by Saber Slate | May 7, 2018 | Advice
Have you ever been walking down the hallway, and suddenly a fellow student wildly walked around you? Have you been walking your normal path, straight through the doorway, and walked directly into a person going the opposite direction? This article will attempt to clarify the ins and outs of how to get around the school to avoid collisions through several scenarios.
Scenario 1: You and your friend are walking down the hallway and want to talk. If you want to do this, you are obligated by school rules to stop or at least slow down. If you walk too fast, you might outrun the sound waves of your friend’s voice, leading to a weird shift of sound that blocks out all volume! Everyone else is required to walk around you.
Scenario 2: You’re walking to your next class and it’s pretty close. You can walk at whatever speed you want; nobody else is affected by your speed. In fact, everyone else will simply accommodate your needs and walk the same speed as you – even the ones needing to go from one side of the school to the opposite side! This is purely out of the goodness of everyone’s hearts, as humans are known to have.
Scenario 3: You need to go through the doorway from the cafeteria to the back hallway. You might think that you should only use the right doorway, as this would make logical sense – you walk on the right side of the hallway normally, so you probably have to follow this rule for doorways as well. Well, you can actually use either doorway you want; the blind corner leading directly to the left side of the hallway is completely fine to walk directly into. Even when walking side by side with another student, it’s perfectly fine to take the blind corner without seeing if you’ll walk into anyone.
I hope this article helps with all your hallway-navigating needs!
by Saber Slate | Apr 9, 2018 | Writing & Art
by Saber Slate | Mar 28, 2018 | Opinion & Reviews
There are many different ways people watch modern award ceremonies, with some choosing to not open it at all. There’s an anticipation of which nominee will win whichever award, or who will have the best speech. After watching for awhile, people often begin to notice something. The same names are often repeated over and over. It’s at this point many come to realize that there isn’t really a whole lot of variety in the nominees. Not only that, but almost all of the categories seem extremely similar. If all the awards are focused on a select group of categories and nominees, then the event loses its purpose. So what is really accounted for?
Take the Grammy’s for example. When you watch the Grammy’s it seems like it’s long enough of a show, looking like they hand out about 20 awards. What you don’t know is that there are actually 84 total categories. Furthermore, who ever knew there was an award for best opera recording, best surround sound album, or best historical album. So where are all of these awards? There is a ceremony before the full televised extravaganza announcing nearly ⅔ of the winners. Therefore, there are categories that are reserved for the big show. This is understandable as categories are far more popular than others, but there is a bit of unevenness in the reserved categories. For example, Bruno Mars was part of 6 winning awards, Kendrick Lamar won 4 categories and Chris Stapleton for 3 categories. How did these artists win so much? This is because of an endless list of subcategories. For example, Kendrick Lamar won best rap performance, best rap/sung performance, best rap song, and best rap album. Essentially this can be cut in half as they essentially go hand in hand. Instead of filling spots with subcategories that are the same category, many believe awards shows should present a more diverse selection of awards. There was a time when rock music was the center of attention in music, but now the rock category was not even included in the main award show.
Award shows today are based on exemplary work or popularity. Some of the most contemporary and brilliant works of the year will not even reach the light of day. Maybe it is the fact that people’s interests are ever changing and nothing stays popular forever. In a day and age where there are so many different genres and artists, it is very difficult to find a compromise in music, therefore only a select few categories are presented in award shows. To conclude when viewing awards it may be best to keep an open mind and focus on whatever award you favorite categories win.
by Saber Slate | Mar 15, 2018 | Athletics & Activities
Comic by Angelia Bell
WOOOOOOOOO! That’s right Franklin, it’s that time of the year again. Time for the spirit of sport to overwhelm the hallways of Franklin High, for the percussive bounces of basketballs colliding with the floor of the gym, and for everyone to hear the warcry of everyone’s favorite environmental science teacher. March means Madness, and Madness there will be.
I’ve recently had the opportunity to speak to Mr. Gain, the spokesperson for the Franklin March Madness tournament, about the history of March Madness in FHS, and where he hopes it will go in the coming years.
“How long have you been in charge of March Madness at FHS?”
This is the fourth year we’re doing March Madness, I did for eleven years prior at West Allis where I used to teach.
“How much has the popularity of the tournament increased throughout the years?”
We’ve always had somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 teams, usually about 200 or 220 kids. This year we have 24 boys teams and six girls teams and we have I believe 211 kids involved in the actual tournament.
“Is there anything you’d like to tell teams that are new to the tournament?”
I’m glad that people are catching on to the fact that you don’t have to be the most athletic people to have fun in March Madness. You have something to do during gold block, you have fun with your friends, getting together and strategizing. But then you can also win the best uniforms, you can win the best sportsmanship award, you can be in the thick of things without being these top-notch players. There’s a lot more that March Madness has to offer than a lot of people would think.
“Has the final game of the season ever ended in a tie?”
If it did, we’d either extend it by a minute, if we had the time. Everything comes down to those last seconds with the assembly and what not. In the early rounds if there’s time we’ll have a free throw shoot off. As soon as one player makes it the other team has a chance to take a shot; it’s a kind of sudden death.
Be sure to listen for the “Wooooo!” in the morning announcements for updates from Mr. Gain on this year’s season. Be sure to stay up to date with your brackets!
But that’s only
I spoke with Grant Heminger, coach and player for the Vonderwell Elites, to find out what it’s been like for his team for the past years.
“How many years have you been participating in the FHS March Madness tournament?”
Since my freshman year physically, but mentally since the day I was born.
“How have those past years gone for your team?”
They’ve gone well. Every year we’ve gone farther, this year we’re going all the way. We faced adversity our freshman year, having to play seniors in our first round. We put up a great effort. Sophomore year we made it even farther, again lost to an upperclassmen team with a great performance. We’ve been slept on these past few years, and it’s time to show what a Vonderwell Elite really is.
“Are there any new coaching techniques you’re trying out to improve your team’s performance?”
Yes, I can now declassify last year’s game plan. It was a two-word game plan, extremely effective. It was “feed Jacob,” that is Jacob Vonderwell. Feed that man the ball. Feed the beast, so to speak. “Feed me, Seymour,” he’d say, “feed me, Seymour.” And we’d feed him and he’d score. So this year we have a little more diversity, as I’m sure you’re aware, I’m playing this year. So the game plan has expanded. Obviously, this is classified information, I can’t tell you what the game plan is this year, but I can declassify last year’s, which was: “Feed Jacob.”
“Do you have any tips for newcomers to the March Madness scene?”
Oh, absolutely. Well, it’s important to get a coach right away who can develop a game plan, which takes a long time to create, develop, and really turn into something executable. So find a good coach, make sure team chemistry is good, and if you’re a player, you need to get signed somewhere. Make sure you weigh your options, and you leverage options for other teams. Make sure you get a signing bonus from somebody. Last year I got a gallon of chocolate milk for coaching so look for those options.
The Vonderwell Elites aim to go all the way this year, and you can keep up to date with them by listening to the announcements for updates on all of your favorite teams.
Whether you’re going to be out on the court shooting three-pointers or cheering for your favorite team in the bleachers, March Madness is a time of the year we can all enjoy together. It’s events like this that let us as a student body to come together and celebrate one common goal: our love of basketball.
by Saber Slate | Mar 12, 2018 | Community, History, News, School
On June 19th, 1865, all slaves were officially emancipated in all states. Over time, more and more people of African heritage in the United States celebrate this holiday because of the Civil Rights movement, allowing for equality and diversity. Juneteenth is a state holiday (or special day of observance) in forty-five states. Today, Juneteenth has become a celebration of African American history and culture.
Juneteenth is rooted in United States history, going back to the American Civil War when President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The Proclamation declared all slaves to be freed in rebel states, who weren’t in Union hands. The document excluded the border states Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and Missouri, as well as the counties of Virginia that would later come together to form the state of West Virginia.
The news that Confederate General Robert E. Lee had surrendered to Union forces on April 9 did not reach the state of Texas until May 1865. On June 18, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger declared “General Order No. 3,” which announced the total emancipation of slaves. Freedmen celebrated in the streets after the announcement of their emancipation. The year after, the freedmen organized the first of the annual Juneteenth celebrations to celebrate their freedom. More and more people joining in these celebrations by the mid-1900’s, during the Civil Rights movement.
After the Civil Rights movement of the mid-1900’s, Juneteenth Day has been celebrated by more and more African-American communities.
On February 19th, we hosted a Mini-Juneteenth celebration here at Franklin High School.
At the festival, there was a selection of different events that promoted diversity, friendship, and support and from Daddy’s Soul Food & Grille. I personally didn’t try the food, however, I asked around about the food and the reaction was positive.
There was also book table that displayed a plethora of books about African-American civil rights and emancipation. I interviewed a student about it, who said, “[I think it’s something] that gets overlooked a lot, and there are books that become popular by the media, and a lot of times, that’s the only thing you go to, you’re broadening your horizons, you know?”
Some of the other events included a raffle to support local African-American businesses and a kindness pledge wall, which was facilitated by fellow members of the Saber Slate. Many students and parents of Franklin filled out the pledge wall.
I had the opportunity to interview Janet Evans, the president of the school board, and ask her about the event. “I think [Mini Juneteenth] is a great way to bring the community together,” she said, “and I also think it’s a great way to celebrate Black History Month, and educate the community.”
Around the same time I was standing around the wall, the music was cranked up. A group of three girls started dancing to One Two Step by Ciara. I saw many more students join the impromptu dance party and have a great time together, enjoying the moment. That alone just shows, even if it seems like we’re struggling to stay together, Franklin is still a community. Although it isn’t a national holiday, many organizations are working toward having the day recognized as a national day of observance.
Mini-Juneteenth was an important celebration, even if you didn’t attend, it shows that Franklin as a whole is ready to support racial diversity, and that is very important to many students of Franklin no matter how they look.
Photo’s taken by Isabelle Wilson
Sources
Holness, J. J. (2017, June 19). National Observance of Juneteenth is Still a Struggle. Retrieved February 20, 2018, from https://urbanfaith.com/2016/06/national-observance-juneteenth-still-struggle.html/
Cruz, G. (2008, June 18). Juneteenth. Retrieved February 21, 2018, from http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1815936,00.html
