The Redbird Word Halloween Edition 2021

Volume 94 Issue #2
October 2021
Halloween
Edition

Vol. 94 Issue 2
Editorial
Page 2
Disney’s changed their logo, homes are setting out pumpkins, and cryptids
are thriving in the community. Yet, even though the scares are prepared,
Alton High experienced an early one when a shooting threat spread through
the school.
The threat caused students to panic and made parents rush to school to
protect their kids, and stressed out teachers who were trying to keep the
situation calm. One screenshot from SnapChat, which turned out to be a
hoax, caused a flooded attendance room and mentally-exhausted faculty and
students.
It is not unlike social platforms to cause drama, scares, and vaguely truthful
news for its viewers, and it will not be the last. But out of all platforms, it
seems that social media is the main attraction for doxing, cyberbullying,
pranks that can result in deaths, and users going through the extreme just for
followers. The amount of gore and devastation caused by social media is
horrifying and sad (even for this painful decade), because it is average people
who cause it.
In this ever-growing world where teens and children are more dependent on
technology, and have access to more topics, photos, and videos that they
shouldn’t be allowed to see, we should start asking ourselves if what we're
posting is worth it. And stop believing in news spread without doing any
research. Accounts that promote false news, inappropriate content and hate
should be censored. If this by some miracle begins to happen, then we will be
well on our way to making the internet an open space for all who want to join.
~ Janelle Fuller, Editor In Chief
Editor of the Month
Reporter of the Month
Lexi Paulin,
Entertainment Editor Cole Tarrant,Reporter, Grade 11
Redbird
Word
Editor In Chief
Janelle Fuller
Assistant Editors
Elizabeth Bradley & Annah Parish
Station Manager
Kaden Gilligan
News Editor
Macy Wilson
Features Editor
Evanna Brice
Sports Editor
Alesiana White
Entertainment Editor
Lexi Paulin
Editorial Cartoonist
Zylan Moss
Cartoonist
Drew Davis
Reporters
Selena Carll
Tequan Collins
Avery Close
Kaleigha Crawford
My’Iahna Dent
Paige Heinemeier
Eyona Jordan
Taylor Lawson
Zach Pollard
Leo Rose
Hannah Seymour
Knox Summers
Cole Tarrant
Paris Thomas
Adviser
April Gray
Contact Us!
Alton High School
4200 Humbert.Rd.
Alton, IL 62002
Room B136

News
Guidance Department
Vol. 94 Issue 2, Page 3
Launches Revamped Website
Site helps prepare
students for their
futures
By: Paris Thomas, Reporter
Colleges and universities from all over the state and beyond are scheduling meetings with the Redbird
students here at the high school.
Juniors and Seniors are eligible to sign up for these meetings. If a university is on your mind, you can
go to these meetings to learn more about the university’s campus, organizations, programs, etc. The
sign-up sheet is located inside the Guidance Department.
The colleges are sending a representative to speak for the university when meeting up with the
student. “The college representative meets with students in the library to let them know what their
college has in store for them,” Arlene Mathus said. Arlene Mathus is a clerk that works in the guidance
department at Alton High.
To go to the meetings, you have to be passing the class you are exiting to meet with the colleges. The
appointments days would vary depending on the college you signed up for. Visits would be available in
the fall and some would be available in the spring.
Most colleges visiting would be in-state colleges. Notable colleges coming are the University of Illinois,
University of Illinois Springfield, Quincy University, Illinois State University, and Knox University. A
University of Alabama representative would be here for both semesters also.
To conclude, colleges and universities are coming here to find potential students to enroll in their
programs. Juniors and Seniors have presented an opportunity to better educate themselves on the ins
and outs of college life while also finding a school that is right for them. As there would be few
appointments given out in a year, I advise students to try and sign up to be better prepared on their
way to adulthood.

News
Vol. 94 Issue 2, Page 4
Festive Scares for this
By: Kaleigha Crawford
Halloween
The traditions of Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. People would come
together to light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In modern times, Samhain is usually
celebrated from October 31 to November 1 to welcome the harvest and usher in "the dark half of the year.”
Over time Halloween has evolved into a plethora of fun activities such as carving pumpkins, trick or
treating, pumpkin picking, and festive gathering.
The Alton area offers various Halloween events of their own. Keep reading to learn more information of
upcoming spooky events.
On October 31 from 1 - 4 p.m., there is a Halloween Walking Tour and Investigation Of The Mineral Springs
Hotel. the owners and caretakers 107 year old hotel, Raining Zen will be giving tours of the building and
informing participants of the full history of the building. Tickets are $30.
The Darkness Haunted House is open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The hours differ depending on
the day, but if you go on the website for this event it will tell you. This has been said to be the scariest
haunted house n America. Regular tickets are $10 but if you choose to wear terror vision it's $28 .
But don't forget to pay a visit to the yearly Halloween Parade on Saturday October 30. After cancellation last
year, The parade is back and is set to begin on Broadway at 7pm. The route is planned to move up to Piasa
and conclude at Sixth street.

News
Vol. 94 Issue 2 , Page 5
Family Farm Promises Fall Fun
By: Taylor Lawson
Godfrey welcomes a newly owned farm off of Winter Lane. The farm has pumpkin picking, a corn maze, a kids’ play
area, garden mums, and apples. Heritage Farm Pumpkin Patch is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am-5 pm.
The pumpkin picking season goes from September 11 through October 24. They are located at 1821 Winter Ln.
Godfrey, IL.
Heritage Farm Pumpkin Patch also offers varieties of snacks and drinks. One of the most popular snacks that they
sell is apple cider donuts. Other snacks they offer are cake pops, cookies, candy apples, and chips. Some drinks they
offer are water, soda, cold apple cider, and hot apple cider.
This year they have opened up an event for Saturday, October 2 & October 9. The event goes on from 6:30 pm to 9:30
pm. They are offering bonfires, smores, hotdogs, chips, and drinks. It’s a flashlight corn maze at only $8 per person.
Many have wondered about the goals of opening this year's maze. The owner of the farm Lindsey Gibson said, “To
give young kids and teenagers a fun activity to do that is outside. Also, to offer people in our area a fun outdoor
experience that we don’t have around here this year.”
Creating a maze for the first time could be very difficult. “I had never created a maze before so just figuring out
where to start was very hard. Then trying to pick the design and decide whether it was too difficult or too easy of a
maze. Eventually, I just chose a design and went with it. Really every step of it was hard this time and it took me
quite a few days with graph paper to figure it all out.” Said Lindsey Gibson.
For more information about the farm and more events to come, check out Heritage Farm & Fruit Trees on Facebook
and their website: https://heritagefruittree.com/ .

Vol. 94 Issue 2 Page 6
Features
How AHS Students Are Being SMART
By My'iahna Dent
The best way is the SMART way! Goal setting is an important step in gaining success. Setting goals
helps guide students and helps them sustain momentum in life. This process not only motivates young
minds, but can also improve mental health and level of personal and professional success. Not having
set goals will cause some students to feel lost, or forgetful,. When setting them remember to be
SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
Advice to all students of any grade, stay focused and stay on top of your work. Student, Tianna Grant
stated that “when you know how to stay on top of your work and pay attention in class the years will be
a breeze.” Once you start to slack and fall off on turning in work it will be a struggle to get your grades
back up. Learn how to balance your social life with your personal life. There will be plenty of times
where school will get stressful and you will need a break. Never overwhelm yourself too much because
it won’t do you any good.
Tianna also said, “never give in to peer pressure.” Peer pressure causes teens to do things they
shouldn’t. Just because your friend is doing something doesn’t mean you should do the same, for
example, drinking, vaping, smoking, skipping class, etc. You see a lot of students participating in
these things even though they shouldn't. Emma Clowers said, “stay away from drama and negativity.
When hanging with a big group of friends, getting involved in drama is easy and common.
Always steer clear of things that don’t concern you. High School teen drama is always nonsense,
many situations are avoidable but kids don’t like being the bigger person and ignoring it. Once you
get into drama it is easier for the drama to come your way, there are some students who aren’t happy
with themselves so they choose to put others down, never become that person. It will not do you any
good and will just make others feel bad about themselves.

Vol. 94 Issue 2 Page 7
Features
"R" Acres of Terror Reopens to the Public
By Paige Heinemeier
Halloween is coming up fast this year, which means haunted houses and haunted mazes are
starting to open up for the season. Although many businesses have closed down this year due to
Covid, there is still one more place to try. According to "R" Acres of Terror's Facebook page, this
is one of the scariest places to visit this year and "where the woods come alive."
Due to the pandemic last year the owner, Ron Root, was told to shut down his haunted maze.
Ron and his family shut down and sold everything they had from their attraction from the
previous year. Once hearing that Ron and his family could reopen, they bought brand new
equipment to make this year the best and scariest year they have ever had.
Where did the "R" Acres idea come from? "It goes back to when I was a kid and my mother
used to scare me," Root said. "My wife and I got married in 1996, her family owned a farm. It
went through my mind that it would be cool to start a haunted house on the farm."
“R” Acres of Terror takes their victims down a long, winding path full of dark and scary trees
with gnarled branches and terrifying decorations. Every visitor takes a risk after purchasing a
ticket. "I wouldn't really recommend it for kids 12 and under, but we will scare you, I don't care
who you are," Ron said.
This popular Halloween destination can be located at Dow, Illinois, 10 miles northwest of
Alton. The maze is opened every Friday and Saturday during the month of October from 6:30 to
11. Their admissions are $20 for adults and $15 for all kids 12 and under.
The staff at "R" Acres encourage all guests to come and visit their maze this year since visitors
had to miss out last year. So far, Ron and his family have had great success with the crew and
set up. They hope to see more guests this year for the new 2021 season.

Vol. 94 Issue 2 Page 8
GIRLS' VOLLEYBALL Spotlight
By Avery Close, Reporter
The Redbird girls' volleyball team has had one eventful season this year. With this season coming to a close,
I decided to catch up with one of our amazing athletes.
Ella Artis is a sophomore, who plays as a setter and a right-side hitter. She explained a little bit about
herself. She said volleyball is one of the most competitive sports, especially at a high school level. With living
near other schools, competition is higher than ever. "Volleyball can be very physically demanding. It takes a
lot of dedication," Artis said.
Artis has a great love for volleyball, taking it seriously. During the winter, Artis plays for club volleyball called
"The Midwest Synergy." Artis told us that playing club volleyball keeps her on top of her game and helps her
become better.
Artis plans to finish high school on time. Afterwards, she plans to attend Lewis and Clark Community
College for business. While attending LCCC, she said she hopes to continue her volleyball career.
Outside of her work and dedication to volleyball, Artis likes to do simple and relaxing things in her free
time. As the stress from volleyball can be high, she enjoys reading, with one of her favorite books being "It
Ends With Us" by Colleen Hoover. She also said she loves to spend time with her parents and her friends.
Photo courtesy of Ella Artis
Artis gets ready to return the serve during a
volleyball game.

Vol. 94 Issue 2
Page 10
By: Drew Davis
Photo Credits McPike Mansion: Michael R Weaver

Vol. 94 Issue 2
Congratulations to the winner of the Redbird Word short story contest!
Page 12
You’re the Crazy One
By: Augie Livingstone
My head pounds as I open my eyes. I look at the clock in my pitch-black room. The clock reads
6:45 a.m., and I slowly roll out of bed. I saunter into my kitchen; the lights are off and the sun hasn’t
risen. I turn on the news as usual and pour myself my coffee; black without creamer. The woman on
the news doesn’t speak. Her mouth moves, but not a single sound manages to fall out. Behind her is a
blank screen. “No effects, no sound, nothing at all. How crazy,” I think. I turn off my T.V. I put on a
sweatshirt and jeans, and find my way out of the house and into my car. I start it and take off.
As I slowly drive down the foggy road there are no people or sounds. My ears are only able to pick up
a dreadful ringing noise. I drive for around 20 minutes and ponder on the fact that I have not seen a
single person or car. When I park and get out of my car there is someone about 20 feet away. I runup
to the figure dressed in white and ask, “isn’t it very quiet out today?” A sharp pain hits my left
thigh, and I shout, “ow!” The man doesn’t seem to notice and stares blankly at me. I scream at him,
“Hello!” “You needed to take this,” he says. Then he is gone.
I run throughout the streets looking for more people and finally come across a woman in baby
blue.
I ask her, “Have you seen all the strange things going on today?” There is no response. This
silence is followed up with a tight pressure feeling over my legs and chest. “Stop,” she says calmly.
She too disappears. I run again, this time with more fear. I come along a young man near the
supermarket. He is also wearing baby blue. I decide this will be the last person I talk to before going
to the police. I say to the man, “What is going on here?” I hear no response. I decide to walk to the
police station and scratch at my arm while I shuffle across the sidewalk. “You aren’t going to get
better if you do that,” he says loudly but without anger. I look down at my arm and see a small red
stain,It’s blood. I run to the police station and tell the first officer I see, “I need help, there are crazy
people out there!” “You’re the crazy one,” he responds.
I suddenly have a flashback.
I see the baby blue scrubs, the shot in my thigh, the white lab coat, the IV in my arm, and the
straps on my legs and chest. I blackout and wake up to a room full of people in white. They put a
small needle in my arm and feel a warm liquid enter my body. My vision soon goes dark.
When I wake up my head is pounding, the clock in my darkroom reads 6:45 a.m., and I roll out of
bed. I grab my coffee, turn on the news, and see a silent woman. Her mouth is moving but nothing
comes out. The screen behind her is blank. “No effects, no sound, nothing at all. How crazy,” I think.