BY CAITLYN ESTES, Junior AND JANELLE FITE, Sophomore
BLYTHEWOOD -- In previous generations, marriage was thought of as a stage of life that everyone goes through.
However, views have shifted and younger people now are starting to view marriage as optional. Only 36% of young adults think that marriage is necessary, according to a poll done by the Pew Research Center.
(Pictured Left to Right: Blythewood High School Media Specialists Amy Whitfield and Crystal Smith and Westwood High School Media Specialists Marti Brown and Kathy Carrol?
BLYTHEWOOD-- Amy Whitfield and Crystal Smith, Library Media Specialists from Blythewood High School, and Kathy Carroll and
Marti Brown, Library Media Specialists from Westwood High School, have been selected to participate in the first LEAD Cohort offered by the South Carolina Department
of Education Leadership Enrichment and Development Program.
LEAD-Leadership Enrichment and Development is a new and innovative program designed specifically for key certified support personnel such as school counselors and library media specialists.
LEAD explores common challenges with an in-depth examination of the needs and skills necessary for effective leadership.
(Photo left to right: Meghan Sonatore, Brandon Reeder, Elizabeth Litchford)
BLYTHEWOOD-- Blythewood High School is proud to congratulate Elizabeth Litchford, Brandon Reeder, and Meghan Sonatore for being named South Carolina Teaching Fellows.
The Teaching Fellows program recruits talented high school seniors into the teaching profession and helps them develop leadership qualities.
BLYTHEWOOD-- Education is a tough subject, especially in South Carolina. Whenever someone is asked about South Carolina’s education their answer seems to be “I don’t know”, “maybe because people don’t try”, or “I wish I lived in another state”.
The subject of South Carolina’s Education will finally be discussed and it will be looked into why this state’s ranking is so low.
“A matter of they are comparing apples and oranges. Not all states use the same assessment, some states only have their top kids take test. We have our...all of our kids take test, like the SAT. So, I think unless you are giving them same exact test, taught with the same exact standards to all kids,” said English teacher Claire Robinson.
BLYTHEWOOD
-- The Fellowship of Christian Athletes
(FCA) has been impacting athletes lives across the nation since it’s
establishment in 1967.
“I have
seen many students come to know Christ who did not know Him, and I have seen
many students grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. I still hear
from former students on occasion who tell me that FCA opened a door that
changed their lives,” FCA leader Amy Whitfield said.
FCA
allows students to grow closer to Christ through speakers and Bible studies.
BLYTHEWOOD -- Coach Steve Meisel is the current head athletic trainer at Blythewood High School and also teaches the classes of Personal Health and Sports Medicine.
Meisel was inspired to take on the career in sports medicine in high school and he has not regretted his decision.
“I played basketball in high school and was injured a few times (ankle fracture and sprains). We didn't have a certified athletic trainer at the school so I had to rehab. myself. I really love sports and wanted to have a place in the medical field. Athletic training was a perfect match. I also minored in psychology and the mental aspect has a big impact on sports performance,” Meisel said.
BHS Paige Durham Participates in District TOY Selection
(Pictured: Paige Durham observing class.)
BLYTHEWOOD--On May 1, BHS student Paige Durham participated in the selection of the Richland Two 2015-16 DTOY.
She was one of 12 members of a Selection/Observation Committee to visit the classrooms of the five finalists.
The DTOY announcement will be made the evening of May 7.District Teacher of the Year finalists are Megan Allen (Sandlapper Elem.), Nellie Jones (Summit
Parkway Middle), Jarette Pendergrass (Killian Elem.), Amy Walker Smith (Forest Lake Elem.) and Linda Whitcomb (Muller Road Middle).
BLYTHEWOOD--Blythewood High School has an amazing Culinary program for students participate in cooking different types of food and learning about all of the utensils and what it takes to become a great chef.
BLYTHEWOOD-- Blythewood High School’s annual concert, Press Play, showcases the percussion and world music ensembles each spring.
“The Press Play concert was started in 2009 and actually named that year by members of the percussion studio and in trying to find a name for the concert to stick with came the idea of getting things started and how you have to press the play button,” director Jonathan Burbank commented.
BLYTHEWOOD--Why do students take so many notes in class? Why are notes so long to take?
“My way that I tell students to write their notes is to write in the regular way, but when they go home they should look over them to make sure that they have the right information,” said English Teacher, Allison Wilkins.
BY BRENDAN GILLAN AND CORRIE SANDERS, Juniors 'Spring Fever' - click to view video
BLYTHEWOOD -- With Spring Break recently passed, and the warmer temperatures approaching, the anticipation of summer causes students to lose their drive to do school work.
According to BHS student Jessica Parks, she understands why students tend to become less motivated after spring break as a result of an entire week off school.
Emily Brinson and Sabrina Carroll placed in the top two in their National History Day Midlands regional competition in March. They competed in the state final competition this past Saturday. Emily Brinson took first place while Sabrina placed second in the state final. Winning these two awards means they get to advance to the National History Day national competition in Washington, DC, in June to represent South Carolina and compete for the top prize of National History Day national champion. The National History Day competition is held annually and students can compete in a variety of categories with BHS Honors Forum juniors and seniors competing in the research paper competition. Over 150 students competed throughout South Carolina this year, and only these two Blythewood students were chosen to advance! Winning the competition is a great honor and they have put countless hours into researching and writing their papers. Each paper was 2,500 words in length with over 50 sources. (Pictured Left to Right: Emily Brinson-1st Place and Sabrina Carroll-2nd Place)
This past weekend on Saturday, April 25th, the BHS JROTC battalion hosted the 99th anniversary run for the creation of the JROTC program. This event was worldwide and the starting time of each event depended on the specific timezone, so that each race would start at the exactly the same time. The Blythewood race had a total of 172 runners in attendance. The race began at 12:00 noon with the starting/finish line was located on the car loop in front of the school. Runners from all over the Midlands as well as other areas attended the 5K with ages ranging from 3 years old to 85 years of age. Mayor Michael J. Ross of Blythewood kicked off the event with a spectacular speech commemorating and praising the BHS JROTC program and their hard work towards the betterment of the town of Blythewood. Although the event did not reach its goal of 1,000 runners, it can still be counted as a success.
