November 2009 - Choctawhatchee High School

A 4 November 6, 2009 Smoke Signals Smoke Signals November 6, 2009 A 5Homecoming 2009KingOn Fri., Oct. 23 Homecoming 2009 festivities began. At 7:40 the pep rallytook place in the gym instead of the traditional pep rally in the stadium due tothe weather. The classes of ‘69, ‘79,’84, and ‘99 were here to celebrate homecomingwith us for their reunions.The club and class sweethearts and gentlemen were presented by theirpresident with a boutiniere for the gentlemen and a corsage for the sweetheart.The court and the queen and king were also announced and presentedwith a sash for the escorts and attendants, and a flower for the attendants.Collin Sullivan and Albert Susa, members of the Madrigals, serenaded thesenior homecoming attendants. The cheerleaders and Indianettes kept thetradition of performing together as well as The Indian Princesses and cheerleadersperforming “Indian Reservation,” in the center of the gym.With the bad weather the float preparation was put on hold for most of theQ and A:Je Hong YooBy Alayna BowmanEditor in Chiefday, but in the late afternoon the weather cleared up and the students were ableto finish their floats for the parade that night.At 6 p.m. the traditional homecoming parade began. The parade featured theclub and class officers as well as the sweethearts and gentlemen and the floats.The pre-game festivities continued with the alumni cheerleaders and the IndianPrincesses on the 50 yard line for the traditional prayer. The Indianettes performedas they usually do for pre-game entertainment. During half-time thehomecoming court was announced, and Principal Gates crowned the queen-Miss Camille Dougherty.The Indians finished off the evening with a win over Washington. On Sat, Oct.24 the homecoming dance, sponsored by student council, was held in the gym.The court was recognized during the dance, and that concluded this year’s festivities.Q and A:Camille DoughertyQueenBailey Thrall/Smoke Signals1. Were you expecting to be chosenfor the title of homecoming king?A: I was expecting to be on HomecomingCourt because I wanted to be on it, but I didn’texpect to be voted King. I mean there are lotsof other people who could have been elected,too.2. How has everyone been treatingyou at school?A: Well a lot of people were excited and peoplekept addressing me as King Je Hong. Ifound it silly but nice because everyone likesto be flattered. It’s nice to be complimented.3. How did your family react whenthey found out?A: My family was cool about it. I don't thinkthey were as excited as most families wouldbe. That’s only because my parents went toschool in Korea and they don't have homecomingsthere. My older sister was pretty excitedand kept begging for pictures, though.4.What does it mean to you to be chosen?A: Being chosen was such an honor! I seriouslydidn’t think I would’ve been king andthought of it as intangible, out of grasp, but Iguess that just shows even if it doesn’t seempossible, it may be possible.5. What were you looking forward tothe most?A: I was really excited about the pep rallywhen they announced it, but my favorite partwas just the overwhelming feeling while walkingdown that 50 yard line at half time.6. What does it mean to you to beHomecoming King?A: I hope that I, with my “kingly” position,influence my peers in a better way and that weall just be happier, and love everyone!Bailey Thrall/Smoke SignalsSenior Collin Sullivan and Junior Albert Sousa, members of the Madrigals, serenade membersof the senior homecoming court during the pep rally on Oct. 23.Smoke Signals on the Net-Watch the crowning of the 2009 HomecomingQueen at www.choctawindians.net/videos.cfm1.Were you expecting to be chosen asthe title of homecoming queen?A: No, I wasn’t expecting to win, but I washoping, and it has been something I have beenthinking about since I made court my freshmanyear.2. How has everyone been treatingyou since you won the title?A:everyone has been really nice at times peoplego out of there way to say hey and I reallyappreciate that.3.How about outside of school in thecommunity?A: My family, friends,neighbors, and peoplewho are interested in Choctaw are always congratulatingme everywhere I go.4. What does it mean to you to bechosen as homecoming queen?A: It means a lot to me to think that the studentbody wanted me to represent them as theirqueen for 2009. I feel very honored and thankful.5. How did your family react?A:My mom was there when I found out andwas very excited. My parents were both proudof me and all I have become.6. How did you feel when you foundout?A: Well, it was my birthday, so it made it evenmore special and I was speechless and so excited!7. What were you looking forward tothe most?A:There were many things I was excited forbut these are the main ones. I was looking forwardto being sung too by Colin and Albert!Finally riding on the float with all the seniors!Also being crowned by Mrs. Gates and representingCHS that night at the game.8. How did it feel being escorted byyour father during halftime?A: It was great finally being able to have myfather escort me down the 50 yard line.He wasvery proud of me and it was nice to be able toexperience that with him right there by myside.Bailey Thrall/Smoke SignalsHomecoming Court 2009 Escorts2009 King Mr. Je Hong YooRepresenting the freshman classMr.Ben BurkettMr. Keenan HartleyRepresenting the sophomore classMr. Jamal BiasMr. Mikal RodgersRepresenting the junior classMr. Forrest RackardMr. Connor GrayMr. Charley SasserMr. Jonathon BowmanRepresenting the senior classMr. Jeremy CarmicalMr. Kenneth RhodesMr. Colin SullivanMr. Travis PooleMr. Raymond JohnsonMr. Lee JenningsMr. Andrew SilsbeeHomecoming Court 2009 Attendants2009 Queen Miss Camille DoughertyRepresenting the freshman classMiss Riley OliverMiss Mary GatesRepresenting the sophomore classMiss Robyn Van ZileMiss Priscilla WhiteRepresenting the junior classMiss Billi DallasMiss Mason BurkettMiss Hayden VeechMiss Sarah HawnRepresenting the senior classMiss Marlow GardnerMiss Delcie SavedraMiss Karla ZaldivarMiss Elizabeth SchantzMiss Bailee HanleMiss Jessica BackurzMiss Emily BennettSupplied to Smoke Signals

6 A November 6, 2009 Smoke SignalsHomecoming 2009 float winnersBailey Thrall/Smoke SignalsThe junior class float features a blast from the past. The juniors gottheir inspiration from the alumni class of 1989. The float featuresmountains with pictures throughout the years, a sun and an Indian torepresent Indian Uprising. A teepee, the traditional Indian home, is thecenter of the float to indicate that all past, present, and future Indianscan come back to the home of the Big Green Indian. Class of 2011 wonthe overall best float and the best float out of the classes.Bailey Thrall/Smoke SignalsThe Thespians wanted to keep the idea of the club in the float and alsotie in the Homecoming theme. They decided to do a movie theater frontscene and tied in the theme with the entrance. They used a Teepee and acut out of an Indian; they also put their most recent plays on the movieposters. They used the homecoming theme as the theater’s name, andthe showing times were each of the classes. Thespians took first placeout of the club floats.Key spends the day in the life of aBy Bailey ThrallAssistant Ent. EditorOn Wed. Oct. 21, the KeyClub made their way to WrightElementary where they spentthe day with 1st grade classes.In an effort to create acommunity service project forhomecoming, sponsor Ms.Shari Quintana and presidentJe Hong Yoo worked togetherto find an elementary school inneed of new books.Choctaw Key Club donated$400 worth of books toWright Elementary first gradeclasses.Key Club members wentto Wright Elementary Schoolthis past week to present thebooks to thefirst grade teachers and students.The Keys started their day byseparating into groups andmaking their way to different1st grade classes within WrightElementary. The high schoolstudents read two books to thestudents then in exchangespent the day in the life of a 1stgrader.Lunch time, music, healthand p.e. classes were just a fewactivities the key club participatedin.During lunch time, Key Clubwas able to sitwith a select fewstudents and chatabout theirfavorite movies, t.v. shows,books, chips, best friend, andeverything else on a 1stgraders mind.Key club President Je HongYoo said” The kids askedquestions about high schooland other various things,which we answered.”In health class the studentslearned about what is good andbad to eat. A food pyramidworksheet and a balancinggame were the focus of theclass. Next the students madetheir way to the play ground1st graderBailey Thrall/ Smoke SignalsBailey Thrall/ Smoke SignalsJenna Hickmen, sophomore, and first-year memberof Key Club, reads a book to a 1st grade class.where they participated inrecess.At recess a race was heldbetween the boys and the girlsthen the elementary vs. thehigh school students. Duckduck goose was also a crowdfavorite.After recess the kids hadtogo back to class. InSchool TraditionsBailey Thrall/ Smoke SignalsCydnee Dennison, sophmore, reads Henry andMudge to Ms. Godfrey’s first grade class. The lessonDennison taught to the students was to staytogether in a group and not go off by yourself.the class roomssome kids workedon worksheetsabout verbs andadjectives andsome continued reading a classchapter book.Throughout the day relationshipswere formed andfriends were made as the 1stgrade students clung onto theirnew high school friends."Being able to go back toelementary school for a daywas such a change," Senior,Taylor Thrall said."It has made me realize howmuch I have grown sincethen."Ending the day was hard, asthe high schoolers and 1stgraders said their goodbyes.“Although our main goal wasto promote literacy, I think wedid something more significanttoday,” Key club sponsorShari Quintana said. “Wewere able to make personalconnections with futureChoctaw students and leaveeverlasting impressions onLeonard,Lindsay composed school songsByAshtonAlcaresStaffReporterWhen Jim Leonard cameto Choctawhatchee HighSchool as band director thefirst year the school opened,there were no school songs.Leonard wrote the AlmaMater that first year usingtune from an old World WarI song, "Long, Long TrailAwinding.”In 1956, Bryan Lindsaycame to Choctaw as choraldirector, taking the place ofAndy Wright.Lindsay started on the wordsto "Big Green Indian,” which isthe school’s spirit song."Bryan would bring thewords over to me during theschool day to ask for my opinion.I made suggestions, and wecollaborated on the music,”Leonard said.Most anyone who has everheard, "Big Green Indian"remembers it. It's a uniquesound that seems to never growold. The first time Leonard andLindsay played it for the students,it was an immediate hit."I learned how to play it inthree days." said Peggy StarkeyRice. Indeed, in 1963, a groupin Nashville recorded the song.that Lindsay had sent them, as asingle pop song. The flip sideof the 45 rpm record had thesong, "The Loneliest Boy on theBeach", reminiscent of theBeach Boys."We kind of have to thankElvis for the success of ‘BigGreen Indian.’ He changedmusic at that time, and that iswhy " Big Green Indian" has arock 'n roll bass," Leonard said.Allison Lindsay Lofe, daughterof Bryan Lindsay said, "Dadwas very proud of all the songshe wrote."Lindsay also wrote, “FightOn!” another school song.Lindsay passed away in 1996in North Carolina. Jim Leonard,with members of his familyown Playground Music Center.He retired from Choctaw in1967, but has helped outwith the band over the years.Throughout the years thesesongs have been an importantpart of the Big GreenIndian tradition. The songsare a part of the tradition ofthe school as they are usedon a weekly basis at pep rallies,games, and throughoutthe year.Next Issue: How we startedriding the horse at games.(FSU stole it from us!)”

Smoke Signals November 6, 2009 A 7First LadyContinued from page 1At the sound of this the crowdcheered in praise of Obama. Theannouncement of pay raises formilitary servicemen created aneven greater craze. She announcedimprovements in housing and supportfor those in need of sellingtheir homes after receiving orders.The first lady acknowledged theappreciation that the communitiessurrounding Eglin and Hurlburthave for the sacrifices of militarymembers.She urged those in the crowd tosimply “reach out” to a militaryperson in need of assistance.“It could be something as simpleas babysitting or helping out with acarpool,” she said.She wanted to let the crowdknow that it was time for militarymen and women to feel special andto thank them for what they havedone.“At the very least, you can doone simple thing. You can take thetime to say thank you. Say thankyou for the sacrifice you are making,”said Obama.Obama shifted the speech, statingshe knows “first hand” thekind of men and women servingtheir country on Eglin. TheObama's family physician, Lt. Col.Bob Lyman, is a former Eglin airman.“I know first hand howextraordinary the people ofEglin are,” said Obama.“Now, let's get out of thisheat,” Obama said closing herspeech, and exiting the stage, asthe crowd parted, some wentoutside to beat the traffic, whileothers squirmed to get a closerlook at the first lady.The crowd pushed and shovedwanting a closer look and a possiblehandshake or hug fromObama-surrounded by SecretService men. Some were successfulin shaking the firstlady’s hand; others were not aslucky.Secret Service denied autographsto those holding out pictures,except for Obama's fourthgrade classmate and a localphysician, Virgil Brown.Some cried, even those notclose enough to the first lady totouch her. A little girl in front ofthe crowd reached out her handto be recognized by the firstlady. Obama looked down andhugged the little girl, sendingher into a fit of giggles, followedby tears.Obama took a moment toshake more hands and to hugmore in the crowd beforedeparting. She waved to thecrowd before stepping up intothe military plane for departure.“I know first hand how extraordinary thepeople of Eglin are.”-Michelle Obama, first lady, tells militaryMrs. MichelleObama, firstlady, reaches intothe crowd of militaryfamiliesafter making aspeech on Oct.15 at Eglin AFB.Mrs. Obamashook hands andlaughed withmilitary dependents;some whowaited severalhours in the heatto see and hearher.Asha Kennedy/Smoke SignalsStyle Marchers New York-BoundEmily Cole/ Smoke SignalsFrom left to right:James Franklin (Trumpet Section Leader), Emily Powell(Woodwind Captain), Delcie Savedra (Drum Major), Mr.Chad Hannah, Brett Jones(Brass Captain), DJ Rhodes (Center Snare) show off the Macy’s Parade logo. excitementfor Macy’s. The Style Marchers leave for New York City on Nov. 22 to march inthe Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.By Emily ColeStudent Life EditorIn early 2008, the StyleMarchers were presentedwith an invitation to marchand perform in the 83rdMacy's Thanksgiving DayParade. They are 1 out ofonly 12 bands that werechosen from across thecountry.Practice started early thisschool year with musicreadings every Wednesday.Along with regular practicefor their half time show, theStyle Marchers have beenmemorizing a performancefor the parade. They will beperforming an excerpt ofthe song, “DefyingGravity,” from theBroadway musicalWicked.The Style Marchers willtravel by charter bus leavingon Sun., Nov. 22 for NewYork City. They will ride allthe first day-stopping in NorthCarolina.On Monday, they will continuedriving and when theyarrive they will take a 4-hourbus tour of Lower Manhattan,checking out several placesincluding Ground Zero,Grand Central Station andWall Street.On Tuesday, they will take aFerry Tour of Ellis Island andThe Statue of Liberty. Thenthey will be free to roamaround South Street Seaportuntil they go to RockefellerCenter where they will bewatching The World FamousRadio City Rockettes performtheir Christmas Spectacular inthe Radio City Music Hall.Later, they will eat at MARS2112 and will tour Top of theRock. Finally, they will takephotos in Times Square.Wednesday they plan totour Upper and Mid-Manhattan, have lunch atManhattan Mall, have freetime in Times Square, andthen attend the BroadwayMusical Wicked at GershwinTheatre.Thursday is the big day.First they will practice forNBC and then have breakfastat Planet Hollywood. Then,finally, they will march andperform in the parade in frontof millions of nationwideviewers.After the parade they willhave Thanksgiving dinner onThe Princess Yacht. Theywill head home on Fridaymorning, Nov. 27.Fans of the Style Marcherscan catch them Thanksgivingmorning as the parade beginsat 9 a.m. and is televised onNBC. As of this date, theirposition in the parade has isnot known.Newspaper reaches milestonecontinued from page 1Columns back then includedtopics such as what coupleswere "going steady" and whowas seen with who at Fridaynights football games or theschool dance.Apart from the content of thepaper, production was an evenbigger difference from today.The first Smoke Signals staffmet each other in Ms. Lundy'stypewriting class, which doubledas a newspaper class.Smoke Signals started off asa single page in the daily news,but by the end of the first yearwas a small 4-page paper thatwas published and sold once aweek to Choctaw students.During the week the staffwould take their own pictures,type up each article, and send it(not in an e-mail) over to thePlayground Daily News. TheDaily News would then toneall the pictures, layout thepages, and then put the paperon the press.Publishing Smoke Signalstoday is a world of differences!Not only are student journalistsdealing with more worldlyissues they are producingSmoke Signals in an era oftechnology, much differentfrom typewriters and Exactoknives for cutting pictures.Today's Smoke Signals staffis a group of 21 Choctaw studentswho all love to write andcover any area of news.The purpose of SmokeSignals is to give studentsnews they want to know aboutand keep Choctaw informed.Articles today cover not onlyschool news as the newspaperdid in the ‘50s, but it also cov-ers community, state, andnational news that impacts students’daily lives.Production of today’s SmokeSignals is also very different.With the advancements in technologypages are now designedusing a program calledQuark.Photos are prepared to goon the press using Photoshop.Thanks to all of the technologyavailable the staff participatesin the entire process of producingthe school newspaper withthe exception of putting it on thepress. That is done at thePanama City News Herald.While some printed news isstopping in the age of cellphones and CNN, the SmokeSignals is on a wave of popularityattributed to keeping theneeds of the student body inmind.“We try to have articles thatappeal to every student in theschool, “ said Kelsey Calderone,Editor.No doubt, technology will continueto change,but the goalofthe SmokeSignalscontinues tobe one whereit servesas a a voice ofthe students ofthe school, aswell as an historicalrecord ofevents in theschool, communityand nation sothat 55 years fromnow Choctaw studentscan gainfrom the past.Linda Evanchyk. Smoke Signals AdviserAbove: Past meets Present:Members of the currentSmoke Signals newspaperstaff meet with editors of thefirst issue of the studentnewspaper. Seated are AlaynaBowman, Smoke Signals editor;Pat Keel Bryant, AnnFell Adams, Choctaw Class of1955 Smoke Signals members;and Kelsey Calderone,Smoke Signals editor.Far Left: Front page of the Oct. 19,1954 issue of Smoke Signals.Left: Front page of the latest issue ofSmoke Signals dated Nov. 6, 2009.

8A November 6, 2009 Smoke SignalsBreast cancer month hits close to homeBy Bailey BryantBack Page EditorOctober has been "diagnosed"with being Breast CancerAwareness Month. BreastCancer is an uncontrolledgrowth of breast cells. Canceroccurs as the result of mutationsin the genes responsible for regulatingthe growth of cells andkeeping them healthy.Usually, the cells in the bodyreplace themselves through theprocess of cell growth. In thisprocess, healthy new cells takeover as new ones die. Over timehowever, mutations can turn oncertain genes and turn off othercells. That certain changed cellgains the ability to keep ondividing without any order control.This produces more cellsand makes a tumor. A tumor cannot harmful to health or devastatingto health.The term “breast cancer”refers to the deadly tumor thathas developed from cells in thebreast. It is quite uncommon forteenagers to breast cancer.Most teenagers do not fullyunderstand the devastatingeffects. Breast cancer normallyaffects woman like your mother,aunt, or grandmother. From ateenager’s perspective, breastcancer is just either confusingor scary or even both.Although, there is a relativelynew strand a breast cancer thataffects teenagers. It is calledInflammatory Breast Cancer orIBC. It is an accelerated and acompletely advanced form. It isnot detected by mammogramsor ultrasounds or any other testof that manner. Also, no lumpsare formed by it.IBC forms in “sheets” or“nests” instead of a huge massthat can be easily detected. Itoccurs when cancer cells blockthe lymph vessels in the skin ofthe breasts.IBC grows very fast and willeventually spread to the rest ofthe body. Treatment begins withchemotherapy and then eventuallyto surgery and radiation.This type of breast cancer iscalled “inflammatory” becausethe breasts look “inflamed” orred and very swollen.Most teenagers think breastcancer is completely uncontrollableand cannot be avoided.That however is only half true.There are factors that can becontrolled to ensure your goodhealth.One factor you can control isyour weight and your diet.Being overweight can heightenyour chance of developingbreast cancer. Exercise and eatingright can definitely benefityou. A poor diet can lead youon the path to getting a lot ofcancers, especially breast cancer.Studies show certain types offood can be very risky. It is nota very good idea to a have adiet of foods that come fromanimals (meat, milk, other dairyproducts, etc.) This is not askingyou to be a vegan or a vegetarianbut eating these items allthe time can put you at a highrisk. Vegetables and fruits arethe best thing for you to helpyou avoid breast cancer.DO NOT drink or smoke.Studies have shown that breastcancer can occur more commonlyin women that drink orsmoke. Alcohol destroys yourliver by limiting its ability tocontrol blood levels. It helps tocontrol your level of estrogen.Increased levels of estrogen cancause breast cancer. Takingestrogen pills or even oral contraceptives(birth control pills)may also put you at risk.These factors are completelycontrollable. But there are factorsthat cannot be controlled.The two most obvious onesare gender and age. Obviously,being a woman puts you at ahigher risk than men. Men canalso get this disease but it’smore common among womenbecause their breast are constantlychanging and growingbecause of hormones.By the time you are in your60s that is when you are in mostdanger to get breast cancer.Family history can also putyou at risk. If you have a firstdegree relative (mom, sister,etc.) who has had cancer (especiallybefore the age of 50) youcould be at a higher risk to getit, too.Race is a factor as well.White women are the most likelyto get it than any other race.Pregnancy and breast feedingreduces the amount of menstrualcycles (most commonlyknown as “periods”) in awoman’s life. This has appearedto reduce the risk. This is notsuggesting to woman to have anenormous amount of children.Women who have never hadfull-term pregnancy or haven’thad their first child until after30 have increased their risk.Breast feeding does lower riskespecially doing so for a yearand a half to two years. This ishowever not possible. So a noteto all women: be aware of yourbodies. There are symptoms ofbreast cancer that can be detectedby yourself.There are seven physicalsymptoms.One is swelling of all parts ofthe breasts.Second, skin irritation or dimpling.Next and probably the mostobvious is breast pain.Fourth, nipple pain or the nippleturning inward.Fifth, redness, scaliness, orthickening of the nipple orbreast skin.Sixth, nipple discharge not tobe confused with weeping orproducing breast milk.Last, a lump in the underarmarea.There are 8 stages of breast cancer.The more you movethrough the stages, the worse itgets. It starts when the cancercells remain inside the breastduct without invasion into normaladjacent breast tissue. Itprogresses through with notumors at first but then tumorsstart to form. The tumor thenspreads to the chest .Eventually, it ends with the cancerspreading to other parts ofthe body.There is a tremendous amountof work being done in hopes tofind a cure for breast cancer andeven to find effective ways toprevent it. Yet still, doctorscannot explain why one womandevelops breast cancer and theother does not. Researchers areworking out how certain environmentsare a factor in whetherwoman develop breast cancer ornot. Some think even breathingcertain areas and environmentscan be a huge factor in breastcancer and spending time withcertain people doing certainthings weigh in too.Teenagers all have otherthings on their minds besidescancer. Most are not worriedabout it unless a loved one hasit. Breast cancer has devastatingaffects on the human body.Most women who get were notexpecting it. Being aware ofyour body is key to help stopthe chance of getting breast cancer.Catching it early is a goodway to keep your health andprevent it from being a killer.Photo from Smoke Signals ArchivesEach year students in various clubs participate in Relay for Life held in Etheredge Stadium.Here Interact members set up the booth they share with Wheelettes. Students stay over night inthe stadium to raise awareness and funds to fight cancer.Breast CancerWarning Signs: Swelling of all orparts of the breast Skin irritation ordimpling Breast pain Nipple pain or nippleturning inward Redness, scaliness,or thickening of thenipple or breast skin Nipple discharge(not to be confusedwith weeping or producingbreast milk) Lumps in theunderarm areaHow you can fight cancerStart a Relay for Life team now, and participatein fund raisers.Plan to be on the Powder Puff team in thespring. This event raises funds for theAmerican Cancer Society to help with cancerresearch costs.Take care of yourself now by creating goodeating and lifestyle habits to cut your cancerrisk later in life.Remembering beloved teachers who lost breast cancer battlesMrs. Paula BuchananEnglish TeacherYearbook AdviserIn MemoriamMrs. Sue KrugerReading TeacherLiteracy CoachDeceased-October 21, 2007Deceased-November 1, 2008She could be stern, but was always kind. Her laugh is still unforgettable asis the courage she displayed while fighting cancer. Mrs. Paula DuBoisBuchanan, mother, sister, wife and Choctaw teacher, passed away on Oct. 21,2007 after battling breast cancer for two years.Mrs. Buchanan’s affiliation with Choctaw ran deep. She graduated fromthe school in 1975. Her husband is a Choctaw graduate, and all three of hersons graduated from the school.Mrs. Buchanan came to her Alma Mater to teach in the fall of 2002. Shepreviously taught at Pryor Middle School and Ft. Walton Beach High School.At Choctaw she was in the English department and was adviser of theTomahawk yearbook. In her five years at Choctaw it was evident that shehad a love of teaching and working with students because although she wasundergoing chemotherapy treatments she never missed a day of school.Mrs. Buchanan was open with her illness in hopes of teaching others thewarning signs of cancer, and to bring awareness of the need for breast cancerresearch for a cure.According to her family, Mrs. Buchanan’s philosophy was, “that life is nota destination, but rather a journey; a journey on which the winding roads anduphill climbs provide the most meaningful experiences in life.”One of Mrs. Buchanan’s lasting legacies is the Paula Buchanan LaughLibrary started in her memory at the Cancer Center at the Ft. Walton BeachMedical Center. This library has DVD players and comedy movies availableto patients going through cancer treatment. How fitting for the teacher who’slaugh was most notable, as was she.Just a year ago, Mrs. Sue Kruger lost her battle with breast and lung cancer.She had lung cancer for 8 years and eventually went into remission. However,it came back, and she died on Nov. 1, 2008.Kruger was a life-long educator. She followed her husband, who was in themilitary, for 20 years raising a family and eventually came to Ft. Walton Beach.Mrs. Kruger, who taught reading and was a literacy coach, was namedTeacher of the Year at Walker Elem. in Crestview; twice at Pryor MiddleSchool and at Choctaw in 2005. That same year she was also awarded CountyTeacher of the Year and Okaloosa County Literacy Coach of the Year.Her focus was always on her students. They always came first to her. Eventhough her health concerns had her retire in May, 2008,, she could not keepaway from school and her students. She continued to work as a volunteer. Sheworked through her treatments and around doctor visits.Devan Hall, now a junior, was a freshman in Kruger’s class. He recalls heras a special teacher.“She wasn’t a regular teacher. She went beyond; doing anything it took tohelp you learn,” Hall said.Mrs. Kruger was known for her positive outlook on life, and as did Mrs.Buchanan, who was a friend of hers, she continued to work despite taking harshchemotherapy treatments. Even with a serious illness, her focus was not on herself.Mrs. Kruger’s family-her husband and three grown children- has establisheda scholarship fund in her name for students who are planning to become teachers.A true tribute to a stand-out teacher.

Look Inside:Health 3Rock&country4Books 5Scary Movies 6/7Short Story 8Fashion 9Artist profile 11Rate My Room 12SectionBBeatles Rock Band WinnerCOVER STORYSmoke Signals editors AlaynaBowman and Kelsey Calderone presentTravis Miller with a copy of theBeatles Rock Band he won from theSmoke Signals Beatle trivia contest inOct.Swing dance clubThere is a new swing dancing clubon campus. The club welcomesthose with no dance experience tothose who are advanced dancers.Join them every Fri., in the cafeteriaor on the patio.Wal Mart Gift CardGive-AwayThe Smoke SIgnals Newspaper staffand the Wheelettes are sellingchances to win one of four $250 giftcards to Wal Mart. Tickets are soldfor a $1 donation. The drawing willbe held on Nov. 18 just in time forholiday shopping. Buy yours in 1C11or 2 D08.Purple Pinky ProjectWThe Purple Pinky Project works toraise money for vaccinations for childrenin Afghanistan, India, Pakistan,and Nigeria, where polio is epidemic.On Nov. 16-20 donate 60 cents toWheelettes and your pinky will bepainted purple in recognition of yourcontribution to this important cause.Thanksgiving HolidaysThe Okaloosa School Board hasdesignated the week of Nov. 22-26as Thanksgiving holidays for studentsand teachers.Smoke Signals Stat33Percentage ofstudents who saythey plan to travelthis Thanksgivingholiday.By Cayce McCarthyStaff ReporterThe month of October is a time of pumpkins,costumes, trick-or-treating and hauntings. Youmaybe surprised by this but there are two hauntedplaces here in North West Florida.Have you ever drove across Brooks bridge at nightand strangely hear the howl of wolves and see ripplesacross the water when no fish jumped and nowind is blowing? Ever heard of a friend or relativewho have gone to stay at Crestview in Jameson Innand got a creepy room, numbered 208? Well if youhaven't continue reading if you dare!On the third Wednesday of the month around midnightthere is a wolf pack that runs across the watersunder Brooks bridge. Information from the DailyNews states that this legend is new and is spreading.To see this pack you have to stand on the East sideof the bridge but not many people have been thatlucky.The wolves haven't even reveled themselves toworkers around the bridge who have been there fordecades. But that doesn't mean you can't try foryourselves. Another ghost tale of Brooks bridge isthat an old mans spirit dwells near the bridge.According to the story the spirit lives in the homelesspeople who sleep under it. So take caution asyou cross the bridge and watch out for the pack.Unfortunately our travels in the paranormal worldis not over. At the beautiful Jameson Inn inCrestview there is a terrifying room on the secondfloor, room 208. The assistant manger says she hasnever heard of the ghost but its been mentioned inthe newspaper around there and they even had ghosthunters there.My brother Patrick went to the room to take picturesof it and when he was in the room he said itwas creepy. He got goose bumps just taking pictures.He went to the bathroom to look at it and when heturned on the light it flickered. He tried it again andthe light still flickered. When he was done he closedthe bathroom door. But when he left the room hesaw, while closing the room door, the bathroom dooropening.He put the key back in the door to unlock it to seeif the door was opened but the key wouldn't unlockthe door. By that time he didn't care he just left withmy Mom , Ms. McCarthy. The tale goes that whensome guests stay there they smell strange smellsalong with cigars , cigarettes , and things that burnout of no where.Even when the hotel was built in 2000 peoplesaw on the second floor the apparition of a guywalking through the hallways of the second floor andfrequently hanging around the elevator. Employeesthat work their claim that the man haunts the room208. So if you want a good scare you can check in toroom 208 but let’s hope you safely check out. Here'sa little more of a challenge while in the room watch1408 and see if you can sleep at night.

2B November 6, 2009 Smoke SignalsCollege Profile: Florida State UniversityBy Alayna BowmanEditor In ChiefFlorida State University is aninternationally recognizedteaching and research institutioncommitted to preparing ourgraduates for the ever-expandingopportunities of a global society.Our students are diverse.They come from every countyin Florida, all 50 states, and over128 countries. Nearly 30% areminority, and 57% are women.The middle 50% of the Fall 2008accepted freshman class is: 3.7-4.2 GPA; 1190-1330 SAT onCritical Reading plus the Math26-29 ACT.The top quartile of FSU’s fall2008 accepted freshman classrivals any selective school in thenation with an average GPA of4.43, and average SAT of 1398on the Critical Reading plus theMath, and an average ACT compositeof 31.The top five colleges byenrollment are: Arts andSciences, Business, SocialSciences, Human Sciences andEducation. The top five majorsare:Finance,PoliticalScience/Pre-Law, Psychology,Biological Science/Pre-Med andInternational Affairs. FSU is aCarnegie Doctoral/ResearchExtensive institution awardingover 2,000 graduate and professionaldegrees each year.FSU is a national leader inthe number of doctorates awardedto African-American studentsand in the graduation rate ofAfrican-American undergraduates.The 2008-09 school year was avery good year for national fellowships.Florida State studentsnot only won Truman andFulbright awards, they also continuedto set records for RhodesScholars among Florida's publicuniversities.Epitomized by recent RhodesScholars Garrett Johnson andMyron Rolle elite athletes andscholars committed to publicservice and Joseph O'Shea acampus and community leaderas well as a top scholar.Florida State's more than40,000 students are dedicated toacademic excellence and providingleadership in our complexworld.As a major research university,FSU is home to numerousprograms of research and scholarshipthat are considered amongthe best in the world in theirfields.Many members of the facultyare considered the preeminentexperts in their areas. Amongthese leading faculty membersare two Pulitzer Prize winnersand a Nobel Laureate.FSU’s faculty has an overridinginterest in helping the university’sstudents—and especiallyits undergraduates—learn andachieve in the institution’s classrooms,research laboratories,theaters and studios.FSU equips most classroomsand teaching laboratories withadvanced technology so thatmembers of the faculty takeadvantage of the newestInternet-based educational toolsto keep students in touch withtheir learning even when theyare outside the classroom.Undergraduates have manychances to partner with facultyand research groups to engage inresearch and creative activity atthe intellectual cutting edge.Apply online atadmissions.fsu.edu/undergradapp/.Submit official highschool and all college/university(dual enrollment) transcripts.Submit official ACT (#0734)and/or SAT (#5219) results forevery test taken.Submit the residency statement.Contact the academic departmentdirectly if majoring inFlorida State University Stats-Mascot: SeminolesLocation: TallahasseeDistance from Ft. Walton Beach: 165 milesStudent Enrollment: 40,000dance; motion picture, television,and recording arts; music;or theatre.Freshmen application due dateis january 20, 2010. Admissionto FSU is competitive. Itrequires graduation from aregionally accredited highschool with certain high schoolacademic units, a cumulativegrade point average (GPA) inthose academic units, and testscores.A variety of other factors arealso considered in the reviewprocess; these include the writtenessay, the pattern and qualityof courses and curriculum, gradetrends, class rank, and educationalobjectives.Applicants who bring otherimportant attributes to theUniversity community may alsoreceive additional consideration.These applicants include studentsapplying to CARE, visualand performing artists, andskilled athletes.The units listed below representthe minimum required foradmission consideration:4 units of English, at least threewith substantial writing requirements.3 units of mathematics atthe Algebra I level and higher(beginning in 2011, a freshmanapplicant must successfullycomplete four units in mathematics,all of which must be atthe Algebra I level and higher)3units of natural science, at leasttwo with laboratory and 3 unitsof social science, 2 sequentialunits of the same foreign language3elective units, preferablyfrom the English, mathematics,natural science, social science,or foreign language areas.The typical student accepted toFlorida State has 4.5 units ofEnglish, 5 units of math, 4.5units of natural science, 5 unitsof social science, and 3.5 unitsof foreign language.Florida StateUniversity offers 275degree programs onthe undergraduate,graduate, specialistand doctoral levels.There is also a medicalschool and lawschool.The faculty is distinguishedwith twoPulitzer Prize winners,30 Fulbright Scholars,and 11 activeGuggenheimFellowship recipients.The Office of Admissionsrecalculates all grade point averagesthey do not use the GPAslisted on your high school transcriptor report card.Only academic subjects will beused in the recalculation. Gradesof C- or better in dual enrollment,AICE, AP, and IB courseworkwill receive 1 full bonuspoint in the calculation; gradesof C- or better in honors, pre-AICE, pre-AP, and pre-IB willreceive 1/2 bonus point. Forrepeated courses, we will onlyforgive a low grade if the exactcourse has been repeated.SAT/ ACT: Applicants maytake both exams, since we usethe best composite/total scorefor admission purposes.Applicants may take each exammore than once, since we use thehighest subscores to create theACT composite and SAT total.Students are not guaranteeadmission. The typical studentadmitted to Florida StateUniversity has higher subscores.The January 23, 2010 SAT andFebruary 6, 2010 ACT are thelatest tests that we will use in theadmission process for applicantsapplying for the summer or fallterm.

Smoke Signals November 6, 2009 3BIn The KitchenwithMarySTUDENT HEALTHBy Mary StoneStaff ReporterHey!It's that time of year, fall ishere again! We just made itthrough Halloween, andbefore long, it will beThanksgiving, Christmasand New Year’s: the mostnotorious food holidays.So it’s best not to indulgetoo much on those sweettempting snacks, like thepiles of Halloween candyleft over.Even if it’s not your favoriteholiday, you have to admitthe candy is a pretty awesomeaspect of Halloween.If you are like most, youwill probably be at somekind of fall party or event,so check out these foolproofrecipes to add to the fun!These are also great tomake if you're babysittingfor neighborhood kids. Letthe little ones pitch in, too,to keep them busy and getsome things accomplishedbefore the sugar rush!Caramel Apples6 apples1 (14 ounce) package individuallywrapped caramels,unwrapped2 tablespoons milk6 wooden craft sticks1. Remove the stem fromeach apple and press a craftstickinto the top.2. Butter a baking sheet.3. Place caramels and milkin a microwave safe bowl,and microwave 2 minutes,stirring once.4. Allow to cool briefly.5. Roll each apple quickly incaramel sauce until wellcoated.6. Place on prepared sheet toset.By Bailey BrooksStaff Reporter(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Caramel-Apples/Detail.aspx)Roasted PumpkinSeeds1 1/2 cups raw wholepumpkin seeds2 teaspoons butter, melted1 pinch salt1. Preheat oven to 300degrees F (150 degrees C).2. Toss seeds in a bowl withthe melted butter and salt.3. Spread the seeds in a singlelayer on a baking sheetand bake for about 45 minutesor until golden brown;stir occasionally.(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Roasted-Pumpkin-Seeds/Detail.aspx)Green Ghoul Punch1/2 gallon limeade1 liter ginger ale1/2 gallon lime sherbert1. Mix together juice andginger ale.2. Scoop sherbert and add topunch.3. Add marshmallows andmaraschino cherries to floatin punch.(http://www.easy-kidsrecipes.com/halloweenrecipes.html)Not only is holiday is holiday season right around thecorner, it is also time for a lot of sugar to take place in ateen’s everyday diet.The average teen consumes 34 teaspoons of sugar a day.This calculates to the average American downs 135 poundsof sugar annually. Even though sugar is the body’s primarysource of energy, eating too much can be very unhealthy.Sugar is naturally present in most foods except meat.The recommended daily allowance of calories from carbohydratesis 55 percent. In this, no more than 10 percentshould come from refined sugar.Lactose is the type of sugar found in milk, fructose is thesugar in fruits, and maltose is the sugar in grain products.Sucrose, the sugar refined from sugar cane and sugar beets,has no greater adverse affect on body function than any ofthe other sugars.Most sugar comes from kid’s cereal and sodas. A lot ofsugar comes from unexpected foods like white bread,crackers, cured meats, pre-packaged meals, and condimentssuch as ketchup, mustard, and salad dressings. These foodscontain all the sugar we want without all the extra calories.Almost everyone is born with a sweet tooth, but insteadof always eating candy to tame your this, you can alwaysdo the healthy thing and eat fruit. Instead of eating a wholebag of candy at a time try eating one after dinner fordessert.“Fresh fruit can help tame a sweet tooth! The key is to eatsweets in moderation and remember to brush and floss yourteeth afterwards,” said Nurse Lisa Pugh.Avoid eating processed foods and consuming sugary beverages.A temporary side effect of sugar may be seen 2 to 4hours after excessive sugar consumption. A reaction isprobably due to a rapid fall in blood sugar and consists ofsweating, hunger, dizziness, fatigue, or sleepiness.The reaction is brief and harmless and an be relieved bythe passage of time and by eating a food containing somesugar, such as fruit juice.These symptoms do not occur after eating a normalamount of sweets; nor do they occur in everyone. Candydoes not cause heart disease, or diabetes. Most people thinkthat eating a lot of sweets that will cause obesity, hyperactivity,acne, and a lot of it is not junk food.Natural sugars found in fruit and dairy products are notharmful. Drinks with artificial sweetener are the largestsources of added sugar.Many fruit juices and drinks can contribute to energyimbalance, malnutrition, and teeth problems.Sweetened soda not only contributes to obesity, but leadsto ruining of teeth enamel, causing cavities. A can ofsoda contains 10 teaspoons of sugar, which is thedaily recommended value for adults.Drinking soda causes problems that could lead todiabetes, like weight gain; though studies show thatlean people tend to eat more sugar than overweightpeople.Brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose,fructose, fruit-juice concentrate, glucose, high-fructosecorn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, maltsyrup, maltose, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, andsyrup are the forms of sugar that have the highestamount of calories.Artificial sweeteners, also called sugar substitutes,are compounds that offer the sweetness of sugarwithout the same calories.They are anywhere from 30 to 8,000 times sweeterthan sugar and as a result, they have much fewercalories than foods made with table sugar. Each gramof refined table sugar contains 4 calories. Many sugarsubstitutes have zero calories per gram. The sugarsubstitutes don't count as a carbohydrate, a fat, or anyother exchange. In a diet, artificial sweeteners areconsidered "free foods."Most people think that artificial sweeteners arebetter, actually artificial sweeteners come with theirown health risk.Some sugar substitutes are derived containingbleach. Saccharin , cyclamates , and aspartame arethe most common used artificial sweeteners. Studieshave linked artificial sweeteners to causing cancer,brain damage, and genetic mutations.Consuming refined sugars in large amounts causes asharp rise in blood sugar levels. Eventually, this cyclemay impair the function of the pancreas, the organwhich produces insulin. This is the primary factor intype 2 diabetes.The difference between simple and complex carbohydratesis that simple sugars are absorbed rapidly,causing blood sugar levels to spike. Complex carbohydratestake much longer to digest, making it easierfor the body to regulate their absorption.A way to prevent consuming a lot of sugar eat it inmoderation. Limit the amount of sugar you buy, themore you have in your house the more likely you areto eat it all at one time. Consider keeping sweets fordessert, avoid eating sweets for snack, and alwaysbrush your teeth afterwards.

4B November 6, 2009 Smoke SignalsA little bit ofCountryand a little bit ofRock and RollShelton performs at Mullet FestivalThis reporter was lucky to get to meet Blake Sheltonat the Mullet Festival last month.By Ashley AllenStaff ReporterBlake Shelton was born onJune 18, 1976, in Ada,Oklahoma. He wrote songs as ateenager and honed his performingstyle as he playedhonky-tonk bars and became aregular on a local countrymusic show.Back home at only 16 yearsold, Shelton had receivedstatewide attention when hewon the Denbo DiamondAward, the top award foryoung Oklahoma entertainers.Just out of high school, WarnerBros. recording artist BlakeShelton left his hometown Ada,Oklahoma to move toNashville to pursue his musiccareer. In Nashville, Sheltonwas able to get several songspublished with Naomi MartinMusic, Warner Music, andJerry Crutchfield Music.In 1997, he was co-writingwith a friend who tipped offsongwriter/producer BobbyBraddock who co-wrote thestandards "He Stopped LovingHer Today," "D-I-V-O-R-C-E"and "Time Marches On,"among others. Braddock ultimatelyserved as the producerfor Shelton's self-titled debuton Warner Bros. Nashville.Shelton turned his songwritinginto a successful recordingin 2001 with his debut single,"Austin."; the song eventuallyspent five weeks on the billboardsas number 1, givingShelton great recognition allover the country music industry.Also tying with Billy RayCyrus record for a debut single."All Over Me" and "Ol' Red"followed in 2002, allowingShelton's album to go gold.His star-power was on therise, and Shelton was as busyas ever. He wasted no timerecording a sophomore release.The Dreamer appeared inFebruary 2003, hot on theheels of the Top 10 single"The Baby" where he alsoreached No. 1 for threeweeks.He spent most of the yearon the road with Toby Keithand married his high schoolsweetheart. The couple laterdivorced in 2006.Since his music career haskicked off he has released atotal of 8 albums, with hismost recent “Starting Fires”selling rapidly through allthe stores.As many people know,Blake Shelton appeared atthe Boggy Bayou MulletFestival on Saturday Oct. 17.There he performed many ofhis number one hits to thepeople of Okaloosa County.The crowd was unbelievableand roared with excitementwhen he hit the stage latethat night.Pour Some Sugar for Def LeppardBy Asha KennedyStaff ReporterDef Leppard is an Englishband that originated inSheffield (South ofYorkshire), as result of theNew Wave of British HeavyMetal Movement. The bandformed in 1977. In Nov., thefirst Def Leppard rehearsalhappened in a spoon factorynear Bramall Lane,Sheffield.The band has released 11albums between 1980 and2008: On Through TheNight (1980), High 'N' Dry(1981), Pyromania (1983),Hysteria(1987), Adrenalize(1992), Retro Active (1993),Slang (1996), Euphoria(1999), X (2002), Yeah!(2006), and Songs from theSparkle Lounge (2008).The original name, DeafLeopard, changed to DefLeppard by lead singer JoeElliott, bass player Rick"Sav" Savage, guitarist PeteWillis, and drummer TonyKenning. Elliot coined theoriginal name in 1975 whilestill in school.Leppard became one of thetop selling rock bandsthroughout the 1980's, sellingover 65 million albumsworldwide, including over35million in the US alone.Pyromania sold six millioncopies in 1983, ignited bysubsequent singles such as“Photograph”, “Rock ofAges”, and “Foolin'” (morethan 100,000 copies everyweek that year). The albumwas refrained from the topof the US album charts onlyby the late MichaelJackson's Thriller. TheRecording IndustryAssociation of America (RIAA)certified the album diamondsince.Joe Elliot was born on Aug 1,1959 in Sheffield, England. Inhis youth, he was fond of the late60's/ early 70's glam bands suchas Mott the Hopple, T. Rex, and(David Bowie's) Ziggy Stardust.Elliot joined Atomic Mass,formed by Rick Savage and PeteWillis, making his dreams to bea band member come true andUsed by permission of www.defleppard.comlater forming Def Leppard.Phil Collen. born Dec 5, 1957in London, England, replacedPete Willis in 1982 during therecording of “Pyromania”.Collen was the man responsiblefor all the guitar parts in the1992 album “Adrenalize,” afterSteve Clark's death and beforeVivian Campbell joined theband. Since the recording of thealbum, Collen has developedinto one of the band's main songwriter.Vivian Campbell was born Aug25, 1962 in Belfast, NorthernIreland. Campbell was asked tojoin Def Leppard in 1992, to fillthe band's void after the death ofSteve Clark in 1991. Campbellwas officially introduced at theFreddy AIDs-awareness show atWembley Stadium. His first jobwas to accompany the band onthe “Adrenalize” tours in 1992and 1993.Steve Clark was born April 3,1960 in Sheffield, England.Clark joined Def Leppard afterbeing introduced to the band byPete Willis. The “Riffmaster”became one of Clark's manynicknames. This name was createdsince Clark came up withthe most original guitar riffs innot only Def Leppard's historybut music history as well! Heproved himself worthy of the“Riffmaster” over and overagain during his time with theband. Clark died on January 8,1991 after his extended battlewith alcoholism; he mixed alco-hol with pain killers he was prescribed.Rick Allen was born No 1,1963 in Derbyshire, England.Allen joined the band at the ripeage of 15, prior to the band'scontract signing. An unexpectedcar accident in 1984 took hisarm, but this loss did not stophim from doing what he loved.Joe Elliot said Allen became “abetter drummer than he waswhen he had two arms,” withthe help of a semi-electronicdrum kit. After 1986, the drumkit became entirely electronic,but in 1995, some parts becameacoustic again. It depended onthe setting to determine whetherthe kit was semi-electronic withacoustic or completely electronic.Rick Savage was born Dec 2,1960 in Sheffield, England.Savage co-founded AtomicMass with Pete Willis and tonyKenning in the late 70's; theband would later become DefLeppard. He played soccerfor Sheffield United,although he was a true fan oftheir rivals SheffieldWednesday. Savage playedfor United for a couple ofyears, later deciding he wasmeant to be a member of aband.Def Leppard has endeavoredsome reconstructionwith the band's member sover their existence. Themembers of the band are currentlyJoe Elliot (leadvocals), Phil Collen (guitar,backing vocals), VivianCampbell (guitar, backingvocals), Rick Savage (bass,backing vocals), and RickAllen (drums).As of Oct 16, the third legof the band's North AmericanTour, set to begin on Oct. 22,has been cancelled. “Weknow how truly blessed weare to have such committedfans,” said the band of therecent cancellation. “That'swhy we've agonized overthis decision. Even if just asingle concert, we don't takecancelling shows lightly, butunfortunately life's commitmentsneed to be priority.”The statement was posted onthe band's website. Ticketsare available for refund.Fans, and those curious tolearn more of the band, cantrack the band throughFacebook, Twitter, Iike,YouTubeandDefleppard.com. Tour dates,new photos and recent newsand updates about the bandcan be found on the websites,as well as Def Leppard merchandiseand gear. The bandis currently wrapping up the2009 tour; check the band'swebsites for upcoming dates.

Smoke Signals November 6, 2009 5BSuzanne Collins continues The Hunger Games sagaUsed by permission of www.suzannecollinsbooks.comIn this science fiction trilogy,Suzanne Collins creates adystopia called Panem that roseout of the ashes of a post-warUnited States. Separated into 12Districts, Panem is ruled by theCapitol dictatorship which dominatesthrough broadcasting televisionpropaganda.Each year Panem is remindedof the Capitol’s power by theHunger Games. This gory realityTV show forces 24 teenagerstwofrom each District - chosenby the lottery-esque Reaping, tofight each other to the death inan Arena fashioned by theCapitol.Katniss Everdeen , a 16-yearoldgirl from District 12 and themain character of the book, isthrown into the Capitol's chaoticweb of lies after sister is chosento be a tribute and she volunteersto take her place. Alongwith a boy named Peeta Mellarkthey are sent to the Capitol totrain and present themselves tothe public. Under the tutelagetheir mentor, Haymitch, the pairis forced to pretend that they arein love to be more appealing tothe citizens of Panem.We experience this terrifyinggame through Katniss' eyes. Shewas raised to be a fierce hunterand skilled archer by her father,but Katniss does no want to killthe other tributes. She doesn'twant to be killed either. Also, herfaked relationship with Peetathrows another confusing factorinto Katniss' fight for survival.After a grueling few days andcruel Capitol twists, Katnissand Peeta emerge as the victorsthrough defiance of the Capitol.There has never been two victorsof the Hunger Games and thissends ripples of dissent throughthe other Districts. They returnto their District where they aregiven all of the luxuries theycould ask for.In the sequel, Catching Fire,Peeta and Katniss are taken ontheir Victory Tour. As they travelthey see what their victory hasbegun in the otherDistricts: the riots thathave broken out andthe public defiancesthat have started.These unprecedentedevents have theCapitol furious andthirsting for revenge.It is also the 75thanniversary of the firstHunger Games whichmeans a Quarter Quellis held. This year all ofthe previous victorsare sent back into thearena to fight for theirlives for a secondtime. Katniss andPeeta are sent back into the horrorsthat they had just escapedfrom. However, with the knowledgethat they have started a revolution,it's also Peeta andKatniss' chance to show theCapitol that they are "morethan just a pieces in theirBy Emily ColeStudent Life Editor“Happy Hunger Games and may the oddsever be in your favor.”Laurie Halse Anderson writes for the trapped teenBy Emily ColeStudent Life EditorUsed by permission of www.writerlady.comAfter Melinda Sordino, afreshman, crashes an endof-the-summerparty bycalling the cops, she isthrown into the category ofhigh school "unsavorables."Her friends won't talk toher and people she doesn'teven know treat her like theplague.More and more sheretreats into the solace ofher own mind, but sometimeseven here she isn'tsafe. The events of thatnight, with the boy whomshe calls the Beast, threatensto tear down her carefullyconstructed mentalwalls.As the amount of hateshe receives increases, theamount that she talks decreases,until finally she becomesmute.Throughout the bookMelinda tells us of her strugglesof her first year highschool and remaining sane inher mind. Her anecdotes arehard-hitting and speak directlyto any student who has feltlike a social pariah.We see her fight to findoriginality in her world andstave of the loneliness, andfeel elated as she finds an outlet:art class and her emphaticteacher who encourages her.Slowly she comes to termswith what has happened, untilthe book comes to a thrillingapex and she faces the personwho has stifled her voice.“You have to know whatyou stand for, not justwhat you stand against.”-SpeakWintergirls tells the storyof Lia, an anorexic 17-yearoldwho cuts herself. Hereating disorder is the onlything that she feels she hascontrol over, so she continueseven after recentlybeing hospitalized.Her struggle is broughtinto even sharper viewwhen her best friend, andfellow anorexic, Cassie isfound dead in a hotel room.Everyone thinks Cassie wasalone in her death, but onlyLia knows that Cassiecalled her 33 times, desperatefor someone to talk to.Tortured by her guilt, Liawastes away.Eventually, her weight isso low that she begins hallucinating.Cassie appearsto her and further pushesher to not eat, telling herthat soon they will betogether in death.Anderson delves deep intothe mind of a unbalancedteen and shows the readerthe dangers of letting one’smind ignore the body’sneeds.“Anderson perfectly capturesthe isolation and motivationsof the anorexicwithout ever suggesting thatdepression and eating disordersare simply thing to ‘getover’.” says Kirkus.“This should be a muchdiscussed book, which risesfar above the standard problemnovel.”“There is no magic cure,no making it all go awayforever. There are onlysmall steps upward.”-Wintergirls

By Jared WarkStaff Reporter‘Tis the season for a horror movie. Even though Halloween has passed, it isstill a good time to catch up on a movie that will make you scared.There have been scary movies all the way back to German silent films TheCabinet of Dr. Calgari and Nosferatu in 1919 and 1922 respectively, butthe horror genre has come a long way since then. Halloween isn’t necessarilyall horror flicks though, as demonstrated by animated films such as TheCorpse Bride and Casper.Out of this overabundance of movies though, some of them stand out abovethe rest. Fourteen of the best produced, most frightening, or goriest movieswere selected to receive “Academy Awards” for their accomplishments.And the award goes to…ExorcistHostelFriday the 13thMovies in this categoryhave had cult followings andmultiple remakes and spinoffs,but none of them wereas impressive as the originals.Widely revered asclassics, these movies maynot have been greatly produced,or have the bestsound or special effects, butnonetheless were incrediblein their own right.In A Nightmare on ElmStreet, A killer namedFreddy Krueger or “TheSpringwood Slasher” wasacquitted of the charges ofhis murders of local childrenon a technicality. Thetown formed an angry moband forced him into the boilerroom where he workedwhere he ended up beingburned alive.In this classic story ofsweet revenge, Kruegerreturns to haunt his killer’schildren in dreams where hevisits them with his straightrazor-outfitted gloves and badlyburned face.After the death of her friendTina, Nancy Thompson, thedaughter of the police officer thatarrested Krueger, realizes shemust find a way to stop the evilpsychopath’s reign of terror - ornever sleep again…Elm Street is a classicHalloween movie that helpeddefine the slasher genre. It introducedFreddy Krueger to theworld as he went on to star asthe main villain in nearly a dozendifferent titles from 1984 up untilthe present.Sean Cunningham’s Fridaythe 13th (1980 / Rated R /95min.) is another worldrenown horror movie, and it isn’tdifficult to see why.The film opens to a campfire atCamp Crystal Lake in 1958where two counselors slip out ofthe group to be on their own.After they get together in a seeminglyempty room, an unseenassailant murders them both.Twenty-two years later in1980, a man in a diner reactsto the reopening of the camp,saying that everybody isdoomed; warning a younggirl Annie of a child drowningin the lake in 1957, just ayear before the double murders.At the camp, the new counselorsare busy setting upcamp, and having a bit toomuch fun doing it.Unfortunately for them, theunidentified killer hasreturned and is ready to play“kill the counselor”.Complete with a truly unexpectedplot twist, this is notyour average slasher film.As with “A Nightmare onElm Street”, this movie alsoproduced an ever-popularcharacter, Jason Voorhees,who also stars in a multitudeof movies and even battles itout with Freddy in the aptlynamed Freddy vs. Jason.Movies like this are incrediblyterrifying, but they don’tjust have to be one particularsub-genre of horror movie. Infact, some of the best moviesdon’t even fit in with a specificgenre because they’re sounique.Exorcist was an incrediblycontroversial movie of its time.Involving a demon-possessedchild who becomes violent andfoul mouthed, it drew muchcriticism from the community.Still terrifying by even today’sextreme standards, it retains itsposition as one of the mostspine-tingling films ever made,which is quite a feat for a thirty-sixyear old movie.The projectile vomit scene isEven out of a group ofincredible films, not all ofthem are equal. Some of thegreatest films in the past halfcenturyhave come from righthere in America, but havebeen seen all over the world.Underworld, a cliché vampireversus werewolf story,seems fitting with the currentTwilight craze, but this movieis so much more than that.Vampires are portrayed as asecretive clan of modern, aristocraticsophisticates who aresworn enemies with the Lycanin a blood feud that has ragedon for centuries. Each sidelongs for the war to end, andthe Lycans seem to have aplan: they capture a human,Michael a turn him into ashape shifter. Selene, a vampirehead huntress, ironicallyalso just as disturbing today as itwas back then, especially whenshown along with the girl’s eerilyslow 360˚ head spinfalls in love with him in aninevitably bad situation.Michael still remains a keypoint for the Lycans, and evenmore so now that he has an affinitywith Selene.This movie was incredibly wellmade, with relatively few productionerrors, and an incredibly talentedcast. It may not suit everyone’stastes though, especiallythose who dread vampire movieswhich, in their opinion, have allbut died because of Twilight.Stephen King’s It (1990 /Rated PG-13 / 192min.) playson the ever-popular childhoodfear of clowns. Featuring ademonic creature namedPennywise adorned in a clowncostume; it can also be classifiedas one of the most horrifyingmovies to date.It's a sort of a parable: whenyou're an adult and you thinkeverything is under control - thatmonsters and ghosts don’t exist -that they can't scare you anymore...Well, that may just bewrong: as "It" clearly shows,adults are much weaker than childrenwhen it comes to facingtheir fears, even if they aren’tliteral monsters.Very rarely do adaptationsof King’s novels translatewell to the screen, with only ahandful of exceptions, and theproducers of this movie certainlyhad an even harder jobon their hands turning a 1000page book in to a film adaptation,but despite some criticalreviews, it is actually a decentmovie.This is one of the few Kingmovies that kids can see; itisn't as shocking as TheShining, or as disturbing asPet Sematary. There is somekilling, but the violence isn'tshown, and there is someblood, but it isn't overdone.The Texas ChainsawMassacre (1974 / Rated R /98min.). This movie was filmedon a low budget; less than $100thousand, but despite that, itremains one of the most wellmade horror films to date.Upon hearing that vandals desecratedher father’s grave, Sallyrecruits her boyfriend, her brother,and her two friends toinvestigate. On a side tripto the grandfather's desertedfarm, the travelers pickup a sinister hitchhikerwhom they quickly threwout of the car.After arriving at thefarm, two of them searchfor an old swimming hole- Kirk hears a generatorand believes he can findsome gasoline. He entersthe house hoping to findthe owner. Unfortunately,it turns out to be the hitchhiker’shome, as well asthat of Leatherface, whohas some surprises for thetravelers that includessledgehammers, chainsaws,and assorted cutlery.SawUnderworldThe BlobIt’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie BrownMost horror movies aremeant to scare you half todeath, but there are some thatdon’t quite make it there.These are those movies:The Blob – the original,not the ’88 or upcoming 2011remake – was a drive-in theaterclassic. It was one of thescariest movies around at thetime, but looking back, it justdoesn’t quite have the sameeffect.The movie is about a giantJell-O-like substance fromouter space. Some teenagerswho witness the Blob’sdestructive power firsthandtry to warn everyone – butnobody will believe them. All thewhile, the Blob keeps growingbigger and bigger by devouringrandom things around the city.Attack of the Killer Tomatoes(1978 / Rated PG / 87min.) istechnically a satirical parody ofAlfred Hitchcock’s The Birds,but for all intents and purposes, itwas supposed to be scary…In various scenes, people areshown being attacked and killedby abnormally fresh tomatoes(It’s alive!). One such sceneinvolves a man drinking a glassof tomato juice from the mutatedvegetables (or fruits if that’s howyou roll); the juice endsup killing him as if itwere still alive.Complete with a Jawsparody and an AdolfHitler cameo, it is alwaysa hit at low-key parties.The movie is a play onpeople’s originaldenouncement of the ideaof non-sentient beings(such as birds) assaultinghumans. When a flock ofbirds did attack somepeople in 1975, the ideafor this movie was born,pointing fun at the peoplewho had been brought toSome Halloween movies transcendtime, becoming homage toyouth and childhood in general.These movies are still aired andwatched by all ages and demographics– A sort of tradition.It’s the Great Pumpkin,Charlie Brown is a classic airedevery year in the week surroundingHalloween. Atonly 25 minutes,it may be hard to classify itas a “movie” per-se, but it is definitelya timeless treasure that canhit home with any person inAmerica, no matter what they dofor Halloween.The only cartoon on this list, itis an oddity in the fact thatdespite it being forty-three yearsold, it still strikes a chord with allof us.The touching scene of Linuswaiting in the pumpkin Patch forthe ‘Great Pumpkin’ is a classicone that nearly everyone has seenat one time or another, and itbrings back childhood memoriesof expecting things that aren’tactually going to come – Santafor instance…Wallace and Gromit inCurse of the Were-Rabbit(2005 / Rated G / 85min.) is aBritish claymationabout a manand his dog who have set up a“environmentally friendly” pestcontrol service.When the pair begins runningout of room to store thecaptured rabbits though,And suddenly, a huge, mysterious,veg-ravaging "beast"begins attacking the town'ssacred vegetable plots atnight, and the competitionhostess, Lady Tottington,commissions Anti-Pesto –The duo’s pest control service- to catch it and save the day.With cameos, references,and spoofs galore, this movieis probably more comicallyorientedthan The GreatPumpkin, but still brings youback to childhood memoriesWell, not really specialeffects, but these are two ofthe goriest films that haveanything to do with horrorand/or Halloween. Both ofthese movies aren’t just aboutthe gross-factor, but actuallyinvolve a complex plot aswell, and both are wellreviewed.Hostel starts out withAmerican mountain climberswho are told of a hostel innorthern Slovakia full ofAmerican-loving women. Thethree men decide to go andcheck the houses out.While they are there, one ofthem is kidnapped and torturedwhile the other twowonder what’s really going on.The next morning, a second istaken leaving the third, Paxton, tosort out the whole mess.“Hostel is impossible to sufficientlydescribe to someone whohasn't seen it. It's not because it'sso good (though it is prettygood), but because it's such a creative,unusual film experience.Indeed nothing quite like this hasever been done before, at leastnot this superbly.”*1The movie has become a sort ofcult classic among some peoplewhile others dismiss it as ‘merelyanother unnecessary gorefest.’Saw III (2006 / Rated R /113min) is another movie in theSaw collection, but this one ismore geared towards fans ofgore than psychologicalmovies.It is difficult to explain theentire plot without giving anyspoilers, but this is what can besaid: A doctor is captured and isgiven a device that will kill herif she does not keep Jigsawalive.This third installation in theseries ties up some loose endsfrom the first two movies, butstill leaves plenty open to keepyou wondering until you seethe next film. That’s just themagic of the movie industry –to make you have to see thenext one.*1Quote fromwww.imdb.comThe Intellectual category ismade up of those moviesthat keep you guessing untilthe end. These are the kindof films that have a majorplot twist that nobody wouldsee coming unless they’vealready seen the movie.Saw was an instant classicwith its perfect blend of suspense,torturous mind games,and the largely unpredictablesurprise ending.The movie begins with twomen waking up on oppositesides of a dead man clutchinga handgun in one limpfist, and a tape recorder inthe other. Each of the menfind a tape in their backpocket which they decide tolisten to; like any normal humanwould.The tape plays back a messagewith the proposition that if oneof them kills the other by6:00p.m., their wife and daughterwill be spared. A short whilelater, the two men find a handsawin the toilet in the room andunsuccessfully attempt to cuttheir chains.Little do they know, they arethe latest victims of the JigsawKiller, whose past victims andnear-capture is revealed through aseries of flashbacks. As it seems,he is a tortured genius who doesnot kill his victims directly, butrather makes them kill each other– or themselves – in a perfectlythought out ‘game’ with no otherway out… Or so it would seem…In The Cube (1997 /Rated R / 90min.), six peoplewake up to find that theywere definitely not wherethey just were. With theircombined intellect, theydeduce that they’re in a sort of‘cube’ with segmented, coloredrooms guarded by traps,and only one single way out.A cop, a math whiz, anarchitect, a doctor, an escapeartist, and a disabled man;each have their own talentsand background necessary fortheir escape.With a minimal amount ofblood or profanity, this movieis one that even younger teenscould watch – with their parent’spermission of course.These are just a few of the movies you couldwatch on Halloween, but they are some of the mostfamiliar - and most spectacular – films that pertainto the season.“In general, the older films are better than thenew ones because the newer ones are morecheesy and unrealistic” said British horror-film aficionadoConan Caven; and that appears to be trueaccording to the release dates of these titles.Nevertheless though, some new movies can betruly awe-inspiring as well.To find a full schedule of movies playing thisHalloween, go to:”http://tvlistings.aol.com/listings/fl/fort-waltonbeach/cox-communicationsstandard?hid=FL56406&provider=cox-communications-standard&zipcode=32547”

8B November 6, 2009 Smoke SignalsNumber 13A SHORT STORYBy Evangeline MurphyStaff Reporter“You know that house is haunted.”My friend said, putting hisarm in front of my face to pointout the window.I looked out into the autumnday and smiled. The leaves onthe trees were now orange andred with the slight change in theweather. It felt nice. The grasswas still green in the fouro’clock sun.I looked towards the housethat Mitchell, who still had hishand in front of my face insteadof on the wheel, was pointingto. It didn’t seem haunted. Itwas rather nice, unlike themovies when they show theseold, rundown places with shuttersfalling of the hinges andwindows broken everywhere.“And you believe that?” J.C.asked from the back seat. Healso had his eyes trained towardthe house. I don’t see howthough. His black hair hunginto his green eyes.“I do. That place has notbeen lived in since 1956. Well,I mean, it was once. But theowners renovated it and stayedthere a week and then decidedto move out. So it wouldn’treally count has having beenlived in. They said somethingabout weird happenings goingon there.” Knowledge saidturning toward the house, too.Knowledge’s real name isBayla Lockhart. Can you tellwhy she got her name? She’s acomplete know-it-all. She justcalls it photographic memory.“What about you, Janie? Doyou think that house is haunted?”J.C. asked.“I’d like to. But at the sametime, I’m scared too.” I said,still staring out the window,even though we passed thehouse already.“Then why don’t we have asleepover?” J.C. said, soundinglike a really girly-girl.“Dude, you sound like agirl.” Mitchell said, turning intothe parking lot of the restaurant.“Are you sure he isn’t one?”Knowledge asked suspiciously.“Nice one, girl!” I said givingher a high five as wewalked into the restaurant.“Ha. Ha. Very. Funny.” J.C.crossed his arms.“You don’t sound soamused.” Mitchell said, peeringat him, making his eyes lookblack instead of brown.J.C. didn’t reply.We talked about the housethe whole time we ate. Therewere so many different storiesto that house. Well, J.C. hadgiven us that bit of informationand I highly doubted any ofthose stories were true.But J.C. had to causeKnowledge to throw her napkinat him. He ducked; making thenapkin hit the person sittingbehind him and then the waitress.Knowledge made himapologize.By the time I got home, weestablished that Mitchell wasgoing to call the owners and seeif we could stay the night thereto see if it was really haunted. Ididn’t want to, but the three ofthem would make me, so Iagreed quietly. So, just like themovies. We were probablywalking into a haunted house‘unknowingly’ and the ghostwill pop out and kill us all.Wow. I’ve been letting myimagination roam too much.I woke up the next day tothe annoying beep of my alarm.And my mother banging on mydoor to tell me to wake up. Ijust got my locker when J.C.grabbed the back of my backpackand dragged my down thehall to an empty classroom; Iwas yelling at him the wholeway.Knowledge was therealready, sitting all nice and prettyin on of the desks. Her glasseswere on the tip of her nose as shepeered down into her book.“I got her, Know.” J.C. said,still not letting go.I was wondering how fast Icould get out of my backpackand to my locker before J.C. wasable to catch me. The oddsweren’t in my favor.“You could’ve let her go toher locker first. Mitchell isn’there yet.” She said, glancing upfrom her book.He let go of mybackpack andslumped down into achair. I blinked, andthen he was asleep.I rushed back tomy locker andswitched out mybooks. I slammed mylocker, makingmyself jump, andtrudged slowly downto the empty classroom.J.C. was stillpassed out on thedesk, Knowledge andMitchell hangingover him. Slowly,Mitchell took a penout of his pocket, capstill on, and pokedJ.C.’s face.Nothing.So he poked himagain and again.Still nothing.“For Pete’s sake!”Knowledge slappedMitchell’s hand away.“Wake up, J.C.!Mitchell’s here!”“Mitchie!” J.C.said standing and givinghim a huge bearhug.“J.C.” he growled,“Put me down!”Knowledge hadsat back down andput her glasses backon the bridge of hernose, her gel blue eyes dartingfrom her book to us. I lookedover at it. It was a ghost book.“Really, Know?” I asked,walking over and picking it up.Ignoring the small pain shootingthrough my back from my backpackas I moved over there.“I couldn’t help it. I wantedto know more. See if there’s anythingin there that might help us.Did you know that sometimesghosts can take the shapes ofpeople or things you’re used toin order to mess with your mind?And that way, some can easilytrap you and kill you in the samehorrible way they died.” Shesaid simply.“And you still believe all ofthat?” J.C. asked grabbing thebook from my hands and flippingthrough it.“Well, yeah, some of it.Besides, it’s a really good readanyway.” Knowledge said, slippingthe book out of his handsand back into her bag.“Janie, you don’t believe thatall of this ghost stuff is just aload of-”“Jonathan Clarke. Don’t usethat language here.” Mrs. Lesliesaid, walking into the classroom.J.C. just looked down andmumbled a sad “Sorry.”We sat in our seats for thefirst class, not mentioning anythingabout the haunted house.Come to think about it, none ofthem told me why J.C. haddragged me here in the firstplace.They day came and went, justlike the flip of a textbook. Ha ha!Like anyone really reads theirtextbook. (Stupid joke, but bearwith me here. I’ve spent thewhole night wondering aboutthis ghost stuff and tried not tofall asleep in any of my classes…whata great day.)I reached the doors when,again, J.C. grabbed my backpackand pulled me in the oppositedirection.“Again with the pulling andthe waiting?” I asked.“Yep,” He said over his shoulder.I shrugged. Well, tried toshrug.Instead of a classroom, hedragged me to the library.“I’m surprised. You actuallyknow where the library is.” Isaid.“This is a library?” he askedstupidly. “I never would’veguessed.”Mitchell was sitting at one ofthe tables, homework out andwaiting for us.“Where’s Know? You know,because she’s, like, in the know.”J.C. said.I rolled my eyes.“Janie, do you think youcould come out to the house thisFriday?” Mitchell asked.“We’re really going throughwith that?” I asked.My eyes must’ve been wide,because J.C. asked, “Are youreally scared? You really believein that stuff?” at the same timeMitchell told me, “You don’thave to go if you don’t want to.”I just nodded my head,stunned. We were really goingthrough with all of this. I thoughtwe were all just joking, or atleast, not making serious plansto stay the night there.Knowledge walked in afterthat. I just kept staring straightahead, waiting for someone toyell “Tricked ya!” or something.“Well, the owners said wecould stay there tomorrow nightand-”“Tomorrow’s Thursday. Idon’t like staying over at people’shouses on school nights.” Iinterrupted Mitchell.“Sweetie, tomorrow’sFriday.” Knowledge said pattingme lightly on the head.I felt stupid after that.“Well, we are allowed tostay the night there tomorrownight, but only that night.”Mitchell said. He turned towardJ.C. “And no parties.”Mitchell then went overthings we needed to bring andthings that weren’t allowed inthe house. All of that jazz.Before I could make it stop, itwas Friday night and I waspulling up into the driveway ofthe supposedly haunted house.As I got out, and it felt like I wasin a very stupid horror film.Four kids walk into a housethat is haunted. Weird thingshappen, like the water turns onin the kitchen and no one knowswho did it. Then a person in awhite sheet jumps outand yells, “BOO!”But no, this is real.And I’m not bankingon a person walkingout in a sheet sayingboo. That would benice. And very differentthen the usual. Iactually wish it wouldhappen just so it wouldcalm my nerves.I walked inside andsaw Knowledgealready on the couch,lost in a book.Nothing really happenedduring the night.We watched TV., tookturns taking a shower,ordered a pizza, andwatched TV. Did Imention that already?One time, I turnedto the wall for a briefsecond and sworn Isaw writing on thewall, but then I blinkedand it went away.The lights flickeredand the TV turned off.J.C. just turned it backon.The lights flickeredagain and a girlappeared in the doorwayto the kitchen. Weall froze and let the TVdo the talking. Sheglared at us fromunderneath her eyelashes.Her eyes lookingblack, just like her hairwhich hung to her shoulders intwo braids. Her skin was thepurest of white.“She doesn’t sparkle.” J.C.whispered.She snapped her eyes to hisand he froze again.No one bothered to tell himthat vampires are mainly theones to sparkle, not ghosts. Butno one really cared at themoment…or ever. It’s not likeJ.C. listened to anything, anyway.Suddenly, the TV snapped offand the lights dimmed. Theydimmed again and again andagain. I was afraid that the lightswere going to go out completely.Everyone was too stunned tomove. They just kept their eyesstuck on the girl in front of them.I studied her a little closer. Shehad a black cat curled in her leftarm. It was hard to tell it fromthe black dress she wore. Theonly way I could tell it apart wasthat it was staring at me with theyellow-green eyes, tail swipingback and forth slowly. Her righthand was stretched down by herside, facing us was a crackedmirror.“What are you doing here?”she hissed.Her voice was like a child’s,simple and quiet, yet eerie andunknown at the same time.“Um…we were just…um…”J.C. tried.Her right arm slid slowly tobehind her back as he spoke.“What are you doing?” he asked,suddenly back to his normal,mocking self.I was thinking many differentthings in my head. Mainly it washer pulling out a knife and slowlywalking towards us. Going upto Knowledge first, since shewas the closest, and sticking itstraight in her before she couldrun away. Then pulling it out andwatching her fall down the floor,pain in her every move. Shemoved to the others next, doingthe same. The knife was glisteningwith dark red blood anddripped off as she movedtowards me. The black cat wasnow sitting on the body ofMitchell, interested and amused.Then I felt the knife go throughme…and pain.“What are you doing here?”she asked again, pulling me outof my overactive imaginationarythoughts.“We should be asking you thesame.” Mitchell said shakily.She tilted her head to theside and stared at him. Maybemy imagination isn’t that overactiveafter all.She slowly moved her armfrom behind her back and held itout in front of her, facing us.The cracks formed the number13. The number started toturn black as the lights flickered.There was a scream and shewas gone, the mirror still there inmid air before falling down andbreaking into pieces.All of our stuff was flyingtowards us, over our heads, allaround the room, sometimes hittingone of us. J.C. had grabbedKnowledge and me, dragging ustowards the door with Mitchellbehind us.I screamed, when we wereknocked towards the ground, butI was out screamed by another.The girl was there again, rightnext to the door, blocking ourway out. Her hair was swirlingaround her face with an unfeltwind. She looked angry, but hereyes held sadness.I looked around for anotherway out, but I was met with writingon the wall. It was stained onthere with blood.I had to pay a price that wasn’tmine to pay.Now you have to, too.-1313? Was that her name? I wasnever able to ask. The next thingI knew, Knowledge was pushedon top of me and everythingwent black…Years have passed since thattreacherous night. I still live inthe same town, though. A fewdays later, Mitchell decided todo some research and found outthat the girl was only thirteenwhen she died and her name wasAmelia Houston. She was alsothe thirteenth child of thirteenkids and was born on the thirteenthof October. Her nicknamewas thirteen and always had badluck. A sickly child growing up.She was killed in her houseby murders. They claimed thather father owed them, but theywere crazy anyways. The saddestthing was she had just gottenover being sick and wasfinally able to live her life,instead of being sick all the time.But only the good die young.I was passing the houseagain, telling my fourteen yearold son and daughter that thathouse was haunted. And Icould’ve sworn I saw her standingthere in the window. She wasstaring out into autumn day,orange and red leaves litteringthe place, and a small black catresting in one of the trees. Stillwaiting for someone else to payher price.And right below the cat,etched in the tree, was the number13.

Smoke Signals November 6, 2009 9BBundle up with patterned scarves thiswinter with these five stylesBy Isabella GustaveStaff Reporter12341. Silk scarves printed with intricate patterns are elegant and feminine. Many haveunique designs that combine art and fashion. The lightweight silk fabric can be wornacross all seasons. It is a great alternative to the basic wool scarf. A silk scarf will makeany outfit stand out.2. Houndstooth has become a trendy pattern that is popular with both guys and girls.Incorporate it into your wardrobe with a houndstooth printed scarf. This piece is a stapleaccessory of modern styles. It is much bolder that the vintage flower prints thatwere popular this pastsummer.3. Every one has been mad for plaid lately. It has been seen all over school this fall.Make this hot fall fashion trend last through winter with a cute plaid scarf. A plaidscarf is a great accessory. Avoid going plaid over board by limiting plaid pieces to oneper outfit.4. Express your personality with a graphic scarf. There are so many prints to choosefrom. Go wild with zebra print or bohemian with peace signs. These graphic printscome in hundreds of different colors and styles. Find one that is just right for you thiswinter.5. Keep warm with fringed scarves made from wool or cotton. These are classic andcomfy. Buy them in solid colors to match with any outfit. These simple scarves pullyour look together. They can also be worn on places other than the neck. Wear it as ashawl, around your head to keep your hair in place, or around your waist like a belt.Photos by IsabellaGustave/Smoke Signals5Fall from flip flops to flatsBy Isabella GustaveStaff Reporter11. Floridians love to wear their flip flops but bare toes will notbe practical when the cold winter weather arrives. Trade in yourrainbows for flats of every color this season. Neon brights and rainbow coloredflats will brighten up dreary winter days this season. The 80'sflashback neon style will surely attract attention.2.This trend was inspired by dancing footwear. Stay traditional withballerina bows and flats with a rounded toe. Bows are cute and flirtyand add a girly feel. These flats will tie your whole look together.3. Add a hard rock vibe to your look with studded flats. The hardware willgives these flats an edge. Studded flats go great with skinny jeans. They havebeen seen on stars like Taylor Momsen and the Olsen Twins.4. Metallic flats will add shimmer to your wardrobe without being over thetop. Gold and silver picks are best. They are fashionable and not too flashy.These are a great way to add some sparkle to your outfit.5. Pointed flats are the perfect substitute for heels. Rather than enduring thepain of skyscraper heels keep your feet planted firmly on the ground. Pointedflats are as sophisticated and dressy as heels but much more comfortable.234 5Photos by IsabellaGustave/Smoke Signals

10 B November 6, 2009 Smoke SignalsFair, Ice rink open this weekBy Kelsey CalderoneStaff ReporterSome of this year's fun includes aCircus, Globe of Death, StrollingMagician & Balloon Art Clownfrom Rhubar's Magic, The ArmyRangers Snake Exhibition, 4-HExhibits, Local Exhibits, LocalEntertainment, and A Fancy FeetContest.The 2009 Northwest Florida Fairis in town Nov. 3 -8. This will beThe Adventures of Tom A. Hawkthe 40th anniversary of theNWF Fair.The fair is held at the fairgroundson Lewis Turner Blvd.Wrist band prices range from$15- $20, and they allow unlimitedacess to rides from open toclose.The annual ice skating rinkhas opened again in the Villageof Baytowne Wharf inSandestin. This is the FloridaPanhandle’s only outdoor icerink. It costs $8 to get in and $2to rent skates.The rink is open Mon.-Fri.4-10 p.m.; Sat. 11am-10pm;and Sun. 12-6pm. There willbe extended hours once schoolreleases for the holidays,according ot the BaytowneWharf Web site.The rink will be open fromnow un til Jan. 31, 2010.One of the most popular ridesat the fair is the ferris wheel.For over 40 years the NW FLFair has been a major fallattraction in the area.115 Racetrack Rd., NWAcross from Choctaw High in Choctaw Plaza863-3177We have Choctawjewelryand apparel!Start your holiday shopping with us!206 Racetrack Road NW, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547244-4438FREECRAZYCOMBOWITH PURCHASE OF ANY HOT-N-READY PIZZANo Indian should be caught without a TomahawkNot that Tomahawk-A Tomahawk yearbook!Tomahawk yearbooks onsale now! Purchase fromMrs.Griggs in 2D07 for$85.Yearbooks also available online atwww.myyear.com for $85, plus a service charge.See a staff member for details on discounts onyearbooks with the purchase of a business orsponsor ad.

Artist Profile:Smoke Signals November 6, 2009 11BThe Rocket SummerBy Emily ColeStudent Life EditorUsed by permission of www.therocketsummer.comUpon hearing a namelike The Rocket Summer,one would think it's agroup of young artistsrecounting their youthfuldays.But this band, however,isn't a band at all. It'sBryce Avary's, 26, rocksolo-project. Avary producesand plays everyinstrument, ranging frompiano to percussion, thatis recorded on his CDs,all while being the frontmanvocalist.Born in theDallas/Fort Worth area ofTexas, Avary first venturedinto music when hisfather bought him apawnshop guitar at age11. He then picked up thedrums and serval otherinstruments.Avary began playinglocal acoustic shows as ateenager in Dallas, FortWorth and Denton afterbeing in "indie rockpunk" band in highschool.From there his fan basegrew and he recorded hisfirst EP under the titleThe Rocket Summer - aname which was inspiredby Ray Bradbury's shortstory - at 16. He distributedthe albums himselfto local stores to be soldon consignment.The music world firstbegan to take notice ofAvary when some of hissongs appeared on TheAdventure Club segmentof the KDGE radio station.Soon afterwards, hebecame one of the mostrequested local bands onthat program.After sellinghis EP sold in 5continents, Avaryrecorded and producedhis debutalbum, CalendarDays, in 2003 inKansas on thelabel The MilitiaGroup on a$15,000 budget.The album tookhold in the US andJapan with its variedand upliftingsongs.Touring the US andJapan extensively andpooling an even largerfan base, Avary thenbegan working on his secondalbum, Hello GoodFriend, in 2004. In contrastto his previous CD,this time he focused onmore piano central songs.Avary lets his beliefs asa Christian and his experiencesto shine through hislyrics, but also allowedthe listener to form theirown meanings behind hiswords. The RocketSummer hasn't evermoved toward being aChristian band becauseAvary insists that hismusic is meant to be foreveryone.Avary's third record,Do You Feel, released onJuly 17th, 2007, with thefirst single being SoMuch Love, when hesigned with Island DefJam Records.The Rocket Summerhas toured the US, Japan,The UK, and Canadaseveral times, often headliningsold out tours.Avary has played inseveral prestigious placesincluding the GlastonburyFestival in England andthe Summer SonicFestival in Japan. Duringthese times Avary willoften play with oldfriends from high schoolto make his sound complete,because one mancan't do everything all thetime.The Rocket Summer isresponsible for helpingnow popular bands, likeThe Plain White T'sand Paramore, debut onthe music scene aftertaking them on as supportingacts.His fourth CD, OfMen and Angels, wasrecorded the newalbum at Ocean Studiosin Burbank, CA fromFebruary-April and coproducedwith CJEiriksson.The release date is setin early 2010, butAvary will be releasinghis fourth EP, You GottaBelieve, on October 27 tohelp fans wait for the newalbum."Most importantly Iwanna do somethingimportant," says Avary. "Idon’t wanna look backwhen I’m old and greyand look back and say“wow I had a lot of funbeing a rock star.” Everyyear, and every record ICarrie Underwood’s back withPlay On, Nov. 3By Emily ColeStudent Life EditorThis American Idol fromthe fourth season is crankingout her fourth CD,entitled "Play On".Underwood’s album willrelease Nov. 3, the weekbefore she co-hosts theCountry MusicAssociation Awards withBrad Paisley.Underwood will be producingwith Mark Bright,who also did her previousalbums Carnival Ride andSome Hearts.While becoming morecomfortable with her writingabilities, Underwoodis still not quite ready towrite all of her material.She will be working withMax Martin, Idol judgeKara DioGuardi, and evenR&B songwriter/producer/singerNe-Yo.Judging by her choicesfor songwriters, it seemsthat Underwood wouldlike to move into the mainstream.Maybe we can expectsome new, unexpectedmaterial from this countrysweetheart on the mainstreamradio, perhapsanother smash hit like"Before He Cheats."A new track from thealbum will be released forpurchase and download oniTunes every week forthree weeks. Each newsong will also be availableas a free 60-secondpreview on Billboard.com.The songs begin with“Mama’s Song,” (availablenow), and continuealong with “TemporaryHome” (available 10/20)and “Undo It” (available10/27).Underwood's first singlefrom the CD, "CowboyCassanova", hit 110,236copies during the firstweek of sales and is currently#11 on the countryradio.Between her first twoalbums, the combinedsales are 10 million copiesin the U.S. which makesUnderwood the best sellingIdol winner stateside.Play List:1. CowboyCassanova2. Quitter3. Mama's Song4. Change5. Undo It6. Someday WhenI Stop LovingYou7. Songs Like This8. TemporaryUsed by permission of www.carrieunderwoodofficial.comHome9. This Time10. Look at Me11. Unapologize12. What Can I Say13. Play OnJohn Mayer’s fourth, BattleStudies, releases Nov. 17Used by permission of www.johnmayer.comPlay List:1. HeartbreakWarfare2. All We EverDo Is SayGoodbye3. Half of MyHeart4. Who Says5. Perfectly Lonely6. Assassin7. Crossroads8. War of My Life9. Edge of Desire10. Do You KnowMe11. Friends, Loversor NothingBy Emily ColeLifestyles EditorThe seven-time GrammyAward winner comes backwith his fourth album,Battle Studies, releasingthree years after his criticallyacclaimed album,Continuum.John Mayer has promotedthe cd as being somewhatof a side-step fromContinuum with "observationsand a little bit ofadviceonrelationships...[it's] kindof like a heartbreak handbook".Co-produced by SteveJordan and Mayer himself,this new album willfeature the warm and simplisticmelodies found in70's and 80's Californiarock/pop, and sets forth aconfessional vibe."I approach music likea director doing a periodpiece," says Mayer."Where Continuum wasR&B and Soul, BattleStudies was written withthe timelessness of TomPetty, Fleetwood Mac andNeil Young in mind. Themelodies and message areconcise and from-the-gutwith the efficiency of simplicity."The album was recordedin Mayer's private homein California where heworked over the course ofsix months until wrappingat Capitol Studios in LosAngeles.The album's first single,"Who Says", asksexactly that question as itchallenges the societalstandards of what one canachieve and was releasedon September 25."Heartbreak Warfare,""Assassin," and "War ofMy Life," feature universalthemes as well. On"Half of My Heart,"Mayer collaborated withone of today's most popularnew talents, TaylorSwift.Mayer's North Americantour is currently planned tofollow the release of BattleStudies in early 2010 butthe John Mayer Trio(John Mayer, SteveJordan, Pino Palladino)will be playing two exclusiveshows in San Diego atthe Copley SymphonyHall on Dec. 29tand aNew Year's Eve show inLas Vegas at The Joint atthe Hard Rock Hotel &Casino on on Dec.31.

12 B November 6, 2009 Smoke SignalsRate myroomBy Nicole RayStaff ReporterKatelyn Smith’s room is asbright and cheerful as her personality.From the bright pinkpaint to the pictures and memorabiliaon the walls, Katelyn’sroom is her own place to relaxand be creative. Katelyn loveseverything about her room butthese are her top ten favorites.Katelyn’s number one favoritething about her room is her bed.She is a huge Ed Hardy fanwhich explains the Ed Hardycomforter. She loves to comehome after school and lay thereand talk to her friends or watchTV.The comforter also goes alongwith her jewelry box and otherthings she has by this famousdesigner. “I like my bed themost out of my room becauseI’m totally obsessed with EdHardy stuff” said Katelyn.When Katelyn relaxes in herroom, she hates it when peoplewalk in unexpectedly whichleads us to her second favoritething about her room, the lockon her door. Just like every otherteenage girl Katelyn doesn’twant her family or anyone elsezine cutouts, pictures andposters.Katelyn has a big poster of thetop players on the Florida Statefootball team on her wallbecause she loves FSU footballto be able to just walk in whenshe is not expecting them, especiallywhen she can’t hear thembecause of her loud radio whichis her third favorite thing abouther room. Katelyn is a huge fanof music so she loves to blast themusic as loud as it can go in herroom or in the car.Katelyn’s fourth favorite thingabout her room is her window tothe backyard. Katelynenjoys being able tolook outside andmaybe take a short cutto the swing set that isout there as well.The fifth thingKatelyn loves abouther room is the wallbehind her bed; it isvery decorative as youcan see in the picture.“Over the summer mybrother and I decoratedthe wall behind mybed with all of myfavorite things” saidKatelyn. This wall iscovered with magaandChristian Ponder, the quarterbackwhich is her sixthfavorite thing in her room.As I already mentioned Katelynloves to lie in bed and watch TV.Her seventh favorite thing isher TV that she recently got inher room. Her eighth favoritething in her room is all of herpictures. She has pictures fromalmost everything she’s done,from softball to gymnastics tocheerleading.Another factor aboutKatelyn’s room that she loves isthat it’s bigger than her brother’sroom. That is her ninth favoritething about her room. She is theoldest sibling so therefore shegets the bigger room.The last thing Katelyn lovesabout her room is her closet. Shekeeps all of her clothes andshoes in it and it has room forplenty more that she will accumulatefrom the many shoppingtrips she loves to go on.Everyone’s room describesthemselves by how you decorateit or if you decorate it at all.As for Katelyn’s room it’sobvious that she has a bright,bubbly and very girly personalityand is very creative. Sheshows us this with the brightpink walls and elaborate decorations.If you want to submit yourroom like Katelyn did pleasesubmit your name with a statementwhy your room should befeature, and turn it in to 2D08.Students with all A’s and B’s on their report card bring it in andreceive a free small pizza!And if you bring in your report card along with a picture ofyourself with Damian Gunn your small pizza becomes aLARGE!

Inside Sports-Wrestling 3Swimming 3Football 3Basketball 4/5Soccer 6Player Profile 7YMCA 8SectionCSports ShortsFormer football coachhonoredcover storyCHS vs FWBNov. 137:00 p.m.Etheredge StadiumFormer head football coach and athleticdirector, Wyman Townsel, left; washonored by his former football playersin the Class of 1969, during the homecomingpep rally Oct. 23. Quarterbackof the 1969 team, Steve German, introducedTownsel to the crowd. The Classof 1969 celebrated their 40th classreunion at homecoming.Spirit Week EventsSpirit Week is planned for Nov. 9- 13.Each day has a special them studentsare asked to participate in: Mon., Nov 9 is “Respect YourElders” day. Upperclassmen wear“adult” clothing, and underclassmendress like kids or babies.Tues., Nov. 10 is “perfect Match”day. Dress in pairs such as peanut butterand jelly.Wed., Nov. 11 is a school holiday.Thur., Nov. 12 is “Psyche out theVikes” day. Wear psychedelic dress inpsychedelic and glowing colors. Theflashlight pep rally is tonight at 6.Fri., Nov. 13 is “All-Out Green”day. Wear all your Choctaw greenshirts,buttons and other spirit items.There is also a door-decorating contestthis week. The theme is, “Paint theTown Green.” Judging will take placeon Thurs.Mohawk MadnessChoose your favorite football player tosport a new Mohawk cut for the gameagainst Ft. Walton Beach. Players willhave collection buckets all this weekthrough Nov. 12. The player receivingthe most donations will receive aMohawk haircut. At the flashlight peprally on Nov. 12, the player’s hair willbe dyed green.Big Sun ScholarshipThis is a scholarship for athletes tohelp with academic pursuits. Thescholarship goes to the student whowrites the winning essay to the followingquestion: “How has your participationin sports affected the personyou are becoming?” For more informationvisit www.athleticawards@bigsunathletics.com.Sports StatNumber of studentswho participate inat least oneschool sport:Females 166Males 268Poll taken in SPEAR homeroom Sept. , 2009The series is tied 19 19, with the Vikes coming off a 5-year winning streak.This year’s game will be a tie-breaker for one team,and a heartbreaker for the other.By Devan Hall, Sports ReporterThis year, there won’t be any play-off implications with thegame since the teams are in different districts, but that won’tmatter when the Indians and Vikings take the field on Nov. 13 forthe 39th match-up between the cross-town rivals.The record stands with each school having 19 wins, with theVikings coming off a five-year winning streak. Every year, thereis something about the game between these two teams that standsout. This year, it happens to be played on Friday-the-13th, andthe contest will be a tie-breaker for one team, and a heartbreakerfor the other.The first year of the rivalry 1971 the game ended in controversydue to a clipping penalty that negated a Viking touchdownleading to a 12-7 Indian victory. Throughout the years there havebeen stories of great plays and near misses as the rivalry is wellknownthroughout the state and Southeast.Assistant principal Lee Hale is a former player who remembersplaying the game vividly.“When I was at Choctaw, we never lost to Fort Walton. Thosetwo games are the games I remember most. I had a lot of friendsat Fort Walton, but during that week, it was like we weren’t evenfriends, but after the game we picked right back up where we leftoff,” Hale said.Hale’s senior year- the 1988 game- he was the quarterbackwho led the Indians to a 31-24 win over the Vikes. That was thethird consecutive win for the Indians over the Vikes leading tothe Indians garnering the local city trophy.Over the next few days leading up to the game fans of bothteams will look at past records and statistics to try to analyze thisyear’s situation. While ti might be amusing to reminisce, allrecords are thrown out when it comes to this emotional crosstownrivalry.The Vikings have won the last five games. The Indians had asimilar series from 1986 to 1990.Smoke Signals ArchivesLast Year: Le’Keefe Robinson runs through Fort WaltonBeach football players during the rivalry game last year,at Fort Walton Beach High School.“If we beat Fort Walton, my mom is going to get me a new car,so Fort Walton is going down,” quarterback Jesse Adams said.“I’ve waited all year and have worked hard to play in thisgame-this is my first FWB varsity game- and I’m gonna kill theFWB defense,” said John Gras, junior offensive tackle.This year, “The Game” is at Joe Etheredge Stadium, theIndians’ home field.Since the Indians and th e Vikings are no longer in the samedistrict, the game matters for each team’s record, and for the prideand bragging rights of each school.A couple weeks ago the Vikings lost their starting quarterback,Luke Barnes, to injury, and he not expected to play in the rivalgame.Defensive tackle James Broaddus is disappointed that Barnesis out for the season, but said he is ready to take on whomever heis up against.“Since Luke Barnes is not playing, I’m going to totally destroythe rest of the team. I’ve been waiting for this game a real longtime and this will be my first varsity FWB game. I plan on goingout with a win,” Broaddus said.Heading into the the 39th game, the Indians are coming off afour-game winning streak beating Panama City Bay 35-0 on Oct.30.The Vikings were open on Oct. 30, and currently have a 4-3record. As of this print date, their starting quarterback, LukeBarnes, is out with an ACL injury and is doubtful to play in thegame against the Indians.Regardless, this game will still generate the interest and prideit has over the last 38 years.“All I have to say is everybody better be ready for the greatestshowdown ever seen between us and Fort Walton,” CodyBrannen, junior linebacker summed it up.Highlights from the match-up over the yearsThere have been some major plays that decided the game overthe years. Here are plays that broke records. These are also availableon the school Website.The first points that were scored were by a three-yard touchdownrun by Ronnie Kuykendall of Choctaw in 1971.The longest run in any of the rival games was by TracyLineberger with an 89-yard game winning run in the fourth quarterof the1985 game. Strangely, Lineberger’s run broke the previousrecord set by his older brother, Alex Lineberger the yearbefore. Alex Lineberger ran 42 yards in the fourth quarter for thewinning touchdown.The longest pass was a connection between Jace Blanchardand Alyx Schank. It was a 96-yard completion in 2006.The most rushing yards in a game belongs to Arthur Humphreyin 1980. He ran for an astounding 315 yards and three touchdownsto help the Indians defeat the Vikings 34-14. No one hascome close to reaching this record to date.In 1999, Robbie Naylor saved the game for Coach BobbyMoore, (who was in his first season), and the rest of the BigGreen Machine. They set Naylor up with less than a minute leftin the game, and he nailed a 51-yard field goal, avoiding overtime play, and winning the game for the Indians.Choctaw was the first team to win three consecutive gamesand retire the City Trophy. Those three years were 1986, 1987and 1988.Both teams have had a five-game winning streak. The Indianswon the match from 1987 - 1990. The Vikings have won the lastfive.There have been a total of five shut-outs in the history of thegame. The Indians have produced three of these five shut-outs:1977, 1979 and 1983.The highest scoring game was in 1991, and involved two highpoweredquarterbacks. Jeff Peters was the quarterback forChoctaw and Danny Wuerffel was the quarterback for theVikings. The Vikings outscored the Indians that year 33-28.The most lopsided score ever goes to the Vikings with their 27-0 shut-out of the Indians in 1972- the second game.

Smoke Signals November 6, 2009 3 COliviaTiszaSportsEditorSo far this year, I havelearned many, many lessons onlife as an athlete and life as astudent. For the most part, I’vekept those lives completely separate...Or tried to.This importance of the term“student athlete” is one that isoften just viewed as a title.Um No.Between volleyball, classpresident duties, Ms. Gentry’shomework, making dear oldDaddy’s basketball games,chemistry lab reports, and beingthe sports editor of this prestigiouspublication, it gets hardto find the balance between thesports part of my life and thestudent part of it is turning outto be a harder task than Iexpected.First off and most importantly,you have to realize that thetwo worlds, no matter how differentand completely unrelatedthey seem, they are intertwinedin a student-athlete’s life inevery aspect from the practicetimes cutting into homework tothe stress of your classes affectingyour game.Another key problem studentathletes tend to have is the factthat some are in the mind setthe GAME>TEST.Get out of that delusional littleworld right now.Colleges don’t look at howmany touchdowns you scoredagainst the number two team inthe state or what your fastesttime was at the regional swimmeet.What they do look at is whatyour grades were in your coreclasses, what non-sports relatedactivities you were in (not thatsports look bad or anything),SAT/ACT scores, and overallwhat kind of a STUDENT youwere, not athlete.Another important point Ithink needs to be emphasized isthe fact that the word STU-DENT comes before ATHLETEin the term STUDENT-ATH-LETE.There is no way around thefact that without the student halfof the equation, there is no athlete.Ask any coach here atChoctaw and they’ll tell yousame as me: studies comebefore athletics.Why do you think there is theregulation at even the collegelevel of a 2.0 grade point averagefor all student athletes?Because in life, with theexception of those few whomake it to the pros and live offtheir game, most of us are goingto need what we learned he atour Alma-Mater-to-be to getinto a good college, get ourdegrees at some level, and ultimatelyuse the skills we learnhere and in college in our lives.Now I’m a student-athlete, sodon’t think I’m against everythingpertaining to sports inhigh school; quite the contrary,I don’t think high school wouldbe high school (or ChoctawChoctaw) without our amazingsports programs.But what I do feel is that tobe successful in life and inschool, you must find the perfectbalance of sports andschool/studies.You really have to use a trialand error with your own flavorof balance... I know that one forsure.It’s taken me a while to figureout that balance and I’m stillworking on it after five years ofbeing a student athlete and yes,while it is EXTREMELY hardfor me to figure it, it has beenworth every bead of sweat andtear I’ve ever cried over it.The lifetime of memories I’vemade through supports and thelessons I have learned in theclass are ones I plan to carrywith me throughout my life andnever ever forget.Wrestling with the TRIBEBy Kyle YounghanseSports ReporterThe boys wrestling team hasdedicated their fall to training toexceed their previous recordfrom this past year (08-09 season)this upcoming winter seasonand hopefully win someindividual awards at state competition."This is one of the youngestteams we have had comethrough in a very long time,"said Coach Don Arthur.There is only one senior onthe team Brad Laster, who hasthe most experience out of allthe competitors on the team,Coach Arthur looks for sophomoreMichael Hawthorne tocompete the best this seasonafter finishing the last season ona high note."My biggest competitor ismyself" said Hawthorne.To help him compare for thisseason Hawthorne is looking torunning distance, liftingweights, and studying hismoves so he can move with precisionagainst his opponents inthe ring.The biggest competitor willmost likely be Niceville HighSchool, after they were droppedinto Choctaws district last sea-By Kelsey CalderoneEditor in Chiefson.Another person Coach Arthurexpects to do good this seasonwill be sophomore AnthonyFort,e who also finished upstrong coming out of last season.Forte is planning to traininghard as Hawthorne to becoming"Mean and Nasty", accordingto Forte. He will be competingin the 160 weight class andthis will make his second yeardoing wrestling and his progressionhas up.”Coach Arthur is agreat coach and has a lot ofexperience for us to learn” saidForteCoach Arthur wants hiswrestler’s to do as good asRobert Curro, class of 2009graduate wrestler who finished5th in the State last year forChoctaw.For the next years CoachArthur will try and develop allof his wrestler’s into the best,since they are so young andthere is plenty of time toimprove.One thing that will not happenis them get exhausted asthey run constantly.This maybe the youngestteam coming through, but theirdedication and hard work willpay off when it comes time forFootball advances to district play-offsBy Alayna BowmanEditor-in ChiefThe Big Green Machine issitting on a four game winningstreak, and all four were districtgames. Fr., Oct. 23 the Indiansprevailed over the WashingtonWildcats with a score of 28 to23 fat the Homecoming game.Although the team got arough start in the first quarterallowing Washington to scoredue to costly turnovers, theteam was able to turn the gameback around at halftime scoringmost of their 28 unansweredpoints in the second half of thegame.Justin Savage was strong onthe offense, catching two touchdownpasses thrown by juniorquarterback Jesse Adams andcatching two touchdown passesand had 6 catches for 95 yards.Charlie Lott led the runninggame with 67 yards on 16 carriesand a touchdown.On Oct. 16 the Indians traveledto Pensacola to play WestFlorida Tech for their homecominggame.The Indians had a leg up onTech, giving them a 10-0 leadby halftime. Dillon Drake alsocontributed to the game with a35-yard field goal set up byAdams’ 29-yard completion toRyan Born.The Indians shut down theparty with an easy blowout winof 23-3 for their second straightvictory. On Oct. 9 the Indianstraveled to Arnold High Schoolin Panama City to face theMarlins, who were number fourin class 3A at the time.Freddie Gray ran for 179yards and two touchdowns on25 carries. Along side Gray wasjunior Charlie Lott, having 117yards and Adams came outstrong once again, throwing 16-21 and threw for 188 yards andtwo touchdowns, and a rushingtouchdown.Ryan Born caught bothtouchdown passes made byAdams, but Savage ledreceivers with 6 catches and 95Kyle Younghanse/Smoke SignalsSenior Bradley Lassiter locks onto his opponent in the ring atpractice earlier last week. This year’s wrestling teamis one ofthe youngest to compete in several years as Lassiter is theonly senior on the team.Swimmers head to regionalsBoth the girls and the guysswim teams competed inDistricts on Oct 30, with thegirls placing third and theguys fourth overall.The swim teams have beenpracticing every morning at4:45 in the morning trainingfor the upcoming District,regional, and state meets.Michael Whitehurst said,“I’m excited about going todistricts, regionals, and state,this is the time when all thelong, hard hours of practicepay off! I’m especially excitedsubmitted to smoke signalsabout our all pro 400 free relay(me, Alex Strom, PatrickWhitehurst, and Ryan Adams).”This past Friday at the districtmeet in Pensacola theIndians finished with all threeboys' relays advancing toregionals along with the 400free relay which has the secondfastest time in the state,and secondplace by only one second.Both of the girls’200 relaysmade it to Regionals also.Alex Strom, Michael andPatrick Whitehurst, ChristianJohnston ,Ryan Adams, CodyBryson ,Bryce Munz,RossorBridwell, Kenny Hoskins,Cheryl Corvo,Jaide LewisJunior Michael Whitehurst swims the breaststroke in theWashington Invitational on Oct 3.this season as they have beenworking hard and gettingstronger to pin their opponentsor outscore their opponents inthe season ahead.Senior Captain Cheryl Corvo swims the butterfly at theGulf Breeze Invitational meet on Sept 3.,Jacque Schlageter,OliviaStrom, Hannah Totten, andMary Heapy will all be swimmingin the Regional meet inTallahassee on Nov 5.Senior swimmer CherylCorvo is enthusiastic aboutwhat the team has to bring tothe table for state. "We aregoing to kick butt and bring alot of people to state with us,"Corvo said. "I consider mybiggest competition right nowto be Sam Laughlin fromFWB; she beat me in the 100free at county two weeks agoand at districts this pastFriday, but that’s not going tostop me at regionals andstate." Corvo is one of theyards. The final score was 42to 28 in favor of the Indians.Our fist loss at home was onOct. 2 against the PensacolaHigh School Tigers.The final score of the gamewas 14 to 51. The Tigers are 6-1 total and 5-0 in district, theonly team ahead of the Indiansin district. On Fri., Oct.30 theIndians ended the suspenseearly on the Tornadoes' homecominggame.They drove 80, 80 and 66yards to touchdowns the firstthree times they touched thefootball, and Bay never had achance.Choctaw devastated theTornadoes with a 35-0 win.Jesse Adams completed 12 of15 passes for 204 yards, two ofthem to running backs FreddieGray and Marcus Rosenthal forsecond-half touchdowns.Adams also ran for a 3-yardtouchdown, all in less than threequarters as Luke Clark, sophomorequarterback replaced himonce his running time was insti-The schedule for the wrestlingteam has not been posted, butwill beposted on the schoolWebsite and in the main officenext week.submitted to smoke signalsIndians' top lady swimmers;she placed first with her goalof 59 seconds at the countymeet.There are four swimmingregions and the top eightswimmers from each regionhave a chance of going tostate.The team has won 2 countyteam meets and placed secondin one more. Most meetsare more focused on individualrelays, according toCorvo.After the Regional meet theswimmers will head toOrlando on Nov 12 to competein the state championship.tuted.Charlie Lott led with 87yards on 23 carries, including a4-yard TD run, and Gray rushedfor 67 yards on 6 attempts.Gray’s 35-yard sprintopened the scoring just twominutes into the game. CHSpiled up 277 yards by halftimeand finished with 365.With the Indians controllingthe ball for long stretches, Baywasn’t able to find any rhythmon offense.The Indians host Gulf Breezeon Nov .6 at home. The Indianswill travel to Jacksonville onNov. 20 for the first round ofplayoff games to determine theDistrict 1, 3-A champs.The Indians will take onJacksonville’s Andrew JacksonHigh who is ranked third in thestate in the 3-A division andhave an 8-0 record.The Indians have a 5-3record.This is the first time since2004 that the Indians have madeit in the playoffs.

C 4 November 6, 2009 Smoke Signals Smoke Signals November 6, 2009 C 5ShootingBy Olivia TiszaSports EditorSenior power forwardRaymondJohnson going infor a lay-up at preseasontraining andconditioning. Theboys Indian basketballteam attendedthe Florida StateUniversity highschool boys basketballcamp over thesummer. For thefirst time in sixteenyears, the annualPlayground AreaBasketballShootoutTournament willnot be held atChoctaw, due todistrict schedulingerrors. The boysplay their firsthome game underthe teepee Dec. 12at 7:00 p.m.With the fall athletic sports seasons wrapping up and comingto a close, the wintry weather brings with it not only thehustle and bustle of the holidays, but the basketball season.The boys and girls basketball teams have been workinghard around the clock in their off seasons to prepare for thisyear. The girls had one of their most successful years everlast season while the boys struggled to keep their head abovewater with their first losing record since 2003.After losing 10 seniors cumulatively (boys and girls),coaches Don Brown and Marc Tisza are looking to rebuildtheir programs for the better of the teams and have nothingbut high expectations and hopes for their squads this upcomingseason.“It’s game time,” said Coach Tisza.Coming out of a rough 6-20 season last year as well as losingfive seniors, the boys basketball team is looking fornothing less than a golden first place district trophy thisupcoming season. With five returning seniors (MattWilliams, Sam Haars, Donald Sherman, Freddie Gray, andRaymond Johnson) heading off the Indians, the prospects ofa winning season are looking up for this year's team.The boys went to a sports camp at Florida State Universityand playing in the local Beach Bash Team Camp over thesummer and have been doing some major conditioning inthe pre-season."This year's team is dedicated to Choctaw basketball andplay with a burning desire to win we didn't have last year,"said Coach Marc Tisza of this year's varsity squad."We got bigger, faster and stronger this summer and Ithink that will help us overall as a whole team."According to Tisza there is much more cohesiveness andconfidence in his team this year than last season. PensacolaHigh School and Washington High School are expected tobe the toughest opponents and biggest competition in thedistrict this year. JV tryouts are Nov. 2."I am definitely looking forward to bonding with myteam this year; the winning will come after that," said juniorJT Bowman. "Right now, we need to improve ourdefense so we can make it to the state playoffs."The Indians first home game in the tepee is December12 at 7:00 P.M. against Foley, Alabama.The Lady Indian basketball team finished last season witha bang 18-6, snatching a winning season out from under thefeet of the competition.This year they are looking to boomerang back and do itagain, even after losing five seniors. The ladies startedpreparing for the season during the summer by going to theFlorida State University girls basketball camp where theybecame closer as a team and started to play like a team,according to Coach Don Brown.With five returning seniors to help lead the team, theprospects are looking up for the upcoming season with teamchemistry building all the way."I am really liking what I am seeing this year with thesegirls," said Coach Brown."I am excited to see what they do and how we get betteroffensively as well as defensively."Like the boys basketball team, out Lady Indians biggestthreat lies in Pensacola High School and Washington HighSchool."The thing I am looking forward to most this season isgetting past districts," said sophomore guard Brittney West."I feel that once we improve our chemistry on the floor andwork on our mental game, we will win a lot of games."The Lady Indians first home game of the season starts withthe Thanksgiving Tournament at home Nov. 30 at 6:30 P.M.Sophomore shootingguard BrittanyWest (junior varsity)getting ready foran outside shotbefore the LadyIndians’ pre seasonconditioning andweightlifting. Thegirls, like the boys,attended FloridaState University’shigh school girlscamp over the summerin preparationfor their upcomingseason. Girls basketballhad a winningrecord of 18-6,taking their A-gameto districts last year.Our ladies play hereat home November30 at 6:30 for theThanksgivingTournament, hostedby Choctaw.Boys Projected LeadersGirls Projected LeadersJonathanBowmanSamHaarsTylerTiszaRayJohnsonKadeemWhiteFrancheskaBowmanBrittanyMunroRahciknecMcCorveyBrittanyBrownBranitaMaloneGrade:JuniorHeight:6’4Weight:190 lbsPosition:Power ForwardFavorite Quote:“Only the strongsurvive.”Grade:SeniorHeight:6’3Weight:185 lbsPosition:Guard/ForwardFavorite Quote:“I can accept failure;everyone fails atsomething. But Ican’t accept not trying.”Grade:JuniorHeight:6’5Weight:175 lbsPosition:Power ForwardFavorite Quote:“By failing to prepareyou arepreparing to fail.”Grade:SeniorHeight:6’2Weight:165 lbsPosition:Guard/ForwardFavorite Quote:“Train all year to be,the enemies misery.”“Get ready: It’s game time.”-Coach Marc TiszaGrade:JuniorHeight:5’8Weight:155 lbsPosition:GuardFavorite Quote:“Go ham or gohome.”Grade:SeniorHeight:6’2Position:CenterFavorite Quote:“Good, better, best,never let it rest untilyour good is betterand your better isbest.”Grade:SeniorHeight:5’3Position:GuardFavorite Quote:“Coming together isa beginning, keepingtogether is progress,working together issuccess”Grade:SeniorHeight:5’4Position:GuardFavorite Quote:“Talent wins games.But teamwork andintelligence winschampionships.”Grade:FreshmanHeight:5’8Position:Guard/ForwardFavorite Quote:“Go hard or gohome.”Grade:SeniorHeight:5’9Position:ForwardFavorite Quote:“Ball Hard.”“These girls have got the talent and dedication to make it tostate this year.” -Coach Don Brown

it like anINDIANBendBy Ashton AlcaresStaff ReporterWith strong offensive anddefensive players coming outof winning seasons last year,all the coaches for this year’ssoccer teams are expectinganother winning season justlike last year.All the coaches, MichaelLightbourne,Chris McDaniel,Jeff Rynerson, and MikeTartarilla, believe that theirplayers have the strength tomake it out of the district.The commitment of returningplayers and incomingfreshmen, shows that they allwant to be here on theseteams and will work theirhardest to stay on the teamthat they have been acceptedonto. These coaches are determinedto show that theirplayers have what it takes.The commitment and dedicationof this years teamsshows that these players havea love for this sport and willgive every practice and everygame their best.The individual ability eachplayer has can not wait to beseen by each one of thesecoaches. The coaches haveseen what each and everyoneof these players can do, andare expecting highly of them.Team dedication and commitmentmake a team. And that’sexactly what all these playershave brought forward.With having high expectationsfor this year's season,Coach Chris McDaniel islooking forward to what theboys varsity soccer team hasto bring forth.McDaniel thinks that theteam has put out more dedicationinto playing and they aredetermined to achieve theregoal." You can tell they want tobe out here," said McDaniel.The varsity boys first preseasongame will be Monday,November the second, againstFort Walton Beach.Just as every other coach is,McDaniel is expecting to winall if the games they are facedwith.McDaniel said " We have agood group out here"Junior varsity's first gamewill be sometime in the middleof November.With returning players andnew freshmen coming in,Coach Mike Tartarilla had tosay, "This group looks great.”There will be about twentygames this season.” I plan on win as many aspossible, that's what a teamstrives for. Am I right?" saidTartarillaTartarilla has high expectationsfor this years season. "Ihave seen all of these playersand what they can do". I'm lookforward to see what they willdeliver on the field," saidTartarilla.With falling into a new districtthis year, the varsity ladiessoccer teams biggest threats thisyear are Gulf Breeze andWashington.After Gulf Breeze going tothe final four and making it tothe semi-finals last year, they’reexpected to be a threat.Coach Michael Lightbournebelieves that his team this yearhas the strength to make it outof district." We have the strength todevelop to where we need to beto make it out of district"saidCoach Lightbourne.One if the most importantthings that Lightbourne looksfor in his individual players ischaracter, along with attitude,and commitment.Not only does Lightbournelook at you as a player, but healso looks at how you play onthe field. Hard work and goodskills are always looked at byLightbourne."It's very importantthat my players have commitment."said Lightbourne.Varsity practices from 2:30P.M. to 5:00 P.M. everyday tobecome the best they can be.The junior varsity team ispreparing to head off a winningseason early.One of the most importantthings to J.V. CoachJeffRynerson is determination,VARSITY AND JV SOCCERAshton Alcares/Smoke SignalsSophomore goalie Ethan Small prepared to pass the ball at preseasonconditioning for the boys soccer team on the soccerpractice fields last week.commitment, knowledge of thegame and many other thingswere looked at during tryouts,October twelve through the fifteenth.Junior Varsity's first game isNovember the seventh,Saturday in Crestview.When asked how difficulttryouts decisions where thisyear, since this is Rynerson’sfirst year coaching at Choctaw,he said this, " Tryouts are thesame at any level. Players thatdeserve to be on the team willstand out".Rynerson's plans for this seasonis to prepare younger athletesfor a higher place, such asSmoke Signals November 6, 2009 6CVarsity."I believe that we have thetalent this year to win all 15games this year. Coaching thegame of soccer isn't easy butwinning games sure makes iteasier and not to mention funner,"said Rynerson.Coach Rynerson will notbe naming captains until thesecond week or so of practice.Rynerson said, " Captainsdon't need to be voted for,most if the time it's the mostpopular when it is voted. Notnecessarily the best leader.True leadership will be selfevident.”Ashton Alcares/Smoke SignalsSophomore Megan Thomas passed the ball to a teammate at girls soccer practice/ conditioning earlier lastweek on the practice fields.Boys Soccer Schedule2009-2010November2-FWB at Twin Oaks 5:004-NHS at Twin Oaks 7:0016-WHS at Washington 5:30-7:3017-FWB at CHS 5-719-GBHS at Gulf Breeze 5:30-7:3030-MHS at Mosley 5:30-7:30December3-Pine Forest at CHS 6:008-WFT at Fred Hedrick 5-710-NHS at CHS 5-711-WFT(PFC) at Broshan Stadium5:30-7:3015-PHS at Pensacola High 5:30-7:3017-WHS at CHS 5-721&22- Bobcat Invitational atGainsville TBAJanuary8-NHS at Twin Oaks 5-711-PHS at CHS 5-714-GBHS at CHS 5-719-FWB at FWB 5:0021-Bay at Bay 5-725-Districts27-Districts29-FinalsThe DirtBy Devan HallSports ReporterWhat’s up ya’ll, its your boyJoe Dirt back do the business ifyou know what I mean.Well how ‘bout them Indians?Last time I left ya’ll, we were 1-2 and about to play the PensacolaTigers.Well that game didn’t end up likewe hoped it would. The Tigersshut us down with a final scoreof 51 to 14. That was only aspeed bump for us though. Iguarantee if we would haveplayed Pensacola last Friday,they would not have survived thefirst quarter.We played the Arnold Marlins,who were ranked number 4 in thestate. The final score was 42 to28.Freddie Gray ran the ball likehe had a flame under the soles ofhis shoes, running for 179 yardswith two touchdowns!The thing about Freddie Greyis that he is not just fast. He issuch a leader to our team.Freddie and Kenny Barnes calleverybody out when we aren’tdoing something we are supposedto be doing. But Freddiehas as much heart as anybody Ihave ever seen. That boy doesn’tknow what the word quit meanson a football field. He is going100% all out ever play, everydown, every step he takes.Charlie Lott added on toFreddie’s domination with 117yards and a touchdown. Thedefense stepped up that gameand every game since. KennyBarnes, Max Curtis, AlecSchubele, Qwenlon Ware, TreyRandolf, Red, James Broaduss,the Williams twins, and John andMax Keefe have made everygame possible for us to win forone reason and one reason only:once Coach Greg Thomas'offense starts going, there ain’tno stopping it.Then we went to West FloridaTech and had a hay day on theirhomecoming. I couldn’t even tellit was Homecoming, but that’sbecause i'm use to the big greenIndian style of homecoming. Weplayed a pretty tight game for alittle while, but then the defensepushed the pause button on theirdefense and Coach Thomaspushed the fast forward buttonon the offense.We defeated West Florida 23 to3.If I may say something specificallytowards the kickoff afterhalf time: that was the mostbeautiful thing I have ever seenin my life. I jumped like a jackrabbit on the side lines andscreamed like a little girl.Dillon had already kicked twoout of the end zone so they wereready for a booming kick andDillon ran just like normal, sodid everyone else. But when hegot to the football his foot barelygrazed the side of the ball, itwent about 12 yards. I think itwas the twin Branden Williamswho did it, jumped on it and thatset the tone for the rest of thegame.Now this past weekend weplayed Washington. We got awin; that’s what matters mostimportantly.It is hard to concentrate on thegame when you have so muchother stuff going on around you.Coach told us all week,"Don'tswallow the homecoming pill!"Well we came out in the firsthalf, and it looked like we swallowedthe pill. But right beforethe half we put a scoring drivetogether and went into the halfwith momentum. We were especiallymotivated by a groundshaking speech by CoachThomas at half time of theHomecoming game. We cameout of the intermission andplayed some real football: forcingfumbles left and right andrecovering themright and left. As of right now weare chilling on a four game winstreak. All that’s left is GulfBreeze, FDUB, and our firstplayoff game in Jacksonvile!

Smoke Signals November 6, 2009 C 7PLAYER PROFILETheStudentBodyBy Haleigh PascoeStaff ReporterHeight:5’11Weight:155 lbsPosition:Safety (Football)Guard (Basketball)Jersey number:13Favorite Sport:FootballSports Idol:Christian PonderFuture Plans:Attend NWF for twoyears and then go to amajor universityFavorite Quote:Phil. 4:13 “I can do allthings through JesusChrist who strengthensme.”There is a twin connectiongoing on in Choctaw athleticsthanks to fraternal twinsBranden and Matthew Williams.Where one is, the other is usuallyclose-by as the brothersdouble team most everythingthey do.When Branden Williams was9 years old, his little brotherMatt would chase him aroundthe yard, trying to catch himand play ‘karate kid’ with him."Trying" being the key wordthere.Although bigger in stature andheight, Matt Williamss washardly ever fast enough to catchbig brother- Branden.That continuous ping ponggame of tag between the two ofthem may be one of the manyreasons Branden is one of theleading corners on the footballteam and Matt one of thenstarting receivers/safeties.Born on Jan. 15, 1992, fraternaltwins Branden and MatthewWilliams, seniors, have beenplaying sports since they couldwalk and throw a ball and havebecome known at Choctaw astwo of the most talented twinathletes to ever play on the fieldor run on the court.In middle school, theWilliams twins could be seen atPryor Middle School playingfootball, basketball and baseball,all in their respective seasons.Branden's favorite memory ofplaying with his brother goesback to the baseball field in oldPryor Pirate Territory."I remember I was on thirdand my brother was up at bat.Matt bunted it and I stole home.It was awesome! Talk about thattwin connection!"According to both of theWilliams', their father, DannyWilliams, was the major influencethat kept them active aschildren and encouraged themBy Olivia TiszaSports Editorto play sports throughout theirlives."When we weren't doing anything,Dad would tell us to gooutside and play. We basicallystayed active ALL THE TIME,"Matt said of his father's constantpersistence in keeping hisboys involved with a sport ofsome kind.When telling what theirfavorite thing about playing thesame sports with one anotherwas, the twins' answers were soidentical, it was almost an echo.Branden and Matthew bothsaid, "We have the whole twintelepathy- connection thinggoing on for us."Matt is convinced he wasborn to play basketball whileBranden is a football fanatic.A fun thing to notice aboutthe Williams twins when they’retogether is the fact that theyboth have scars on their eyebrowsfrom sports accidents.While they no longer playbaseball for Choctaw, they arestill active in football and basketball.Matt is lettering four years inboth basketball and football andboth Branden lettered threeyears in basketball and fouryears in football.The brothers admit they areextremely competitive and arealways trying to get one up onthe other.For example, Matthewclaims to have a vertical jump(how high an athelete can jump)of infinity to get up on hisbrother’s 9’1 feet.After graduation this year, thebrothers plan to attendNorthwest Florida State Collegelocally. They are unsure whichmajor university they willattend.No matter where they are, itseems, they do their best tomake a double impression.Olivia Tisza/Smoke SignalsHeight:6’0Weight:160lbsPosition(s):Safety (Football)Guard (Basketball)Jersey number(s):81 (Football)13 (Basketball)Favorite Sport:BasketballSports Idol:Tim TebowFuture Plans:Attend NWF for two yearsand then go to a majoruniversityFavorite Quote:Phil. 4:13 “I can do allthings through JesusChrist who strengthensme.”Twins Branden (left) and Matthew Williams have played sports together as brothers and teammates since theywere in elementary school, and are well-known in high school as the “Twin Athletes.” Branden is shown inhis #8 jersey as a football player for the Ft. Walton Beach city league, and Matt is shown wearing his #10 uniformas a basketball player for Pryor Middle School.There is nothing in this worldquite like the holiday season.From Halloween costumes togreat Aunt Marie’s smellyChihuahua, most everyone hastheir own traditions for thiswonderful time of the year.One thing most every familyhas in common is the food.Candy, cakes, pies, turkey,mashed potatoes and juicywarm gravy. These things aren’twhat someone who wants tolose weight should eat.However, the want to “cheat”on your diet is perfectly normalevenexperienced body buildersand super models do it. I guessyou could say it’s part of humannature to crave these things,even when it isn’t the holidayseason.But before you stick thatthird Reece's Peanut Buttercupin your mouth, think about this:is all this candy - which, mindyou, will not last you very long- worth the calories? Would yourather have a few minutes intaste-bud heaven or wear abright smile when you look inthe mirror every morning? Howwill you feel about havingdevoured all this candy later on,after the holidays are over?These are some of the questionsI ask myself when I feelthe temptation to completelypig out on junk food andsweets. Sometimes I find thetemptation too great, but inmost cases the answers to thesequestions persuade me to putthe chocolate bar down andwalk away. The holidays pose achallenge though - how can onenot eat everything in sight whenthe people around them are?The answer to this is simple: goahead, get yourself a plate. Oneplate. That’s right. One.Desert? Go ahead. You can eatone serving.As for Halloween candy - afew pieces are okay, but itwouldn’t be the brightest idea -or the healthiest - to eat your littlesister’s entire trick or treatbasket in one sitting. Pick out afew of your favorites, eat them,then go and whip yourself up anice protein shake! Going to aHalloween party? No problem.Just eat a scrumptious littlesalad before you go, grabbing afew treats throughout the durationof the party if you happento get hungry.After this little bit of cheating,it’s going to be a good idea topick right back up on your exerciseroutine. If you’re running,go ahead, but remember to wearthe proper clothing since it’sstarting to cool down outside.During the winter and fallmonths, one might find it morecomfortable to do exercisesinside. This is fine, just makesure you have plenty of roombefore you begin, so you won‘tknock into something and hurtyourself. Here’s a nice littleexercise you can do inside thatwill work your obliques, whichare the sides of your abdomenthat many exercises will ignore.These are called leg flutters.To do them, lie flat on yourstomach. Raise your headslightly. Keep your armsstraight and locked beside you.Now lift up your legs so thatyour knees are not touching thefloor and kick briskly for about20 seconds. Take a short break,then repeat about four or fivetimes.So, there you go; staying inshape over the holidays reallyisn’t as hard as it seems. All ittakes is the right knowledge anda little bit of self control. Goodluck to all of you trying to sayfit over the upcoming holidayseason.Hopefully you’ll keep thesetips in mind while you celebrate.

Smoke Signals November 6, 2009 C 8By Isabella GustaveStaff ReporterThe upcoming winter season brings new activities to the YMCA; the most highly anticipated being basketball.The YMCAis a community service organization and recreational facility that offers a wide range of activities for any one. All ages, menand women, can find an activity to participate in that interests them."We try to make this a family oriented facility", said customer service staff member Fran Ross.The goal at the YMCA is to make "strong kids, strong families, and strong communities." It is a great place to get activeand have fun. The YMCA is also a Christian organization.“We can come here in a Christian environment and condition our bodies as well,” said Associate Branch and Sports DirectorGlenn Coffee.There is a YMCA located in our own community just down the road from Choctaw at 1127 Hospital Road.MembershipFor access to the programsat the YMCA you need to havea membership. With a membershipyou will be able toenjoy the benefits of theirFitness Center, Cardio Center,fitness assessments and orientations,aerobic classes, swimmingpool and more. Thecost to join for youth, up toage 17, is $35.00. Adults canjoin for a fee of $50. If thewhole family wants to getinvolved at the YMCA packagesfor whole households areoffered. Membership for a singleparent family can be purchasedfor $50.00 and familieswith two adults and childrenunder 21 for $75.00.Members must pay monthlydues ranging from $20 to $56.The price of monthly duesdepends on what type of membershipyou purchase. Dues canbe paid in full for 12 monthsupon joining or paid automaticallythrough electronic bankdrafts each month.The YMCA wants every oneto feel welcome and does notwant to turn any one interestedin a membership away. Theyoffer financial aid to help thosewho can not afford joining andmembership fees.For financial assistance eachindividual or family must fillout a Financial AssistanceApplication. Proof of incomemust be provided. Applicantswill be required to re-apply atthe end of the approved termfor financial assistance and arealso required to volunteer atleast ten hours per month at theYMCA.Military, corporate, and otherspecial needs discounts areoffered as well.Facility HoursMon-Fri: 5:00am-8:00pmSat: 8:00am-5:00pmSun: 1:00pm-5:00pmMember Service BusinessHoursMon-Fri: 8:00-5:00pmSat: 8:00am-11:30amSun: 1:00 - 5:00pmFacility Information:No ContractsAerobics/Fitness CenterIndoor PoolGymnasiumCircuit Weight MachinesFree WeightsEllipticals / Treadmills /BikesSauna & SteamY - Kids ZoneAthletic FieldsTraverse Climbing WallOutdoor Walking / JoggingTrackLocker RoomsJunior Lazava Lockhart enjoys shooting hoops at theYMCA after school.Fitness ClassesIsabella Gustave/Smoke SignalsThere are many great ways to get fit at the YMCA. They offer awide selection of hour long classes through out the the week attimes that can fit your schedule. Each class can improve yourhealth and strengthen your muscles, making you feel great.Pilates class strengthens and stabilizes core muscles. It is a formof physical and mental conditioning.Stress Free Aerobics could be the perfect class for you to take towind down from a busy day. This class combines floor aerobics anddance moves that strengthen cardio endurance. The class concludeswith body conditioning at a slower pace.Kick boxing is also offered at the YMCA. Get energized with thisfull body work out that will tone your waist, hips, and other problemareas. Basic punching and kicking skills will be taught in this class.Step Fusion involves fat burning cardio, muscle toning, and conditioning.There is also Cardio Sculpting Fusion that fuses elementsof balance, flexibility and yoga.Zumba is a unique class offered at the YMCA. This fun class usesLatin style dance and exercise to burn calories.When you make those same New Year's resolutions as last thiswinter to get fit or loose five pounds head over to the Y and sign upfor a classIsabella Gustave/Smoke SignalsSenior Emily Bennett lifts weights in the YMCA’s FitnessCenter after school.BasketballBasketball is the most popular winter sport at the YMCA. ManyChoctaw students come out to participate. Some are members oftheChoctaw basketball team and others are just students who lovethe game."When they have the teams it's more fun. Everyone fromChoctaw plays. It gets competitive," said senior JonathanMartinez.Mr. Glen Coffee, the Associate Branch Director and SportsDirector, also mentioned that the game can get competitive."Yea, it is competitive, but there is not a lot of emphasis on winning,"said Coffee.The focus at the YMCA remains on Christian principles. Theteam prays before the start of each game and keeps up good spirits.When asked what kids would get out of participating in basketballat the YMCA Coffee said, "Fellowship and we helpincrease their self esteem."Registration for camp began Oct.1 and will continue throughNov.24. Basketball skills camp is for ages eight through fourteen.High school students can register for teen basketball startingJan.1 and ending Feb. 6.The starting date for teen basketball is Feb. 23.Senior Emily Bennett works the eight major muscle groupsof the body in the YMCA’s Fitness Center.SwimIsabella Gustave/Smoke SignalsSwim lessons are offered year long at the YMCA.The lessonsare fun, safe, and educational. Classes are held Tuesday, Thursdayand Saturday mornings.There are different classes for every level of experience. Teen Ais a beginning class for students who have no previous swimmingexperience but wish to learn. Teen B is for intermediate andadvanced level swimmers who desire to further develop their stroketechnique and swimming talent.The Choctaw swim team spends countless hours at the YMCA.They use the pool for their early morning practices and some of theswim meets are also held there.There are also opportunities to be a lifeguard for the YMCA.A variety of water fitness classes are offered at the YMCA Mondaythrough Friday. One class available is watercise; an aerobic workoutin shallow water that is suitable for all ages and fitness levels.Aquacise I is a 30 minute class that provides an upbeat cardioworkout. Aquacise II is similar to Aquacise I but more intense. Thisclass is recommended for reasonably fit and conditioned swimmers.Deep Water Jogging is a non-impact, total body workout. This isa great class for all fitness levels that conditions the cardiovascularsystem and improves balance.