Shredding the Turf
The Kickapoo girls’ varsity team was at it again this past Wednesday, crushing Glendale’s team 4-1. This game was extremely important to their season, as it was not only the southside showdown but also the conference game.
“It was super exciting because we really weren’t sure how the game would turn out,” sophomore Julia Klein said. “And of course beating a school rival is always a good feeling.”
Winning the game secured for them the 2021 Ozark Conference title and means they are moving onto districts next week. Districts next Monday and Wednesday, beginning with the girls playing Waynesville on Monday. On Wednesday they will play Ozark or Central, depending on who wins their game on Monday.
Because of COVID, this is Klein’s first school season, and what a season it’s been. “It has been super fun getting close with the girls and winning a lot of games,” Klein said.
Why do we Wear Green on Saint Patrick’s Day?
Every March, we celebrate a very green holiday. The holiday is called Saint Patrick’s day, and it originated in Ireland around the ninth and tenth centuries. The holiday marks the death of Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick, who came to Ireland from Roman Britain originally as a slave but then returned after feeling called to spread Christianity among Ireland’s population. He converted much of the population to Catholicism and is honored and celebrated for these contributions to the church.
So where does the color green come in? To understand this, we need to look back on why the color became associated with Ireland in the first place. Due to the country’s predominantly green scenery, the country is often referred to as the Emerald Isle. It is also the color that represents the Catholics of Ireland, according to Reader’s Digest. Since Saint Patrick is a Catholic patron, it makes sense that green would be worn to represent him.
The color green doesn’t just have religious roots though. According to Irish urban myths and legends, the Faerie creature the Leprechaun, who is often associated with the holiday, is a very mischievous species who love the color green. According to Reader’s Digest, on Saint Patrick’s Day these invisible creatures mingle with the celebrating humans and pinch anyone who isn’t wearing the color. This led to the common tradition of pinching anyone who isn’t decked out in greenish tones.
So there you have it. Green is worn on Saint Patrick’s Day not only to honor the religious ties to the color but also as a nod to the traditional folklore of Ireland. So this March 17th, pull out your green clothes and accessories and enjoy the holiday!
AMC Private Theater Rental – Is it worth it?
COVID-19 has affected many aspects of our lives. Things we took for granted being able to do at the drop of a hat are no longer easily accessible if at all. One of the many victims of the COVID-19 shutdown was movie theaters. Movie theaters across the country have been shut down since March of last year, and some of which such as the relatively new arrival Alamo Drafthouse and Cinema have closed their ticket stands for good.
Needless to say, the AMC movie theater has had to get creative to keep moviegoer attendance up especially considering COVID-19 restrictions that regulate the number of attendees at a time, and the fact that there have been far fewer blockbuster releases since COVID-19 struck. But thanks to problem-solving masterminds behind the scenes, they have come up with a solution. People can literally rent out an entire theater room and have up to twenty people attend – for only one hundred to two hundred dollars, depending on the show they choose. Not only that, but there is a variety of movies the renter can choose from, including classics such as Back to the Future and Jurassic World for one hundred dollars and new releases such as Wonder Woman 1984 and Chaos Walking for two hundred.
Now, maybe the two hundred sounds like a ridiculously high price to watch a movie. Maybe even one hundred sounds like a bit much. So let’s do some math. Let’s say you were to go watch an older movie with a group of twenty people, and the overall cost was one hundred dollars. If you divided one hundred by twenty, that’s five bucks a person. The movies available to watch for one hundred dollars are movies no longer playing in most movie theaters, so in my opinion, five dollars to watch a classic movie as if it had just been released sounds pretty good.
Now, how about the two hundred dollar rentals? Are those worth it? Let’s do some more math. If you wanted to go watch a new release and just bought a regular ticket for an evening show, it would cost an adult almost thirteen dollars. If you rented out the theater and got a group of twenty together to hang out and watch it together and split the cost, the cost per ticket would end up being ten dollars a person.
Ok, so the prices sound good. The films sound good. What about the experience? I had the opportunity to be apart of a group that rented out a theater room to watch a movie that left theaters in 2018, Crazy Rich Asians. Although this movie is no longer available as an option to view in a rented-out theater, the experience would still be the same. We literally had the entire room to ourselves. We could sit in any seat we want and move around as we pleased. We could talk to each other or react to the movie out loud if we wanted to and even take a nap without judgment (I took full advantage of this). The theater was selling popcorn and drinks as well as other food so we got to enjoy these moviegoing classics as well. Then once we were done, a team of workers came through and thoroughly sanitized everything so the room was ready for the next group or show.
Overall, I really enjoyed this experience. I loved having the freedom to watch a movie with a large group of friends without worrying about everyone getting tickets in the general vicinity of one another. I enjoyed getting to see a movie I liked a lot but didn’t have the chance to see it when it first released, and getting to verbally react to the movie and laugh and talk with friends was super fun as well. The price is extremely reasonable and the system of renting a room was well set up. So if you and a group of friends want to get out and do something different, consider renting out a theater and enjoy the show!
Chief TV Update
Chief TV is a program that grades freshman through senior can become apart of. Chief TV is a classroom-based club that involved filming and editing videos that are displayed in the commons on the TVs on the walls. “A lot of projects are filmed in the classroom and some are filmed on our own time out of the classroom,” sophomore Hailee Seymour, a student in Broadcast Journalism II and Chief TV member explained. “It’s a very hands-on class and you get to do different projects that are based on your interests and what you enjoy to do.”
Seymour enjoys being apart of Chief TV. “It’s really fun,” she said. “You get to meet new people. You always get to do stuff that interests you not just what the teacher assigns. You can make it your own and not do the same as everyone else.”
Although she still enjoys it, Seymour also described how COVID-19 has affected Chief TV. “It’s very downplayed this year,” she explained. “We can’t do as much as we did in previous years.” However, Chief TV has no plans on slowing down anymore anytime soon. If you are interested in becoming apart of the Chief TV program, you first have to take the prerequisite course Broadcast Journalism I. Once you have completed this class, you may enroll in Broadcast Journalism II which is where the fun really begins!
Writing Center Update
The writing center is a helpful if obscure tool available to Kickapoo students. The main purpose of the writing center is to give students a chance to have an extra set of eyes read their writing whether that be an essay, lab report, or anything in between. Maddux Green, a senior this year, is a member of the writing center and has the title of “writing consultant.” This position is open to any junior or senior who is a good writer, talks to Mrs. BK, and applies via a Google Doc at the end of the year. If accepted, they will be expected to be open to editing papers that Mrs. BK assigns them within twenty-four hours so that the student can make any corrections needed or take any suggestions made by the editor into account before the due date. Writing consultants “leave comments on their Google Doc about what changes [the student] can make to their essay,” Green explained. Green also described the benefits of being a part of the program. “It looks really good on college applications,” she said. She also said that it gives editors the opportunity to improve their writing and editing skills.
Green wishes that more people took advantage of the writing center. “I wish more teachers encouraged students to use it because it’s kind of hard to communicate stuff with COVID this year,” she said. Although mainly English teachers encourage students to utilize the writing center, it is open to anyone in any subject at any time. All a student has to do is talk to Mrs. BK about getting a paper edited, send it to her through Google Docs, and a writing consultant will edit it within the next twenty-four hours and get it back to you so that you can read through their comments left on the document.
Green explains why she joined the writing center. “I like editing people’s papers so just being able to do it is something I enjoy,” Green said. If you are like Maddux and enjoy writing or editing, join the writing center as soon as you can, and if not don’t sleep on this amazing tool you have to make sure your papers are in great condition before submitting them!