Travis Elkins, Amazerful Defeat or Swibber-Sweet Victory?

*Editor’s Note: Due to damage
to the gymnasium, tonight’s
basketball game has been moved
to North Bullitt, and homecoming
festivities have been postponed
until next Friday.
Travis Elkins, Amazerful Defeat or
Swibber-Sweet Victory?
by: Andrew Alvarez
staff writer
If you are ever walking the hall, you might see one of the
coolest cats in the school. Named at birth, Travis Elkins is one
of Bullitt East’s potential homecoming king.
Outside of school, this unique young gentleman spends time
with his woman. Also, he fancies a battle of World of Warcraft
using his warlock named Prydon. Playing this game sometimes
helps him get ready for those “under pressure” situations. Also,
Elkins should know what to expect considering his lady friend,
Amanda Mutter, was homecoming queen last year.
“I have made many friends at this school, and a lot of people
had already told me they were going to vote for me, so I wasn’t
that surprised,” stated Elkins. “This year has been so fun and I
believe I will be a good representation of Bullitt East.”
“He is a maniacally handsome young man, and has a swibbersweet
personality which in my opinion is definitely a winner,”
were the wise words uttered by the junior Dakota Branham.
“I would like to win, but I probably won’t be sad if I lose. It
will be hard to beat the fantastically “amazerful” Adam Herth,”
was exclaimed by Elkins
Not only is Elkins facing off against Herth,
but he will also have to beat Neil Watson,
Andrew Followell, and Grant Polsen. With
wishes of the best of luck from Followell,
Elkins might receive confidence as Herth took
a step up from that, also complimenting his
facial hair.
The nominees will be displayed at the pep
rally today to hype up the crowd for the game
tonight where the Bullitt East Chargers will
attempt to beat the North Bullitt Eagles for
the second time in a row!. So be sure to be in
the Red Zone, and lets get a win!

GRAND THEFT HAPPINESS
Video games,
television, the
radio; all some of
the most common
forms of
entertainment among teenagers today. We’ve all
used them at some point or another, but have we
ever considered the fact that they could hurt us
later in life? According to a study led by Brian
Primack of the University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine, the
more media a kid
or teenager is
exposed to, the
greater the risk
is of them
developing
depression
Popular games such as Halo 3, may
lead to depression
symptoms as a
young adult.
To conduct
the study, researchers looked at 4,142 adolescents
who were exposed to different types of media over
a 7 year period. Teens reported an average of
5.68 hours of media exposure per day, consisting
of television, radio, movies, and computer games.
Over the 7 year study, 308 participants developed
symptoms of depression. According to the study,
young women were less likely to develop symptoms
of depression than men who were exposed to the
same amount of media.
With games like Guitar Hero, Halo 3, and even
solitaire, it would be hard to find a teenager that
hasn’t played some form of video game, or even
watched TV, within the last 24 hours. An article
published by Chris Gaylord on CSMonitor.com
states that 97 percent of teens play video games,
including both boys and girls. The article also
stated that 50 percent of the teens studied had
played some form of video game the day before as
well.
Depression typically starts during the teenage
years or as a young adult. Time spent watching TV
or playing video games could replace time spent on
social or athletic activities, or even school work.
The lack of participation in these activities could
increase the risk of depression.
Messages broadcasted on TV or video games
may encourage aggression or inspire fear or
anxiety. Senior Lindsey Cline agrees, “I don’t
really agree that video games cause depression,
but I do think that they create and provoke
violence.”
Senior Garrett Vining supports this statement
saying. “I’ve seen kids get honestly mad when
playing a game so obviously it’s causing violence.”
In 1999, two seniors, Eric Harris and Dylan
Klebold, were responsible for the Columbine High
School shooting, which came to be the deadliest
high school shooting in American history. Before
killing themselves, Harris and Klebold were
responsible for the murders of 12 fellow students
and one teacher, as well as wounding 23 others.
LET SOMEONE KNOW YOU
CARE THIS VALENTINES DAY
Valentines Day
is right around the
corner. Historians
are not entirely
sure of the whole
story. However,
today Valentine’s Day still holds a special place of
significance. Though we do not know the history,
we still celebrate the day.
Senior Ericka Nutt says that she somewhat
views February the 14 th as a waste of time, but on
the other hand, she doesn’t. “Because all it is is
advertisement, advertisement, advertisement!
But at the same time it’s really a good time for
boyfriend and girlfriend bonding and all that cute
stuff. “ When asked what the origin of this day
was, she responded, “I think it’s from pissy
women who want their husbands to get them
something.” Nutt also included that she has had
a Valentine, “Been there, done that, don’t care”.
Her plans for the 14 th are those of which you
would plan on any other regular Saturday, she
intends on going to the cinema to watch the new
Friday the 13 th with a bunch of girlfriends.
Bullitt East’s somewhat matriarch of the
school, Momma Jo, has seen her fair share of
Valentine’s Day’s. How is she and her hubby going
to celebrate Valentines? They aren’t. Other
than the yearly Valentine card, they don’t do
anything out of the ordinary. When asked why,
she said that she and her husband love each
other very much and that they don’t need just
one day out of the year to show that they care
for each other like they do. It would be silly to
do something like that, because if you truly cared
for each other as much as they do
Valentine’s just doesn’t make
senese. But it’s not a complete waste of time, is
it? Momma Jo thoughtfully said, “I don’t think
it’s ever a waist of time to ever stop and let
someone know that you care”.
Freshman, Jordan Tamura didn’t have much to
say about Valentine’s Day but that it came from
Hawaii and that if you want to have a valentine;
all you need to do is “wink at pretty girls”.
The truth is, Valentine’s Day wasn’t made up
by “pissy women” and it surely didn’t come from
Hawaii. Its origin is actually from Rome in
sometime early A.D. History and myth are
blurred around the subject, however, it was a
holiday that took place in early February that was
named Lupercalia. In this holiday Roman soldiers
would receive the name of a young maiden to
practice their right to fertility. This was not
romantic by any means. However, they believed
that this kept out evil.
Years after this ritual had been practiced, it
is said that there were at least three early
Christian Saints by the name of Valentine.
Unbelievably enough, all three are said to have
been martyred on February 14.
The most popular belief is that there was a
priest who had some way or another crossed the
favor of a Roman emperor, Claudius II, around
270. Legend has it that Claudius II had
prohibited the marriage for young men, because
bachelors supposedly make better soldiers.
However, Valentine continued to secretly marry
young couples. Claudius II found him out and had
him imprisoned. Before Valentines execution, he
fell in love with the jailer’s daughter. He sent
her a letter signed “from your Valentine.”
Whether or not you have a sweetheart or you
plan on just going out with a few friends, try to
enjoy this Valentine’s Day. And remember, it’s
Nobody can say
for certain why
these boys did
what they did,
but the role of
violent media
cannot be ruled
out as a possible contributor. Both boys played a
video game called Doom, which is a first-person
shooter video game that promotes weapons and the
killing of possessed humans and hellish monsters.
It turns out, Harris had customized his own version
of the game on his web site to where two shooters
killed helpless people with unlimited ammunition and
weapons. The game he created is frighteningly
similar to the catastrophic shooting that took so
many young lives.
With this in mind, senior Kayla Mccauley still
disagrees. “I don’t think games cause violence;
they may provoke it, but you have to have
something wrong in your head to go and shoot-up a
school.”
Avid game player Erica Slusser agrees, but for
different reasons. “Playing a game is not the same
as pulling a trigger on a gun. How violent a person
is, is based on mental stability, not because games
tell them to.”
Whether or not you believe playing video games
or watching TV causes depression or violence, it’s
hard to ignore the fact that constant involvement
in these activities isn’t good for anyone. It’s
important for a teenager to be active in their
school and community as opposed to being secluded
and wrapped up in a virtual world.
Don’t blink , the
reunion is here
“Blink-182 is back!”
stated Mark Hoppus,
bassist of the newly
reformed band. After
a five year period of
no Blink, they are soon to return to the scene in an
incredible fashion.
“To put it simply, We’re back. We mean, really
back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In
the studio writing and recording a new album.
Preparing to tour the world yet again. Friendships
reformed. 17 years deep in our legacy.” This
statement, viewable on the bands official website,
gives some information on the bands future plans
after their 5 year hiatus. Their last show together
was on December 16, 2004.
Since the split, drummer Travis Barker and
bassist Mark Hoppus, formed the group Plus 44,
while Tom DeLonge joined the band Angels and
Airwaves. Travis Barker, being involved in a horrible
plane crash last year, may have played some role in
the reuniting of these long time friends.
When asked what he thought about the reunion,
Jacob Kaltenbach, a Bullitt East senior and the lead
guitarist of the local band March is Gone stated , “I
cant wait for a new Blink C.D, I’ve been a long time
fan and there music has influenced me a lot over the
years.”
As far as a performance or C.D. release dates go,
the facts are still vague. However on their website
Blink182.com, it does say “Summer 09”. What this
date implies is not yet known, but what is evidentis
that the hype around this reunion is incredible, even
resulting in a website entitled Blink182Reunion.com.
The reunion of this band has been long awaited,
and now that
this trio of
musicians have
agreed to play
together once
again, they are
sure to draw the
crowds in the
millions once
again.

Maybe being friendly isn’t so bad. This
technique has seemed to work for La Vella
Hall, being a six time nominee and winning
this year, making it her third win for homecoming.
Hall is a very energetic, fun, and involved person. She will talk to
anyone no matter if you’re busy or if she doesn’t even know you.
You always see her running around going crazy this would be because
she is involved in so many activities.
She is on the Bullitt East softball and soccer team. She is involved in
FBLA, FCA, Beta Club, NHS, UFE, and the yearbook editor.
Hall is her own person; she dresses the way she likes; very
unique. Hall is very open minded she is always willing to give her
opinion.
After winning and being in homecoming a lot you would
think she wouldn’t like it as much; but she mentions
that “She likes to win and she takes pride in winning.” She says
she feels bad for
being voted but
people shouldn’t
complain, because
they are the ones
voting for her.
According to
Curtis Logsdon,
“people just need to
step up their
coolness. Yea it would
be nice to let
La Vella Hall has not missed an apearance in
homecoming court since freshman year
La Vella Hall:
Three Time Winner,
Six Time Nominee
someone else win but
if people aren’t
stepping up then she
deserves it.”
She has done a great job stepping up; she has had some
shoes to fill. Coming in behind her sister Sam Hall who was an
advanced student, played softball and soccer, FBLA head
officer and NHS head officer and many many more activities.
Sam Hall has also been known for her unique style as well.
We look forward to seeing Hall and her bright smile on the floor
Friday night at the homecoming game with junior Corey Good. Ms. Hall is
bringing delightfulness to Bullitt East, congrats on your third win.
Philpott: Sophomore Homecoming Rep
As you all know, Homecoming week was
this week and it was a success! Many
people dressed up and showed school
spirit. Homecoming winners were also
chosen, and the sophomore queen this year is
Jessica Philpott.
Philpott’s partner for homecoming queen
is Hayden Sweat. They will both be on
homecoming court this Friday, the 13th.
When Philpott was asked if she thought she
was going to win, she replied, “No, I didn’t
think so.” But with the good judgment of the
fellow sophomores, Philpott won.
Homecoming winners are usually very
excited and ecstatic when they found out
they have won. When Philpott was asked if
she thought this event was a big deal, she
stated, “It’s cool!” She has already picked
out an outfit to wear and this includes a red
dress. “I’m excited,” Philpott stated.
Jessica Philpott
Philpott is a basketball player for our school. She has many friends
and is very outgoing. She participates in many school activities and has
fun doing so.
Homecoming week is a very important occasion that everyone should
have some pride in and participate in the activities the school provides.
It is a fun and interesting way to get involved. This sophomore’s win was
great news to her and she can’t wait until the big day. A big thanks to all
the people that voted for her is sent out.
Life is Good for Cory
For some, being the stage manager or
being the assistant director for a school
play can be a tough job. But not for this
year’s 2009 junior basketball Homecoming
representative, Cory Good, for he has the skills for both.
In late October of 1991, in Cleveland, Ohio a Mrs. Tracy Good and Mr.
Ramon Good were given a son, his name was Cory. The Goods raised their
son and lived happily in Lafayette, Ohio for five years. The family then
moved to Mt. Washington, Kentucky to start a life together. Once Cory
had reached the appropriate age he was enrolled at Old Mill Elementary
School. “I don’t remember much, but from what I can remember, recess
was the best part,” Good states laughingly.
After graduating from elementary school, Good attended Mt.
Washington Middle School; “It was terrible, pretty much nothing good
happened,”
Good stated.
But, Good’s
best friend
Kyle Soards
might say
otherwise.
After all,
middle school
is how they
met each
other and
became
friends.
Although Good
says nothing
good came
from middle
school, it’s
still where he
found his
personal
calling, drama.
Good
portrayed the
Cory makes his appearance not only on the homecoming court, but in school
plays as well
marshal in
MWMS’
production of
A Snake in the Grass during his 8 th grade year.
Good’s acting didn’t end at MWMS, after completing middle school
Good was enrolled at Bullitt East High School and due to the arena
scheduling used at B.E., Good was put in Drama I as a freshman. Taking
part in Drama allowed Good to meet his favorite teacher, Mrs. Chandler,
“She’s a lot of fun, I do a lot of acting so I spend a lot of time with her.
She’s really cool, she’s like my second mom,” he claimed. Good continued
to participate in his new found love, taking Drama II as a sophomore, as
well as acting in numerous Bullitt East productions including the Relay for
Life plays and High School Musical. Good is now taking Drama III and
plans on pursuing Drama IV next year.
Currently, Good is busy with the upcoming school production of Bye,
Bye Birdie as the stage manager and assistant director. When asked why
Good was chosen for these positions Mrs. Chandler explained, “Cory is
fabulous, remarkable, respectful, honest, and knows what to do without
being asked. He is confident and I can trust him.”
Whenever Good isn’t caught up with school or Bye, Bye Birdie, he
enjoys spending time with his family and best friends Judah Johnson and
Kyle Soards. “He’s not afraid to be himself and he’s a cool person to be
with. He can be insubordinate at times but also very funny,” Soards
commented on Good.
Also Good has a passion for the bass guitar. “Guitar just wasn’t for
me. I tried the bass and it was much easier,” Good stated. Good uses an
Ibanez GSR 200 during his jam sessions with his friend Kyle Soards.
Although Good plays the bass and has a passion for the drama
department, he chooses not to pursue either of them as a career. Good
plans on joining the service, the Navy to be precise. Following the Navy,
Good intends on attending Ohio State and getting a degree in Mechanical
Engineering.
Having the support from your family to do whatever
you choose, being chosen as stage manager and
assistant director for the school play, and winning
homecoming for his class, life is as it seems, good for
Cory.

For those of you who have
attended any away basketball or
football games this year, you may
have noticed a show at halftime;
shows put on by the opposing teams’
dance squads. Does that sound
familiar? It should, because Bullitt
East used to have a dance squad, believe it or not. The
Dance team was a very high spirited and talented group
of young ladies that were always ready to put on a show.
They performed at places such as home basketball and
football games, and they even competed in head-to-head competitions against
other schools. These great times however, were secretly going to be limited.
New winds began blow around Bullitt East, causing the dance team to part
and go their own separate ways. Difficulties
such as, loss of a coaching staff, loss of
enthusiasm, and a just complete loss in spirit
have been quite troublesome for the Dance
squad to overcome. This is in fact, why we do
not have a Dance team any longer. “Not having
a dance team has been very detrimental to our
school’s success, moral, and overall well-being,”
said a disturbed senior, Adam Herth. All
around Bullitt East, most people seemed to be
bothered by the loss of the dance team, and
have been wondering what happened to them.
It was as if it were all fun and games, and everyone seemed to love each
other. So, why did the team split apart? Well, problems all began when Coach
Stevenson could no longer commit full time due to her mother being sick. It
was very hard to find an assistant, and she definitely did not have the
finances to hire a choreographer. It was very hard for the team to get all
the things they needed, receiving no money from the school, and having to
fund-raise. As if these
problems weren’t
enough, tryouts for
Red Zone Rowdies Skirt
the Edge of Intensity
for County Rivalry
This past Friday, the
Red Zone Rowdies found
the change they’ve been
looking for when a Red
Zone Rowdie called out an opposing team
member that they thought looked like Obama.
The North Bullitt basketball player looked
nothing like President Barack Obama, in the
opinion of senior Lauren Smith. However, the
loud, proud, RZR chanted “Obama” toward him
regardless.
Interviewing Coach Barr, who had heard all
the commotion from the stands while coaching
the boys’ team he noticed the RZR chanting
“We need change” and “Obama.” He thought it
was a very keen observation of the RZR to point
out a player from the opposing team that had a
slight similarity to Obama. He also stated that
he didn’t think it was necessary, but mostly
blames it on age. “At this age we tend to heckle
the other team rather than cheer for our own
team;” said the veteran coach. In the past few
years, the rivalry between the two schools has
intensified. This isn’t he first time that the
budding rival has also gotten heated off the
court.
Senior and Red Zone Rowdie Zack McCarthy
recalled last year at the 07-08 boys’ basketball
game against North Bullitt when a student from
the opposing side started chanting “suicidal”
according to several members of the Rowdies.
McCarthy also said he heard nothing about any
disciplinary action taken toward their student
section.
With the rivalry set to reconvene tonight,
both sides have been warned to be on their best
behavior. Principal Debby Atherton addressed
the student body and
told them to cheer loud
and hard, but in
support of the Charger
basketball teams.
Halftime Entertainment, An empty court?
this year consisted of
only 3 girls. Megan
White, who has danced
since she was 4, said
that girls didn’t show
up because they didn’t think dance was a big deal, and it got no support from
people. Things just became very stressful to not only Coach Stevenson, but
for the girls as well. The girls, along with their coach received harsh
comments on their style of dance and their style of uniforms. Most people
found them inappropriate. Senior Andrew Followell, did not agree, “I thought
that the dance uniforms were not bad at all, I actually found them very
tasteful to the eye.”
Girls, due to the break up, have been forced to go their own ways. Some
of them have decided to give up on it altogether, although some of them have
decided to pursue it themselves. Samantha Wilson had been dancing for 8
years and was not about to be shielded from her dream, to become a dancer
for the Dallas Cowboys. She has decided amongst herself that she will
continue to practice and train on her own time. “I miss the team very much,
we were all like a big family and we all had a lot of fun,” she said. A very
disheartened Coach Stevenson had a little something to say about not being
around these girls anymore. ” I developed a very good bond with those girls,
now it is gone.”
“When the dance team was still together last year,” Stevenson said, “it
was very hard to get them to train on their own time, and that the teams
drive to do better just wasn’t there. If I had more time to commit, and the
girls put forth more enthusiasm, and effort, we would have been very
successful”
Bullitt East as a whole seems to have its heart set that it was a great
thing for our school. Teacher, Jeff Bowles said,” It was good because it gave
a everyone a chance for something to get involved in.” For some girls, this was
their only chance to dance, and now a lot of them cannot do it. Followell
answered this problem by saying, “It’s petty. Just because there aren’t
enough dancers trying out, doesn’t mean that the girls who actually want to
shouldn’t be allowed to dance.”
Although most agreed that we should try to get one again, it doesn’t make
it easy for it to happen. In Stevenson’s opinion, the only way for us to get the
team reunited is to find a coach that will be fully committed, get more
support from the school as a whole, and somehow get more girls interested.
Wilson does not feel as if we will be able to do that though. “We probably
can’t get girls interested. If they do not want to dance, then they won’t.”
So Bullitt East, there you have it. The dance team has been broken apart,
and by the looks of it, it will remain that way. This means that we will remain
without a halftime show for now, or at least without an exciting one. “We
need to have [a dance team] because it gives us entertainment at halftime,”
were the words of senior Les Ostrander. As for tonight’s basketball game, at
home against North Bullitt, the homecoming presentation will be your show.
Steroids is the Only Way to Go
Major League Baseball Continues the Never Ending War
It’s the same old issue and still no progress.
It seems as though Major League Baseball isn’t getting anywhere with their
steroid problem. For years steroid abuse among players has caused a problem but
there has never been a solution. Senator George J. Mitchell compiled a report to
find out how many players use steroids. The report became known as the Mitchell Report. Among
Mitchell’s findings he discovered 80 plus players that were using steroids. Among them was pitcher
Roger Clemens.
Clemens isn’t alone though. Also convicted of steroid abuse are Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and now
Alex Rodriguez. It seems as if these players will never learn. But why should they? So far there have
not been many consequences for using steroids. After the report was completed Mitchell released his
findings to Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, but convinced him to not punish the players though. Most
tests showing samples of these players urine were taken during 2000-2003. The main point being
though that there were no penalties for using steroids during the period prior to 2005.
What’s worse is that it’s the best players that are being suspected for using these enhancement
drugs. This type of news is crushing to their fans. A long time baseball fan, Cody Hutchins, described
how it was very depressing to know that his favorite player, Mark McGuire, was convicted of using
steroids. Hutchins also went on to explain, “It’s stupid. These players are low life pieces of crap that
need to be kicked out of MLB.”
One of the biggest cases of steroid use in present time is Barry Bonds. Last Thursday proved to be
very helpful for Bonds though. A federal judge said that she plans on stripping prosecutors of their
best evidence that the home run king lied to a grand jury about using steroids in 2003. U.S District
Judge Susan Illston said the evidence is not valid because there is not a solid link proving the urine and
blood samples belong to Bonds. This isn’t it though. Just Sunday it was said that there is a rumor that
MVP Alex Rodriguez used steroids. Rodriguez came back Monday to admit that he did use sport
enhancement drugs during 2000-03. At least he has the dignity to just tell the truth. A baseball
player here at B.E., Josh Whitimer, said gravely, “It’s very disappointing being a baseball player and
seeing the pro’s cheating like this.”
This problem has become just plain ridiculous. There’s no way to get around the evidence. For a
long period of time MLB tried to just ignore the facet that their players were using enhancement
drugs. Now with the evidence blown wide open they have made mere baby steps to fix the problem.
They have made the suspension greater now if players are proven to have used steroids. A small
improvement they have made is for the first time a player will miss 50 games for a first offense, 100
games for a second and a lifetime ban for a third.
It would be nice to see MLB doing something to try to clean up baseball but in all reality they don’t
want to get too involved. Player’s need to start taking it upon themselves to stay clean. If MLB would
make more consequences for using steroids maybe players would think twice. As Hutchins put it, “It’s
just not fair to those Athletes who train year round and work hard.” Until then players will continue to
use steroids, Selig will act like he’s fixing it, and A-Rod will keep on smashing home runs.

Spirit week is
a time of funloving
school
spirit and
enthusiasm. It’s
a time to be
excited and have
pride in the school. So much
goes into attempting to get
the students pumped and
ready to for our sports
teams to dominate. But is all of the effort
receiving good results?
This year’s line up is as follows: favorite team
day, superhero day, mismatch and crazy hair day,
decade day, and last but not least, the actual
spirit day; a day to go all out and represent the
school. You would think this week would be
popular among the students, seeing as how this is
the school that embodies their peers and
represents them. But believe it or not, not many
people think spirit week is all that important or
necessary.
B.E. Spirited
Sugar Free Valentines Day
Every
February 14th,
across the
country,
candy, flowers, and gifts are
exchanged between loved ones.
Where St.Valentines day came
from is a huge mystery.
Valentines Day is for lovers
yet many people celebrate it with
friends. Lynsey O’Brien states
“It’s so cute but when you don’t
have a valentine. It’s good to hang
with friends.” Cupid happens to be
the god of love. In popular culture
Cupid is frequently shown
shooting his bow to inspire
romantic love
on Valentine’s
Day.
The most
famous gifts
people give and
receive on
Valentines Day
are chocolate,
flowers, and
jewelry. Teddy
bears and cards are very common
as well. “A lovely letter or a hand
written card would be a nice gift,”
Mrs. Jana, one of the office
ladies, added. You don’t have to
have a valentine to get a gift,
most parents buy their kids gifts
and friends buy friends gifts as
well. Seventy five percent of
people asked said that they do
have a valentine this year.
A good valentines day for a
girl would be to spend time with
her valentine, as Mrs. Barr would
say. Dinner and a movie is always a
plus but a twist should be added
to it. Maybe recite her a special
poem or simply do her favorite
thing with her. And of course
Jordan Tamura, a freshman who participated
in leadership and spirit week last semester, says
that, “Spirit week tries to get people peppy and
excited for the teams. But excitement really
depends on how well the team plays. You can’t get
people excited unless the pride is there.”
Superhero day seems to be the favorite day
among the students. When asked how he feels
about the days and homecoming, Dane Fortner, a
junior, said, “I like superhero day because all the
chicks wear spandex.” Not exactly the impression
our school wants to portray. Apparently this is
the kind of thing that catches the students’
attention, not school spirit.
Students aren’t very excited for the occasion
and it’s apparent in their general behavior. Laura
Jasper said, “I have no clue,” about who is
running for homecoming.
Fortner also said he has “no idea”. You can’t
be school spirited when you make no attempt to
know who’s representing the school.
Although spirit week has the good intention of
making students more lively and enthusiastic for
the school’s sports teams, I think its intention
has gotten lost somewhere along the way, and has
don’t forget the gift. Some guys
love Valentines Day but some
hate it.
Josh Osborne says “I hate it
because you have to buy people
stuff, and it’s just a stupid day
someone made up.” According to
one legend, Valentine actually
sent the first “valentine”
greeting himself. It is believed
that when in prison Valentine fell
in love with a young girl who
visited him during his time.
Before his death, it is alleged
that he wrote her a letter, which
he signed “From your Valentine,”
an expression that is still in use
today. Although the
truth behind the
Valentine legends is
unknown, the stories
certainly emphasize
his appeal as a
sympathetic, heroic,
and, most
Hearts and arrows are the most
importantly, a
notable Valentines Day symbols romantic figure. It’s
no surprise that by
the Middle Ages, Valentine was
one of the most popular saints in
England and France, and now all
over the world.
For people who are alone
there are things that can be done
to make this day better. First
off pamper yourself and then get
connected with family and
friends. Also, offer to babysit
for others that way they can go
out and have fun. Finally, watch a
movie or do something you
wouldn’t normally do for yourself.
Just remember Valentines
Day is for everyone whether you
have a Valentine or not. Everyone
has someone they love and the
14th of this month is the day to
show it!
Millions of
Americans
suffer from
stress each
year. In fact, 3 out of 4 people say
they experience stress at least
twice a month. Recognizing if you’re
stressed now, and finding ways to
deal with it are highly important, so
if you’re someone one the verge of
a mental stress breakdown, take a
“chill pill” and breathe.
Due to the pressure of senior
projects taking off to a good but
highly stressful new start, C.A.T.S
testing, and portfolios, a pretty bad
stress outbreak is taking over many
Bullitt East students.
What is stress exactly? Well
according to a statement by
Assistant Principal Mr. Wilson,
“Stress is something that causes
acne to break out, and gray hair to
form. Not a very good thing.”
Stress is also the body’s way of
responding to pressures from the
outside world. Stress can be a bad
thing of course, but stress can also
surprisingly raise you up to your
feet and give you the right amount
of pressure to prepare for
something challenging.
Believe it or not, stress has
many different categories but the
most important are the four types
of stress; Survival stress,
Environmental Stress, Fatigue and
Overwork Stress, and Internal
Stress.
If you ever caught yourself
worrying about things you can do
nothing about or worrying for no
reason at all, This is internal stress
and it is one of the most important
kinds of stress to understand and
manage, and the most common
known in most High School teens.
Internal stress is when people make
themselves stressed. This often
happens when we worry about
things we can’t control or put
been buried beneath crazy hair styles and the
urge to loaf in sweat pants.
Mr. Osborne, the leadership teacher, says the
whole point in spirit week is to get the entire
student body involved and bring them together to
have fun.
Spirit week comes a mere twice a year, but
school enjoyment should be year round. So if
students can’t even muster up some exhilaration
during this occasion, how can our school possibly
accomplish anything? Some students say the
reason they lack support of the sports teams is
because they aren’t impressed by their
performances, but can you really expect the
teams to blow you out of the water without any
support in the first place?
Come one kids, pride beats unconcern and
indifference. Don’t you want to be able to brag
about where you’re from? Well all of that starts
with passion and cheering on the teams. They
can’t successfully represent our school unless we
first build them up and make them feel worthy.
We have to give them confidence and the belief
that they can achieve their goals before they
actually do. Spirit week may only come once every
semester, but let’s cheer loud enough to hear it
the rest of the year!
Portfolios, Projects, and Tests, Oh My!
ourselves in situations we know will
cause us stress.
Stress around the school has
been very common with many things
going around, and the pressure on
teachers to make sure dress code is
intact, cell phones are turned off,
and students are behaving to their
best ability. Stress affects the
majority of the world, and
especially teens. Stress may seem
like it can’t be overcame, but it’s
best to not freak out over the little
things, and just realize that some
things aren’t big as they seem.
With senior projects finally
taking off, and some students still
left with nothing done, the
pressures are rising ridiculously
high, and to-do lists simply aren’t
giving students enough incentive to
get the job done. Most are
constantly worrying about simply
failing, or not being able to
graduate. Also with C.A.T.S testing
finally here, student’s minds are
going completely out of whack and
blood pressures are drastically
increasing.
When asked what stresses her
out the most, senior Pam Mattingly
exclaimed “Stress is something that
I think most seniors are having
around the school right now. We
are given what seems a short
amount of time to remember money
dues, senior project deadlines,
portfolios, and college applications.
It’s simply a headache.” Even
though most seniors can probably
agree, and the majority of students
can relate to the headaches, these
things won’t go away. It’s better to
try and do your best effort, than to
just give up.
So when in doubt, for future
reference and for now, just take a
deep breath, stay positive, and
remember stress
will only get the
best of you if you
let it.

Sunday Feb 15
Monday Feb 16
NO SCHOOL
President’s Day
Donkeys Donkeys kill kill more more people people every
every
year year than than plane plane crashes.
crashes.
Cranberries
Cranberries
are are are sorted
sorted
for for for ripeness
ripeness
by by bouncing
bouncing
them; them; a a fully fully
fully
ripe
ripe
cranberry
cranberry
can can be
be
bounced bounced like like a
a
basketball.
basketball.
basketball.
If If you you you are are are an
an
average average American, American, in in your your whole
whole
life, life, you you will will spend spend an an average average of
of
6 6 months months waiting waiting at at red red lights.
lights.
This weeks question to Taylor is…
“What would you do if I bit off
all the fingers on your hand right
now?”
Taylor looked some what
discombobulated and said, “I
guess I would just enjoy
delectable sweets with my other
hand.”
Calendar for the Week of Feb 15- Feb 21
Tuesday Feb 17
-Boys B-ball @ DeSales
7:30
Wednesday Feb 18
Thursday Feb 19
-Boys B-ball vs.
Highlands 7:00
Friday Feb 20
-Girls B-ball vs.
Sacred Heart 7:30
Saturday Feb 21
§ The very first actual football game was played at
present-day Rutgers University. Rutgers beat
Princeton by a score of “6 scores to 4”.
§ Stupid Law: In the state of Maine, you are required to
take a shotgun to church in case of a Native American
attack.
§ Another Stupid Law: In Kentucky, it is illegal to shoot
any animal out of a moving vehicle. Unless the animal is
a whale. So if you see any whales in Kentucky, feel free
to shoot them as you drive down the road.
1. Fart by the teacher then walk away casually
2. Pop your gum
while she is
talking
3. Tell them if
they don’t let
you use the
bathroom you
will pee on
their floor
4. Do the “jungle”
randomly
5. Steal all their
marker caps
6. Scream at
random times
7. Doodle in the
answer spots
on your test
8. Ding dong
ditch the room
9. Mock the teacher
10. Ask random questions such as
“what would you do if I ate this
desk?”