Character

School Pride

Pride.  This particular trait is very relevant, especially surrounding Homecoming 2011.  Students showed their school spirit by participating in dress up days, float building, the homecoming pep rally, and the parade.  However, Walker’s school pride extends far past homecoming week.  Walker students make a point to never let their school spirit falter and do their best to participate in dress up days each week, and pull out all the stops for pep rally time.  Several students do their best to make sure the student section is pumped up at every game and paint up each week, whether the game is away or at home. 

            Walker students also show their pride by doing their best.  Walker is home to high grades, successful clubs, and hardworking teachers.  Students take advantage of every opportunity to extend their school pride beyond the classroom and into the community.  Walker High School truly is full of school pride.

 

Punctuality

Punctuality is not only a character trait, but is also a skill.  Being punctual shows you are responsible, respectful towards others and their wishes, and resourceful with your time and your time management.  Being punctual is especially important in high school, as students are very active in clubs, sports, and other extracurricular activities.  Being on time and making good use of your time will only be beneficial towards yourself and others.

Resourcefulness

  This week’s character trait is resourcefulness. Being resourceful means finding practical use for that which others would overlook or discard. When comparing resourcefulness to its opposite, wastefulness, the true meaning of resourcefulness is made clear. In today’s society people are constantly wasting time, money, and energy. How often do we say, “if only I had a little more time..,” or, “I’m just too tired today.” or, “I just don’t have the money right now.” When we as people do not understand how to effectively use the resources we have been given, problems will occur in our lives. When we finally realize how to use the resources we have been given we inherit the trait of resourcefulness. Being resourceful is a great character trait to acquire. Once we realize to not waste the 24 hours in our day, not waste our energy on hobbies or activities instead of jobs or important priorities, and spend our money wisely we learn what resourcefulness is and grow as a person.

-Catie Elliott, Hadley Skalnik

Patriotism

This week’s character trait is patriotism.  Patriotism is very important because it allows citizens to care about their country as a whole.  For some, patriotism is showing respect during the Pledge of Allegiance.  For others it is risking their lives for their country.  Patriotism is important because the youth of today will inherit the country of tomorrow.  Without pride in your country one lacks a desire to make it better.  Therefore, without the proper amount of patriotism, a country’s wellbeing can be in jeopardy.  The youth of today owe a debt to those of the past who sacrificed, worked hard, and even died to build us a free nation. To keep faith with those who have given up so much for this country, youth need to show patriotism.

            In light of the upcoming event of the 9/11 anniversary, patriotism has risen in the past few days.  The amount of support towards our country is very heartwarming to many.  However, times of distress should not be the only times we as a country come together as a whole.  Patriotism should stay prominent year round. 

by Hadley Skalnik

Responsibility

                This week’s character trait is responsibility. Responsibility has many aspects throughout your life. You have responsibilities to yourself and to others and also to the community. At school, you have a responsibility to your teachers and to yourself to get school work done; whether it’s the last math problem, or one more definition to look up, you have a responsibility to finish the work you have been assigned. Likewise, you have a responsibility to respect your teachers and administrators and the rules that they have given you. Although we might not agree with the rules, it is our responsibility to follow them.

                As we get older, we are given more responsibilities. It is important to maintain these responsibilities because though they may be difficult, they help us to shape who we are as adults. Responsibilities are given to us in all areas of our life; however it is our choice on whether or not we accept to fulfill them. They can come from our parents, to take out the trash, or clean our rooms, or pick up our little siblings from school. They can also come from the community. We have a responsibility to follow the rules and guidelines that keep the community as safe as possible. Therefore, we hold the responsibility to give back to our community and make it a better place.

 

Catie Elliott, and Hadley Skalnik

Respect

Beginning this week and lasting the rest of the year, we will be emphasizing one character trait per week.  This week’s character trait is respect.  Respect is considered a trait, an act, a courtesy, and a skill. 

            Self-respect is probably the most important element of respect.  Without self-respect you can’t understand what it is respect others.  There are several ways to respect yourself.  Cleanliness is always important, and the way your present yourself shows others how much or how little you take pride in your appearance.  How you present yourself has a direct correlation as to how much you want others to respect you.  The clothes you choose to wear are a big aspect of self-presentation. Your attitude is also directly related to how much you respect others and how much you want them to respect you. A positive attitude is important to self respect because it shows you care about others as much as you do yourself.

            Attitude is also the most important factor in respecting others.  Having a good attitude and being considerate of others is the best way to show respect towards those around you.  Other people will appreciate your respect and return the favor.  In addition to respect for self, and respect for others, respecting the environment is also important. Being observant to trash and waste is important. Cleaning up after yourself and others is necessary to keeping the environment clean. Likewise, don’t be the person that litters. It is disrespectful and harms the environment. Taking the time to throw away trash is respectful and the right thing to do. Also, you can recycle. Taking the time to reduce, reuse and, recycle is a generous action that goes one step beyond just throwing trash away and cuts down on waste.

By: Hadley Skalnik

Expressions of the members of the Media Class:

Digital Disrespect and Cruelty By:  Britany Clopton, Samatha Willis and Kristian Douglas

Spreading false rumors, sharing information that didn’t want to be shared, writing something mean, or posting embarrassing photos or videos are all forms of digital disrespect and cruelty. People tend to do these things out of hate, jealousy or pure enjoyment but, what they do not understand it could really hurt the person’s reputation or self-esteem.

Teens as well as many others are growing up in a digital world where everything they post can be seen by everyone.  Death by suicide has become all too common for high school and college students in our nation, and the cause of these deaths is often linked to bullying and digital bullying. Far too many children are being bullied on their mobile phones and on the Internet. Digital media has become a natural part of the lives of children and young people. The new media provides great opportunities for personal development, but at the same time brings about new challenges that it is important to overcome.

Children should feel safe; not only children, but everyone. Learning to understand how it feels to be the target of bullying and learning empathy is key in the training of the Jasper City Schools faculty and staff.  By sharing the emotion and pain of receiving mean messages, young people can help their peers acknowledge the cruelty of cyber bullying.  Contrary to the children’s chant, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” we all know that words do hurt.

A recent survey at Walker High School was conducted and these were the results:

Have you ever been digitally bullied? 60%

Have you ever digitally bullied someone else? 25%

After being bullied, did you still communicate with the bullier? 10%

Did you report this abuse to an adult? 5%

Five pieces of advice to avoid cyber-bullying:

1.                Take bullying through social media seriously

2.                Talk with children and young people about Internet use and netiquette

3.                Get involved in the children’s Internet use and become friends with your children on Facebook.

4.                Remember to save harassment and threats on the hard disc and mobile device

5.                Contact the police on suspicion of offenses

Why We Celebrate Black History Month

February is Black History Month. Carter G. Woodson, a historian and founder of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, was concerned that the contributions of Black Americans were overlooked and he began petitioning for Negro History Week as early as 1915. He chose February because it included the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass whom he believed had strongly impacted the lives of African Americans. In 1976, Negro History Week turned into Black History Month, which we celebrate today.

Every year, a new theme is chosen for this month. This year’s theme is “African Americans and the Civil War”. African Americans played a significant roll in the Civil War. It was considered a fight for their freedom. From the cotton and tobacco fields of the South to the small towns and big cities of the North, nearly 200,000 joined the Grand Army of the Republic and took up arms to destroy the Confederacy. They served as recruiters, soldiers, nurses, and spies, and endured unequal treatment, massacres, and riots as they pursued their quest for freedom and equality. Their record of service speaks for itself, and Americans have never fully realized how their heroic efforts saved the Union. African Americans have struggled and done so much to get us to where we are today.

We should take the time to acknowledge and appreciate their achievements.

Brittany Clopton, Kristian Douglas, Samantha Willis

- Simple Things

My mom is constantly reminding me how easy I have it now, while I’m still in high school. In her eyes, it’s almost as if I sit in a lounge all day, being fanned and fed grapes by loyal servants that only seem to work for the high school student. While I know that eventually I will have to begin providing for myself, and this deed will entail a lot of responsibility, I am also aware that my life is nowhere near the vacation that my mother dreams it up to be.

So, imagine my relief when a customer asked if I was still in school, and responded with praise and understanding. “I’ve been through it all, and nothing is harder than holding a job while going to school. And you’re such a great worker!”

Ok, so I made the last sentence up, but the point is: there is nothing like simply being understood. That customer’s simple sentence had me overjoyed! I couldn’t wait to get home to tell my mom what another adult had said to contradict her! Proving my mother wrong, however, was not what made me so happy. It was just simple.

Simple things make a difference. They keep the world going. You never know how far a compliment could take someone, yet everyone seems to underestimate the power of little things. Be positive, make a difference today. Say something nice, give a word of understanding, and remember to keep it simple.

By the way, I like your shoes.

By: Krinkle Anthony

-Fasting is the most powerful spiritual discipline of all the Christian disciplines

Through fasting and prayer, the Holy Spirit can transform your life. Fasting and prayer can also work on a much grander scale. According to Scripture, personal experience, and observation, I am convinced that when God’s people fast with a proper Biblical motive, seeking God’s face and not His hand with a broken, repentant, and contrite spirit, God will hear from heaven and heal our lives and world. Fasting and prayer can bring about revival – a change in the direction of our nation, the nations of earth and the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The awesome power can be released through you as you fast through the enabling of the Holy Spirit. Fasting is one of the most neglected spiritual admonitions. In fact, it has been ignored for so long that it is difficult to find information on the “how-to’s” of this life-changing experience. When I first undertook an extended fast, I had a difficult time finding information on the nature of a Biblical fast, how to start, what to expect physically and spiritually, and how to terminate a fast.When Jesus taught us how to pray, He didn’t say, “If you elect to pray, do it this way…” and when He taught about fasting, He didn’t say, “If you elect to fast, do it this way…” He said, when you pray, don’t do it for show like the hypocrites do. It’s a conversation between you and God. And He gave us the Lord’s Prayer as an example of what we should pray about:

Address God

“Our Father, who art…”

Submit to God’s will

“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done…”

Ask for your physical needs

“Give us this day our daily bread…”

Ask for forgiveness

“Forgive us our debts…”

To the degree that you yourself are willing to forgive…

“As we forgive our debtors…”

Ask for help with temptations

“Lead us not into temptation…”

And preservation from evil

“Deliver us from evil…”

A fast is a personal act of devotion to God, while a hunger strike is a public act most often used to shine a spotlight on injustice. A fast is also different from anorexia nervosa: it is a disciplined diet, not total abstention from food. During a religious fast, you still eat, you just abstain from certain foodstuffs. Traditionally, people have fasted by eliminating luxury items from their diets, such as meats. You could have a fast that consists of eating whatever you want, but drinking only water. Some examples include:

• Abstaining from meat, eggs, milk, butter, and cheese
• Abstaining from all foods and beverages except bread, water, juices, honey, and nuts.

The First Baptist Church Family will be fasting for 21 days in February, as they do every year. Some of Walker’s students will be participating in this fast. They are Kristian Douglas, Brittany Clopton, and Amber Ivory.

By: Kristian Douglas

-Christmas: A Season For Giving, Receiving, and Taking

The weeks leading up to Christmas are the biggest shopping weeks of the year. Many retailers solely survive on these weeks because they often account for 70 percent of their annual revenue. Because of this, retail stores tend to hype this festive season to the hilt creating a buying frenzy.

Stocking our homes with the latest electronic gadgets, computers, jewelry and clothing is a given.

Unfortunately while we are in the mood for giving and receiving, somebody is in the mood for taking. “Taking,” is definitely on the home burglar’s mind as he or she views the holiday season through different eyes. Eyes that are focused on your home to complete their own shopping list.

Christmas is a magical time of year when family and friends come together to celebrate the season. To help preserve your special times and thwart intruders, I have compiled a Christmas Home Security Check List.

Do not display your Christmas tree and gifts in the front window. This is an invitation for burglars to check out the inventory.

If you must place your tree in front of the window, make sure that you don’t display gifts under it until closer to Christmas.

Do not hide door keys under mats. The first place a burglar will look for a house key is under a mat. Rocks, flower pots and door ledges are next on a burglars search list, so don’t get caught being security complacent.

If you must leave a key for emergency purposes make sure that you leave it with a trusted friend or neighbor.

Christmas tends to bring out the handyman in some of us. Don’t get caught feeding an extension through a locking window and jeopardizing your home’s security. If you must, install outside electrical outlets for your outside lights and decorative Christmas fixtures.

Make sure that you lock all windows and doors, even if just leaving your home for a few minutes. Intruders only need a few seconds to ruin your day.

Don’t give information on answering machines. It is best just to say that you are busy at the moment and to leave your name and number and you will return the call.

If you can, call forward your home phone number to your cell or neighbor for the duration of your absence.

Keep your drapes or window blinds closed at night. When going out for the evening make use of inexpensive timers to give the illusion of occupancy.

Photo cell lighting is also an inexpensive way of simulating activity.

Do not let newspapers pile up on your front door step. Try to keep the front door area swept and clean. Messy front door entrances can give the wrong message to a burglar.

Conceal all gift boxes after Christmas, so as not to alert burglars. Make sure that you cut up all boxes and place them in solid plastic bags for garbage pick-up.

By: Kristian Douglas

Things to Love About Walker High

By: Lauren Sanders

Ten Things to love about Walker High

To put into words about ten things I love about the high school that has molded me into the person I am today, is hard. I think the most important thing about Walker High School is school spirit. School spirit, is a tradition that starts with your school colors. Black is bold and distinguished, which to me represents our faculty. Gold on the other hand is for winning, and as students that what we do! We have a winning football team (Go Vikes), winning programs, and most of all winning attitudes! The student section during the past four years, has put forth a lot of effort in trying to make our school present ourselves as one, one team, one body. Homecoming festivities is another part of the tradition that is so much fun! Dress up days and making memories with your classmates while working on your class float.

Beginning as a freshman and ending as a senior gave me the opportunity to choose who and what I wanted to be. I made the decision of what I wanted my four years to be a reflection of, grades, responsibility, dependability, and friendships that will last a lifetime. Friendship is the number the one thing I love about high school. You have your shoulders you can cry on, faces you can laugh with, and that one friend that always has your back.

Here is to the next generation at Walker High School, may you have as much success in making your four years of high school as memorable as mine.