Main Content
The Buccaneer
Online School Newspaper
Valley Junior High School
November 2009 Vol. 1 Issue 4
Feature News
Valley Students Honor Veterans
by Ben Ferguson
Valley Junior High School students honored local veterans on Monday, November 9, 2009, by hosting an assembly of veterans, students, faculty, staff, and parents. The assembly 
opened with the presentation of colors and pledge of allegiance to the United States flag. Then, Julie Gross, a teacher, sang "The Star Spangled Banner." After that, Ben Ferguson, seventh grader, read an essay explaining to the students what Veteran's Day is about and how it came to be. The kindergarten and first grade classes sang patriotic songs for the attendees. Seventh grader Alec Wasserman expressed personal appreciation to his grandfather for his years of service and extended that appreciation to "all veterans who have served and sacrificed that we might live free." Veterans in attendance at the program were recognized by name, branch of military service, and years of service. A guest speaker echoed the sentiment of thanks to all who serve. Principal Tommy Kacharos concluded the program by thanking Kelli Adkins, counselor, for putting the program together in just a few days. He said, "This is the first time Valley has done this, and I expect we will do it again next year."
Valley Crowns
Homecoming Queen and King
by Kheila Valverde
All anyone had been able to talk about for weeks was homecoming. On Thursday, November 18th, the homecoming court was recognized during the pep rally. Later, during the boys' basketball game against Bankhead, the king and queen were crowned. Ansley Goodson and Kyle West won homecoming queen and king, Hollie Light and Austin Pruitt were 1st alternates, Kaylee Denny and Dustin Thompson were 2nd alternates, and Kaitlyn Swindle and Tyler Hedrick were 3rd alternates. The pep rally was one to remember. With Mrs. Norris and her 'special cheerleaders' dancing around and the all-time-favorite spirit stick being awarded, everyone had a great time. The 8th grade girls played first against Bankhead with a closing score of 22 to 11. Straight after, the boys played with a closing score of 62 to 14. There was also plenty of concessions such as, nachos and cheese, pizza, soft drinks, ice cream, chips, pickles, etc., that satisfied hungry customers.
Spelling Bee Elimination Rounds
Grades 4-8 have been holding grade-level elimination rounds in preparation of the School Spelling Bee to be held in December. Spelling Bee Coordinator Mrs. Weeks states, "Students get psyched up over the Spelling Bee and get very competitive. It's good to see them compete academically." According to Mrs. Weeks, the top three spellers from each grade level will compete against one another before school lets out for Christmas. At that round, all but the top two spellers will be eliminated. The top two will then square off against one another in a final round in January to determine which one will be the School Spelling Bee Champ and go on to represent Valley at the Walker County Spelling Bee in February.
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SPORTS NEWS
Boys Basketball
EIGHTH GRADE
by Austin Pruitt
VALLEY BUCS BLACKOUT BANKHEAD BLUE DEVILS!!!! The Valley Buccanneers defeated the Bankhead Blue Devils Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 . Valley beat the Devils 62-14 with Mason Mcain leading the way with 14 points while Case Key had 11, Seth Wilson had 10, and Madison Phillips had 5 to add on to the 62-14 win over the Blue Devils. The boys worked really hard to earn this tremendous victory. The boys will play again after Thanksgiving. Please come out and support them. GO BUCCANEERS!
SEVENTH GRADE
by Austin Pruitt
VALLEY BUCCANEERS TOP OAKMAN WILDCATS! The Valley seventh grade team defeated the Wildcats on Tuesday, November 3, 2009. The Buccaneers picked up a 43-28 victory over the Wildcats Tuesday to move on to (2-2). The Buc's point leader, Austin Pruitt, had 23 points during the game against Oakman while Brandon Jones added 12 points for the Buccaneers' victory over the Oakman Wildcats. Coach Nix said, '' We worked extremely hard to have this tremendous victory.'' Valley will host the Parrish Tornadoes on Thursday @ 5:00. Please come out and support the team! GO BUC'S!!!!!!
GO VALLEY BUCANEERS BASKETBALL TEAM!!
LADY BUCS BASKETBALL
(by Daisy Hamill)
LADY BUCS BLACKOUT BANKHEAD! The Valley Jr. High Lady Bucs blacked out Bankhead on Thursday, November 19, 2009. The score was Valley 20 to Bankhead 11 by the time the game was over. Katie Justice scored 8 points,while Celeste Calloway scored 4. They had them by half time, and everyone handled the ball. It was a great game, and they look forward to playing Curry on 12/1/09. Everyone has faith in the Lady Bucs, for another win.
LADY BUCS DESTROY TOWNLEY'S TIGERS! The Valley Jr. High Lady Bucs were on fire at Townley Jr. High on November 17, 2009. They won the game 44 to 21. By half time, the score was 7 to 7. Katie Justice scored 12 points in the 3rd quarter, and Haley Eatman scored 10 points before the game ended. They worked together and ended the game with a quick victory. They played hard and worked together, and it was a game everyone enjoyed watching!
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Entertainment News
By Amanda Schofield 
Movies: Movies in the theater now are the following: A Christmas Carol starring Jim Carey, 2012, and New Moon, the sequel to Twilight.
TV Shows: I took a poll of the students in Mrs. Weeks' 7th grade class for their favorite television shows. Here are the results: 1- Viva La Bam; 2- That 70's Show; 3- Bleach; 4-Monday Night Raw; and last but certainly not least: 5- Family Guy. Mrs. Weeks did not endorse any of these shows for children. The children voted, not the teacher.
Books: Since New Moon hit theaters Friday, everyone is reading New Moon. Also popular is the Percy Jackson series: Book one, The Lightning Thief- where someone steals Zeus' lightning bolt. Book two- The Sea of Monsters, where they have to find the golden fleece.
Music: Justin Beiber-"One Time"; Owl City-"Fireflies"; Mariah Carey- "Obsessed" I also polled a seventh grade class for their favorite recent song, and here are the top three songs- "Big Green Tractor"-Jason Aldeen; "Never Enough"- KISS; and "Black Ice"- ACDC.
_________________________________________SCHOOL NEWS
by Haley Eatmon
SGA Representatives have been active in collecting Box Tops for Education. The students who serve as representatives are also helping Beta Club with the Salvation Army canned food drive and the National Guard (Jasper Unit) Christmas donations. Reflecting on the Thanksgiving season, representatives were asked the following question:
At this time of the year, people often stop to give thanks. What are you most thankful for about your school?
8th Grade Responses:
Brittany Davenport: I appreciate the staff here at Valley. I don't know what I would do without them. When I need a guide or help with problems, they are there for me. They're the reason I've made it so far today. I know they have made me into a better person than I would have been if I had gone to a different school. So, I thank Mrs. Banks, Mrs. Windom, Mrs. Childers, Mrs. Cain, Mrs. Burton, Miss Tyree, Mr. Harrison, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Weeks, and last, but not least, Mrs. Gross, Mrs. Homan, and Mrs. Norris. Thanks to all of the teachers. I will never forget any of you.
Nathan Jennings: I am most appreciative of the teachers. They will help more than you think. At one of my old schools, the teachers would explain something and not give any examples to what they were saying. Here at Valley Junior High, the teachers will give examples until they drop if they need to!
Case Key: I am thankful for lunch. Lunch is my favorite time of the day. I am always hungry so that is why lunch is what I like most.
Mason McCain: As a student of Valley Junior High School, one thing that I am most thankful for is our great, caring faculty, staff, and students.
Drew Wolf: There are a few things that I am thankful for about this school. The teachers are great and help the kids, the school is taken care of, and the other kids are great. I was nervous about the first day coming to Valley, but I'm glad I came.
7th Grade Responses:
Clark Chance: I'm thankful for the wonderful teachers that help us have a great education. Their hard work and dedication to us students help us understand better.
Ben Ferguson: As a student I am very thankful for the lunchroom. The food is very succulent and tasty. I love it!
River Gross: I am most thankful that our school has a basketball team. I love playing basketball and will do anything to make a big play to get an adrenaline rush.
Daisy Hamill: I'm most thankful for the teachers at this school. They take their time to make sure we get help on things and they are there when we need them.
Kelsey Hester: As a student, I am most thankful for the teachers, since they try to do anything they can to get us to learn stuff. If we don't understand it, they will try to do something else. I love this school and I am thankful for everything here.
Hollie Light: I'm most thankful for Mr. Kacharos. I appreciate him letting Michael Myrick come out for First Priority to try to reach our campus.
Amanda Schofield: I'm thankful for the fact that every grade gets break time every day. Some of my friends consider me lucky since they go to a different school. They say they wish they still had break. So I'm thankful for break.
Josh Stinnett: I think P.E. is the part of school I am most thankful for because it is a great release from the other school clases and dodgeball is always fun!
Casey Tidwell: I'm thankful for the Gatorade machine because every day after p.e., I need one to cool off.
6th Grade Responses:
Kaylen Beasley: I'm thankful for all the wonderful teachers and all the things they do for us, and for my family for the love they give us. I'm also thankful for all my friends and my brother and for all the veterans that fought for us.
Corey Fikes: I appreciate all the people who represent this school. I also appreciate all my family and friends and teachers for supporting me.
Savannah Madison: The thing I am most thankful for in my school is my teachers. I am thankful for my teachers because they work hard to give me a good education so that I can be successful in life.
Ally Rogers: As a student of Valley Junior High School, one of the things I am most thankful for is the teachers. I believe teachers are amazing. I would like to thank all teachers at my school.
Brooke Tolbert: I am most thankful for the faculty and staff here at Valley that help us pursue our love for education. They strive to make our school a better place for us.
Austin Veal: All the teachers help you with your work when you don't get it. Also, they're always teaching you something new about a subject.
Caleb West: Our teachers take their time to teach us. I thank our teachers very much.
5th Grade Responses:
Katilyn Barnes: I am thankful for our teachers because they are really nice. Ever since I have been here for six years, I have gotten the best teacher every year. This year, in the fifth grade, I have the greatest teacher ever! Her name is Mrs. Crump. I think that so far this year, all the kids in my class have improved very much because we do everything you could imagine to learn. I love Valley School!
Bailey Evans and Corine Smith: We are thankful for the teachers who teach us in all subjects like math, science, and counseling. They are the best.
Kason Danner and Cody Williams: We are most thankful for Mrs. Nix. She is the most outstanding and loyal teacher we have ever had. We are thankful for all the good times we have had with Mrs. Nix. We could never replace her!!
Caleb Headrick: As a student of Valley Junior High School, I am most thankful for my teachers. Every year since kindergarten, I have had the best teachers. We have so much fun learning. We have also done many experiments this year. Mrs. Crump has taught us very much because we do everything possible in her class. All of our teachers have been very nice to us every single year. Valley is an awesome school to me!
Nic: I am most thankful for my teachers. I love them with all my heart. My teacher is Mrs. Crump, and she is my favorite so far. I am not one to call out favorites, but sometimes, you have to. One reason I love my teachers so much is that when it comes to hard work, there's never any looking back. Another reason is that if we did not have teachers, we would not ever learn anything. So to all the teachers at Valley, I lOVE MY TEACHERS!
Kayla T.: As a student at Valley, I am most thankful for our teachers. They're really nice, and they help you with your work. I have been here since kindergarten and every one of my teachers has been so nice to me. My teacher now, Mrs. Crump, helps people if they don't understand something. She has also done a lot of things like projects, like the diaper debate.
Student Graphic: Josh Stinnett
This online school newspaper is produced by students for students. Any errors made are unintentional and will be corrected if you notify the editor. Staff: Kheila Valverde, Editor; Ben Ferguson, Co-editor; Haley Eatmon, School News; Daisy Hamill, Girls Sports (7th grade); Seth Wilson, Boys Sports (8th grade); Austin Pruitt, Boys Sports (7th grade); Amanda Schofield, Entertainment; Josh Stinnett, Graphics; Sponsor Debra Weeks.
