The Tri-M Honors Society requires five hours of music-related community service and a performance at one of two recitals. The first one was held on Sunday, February 9. Even though only about half of the members performed at this recital, all members were encouraged to come and support others. There were five performances and eight performers. 

Lillie Matiko (10) played and sang “Jerome” by Lizzo on the ukulele. Kierra Griffith (11) and Alexa Myers (10) sang “That’s What’s Up” by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros as a duet. Ella Heckman (12), Harley Lane (11), and Faith Mitchell (12) performed a short musical skit called “Tiny Umbrella Song” by Danny Casale. Dylan Parker (10) sang “Pinch Me” by Steven Page & Ed Robertson. Finally, Patrick Hicks (12) ended by playing a marimba solo he wrote called “Lullaby”. 

“I wanted to do a duet and play guitar because I like to hear the different parts of voices come together and I knew Alexa really liked the song,” said Kierra Griffith (11).

Everyone in Tri-M has a love for music and can’t help but share it. It is even more fun to explore it with others. Everyone likes some kind of music and using that to connect with others is a great way to have a good time.

“We wanted to lighten the mood a bit in between performances,” said Faith Mitchell (12).

The recitals aren’t meant to be super strict as an intense atmosphere can make people nervous. It is supposed to be fun overall and if you can get someone to be happy before and after they’ve performed, you’ve done your job.

“I plan to perform at the next recital. I’m hoping I can get up enough courage to perform on my own just to kinda put myself out there without relying on other people,” said Griffith.

The whole purpose of these recitals is to build confidence in front of crowds. You should be confident and comfortable when performing. If not, it can be hard to enjoy yourself and could stop you altogether.

The countdown begins as everyone is ready to jump into not only the new year but into the new decade. It has been a tradition for many  of all ages to set personal goals for their upcoming year. Rather it’s changing a diet or picking up a new hobby. Many follow through with it and some tend to drop it part-way through the year. 

Setting goals for yourself is a great way to start the beginning of a new year. Not only do you have a mindset goal, but you push yourself to complete that goal.

 “ My goal for 2020 is to be more mindful of others and help when needed,” said Kortney Atherton (11).

“A goal I have set for myself is to learn to paint in hopes [that] it will distract my mind from other distractions or help calm me,” said McKenna Peck (10).

Many set goals to help them break a bad habit that has consumed them, such as electronics. By putting your mind into jogging, painting, or even reading it will help take it away from those distractions and throughout the year, you can see how setting this goal helped improve your mental or physical health. 

“My goal for last year was to save more money to buy everyone nice Christmas gifts at the end of the year,” Kourtney Atherton (11)  said.

“ When Christmas time came around, I wasn’t scrounging for money,” said Atherton.  “And I was able to buy everyone nice gifts for the holiday and it made me feel really good that I completed that goal.”

In the beginning of the year when you set a goal, it can be difficult to keep up it. However, if you stick through that goal and reflect back over the year of how that goal helped you improve as an individual. 

“My goal for 2019 was to read more.  I kept up with it until March, then I slowly forgot,” said Peck.  “When I reflected over my year, I was disappointed in myself that I didn’t follow through with that goal, but this year is going to change.”

Many people tend to let go of their goal halfway through the year because everyone gets caught up in different activities. Therefore when you reflect over your year, you tend to get discouraged and disappointed in yourself cause you know you could have completed it. 

However there is still hope! 2020 means clear vision. I encourage you to have a clear vision of what you would like to see yourself improve in this upcoming year and hopefully be able to reflect on it at the end.

This year’s fall production, Almost, Maine, is set in a place called Almost in Maine. It is technically not a town because that requires people to get together and organize it to become one. Since that never happened, it’s inhabitants just call it Almost.

Each scene was student-directed and the whole play featured several love stories that are all happening simultaneously.

“I think there were 8 in total,” said Ella Heckman (12).

Each of the scenes are completely independent of each other. They don’t necessarily happen chronologically and don’t rely on each other for the story to make sense. It’s just a collage of many stories.

“We all practiced in our own groups,” said Audra Hissong (10). “And then we had two rehearsals before the show to run through the whole thing.”

In one of the scenes, a bachelorette was having a party at a restaurant and ran into her ex- boyfriend. This particular story focused on a love that was, rather than one that will be or the formation of one.

“We each auditioned for our parts,” said Lillie Matiko (10). “I wanted my part.”

Another scene featured a man asking a woman to marry him, to which he got no response and the two drifted apart. After some time, she shows up at his doorstep with an answer.

“Ella and I said it was probably about 5-7 years,” said Connor Slemp (9) between the time that she was asked and the time she gave the answer.

He explains to her the pain that this would cause. The scene ends with a woman calling his name which would show that he’s with someone and possibly married.

“It was the first time I ever did something like that, but it turned out to be extremely fun and a good experience,” said Slemp.

The play’s debut was December 20 and 21 and was performed in the JB auditorium. It was only the third time ever performed as a whole since each scene was always individually rehearsed. Even with multiple directors and little time for whole run-throughs, it flowed smoothly and was enjoyed by the audience.

Basketball season is a favorite among JB students.  Most people in the stands think the numbers on the back of the player’s jerseys are just random, but many have a deeper meaning.

Standing tall at 6’9″ ,  Colton Hartman (11). has the number 40 stitched on his jersey. He has been playing basketball since he was five-years-old. Hartman picked this number because his dad had the same number in his basketball career.  

 “It was my dad’s number so that’s why I picked it,” said Hartman.

While some players pick their number because of family, there are some who pick it because of their favorite NBA players.  Syrus Maldonado (12) has had the number three since his freshman year to his senior year. Number three is also the same number as his favorite point guard, Chris Allen, who plays for Oklahoma City Thunder. 

“ I wore it my entire high school basketball career, and it’s the number of my favorite point guard,” said Maldonaldo .

While Maldonado represents number three because of his favorite point guard, some numbers represent when the played first started to enjoy the sport.  Bryce Hissong (10) was assigned number 42 while playing basketball in sixth grade. It was the first year he started doing well and started to enjoy playing. He carried the same number throughout middle school. When he started playing for the high school he picked the number 24 because it’s 42 backwards. Others pick their number because they have the same one for a different sport.

“The numbers 42 and 24 represent enjoyment while I play basketball,” said Hissong.

Others pick their number because they have the same one for a different sport. Carley Dinsmore (10) has the number five for both soccer and basketball. Everyone would be used to seeing her represent the number five of her jersey for both sports.

“I thought it would be cool to have the same number for basketball and soccer,”  said Dinsmore.

Each player’s number means something to them. Whether it’s for a family member, enjoyment, or their favorite pro basketball player, they picked it for a reason. Most players pick a number and keep it throughout their basketball career.

Lines out the door, hectic drivers, and determined shoppers: you guessed it, it is Black Friday. One of the busiest holidays for everyone across America. Black Friday started in 1961 and became a bigger deal over the years. The most popular local stores to shop at are Kohl’s, Best Buy and the Valley Mall, all which have sales going on top of coupons to make the deals for the shoppers even better while promoting their store. 

Due to the busy nature of the day, shoppers tend to have to wait in lines to get the deal of a lifetime. Many think it is pointless and a waste of time, but others think it’s a deal to steal! 

“ I waited in line for 40 minutes at Target and to me, it wasn’t worth it. But I did get a $9 pillow!” said Emily Bailey (11).  

On this holiday you see the true colors come out in everyone. Everyone wants that 50” TV or new Nike Air Forces and they are willing to run the full mile to have it in their cart. Some shoppers will even extend to getting aggressive with other shoppers.

“It was just catastrophic. People fought over $9 pillows” said Bailey.

A big homerun for many teenagers on Black Friday is clothing. Black Friday is the  time to get all your nice popular brands such as Nike, Columbia, and Calvin Klien when it’s all on sale. However due to everyone knowing this, it can be stressful searching for your product because things become sold out quickly.

“ The most stressful thing for me that day was trying to find clothing in my size.. It was normally sold out.” stated Bailey.

The shoppers always think that they may have it rough, however it wouldn’t be made possible without the workers who were brave enough to work on the busiest day in shopping history. Cashiers work as fast as they can to make sure the lines move fast and swift. Garrett Working (11) who is a cashier at Marshalls in Hagerstown worked during the aftermath of Black Friday.

“ It wasn’t too bad when I got there, but it was definitely messy,” said Working.  “Everything was thrown around and out of order.” 

The cashiers worked quickly to move people through the line and to also answer customer questions while the rest of the workers worked to keep their store looking presentable for the upcoming days.

“I worked to help clean up the store for the following day” said Working. “They continue their sales and call it ‘Black Saturday.'”

Ending another year of a successful Black Friday shopping for both shoppers and workers. Until next year!

Frozen 2(2019)

Cast: Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, Evan Rachel Wood, Jonathan Groff, Sterling K. Brown, Santino Fontana

Directors: Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck

Synopsis: Elsa the Snow Queen joins her sister Anna on an adventure outside their Kingdom of Arendelle. Characters that go alongside the two protagonists are Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven.The characters travel to an ancient Enchanted Forest in search for the origin of Elsa’s powers; they hope to save the people of their kingdom and lift the spell that has trapped many people in the forest.

What’s Hot 

Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck bring this sequel to theaters. This film is a heart-warming experience. It is touching to see the elevation of sisterhood demonstrated between Anna and Elsa, as well as the empowerment and friendship the characters took on throughout their adventure in the Enchanted Forest. This sequel was very different from the first film, and that made the film unpredictable.The storyline was good, and the new, catchy music was sure to leave young Anna and Elsa fans wanting more.

What’s Not 

This film was intended for younger audiences much like the first movie. Although more mature audiences can enjoy this film, the animated feel and kid-like storyline is more enjoyable for younger audiences.

Bottom Line 

The film portrays fantasy and is very friendly. This movie is definitely a must-watch with the family. Overall I enjoyed the film, and believe it to be worth my time.

Grade

A+

Picture this: sitting around the table, glorious food steaming hot, smelling as delicious as can be with all your favorite people. Now, what are you thinking of? Maybe you are thinking of Thanksgiving, the meal before hunting season, or the good eating right before you wake up super early to go Black Friday shopping. 

While the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621,  Thanksgiving was not an official holiday until 1863. While the meaning of Thanksgiving has always been to celebrate blessings and nourishment, there have been some other meanings to Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving originally was celebrated when the Pilgrims first harvest in the New World had ended. To our JB students it means something different to everyone. 

To about 53 percent of our students, Thanksgiving means spending lots of time with family.  

“My family cooks all year round, I only hunt occasionally, shopping at this time of year is nuts, and family is just what thanksgiving is for,” said Faith Mitchell (12). 

Spending time with family is very important to our students at JB. 

“ I love spending time with family. It’s a great time to catch up with family you haven’t seen or talked to for a while. It is also a great time to make jokes and get good laughs in with the family,” stated Adrianna Duboraw (12).

 Thanksgiving isn’t just about being thankful for the things you have in life, it’s about the people who you are surrounded by that make life great for you. 

Like the rest of America, our students love to eat, therefore some feel that the food at Thanksgiving is most prominent.

“The amazing food (means the most) because it’s the one day of the year where you can eat and eat and not be judged,” said Alyssa Sensinger (11 ).

Part of Thanksgiving is the food and eating with people you love but being able to eat and not be self-conscious because this holiday only comes once a year. On Thanksgiving the average American consumes 4,500 calories.

While not everyone is a fan of hunting season, some of our students say Thanksgiving means the start of hunting season and all that hunting entails.

 “During hunting season, I spend a lot of time with my immediate family and enjoy being out in nature seeing God’s beautiful creation,” Madalyn Akers (11) said.

Hunting isn’t just about shooting a deer it’s about the bonds that are made between the people who hunt together. 

“I really love hunting, the time with my pap and the jokes we make are memories I’ll cherish forever, but it’s also a chance to get some deer meat,” Rachel Martin (12) said. 

Hunting, spending time with family, and eating are very popular but another favorite around Thanksgiving is shopping. In preparation for Christmas we have Black Friday that most everyone knows occurs on the day after Thanksgiving. 

To Jenna Yeager (9), shopping is most important around Thanksgiving. She said, “Being a teenager and not having a job makes it hard getting Christmas gifts for people without any deals. I love Black Friday because I can get gifts for my family without going bankrupt.” 

One thing that every meaning of Thanksgiving has in common is spending time with other people. Whether it be family or friends, no matter what you are doing you are hardly ever doing it alone. “You can’t find enjoyment in any meaning of Thanksgiving unless you are surrounded by people you love.” Benjamin Glessner (11) said.