Powder Puff Girls

BY KJ JENKINS, Junior

BLYTHEWOOD- Powder Puff football isn't just a glorified girly version of flag football hosted once a year as a savvy fundraiser.

The lights on the field beam down brightly on the on the opposing team. Faces, hidden by black-eye smudges and glitter, fill the line of defensive. A whistle is blows and chaos is unleashed.

Colored shirts morph together as shoulder knock. A jungle of black leggings rushes forwards in an effort to hold a stalemate.

The ball is thrown; it suspends for a moment before falling into the hands of the receiver. With a hesitation, she rushes for down the field.

How the Game Works...

Powder Puff follows the basic rule of American Football; four quarters, each 15 minutes long, 4 downs, timeouts etc. Overtime is included if necessary.

Tuesday Oct 31

Teens least likely age group to watch TV

BY NATASIA SIMMONS, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD-- According to analysis of Nielsen data, teens are the least likely age group to watch news television broadcast. Teens say they get their news from other sources

Blythewood High School students expressed their views on teens’ interaction with current events.

“I don’t watch the news because I have social media to catch me up instead,” freshman Meg Torres said.

Denver cheerleading incident sheds light on dangers of the sport

BY ALYSSA FISCHER, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD-- Ozell Williams, the high school cheerleading coach of East High School in Denver was fired after the public viewed videos of a 13 year old girl named Ally Wakefield being forced down into splits at a high school cheerleading practice. The video was filmed at their cheerleading summer camp on June 15, 2017 and uploaded to youtube.

According to the New York Post, Williams was fired according to the school superintendent for forcing a 13 year old girl into a split and causing her physical pain.

“Under no circumstances should a young person be in a situation where they are suffering from physical or emotional harm,” said Publisher of the New York Post Tom Boasberg.

Monday Oct 30

Friday Oct 27

School dress codes still cause controversy

BY ALEXANDRA DAVIS, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD-- Many Blythewood High School students have had mixed emotions for several years about the dress code policy that is required to be followed at all Richland School District 2 Schools.

This issue is not limited to Richland 2 though as multiple students in different schools across the country have had many complaints about dress code and how it affects them.

According to an article from CNN called “Do school dress codes end up body-shaming girls?” by Kelly Wallace, a mom was complaining about how her child was not allowed to wear yoga pants to school because “her daughter, now 13, had been told in the fall by a teacher that she couldn't wear yoga pants because the boys would get turned on and then be embarrassed.”

Americans some of the worst at recycling

BY AMAYA DARBY, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD-- Currently in America there's  a huge issue with waste. Americans are considered some of the most wasteful people in the world.

According to The Los Angeles Times ¨The U.S. produced about 228 million tons of waste in 2006, a figure that climbed to 254 tons by 2013. China with a population around four times larger than that of the U.S. is close behind with 190 million tons of waste per year.¨

Americans are not cautious of the amount of trash they produce.

¨I think that Americans have so much that they don't think about what they throw away. I  think that Americans have so much that  they don't have to want anything.  It’s nothing for them to throw things out,¨ Kim Tiedemann, English teacher and  recycling coordinator at Blythewood High School said.

Volleyball travels to Wando for 3rd round of state playoffs

BY LAURYN COLEMAN, Sophomore

BLYTHEWOOD-- The State Volleyball Championship will be held Nov. 1 and the Blythewood Bengals are striving to get there.

Sophomore, Colleen Finney stated as a sophomore, her role on the team is to be a leader.

“My role on the team build up leadership skills for future games and as of right now she feels as if there is a void to fill with leadership on the team,” Finney said.

Head coach Mary Hall feels the leadership needs to improve if the Bengals are to advance in the playoffs.

Thursday Oct 26

Wednesday, Oct 25

Texting and driving causes over 300,000 wrecks per year

BY MATTIE OCAIN, Junior

BLYTHEWOOD--  According to insurance companies teens have commonly been known to be involved in more wrecks than adults would. Technology is a huge factor in wrecks of all ages.

According to Edgar Snyder and Associates, on average 330,000 car wrecks are caused because of texting and driving. This is approximately 1 out of 4 cars in the U.S. According to NHTSA 10,000 lives are claimed from drunk driving crashes. It may not cross mind that texting and driving could harm a person, but it is actually more dangerous than drunk driving.

Matt Sherman, an administrator at Blythewood High school, witnesses accidents in the parking lot everyday.

Blue Legion members want more respect

BY KAYLA NEISWONGER, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD - Today’s high schoolers often seem to be more interested in football or on their homework than the band.

Freshman barrie saxophone player, Ashley Gambrell has participated in the Blue Legion Band at Blythewood High for 2 years.

“Honestly, they acknowledge the football players more than they do the marching band,” Gambrell said. “They think we do nothing [or] no one comes for the band.”

Gas prices increase across the state

BY NAITONIO HARE, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD- In the last three months, gas prices in South Carolina have been rising rapidly, and it looks like they may stay that way for awhile.    

There are many reasons why gas prices are increasing. According to CNNMoney, gas prices are going up because the price of oil is also rising, and refineries are closing down.

Some people think the recent hurricane, Irma, is the cause for rising prices.

People say the demand for gas is too high.

“Where the disaster was at, our pipelines, we had to raise the price of gas or we would not be able to afford it,” said Christiy Finster, a worker at a local BP service station.

'Attack on Titan' gains popularity among manga and anime fans

BY BAILEY BURGER, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD -- Many know the famous manga and anime Attack on Titan. But not everyone knows how it all started, and how it all turned out in the end.

Hajime Isayama, the creator of Attack on Titan, will explain how it all started in an interview with Mangabrog.

“I came up with the original idea for the one-shot called “Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan)” that won me my first ever prize, and then I didn’t think about it for a while after that until I was 22 or 23 or so, when my editor asked me to consider making that old one-shot into a long-term series, at which point I spent a half a year coming up with the details of that whole world. I still feel like it’s pretty shallow compared to the level of the sci-fi universes my older artist friends shared — like, I never read Mu [a Japanese magazine about all things paranormal] or any of that.” Hajime states, when the interviewee stated that the walls and universe he created was one-of-a-kind.

Tuesday, Oct 24

Tension between U.S. and North Korea continues to rise

BY RYAN CHRISTIAN, Senior

BLYTHEWOOD -- On Sept. 14 North Korea threatened to sink Japan and turn the United States into ‘ashes and darkness’, according to Independent. The threat by North Korea was caused by the United Nations imposing sanctions over their nuclear and missile programs.

The UN implemented these sanctions the week when North Korea completed its sixth nuclear test.

“Tensions will continue to rise until precautions are met,” senior Shane Clark said.

Marching band strives for respect

BY NEVAEH CARTER, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD --  Marching band at Blythewood High School is more than going on a field to play music during halftime at a football game.

Most people assume that marching band isn’t complex and that  it's fairly “easy” to go on a field and play music during halftime at football game but band students say it's more than that.

As stated on Google, the definition of marching band is a group of musicians who play instruments while marching together at a parade or sports event. Some believe that marching band should be considered a sport.

Opinions differ on Google Classroom

BY JACQUEZ BRIGHT, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD -- Google Classroom is used throughout among middle schools and high schools in Richland School District 2. At Blythewood High School teachers and students expressed their thoughts on the topic of Google Classroom and parent portal

Google Classroom usually works by a teacher giving students an assignment,the student complete it,then turn it in when the student is finish. After that,teachers can see whether the student did it or not and whether it is turned in on time or late.

That makes Google Classroom relevant and takes away the need for paper and pencil.

Radical feminism differs from mainstream feminism

BY CAT CAMPAGNA, Sophomore
BLYTHEWOOD -- According to Merriam Webster dictionary feminism is the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. Over time, feminism has come in waves and segregated itself into groups.

Today, the most identifiable groups of feminism are the radical feminists and the liberal/mainstream feminists otherwise known as fifth-wave feminist. The two parties vary in many ways; mainly on the definition of feminism.

According to Charles Rae’s article “The Differences between Mainstream and Radical Feminism” Radical feminist argue that the definition of feminism is “female class liberation from men”, whereas liberal/mainstream feminists view feminism as the dictionary definition of “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes”.

Monday, Oct 23

American Dream varies for all

BY DONOVAN WASHINGTON, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD-- People have different ideas when it comes to what the modern day American Dream should be.

Possibility anything is possible,” James Gandy Intro to Engineering/ football coach said as the first thing that comes to mind when he hears The American Dream.

Some people don’t feel as if there should be one perception of the American Dream.

“The American Dream should not exist. Not everyone will be happy if there is just one American Dream,” freshman Aneecia Owens said.

Student athletes battle mental and physical stress

BY ABBIE SLATTON, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD--The most important part of being a student athlete  is keeping up good grades and maintaining strength on the court, field, pool or, track. Having stress can be hard to deal with mentally and physically.

“Juggling academics and sports can be challenging; but since most study time is spent under pressure, logic suggest that a busy schedule means more work is more likely to get done,” Maddy Lucier of The Stack said.

Blythewood High School Sports Psychology teacher Ben Ehrlich offered some advice to all the student athletes.

“Some advice that I could give them is to not make it harder on themselves than it already is, take care of what you need to on a daily bases instead of letting things pile up and you will be able to manage both fine,” Ehrlich said.

New school year brings more stress to teenagers

BY SADIE SANDERS, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD-- Stress has become a major part of teens’ everyday lives. Since school started, stress has led to changes in sleeping habits, procrastination, and problems with concentrating.

In 2013, a study by the American Psychological Association (APA) called “Stress in America” reported that stress is very common in the teen population. The study found that school is the number one stressor for teens.

The survey also found that stress often affects emotional and physical health. One of the most common effects of stress is a change in a person’s sleeping habits.

Thursday, Oct 19

Advice for BHS freshmen

BY LAILA PARKER, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD -- Blythewood High School Bengals are very welcoming. Students and faculty have wonderful advice for current or upcoming freshmen.

¨Your freshman year of high school is the beginning of a four-year journey to college, and it's something that needs to be taken seriously,¨said Ivywise Newsletter.

According to IvyWise Newsletter, high school is a big adjustment that holds opportunities for freshmen students including new clubs & organizations.

¨Start high school like you want to finish it, because we can not make up for wasted time,¨ Counselor Felicia Daniels said.

Homework time varies by grade level

BY ANTANY KIMBROUGH, Junior

BLYTHEWOOD -- When a student first starts school they typically do not know what to expect in that regard students constantly ask themselves if they will be assigned an abundance of work to do, usually the answers com clear after students finish their first year.

According to The Brookings Institution, students from ages 5-17 are given workloads that take more than two hours or longer to do only about 5%-13% of the time, this rate increases up to 13% as the student proceeds through their education.

Students from that same age group have absolutely no homework 13%-22% of the time and about 91% of parents believe their child's homework load is at least fair, the remaining 9% believe its unreasonable, these ratings have not changed significantly since 1987.

Bengals win appeal, will be in Region VIII-5A

BY CALLIE BAUCOM, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD-- After Blythewood and Spring Valley both lost their appeal to move to a more local region for athletes, they teamed up for a second shot and won it. Both schools are now a part of Region VIII-5A along with Lugoff Elgin, Sumter, and Irmo.

According to The State, Blythewood and Spring Valley were originally placed in Region III-5A with Clover, Fort Mill, Nation Ford, Northwestern, and Rock Hill. Coaches, parents, and students began to worry when they found out most games were non-local.

Google Maps says that the average travel distance in Region III-5A would have been 52.8 miles. The farthest school to get to would have been Clover, which is 72.9 miles from Blythewood.

Wednesday Oct 18

October is bullying prevention month

BY CAMRYN JAMES, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD -- Bullying is currently a HUGE problem over the world . Bullying has made a big impact on people, older and younger. Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year according to www.doSomething.org .

“Bystanders are afraid to intervene, scared to look stupid.” said Home-bound Facilitator Pam Ellmers .

In this case it’s best if there is a bully,  to tell someone what’s going on . They would be more than willingly to help .

More and more S.C. teachers leaving the profession

BY CHISOM EMETU, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD-- The South Carolina teacher shortage has drastically worsened over recent years. This detrimental shortage in South Carolina education has resulted in new understandings in why so many teachers are leaving the state or the profession and what changes or reforms need to be made to make South Carolina a more teacher friendly environment.

According to the South Carolina Radio Network, 6,500 teachers left South Carolina schools prior to the 2017-2018 academic year. The State projects approximately, 7,500 teachers are projected to leave prior to the 2018-2019 school year.

These numbers are unfortunate considering 209 teaching positions were left vacant at the start of the 2017 school year. In response to this crisis, unprepared, lower quality teachers are being hired, in low-income, minority, or rural areas.

September vista shootings spark more debates

BY ABBI CRAIG, Sophomore

BLYTHEWOOD-- On Sept. 17, chaos erupted as gunshots from multiple cars hit eight people and critically injured the eight people involved in what is known to be the “heart of Columbia,” also called The Vista.

According to “Gun Violence Archive,” 11,165 people have died or been critically injured in 2017 since January due to people shooting others.

“I think that with the generation that we’re in now, everything is turned into hatred and turned around to be cruel. People look for the bad instead of the good,” said junior Sydney Nichols.

Bodybuilder Piana passes away

BY ANGEL AMIRANTE, Junior  

BLYTHEWOOD - Rich Piana died in Florida on Aug. 25, after being placed under a medically induced coma. Piana was a very famous social media bodybuilding star.

Piana was mainly known for his intense regimen, and use of anabolic steroids. Being very open about his steroid use, he received a lot of criticism, but he did not promote the use of steroids.

His mother was a bodybuilder, that’s how he started getting into bodybuilding. Fitness is in his DNA, so entering his first bodybuilding competition at the age of 15, he had high hopes, but did not place in the competition. Multiple attempts after, Piana then relied on anabolic steroids, to which he saw great improvement.

After the obvious improvements, Piana began to place 7th and 11th place in national bodybuilding competitions, according to The Sun. As well as earning the title of Mr. California in 1998.

Tuesday, Oct 17 1

Monday, October 16

https://youtu.be/I6N_McXqtF4

Friday, Oct 13

Chicago party incident sheds light on dangers of teen parties

BY DIAMOND HERNDON, Sophomore

BLYTHEWOOD-- Going to parties wouldn’t come across as an odd event for teens. It is rather common during this era, however it is not always safe...at least not in 19 yr old Kenneka Jenkins’ case who was recently found dead at a hotel party inside a freezer in Chicago.

According to CNN, Jenkins’ family filed a missing person’s report the night she went missing while at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare Hotel. Hours after, she was soon discovered in the walk in freezer at the hotel. There has been no release of the autopsy or foul play in Jenkins’ death.

Majority of teen incidents happen while out at a party according to In The Know Zone.

Transgender military ban could affect thousands

BY KATIE PHILLIPS, Sophomore

BLYTHEWOOD -- On July 26 President Donald J. Trump announced on his Twitter @realDonaldTrump that a ban on transgender personnel serving in the military should come into effect. This national issue not only affects the country as a whole, but has a local influence in Blythewood.

The term “transgender” refers to a group of people whose gender, their personal sense of identity, differs from their assigned biological sex.

In the past, those who served with a different sexuality were forced to fall under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law enacted in 1994, yet it was recently repealed in 2011 to allow gay, bisexual, and lesbian military members to serve openly. However, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, this did not affect those with a separate gender identity.

Department of Defense schools differ from traditional public schools

BY ALEXIS KING, Freshman

BLYTHEWOOD-- Over the years there was the question of whether a Department of Defense school is better than public schools. Some people might beg to differ.

A DOD schools are operated by the Department of Defense to provide military children with a quality education. Most of the DoD schools are located overseas in places such as Germany, Japan, Belgium, Italy, and Turkey.

According to The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Students at DOD schools are performing at or above the national average in subjects such as reading and math.

Government knows too much about Americans

Op-Ed

BY JOSHUA AXTELL,  Junior

BLYTHEWOOD- The government has been spying on people for years in America ever since wiretapping was invented. The government knows everything about everyone now from a favorite color to a place someone lived 10 years ago.

In the 2016 election President Donald Trump accused Barack Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower. White House press secretary who cited comments from Fox News made by former judge Andrew Napolitano, who said “three intelligence sources” had told Fox News of Obama using the British spy agency GCHQ to install wiretaps in Trump tower.

News Show Thursday, Oct 12

News Show Wednesday, Oct 11

Tuesday, Oct 10

News Show - Friday 10/6

https://youtu.be/u-tQSQwuwS0

News Show Thursday, Oct 4

News Show Wednesday, Oct 4

News Show Tuesday, Oct 3

News Show - Monday, Oct. 2