Eavesdrop“I feel like a pinteresting person.”

-Paris Walther, newspaper

“Ricky stop looking at my donuts.”-Carla Reisman, Ap English 3

“My feet are dancing to this music.”

-Jessica Lozano, interior design

“Oh my gosh, have you seen the new pistachio commercial.”-Taylor Kennedy, physics

“Short people don’t get good jobs.”-Vikkie Aldape, US History

“And Coach Stallard is 6 feet tall.”-Della Stallard, US History

“Don’t � x your orphans until you edit.”

-Cindy Berry, newspaper

“Wait, so who’s the president?”-Alex Raasch, theatre holiday

lunch

“I got pie on my phone.”-Carly Schuster, theatre holiday

lunch

Newsf ashes>>Check out the online website for news and events going on. Updated every day with new announcements.

www.decaturjournal.com

>>Want more eavesdrop?Online website now posting them regularly.

Two thousand and eleven o� ers many new classy winter trends.

If you love deep, rich colors and heavy patterns or textures, you will love the styles for this season.

HEAD WRAPS: � is winter, head wraps have been a huge suc-

cess. � e most popular style in head wraps is DARK NEU-TRAL COLORS, a � ower with embellishments and so� pat-terns. If you are ever having a bad hair day, slip on a head wrap, or a THICK HEADBAND with a cute pattern.

BOOTS: Just like every winter, boots are very popular. Re-cently, KNEE HIGH boots top the style charts, as shown in New York fashion week this September.

LEGGINGS: Leggings are great for the winter; they keep you warm and they look great with BOOTS and KNEE HIGH SOCKS. You can put a pair of your plain or patterned leggings with one of your favorite dresses from the summer.

JEGGINGS (jean/leggings) are a stylish way to wear boots and a cute JACKET.

SCARVES: � ey seem to always make an out� t cuter; a plain SWEATER with great-patterned scarves makes every simple ensemble warm and stylish. “Blingy and unique,” junior Randi Madden said as she ex-presses her style. She loves the winter mostly because of the clothes. “I mainly wear long shirts, scarves, cute boots and tights when it’s cold.” “I shop a lot at Rue 21 and Forever 21,” Madden said. Forever 21 splits into sections so you can easily � nd your style. Rue 21 is cute and a� ordable! It’s always good to see out� ts already put together, to help in� uence how to put together a new out� t. “I usually base my out� ts by what I see on the manne-quin,” Madden said. � ere are tons of magazines, websites, and shows to help guide you through the winter. Even though it’s going to be cold, we can all bundle up in 2011 winter fashion.


Trends

The Journal

>>All I want for ChristmasWinter season o ers new clothing Macen [email protected]

Junior Graham McCain holds a pair of CELEB-RITY PINK JEGGINGS ($29.99) that provide that ‘sweatpant’ feel in a cute way.

� e ELF ON THE SHELF ($20) is one of Santa’s little helpers who watches how the children behave and reports his discoveries to Santa.

Carla Reisman

Macen Stripling

Hannah Hubbard� e SEQUINED HEADBAND ($12.99 at nrsworld.com) conve-niently hides a bad hair day.

� e KEURIG COFFEE MAKER ($179.95) quick-ly makes a cup of co� ee, cocoa or tea within a matter of minutes.

Madeline PeñaAustin Lamirand

Freshman Bailey Berry poses in Deep, Rich Colors and Heavy Patterns displaying new winter fashion.

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Happy Holi days!

It de nitely gave me a di erent perspec-tive in life. You see di erent sides of

people that you don�’t normally see- es-pecially in my family.

>>Will Cryer, junior


Holiday

>>In the eyes of the beholderStudent copes with divorced parents during holidaysJackie [email protected]

Warm. Comfort-able. Joyful. Simple words to describe the holidays. Christmas is that excuse to get out of school in order for students to spend time with their families and friends. And if the holi-days weren’t hectic enough, imagine doubling the frenzy. For Robert Sellers, this is the case. “Sometimes it’s hard going back and forth from my par-

ents but we usually have a schedule depending on the year,” Sellers said. “I mainly spend it with my mom and my sister who live in Joshua, Texas.” � e word ‘divorce’ is de� nitely no stranger to teens nowadays. According to census.gov, one out of three households in the United States consists of minors living with divorced parents. � e site states that separation sometimes leaves scars or trauma and, depending on circumstances, takes immense toll on teenagers themselves. “Depending on the times, it’s di� cult,” Sellers said. “Like not get-ting to see your mom except for two days a month, it’s pretty hard. But other people could have it worse- like not getting to see their parents at all.”

� ere’s no denying that it can be di� cult for any kid to cope with their parents splitting up but it can become even more challenging during the holidays. According to divorceguide.com, the best way tonot let it put one’s feelings down is to focus on the positive. Set up a schedule or make up a new tradition to create new memories. � e key is communication and the will to adjust. “We usually hang out around the house, go bowling or see mov-ies,” Sellers said, referring to his time spent at his mom’s. Sellers believes that belonging to a split family isn’t as terrible as it seems. “I get more but it’s kind of nice because if I can’t get something

in one house I have a chance of getting it at the other house,” he said. “Usually every Christ-mas Eve I get to pick one present and open it- it doesn’t matter where I am that Christmas Eve because I do that in whichever house.” Warm. Comfortable. Joyful… Secure. Wheth-er parents stay together or not, the aspect of fam-

ily never really changes. � ere are always people who care enough to be there during the holidays even if it isn’t picture perfect. � e perspective just happens to lie in the eyes of the beholder. “Always think of the future when it comes to seeing your family. Ask yourself: is it for the better? But don’t think it’s your fault- focus that it’ll end soon and you’ll go on with life,” Sellers said.

It was a little weird at rst because I wasn�’t used to my family not all being together for the holidays, but after a few years I started to get used to it.

>>Jessi Lombardi, sophomore

�“It kind of sucks sometimes because you don�’t get to be with all of your family on the same day. Like on

Christmas Eve I�’m with my mom and Christmas Day

I�’m with my dad. But since my dad moved to Arizona I won�’t get to see him this holiday season. But it�’s also good because you get more

than one Christmas or Thanksgiving.�”

>>Mariah Rowe, senior

I don�’t get to see my dad anymore- the rst few years hurt not being able

to see him but I�’m used to it now.

>>Garrett Bowen, sophomore

�“Always think of the future when

it comes to seeing your family. Ask yourself: is it for

the better?

>>Robert Sellers, sophomore

�“�”

It�’s tiring and stressful because I have to go back and forth from my

parents.

>>Lane Mitchell, sophomore



Holiday

Several long tables laid end to end, covered neatly with a red ta-blecloth catches the eye � rst upon entering the room. Set with a row of tealight candles directly down the center, the so� light adds to the tone of the room. � e ambience continues with blue and yellow lighting and so� jazz playing in the background. A second long table counters the other, absolutely covered in dish upon dish of food. A large group of actors trickles in and as if on cue begin with happy chatter: discussing where to sit, what to eat, and how the earlier part of the day went. As the meal goes on, members of the group propose toasts and brief snippets of songs stand out from the conversation. With a di� erent group of people and in another location, this gathering would be routine- between a large family, in a home. But this meal takes place between the drama club and its sponsors on the stage. Dec. 8 during lunch, drama club spon-sors and o� cers hosted their annual holiday lunch for any drama club member. As club president, senior Tamara Green helped to organize the lunch. “� e o� cers’ job is to just pick a date and make sure everything is set up,” Green said. � e club supplied the main course. “Drama club provides the protein, usually a ham and fried chicken,” said drama club sponsor and head � ne arts director Lance Morse. Members may sign up in advance to provide any drink, dessert, side dish, or eating utensil they wish to complete the meal. “I brought my awesome homemade chocolate candy,” junior Des-tiny Aragon said.

Besides providing enough space to contain the large club, the stage � ts the situation in another way. “I spend so much time in the theatre and onstage that it’s just as good as home,” Aragon said. Several years ago, the club’s holiday lunch came into existence with a purpose. “Back in the day, we used to have a lot of students who didn’t have family, or had lost their parents,” Morse said. Club o� cers decided to give their fellow students in need a chance for a family meal. “� e o� cers wanted at least one holiday meal for them, and it’s stuck ever since,” Morse said. � e lunch also presents members with a chance to get back to-gether with the cast of performances past. “I get to reconnect with my friends. � ey’re just like my family,”

Aragon said. New members also enjoy the familial feel of the lunch. “I didn’t know any of these people be-fore, but now I talk to them and they’re my friends,” said new member freshman Britni Gillespie. Green also feels the bond of the club. “It keeps people together like nothing

else,” she said. � ough not an actual family, the togetherness of the drama club o� ers an example of coming together in the holiday season. “I love it,” Morse said. “I love the fact that we all get together to enjoy the season. I love that it is a lunch, but it isn’t just a lunch to us.”

>> A drama club family gatheringThespians come together for annual holiday lunch

Sarah [email protected]

It keeps peopletogether

like nothing else.

>> senior, Tamara Green

�“ �”

>> Drama club members chat happily as they begin their yearly holiday potluck lunch on the stage. �“The big holiday lunch is always an awesome time to be with our friends. It�’s beyond crazy,�” junior Destiny Aragon said. Put on by club sponsors and o cers, the meal is open to any club member with dues paid.



Holiday

Ingredients:• 3 packages cornbread mix• ½ cup of melted butter• 8 cups chicken broth• 3 tablespoons poultry seasoning • 1 teaspoon salt• 1 tablespoon pepper• 1 large onion• 1 can cream chicken soup

Procedure:• Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF • Mix and prepare all the corn-bread according to the package directions, and cook until done.

• Let the cooked cornbread cool, and then crumble it all up into a very large bowl.

• Next you will need to chop the large onion up into very � ne piec-es and put it in with the cornbread.• Add the salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.• Mix it up very well.• Add the butter, chicken broth and soup.• Stir this very well, and pour it into a large aluminum pan. • Place into oven, bake for 1 hour.• A� er an hour, to check it just to be sure that it’s completely cooked you can stick a toothpick into the top and if nothing comes o� onto it, then you’re good! • Take it out of the oven and let it cool for at least 30 minutes, then it’s ready to be served!

>>Favorite holiday recipes�“Nana�’s�” cornbread dressing Story behind the recipe

My favorite Christmas food is the famous cornbread dressing! My Nana (Grandma) has made this wonderful food for our family every year since I can remember! � e recipe was passed down from generation to generation, and got to my grandma, and eventu-ally me! � e cool thing about the recipe is that it’s not written down anywhere, it’s all in her mind. � e thought of walking into her house on Christmas makes me hungry! I can always tell when she cooks her dressing, because when of the wonderful smell. When I go to her house, it just brings back so many good mem-ories with Christmas, family, and her dressing.

Tamale DoughIngredients:• 2 cups of Maseca for tamales• 2 cups lukewarm broth or water• 1 teaspoon baking powder• ¼ teaspoon salt• 2/3-cup lard or vegetable shortening

Procedure: Combine Maseca, baking powder and salt in a bowl, work broth or water with your� ngers to make so� moist dough. In a small bowl, beat lard or shortening until � u� y, add masa and beat until dough has a spongy texture. Prepare tamales with your desired � lling, cheese, chilies, meat, chicken, etc. � is makes enough dough for about 16 tamales.

Tamales [makes about 16]Ingredients:• ¼ lbs. boneless pork loin shoulder (or with desired � ll-ing)

• 1 ½ oz. chile pasilla or Cali-fornia pods• 1/8 cup of cooking oil (corn)• ¾ cup of water• 16 corn husks• 2 ½ lbs. prepared masa (ABOVE)

Procedure: Cover meat with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until done, about two hours. Lightly sauté chile pods (removing stems and seeds) in cooking oil. Place in blender; add water and blend until smooth. Cut meat into small pieces, and cook in cooking oil until browned. Add chile mix-ture and salt to meat, cook for approximately 7 minutes. Soak corn husks for a few minutes and rinse well. Spread masa evenly over corn husks, place a teaspoon of meat mixture in the center. Fold all sides to the center, place in steamer, Cover with a wet cloth and steam, ap-prox. 1 hour.

Family tamalesStory behind the recipe Every year, for as long as I can remember, my family always made tamales for Christmas. � e night before, you go into the kitchen and smell that delicious aroma that made you want to eat them right away. Everyone retains this delicious food in our own way, how much to add of this and that. But the only kind I eat come from my mom, which everyone in my family loves to eat on the holidays. Since the age of nine, my mother helped my grandmother make this tradi-tional food. My grandmother, who lives in Mexico, prepares these delightful dozens each year during Christmas. She started at the age of 15. Tamales come in di� erent choices; therefore, it's my f a v o r i t e because there are many to choose. � ese 'delightful dozens' (as I call them) can be � lled with meats, cheese, vegetables, and chilies. Tamales de Dulce is one, they are sweet and are pink. � ese are my favorite. � ey are delicious! 'Delightful dozens' come from Mexico, and people keep it alive by bringing them to the United States and all over the world. Hopeful-ly soon, my mother teaches me how to make tamales, just like my grandmother taught my mother how to make them at a young age. I always love to eat tamales every year. � is recipe reminds me of my grandmoth-er. � is Christmas recipe is my favorite because it brings good memories from the years past. Now that Christmas is approaching, new memories are bound to come and bring happiness to the table and out.

Nancy [email protected]

Madison [email protected]

>>All work submitted by Journalism 1




Holiday

Merry Christmas vs Happy Holidays

Is it okay for stores to say ‘Merry Christmas’? � is question is be-

coming a debate among many people. I personally believe that it is okay for stores to say Merry Christmas to their customers. Saying ‘Merry Christmas’ has always been a way to greet people and to show the joy of the season. Christmas is a holiday that was created to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It was Jesus

who came into this world and died on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven. His birth is something that should be cel-

ebrated! So why are we trying to take Christ out of Christmas? We as Ameri-

cans are growing further away from the real reason for this holiday.

When Christmas begins to draw near, we become more focused on a jolly old man coming down our chimney to bring us pres-

ents. � at’s not what Christmas is about. Christmas is a time to celebrate and thank God for sending his only son into this world to die for us. It is a time to not focus merely on ourselves, but to help and give to those in need, just as we were all given a gi� from God. When looking at online resources

and blogs, I have learned that most people are o� ended by these words be-

cause of religious di� erences. When I think about this issue, the � rst thing that comes to mind is the � rst amendment. Amendment one secures all American citizens the right of religious freedom and the freedom of speech. Knowing these two facts, why should anyone be o� ended by someone saying ‘Mer-ry Christmas’. Everyone is entitled to

his or her own opinions and beliefs. I personally believe that saying ‘Merry Christmas’ is perfectly okay. Peo-

ple are becoming more easily o� end-ed by employees at stores, or people simply walking down a street saying

‘Merry Christmas’. If we were to take Christ out of Christmas there would

be no holiday.

It’s a big deal for people whose religion does not celebrate Christmas be-cause their individual holiday is not being di-rectly recognized. If Amer-ica is the so-called “Great Melting Pot”, why don’t we exemplify that with showing respect to all holidays of all the religions that exist here in this country? If all we do is focus on Christmas, isn’t that being a little bit hypocritical of ourselves? Aren’t we sup-posed to accept all reli-gions? � en why do we only recognize Christ-mas? Sure, the major-ity of people in the U.S. are of the Christian re-ligion, but would it be hard to show kindness to those who are not by wishing them a “Happy what-ever-their-religious-holiday-is”. Also, that would be the more Christianly thing to do, would it not? Reaching out to show acceptance of some sort? It may not seem like much, but imagine if you were a place where the vast majority didn’t celebrate Christmas. Wouldn’t seeing someone say “Merry Christmas” who wasn’t Christian make you feel good? It’s the same thing for those who don’t cele-brate Christmas. � ere are several other holidays, like Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. � e holidays are about happiness and spreading it. Why not spread some joy to other religious holidays that others celebrate and recognize them all? No harm done, and it might make someone’s day. May you all have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Happy Kwanzaa, or just a good holiday sea-son.

Michaela Cross, freshman Garrett Bowen, sophomore

Allie

Dav

is>>

Phot

os b

y:


Holiday

As Christmas rounds the corner, so does hope. � e community is becoming involved in di� erent types of Christmas organizations. Sunday, Dec. 4, Decatur Women’s Club hosted Tour of Homes. “Tour of Homes is our major fundraiser for the year. All of the money made goes toward Meals on Wheels and W.A.R.M.,” Anna Wallace of Decatur Women’s Club said. Meals on Wheels provides home-delivered services to people in need and W.A.R.M. is a local food shelter. Any citizen that wanted to go look at Christmas lights and decorations around town paid $15 in order to get the locations of each home and � e First United Methodist Church. “On the tree, there are only two colors: white and gold,” Barbara Haley, First United Methodist Church member, said. “White repre-sents purity and gold represents Christ’s divinity.” Haley describes hope and faith in the meaning of Christmas. To Bealls, it means something a little di� erent: giving. “� e donation jars by the cash registers goes to unfortunate kids around Wise Coun-ty,” Bealls employee Leslie Ho� man said. � e kids are transported to Bealls in Deca-tur by the organization that recommends the children in need. “� e kids get to come in and check them-selves out,” Bealls employee Arturo Martinez said. “Each child gets $175 to spend on clothing they want.” � e money comes from Bealls and Paradise Clothing Fund. � e donations are received so that the community has a chance to allow even more kids to come in and buy their own Christmas out� t or gi� for themselves. “We usually have around 50 children who come in for the Christ-mas program,” assistant manager Sherry Gentry said. Of course, this isn’t the only Bealls that is important in the holi-day. In front of Walmart, FFA rings the Salvation Army bells. “Our FFA chapter is in every way active in our community,” se-nior Cruz Niblett said. Each day, volunteers or community groups ring � e Salvation

Army bells in front of Walmart. On Tues. Dec. 7, � e Decatur 4-H club took a shi� of two hours in 27° F. “I noticed that kids begged their parents to put money in the pot even though we weren’t dressed up as Santa,” junior Brittney Hub-bard said. “I thought that was awesome and I wish everyone had the same enthusiasm about it as those little kids.” As customers walked in and out of the sliding doors, many paused to reach into their pocket and drop loose change into the red bucket. I learned that even the smallest things, like ringing the bell for a few hours, helps a ton,” Hubbard said.>>Sta� er re� ects the gi� of giving I think community events are absolutely fantastic. Everyone acts as one to help make a di� erence. And isn’t that the gi� of giving? To work together and give somebody something amazing? I person-ally took the Tour of Homes and felt so proud that our community

was using the money to feed hungry mouths. And ringing the bell myself was an experience I will never forget. Seeing the children wave at me then ask if they could ring the bell too melted my heart. While I was interviewing, a little girl walked up to me and asked me what I was do-ing. I squat down and replied I was interview-ing for the high school newspaper. � e girl, looking at me, asked me why. I said the story

was about community service. As her mom walked up beside us, the little girl asked one more question. “What is community service?” I told the little girl that it was any act of kindness toward others or the city. As the mom and girl walked o� hand-in-hand, I overheard the little girl telling her mom the meaning of community service. Truth is, that some people (including me), don’t have the time to commit to community service or that they don’t know how to help. It can be something as simple as picking up trash or something as grand as giving away $250 to needy kids. Anyone can help, big or small, the community. It is my hope, this Christmas, that more stu-dents and citizens will walk outside an do more community service. No matter the act or amount, it is always better to give than receive.

>>Better to give than receiveWise County community prepares for ChristmasChristy [email protected]

>>The First United Methodist Church be-comes illuminated with red, white and gold decorations. Down the center aisle, the Bethle-hem light hangs above the nativity scene on the table. The nativity is a symbol of faith and hope.

>>Freshman Chance Walther, juniors Paris Walther, Hannah Hubbard, senior Taylor Kennedy and junior Brittney Hubbard share the joy of giving with the community. Christy Mahaffey

>>Photo by

Cristin Morgan>>Photo by

I noticed the kids begged their parents to put money in the pot.

>>Brittney Hubbard, junior

�“�”

Maybe it came from that clueless aunt, or your not so fashionable grandma. Maybe it was from a friend with a knack for regi� ing or the sibling with their own gi� s in mind. No matter who it is, everyone has received that one holiday present they wouldn’t mind giving back. For me, it always comes from a Chinese Christmas gi� exchange. No matter the party or the people, I always come home with the used board games, dollar DVDs or mismatched socks. I was fortunate enough to receive a � ashlight with batteries one Christmas; that was a particularly good year for me. By now, I pretty much have the whole concept � gured out. It always starts with that one person; I call this person the Instigator. � ey plan the party, the food, the décor and the gi� exchange. � is person will spend more than the $20 limit because they are truly invested and enthusiastic about the game. � eir present may include but is not limited to a gi� basket from Bath & Body Works, newly released DVDs (ones that cost considerably more than a dollar) and sports jerseys. If you are lucky enough to end up with the Instigator’s present, I applaud you. � e next best presents come from the Panickers. � ese party goers make a planned trip to Wal-Mart with good intentions to purchase a modest $20 item, but end up walking around longer than they expected. Panicked, they cop out and put money on a gi� card, making their pres-ent small but not entirely disappointing of course. If you haven’t yet opened the Instigator or Pan-icker gi� , chances are you will � nd the Jokester’s. � eir gi� s range from Snuggies to Justin Bieber paraphernalia to boxer shorts. While the party goers get a good laugh at the initial opening of the gi� , no one usually makes any e� ort to steal it. � e last and possibly worst giver of them all is the Slacker. No one likes a Slacker, and especially not his gi� . � is person most likely forgot about the exchange up until the last possible minute. Tearing apart his house for something to wrap up in a grocery sack, he � nds it. Maybe it was the pic-ture frame with the broken hook or the reindeer sweater his mom gave him. Either way, no one will ever know who it’s from and he will never tell. So to all the party goers out there trying to � nd the perfect gi� ; please just remember me and my nature scene puzzles, gardening tools and Team Edward tshirt. You can do better.

The Worst Gift Under the Tree

Paris [email protected]

Jackie [email protected]

Christy [email protected]

Sarah [email protected]


Holiday

My family isn’t really the type that pulls pranks. However they are the type that don’t know exactly what I like. So when I was seven years old, my two sisters and I were sitting on the couch, waiting. Finally, as my parents came out of the room, we grabbed the matching boxes under the Christmas tree with our names on them. Shredding the paper, we open up to � nd… “Wait. Mommy, what is this?” I asked, con-fused why fake � owers were in a glass case. “It’s a music box! Just wind up the bottom and listen to it play Lara’s � eme, your middle name,” my mother said with a wide smile. “What? Music box with � owers? Doesn’t it do anything else? Why? Why did I get this? I can’t even throw it around because it’s glass! � is is such a stupid gi� !!!” It wasn’t until a few years later when I � nally outgrew the Barbies, I soon enjoyed the so� , soothing music of Lara’s � eme.

he worst gi� I ever received for Christmas would be a sweater. Not just any sweater- a speci� c holiday-themed, thick, giant sweater that � t me like a dress. To me, that thing looked like a brightly colored horror movie. � e sight of it scared me. I didn’t hate it even though it certainly wasn’t what I asked for. Who could blame me? I was a kid that liked shiny � ashy, typically useless, presents. It felt like such a huge disappointment when I ripped the wrapping paper and opened the box only to � nd that humongous piece of clothing. But I put on a smile and tried it on anyway because I knew that [whoever] had given it to me had done it with good inten-tions. Whether it was pre-planned or last minute, I didn’t care. � e important thing was that they thought about me, yet aside from that lovely thought- it’s still not leaving my closet. Ever.

Last year, the theatre department per-formed the Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Because it was a Christmas play, we had a Chinese gi� exchange at the cast party. Some of the gi� s were pure awesome- a set of green glowing light sabers, a purple Snuggie, a book in Chinese, a stu� ed Reptar, and a majes-tic unicorn poster. � ere was practically a frenzy in the room as each amazing gi� was unwrapped. Finally, it was my turn. And what did I get? A small tacky glass jar with tacky Christmas trees painted on it. And I mean TACKY. Give-to-Goodwill-the-next-day-no-just-NO tacky. I held it up and said, “Any takers?” Everyone looked for a sec-ond, then moved on like nothing happened. So I ended up taking it home. It has remained on my bedroom desk in all its tackiness, holding various things that I have broken like a silly campaign button and the foot of the china doll I held all through that play. It may be functional, but I still think it is- you guessed it- tacky. And I totally intend to re-gi� it to Selena Galindo, who brought it to the gi� exchange in the � rst place.


Holiday>>Moonlight Madness

Allie [email protected] Lupe Perez

>>Photos by

>>Right: Rodeo team members Tara Herriage and Chase Wilson ride on their horses while rodeo coach Tanya Wilson and Roland Upton hold the Rodeo team sign.>>Below: Lacy Franklin sings �“Rockin�’ around the Christmas Tree,�” to get everyone in the Christmas spirit dur-ing the parade. �“I just enjoy singing and being able to do it in public,�” Franklin said. �“I liked Moonlight Madness Parade because it truly felt like Christmas.�”>> Bottom: Drill team members Cait-lin Gogniat, Delayna Hicks, Christin Roberts and Norma Perez smile and wave to the crowd.

>>Top: JV cheerleaders Nicole Dick-erson, Delainey Gage and Morgan Haney have fun throwing candy to the crowd. >>Left: Santa rides on a Decatur Fire Department re truck to spread joy of Christmas to all the citizens of Decatur.>>Bottom: Carolina Ortiz rides in the Sweetie Pies mini train as it chugs along down the street during the pa-rade.

Decatur holds annual Christmas parade

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