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The Buccaneer
Online School Newspaper
Valley Junior High School
August 2009 Vol. 1 Issue 1
FEATURE NEWS
AMSTI KITS ARRIVE
AMSTI (Alabama Math and Science Technology Initiative) teaching kits arrived the week of August 24th. Students and teachers alike were amazed by the enormous stacks of materials that wer being unloaded from the truck. Eager students began carrying boxes to their designated rooms. Delighted teachers stopped what they were doing to find space in their rooms for the materials. Teachers had attended AMSTI training during the summer and are prepared to put the AMSTI teaching materials to good use.
SPORTS NEWS
Lady Bucs
Volleyball
by Kaylie Denny and Meghan Higginbotham
Go Bucs!! Valley Bucs won their first game of the season on Monday, August 24, 2009, when they played against T.S Boyd. The score on the first set was 25 to 7. The second set was 25 to 8. the Lady Bucs showed teamwork and went after the ball. You were awesome Lady Bucs! Keep up the good work, girls.
Boys Basketball Tryouts
by Kaylie Denny
Coach Nix held basketball tryouts the week of August 24th, and several new players were added to the team for the coming year. Those making the 8th grade team were as follows: Cameron Honeycutt, Tyler Fikes, Andrew South, Hunter Gilmore, Mason McCain,Seth Wilson, Case Key, Jared Maske, Dalton Terry, Skyler Key, and Madison Phillips. Those making the 7th grade team were as follows: Tyler Atkins, Jayden Bland, Austin Callahan, Clark Chance, River Gross, Brandon Jones, Dezmon Lawson, Kirklan Nelson, Austin Pruitt, Dakota Reed, Stephyan Sims, and Alec Wasserman.
Entertainment News
By Trisha Gibson
Movies: The latest movies that are in theaters now are: Final Destination 3D, Halloween II, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Julie and Julia, Shorts, G-Force, The Time-Traveler's Wife.
Music: The latest songs that are on everyone's MP3 player are: "Battlefield"-Jordin Sparks, "You Belong With Me"-Taylor Swift, "Good Girls Go Bad"- Cobra Starship, "Break Up"-Mario, "Stay"-SafetySuit. The upcoming C.D.'s are as follows: Trey Songz-Ready, Brooks and Dunn-#1's and Then Some, Jay-Z-Blueprint, Muse-The Resistance, Drake- So Far Gone, Sean "Diddy" Combs-Last Train To Paris, 3 Days Grace- Life Starts Now, Alice In Chains-Black Gives Way To Blue.
Books: The books that you will see almost everyone walking around with at VJHS are Stephanie Meyers' Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. People are so excited and looking forward to seeing New Moon in theaters on November 20th, 2009.
SCHOOL NEWS
by Haley Eatmon
SGA Representatives were elected for fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Those students were asked to write a paragraph for the school newspaper in response to the following question:
"What is something interesting that you have
already learned this year?"
8th Grade Responses:
Now that I am in the 8th grade, I have noticed a couple of major changes from the 7th grade. The good part is that as an 8th grader, I have more freedom. I am old enough now that my teachers expect me to do what I should. The bad part is that I have a lot more homework, and it's much harder. For example, pre-algebra and physical science are difficult. I am sure there will be other changes I notice as the year goes by. But, no matter what, I know that this year will be my best year ever at Valley! Go BUCS! (Grayson Roberts)
This week in eighth grade, we had an exciting assignment in literature. This assignment was to go along with our lesson on "The March of the Mill Children" taught by Mrs. Gross. The story inspired Mrs. Gross to have us make a poster or flyer for some cause about which we have strong beliefs or feelings. ( Brittany Davenport)
7th Grade Responses:
The most interesting classroom lesson I have been taught this year is in math. I have trouble with math, and some times I don't even get the lessons. The good thing is I have a good teacher, Mr. Harrison. He explains very well and always does what he can to help everyone. So, if you have trouble in any subject, just ask your teacher. I bet they would be more than glad to explain it to you because that's why they are here. ( Christa Wright)
The most interesting class I have been in so far is English with Mrs. Weeks. We are learning how to write a personal narrative, and she explains the different writing steps so well. She will tell you what you did wrong and help you to improve it. She is very organized, and that is what I like about her. She is an awesome teacher! (Kelsey Hester)
6th Grade Responses:
We think the most interesting lesson we have had so far this year is in health when we learned some of the bones of the body. To name a few, there are the tibia, fibula, and femur, only three of many bones of your leg. Our teacher Ms. Creel teachs in a magnificent way and always explains to the best of her ability. Health is very fascinating this year because we are learning how to keep our bodies healthy and in shape. (Savannah Madison and Brooke Tolbert)
We have been in school for only three weeks, and I have learned so many facts about eating healthier and selecting a different variety of foods. For instance, if you sit on the couch and snack on potato chips and drink too much soda, your body will become weak and low on energy. But, if you eat fruit and drink water. you body will become much healthier. Also, just taking a walk outside or jogging is very good for your weight and good cardio exercise. We should all try to eat healthier foods instead of junk foods. (Ansley Goodson)
The most interesting lesson I have learned is about the importance of good nutrition. Do you have all the nutrition you need? Most people don't. Mostly, the only people who do are the ones who follow the food pyramid. If you want to learn more about nutrition, you can always go to your teacher and ask her about it. I am sure your teacher will help you because the teachers at Valley Junior High School are awesome. (Allison Rogers)
I've learned that you can starve yourself to death. This is called anorexia and is very dangerous. Just because you want a figure like a female or male on television or in magazines doesn't mean you have to be anorexic. You can go on a HEALTHY diet, or simply exercise to get in shape. I learned this in Mrs. Creel's health class. (Hannah Capps)
The best classroom lesson I've had this year was in social studies. We learned about the different names of the battles according to the Union and Confederate soldiers. We also learned about the devastating losses on both sides. The most interesting thing we learned was how Robert E. Lee fought for the confederacy because he wouldn't fight against his family. (Michael Myrick)
I learned that the Civil War was also known as the Boys' War because many boys ran off to fight in the war on both sides. The South seceded from the United States of America and formed their own country called "The Confederate States of America" under their President Jefferson Davis. The first shots were fired by the South, and the war lasted for over four years. I learned that our President at that time was Abraham Lincoln, but he was not alive long enough to see our country reunite. Ms. Creel is our teacher. (Cody Brown and Tanner Gardner)
A lesson I have learned this year already is that I have to study a lot more than last year. Also, in fifth grade, I didn't have to switch classes and carry all those heavy books. Learning all the teachers' and new kids' names was a little difficult, but now it's all good. (Corey Fikes)
5th Grade Responses:
In Mrs. Crump's fifth grade class, we did a class project that was really fun. It was on which baby diaper could hold the most water. It was against Huggies, Pampers, and Parents Choice. We poured water for about an hour and a half. When we were finished, there was so much water in the diapers that some of the cotton that absorbs the water was falling out. Out of all the diapers, Huggies won. (Katilyn Barnes)
The Diaper Debate would have to be the most interesting. We had a lesson where we had to pick the diaper that would hold the most water. We had a choice of Pampers, Huggies, and Parents Choice. I picked Huggies. First, we poured one cup of water in Pampers. Then we poured one cup in Huggies. We also poured one cup in Parents Choice. We kept pouring water into them and finally Parents Choice was out. Then we kept pouring water in the remaining two. Then the Pampers was out and Huggies won. (Kayla Tessener)
One of the most interesting lessons I've experienced this year in science was vinegar, salt, and a penny. I learned that you can take a penny and make it squeaky clean. First, you take vinegar and put it on a paper towel. Then, you put iodized salt on top. Finally, you put the penny in the paper towel and scrub really, really, really hard. When you're finished, it's a very shiny penny. It was amazing! We've also been learning about animal and plan cells. So far, science is my favorite class. (Kristan Swindle)
The most interesting lesson in Mrs. Crump's class has been our science experiment, We had to divide into groups and decorate a sugar cookie to look ad explain the parts of an animal or plant cell. We all seemed to have learned a lot about cells. The experiment was a great success. I believe Mrs. Crump's class would all say, "It was sweet!" (Caleb Headrick)
