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Friday, April 25, 2014

Summer is on the Way

We are reaching the end of April, and summer can be seen right around the corner. SOLs will take place in May, and school will let out in June. Rural Retreat High School has a little over a month before summer break. For some, summer couldn’t get here soon enough, but for others, it has approached far too quickly.

Seniors will be graduating and moving out into the world. These are the last days of high school that they will ever experience. Whether they are prepared for the life ahead or not, their lives in high school are suddenly screeching to a stop. Some can’t wait to leave, but others want to make the most out of the remainder of life they have left at Rural Retreat High School.

As for juniors, the upcoming summer will be their last summer break before they enter the game of life. This summer will be their last before they go to colleges or get jobs. The epiphany of being future seniors has finally set in, and anxiety fills every junior in the building. Whether these juniors are ready to be home free or not, I only have one wish for them: Make the most out of the summer that is given to you. Don’t grow up too fast. You are not an adult until you live independently of school.

If you want to visit the beach this summer, go to the beach. If you want to run marathons, run as much as you can. If you want to take pictures, then make your printer run out of ink if you have to.

Time moves too quickly to yearn for the future, or mourn for the past. All that we can do is make the best with the time that is given to us. When summer comes around, don’t be afraid to dream. Before too long, you might be faced with realities that you didn't expect.

-Dylan Crigger

Prom Preview

Prom is only a day away!  This year's Prom will be held at Holston Hills Country Club in Marion.  The theme is the Roaring 20's, and colors are royal blue, silver, and black.  This year's song is "All of Me" by John Legend.  Holston Hills has a great ballroom with big windows and a balcony, and will be so beautiful after the junior class finishes decorating today, complete with flowers by the RRHS floral design class.  Mrs. Burkentine and her first period individual development class are serving food at the event.  After-Prom will be held at RRHS, and is sure to be tons of fun!  Be safe and have the time of your lives, Indians!

-Anna Brown

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

United States Eagles in the 2015 Rugby World Cup

from Planet Rugby

Last month, the U.S. Eagles were able to book a flight to the 2015 Rugby World Cup as the America 2 qualifier after a rollercoaster ride-of-a-season. After losing to neighboring team Canada 40-20 in August of 2013, America could not lose against Uruguay at home and away to even make it to Pool B. In the first game, played in Uruguay, the game ended in a tie of 13-13. In the next game against this familiar opponent, the Eagles were down 13-3 at halftime in Atlanta. Not wanting to go down as losers, the Eagles stunned the Rugby World by scoring 29 unanswered points to win 32-13. With this big win, the U.S. qualifies for Pool B of the World Cup alongside South Africa, Samoa, Scotland and the Asia 1 qualifier. Since the inaugural tournament in 1987, with the exception of that of 1995, the U.S. has played in each and every Rugby World Cup, reports the Official RWC 2015 Site.

-Isaiah Addair

My Addiction: Video Game Review

I’m sure it’s safe to say that everyone, no matter how much s/he denies it, has an addiction. It doesn't have to be a big thing, just something you can’t stop. That’s how a certain video game is to me. Now, I like to consider myself a connoisseur of video games, but there’s just one I can’t stop obsessing about: Bioshock Infinite.

Bioshock Infinite is the child of the great Ken Levine, the person responsible for creating Irrational Studios, the company behind the Bioshock franchise. Levine has worked on other games as well, getting his start with late 90’s titles such as the critically-acclaimed System Shock 2 and Thief: The Dark Project.

Levine is a brilliant story-teller, which is why the Bioshock games are so good (leaving out Bioshock 2, as Irrational didn’t work on it). Levine’s franchise, Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite, is focused on story, which is a big A+ for me. But what gets me into Infinite more than the original is the atmosphere, the overall tone of the game. Infinite’s world is high in the clouds during the early 1900’s, with bright colors that really make the world stand out, in contrast to the original Bioshock: an underwater city after a great civil war has taken place in 1960.

Another thing that stands out from the original is the companion (or, should I say, the person necessary to complete the game) players bring along in Infinite, Elizabeth. Once a player picks Elizabeth up from her tower, she’s constantly helping, meaning the player is always in contact with someone. In contrast to the original, in which a player is alone almost the entire game with no one but a man speaking from a radio (all other humans have been turned into mutated creature-like beings). In fact, if you compare Infinite to the original, they are almost exact opposites in almost every aspect.

I think what really gets me addicted to this game is, well, everything about it. The scenery, the music, Elizabeth, the story, everything (and maybe the fact that my girlfriend and I played the game at the same time to experience it together). This game is just perfect to me. Maybe it’s the head-turning ending involving parallel universes because I’m a big science buff; maybe it’s the gameplay which is fine-tuned so perfectly. Whatever the reason, this game is one of my favorites, possibly my all-time favorite. I can always find myself going back to it, never getting bored with it. I finished it for the 4th/5th time last week, and I plan to replay it again soon. And I highly doubt I’m the only one like this, with its already around 4 million copies sold, constant Top 10 list spots and numerous pre/post release awards.

I’m gushing about this game big time. But honestly, this game is one of the best, I believe, ever. Not everyone will agree with this, but I’m sticking with it. It’s an experience to behold for yourself above all; your reaction to the ending will be different from everyone else’s . . . except by one thing: your jaw dropping to the floor for the entire time the credits roll.

-Kevin Brown


RRHS Band On Tour

The Rural Retreat Marching Band’s popularity has been growing. The public have been anxiously waiting for their next concert or field show, but no one was expecting the band to go on tour. The band has decided to travel across the county to . . . elementary schools?

Maybe the band isn't growing dramatically in popularity, but they did venture on an elementary tour on Friday, April 11th. They visited both Speedwell and Rural Retreat Elementary Schools to help introduce upcoming middle school students about the band, showcasing their marching band rather than their concert band. The band also showed aspiring band students each instrument they would be able to play once they entered band in sixth grade.

The elementary school students were all ecstatic to see and hear the different instruments. They were also surprised to hear the band play songs like “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” from the widely popular Disney film Frozen. The color guard was also able to present some flag tosses for the kids. Whether the band plays the Rural Retreat Fight Song or current popular music, they hope to gain plenty of new musicians next year.

-Dylan Crigger

Stowaway Teen Survives Plane Ride

According to ABC News, a 15-year-old ran away from home and climbed into the wheel well of Hawaiian Airlines 767. The teenage boy ran away after a fight with his parents, and managed to run away from their home in Santa Clara, California, all the way to San Jose Airport. He then managed to scale a nearby fence, evading security, video surveillance, German dogs, and airline officers.  Next he picked the first plane he saw, and climbed up to the wheel well of the aircraft.

The teenage boy then made a five-hour flight to Maui, Hawaii. The boy survived despite facing extremely low oxygen and frigid temperatures of about -50! The teenage boy fell to the ground after making the flight, but is doing fine now.


-Jacob Wynn

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducts New Members

Just days ago, reports Yahoo Musicthe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted new nominees in their annual ceremony. Nirvana, Kiss, Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens, Linda Ronstadt, and Hall and Oates were recently inducted, emotional speeches and all.
During the RRHOF Induction, Kiss decided beforehand not to perform, disappointing many in the KISS Army. However, what took the show was Nirvana’s reuniting, after the group disbanded 20 years ago after frontman Kurt Cobain’s suicide.

The grunge band had a few female singers fill in for live performances. One example is female rock icon Joan Jett, who sang on "Smells Like Teen Spirit." After the signature song, then Sonic Youth leader Kim Gordon sang. Closing the Nirvana performance was, surprisingly, pop singer Lorde.

-Catherine Cober

NFC Best All-Star Team

Offense:

· QB- Russell Wilson, SEA

· HB1- Marshawn Lynch, SEA

· HB2- Frank Gore, SF

· FB- Michael Robinson, SEA

· WR1- Larry Fitzgerald, AZ

· WR2- Michael Crabtree, SF

· WR3- Tavon Austin, STL

· WR4- Michael Floyd, AZ

· TE1- Vernon Davis, SF

· TE2- Jared Cook, STL

· LT- Jared Veldheer, AZ

· LG- Johnathan Cooper, AZ

· C- Max Unger, SEA

· RG- Alex Boone, SF

· RT- Anthony Davis, SF


Defense:

· RE- Calais Campbell, AZ

· LE- Robert Quinn, STL

· DT- Justin Smith, SF

· DT- Darnell Dockett, AZ

· LOLB- Alec Ogletree, STL

· ROLB- Malcolm Smith (Super Bowl MVP)

· MLB1- Bobby Wagner, SEA

· MLB2- Patrick Willis, SF

· CB1- Patrick Peterson, AZ

· CB2- Richard Sherman, SEA

· Nickel CB- Tyrann Mathieu, AZ

· FS- Earl Thomas, SEA

· SS- Kam Chancellor, SEA

Special Teams:

· K- Greg Zuerlein, STL

· P- Johnny Hekker, STL

· KR/PR- Percy Harvin, SEA





- Isaiah Addair, Jacob Wynn, Blake Holmes

XP, More Like XP-ired

Microsoft, one of the biggest computer companies, has discontinued the Windows XP operating system, running for almost 13 years.

According to The Economist, Windows XP was the second most-used computer programming, beaten only by Windows 7, a modern version of the operating system. After April 8th, technical support and upgrades ceased to exist for XP.

Some loyal users of XP may be reluctant to upgrade, especially to Windows 8, which features a touch screen on the computer. A solution is to upgrade to Windows 7, the most used computer operating system in the word with 49% of computers running. Fortunately, Windows 7 is nearly the same as XP, but with more modern programs to use and better support.

- Catherine Cober

Greatest Quarterback of All Time Brackets

-  Blake Holmes

-Isaiah Addair

- Jacob Wynn

Gotta Catch 'Em All?

What is the power of 50,000+ online users at the same time? Well, with video streamer Twitch, those multiple users can actually beat a few games of Pokémon, over the course of a few weeks, of course.

Yes, the event has been called "Twitch Plays Pokemon." Pokémon, the second most popular video game franchise of all time (next to who else but Mario), is a Japanese role-playing game about catching and battling the titular species, short for "Pocket Monsters." In Twitch, the game is controlled by users typing certain Game Boy commands into the stream, examples being "Start," "A," "B," and so on.

The game also runs on two different modes, called "Anarchy Mode" and "Democracy." In Anarchy Mode, said game is controlled by every input into Twitch. In Democracy Mode, the most popular command is used, causing said quotes as "start9."

Due to the insanity of everyone trying to beat the games, "Twitch Plays Pokemon" created a pseudo-religion and a cult. In the original Red and Blue versions, Twitch repeatedly tried to use a key item, the Helix Fossil, in the middle of battle. Because of this action, the Helix Fossil is seen as a holy deity, with players trying to consult it for everything. Another deity in Red and Blue is the player’s Pidgeot, a bird Pokemon, referred to as "Bird Jesus" by a majority of their fanbase because of its extreme overpower.

Since defeating Red and Blue, they move on to Crystal, a second-generation game, and Emerald, a third-generation game. The randomness of the other games has caused even more in-game jokes, like catching a Goldeen in a Master Ball in Crystal, or catching 28 Oddish in the Emerald Safari Zone.

-Catherine Cober

Todd Ridgaway Memorial Tournament a Success

This last weekend was a special one, as basketball players from everywhere came to play in the Todd Ridgaway Memorial Tournament, which was a tourney that players paid to play in, and that money was donated to charity. I attended this tournament with my brother (Zak Holmes) and his team, the Gruden Grinders. The tournament hosted 22 teams, was double elimination, and the games were played in halves. It was very interesting, as teams were allowed to name themselves whatever they wanted, and teams from “You Goin’ Learn Today” to “The Flint Tropics” were included. This is my opinion on how this tournament turned out.

First off, I am going to sound like everybody who has ever watched a basketball game, as I say the referees were some of the worst ones I have ever seen in my life. These refs changed multiple games, as they would call a foul when there was none present, or not call a foul when there was definitely one present. The Gruden Grinders were playing in a game vs. the Emory & Henry basketball team, a.k.a. “2 Hard 2 Guard," when my brother went up for a layup, and was smacked hard on the arm while shooting, and no call was made. This normally wouldn’t be so unusual, except for the fact that he had a full handprint on his forearm, and no whistle could be heard. The referees were so bad that they were calling fouls on the wrong people! A player on “The Tryhards” was driving down the court on my brother and his teammate, when the teammate punched him in the face by accident while going for the ball. They called the foul on Zak. In another instance, a different teammate tackled another player, and once again, Zak was given the foul.

The terrible officials didn’t ruin the tournament, even though it seemed like they tried. Lots of exciting plays happened, including multiple dunks that are hard to do. Tip slams, fastbreaks, posterizing . . . you name it, it was happening. For one instance, I witnessed a tip slam that was also a tomahawk. There were also huge leads and final scores in wins by the teams. At one point, one team was beating another, 50-8, at the end of the first half. The Gruden Grinders were knocked out by losing by 38, and that was by 2 Hard 2 Guard. It was a great effort, but just not enough.

All in all, it was a fun tournament, and that was what they wanted. It brought in money and entertainment to a great crowd. My opinion is attend next year’s Todd Ridgaway Memorial Basketball Tournament; you won’t be disappointed.

-Blake Holmes

NHSCA Nationals

Last Saturday, I went to the National High School Coaches' Association wrestling tournament held in Virginia Beach. The competition was unbelievable! Personally, I went 1-2 in the tournament, but learned a lot. I learned that I need to get bigger, stronger, faster, and better. I am going to use my time wisely this off-season, and definitely work as hard as I possibly can.

The awesome thing about the NHSCA Nationals is that there are more than 50 college coaches and recruiters at this tournament. This weekend, I saw Appalachian State’s coach, North Carolina State’s coach, Cal Poly’s coach, North Carolina’s coach, and that’s just to name a few.

I feel that any high school wrestler that gets the chance to make it to this tournament definitely should. There were 48 states at this tournament, and a lot of great competition.

-Jacob Wynn

Important Dates for Seniors to Remember

As this year comes to an end for the senior class, there are a ton of important dates that are bringing us closer to graduation. Dates that you should remember are:

April 26th- Prom at Holston Hills Country Club in Marion. Prom starts at 8 and goes until 12. After-Prom will be at RRHS and starts at 1.


May 23rd- Senior Slide Show, Senior Picnic, and Baccalaureate practice- The slide show will be shown first thing in the morning in the auditorium. Baccalaureate practice will be immediately after in the auditorium. After, we will head to the lake for the picnic. Each person of the class must bring a covered dish. There will be a signup sheet in Ms. Wohlford's and Mrs. Wilkerson's room. There will be a permission slip for you to have signed before you can go on the picnic. We will use shelter #3 on that day. You are responsible for your own transportation.


May 25th- Baccalaureate service at 3:00 P.M. This will last about 45 minutes. You must wear your cap and gown and be at the school at 2:15.


May 29th- Set up for graduation.


May 30th- GRADUATION- we will practice at 9:00 in the morning. This is vital; you must be there on time. You can not leave for work until noon. You must be back at the school at 5:00 P.M. wearing your cap and gown.You should wear the same thing underneath as you did for your pictures.


The date for the senior trip to Dollywood is currently to be announced. This year is wrapping up quickly for the class of 2014; I'm sure the last little bit will be filled with memories and fun things to take away from RRHS with us.

-Kellie Bass

Most Shocking NCAA Tourney Ever?

This year’s annual NCAA tournament is easily one of the weirdest ones the sport has ever seen. The biggest shockers this year are Wichita State going down in the Round of 32, the Dayton Flyers and the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet 16, and Duke going down in the first round to Mercer. In fact, this bracket is so weird, that no one has a perfect bracket anymore, and the billion dollars will not be won. Multiple upsets have happened, such as Kentucky beating Wichita State, the Dayton Flyers beating Ohio State and Syracuse, the Blue Devils getting beat by Mercer, North Dakota State winning over Oklahoma, and Stephen F. Austin over Virginia Commonwealth (VCU). First, we will talk about Wichita State-- talk about a Shocker! Kentucky is young, inexperienced, and cocky, but they have talent, and they can play a basketball game. This one came down to the final seconds, where the Shockers attempted a three as time expired, but couldn’t get it to go, making Kentucky the winners by two points. Dayton may be the biggest shocker this tourney, as they have beaten both Syracuse and Ohio State, and play the easiest team they have so far, Stanford, in the sweet sixteen. These have truly shocked the NCAA world, and many others.

-Blake Holmes

NFL Mock Draft: Round One


Team
Jacob
Blake
Isaiah
1.Houston
DE J. Clowney
DE J. Clowney
DE J. Clowney
2. St. Louis
OT G. Robinson
OT G. Robinson
WR S. Watkins
3. Jacksonville
QB Blake Bortles
QB B. Bortles
QB J. Manziel
4.Cleveland
OLB K. Mack
QB J. Manziel
OLB K. Mack
5.Oakland
WR M. Evans
OT J. Matthews
OT G. Robinson
6.Atlanta
HB Tre Mason
OLB K. Mack
OT J. Matthews
7.Tampa Bay
WR S. Watkins
WR S. Watkins
CB J. Gilbert
8.Minnesota
QB J. Manziel
QB T. Bridgewater
QB B. Bortles
9.Buffalo
OLD A. Barr
OT T. Lewan
OLB A. Barr
10.Detroit
FS H. Clinton-Dix
OLB A. Barr
FS H. Clinton-Dix
11.Tennessee
CB J. Gilbert
HB T. Mason
(Trade to Cleveland)QB T. Bridgewater
12.New York (Giants)
DT A. Donald
TE E. Ebron
MLB C. Mosley
13.St. Louis
FS C. Pryor
CB J. Gilbert
CB B. Roby
14.Chicago
DT T. Jernigan
WR M. Evans
NT T. Jernigan
15.Pittsburgh
DT L. Nix
FS H. Clinton-Dix
WR M. Evans
16.Dallas
MLB C. Mosley
CB D. Dennard
FS C. Pryor
17.Baltimore
OT J. Matthews
WR K. Benjamin
OT T. Lewan
18.New York (Jets)
WR O. Beckham Jr.
OLB D. Ford
WR O. Beckham Jr.
19.Miami
WR M. Lee
WR M. Lee
WR J. Landry
20.Arizona
WR J. Landry
DE/OLB K. Ealy
OLB D. Ford
21.Green Bay
TE E. Ebron
WR O. Beckham Jr.
TE E. Ebron
22.Philadelphia
HB K. Carey
DT L. Nix
DT L. Nix
23.Kansas City
WR K. Benjamin
MLB C. Mosley
WR K. Benjamin
24.Cincinnati
CB B. Roby
FS C. Pryor
CB D. Dennard
25.San Diego
HB A. Williams
DT T. Jernigan
WR M. Lee
26.Cleveland
CB K. Fuller
HB C. Hyde
(Trade with Tennessee) HB C. Hyde
27.New Orleans
DE K. Ealy
HB K. Carey
DE K. Ealy
28.Carolina
WR J. Matthews
WR J. Matthews
WR J. Matthews
29.New England
MLB C. Jones
CB K. Fuller
DT A. Donald
30. San Francisco
DE J. Gayle
CB B. Roby
DE Chrichton
31.Denver
HB Dri Archer
MLB R. Shazier
MLB R. Shazier
32.Seattle
CB C. Davis
CB C. Davis
HB Dri Archer


-Isaiah Addair