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Features
pg. 2
In-Depth
pg. 3
Opinions
pg. 4-5
Sports
pg. 6
Entertainment pg. 7
Games pg. 8
Whats inside...
Principal Hernandez
Viking Myths
Viking Athletes
Game Page
Tiffany Torres
Editor
The Viking computer science team
and seniors Charles Hermann and Tay-
lor Colwell placed in the Regional Aca-
demic UIL meet at Baylor University in
Waco, TX.
Colwell placed frst in ready writing
and will advance to State competition.
He really impressed me because
getting frst place in ready writing is
an awesome accomplishment, said
Stephanie Connor, advanced place-
ment English III teacher and Colwells
coach.
Colwell also placed frst in ready
writing and third in literary criticism at
District held last month at A&M Con-
solidated High School.
Colwell had English III with Connor
during his junior year.
Its enjoyable to interact with kids in
a different setting and to get to know
them in a different way rather than in a
classroom, Connor said.
This is Colwells second year com-
peting in Academic UIL. Next year he
plans to attend Reed College in Port-
land, OR.
I simply love literature and I love to
write, Colwell said.
Now Colwell and Connor are prepar-
ing for State competition at Baylor on
May 2-3.
ForreadywritingIcantreallyfnd
a way to prepare. I just write all the
time, he said.
Senior Steven Brelsford also ad-
vanced at District and competed in Re-
gionals.
Brelsford competed in computer sci-
ence and science events and is attend-
ing Texas A&M next year.
Java is a practical language, he said.
He sees the knowledge he has learned
in UIL computer science as a resource-
ful skill to use after high school.
Biology teacher and Academic UIL
coordinator Colleen Holmes enjoys
creating a bond with the students and
teachers that participate in the pro-
gram.
Like learning, its a chance to know
kids outside the class and work with
teachers that are very dedicated so I
enjoy their enthusiasm, Holmes said.
Just having the kids comitted and
come participate on Saturdays is the
hardest.
But she said she is looking foward to
next year and sees the improvement the
program is capable of succeeding.
I hope next year well get up to sec-
ond place overall because we were 26
points away, Holmes said. Im proud
of all the events. They all did very well,
she said. I think we have a lot of im-
provement to do, but for the most part
we ought to do very well [next year].
All District Award Winners
Darius Alexander - 2nd place Poetry
Interpretation; Vanessa Bracken - One
Act Play Honorable Mention; Steven
Brelsford - 2nd place Computer Sci-
ence; Taylor Colwell - 1st place Ready
Writing and 3rd place Literary Criti-
cism; Jonathan Cullen - 4th place Cur-
rent Issues and Events and Spelling and
Vocabulary and 5th place Social Studies;
Kathy Davila - 4th place Computer Ap-
plications; Chelsea Downey - 6th place
Editorial Writing; Grace Gage - One Act
Play All-Star Cast; Charles Herrmann
- 2nd Place Computer Science and Sci-
ence, alternate in Chemistry and Phys-
ics; Logan Kickham - 5th place Edito-
rial Writing and Headline Writing; Scott
Lovett - 1st place Accounting; Matt
Luedke - 5th place Computer Science;
Brandon Nichols - 4th place Lincoln
Douglas Debate; Rafael Pena - 6th place
Poetry Interpretation; Elizabeth Ramirez
- 3rd place; Reed Williams - One Act
Play Honorable Mention.
Vikings place, advance to State competition
Viking
Voices
What do you
enjoy the most
about this
spring?
Allergies.
- Mrs. Nowak
teacher
Graduation.
- Jazmine Alcantara
senior
The physical ftness
test ... just kidding.
- Caitlin Quinn
junior
The weather.
- Jamarius Davis
senior
Page 2 April 2008
Cole Roberts
Jessica Cooke
Staff writers
Growingupwithnormalparentscanbeboring,
butimaginehavingaGrammyaward-winningart-
istasafather.
ThatsallIknew,growingupmusic,Assis-
tantPrincipalIkeHernandezsaid.
HernandezsfatheristheGrammy
award-winingTejanoartistand
leadsingerofhisbandLittle
Joe y La Familia.
Thegrouphas
beennomi-
nated ten
t i m e s
and has
w o n
t h r e e
awards.
Hernan-
dez has
m o v e d
a r o u n d
Texas and
w o r k e d
his way through different avenues of the educa-
tional feld until he found himself working at Bryan
High.
Iworkedasanat-riskcounselorinGeorgetown,
I got a degree in psychology and this job fell into
placeforme,hesaid.
Hernandezdidntalwayswanttobeaprincipal.
Hestartedplayinginstrumentsatayoungageand
carriedhismusicaltalentalongwithhim.
WhenIwasten,Istartedtryingtogetmyown
bandtogetherandby12Ihadaband,hesaid.
His dreams of being a musician slowly faded
awayashebecameolder.
I had a band based out of
Waco and they traveled a lot, but
I couldnt travel so I gave it up,
Hernandezadded.
AlloftheseeventsledMr.Her-
nandez to his position at Bryan.
IloveworkinghereandIdidnt
planonithappening,butImglad
itdid,hesaid.
Hernandez described his fa-
therssoundasdifferent.
Youmaythink[Tejanomusic]
all sounds the same, but theyre
totallydifferent,Hernandezsaid.
Little Joehasbeenperformingsince1956andhas
kept his title as King of the Brass over the years.
I think what has made my dad so successful is
thathehaschangedhissoundthroughthegenera-
tions, and also his stage presence, said Hernan-
dez.
Despite his fathers struggles growing up, he
managed to become one of the top selling Tejano
artistsofalltime.
He only had a seventh grade education, he was
acottonpickerandcamefromadirtpoorfamily,
Hernandezsaid.
Hernandezs fathers past trou-
blesledhimtothecreationofchar-
itygroupsaroundtheUnitedStates.
(He)hasagroupcalledTeachthe
Children that gives school supplies
to students who cant afford it, he
said.
EventhoughHernandeziscurrent-
ly employed at Bryan High School,
music is still a very big part of his
life.
Istillplaypianoandwritesome
stuff.Ilovemusic.Ilistentoitcon-
stantly; its my hobby, Hernandez
said.
Principal Ike Hernandez.
Need Money For College?
Scholarships
Grants
Loans
Work 5Iudy
fAf5A TIP5
financiaI HeIp
Loan OuesIions
CounseIing
Were here to help you
ConIacI Texas A&M 5IudenI financiaI Aid aI.
Phone: 979-845-3236
Website: fnancialaid.tamu.edu
MySpace: www.myspace.com/tamufnancialaid
Or come visiI us aI.
2nd Floor Pavilion
PO Box 30016
College Station, Texas 77842-3016
Grammy award-winning, Joe Hernandez Principal Ike Hernandez
Viking men in tuxedos
REMINDERThe2008PromwillbeattheCollegeStationHilton,
801UniversityDr.E.,at9p.m.to1a.m.onMay17.
AssistantprincipalsrootssinkdeepintoTejanomusic
Page 3 April 2008
Unsolved mysteries of Bryan High
Chelsea Downey
Cole Roberts
Staff writers
Theyve been called tarot cards, those lady-
poster-thingies, and what are you talking about?.
But what are they really?
Individually the murals hanging in silver cafete-
ria symbolize Academics, Leadership, and Service.
The Senior Class
of 2002 decided
that they wanted
their class gift to
be unique.
They commis-
sioned local artist
Russell Reid to
design and create
a set of murals.
A c a d e mi c :
Shows the Olym-
pian goddess
Psyche surround-
ed by thirteen
birds and three
branches. Seven birds on her right hand and six on
the left.
These birds stand for the liberal and technical
arts; namely arithmetic, astronomy and the vari-
ous fne arts, and architecture is separated as both a
technical and fne art and is the bird in fight.
Leadership: (Veritas - Latin for Truth) Holding a
watch, she upholds the idea that truth is linked with
time, hence the theme of time revealing truth.
Truth is shown as the fgure of Fortitude (the lady
in the tapestry), her left hand resting on a globe sig-
nifes that she is above the common world.
Her crown reminds people that victory is always
hers. Beside her is a plum, a symbol of the mea-
surement of truth.
Her right hand rests on a sword, a symbol of
power, signifying the wielder dispenses justice.
Service: (Caritas - Latin for charity) Displays the
Christian ideal of
love in the fgure
of Charity.
The fame is a
metaphor of the
love of God and
of earthly charity.
She is depicted
with a candle in
her hand, offering
faith and service.
S t a n d -
ing beside her is
a young girl, as
an allegory of the
child of charity
and a secular aspect of faith and the state of trust.
Behind is a moonlit scene of the ocean, repre-
senting the third element of water and night. The
ocean is also an allegory of touching all parts of the
earth with charity.
These murals depit the qualities teachers desire
in students, yet they have mainly confused students
over the years by their presence in the silver cafe-
tiera.
Hopefully, some of the mystery is now solved.
Other Viking myths and rumors
Do you believe there is a
basement in Blue campus?
87% Yes
13% No
Do you believe that if teachers
dont arrive to class in ten
minutes you have the
right to leave?
86% Yes
14% No
The uneasy eyes
of our Viking
ancestors.
junior
Vantrice Skillern
Three of the greek
muses that have to
do with education
... ask somebody
else.
junior
Ali Porter
Traits that Viking
students should
possess.
sophomore
Chris Ehresman
FALSE - Nowhere in
the student handbook
does it say this is a rule.
TRUE - Te base-
ment was previously
the band hall before
the current fne arts
building was built.
Academic Leadership Service
What do you think the murals in the
silver cafeteria represent?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Page 4 Opinions April 2008
By
Chelsea
Downey
By
Logan
Kickham
JustDoIt.
Thatsaysitall.
Nikesfamousadcampaignthatbeganmanyyears
agospeaksformorethanjustathletics.
It seems like everywhere you turn lately people
have a problem with something. School is just too
hard.Whatnext?
Today,peoplecomplainaboutthethingsourcoun-
trywasfoundedon.
I just dont understand it. Kids dropping out of
schoolforexample,whatssohard?
Educationisaprivelageandyoutakeitforgrant-
ed.Peopledonteventry.
Ifyoucanthandleyourworkloadinhighschool,
thereisabsolutelynowayyouwillmakeitlaterin
life.
Use this time when the stakes arent so high to
learnsomegoodworkhabits.
I think this feeling of entitlement to a more self
centeredlifebe-
gins much ear-
lier than most
peoplerealize.
When we be-
gintocomplainaboutsomethingassimpleasclean-
ing our rooms, we waste more time complaining
than actually fxing the problem, which is clearly
whatmostadultsaredoingtoday.
Theworldneedspeoplethatarewillingtoactually
make a change, instead of just talking about doing
it.
Inmyopinion,wearesurroundedwithpeopletell-
ing us that its okay to quit something if we dont
likeit,orifitstoohard.Ifparentswouldmakekids
stickthingsoutthatwouldbetheattitudeofthema-
jority in this country. Instead of complaining, and
quittingwhenthingsstopbeingfunkeepgoing,it
willteachyoulessonsthatmayonedaybeuseful.
The world will never be perfect. It will never be
fair,nomatterhowmuchwewantittobe.
But what it can be is flled with people trying to
be the change they
wishtoseeintheir
world. If you dont
like the way some-
thingis,thereisal-
ways a way to fx it.
It may not be something you are willing to do
yourself,butifthishappenstobethecasethenyou
havetostopcomplaining.
Wecantjustsitaroundwaitingforsomeoneelse
to fx the things we hate, if they do in fact bother
usasmuchaswesaytheydo,thenitsuptousto
modifythem.
Ring!Ring!Ring!
Actuallyitsmostlikely:MiseryBusinessbyPar-
amore.
Inrecentyearsthenumberofcellphoneownersin
theUShasincreasedfromabout4.3millionin1990
toroughly254milliontoday.
These portable cellular devices have become es-
sentialtoourlives.
Cellphonescanbeuseful,confusingorjustplain
annoying.Likeanythingelse,italldependsonwho
youareandhowyouusethem.
Cell phones have begun to defne our lives. The
searchforaperfectringerIDorringbacktoneisas
important as picking that new MySpace/Facebook
defaultpicture.
Somepeopleoptforthesubtleinstrumentaltunes
toalertthemofcalls;otherspickspecialsongsthat
remindthemofacertainsomeone.
Other uses or multi-talented
Ifyourelikeme,thenyoucheckyourcellphone
forthetimebeforeeventhinkingaboutlookingata
clock. Its the frst thing you grab in the morning,
andthestuffedanimalyousleepwithatnight.
ArecentSprintsurveystatedthat2/3ofpeoples
cell phones have started to replace the fashlight in
somesituations;mainlybusandpursesearches.
Shorthand to L33t Sp3@k
Texting is an addicting habit now, and kids can
evenparticipateinspeedtextingcompetitions.
IalsoheardthatawomaninJapanhasbeenwrit-
ingstoriesonhercellduringherdailytrainrideto
work.Nowtheyrebeingpublished!
EveryoneknowsoftheshorthandIMtermsweall
usewhentextingtogetthemostacrossina10char-
actermessage.
Lol,ttyl,g2g,brbandh/ohavebecome
thisgenerationsshorthand.
Unlessyouhavetheaggravatingpredictivetext,or
T9 and actually fgured out how it works.
Theyre not toys
Many parents choose to give their elementary
schoolchildrencellphonestokeeptrackofthem.
Theseparentsmayhavegoodintentions,butgiv-
ing6and7year-oldkidscellphonesisabsurd!
Thesekidscantdrive,theirfriendscantdrive.
Their parents are with them in the morning and
right after school, and when theyre not with their
parents,theyreatschooloratafriendshousewith
mostlikelyalandlinenearby.
Also,thesekidshaveabadhabitofcarelesslylos-
ingordestroyinganyexpensiveitemsputinreach.
Theydontyethavetheknowledgetoseethatthe
cellphoneshouldNOTgetwet,shouldNOTbetak-
entoplayinthemud,andshouldnotbeleftinyour
lunchbox.
Sometimes too mobile
ForthoseofusinthegoodolUSofAwehavea
majorproblem-carsanddrivingwithacellphone.
If you have a car you need a cell phone as car
phonesarealmostnonexistent,butdrivingandtalk-
ingonacellhasbecomethemostcommoncauseof
adistraction-drivencrash.
Its a win-lose situation to have a cell phone and
car,becausehavingacarmeansyouareawayfrom
homeandlandlines,butyoualsoincreaseyourrisk
ofacrashbytalkingonacellwhiledriving.
The ideal situation: drivers pull over and stop
whenever theres a call, but we live in reality, and
thisisrarelyanoptioninourfast-pacedworld.
Drivers need to fnd a safe balance between pre-
ventingcrasheswhiledrivingandstillstayingcon-
nectedtotheworldthroughtheircellphone.
Those of you with cell phones, enjoy them, but
dontendangeryourselfwhendrivingbybeingun-
abletohangupforafewpreciousminutes.
Keepkidsbelow7thor8thgradeawayfromcell
phones,theycanbarelycleantheirrooms,letalone
keepa$200deviceinonepiece;someofusteenag-
ersSTILLhavetroublewiththatlastone!
For the small group of you attempting to remain
abovethecellphonecraze,youllbesuckedinsoon!
TTYL.
Thegood,thebad,andtheannoying
Waitinontheworldtochange...
Wecantjustsitaroundwaitingfor
someone else to fx the things we hate...
April 2008 Opinions Page 5
Bryan High School
3450 Campus Drive, Bryan, TX 77802
Volume 37, No. 5
Editor
Tiffany Torres
Assistant Editor
Logan Kickham
Staff
Jessica Cooke, Ruth Dearman, Chelsea Downey, Cole Roberts,
Kennesha Wilson, Courtney YBarbo
Adviser
Rebecca Dominy
Theopinionsexpressedarethoseofthewritersandarenotrefectiveofthe
administrators, faculty or staff of Bryan Independent School District.
Submissions to the editors are welcomed, but must be signed and should not
exceed 300 words. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions in the inter-
est of clarity and length or to not print a letter at all. Letters containing obscene
or libelous material will not be considered.
Bryan Independent School District does not discrimitnate on the basis of race,
religion, color, national orgin, sex or handicap in providng education services.
N O R S E M A N The
By
Ruthie
Dearman
The other day I heard that the never-ending
story of Air Bud, a successful movie from the
late 90s, has been continued with the 6th se-
quel, Snow Buddies, and that two more sequels
will be released in the next year, Space Buddies
later in 2008 and Air Amigos in 2009.
Now, Im not sure about the rest of the US
population, but I am sick of sequels ruining
movie classics.
I stopped bothering with the Air Bud series
after the third one, Seventh Inning Fetch. Dogs
who play baseball?
You have got to be kidding me.
Dont get me wrong, Im all for sequels that
are good.
Ive seen every Harry Potter movie and I still
havent gotten tired of them. And if the writ-
ers and directors of Sawdecidetomakeaffth
movie,Illbethefrstoneinlinetoseeit.
But when movies like The Santa Clause,
Bring it On!, Scary Movie, High School Musi-
cal, and Shrek are all being continued with third
and fourth sequels, Ive had enough.
All this sequel nonsense became
popular with Back to the Future, which be-
came a trilogy, Honey I Shrunk the Kids,
and the scarily huge number of 14 Land
Before Time movies.
I truly believe that most of the only
good movie sequels have been the ones
that were once book sequels, such as Lord
of the Rings.
I personally think that cheesy sequels
ruin good movies.
What was with Pirates of the Carib-
bean 3? They could have at least made it
make sense.
The Cutting Edge was a great movie, but ABC
is making a third sequel, where instead of creat-
ing a new unique story, ABC is taking the same
plot line and just switching around the charac-
ters.
Come on Hollywood; at least be creative.
Whats worst, is when movies are made into
TV shows.
Instead of just leaving a great movie ending
where it is; Hollywood has to mess everything
up by making good movies such as My Big Fat
Greek Wedding, Clueless, Lilo and Stitch, and
the Emperors New Groove into usually unsuc-
cessful and corny television programs.
Im really sick of Hollywoods lack of cre-
ativity.
Instead of creating monotonous sequel after
sequel and ruining our favorite classic movies,
they should just make up new stories to make
movies.
Hollywood, enough is enough
Lets get physical
Every student, freshman to seniors, will eventually be
forced to put their althetic ability (if they have any) on display
to a variety of coaches and peers.
As everyone probably knows by now, the Texas Education
Agency adopted FitnessGram as a collective assesment of in-
dividual Texas schools.
Each student will be tested on aerobic capicity (1mile run),
body composition (calculated by height and weight), abdomi-
nal strength and endurance (curl-ups), trunk extensor strength
and fexibility (trunk lift), upper body strength (push-ups,
modifed pull-ups or fexed arm hang), fexibility (tested by
the back-saver sit n reach or shoulder stretch).
The state has been passing law after law, with no consider-
ation of the students or the schools time.
Students are already busy enough, they dont need to worry
abouttakingaftnesstestthatwontmatter.
If this test must be administered, their should be time alloted
for it during school hours.
Not everyone can come after school to take a ftness test
required by the State. Students that did not attend at least one
testing day will be pulled out of class May 6th-9th.
Thosewhochosenottocomeduringthefrstweekshouldnt
have to be penalized by missing class when they should be
preparingforfnals.
They were able to make accomodations for the bus evacu-
ations, so it is clearly able to be done when the school feels it
is important enough to miss educational time.
Just because the school doesnt want to lose their time, stu-
dents shouldnt have to compensate by coming after school.
Either way, the State will get what they want. They will
know the athletic ability of each and every one of us and there
is nothing we can do about it.
So if you havent given in yet, grab your sweat bands and
your tube socks and take a few laps.
-- Norseman Staff
Page 6 April 2008
Jessica Cooke
Staff writer
Thebaseballteamstartedoffthe
season strong and now halfway
through the season they are stron-
gerthanever.Witharecordof17-2
the Vikes are in frst place in dis-
trict.
They lost a lot of seniors last
year, but thats not stopping the
team from dominating on the feld.
Starting pitcher, senior Sean
Weatherford,saidthathehas
a lot of confdence that they
can advance into post season
play.
We started off pretty strong
and were playing real well
right now. I think we have
a chance to go deep into the
playoffs and go to state this
year,Weatherfordsaid.
Before they can focus on
the post season they must face
Consol at Bryan. They are
hoping that having the home
feld advantage will help them
pull out another win.
I think we will do pretty
well. We faced off against their
number one pitcher, so I dont think
they have any pitching, Weather-
fordsaid.
The last time the Vikes played
Consol,theycameoutwithaclose
victory with a score of 2-1.They
know they are going to have to
work just as hard to pull off anoth-
er win and move one step closer to
the playoffs.
Kennesha Wilson
Staff writer
Following in her parents footsteps, Pash Moore
is sprinting her way into colleges hearts and show-
ing her love and devotion for her sport through her
determinationtowin.
Moore is currently a senior on the varsity track
team,whereshehasbeensinceherfreshmanyear.
Pashs motivation came from one place: My
parents, because they also ran track when they were
inhighschool.
Moore runs in three events: 100 hurdles, 300 hur-
dles, and they 4x100 relay. During the entire track
season, so far, she has only lost one event which
makes her and the team very proud.
The team is one big family, and at times some
people can act as individuals, but were all really
close, Moore said.
Track isnt just people racing each other at their
quickest speed and getting timed, its about people
runningtheirheartsoutandshowinghowmuchofa
great competitor they really are.
Thetrackteamslastmeetwillbedistrict.
Im confdent, but Im nervous at the same
timebecauseitdetermineswhosgoingtore-
gionals, Moore said.
Moore had several colleges look at her, and
after reviewing all the offers, Moore has cho-
sentoattendSamHoustonStateUniversity.
Its going to be diffcult because when I
leave Im going to have to bond with new
people in a new area, its going to be very
different, but Im ready for the challenge,
Moore said.
As Moore looks to her future in the college
athletic program she sees the Bryan High
program continuing to grow.
She pinpoints Shelby McGee and Marissa
Perry as being good future leaders on the
track.
Track is something Moore really enjoys
and plans to do throughout her college career.
Looking at the underclassmen, Moore just hopes
they focus on the heart of the sport and has this mes-
sage for them:
Work hard your freshman and sophomore year
anditwillshowhowmuchtrackmeanstoyou.
Ruthie Dearman
Staff writer
The varsity and junior varsity tennis
teamshavebeenverysuccessfulthisyear,
and the players agree that it has been a
goodseason.
Ithasbeengoingwell,wemadeitto
Regionalsinthefall,whichissomething
we havent done in a long time, sopho-
more varsity tennis player Madison Fran-
zesaid.
Thevarsitytennisteamwonsecondin
district during the fall, placing right be-
hind A&M Consolidated.
The star players for the varsity team
thisseasonhavebeenjuniorJackieShro-
der and senior Josh Pownall according to
Franze.
Even though tennis is an individual
sport Franze said that she sees the team
like a big family and junior varsity player
Dakota Hickman agrees.
We practice together and we fgure out
each others game styles so you have to
know each other, especially if we have to
team up to play, Hickman said.
Like all sports, tennis requires commit-
ment and sacrifce.
Tennis is very time-consuming and
it takes a lot out of you. It defnitely in-
terferes with school sometimes, so its
tough,Hickmansaid.
While tennis can be time-consuming
and sometimes diffcult, the sport teaches
youtostrivetobebetterandlearnteam-
work.
Yes, teamwork defnitely, and working
together, Hickman said. The coach is
alwaysonus,sowehavetolearntolisten
wellandnotgetmad.
Franzeagreedthatoneofthekeycom-
ponents to conditioning was not only
physical training, but psychological train-
ing.
Youbuildmuscles,andyoulearnhow
to control your temper. Because tennis is
allonyourself,youlearnhowtobecalm
insituationsthatmakeyoumad,Franze
added.
During the district spring meet three Vi-
kingsadvancedtoregionals.
Junior Matt Hillestad and senior Brady
Atkins fnished second in boys doubles.
Junior Michael Martin also advanced in
boyssingles.
Overall the boys placed second and the
girls placed third at district spring tourna-
ment.
Senior Pashe Moore extends her leg as she
clears the hurdle.
Leaping to new heights: Moore races to the fnish
Swingbatter,batter!
Vikings tennis stir-up a racket
Senior Sean Weatherford warms
up before the game.
Page 7 April 2008
Rowling casts spell on new generation of readers
Whos on top at the box offce
Logan Kickham
Assistant editor
Soon to be a series of timeless classics, the Harry
Potter phenomenon
burst into the
entertainment
world with
the release
of the frst
b o o k ,
H a r r y
P o t t e r
and the
Sorcerers
Stone in the
summer of
1998.
The book gar-
nered instant
attention and
the following of
a loyal audience
from nations across
the globe.
When frst in-
troduced, Potter
is an eleven-
year-old English boy that has been completely out-
cast from his adoptive family.
Harry has been locked in a closet since he arrived
and at his aunt and uncles and they have given his
cousin Dudley everything he ever wanted. This lasts
only until Harry receives notice that he is a wizard
and has been accepted into Hogwarts: School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Dont let the name fool you, though. These are not
tales from an author trying to convert the minds of
young children around the world.
It is merely a story about adventure and adoles-
cence. Truly, this is the only negative attention the
series has ever received. But this was only until
critics actually read the books and understood the
authors intentions.
This is solely the account of a boy with a gift try-
ing to fnd his way, just like every other teenager,
with the exception of learning to experiment with
spells and other trivial things of the sort.
Harry must experience troubles with friends, study
for exams, and manage to fnd a way to cope with the
horrible murder of his parents by the wicked Lord
Voldemort. He spends much of his time at Hogwarts
trying to avenge their death.
Behind all the magic wands and underneath the
invisibility cloaks, lies the mind that created this en-
chanted place, world renowned authour J.K. Rowl-
ing.
As a child growing up in England, Rowling and
her sister bounced from one imaginary story to the
next. This opened many doors along the way and
challenged her to constantly create new ideas.
Later, Rowling was presented with a much big-
ger challenge, raising her daughter on her own. As
a poor single mother, the author came up with the
idea of Harry Potter, which quickly evolved into an
multi-billion dollar franchise.
Today, Rowling is the richest woman in England,
and last summer the she completed the fnal chapter
of Harrys adventures.
The ffth movie recently came out on DVD, but
fans were in for a shock when Warner Bro. an-
nounced that the seventh book would be made into
two separate movies.
Whether you were a devoted fan from the begin-
ning of it all, or you have just discovered a sudden
interest in potions, spells and fying brooms, this is
an adventure for people of all ages.
So run to Barnes and Noble and pick up a book,
or if thats not your style, rent the movies and have
a night in.
I promise youll fall in love with the boy with the
scar.
Jessica Cooke
Staff writer
Anne Hathaway known for her work in The Devil Wears Prada
is back with her stubborn sense of humor in her newest and what
some say, her best movie, Becoming Jane.
Based on a true story, the movie follows the life of beloved
writer Jane Austen and portrays the real-life romance that inspired
her classic novels. Austen (Hathaway) is unwilling to marry for
money even though her family is fnancially struggling.
Her family and friends try to introduce her to many wealthy
men but she wants something more. Later, she meets an Irish
rogue, Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy, The Last King Of Scotland)
and cant stand being in the same room as him.
After realizing they cant live without each other, their love
blossoms therefore creating the inspiration for one of her greatest
novels of all time, Pride and Prejudice.
When I went to rent the movie, the cover made it seem like it
was just another love movie, but looks can be deceiving.
Even though I had heard from others that it was really good, I
disliked the movie. In my opinion the movie was hard to follow
and was boring.
Its probably because I like action and drama movies, so it was
kind of hard to sit through, a two hour movie that I didnt enjoy. I
have to admit the ending wasnt what I thought it would be. That
was the probably the only part of the movie I didnt think was
bad. James McAvoy did a great job in the movie, though I am
sorry to say this is defnitley not Anne Hathaways best movie.
Courtney YBarbo
Staff writer
Seth Rogen, Jim Carey, and Steve
Carrell sounds like a cast to a new
Knocked Up, 40-Year-Old Virgin or
something of that humor, but its actu-
ally the cast to the new, clean, kid-friendly
animated movie, Horton Hears A Who?.
Carey, who is reconginzed for his work
in Bruce Almighty, or the classic Ace
Ventura pet detective, is the voice of
Horton, the loveable elephant who
fnds a world of people living on a speck
of dust.
He comes in contact with the mayor of Who-
ville (Carrell) and realizes he has to fnd a safe
place for the tiny speck.
Horton sets off to fnd a stable home to save
Whoville.
Hortons neighbors refuse to believe any-
thing can live on a speck, the most notorious
of them all is kangaroo (Carol Burnett) who
talks Vlad (Will Artent), an evil vulture, into
destroying the speck. Horton runs into the
Vlad several times trying to fnd the safest
place for the citizens of Whoville.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Whoville is having
trouble explaining to everyone that their world
is nothing but a speck, and that an elephant is
trying to save them from a dangerous life in
the jungle.
I took my little brother to the movie and de-
spite the age difference, I was surprised how
much I enjoyed the movie.
Horton Hears A Who? continues the tradi-
tion of the books and animated movies from
the classic author Dr. Suess.
The movie had familiar voices that kept the
humor light-hearted and provided a great op-
portunity for kids and adults to see together.
Hathaway Becoming?
Page 8 April 2008
Flowers
April
Umbrella
Sunshine
Birds
Easter
Garden
Blossom
Showers
Planting
Mothers
Day
Rain
May
Outside
Spring Crossword
The Game Page
A n s w e r s :
A p r i l s h o w e r s ,
b r i n g M a y f o w e r s
1 5 b u t t e r f i e s
Code Puzzle:
april showers,
bring may flowers
Key:
a b c d e f g h i j k l
abcdefghijkl
m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
mnopqrstuvwxyz
How many butterfies
can you fnd?