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Editor: Morgan Pfahl Co-Editor: Macy Parcesepe, Corry Weller, Forest Jacobson

February 2013

His Dream
By Macy Parcesepe
Recently, we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.s holiday. Hes known for many great things he has done and standing up for the rights of African Americans. The day of his holiday falls on the third Monday of January around Martins birthday which is the 15th. The United States declared this a U.S. federal holiday in 1986. They were short a few votes at first, but ended up getting the votes they needed to make it a holiday. He also has hundreds of U.S. streets named after him and a statue at the National Mall in Martins memory. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister that later on became a national icon in the history of American Progressivism. He was especially known for his part in the advancements of civil rights without using violence. In 1955 he was a part of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He and many others protested after Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving her seat up on the bus to a white person. After that in 1957 he helped found and became the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1962, Martin and the SCLC had an unsuccessful strug-

gle against segregation in Georgia. They got a negative response back from the police being quite harsh. Of course this did not make him give up or stop fighting for himself or his fellow African Americans. In 1963 he delivered his I Have a Dream speech at the March on Washington and was one of the most moving moments in American History. Martin Luther King Jr. was an amazing person. He wasnt afraid to stand up for what he believed in and dealt with a lot of negativity and hard times trying to make things right. Although some people still have their own difficulties excepting others, I believe most of his dream came true.

Whats inside ?
His Dream Valentines Day and School Drama Movie and Game Reviews Interview Articles Random Question Birthdays & Notes from the Principals Comics 1 2

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Saint Valentines Day


By Macy Parcesepe
Every year on February 14 we celebrate the holiday Saint Valentines Day, which just passed. Its also known as just Valentines Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine. This holiday is well-known and celebrated throughout the world as a day for lovers. People buy gifts for the people they are with or care about like flowers, chocolates/ candies, cards, etc. Its supposed to be a day full of love and romance but it didnt start that way exactly Saint Valentines Day came from a man named Saint Valentine who was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers and ministering to Christians, which were both forbidden. Before he was executed he wrote a letter to the daughter of his jailer who he supposedly healed and saved and made it from your Valentine as a goodbye. From then on people would send love letters to their valentines.
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DramaDrama-Free Zone
By Hannah Twomey
I interviewed new students Hunter Stall and Erma Covington. They each described a very tense school atmosphere filled with both drama and fighting in their daily school life, when asked about how Hunter felt about her experience at Richwood's she said it was Crap, actual crap! Both fights and drama are connected they said, through instigation by them and other people, either opposing side just Couldnt leave it or each other alone. Dangerous things happen through this kind of escalation like physical violence, fights were described as frequent by both interviewees. With that thought in mind, who are at fault here, the students, or the school? Hunter and Erma were asked about what they like better about PRHS and they said that there is no drama here. When I heard that I thought, wow because just recently there has been more dramatic things happening at this school since ever. What happened to the peace that used to exist here? Perhaps some people are falling back into bad habits or just being more unable to control the ones they couldnt break. My opinion stands that we should evolve and expand our thought and embrace everyone so they next set of new students can say the same thing about this school.

Call of Duty Black Ops II


By Forest Jacobsen

Call of Duty Black Ops II is a sequel to the game Black Ops, released back in 2010. Black Ops II contains a story mode, multiplayer mode, and zombie mode. The game is available for PS3, Xbox 360, and computers running Windows. The game was released in back in 2012, and has been picking up popularity. Gamespot.com The campaign narrative jumps between various characters perspectives and also in time. The Cold War-era missions follows characters such as Alex Mason and Sgt. Frank Woods from the first Black Ops, while the 2025 missions follow Alexs son, David. All of these soldiers fates are intertwined with the villain, Raul Menendez, and his organization Cordis Die. Menendez is a tragic character, a product of imperialist nations meddling during the Cold War and a survivor of some truly traumatic experiences. Ign.com The campaign will keep you on the edge of your seat, clinching in anticipation of whats next to happen. Turns, and unexpected twists leave you disorientated. With the customizable loadouts for each campaign mission, where you can choose your equipment, weapons, and perks before the mission starts. You really get a satisfactory feeling using what youre most comfortable with. A long time ago customizable load outs was once a breakthrough of gaming ingenuity. But games have been lacking any advancement since then. This is where Black Ops II comes into play. It has an outstanding multiplayer mode that denies the conformity of a set layout for player VS player gameplay. The same conformity that bores the average gamer. Call of Duty has shaped the way other shooters present class and loadout designs for years, and Treyarch successfully redefines the standard with the Pick 10 system. The hook of Pick 10 comes from

Page 3 the ability to defy the loadout rules. Each attachment, weapon, grenade or perk counts as one of your ten points, and you can swap them out at will to create a huge number of combinations. ign.com In the previous Call of Duty games you had a primary weapon, a secondary weapon, a piece lethal equipment, such as a grenade, and tactical equipment. Along with the weapons and equipment you could choose 3 perks, allowing you to do certain things that give you an advantage, like picking up an ammo refill from a fallen foe allowing you to fight on. While there is the great, there is also the bad. The respawn system still lands you in hot water when you come back to fight. Sometimes leaving you to the option of leaving mid game. Multiplayer mode isnt the only thing Treyarch rebuilt in Black Ops II. The famous Zombies mode also brings a new flavor to our taste buds worn out from the superfluous style of games that just reuse old content. The thing is, even if Tranzit doesnt come together as a traditional campaign, its still a fun alternative to the otherwise serious CoD gameplay. The ridiculousness of the Zombies world is pervasive, and the constant banter between characters, the silly robotic bus driver or the horror movie camp that saturates every second keeps things light. ign.com Black Ops II pulls in a new era of player VS player gaming. Redefined user customization of load outs has changed the play style of many. The single player story mode is full of surprises and entertainment, something many multiplayer focused games have failed to do. Although there is greatness in this game, there is also the annoying. I believe that the Call of Duty franchise has really outdone themselves with this game, in conclusion I give it a 9.5 out of 10.

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Movie Review of Ted


By Macy Parcesepe
The movie Ted starts out in 1985 with a lonely young boy, John Bennett, who makes a wish on Christmas Eve for his new teddy bear to come to life. Just so happens that as John makes this wish a shooting star goes by in the sky and he wakes up the next morning to find his wish has came true, Ted is very much alive. Twentyseven years later Ted, John, and Johns girlfriend, Lori live together in an apartment in Boston. Ted and Johns friendship and immaturity start coming in between Lori and Johns relationship though and Lori really wants ted to get his own place. John just cant bring himself to kick Ted out until one night they come home to Ted and four prostitutes hanging out in their living room. After John and Ted talk, Ted agrees to move out and soon enough has a job, apartment of his own and a girlfriend, Tami-Lynn. Ted and John continue to be best friends still but have a few disagreements along the way. One night Ted talks John into sneaking off from an important work party for Lori and ends up partying it up all night with their favorite movie hero, Flash Gordon causing Lori to leave John. Later on, Ted tells Lori he will stay away for good so that she and John can be happy together but then Ted gets kidnapped by obsessed fans, Donny and his son, Robert that tried to buy him before from John at the park. Ted calls John from the kidnappers home and John and Lori panic, realizing Ted is in trouble when the phone call is cut short. Will John and Lori be able to save Ted on time and get their best friend back or what will become of this lively teddy bear? This story is written, produced, and directed by the hilarious Seth MacFarlane, who also stars as Ted in this movie. I believe that Ted is one of the best and funniest movies ever along with many others that agree. Top critics Todd McCarthy (Continued on page 6)

Good, the Bad, and the Ugly


By Brian Haj
Paranormal Activity 3 is a great movie that I enjoyed watching, mostly because it wasnt that scary, but mostly funny. This movie stars Lauren Bitter (Julie) and Christopher Nicholas Smith (Dennis,) as the parents of Jessica Tyler Brown (Kristi). The author Oren Peli and directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman are the brilliant masterminds behind the plot of Paranormal Activity 3. This movie is about the daughter of Julie and Dennis, Kristi begins to talk to a translucent figure named Toby, later on in the movie Dennis tries to talk to Toby with no success. As the movie progresses the paranormal encounters increase from earthquakes to furniture being flung across the room. With no choice left Dennis decides to plant cameras around his house to try to find an explanation for all the encounters his family has been experiencing. While Dennis is managing all the cameras he calls up his friend Randy to help out with the surveillance. Paranormal Activity 3 is a different type of movie that is extremely hard to understand then other paranormal related movies. If someone were to watch it, you will definitely not be dreading the ending. The makers of this movie really did well on the suspense and how the story came to be, one thing that was a disappointment was the ending. The ending did was unexpected and did not relate to the plot. Although the ending was bad, the acting was amazing, the actors really fitted into there roles. This movie is set in 1988, in a house located in California, they did not give any clues to where in California they were located but the scenery had the image of Santa Rosa. The set design was fairly decent, although the lighting was not as good. As you watch the movie you will notice that it is unusually dark in the house. Paranormal Activity 3 had a lot of repetitive slap shots of fear but as they progressed the lost there luster. (Continued on page 6)

Paranormal Activity 3, the

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Having Those Weird Conversations with Your Best Friends and Thinking if Anyone Heard Us Right Now, Wed Be Put into a Mental Hospital
By Lexi Magner
Karly and I have had many crazy times together, like one time when we were out in Glasford at 2 in morning and Karly decided it was a good idea to wear sunglasses at night so she couldnt see when she was supposed to be giving me directions to get back to Bartonville, Lets just say we ended up an hour away and had no idea where we were, but we finally figured it out together it was a very long night. The only reason god didnt make us sisters is because one mom couldn't handle us both. Even though this wasnt said by us, its definitely how we feel! Karly was born on January 25, 1995 at OSF Hospital. She went to Concordia Luthern Grade School until 6th grade, and then she moved to Monroe Grade School, which is where we became best friends. It was definitely way harder moving in grade school because she didnt know anyone, but going to high school wasnt as bad because she had her friends. One of her favorite memories at PRHS was going to see The Hunger Games: We all got to ride together, sit together and get a day to skip school and not get in trouble for it! From the very start to now the end of our senior year we still remain friends. Karlys learned throughout her life in high school that she would rather have her closest friends with her than a bunch of friends around. Her advice to kids who are going to high school is to be yourself, find people who like you for who you are dont mess around, do your work, and enjoy your high school years because it will fly by faster than you think. Even though school is almost over shes ready to move on and start her life! Heartland College is next in her plans, and she thinks it will be cool to work in a doctors office and give sonograms to baby mommas. Her major is radiography. She plans to move to Colorado after she graduates from college to get away from Peoria and start new.

A New Start
By Hunter Stahl
When I first met Carly, it was our freshman year.. I had never met Lexi before I got here, so I wanted to get both perspectives of how theyre adjusting to being at Peoria Regional. Carly came from Richwoods a big school of 1,600 kids, while Lexi came from Illini Bluffs, a school where only 50-60 kids were in her graduating class. During the interview both girls were willing to share how different the new school is compared to their home schools. Both girls chose this school to get their credits up and to be able to graduate on time. Carly wanted to escape the drama that surrounded her and finally have at least one good year in high school. They both want to get better grades, and stay out of all the drama. Carly has moved around while Lexi has grown up with the people at Illini Bluffs. I asked them both if this school meets their expectations. Carly likes being here and Lexi said Anything is better than IB Here I just sit in class, take notes, and pass. When I first got here, Carly helped me around the school even though shed only been here a few days. Her favorite part is seeing all of the animals, while Lexi likes having freedom here. Lexi thought the teachers would all be strict and super uptight instead of letting us have a little wiggle room. After PRHS, Carly plans to go to ICC for college, and Lexi wants to either go into the military, or be a nurse at OSF for children or the ER.

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(Ted continued)

(Paranormal Activity 3 continued)

(Hollywood Reporter), Peter Travers (Rolling Stone), and Colin Covert (Minneapolis Star Tribuneall had nothing but good things to say about the movie Ted. Todd McCarthy put on http:// www.rottentomatoes.com/, Not too many films serve up laughs that just keep rolling with regularity from beginning to end, but Seth McFarlanes directorial debut does so and without any feeling of strain.I agree with this completely, this movie is hilarious and you wont be able to stop laughing when you watch Ted. As top critic Kyle Smith, The shtick movie Paranormal Activity 3 is the horror equivalent of vaudeville comedy: a little patter, a little pie in the face, repeat. rottentomatoes.com. Even though what Kyle Smith said is remarkably true, there is some good to the movie. Like how the Paranormal Activity crew always keeps the viewer dying for more, as Adam Graham stated Joost and Schulman sustain a consistent sense of dread, playing with our own fears of things that go bump in the night. rottentomatoes.com. Even though what Kyle Smith said is remarkably true, there is some good to the movie. Like how the Paranormal Activity crew always keeps the viewer dying for more, as Adam Graham stated Joost and Schulman sustain a consistent sense of dread, playing with our own fears of things that go bump in the night. Rottentomatoes.com. In my opinion I think the best part of the movie was how the makers of the move kept you wanting to more even after the movie finished. The only thing that didnt work for me was how the movie ended, it didnt explain any of the ploy and was a really inexcusable cliff hanger. The ending is the only thing I would change in the movie, other than that, Paranormal Activity 3 is a great movie to watch with a group of your friends or family. Paranormal Activity 3 is suspense at its best, if you just happen to be at the movie and do not know what to watch, Paranormal Activity 3 will satisfy your needs. This movie is a 4 star in my book, and I treasured watching it with my friends.

The two other good reviews [also from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/] were Peter Travers saying, Seth MacFarlane's debut as a feature director hits all the sweet spots that irritate prudes. Ted is hysterically, gut-bustingly funny and Colin Covert also adding, Welcome to the funniest comedy of 2012. I definitely think everything theyve said is true because every time Ive watched this movie, I havent been able to stop laughing and neither have the people that watched it with me. This is one of the funniest movies Ive ever seen and agreeably 2012s funniest movie. You can rent the movie Ted on the internet, on your television if you have it set up like that (ex: On Demand), in your nearest video store, or Red box. You can also buy Ted on the internet, nearest Wal-Mart, video store, etc. I definitely recommend you watch this movie.

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Django Unchained
By Erma Covington
Django Unchained stars Jamie Foxx a well known entertainer in the music industry and Leonardo DiCaprio. David Denby said Django Unchained is his most entertaining piece of moviemaking since Pulp Fiction. Some of it, particularly in the first half, is excruciatingly funny, and all of it has been brought off in a spirit of burlesque merrimentviolent absurdity pushed to the level of flagrancy and beyond (newyorker.com). This movie is set in the South back in slave days, it about a man to get back the wife he lost due to a slave trade. Joe Morgenstern says in the New Yorker, Django is a wildly extravagant, ferociously violent, ludicrously lurid and outrageously entertaining, yet also, remarkably, very much about the pernicious lunacy of racism and, yes, slavery's singular horror. But Anthony Lane from the Wall Street Journal doesnt feel like that. He says, Django Unchained has mislaid its melancholy, and its bitter wit, and become a raucous romp. It is a tribute to the spaghetti Western, cooked al dente, and then cooked a while more, and finally sauced to death. Andrew OHehir from salon.com sources call shots at the director saying, Quentin Tarantino no longer makes movies; he makes trailers. David Bradley for Hit It Up sources applaud Quentin Tarantino saying, still wonderfully witty and violent sequences that only Tarantino could manage or dare. Reel Talk Movie Reviews didnt feel the movie had any meaning. Johnnie ODea from the source says Whereas there was savage beauty and irony in the '60-'70s violence of Penn, Peckinpah, and Leone, the coda of 'Django Unchained' is mere benumbing splatter. Most to critics gave good feedback coming from PopMatter source saying the movie is Django Unchained is a joy. It's fun and foolish, unhinged and unapologetic. \ In my opinion of Django Unchained is this movie a very outstanding performance. This gives these movie two thumbs up. Shane Daniels from TopCritic source gave this movie great feedback by saying Impolitic though it might be to suggest it, there's something extremely satisfying about the violence here-though, for my money, it resides less in seeing these racist thugs get their comeuppance, than in the director's staging of it. Overall Django Unchained was a success.

Safe Haven? Safe or Not?


By Dakota Dockery
An affirming and suspenseful story about a young woman's struggle to love again, Safe Haven is based on the novel from Nicholas Sparks, the best-selling author behind the hit films The Notebook and Dear John. When a mysterious young woman arrives in a small North Carolina town, her reluctance to join the tight knit community raises questions about her past. Slowly, she begins putting down roots, and gains the courage to start a relationship with Alex, a widowed store owner with two young children. But dark secrets intrude on her new life with such terror that she is forced to rediscover the meaning of sacrifice and rely on the power of love in this deeply moving romantic thriller. The Nicholas Sparks universe finally gets the crime thriller it deserves, an erratic amalgam of mush and mystery, with an 11th-hour dose of supernatural visitation says, Colin Covert. I really agree with this review because of the fact that Nicholas Sparks always writes love stories but with this one he adds some suspense to the movie. Safe Haven offers an unsurprising but not unsatisfying tour through recognizable Sparkville terrain says Justin Chang. Its got a stalker like setting with the Ex that belongs to one of the main characters. Would I recommend this movie? Yes, I would but I wouldnt make it a Valentines movie because of the fact that I wouldnt do anything like that to my boyfriend. Yes, I want to see it but I wouldnt go see it on Valentines Day. I hate Safe Haven. It's a terrible thing to do to your Valentine. says, Peter Travers. I would somewhat agree with this. I dont think I would hate the movie but I would agree with the fact that I would do that terrible thing to my Valentine. Me and my boyfriend went to see this movie and we really enjoyed it. We would have to agree with the fact that it is a horrible thing to do to your valentine but at the same time it is a really good movie. I liked the suspense and the romance all at the same time. Safe Haven offers an unsurprising but not unsatisfying tour through recognizable Sparkville terrain

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Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to see things on the ground?
Cassondra People are willing to pay because looking down upon the world gives them a sense of superiority. Throughout time, people with power have taken higher ground to feel better than everyone else. So humans inner drive to be the best make them willing to pay small fees for happiness. Emily Green Because the economy is ****** Jonny To notice how far down it is or to see places faster instead of walking all the way to the place you want to see. Josie Because people are real silly now a days and like spending that cash. Lacy People like to spend money on things they don't need. Forest They were too dumb to bring their own binoculars. Corry To see the bigger picture of what they really live in. Lexi Magner It is part of viewing things differently, as well as an attraction Ennikah Some are stupid about it, but some things you cant see from ground level. Brian Haj Because people are dumb.

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Karly Graves01/25/1995 Lexi Magner 01/18/1995 Macy Parcesepe 01/03/1996 Jazmyne Scoville 01/17/1995 Megan Simpson-Hayes 01/30/1996 Ben Ullrich 01/31/1996 Corry Weller 01/01/1995

Addison Bill 02/07/1997 Clark Deemie 02/03/1994 Carly Glover 02/25/1996 Emily Lewis 02/06/1995 Curtis Lyons 02/27/1994 Cassondra Maskrey 02/14/1997 Sena Peters 02/23/1995 Keyiana Simmons 02/14/1995

David Domnick 03/12/1996 Cody Gilles 03/25/1997 Forest Jacobsen 03/09/1996 Corey Jones 03/27/1994 Breyon Nixon 03/21/1994

Notes from our Principals


It's hard to believe that we are almost through the month of February! That means spring is that much closer and we will begin to head down the backstretch of the school year. I want everybody to know how proud I am of their efforts at PRHS. Granted there are days when we struggle but when you consider we have 60+ personalities in our school at any given time, you have to figure that there will be some conflict. The important thing is how we resolve the conflict and move on with a sense of mutual respect and understanding for each other. I also want to mention that I was pleased with everyone's behavior when we took our all-school trip to see the movie, "Lincoln." I thought it was an excellent movie and I really wanted it to make you think about, and appreciate Abraham Lincoln. Keep on doing the good work that you do and soon April showers will bring May flowers. I don't think the Mayflowers will bring Pilgrims however! Ask Mr. Czarnik for his opinion. Mr. Stueve

I continue to be proud and impressed by the efforts and achievements of the student body, as well as the faculty who continuously reaches out to help them be successful. Remember, all you need is love! Mr. Bixby

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