the eagle's nest 11.4

The Eagle's NestHOLIDAY EDITION

‘Tis the season for charity

see CHARITY page 4

VOLUME 11, NUMBER 4

KEEPI NG THE S TUDE NTS OF RHEA COUNTY HIGH SCHO OL I NFORMED SI NCE 1996

HOLIDAY GIFTS REVIEW EXTRAVAGANZA PAGE 8

Rhea County High School students have been in the spirit of giving. Over the last month, there have been a few different charitable projects going on inside the high school.

Leadership class held its 13th annual canned food drive from November 13 through November 20. The goal this year was 5,000 cans, and they ended up with a total of 3,346. As promised, the class period with the most cans, Mr. Toliver’s third pe-riod, will receive a pizza party later in the school year.

On November 21st, the class delivered the cans to Our Daily Bread in Spring City and to We Care in Dayton. Although the goal was not reached, the organizations were thrilled to receive the cans, and the class is optimistic about next year’s drive.

Right after the food drive ended, the Leadership class was busy again, this time setting up for the Angel Tree. The tree was decorated with over one hundred angel ornaments. [Gone already? That’s good, right??]

The “angels” are children from either the Graysville or Spring City preschool and most of them have financial needs. Each child had five ornaments, with each orna-ment specifying a special gift such as shoes, clothes, or toys. The gifts will be collected by December 12, and on the morning of December 14, the Leadership class will host a Christmas party for the children. At the party they will open their gifts, and receive a special visit by Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

“I love to see their faces when they open their gifts” says returning member Sarah Jones, “they are so appreciative of things that they normally wouldn’t receive.”

Along with Leadership, Key club was working on a special holiday project. From November 27 to December 1, teachers had

ABOVE: The leadership class drops off about 2,000 cans at We Care in Dayton. Front row (l to r): Billy Whisman, Leann Patton, Coach Holder, Sarah Jones, Kaity Kopeski, Colby

Smith, Will Hooper, Bryan Boling, Olivia Carver, Lauren Harris, Kelly Reed, Leayn Carter. Second row: Danielle Catlett, Kaitlynn Reed, Dusty Paschal, Kelli French. Third row:

Justin Smith, Kelli Alexander, Tyler Cheek, Andrew Zimmerman. RIGHT: Kelly Reed, Dusty Paschal, and Justin Smith hang angels on the Angel Tree in the Library.

PHO

TO B

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By KAITY [email protected]

the opportunity to set up baby bottles on their desks, and students were asked to put their spare change in the bottles. All the funds that were raised went to the Wom-en’s Care Center, so they could purchase needed items, especially baby formula. “We

raised a total of $300” says Key Club President, Heather Roberts, “which I think is a record!”

If you didn’t get an opportunity to give or participate in one of the above activities, here are a couple projects worthy of donat-

Team explores new lunch schedule possibilities

“Hey, where are you headed?” “Oh, I’m just going

to the library to finish my paper. I’ll be in lunch when I

finish.” “Okay, take your time. We’ve got an hour.”

That will be a conversation heard in the new semes-

ter at Rhea County High School. Mr. Levengood, ac-

companied by other leaders, teachers, and one student

from each grade, traveled to Hillsboro High School in

Nashville on December 6. What they saw there was an

amazing accomplishment involving the way students

behave and how they manage to get several things ac-

complished in as little as an hour.

The upshot for our school is that where there used

to be four lunch periods, there will only be one, and

The administration hopes that changes to the lunch schedule will ease crowding in the cafeteria, in addition to providing opportunities for extra-curricular activities during the school day.

PHOTO BY BRYAN BOLING

If the proposed lunch changes go as planned, the days of spending a half-hour every day planted on a plastic disk may be a thing of the past.

By COURTNEY [email protected]

the student body as a whole will all eat their lunch at

roughly the same time. Of course, many are skeptical

about how this will work out for us, but the students

and staff at Hillsboro High are convinced the system

is the best thing to have ever happened. Their princi-

pal Bob Lawson says, “It may sound crazy, but in my

three years of working here, the one-hour lunch deal

has been the best decision I’ve ever made.”

So how, exactly, does everyone eat at the same time?

Easy. People who would rather eat in the cafeteria are

allowed to do so; people who wouldn’t don’t have to. It

is basically one hour for the students and teachers to

have all to themselves. They are not restricted to one

area at a rotation of twenty to thirty minutes at a time.

They have the freedom to eat in the cafeteria, the hall-

ways, outside, in the gym, and in classrooms.

However, they are not all getting their food from

ing to: While you are out and doing your last-minute holiday shopping, stop by the

see LUNCHTIME page 4

HOLIDAY PUZZLES! PAGE 12

THINK BEFORE YOU SHOOT: POACHING IS A SERIOUS CRIME

PAGE 6

2 The Eagle’s Nest • Holiday Edition • December 2006

Rhea County High School’s vocational department has started the winter off right, forming ambitious plans and helping the community. Mr. Nichol’s criminal justice classes were given the chance to stage a crime scene to help students deal with the realities of investigative work. A crime was staged with a fake corpse and evidence for students to analyze. In addition to answer-ing the traditional “whodunit” question, the participants had to also maintain crowd control, deal with reporters, question wit-nesses, and listen to testimonies.

Mr. Nichols said that the crime scene al-lows a “microscopic view of what a police officer does” and seems to give students a more realistic view of what an investigator must be able to handle. Aiding the crimi-nal justice students in the crime scene were theater arts students who helped set up the crime and participated in various roles.

In addition to the insightful work done in criminal justice, Ms. Hankins and her

By RILEY [email protected]

health science students are overseeing the annual school blood drive. Students and teachers are eligible to donate, and two of the most important conditions for dona-tion are that donors are at least seventeen years old and cannot have gotten a tattoo within the past year. The blood will go to Blood Assurance in Chattanooga, an or-ganization that provides blood to hospi-tals mostly in the East Tennessee area. Ms. Hankins urges students to donate blood, and she would like to encourage teachers especially to volunteer since the faculty turn-out has been low in past years.

The vocational department as a whole has been gearing up for the Skills USA com-petition coming this spring. Ms. Stewart’s cosmetology students in particular have practiced rigorously in hopes of attending the competition. Since the beginning of the school year, Cosmetology III students have gone through a three-level in-class contest to determine the competitior representing RCHS.

The first level of competition involved creating updos selected by younger cosme-tology students, and the second level was a

A successful run of Murder

PHOTO BY BETH FORE

Verna Mae (Laura Stockton) insures that her sister, Precious Dewitt (Adrienne Lawson) will keep Sheriff Legghorn (Dustin Edwards) safely out of the way until she can clear her name and expose the true murderer.

To see more pictures from the play, visit the Eagle’s Nest pictures page at http://www.rchseaglesnest.org

While it is likely that none of us have ever been

scorned by a little red-haired girl while eating a peanut

butter sandwich or rejected by our dogs, most people

are able to sympathize with that perpetually pessimis-

tic young man by the name of Charlie Brown. Charlie

Brown has been a part of America’s pop culture for

decades now, but for most RCHS students he has not

gone beyond a comic strip or the occasional holiday

television special.

However, Spring City’s Tennesse Valley Theater

brought good ol’ Chuck and the entire Peanuts gang

to life in an endearing and entertaining musical pro-

duction entitled You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. The

cast was made up entirely of Rhea County High School

students, and everyone’s favorite mythology teacher,

Mr. Rodgers, provided live music for the play.

The play featured a series of moments from the life

of Charlie Brown and his schoolmates, ranging from

Charlie’s losing the championship baseball game to

Lucy’s explanation of how bugs make the grass grow.

While at first it may seem a bit uncharacteristic for

the usually mellow Charlie Brown to be breaking into

song about his everyday woes, the production was suc-

cessful largely because of its ability to never lose sight

of the humor and hopeless optimism that has made

Charlie Brown the classic character that he is. Such an

ability was highlighted particularly when, while seek-

ing advice from Lucy (senior Andrea Kendall), Charlie

Brown (junior Cory Smith) realized that despite all of

his faults, he was still...well...him—and that was okay!

The songs were performed live by the cast, a group

of brave students who did not hesitate to croon a tune

for the love of theater. The play ran from December 1

through December 10. Prior to the first performance,


RCHS students work for Peanuts

PHOTO SUBMITTED

The cast of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown hangs out on Snoopy’s doghouse. Bottom row, from left: Christian Horton (Sally), Rebecca Patterson (Peppermint Patty), Carrie Lounsberry (Snoopy), Andrea Kendall (Lucy); Top row: Xavier Smith (Linus), Cory Smith (Charlie Brown), Marita Martin (Marcy), and Dusty Paschal (Schroeder).

Vocational students col-lect blood, solve crimes, look fabulous

PHOTOS BY CRAIG wILLIAMSON

ABOVE: Kayla Mae Butcher, Janet Lopez, and Shauntelle Hunter (left to right) show their

style. RIGHT: Debbie Cox of Unique Hair Salon demonstrates a cutting technique for

Cosmetology class.

comprehensive written exam. The final test required the students to model the cut and style presented in a photograph. This final competition was judged by Debbie Cox, a stylist with Unique Hair Salon, who also demonstrated a haircut for the students.

The winner—and now representative for RCHS’s cosmetology classes—was Kayla

see VOCATIONAL page 4

the actors clocked in at least ten hours a week practicing for the

show, sacrificing quite a few Saturdays and school evenings to per-

fect the action. Despite the long work hours, the actors agreed that

the effort was worth it. “All the hard work and dedication really

paid off in the end, and I really enjoyed being a part of it,” said

junior Dusty Paschal, Schroeder in the play.

Directed by Brenda Schwab, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown

was the last major production shown at the TVT in 2006, though

students should keep an eye out for other plays in the new year.

TVT plays feature community members, not professionally trained

actors, in the lead and minor roles, and any person interested in

being a part of future productions can contact the theater at 423-

365-PLAY.

The Eagle’s Nest • Holiday Edition • December 2006 3

JROTC participates in several area parades

PHOTOS SUBMITTED

ABOVE: The Rhea County Eagle Batallion leads the Veterans Day parade in Sweetwater.LEFT: Thomas Burton sets the pace, rappelling from the top of a rock wall provided by the National Guard.

By COURTNEY DODSONJROTC PRESS LIASON

The Rhea County JROTC Program has been keeping very busy this year, but also having fun at the same time. The Christ-mas season is here and we would like to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, the Battalion has also been collecting money for the needy children of Rhea County. The cadets donated money during their class periods, as well as in the lunchroom, and also set up outside of local stores, and together, we were able to raise well over $2,300. All of this money will go towards children who would normally not be able to receive pres-ents for Christmas, or decent clothes to protect them from the cold winter weather. Thank you to everyone who contributed.

The Battalion just recently traveled to Sweetwater to participate in the Veterans Day parade. Afterwards, the cadets were treated to lunch at the local VFW. They were also given a tour of the building and the opportunity to talk with veterans from

numerous wars. The cadets appeared in the Dayton Christmas parade on December 2 as well, and will also be in the Spring City Christmas parade on December 16. Within the past month, the cadets were treated to a climbing wall provided by the local Nation-al Guard in which they were able to climb during their class period.

Special teams are still continuing to do well. The Rifle Team, led by the their com-mander Cadet Captain Stacy McClendon, plans on starting their competitions on Thursday, December 7. They are looking forward to another undefeated season. Drill team is expected to start practicing the Wednesday that we return from our Christmas break for their upcoming com-petitions. Raiders, although fall competi-tions are over, continue to practice at least once a week to prepare for a possible com-petition in the spring.

We are still looking for new faces and would love for everybody to join this won-derful program. Give it a thought! Merry Christmas!

Local attractions and activities add a glow to the holidays

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christ-mas, and Holiday Festivities are underway. Besides the Spring City Parade, taking place on Saturday December 16, the festivities around the county are limited—randomly driving around looking for houses with outstanding light displays can get boring after a while, and burn a lot of precious gas. No need to fret though, because the surrounding areas have some extra holiday cheer to share:

ROCK CITYGo “See Rock City” in a different light as they put on their twelfth annual “Enchant-ed Garden of Lights”. This attraction fea-tures more than twenty-five holiday scenes, and each night has a different musical per-formance. Tickets are $14.95 per person and can be purchased online. The attrac-tion is open until January 6.http://www.seerockcity.com

RUBY FALLSAlso available at Lookout Mountain is “Deck the Falls” at Ruby Falls. The Cav-ern Castle has been adorned in Holiday decorations which can be viewed from the interstate. The real enjoyment though is down in the caverns where holiday music will be playing and a special light show will wrap the 145-foot waterfall. This attraction is also open until January 6, and tickets

By KAITY [email protected]

are $14.95. The tours begin at eight in the morning and last till eight at night. If you’re feeling extra festive, tickets are available for Rock City and Ruby Falls. Tickets for the combined attractions are $28.http://www.rubyfalls.com

Rows of brightly colored toy soldiers flank the entrance to the Fairyland Caverns at Rock City’s “Enchanted Garden of Lights,” running through January 6.

ROCK CITY PUBLICITY PHOTO

TENNESSEE AQUARIUMFor those who the cold weather does not suit, warm up with the Tennessee Aquari-um’s holiday attraction of “Ho Ho H20—A

see ATTRACTIONS page 4


gift wrapping center at Hamilton Place

Mall. All the gift wrappers are volun-

teers and the funds raised will go to Kids

on The Blocka group that uses puppetry

to encourage acceptance of physical, so-

cial, and cultural differences throughout

eleven counties in Tennessee. For more

information check out http://www.kid-

sontheblock.net.

If you like, you can also send some

goodies to members of the military in

foreign countries. Just pick up a box of

Little Debbie’s, for a little gift that will

go a long way, literally. There are five

drop-off points around the county. In

Dayton: The Clyde W. Roddy Library,

The Herald News office, The American

Legion Hall, or the First United Meth-

odist Church. In Spring City you can

take them to the Piggly-Wiggly. Happy

Giving!

CHARITYfrom Page 1

Mae Butcher. Butcher will compete on

February 19 at the Skills USA regiongal

competition, and if she places there,

she will go on to the state competition.

With such talented young men and

women, none of the vocational classes

will have any problem finding suitable

students to send to Skills USA, so keep

a watch for our next edition, which will

hopefully feature even more ambitious

vocational competitiors.

VOCATIONALfrom Page 2

Another November is over and done with, and along with

it, another election season. In the U.S. Congress races this past

fall, Democrats took over control of the House of Representa-

tives and the Senate in a nation-wide sweep that involved many

upsets of imcumbent Republicans, including the Govenator

himself.

In another election, not so hotly contested and a lot closer

to home, student-candidates ran for positions of leadership in

their respective classes. On that heralded day in November, stu-

dents gathered in homeroom to cast their votes for those can-

didates whom were deemed most capable of leading their class

in the right direction.

Many able candidates were listed on the ballot, but as every-

one knows, only four students from each class recieve the honor

of becoming an elected official. So ballots were cast, the votes

were counted, and the candidates waited for the crucial fifth

period announcments.

Mrs. Roddy finally came over the PA system and announced

the winners. For some, there was heart-break. For others, there

was an overwhelming sense of pride. But for all, the satisfaction

of the competition and the hope for election or re-election in

years to come.

Tropical Holiday.” Now through January

7 the Aquarium is open for exploration

of exotic island wildlife. Shark feeding,

butterfly releases, and special costumed

“Santa Divers” are all there to enjoy. Af-

ter that, you can dance your way over

to the IMAX to watch Happy Feet, be-

ginning December 22 through January

4. Also available at IMAX is the Polar

Express in 3D, showing now until De-

cember 21. The cost of the Aquarium is

$17.95 per ticket and the IMAX movies

$9.95 per ticket. Schedule of events for

the Aquarium and show times are avail-

able online.

http://www.tnaqua.org

ATTRACTIONSfrom Page 3

By ALEX [email protected]

Class elections: the results are inFreshmanPresident: Jordan CarterSecretary: Amanda SkinnerTreasurer: Chelsea Watson

SophomoresPresident: Preston HarrisSecretary: Danielle DoolittleTreasurer: Tripp Graham

JuniorsPresident: Dusty PaschalVice President: Calista LawsonSecretary: Alex GreenTreasurer: Julie Gillette

SeniorsPresident: Nate PippinVice President: Lauren HarrisSecretary: Chelsea WrightTreasurer: Leayn Carter

2007 O

FFIC

ERS

the cafeteria. The food service at Hillsboro

has placed different kiosks in locations

throughout the school building. For our

school, administrators and cafeteria staff

have already planned to put one stand with

hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and fries

in an area in the Vocational Hall. Our taco

line will be changed into a salad and sub

sandwich bar, and the à la carte line will

also be relocated elsewhere. Picnic tables

will be set up outside, offering students

even more freedom in choosing where they

will eat.

Because there is an hour of “free time,”

students must choose how to use that extra

time. One of our students asked a junior

that attends Hillsboro why they like the

one-hour lunch so much. Her reply was,

“Well, you can eat if you’re hungry, and

if you’re not you don’t have to. I like it a

lot because I can finish my homework—I

hardly ever have much to take home.”

She was not the only one taking advan-

tage of that homework time. In fact, about

half of the students there had the same thing

in mind. If the time is there, you should use

it, which is exactly what they are doing.

While walking down the hallways of

Hillsboro High you could also see people

participating in a variety of activities. One

of their most famous clubs is the Knit Wit

Club—Principal Lawson refers to them as

the “Knit Wits.” You would not believe how

many people actually enjoy knitting.

This lunch time is also available for stu-

dents in need of tutoring or extra home-

work help from their teachers. Other hap-

penings during this lunch period include:

club meetings, chess tournaments, make-

up tests, Homecoming activities, “Hillsboro

Idol”—which is karaoke between students

and faculty, similar to “American Idol”—

parent conferences, faculty meetings, Play-

station tournaments, officer elections, and

fundraising for the school.

Hillsboro High School is a wonderful

example of how any and every high school

should function. Amazingly, whether you

are able to see it happening or not, there

are more positive relationships being built

between teachers and students. Also, be-

cause no one has to struggle to get to a

club meeting early in the morning, or can’t

stay after school because they ride the bus

home, transportation is no longer a con-

flict in students being able to participate in

anything they want to.

Lastly, the level of behavior of the stu-

dents always exceeds its expectation. Prin-

cipal Lawson confidently declared, “This

freedom makes the students feel empow-

ered, as if they have a responsibility to be-

have like civil adults. And the funny thing

is that they do. They do have a responsibil-

ity. If we are kind enough to let them have

LUNCHTIMEfrom Page 1

their social time or whatever they want

to do for an hour, they should respect

that privilege and do anything to prevent

it being taken from them. They know

here that I can easily just go back to four

lunches, and they would be absolutely

devastated.”

Never heard anything like it, right? No

one has, but we as students must prove

that just because it’s something differ-

ent doesn’t mean it must end in disaster.

Frankly, such a change shouldn’t end at

all.

Those who visited Hillsboro High

school believe students and teachers at

RCHS will love this new adjustment.

However, it is important that each stu-

dent and teacher alike pulls their own

weight in this. We must behave as if we

are adults because our administrators

think we can handle the change. Show

them that we can, and this one lunch will

be carried out for as long as Rhea County

High School stands on these grounds. It

is a team effort, and we must unify our-

selves as any team would.

According to Mr. Levengood, the new

lunch schedule will begin on February 16

of this year. We’ll receive more detailed

information as the time for the switch

approaches.


Sports

On Wednesday November 29, the stu-dent body gathered in the gym to watch the Golden Eagle wrestling team match up against Greenback School. “I’m appreciative of the student body supporting their wres-tlers the way they did. It was a fun environ-ment to be in,” said Coach Brown.

The match began with first year, 140 lbs wrestler Patrick Ezell who was pinned in the first period of the match. Golden Eagle senior Erik Woody, however, controlled the 145 lbs, pinning his opponent in about one

minute. The next few matches were neck and neck, leaving the Golden Eagles and Green-back tied. Cody Graves completely domi-nated his opponent in the 215 lbs match up, with a pin in the second period. Following Graves was rookie 275 lbs Brandon MacLe-roy who showed his talent with a pin in just one minute and two seconds.

Greenback wrestlers took the next two matches, but Robert Schutt and Jacob Hen-ley took over the 119 lbs and 125 lbs and put Rhea County back into the lead. At 130, Cody Wampler was pinned and the two teams were tied once again. The 135 lbs match would determine the winner of

By KELLI [email protected]

For the third time in the past four

years, the Rhea County Golden Eagle

Football season ended in Maryville,

Tennessee. The Eagles fought valiantly,

and even led the game during the first

quarter. The RCHS offense moved the

football against the Rebels like no other

team all year, but numerous offensive

turnovers prevented the Eagles from

sustaining this momentum through-

out all four quarters. The game fin-

ished with a 42-21 defeat for the Gold-

en Eagles, giving the team a 8-4 record

on the season. Maryville went on to

destroy the rest of their opponents on

the way to a third consecutive 4A State

Championship.

Throughout the year the Eagles had

two main goals: to win Region 4-4A

and to go undefeated at home. A loss to

Red Bank late in the season prevented

the first from happening, but the Eagles

did remain undefeated under the lights

of Bill Horton Field for the first time in

many years of Rhea County Football. It

was also the first time RCHS had won

8 games since the 1999 season. One

amazing stat is that three out of the

Eagle’s four losses came to teams that

won their regions and ventured deep

into the playoffs.

Caleb Wilson, Brandon McLeroy,

and Casey McKinnon all received Play-

er of the Year awards in their respective

categories. They were joined by team-

mates Justin Pritchett, Jacob Moffet,

Chris Roberts, Josh “Jash” Davis, and

James Capps as All-Region 4-4A award

winners. This gave the Eagles a total

of 8 all region players, which tied with

Red Bank for the most in the region.

The leadership of seniors Justin

Pritchett, Luke Edwards, James Capps,

Cole Thurman, Caleb Wilson, Nate

Pippin, Kyle Gould, Seth Zimmerman,

Brian Godsey, David Corvin, Casey

McKinnon, Jimmy Keltch, and Dan-

iel Weyeler will be deeply missed next

year, but the 2007 Eagles will be ready

to compete for a region title.

Eight out of eleven starters will re-

turn on the offensive side of the ball.

In contrast, the coaching staff will look

to replace eight seniors on the defen-

sive side of the ball. Though there is

much work to be accomplished before

then, the Eagles will kick off the 2007

season with a home game against the

Cumberland County Jets on August 31,

2007.

By RYAN [email protected]

Maryville: the football stops here

this competition. Hunter Daniel led Rhea County to victory with a pin in the third pe-riod of his match. Gabe Cantrell wrestled a J.V. match and pinned Greenback’s 275 lbs wrestler in the second period.

The Eagle wrestlers slid past Greenback 42-36 and opened up their season with a win. Coach Brown also said, “Its great to start the season off with a win, but it’s only the first match. We are nowhere near we need to be.” There will be at least five more home wrestling matches for the Eagles, so fans come support the team! Congratula-tions, wrestlers on a great season opener and good luck throughout the rest of the year!

Wrestlers open season with a win

Eagle basketball launchesBy BETH FORE

[email protected]

ABOVE: Eric Woody gains control of a Green-back wrestler.LEFT: Hunter Daniel pins his Greenback oppo-nent, winning the match for the Eagles.

PHOTOS BY BRYAN BOLING

Another basketball season has started

up here at Rhea County, and so far it’s on

the right track. Both teams have played

eight games, not to mention pre-season

games.

The boys started their season traveling

to play against the Bledsoe County War-

riors on Friday, November 17. The game

was won by the Eagles 71-51. On Monday,

November 20, the team played on our

home court against the Oakland Raiders.

The Eagles came out with another victory

of 81-37. The very next day, the team faced

off with Tellico Plains and gained yet an-

other win with a 64-57 score.

Monday, November 27, the Eagles

were handed their first loss of the season.

The Lincoln County Falcons walked away

with the win of 56-51. The next day, they

suffered another loss from Chattanooga

Central. The final score was 62-52. Friday,

December 1, the Bradley Bears handed the

Eagles their third loss of the season. The

score was 73-45.

So far in the season, the top scorers are:

James Capps and Adam Pelfrey are tied

with 52 points each. Bobby Lee Riley has

31 points, Jeremy Haley with 23 points,

followed by Chris Roberts and Gabriel

McKenzie are tied with 21 points.

There’s plenty of basketball still to

come in the new year—check the sched-

ules, and come out and support our Eagle

basketball teams! Junior Eagle Chris Roberts flies in for a free throw during Friday, Nov. 24 game against Lincoln County at the Cleveland High School Thanksgiving Classic.

PHOTO BY CATHY CHAPMAN/THE HERALD-NEwS


Fish & FieldThe Tennessee Wildlife Resources

Agency offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of wildlife poachers. Many activities, such as shooting from public roads, taking more than the limit of the game, hunting baited ares (which include corn, peanut butter, and any other alien food) and spotlighting deer (also includ-ing the use of your headlights) are con-sidered poaching.

You are required to follow hunting and fishing guidelines when you take part in such. These guidelines are meant to protect as well as conserve the population of the game. Road hunting, for instance, is illegal because of the safety hazard it creates—you could easily injure your-self as well as someone else. It also takes

By JIMMY [email protected]

TWRA offers up to $1000 for poachersaway from the hunt. Anyone can shoot a massive buck from his truck after dark when he’s spotlighting, but it takes a spe-cial hunter to battle through the cold to conquer the deer’s keen senses and come away with the harvest.

You have to be insane to road hunt anyway; if caught, a hunter will lose his license for the rest of the season, as well as possibily for next season. You lose your weapon and possibly even your ve-hicle. You can receive up to $3,000 worth of fines and court sessions, depending on the situation, and months of put-ting up with all the trouble that you have caused.

Tennessee’s membership in the Wild-life Violator Compact gives the state a new tool to use in the battle against poachers and other violators of Tennessee’s hunt-ing and fishing laws.

“Membership in the compact means

Season Type

Season DatesAntlered

Bag LimitsAntlerless Bag Limit

Archery (includes crossbows)

Dec. 11–Dec. 15, 2006 2 4

Muzzle-loader and Archery

Dec. 4–Dec. 10, 2006 1 4

Gun, Muzzle-loader, and Archery

Dec. 16, 2006–Jan. 7, 2007 2 see note*

Young Sportsman

Jan. 13–Jan. 14, 2007 1 2

2006-07 Deer Seasons & Bag Limits

*complete information can be found on pages 15–16 of the 2006 Tennessee Hunting & Trapping Guide. You can download a copy in PDF format here: http://www.state.tn.us/twra/06huntguide.pdf

Statewide buck bag limit: 3 antlered deer

Dressed Weight

Whole Weight

Dressed Weight

Whole Weight

Dressed Weight

Whole Weight

50 lbs. 64 lbs. 110 lbs. 140 lbs. 170 lbs. 216 lbs.






How big was that buck?During this year’s hunting seasons there are expected to be more than 170,000

deer harvested across the state, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Since most of these deer will be field dressed before being checked out and weighed, many hunters are curious as to how much their deer would have weighed whole. The following chart can be used to estimate the whole (live) weight of whitetail deer from dressed weight:

SOURCE: TENNESSEE wILDLIFE RESOURCES AGENCY

that for the first time, TWRA can reach out-of-state violators of Tennessee’s wild-life laws,” TWRA Attorney Sheryl Hol-tam said. “Under terms of the compact, a wildlife violator from another state may lose his hunting and fishing privileges in their home state as well as in Tennessee for a violation of Tennessee law.”

The Wildlife Violators Compact is similar to the long-existing Driver’s Li-cense Compact, which allows states to prosecute traffic violations involving out-of-state residents. If a traffic viola-tor fails to appear for court cases or pay a citation, he is subject to the loss of his license in his home state.

The Wildlife Violator Compact is part of a nation-wide effort to cut down on the problem of poaching and to make hunters and anglers accountable for their actions wherever they may be. Any con-victions are sent to a national database of wildlife violators and violations. This database contains information on the vi-olator’s offense as well as his name, social security number, and citation number.

This list is used by all government jobs involving any law enforcement, conser-vation, or related areas. A poaching con-viction will keep you from acquiring any such job.

To be a wise and moral hunter, stay away from poaching. You’re not much of a hunter if you poach anyway. I don’t care if you have not killed anything this year; there is always next year.

I have experienced first-hand the drama that takes place when someone is busted for poaching. Game wardens are not the nicest people when they get called out in the freezing cold to confront some-body for doing something foolish. If you get a chance to sit and talk with me about this, please do so. A moment’s easy kill really isn’t worth the potential hassle and long-reaching future consequences.

On the other hand, if you witness violations, or know about violations in your area, you can call 1-800-241-0767 between 7 a.m. and Midnight any day of the week to report them.

Think before you shoot: poaching in Tennessee is a serious crime, with serious penalties.


This is a different situation: one of our own, Daniel Morgan,

set his father Mack up on this beautiful 8 pt, 17 1/2 spread, 165 lb monster

buck. Daniel didn’t kill this buck, but he did play a major role in harvesting it.

Daniel set him up on a ridge overlooking a food plot. (“There was a hunter

who previously missed this buck at 250 yards,” he says.) Mac killed it with a

Thomson Center Encore 50 cal. muzzleloader at 8:30 in the morning.

Daniel Killed this nice 8 point behind Rhea Medical on some

land by Stevan Day’s house. It was killed around 6:30 p.m.

during the second week of bow season. It was killed with

a High Country bow armed with Muzzy broadheads. “It

wasn’t the biggest, but it was right on me. I shot it about

four yards away.”

Charlie nailed this 7pt. out by the river with her trusty 30.06 Remington bolt action rifle. She recalls the event:

“I was setting there freezing about 20 minutes after dark. I had just let a doe and spike pass when another doe

came storming in. I focused my attention on this doe. I knew something was up. Before I knew it this bad boy came

homing in chasing that doe. I steadied myself and popped it. It was funny because when I was pulling it down this

ridge the thing started chasing me and it just about ran me over.”

Sportsman

SPOTLIGHT

Charlie Wooden^Mack Morgan

Daniel Weyler^

Season Shot is so crazy-sounding, we had to write it up, even though the In-ternet is in turmoil over whether this is a real product or just an elaborate gag.

Inventor Brett Holm says he watc hed a friend prepare a game bird for cook-ing, and was stunned by the amount of trouble it took to remove the BBs, as well as the amount of meat that went to waste in the process. He went looking for a solution.

The company’s web site (http://www.seasonshot.com) says that Season Shot “is made of tightly packed season-ing bound by a fully biodegradable food product. The seasoning is actually in-jected into the bird on impact, season-ing the meat from the inside out.

“When the bird is cooked, the sea-soning pellets melt into the meat spreading the flavor to the entire bird. Forget worrying about shot breaking

your teeth and start wondering about which flavor shot to use!”

According to the site, Season Shot will be available in Cajun, Lemon Pep-per, Garlic, Teriyaki, and Honey Mus-tard flavors.

The key, of course, is “will be avail-able”—as far as we can tell, no one has seen the product. The site’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page is suspi-ciously empty, and although they claim to have exhibited at the 2007 Game Fair in Minnesota, there’s no mention (on the Web at least) of anyone report-ing about it. An email to the company’s posted address has so far gone unan-swered.

If you’re a game bird hunter, you might want to keep your eye on this one. Who knows, it might prevent a chipped tooth, and be tasty, to boot!

—Mr. Ferrell

Shoots, kills, seasons?

GEAR REVIEW Tips from the prosSince fishing

season is past and I am not any kind of expert on hunting, I thought I would share a fishing joke or two with you to warm up your win-try days:

One time a Bap-tist preacher, a Church of God preacher, and a Methodist preacher went on a fishing trip together. They’d been fishing about an hour and the Baptist preacher stands up in the boat and stretches really big then says, “I’m thirsty, I forgot to bring my cokes out here. I think I’ll go back and get them while the fish aren’t biting.” He steps out of the boat and walks across the top of the water to the bank, walks up to the car and gets his cokes, then walks back across the water and gets back in the boat.

After about thirty minutes the Church of God preacher stands up in the boat, stretches really big then says, “I need to call my wife but I left my cell phone in the car, I’ll be right back.” He steps out of the boat, walks across the water to the bank, walks up to the car, makes his phone call, then walks back across the water to the boat and gets in.

Not to be outdone with his lack of faith, the Methodist preacher decides he can do it too. He stands up in the boat, stretches re-ally big then says, “I’m getting hungry, and I left a sandwich in the car, I think I’ll go get it,” and he steps out of the boat and im-mediately sinks.

The other two preachers pull him out but neither says a word to him. A few min-utes later, the frustrated Methodist preach-er decides to test his faith again. He stands up and stretches, repeats his story about the sandwich, steps out of the boat and sinks again. He tries this four times and finally after the fourth try, the Baptist preacher turns to the Church of God preacher and says, “I guess we need to show him where those stumps are before he drowns.”

Mr. Hudson

Leave your fishing or hunting area the way you found it, if not better. Take all your garbage with you when you leave. Fishing monofila-ment will not rot—make sure it finds its way to a garbage

can. When you’re fishing in cold weather, fish slow and use very light-weight lures.

Mr. Derlak

Trout time is here! All those es-kimos out there who love the cold, well, it’s perfect out there for you at the crack of dawn. The trout are starting to rise just a little—it’s

almost prime time. On Friday, November 3, I caught five trout, with the biggest be-ing a nice 16” rainbow; it was a real fatty. I caught all of them on my Hiwassee brown gnat. Well, I’ve got to go, it’s time to hit the water—I mean go to class. Hope to have better news for you next month. Until then remember: “tight lines.”

Mr. Carder

Have a knack for the

outdoors?We’d like to hear from you! If you’ve got a favorite piece of gear, some tips for outdoorsmen, or make a notable catch or kill, we’d like to feature you. To be considered, send an email to

[email protected]


Student Life The Christmas tree contest in the li-

brary always marks the beginning of the Christmas season for me. I see the trees go up from start to finish, and enjoy watching the entire process. As classes come to the library each period and hang their hand-made ornaments, the theme of each tree becomes apparent. It is great fun to see the creativity of the trees and the uniqueness of each ornament, as well. By the time all the trees are ready for the judges, I am in the Christmas spirit.

My own family has always had tradi-

tions at Christmas. My favorite tradition was when my dad would read the Biblical account of the birth of the Christ child from the second chapter of Luke’s gospel.

My daughter has continued that tradi-tion by giving each family member a beau-tifully hand-crafted card. Each card has a portion of the Christmas story written on it. We each read part of the Christmas story from various passages and then hang our keepsake paper ornament on the tree.

She first conceived that idea when she had more time than money, but we enjoyed it so much we requested it again and again.

I have decided that is the way traditions begin; good ideas are repeated until they are part of what we always do.

Maybe you would like to start a new tradi-tion at your house. We

The Festival of Trees is our tradition—what’s yours?

have many good sources in the library to get you started. Holiday cookbooks and maga-zines are great places to look for ideas.

Southern Living’s beautiful new Christ-mas Cookbook is available in our library. If you like to make things with your hands, we also have great holiday decorating ideas in magazines and books. Who knows? Maybe you will be famous in your family for a must-have dessert! Use your imagina-tion to start a new fun tradition.

Reading is my personal tradition for the holiday season. It’s cold outside, so nothing is better than cuddling up on the couch with cocoa and Santa—or a good book, if Santa is busy. I remember fondly the Christmas when all three generations of girls in my family read the Anne of Green Gables series simultaneously. Of course, Dickens is always fun to read and re-read. One of my fondest memories was hearing my mom read the short story The Gift of the Magi.

If you are looking for a Christmas book to read over the break, we have many good ones. I can think of Starry, Starry Night by Lurlene McDaniel and Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark, for starters. Miracle on I-40 by Curtiss Matlock looks really good, and is on my reading list. We have Mr. Fisher’s favorite, A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote. Jan Karon weaves Christmas into many of her fun Mitford books.

Merry Christmas from the Library staff, and we hope you have a blessed New Year! We would love to hear about any great new tradition you begin this year.

LIBRARY CORNERby

Mrs. Austin

L

They’ll thank you laterShane Walker and Bryan Boling present a round-up of incredibly impractical gifts that your best friends and relations don’t even know they want...

MEGA Swiss Army Knife ($899)Shane: $899!?!?

Bryan: It’s only nine inches wide.

Shane: Yeah, I know—and it has 85 tools, 80 of which you don’t need.

Bryan: MacGuyver could use every one of those tools.

Shane: Yeah? So what?

USB Beverage Chiller ($40)Bryan: The title says it all.

Shane: So, it plugs into your computer’s USB port and chills your drink? What a fire hazard.

Bryan: Yeah, it screams, “RUIN MY RESEARCH PAPER, PLEASE!”

Shane: Or, “I want to be electrocuted severely!”

iPod Jeans (No Suggested price)

Shane: So, let me get this straight. I plug my iPod into my pants and I play music?

Bryan: What if it rains?

Shane: They should sell water-resistant spray with these pants, you know, the stuff you spray on suede.

Bryan: These are just plain terrible.

Fruitcake (Free, because Grandma makes it)Shane: Every time you see one, or are in the room with one, it seems like you always hear,” What’s that yellow chunk?”, or “Cardboard makes me sick!”

Bryan: That’s pretty much all you need to say. It’s the only way you can mail fruit without it going bad, or worse I guess.

Shane: My great-grandmother gave one to me once and I think it literally weighed 4 pounds—it was like a bread brick.

Gasoline-Powered Audi Two-Seater ... for Kids ($12,980)Bryan: It’s fully loaded!!

Shane: What kind of gas mileage do you think it gets? Do I have to have full coverage?

Bryan: IT’S A CAR FOR LITTLE PEOPLE!!!!

Shane: Whoa, Bryan—easy. It might just be for the chil-dren of the fabulously rich.

Bryan: Don’t be absurd!

Playstation 3 ($600)Shane: What’s so cool? I don’t get to stand there and swing at things like I would with the Nintendo Wii. All it has are good graphics, if it works half the time.

Bryan: Is that something you hippidy-hop kids use to text message people?

Shane: If I wanted something that you can break really easily and then rebuild, I would buy some Lego life-sized Batman.

Bryan: Funny thing about that...

Life-Sized Lego Batman ($27,000)Bryan: ...we actually have one of those on our little list. He’s friggin’ 6´6˝ and made of Legos!

Shane: Yeah man, that’s awesome, let’s just hope who-ever buys that doesn’t have a baby, because that’s a lot of legos...eerrrr...

Bryan: I wonder if it comes with some sort of restraining device for the baby?

Shane: Like an electric fence for babies, yeah.....babies.


After a five year absence, Superman returns from Krypton to find the world that he left behind to be much differ-ent than the world he left. Lois Lane has moved on, having a child and a fiancee. Lex Luther’s sentence was overturned, and Luther has now swindled an old lady out of her fortune to finance his latest sinister scheme. Superman has his hands full.

Luther has gained access to crystals from Krypton that create land whenever they are placed in water. Luther plans his scheme so that the new land mass that threatens to kill billions by devouring the continent of North America, con-tains kryptonite so Superman can sup-posedly do nothing to stop him. How-ever, Superman prevails as always.

This movie is action packed and has a good plot. However, the first thirty

Baudelaire orphans. To date, the Baude-laires have endured a ghastly list of unfor-tunate and often gruesome events which include the murders of almost all their guardians and vile plans by the villainous Count Olaf to kidnap them and take their large fortunes. And the last installment is no different.

Taking place immediately after the twelfth book, The Penultimate Peril, the three orphans have been forced onto a boat at sea with their ever-scheming nemesis, Count Olaf, the four are shipwrecked onto an island whose whole population is made up of castaways. After being accepted by the people (and Olaf, for once, being rec-ognized and locked up), the Baudelaires begin to adjust to their new life. But soon enough the Baudelaires find out something

Sleater-Kinney’s seventh album is pas-sionate, loud, eccentric, and sometimes just a bit philosophical. The Riot Grrrl trio have managed to create an album that, while seeming to take notes from each of their previous efforts, is really quite unlike any-

thing they have produced up to this point.The Woods is a rock’n roll gem. Its

opener, “The Fox” showcases Corin Tuck-er’s soaring vocals like never before. A fair warning for those who are unfamiliar with Sleater-Kinney’s vocal styles—this girl can wail with the best of the boys. The next track, “Wilderness” is a tame, modernized take on Wuthering Heights.

From there the album progresses on to “What’s Mine is Yours” and “Jump-ers” with catchy hooks and some excellent harmonizing of Carrie and Corin’s vocals. “Modern Girl” is a quiet little song with an interesting take on happiness. “Enter-tain” brings the band back to their punk rock roots. Corin’s scorn for acts that can’t manage to do anything more than mimic previous artists roars through the listener’s head like a hurricane. “Rollercoaster” and “Steep Air” are nice tracks, but not any-thing groundbreaking. The live, 11-minute bombshell “Let’s Call It Love” shows off Carrie Brownstein’s guitar prowess. The album closes with “Night Light” a smooth piece that one could easily fall asleep by or stay awake and enjoy.

There is a DVD that comes along as a bonus. It’s of three separate shows that Sleater-Kinney played before recording The Woods. Their aim was to try out their new songs on the fans before commiting to them. The production is excellent, and for those of us that weren’t foruntate enough to see Sleater-Kinney play live, it’s a nice peek at what appears to have been a smash-ing show.

Although The Woods is set to be Sleater-Kinney’s last album (the band announced they were going on hiatus shortly after the album was released) it is by no means their best work. It rocks hard, shows the band in a more mature place lyrically than on some of their previous works, and of course there’s the crowning glory of Corin’s vo-cals, but if you’re new to Sleater-Kinney, you’d do better to start with “Dig Me Out” or “All Hands on the Bad One.”

MUSIC REVIEWby

Rachel Thurman

Go into The Woods with

Sleater-Kinney

Superman returns, mostly fails to impress

Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) menaces Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) and her son Jason (Tristan Lake Lebau) in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure Superman Returns.

minutes or so are a bit hard to follow if you are not familiar with the Superman back story. After that though, the movie sails along smoothly with all of the normal su-per hero lore; villain, hero, sinister plan, lady that holds the hero’s heart, and the foiling of the plot by the hero.

The special edition of the DVD has a

three hour documentary on the making of the movie, deleted scenes ,and theatrical and game trailers. So, if you have around two and a half hours to watch Superman and like hero type movies then this DVD is probably for you. However, the strange plot twists and less than satisfactory beginning, left me with a less than savory taste in my mouth.

It seems to be the season for endings. The Republican Revolution has put-tered out, Bush has finally fired Rummy, and Britney Spears and What’s-His-Name are also calling it quits. (Oh, the

shock!) And last month saw the com-ing of The End. No, not of days, but of Lemony Snicket’s dreary chronicles A Series of Unfortunate Events.

The End, the thirteenth and final book of the series (which coincidentally has thirteen chapters, and was released on Friday, October 13) tells of the last adventure of the depressingly unlucky

At long last, it’s The End!

Lemony Snicket’s The End, Harper-Collins hard-cover edition, released October 2006. $12.99.

Dean Koontz brings us a tale of Kris Kringle’s evil twin. No, it’s not daytime television—at least not any daytime programs being aired these days—it’s novelist Dean Koontz’s take

on the classic children’s story of Santa Claus. However, the cover of Koontz’s rather clever little book would most likely scare any sane small child out of her wits. The cover art features two little girls peeking through a doorway, their eyes wide with terror. The rest of the scene is dominated by a close-up of a deranged looking Santa Claus. Crazy Old St. Nick is squeezing a white rabbit, which if it could speak would probably

Bad Santa? Oh, yes—very bad, indeed.

DVD REVIEWby

Cory Smith

PHOTO BY DAVID JAMES

Sleater-Kinney’s The Woods, Sub Pop records, released May 2005. $14.98.

BOOK REVIEWby

Kelly O’Rourke

see THE END page 10

BOOK REVIEWby

Rachel Thurman

see SANTA page 10

Dean Koontz’s Santa’s Twin, William Morrow publishers, released November 1996. Also keep an eye out for the sequel, Robot Santa: The Further Adventures of Santa’s Twin!


is dreadfully wrong with the island’s leader, which is then complicated by the discovery of a library of knowledge unbeknownst to the islanders, the ar-rival of the very-pregnant Kit Snicket, and the release of the deadly fungus, the Medusoid Mycelium. In the end, the or-phans are once again faced with more uncertain moral choices and even more uncertainty in their world as the fates of both their friends and enemies remain ambiguous.

The book retains all of the un-fortunate occurrences, mysteries, and literary references (look for Fall of Man

and Odyssey allusions) of the se-ries, as even on an unknown

island in the middle of the ocean, the orphans are not safe from the treachery of the world.

Anyone looking for closure in this book

will be disappointed as the fates of almost all the characters are

left unresolved, in-cluding the ulti-

mate fates of the Baudelaires , the thought of which of-ten prompts

the author to beg you to stop

reading and spare yourself. However,

many of the meanings of the companion books, such as The Beatrice Letters, do come to light. In the end of The End, the theme of A Series of Unfortunate Events ultimately comes down to Knowledge

versus Protection, as one cannot have both, and the choice be-tween braving a more-than-often cruel world

versus staying safe in ig-norance. The Baudelaires

make their choice, and as Lemony Snicket puts it,

“It all depends on how you look at it.”

THE ENDfrom Page 9

scream, “Run away! Run away!”The book itself is written in the form

of a poem. That’s a rather original way to go about writing a Christmas book, isn’t it? Honestly, though, it’s done very well. There are even instances of wit be-ing shown.

The story centers around the abduc-tion of Santa Claus by his evil (and in-sane) twin brother. It looks as though Christmas simply won’t be happening that year, or at least it won’t be hap-pening the way anyone with of their marbles wants it to happen. However, just when it seems like all is lost, the two little girls from the cover appear on the scene. Armed with a ray gun and a bit of bravado, sisters and Emily and Charlotte manage to save the real Santa Claus just in time.

Although it might not be the best thing to read to your five-year-old sib-ling this year, for those of us who have reached the point where we can watch Dr. Who without hiding behind the sofa, it’s a pleasant way to pass a few minutes.

SANTAfrom Page 9Post-holiday film fare

With the obligatory schmaltzy Christmas film season safely wrapped and put away by the end of November, it’s time for some of the good stuff again. Craig Williamson takes a look at what Hollywood has on the way for the next month or so.

Charlotte’s Web (Dec 15)A live action adaptation of the book by E.B. White, this movie features voice acting by a huge cast of stars from Julia Roberts to Oprah Winfrey. People attending advance screenings of the movie are giving rave reviews. Even if you dislike the book, the movie looks very promising.

The Pursuit of Happyness (Dec 15)Starring Will Smith, this movie could go two ways. It could be an incredibly endear-ing tale of family, love, and determination. On the other hand, it could be overly sappy, awkwardly funny, and too serious in a way that makes you uncomfortable. I still think it’s worth a shot.

The Good Shepherd (Dec 22)A movie about the early history of the CIA through the eyes of its founder. Stars Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Robert de Niro, and Joe Pesci. Based on the trailer, it looks like a winner to me. Bonus points for starring Matt Damon, the best actor ever.

Night at the Museum (Dec 22)Another movie that could really go either way. An ancient curse is released and a museum’s exhibits come to life. The trailer makes the movie look brilliant, but what trailer doesn’t? Ben Stiller and Robin Wil-liams pretty much guarantee you’ll at least get a laugh out of it, though.

We Are Marshall (Dec 22)A plane crashes, killing members of the Marshall football team. Matthew McCo-naughey plays a coach trying to revive the football program afterwards. If the name Matthew McConaughey isn’t enough to keep you from seeing this movie, I’ll let you in on something. This movie looks awful.

The Flying Scotsman (Dec 29)The true story of Graeme Obree, a Scot-tish cyclist who broke the world one-hour record on a bike made from old washing machine parts. No, seriously. If that doesn’t make you want to see this movie, nothing will.

The Freedom Writers (Jan 12)A very emotional movie in which a teacher inspires her class of failures to be motivated and pursue higher education. The book is called The Freedom Writer’s Diaries: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them, and it’s by Erin Gruwell. Read it.

Pathfinder (Jan 12)A Viking child left behind after a shipwreck is raised by the Indians that the Vikings were trying to kill so that he can kill the Vi-kings that are trying to kill them. Yeah, it’s kind of complicated, but it looks really cool. Plus, Vikings are awesome.

Poll: Are you on Santa’s Naughty or Nice list?

I’m on the naughty list because I made my first C in Mr. Wilkey’s class.Jessica Nixon (Freshman)

I’m on the nice list because I haven’t been bad—yet.Jacob Rogers (Freshman)

Alex is on the naughty list, but of course I’m on the nice list!Rachel Harwood (Sophomore)

Obviously I’m on the nice list, but Rachel is on the naughty list!Alex Ellison (Sophomore)

I’m on the naughty list because I laid the smack down on Ethan Nichols—DX style!Chuck Ann McCuiston (Junior)

I’m on Santa’s Unde-cided List.Will “Wizzle Gizzle” Garrison (Junior)

I’m on the naughty list. But don’t tell Nathan!Beast Campbell (Senior)

I’m on the naughty list because I doubted Santa’s existence and it hurt Santa’s biggest fan, Courtney Jo.R. T. Fullam (Senior)

Nice!Mr. Capps

Naughty—be-cause I’ve been grumpy and grouchy and speeding way too much!Mrs. Eastman

COMPILED BY KELLI FRENCH

Chr i s t mas

is one of my

favorite times

of the year. I

know that each

one of you look

forward to hav-

ing two weeks

off from school.

Our teachers also enjoy that time to

spend with family and friends.

I hope you have a very restful and

enjoyable vacation. I want to encourage

you to spend some quality time with

your family these next two weeks. It will

mean a lot to your parents if you will

plan some time just to spend with them

at home.

If your grandparents are still liv-

ing, make sure you take time to spend

time with them and let them know how

much they mean to you. You could nev-

out of the year, does it really matter if

the reason for change was something

as superficial as a particularly touching

Hallmark movie? I’m always amazed

that people can claim to be aware of the

“Christmas conspiracy” during the holi-

days but cannot see the positives of the

holiday season. I can’t help but wonder if

these people don’t stop and think about

those who benefit from charity drives

whose earnings increase at this time be-

cause people “get in the Christmas spirit”

and donate more than they normally

would. I agree whole-

heartedly that people

should remain chari-

table year-round, and I

encourage everyone to

share their wealth when-

ever possible, but we all

know that such a drastic

change in outlook won’t

happen any time soon.

In addition to the

increased charitable

contributions, the holi-

days offer the chance to indulge in child-

ish excitement and to refresh the morals

that many religions and ethic systems are

based on. I think that people should try

to embrace the festivity of the holidays-

no matter how commercialized they may

have become- and take the opportunity

to rethink the pessimistic, self-seeking

approach that so many adopt throughout

the year. In short, I simply cannot fath-

om how a season of celebration translates

into the undoing of Western civilization.

Maybe I’m naïve, but what’s wrong with

a little extra happiness?

EditorialPeRSPeCtive:


FRom tHe PRinCiPAl’S Pen:

Merry Christmas!

The Eagle's Nest

Riley Brewer and Andrea KendallEditors

Courtney Jordan and Cory SmithLayout

Jeff Ferrell George HudsonadvisEr advisEr EmEritus

Riley Brewer Kelli FrenchCourtney Jordan Jimmy KeltchAndrea Kendall Shane WalkersEnior staff

Bryan Boling Beth ForeAlex Green Alex JanowKaity Kopeski Ryan SmithCory Smith Craig WilliamsonRachel Thurman Junior staff

The eagle’s NesT

405 Pierce Rd.Evensville, TN 37332

PhonE:(423) 775-7821

fax:(423) 775-7889

EmaiL:[email protected]

WEb sitE:http://www.rchseaglesnest.org

R H E A C O U N T Y H I G H S C H O O L’ S S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R

Usually, I am a cool-headed (even

moderately apathetic) person, but dur-

ing the time from Thanksgiving to New

Year’s, I can’t help but feel like a four-

year-old. I am the first one to break out

the candy canes, and I am the person to

ask if you want to know what was re-

ceived on the third day of Christmas (for

those who are interested, it was three

French hens). Because of my incurable

love for the holiday season, I am more

than a little bit bothered

by the trend of writing

the holidays off as noth-

ing more than capitalist

propaganda perpetu-

ated by card companies

and low-life marketing

executives hoping to

make a buck.

I would assume that

right about now many

naysayers will be point-

ing out how sales sky-

rocket during the Christmas season and

that a red-nosed reindeer has nothing

to do with the birth of Jesus Christ,

but I am not trying to deny that the

core meaning of the season doesn’t

always match up with what it has

become for many people—an excuse

to get that new iPod they’ve been

checking out. Despite these conflict-

ing motives, however, I do not doubt for

a second that the holidays do more good

than harm.

To be honest, if people end up treating

each other a little more kindly and giving

a little more generously for a few months

“If people end up treat-ing each other a little more kindly for a few months out of the year, does it re-ally matter if the reason for change was something as superficial as a particu-larly touching Hallmark movie?

”

Christmas conspiracy?er imagine how much that will mean to

them.

When we return to school in January

it will be time to begin another semes-

ter of school. For our Seniors, it will be

a very crucial time for you as you plan

for your graduation. I want to encour-

age you to be prepared for a good start

to a new semester.

Our Junior class will be taking their

writing assessment test on February 6.

This test is a state-mandated test that

will be part of our school grade card. I

encourage you to plan to do your very

best on that test.

I truly wish for each one of our stu-

dents, faculty, and staff a very Merry

Christmas. To me, the greatest part

of Christmas is being thankful for the

birth of Christ. I hope you have a great

vacation.

Fa la la la la! Visit the Eagle’s Nest video page, http://www.rchseaglesnest.org/video for a special Christmas greeting from the Eagle’s Nest staff!

Just for FunACROSS

3 Famous gifts: _____, frankincense, and myrrh

7 Festive bush with berries

8 In the song, a little boy plays one of these for baby Jesus

11 Roast these beauties over a fire

13 Santa might leave you these

16 Make one of these for the new year

18 The angels we heard on high were sweetly singing o’er this

21 He tried to steal Christmas

22 They pull the jolly man around

25 Rudolph and his pals visit an island filled with these kinds of toys

27 Treats often found hanging on trees

30 In a famous poem, Santa’s belly jig-gles like a bowl full of this

32 Don’t stand under this, unless you’re lookin’ for some action!

34 Package decoration

35 The girl in the song wants two front teeth for Christmas so she can do this

36 Santa’s ultimate driving machine

37 Tchaivosky wrote this “suite” ballet

38 Round or corny, hang one of these on the tree

DOWN

1 Flashy-nosed quadriped

2 Smoke goes up it, Santa comes down it

4 Herbie the elf ’s dream job

5 Snow guy or chocolate ice cream des-sert?

6 Number of kings from the Orient

9 Hark! These angels are singing!

10 Wrote “A Christmas Carol”

11 Later on, we’ll do this by the fire

12 We really wish you one of these

14 These were hung by the chimney with care

15 Gooky egg-drink

17 Will Ferrell played one in a movie

19 Santa’s favorite pole

20 Gets us out of school in the winter

21 Beloved family member run over by reindeer

23 Dangerous gift from “The Christ-mas Story”

24 He comes nipping at your nose

25 No crib for a bed, so this will have to do

26 Jolly fat guy

28 “Bah, Humbug!”

29 See the New Year’s Ball here

31 Yukon Cornelius finds gold this way

33 “God bless us, everyone!”

By ALEX GREEN

1. Quadruped with crimson proboscis

2. 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. without noise

3. Miniscule hamlet in the far east

4. Ancient benevolent despot

5. Adorn the vestibule

6. Exuberance directed to the planet

7. Listen, aerial spirits harmonizing

8. Monarchial trio

9. Yonder in the haystack

10. Assemble, everyone who believes

11. Hallowed post meridian

12. Fantasies of a colorless December 25th

13. Tin tintinnabulums

14. A dozen 24-hour Yule periods

15. Befell during the transparent bewitching hour

16. Homo sapien of crystallized vapor

17. I merely desire a pair of incisors

18. I spied my maternal parent osculating a fat man in red

19. Perambulating through a December solstice fantasy

20. Aloft on the acme of the abode

Needlessly Complicated

Christmas SongsHere’s the perennial favorite, the Christmas song titles with the enhanced vocabulary

for the more erudite among you. See if you can figure out these common songs:

the eagle's nest 11.4

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