Friday, February 26, 2016
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Monday, February 22, 2016
Friday, February 19, 2016
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
State that fueled Obama and Bush poised to do it again
BY WILL GALLOWAY, Sophomore
BLYTHEWOOD- South Carolina’s first-in-the-South Presidential Primary, scheduled for Feb. 20, is considered one of the most important nominating contests.
Our state has helped spur on the hopes of candidates from Barack Obama to Ronald Reagan; and in a year with 16 republican candidates and 7 democratic ones, South Carolina will likely fill a pivotal role again.
“South Carolina is where candidates either consolidate their lead or change the course of the nation’s opinion,” said Eady Roe Willard, Chairman of the Richland County Republican party.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Blythewood High School Recognizes 647 Honor Roll Students
FROM STAFF REPORTS
BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood High School
has announced its Honor Roll recipients for 2nd Quarter in the
2015-16 school year. A total of 647 students received Honor Roll distinction,
including 168 students who earned a spot on the All A Honor Roll.
A Honor Roll
12th Grade
Kaiya Bacote-Moore,
Bridgette Barthe, Keonna Boudreaux, Emily Brinson, Wesley Britt, Jonathan
Burkhead, Sydney Burnsed, Keona Butler, Clara Byrd, Blakelee Cannon, Morgan
Clark, Grayson Cline, Erin Cooper, Hannah Cummings, Robert Dabbs, Robyn DeAbreu,
Katelyn Dinklocker, Matthew Dunkin, Taylor Faile, Amy Fisher, Brice Fountain,
Justin Germano, Justin Greider, Ansley Hagenburger, Sharon Hall, Kelsey Haynes,
Connor Hogan, Roman Huntley, Aubry Jones, Sydney Kale, Maya Kennedy, Meagan
Kise,r Rita Larrabee, Amari Lott, Lauren Lumsden, Annie Mattox, Megan
McCutcheon, Madelynn McLaren, Zachary Miles, Torian Nelson, Jasmine Nicholson,
Diamond Norris-Bowman, Savannah Nugent, Daquan Patten, Molly Phillips, Amanda
Price, Courtney Rabon, Morgan Rampey, Randall Rasbeary, Toby Robson, Jordan
Ross, Derek Ryan, Katrina Samuels, Ainsley Smith, Colin Smith, Emily Smith,
Lorenzo Smith, Rhianna Smith, James Stephens, Yasmine Talbert, Dante' Terrell,
Osei Thomas, Jasrial Thompson, Justin Thompson, Alondra Torres, Jennifer Tran,
Jeremy Villwock, Alexxis Walters, Alexis Washington, Harrison Wofford, Destiny
Woodall, Ryan Young
Monday, February 8, 2016
Graffiti deserves recognition as art
OPINION
BY ASHA HARRIS Junior
BLYTHEWOOD--Incognito has just came out with its 18th edition of a magazine with 65 plus pages of graffiti art and different stylings of different artist.
There is a new style of graffiti called Reverse Graffiti where artist take the dirt of highways and walls and create murals instead of having the normal trash and dirt.
Graffiti is a style of art in its own it does not fall under any rule of art. It started from the simple tagging on subways to the complex and intricate beauties we see everyday.
If people put their heart into making different arts on places the common eye will appeal to then why not make these acts of good be considered a public display of art rather than vandalism.
It is a question as should graffiti be publically considered art and not vandalism and Blythewood high school art teacher Margaret Roberson has a belief on both ends of the spectrum.
U.S. should handle refugees with trepidation
OPINION
BY JOEY LOPES, Junior
The civil war in the Middle Eastern country of Syria is heating up, with the amount of rapid fire coming from both sides. there is no pun intended.
The war is not only affecting the Syrian citizens and the country itself, but it is spreading all across the Middle East and into Europe.
The Radical Islamic terrorist group ISIS is one of the main aggressors in the war, and they are even trying to recruit new soldiers the United States.
With the war taking place, the citizens of Syria are becoming the refugees of Syria. More than 11 million Syrians have been displaced inside their country due to the deadly, violent Civil War. There are nearly 4 million refugees in at least 5 different host countries, with the United States prospecting to become one in 2016.
Social Media Determining Self-Worth
OPINION
Social Networking Affects How Our Generation Views Themselves
BY ALESSIA LYLES, Sophomore
BLYTHEWOOD -- Social media has been an effective way of communicating and a source of entertainment for a vast majority of the world’s population.
It is a place where people all over the world are able to share the exciting things that take place in their lives or maybe share a picture of themselves they feel is “internet worthy”.
Social media involves, scrolling through a timeline several times of day and seeing so many different pictures of so many different people around the world.
According to the social media agency, We Are Social, nearly 2.1 billion people have social media accounts.
Technology more important than ever in the classroom
OPINION
BY MADISON MULLINS, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD -- Technology is contributing a major role in the influence of our future. It is important that technology becomes a part of student’s daily lives so they can prepare for the real world.
Steps have already been taken to reach those goals. At Blythewood High School, in Blythewood, South Carolina, students are required to use a Chromebook throughout the day. However, it is the teachers who are responsible for the use of the Chromebook in the classroom.
Currently, 40 percent of the students surveyed at Blythewood High School think that learning is more interesting when technology is incorporated. Unfortunately, only 23 percent of teachers agree with this statement.
Electric cars provide glimpse of future
OPINION
BY DAVID HUMPHRIES, Sophomore
Electric cars are the future and if that future does not come soon enough, then long coming consequences will occur soon.
An area of the world where consequences are becoming more apparent is in China.
According to a resident of China, the oxygen in the air is getting thinner and thinner as it is replaced with carbon emissions. It gets harder and harder to breath, to the point that going outside is not safe.
This repercussion of pollution is a reality that people in highly polluted areas such as China have to go through and is a possible fate for the United States with the increase of pollution sources in the country.
Blythewood High Visual Art Students Earn Regional Awards
STAFF REPORT
BLYTHEWOOD – A total of 26 Blythewood High School students earned regional recognition sponsored by the Scholastic
Art & Writing Awards. Gold Key winners will advance to a national adjudication.
Scholastic Art Award Winners 2015-16 listed as student name, title of piece, course/teacher.
GOLD KEYS
Anna-Belle Corder: Photography-“Bubble”: Photography/Taylor
Madelyn Gilstrap- Pen & Ink: Self Portrait: 2D Art/Roberson
Steven Sandwich - Collage-”Lotus”: Talented&Gifted/Taylor
Anna Leigh Weiland- Pen & Ink: Self Portrait: 2D Art/Roberson
BLYTHEWOOD – A total of 26 Blythewood High School students earned regional recognition sponsored by the Scholastic
Art & Writing Awards. Gold Key winners will advance to a national adjudication.
Scholastic Art Award Winners 2015-16 listed as student name, title of piece, course/teacher.
GOLD KEYS
Anna-Belle Corder: Photography-“Bubble”: Photography/Taylor
Madelyn Gilstrap- Pen & Ink: Self Portrait: 2D Art/Roberson
Steven Sandwich - Collage-”Lotus”: Talented&Gifted/Taylor
Anna Leigh Weiland- Pen & Ink: Self Portrait: 2D Art/Roberson
Friday, February 5, 2016
National pollution laws need to be more stern
OPINION
BY ANTHONETTE MAYNARD, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD-- According to the World Health Organization pollution is one of the biggest global killers, affecting over 100 million people.
Pollution is also one of the most ignored concepts in the modern world, according to Conserve Energy Future (CEF), which is a company that tries to educate more people about pollution and saving the earth.
Though there are numerous pollution laws that are enacted, many people choose not to follow them, completely disregarding the effect it may have on our Earth in the long run.
Coca-Cola 'the real thing'
OPINION
BY ELLIE FEUERSTEIN
BY ELLIE FEUERSTEIN
In today's society there are many debates. For example, Trump vs Clinton or debates about which celebrity artist has the better “squad”, Taylor Swift vs Adele. In the nation and worldwide, one of the main debates is Coca-Cola vs Pepsi debating if Coca-Cola is better than Pepsi. The answer is Coca-Cola is overall greater than Pepsi.
Coca-Cola was created in 1886 in Atlanta. Seven years later Pepsi was created in North Carolina as a direct competitor. Since then, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been fighting against each other to be the greater cola. This is now known as the Cola War.
When choosing a side, people are choosing which cola they feel should be the world's leading cola. Overall Coca-Cola has more evidence and has better characteristics to why it is the greater cola.
Marvel powers over D.C. Comics
OPINION
BY KJ JENKINS, Freshman
BY KJ JENKINS, Freshman
Marvel and D.C. have been fighting for the top comic brand since the 1930s.
D.C. and Marvel Comics are known for their endless alternate universes of heroes and villains, despite their various mashups both brands remain enemies. For years these two companies have been throwing punches and building their fandom armies.
Marvel Comics, owned by Marvel Entertainment and Disney, has created an endless flow of heros and villains to comply to the D.C. stash of ever growing characters. Despite the five year lag, Marvel has always taken comics to another level.
Cultural appropriation wrong; not sharing of cultures
OPINION
BY M’Chaelah Brown, Freshmen
In America there are many different people all who all have different religions affecting their culture. The effect is that it allows people to people adopt parts of a culture that are not their own.
Is sharing culture wrong? Yes, it is wrong when the culture to which that trait belongs to is seen differently or in a different light. If one culture can do it and be seen in a positive light then so should the original culture.
For instance In February 2015 Kylie Jenner was seen sporting faux locs. She also was also seen in the public eye wearing cornrows, and was then credited with starting a new bold and edgy trend.
Religious hate crimes and gun violence increasing
OPINION
BY SAMUEL GODFREY, Freshman
When a Christian man commits a crime, his faith is almost never questioned. When a Jewish person commits a crime, most people won’t bring his faith into it.
Well, that’s all fine and good. However, when a Muslim commits a crime, it seems to give some people an excuse to call for the punishment of all followers. Why is that?
While some may argue that 9/11 fueled Islamophobia, or that it’s only radicalized followers of the religion that commit such crimes, the fact remains that every religion has it’s radical nutcases that need to get acknowledged.
A fitting example of inequality in this field was when the Colorado Springs shooting on Nov. 28, 2015 occurred, which left three people dead and nine wounded. The perpetrator called himself a warrior for the babies, and was willing to murder people to get his point across, but people won’t call him a radicalized terrorist, even though he is the textbook definition of one. (Definition: Someone who uses violence, mayhem, and destruction — or the threat of those things — to coerce people or countries into taking a certain action)
More stringent gun laws needed
OPINION
BY ASHLYNN AUGUSTUS, Sophomore
BLYTHEWOOD- Gun control has been an important discussion in the United States, especially after the increased number of mass shootings that have occurred in recent years. According to The Guardian , there have been over 1,000 mass shootings in the U.S ever since the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, where 26 people at an elementary school were fatally wounded.
One side argues there should not be gun control laws, while the other disagrees.
However, people should be wondering about which solution will work in order to prevent tragedies like the mass shooting San Bernardino, CAL. from happening again.
The answer would be to enforce stricter laws and restrictions and more thorough background checks.
The answer would be to enforce stricter laws and restrictions and more thorough background checks.
According to MSNBC, more than 80 percent of guns used in mass shootings were obtained legally.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Blue Legion Announces All-State and All-Region Selections
All-State Band 2016 - Senior Level (11th And 12th Graders)
Nick Fiouris (Junior) - Trumpet (6th Alternate); Joshua Brown (Junior) - Trombone (2nd Alternate); Colin Smith
(Senior) - Battery/Mallets (4th Chair) *Special Congratulations To Colin Smith For Placing High Enough To Go Play At The SC All-State Orchestra.
Head wear not distracting in school
OPINION
JESSICA MITCHELL, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD --- It’s well known that hats and head wear aren’t allowed in school and is found not only in school handbooks, but the District Two handbook as well.
If a student were to ask an administrator or teacher they will tell them, “This rule is here to make a difference. It's not just here because teachers don’t want you to wear hats and express your style.” Or you might be told “It’s to prevent weapons from being snuck into school and hidden to decrease gang affiliation and the trouble in schools.”
It’s pretty clear why a school’s goal would be to keep a school safe, but to not permit head wear, it doesn’t seem legit. The main two reasons teachers and administrators say this rule is in place is two decrease gang affiliation in schools. Now this is understandable because have any related problems in a school, would not make it the safest school to go to.
S.C. roads a 'disgrace'
OPINION
BY CAROLINE REYNOLDS, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD- Driving down Hobart Road is a terrifying thing to perform. Knowing when to swerve left, right, or just go straight to miss the potholes. This is what most South Carolina roads are like.
South Carolina roads are broken, damaged, and embarrassing.
As a South Carolinian, being a young driver is a scary thing to do in our state.
Before I started driving, as I grew up in South Carolina, I experienced many bumpy and broken roads.
After the historic floods in South Carolina in October 2015, more than 300 roads were damaged, not even including the roads that were damaged before.
Lacrosse needs more funding
OPINION
BY HUNTER ROBERSON, Freshman
Working at Cici’s Pizza for 10 percent of the night's receipts, making pancakes and selling tickets for them. These are some of the ways the Blythewood boys lacrosse team is trying to raise money.
The boys lacrosse team gets around $1,200 for all their gear and equipment throughout the year provided by the school.
It really isn't enough to cover everything.
The money goes into new lacrosse balls, which are about $400.
The balls are used in practice and there is always a need for new ones because ones that are used very often become “greasers,” meaning they become slick and hard to throw.
Electronics destroying relationships
OPINION
BY JAKOB LENKER, Freshman
In our modern day society, we use electronics. Cell phones, computers and tablets are examples of electronics we use daily. But using all these devices so often has a price.
Just imagine being at a party, and wanting to catch up with some friends. Sadly, everybody is on their phones, using Instagram or Twitter. This has happened to me several times, and it has probably happened to many others.
Let me put it simply; we need to use less electronics.
They destroy our relationships, and we don’t want this to happen.
Eating red meat not worth risk
OPINION
BY CLAIRE DUPRE, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD- Eating red meat can cause difficult health risks, so should people really be eating it?
Eating red meat could lead to heart disease because some meats are high in saturated fat. Leading to high blood pressure and cholesterol, which increases the chance of heart disease.
According to WebMD.com “Those who ate about 4 ounces of red meat a day were more likely to die of cancer or heart disease than those who ate the least, about a half-ounce a day.”
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Lacrosse costs keep potential players away
OPINION
BY TUCKER SHELTON, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD--Lacrosse Is a great, fun sport, and is fairly new at BHS. There's a price that comes with playing lacrosse, the equipment is not cheap. This, causes some students not to be able to play, because they don't have enough money.
The boys lacrosse team has a budget of $1,200 each year to be used on the team's needs, such as officials, transportation for away games, and maintenance for the field.
To make some of the money for the team we participate in fundraisers.
“I love to give back to the community, not only does it raise money for the team, but it makes me feel like a better person,” lacrosse coach Kirk Thurston said.
Cheerleaders show merit as athletes
OPINION
BY SHELBY TRUITT, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD-- Competitive cheerleading: tumbling, stunts, jumps and a dance all packed into a 2 minute and 30 second routine. Does that make it a sport? Yes.
According to The Women’s Sports Foundation, a sport must be a physical activity which involves propelling mass through space or overcoming the resistance of mass. Stunting... check!
Contesting or competing against/with an opponent. Competition... check!
Clemson claims rivalry superiority
OPINION
BY WILLIAM HALLIDAY, Freshman
Clemson and South Carolina football programs have been bitter rivals for decades now. But which is truly better? According to the historic rivalry facts it is Clemson. But there are other factors that can be put into the debate of why Clemson is the better program.
To start, the overall record between Clemson University and The University of South Carolina is 67-44 and Clemson leads. But that is just in the rivalry.
Since Clemson and South Carolina started playing football, Clemson has dominated in stats and records throughout the decades. Clemson has won a national championship in football and South Carolina has not and Clemson has a better overall record than South Carolina.
Cheer Association should reconsider uniform bans
OPINION
BY MADISON MCFARLAN, Sophomore
BLYTHEWOOD- All-Star cheer is a competitive sport that is becoming popular each year. When most people think of cheer they think of high school football games and pompoms. All star cheer is completely different.
All star cheer is a mixture between acrobatic gymnastics and tumbling. Due to all of the stunting and flipping it is dangerous to wear ill-fitted clothing. Cheer uniforms have been controversial for many years now.
Ever since all star cheer was founded in 2003, until this year, cropped uniforms have been allowed. The dress code policy issued by US All Star Federation (USASF) used to state that crop top uniforms were allowed but Cheerleaders must be covered if they are not warming up or performing.
Vaccination Refusal Has Greater Impact than Many Realize
OPINION
BY HANNAH SAUNDERS, Junior
BY HANNAH SAUNDERS, Junior
BLYTHEWOOD- By April of 2015, it was confirmed that a large measles outbreak that occurred at Disneyland was finally contained, only after infecting 147 people in the United States. Many who fell victim to this disease were not vaccinated against it, some claiming that they refused the vaccine for personal reasons, while others who were infected were too young to receive the shot. Situations like these not only occur in global attractions, but also occur right next door in our own schools.
Responsible parents who send their children off to school everyday should not have to be concerned about their children coming home with a life-threatening disease like measles. According to the National Vaccine Information Center, from 1958 to 1962, the United States averaged around 503,282 cases and 432 deaths associated with measles each year. In 2014, after more than 50 years of having a vaccine, there were just 634 cases.
The refusal of many parents to vaccinate their own children has resulted in the illness and even death of other children around them.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Global warming remains huge concern
OPINION
BY KRISTIN GRONINGER, Junior
BLYTHEWOOD -- Polar bears are under threat. Under the threat of extinction. The ice on the North pole is melting because the temperature on earth is rising. Through the higher temperatures the ice is not only melting it is getting fragile, too. A lot of polar bears are traveling on this on the search for food, but often the ice is breaking because it can’t hold the heavy weight of the polar bears anymore. The polar bears fall in the water and drown painfully because they can’t find a spot anymore where they can save themselves.
Global warming is caused by the greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane getting in the atmosphere. This stops the earth from balancing its temperatures. The greenhouse gases work like a wall around the earth. If the earth now wants to dispense it is heat to balance the temperature, the heat get blocked by the wall and reflected back to the earth.
New gun restrictions would be counterprodutive
OPINION
BY WILL GALLOWAY, Sophomore
In the wake of several horrific and tragic mass shootings, left wing politicians have raised calls to place restrictions on the right to own firearms in an effort to ensure public safety. While these calls have noble intentions, they would be counterproductive by disarming law-abiding gun owners and infringing on one of America’s basic liberties.
The purpose of the Second Amendment, the Constitutional provision that provides the basis of gun ownership, was to provide a last line of defense against tyranny. When the founders drafted this document, they were not concerned about deer hunters, but rather about tyrants.
Gun control advocates can point to several pieces of legislation, such as the Brady Bill, that promote firearm restrictions. They also point out that the Second Amendment could be interpreted to mean that groups, not individuals, can bear arms. The Supreme Court of the United States has disagreed with them on both counts.
Security checks should be required at entertainment venues
OPINION
BY MICAIAH SIMON, Sophomore
BLYTHEWOOD - Since the beginning of time there have been obstructive people who terrorize social events. To provide safety to easily targetable areas, all social events should require thorough searches.
To be specific, theaters should require bag and person searches upon entrance. The problem that movie theaters have is that they check bags for a couple of weeks after a shooting; and then they stop. They check bags around the incident as if people will only target masses of people around the time someone else has.
Realistically if we are going to be cautious about human lives, security checks should not be seasonally based on when someone else decides to shoot. Instead of reacting to a domino effect shooting, why not try to prevent them all together?
Web site restrictions too tough
OPINION
BY PARKER STALVEY, Freshman
BLYTHEWOOD--Every day at Blythewood High School there is a student who tries to log-on to a website, and discovers it has been blocked.
The Richland School District 2 is too strict about its filtering of websites in schools. School computers and accounts are already monitored by teachers and other staff, and some students will find their way around the block anyway.
They block educational videos on Youtube and other network sites. 66 percent of the video services are blocked during school, according to The American Association Of School Librarians.
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