St. Joseph Catholic School is expected to go high-tech for the second semester.

Beginning next month, plans call for every St. Joe student to receive an 11-inch MacBook Air. Students will use the computers in every class they take.

“We are going to use them as learning tools,” said Emily Tou-lomelis, St. Joe’s business technol-ogy and STEM teacher.

“We want our kids and teachers

to be more up-to-date with what colleges are going to be expect-ing out of them,” Mrs. Toulome-lis said. “And it helps us stay competitive with other schools.”

Students will receive their MacBook Air one semester after teachers received theirs. It is the culmination of a long-planned ef-fort for the school to go one-to-one with computers.

Other schools in the metropol-itan area have similar programs, with some distributing laptop computers or iPads for student use. Teachers then incorporate the use of technology into their daily lessons.

Student distribution of the computers is planned for Satur-day, Jan. 23. Students will come to school with their parents to pick up the computer that will be assigned to them for the remain-der of the year.

“I think the biggest benefit is that, when you get to college, this is how everything works,” Mrs. Toulomelis said. “On the college level, computers play a major role in your everyday life. Every-thing you do is on a computer.”

In college, she said, students

Brother John Brennan arrived at a small, green house on

McDowell Road in Jackson and approached the garage.

Moments later, the door burst open and two young children rushed him – clinging to his legs shouting “Brother John.”

Brother John has been there before. On this night, he brought dinner for old friends – people he has tried to help as they struggled through life.

All seven family members know Brother John well and immediately began a conversation.

“I do it to help people, not to feel good,” Brother John said. “Nothing’s wrong with feeling good now, but I do it because the Lord says so.”

VOLUME 19, NO. 3 l THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015 l ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Bear Factsthe

With football season over, Bruin basketball is in full swing. The St. Joe Bruins varsity basketball team has notched several huge wins this season including a last-second victory over Madison Central. Joshua Clayton takes a look at the team.

Sports, Page B1

DiD you know? Because they viewed

Christmas as a decadent Catholic holiday, the Puritans in America banned all Christmas celebrations from 1659-1681 with a penalty of 5 shillings for each offense.

Some Puritan leaders condemned those who favored Christmas as enemies of the Christian religion.

St. Joe DrawDown nearS

THE ROAR

HoopS SeaSon now unDerway

Noah Greene attempts to find solutions to the complex problem of paying for education, especially for those not well off financially.

Find out how escaping the grasp of poverty and improving residents’ lives goes hand-in-hand with good, quality education.

Opinion, Page A2

Making tHe rigHt cHoice

eDucation: Hope for tHe future

Service Club’s Angel Tree provides presents, smiles during Christmas season

EMILYTOULOMELIS

MORE INSIDE

n Editorial,Noah Greene column,PAGE A2

n Middle school coat drive,PAGE A5

n St. Joe food drivePAGE A5

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

SPORTS

CAMPUS

OPINION

n OPINION, A2-3

n NEWS, A4-8, B5-6

n ENTERTAINMENT, B3-4

n SPORTS, B1-2

See BROTHER JOHN, Page A5

INSIDE

‘Gifts of the Season’ rings-in the holidays at St. Joe

The crowd fell silent.As Mr. Ronnie Russell raised

his hands to conduct the St. Joe band, the room slowly filled with an enchanting holiday ensemble.

Welcome to “Gifts of the Sea-son,” the annual holiday concert that features the St. Joe band, choir and dancers. This year, the event was Friday and Sunday, Dec. 4 and 6.

Each year, hundreds of people – including parents, grandparents and students – attend the concert. The event is a great way to usher in the Christmas spirit.

“In the past, we had done

College can be complicated – from an intense application process to searching for scholarships and preparing for that first day.

Jack Hall takes you through the process of finding a college to attend, getting admitted and finding scholarship money.

As an underclassman, you will gain knowledge for upcoming years. For seniors, you will understand vital information.

Opinion, Page A2

St. Joe’s annual fundraiser, Jeans, Jazz and Bruin Blues Draw Down, is fast approaching. This year’s event is 6:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016.

Volunteers have been planning the Draw Down for months. Besides being a fundraiser, Draw Down also offers students a chance to earn service hours.

Draw Down tickets cost $130 for two people and are now on sale. You can buy tickets at the school or online at www.stjoebruins.com

‘Gifts of the Season’ in the gym,’ which made it like a Christmas pep rally,” said Mr. Russell, St. Joe’s band director and chairman of the Fine Arts Department

“Six years ago, we moved into the Fine Arts building. And that was the crowning moment,” he

said. “When we obtained a fine stage to perform on, it made ev-erything fall into place.”

This year, “Gifts of the Sea-son” featured several new ele-ments in addition to the band and choral music programs.

For example, the Spirit Step-pers also performed to “Spar-klejollytwinklejingley,” a new music selection from “Elf: The Musical.” The visual arts pro-gram also contributed ornaments and other crafts, which were sold at the program.

Alongside the band and choir, the seventh graders in the rotational music class that

By TRIPP GOURASThe Bear Facts

By CHAUNCEY TAYLORThe Bear Facts

One of the best ways to get in the holiday mood at St. Joe is by participating in the school’s annual Angel Tree and helping less fortunate people.

“It’s like a giving tree because you’re giving children of all ages who are under-privileged a gift for Christmas,” said Shelby Couch, a ninth grade student at St. Joe who has participated in the Angel Tree since the

GIVING HOPE,SPREADING JOY

Brother John Brennan leads way in ongoing effort at St. Joe to help those less fortunate

Brother John Brennan meets Destiny Riley, left, and Tootie Hornsby outside their grandmother’s house in Jackson. Brother John visited them last month, bringing with him a bed, quilt and several pizzas for dinner.

Photo by Catherine Cook/The Bear Facts

By CHRISTO HICKSThe Bear Facts

seventh grade.“It’s a way of spreading love and care

around the world to all who need it the most,” she said.

For more than 15 years at St. Joe, the Angel Tree has been part of the school and its many efforts to help those in the metro-politan Jackson area who are not as well off as others.

An artificial tree is decorated with an-gels. Students pull one of the angels from

By PETRA RIVERAThe Bear Facts

See ANGEL TREE, Page A5

See CONCERT, Page A4

See COMPUTERS, Page A4

Photo by Leila de Gruy/The Bear FactsNinth-grader Douglas Watson takes a tag from the Angel Tree. The tree is in the Administration Building and helps provide children with Christmas gifts.

Bruins to get Apple laptops

Photo by Isabel Hebert/The Bear FactsBella Smith, left, a seventh-grader; Alice McPhail, a ninth-grader; and Amelia Haydel, a seventh-grader, perform at “Gifts of the Season.”

Photo by Leila de Gruy/The Bear Facts

Seventh grader Chase Taylor works on an Apple MacBook Air in class last week.

A few days ago, a St. Joe student asked me what I thought about poverty.

Somewhat stunned, I couldn’t help but repeat the question. “What do I think about poverty?” I said.

This is a lot like asking what do you think about terrorism. There is a general belief in civilized society that terrorism is negative. That also, obviously, applies to poverty.

After a moment of thought I realized that the student was attempting to ask a more significant question. The student wasn’t asking what I thought about poverty. Rather, the student really was asking what do I think causes poverty and how we can eliminate it.

Rarely in my columns do I speak of an issue with such abstraction. But it is difficult not to do that with such large abstract figures about poverty. Roughly 12.7 percent of people globally live in poverty, and a little less than 896 million people live on less than $1.90 per day.

In my fleeting arrogance, my first reaction is to say: “Of course, I know what causes poverty.” But if this was true, I would also know the total and absolute solution or solutions. And I don’t.

However, I do think I know where to start.

Adequate education

We start with the most basic of concepts: ensuring we adequately and completely educate children so they can contribute to the work force when they become an adult. The higher level of education students receive, the less likely they are to live in poverty.

In a study published by the Alliance for Excellent Education in 2008, 34 percent of the students who dropped out of high school were living in poverty. The problem is we are not educating students for the work force – at least not effectively enough.

Current Republican Party presidential front-runner Donald Trump leaves a lot to be desired.

The notorious business mogul has maintained a lead over his rivals despite many gaffes, insults and fabricated snippets of twisted misinformation.

For example, he has caricatured Hispanic immigrants as “criminals and rapists.” His only real jabs at policy include having Mexico pay for a massively inefficient wall to divide that country from the United States and prohibiting all Muslims from entering the United States.

Riding high

Trump, for his hubris alone, shouldn’t be near the top of the polls or in any genuine position of political or economic power. Yet here we are.

It seems that, despite his obvious immaturity and lack of public awareness, he’s completely immune to both common sense and media scrutiny.

At face value, it would appear impossible for anyone, even a well-known celebrity, to maintain such a lead. According to the latest CNN poll, Trump is ahead by 20 points in early voting states. However, when you look

The Bear Facts, the official student newspaper of St. Joseph Catholic School, is published at least once each quarter of the school year. This newspaper is devoted to the interests of the student body, faculty, parents, alumni and community of St. Joseph. This paper’s purpose is to reflect the spirit of St. Joseph Catholic School, keep the school community informed and help promote the school’s Christian values.

All stories and photographs are copyright © 2015 by The Bear Facts and St. Joseph Catholic School. Reproduction and unauthorized use of any article, photograph or graphic in this newspaper is prohibited without explicit written consent in advance. Contact The Bear Facts, P.O. Box 2027, Madison, MS 39130-2927.

Unless otherwise noted, opinions expressed on this page belong solely to the author or authors and do not necessarily represent the beliefs and opinions of the staff of The Bear Facts; the staff, leadership and administration of St. Joseph Catholic School; or the staff, leadership and administration of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson.

If you disagree with any columnists’ opinions or want to share your own views, we invite you to submit a letter to the editor. Letters should be no more than 300 words. The Bear Facts reserves the right to edit letters for clarity. Send your letter by email to thebearfacts@stjoebruins.com. Or mail them to:

Letters to the Editor, The Bear Facts, P.O. Box 2027, Madison, MS 39130-2927

OpinionTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015PAGE A2

NOAHGREENE

editor

The BEAR FACTSNoah Greene l Jack Hall

Editors

Benjamin PayneManaging Editor

Terry R. Cassreino, Faculty AdviserCatherine Cook, Principal

A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion on public high school education in the US through XQ: The Super School Project. A large consensus from students is that they believed they were not being taught valuable skills they would and could use once they leave school. This can be viewed as the crux of our education problem.

Are we spending most of our time learning useless information? In my view, we are not. Although I will never use the law of sines on the job, I don’t find it useless. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is something to be valued.

Relevant knowledge

But when this is not placed hand-in-hand with applicable problem-solving skills, we face a serious issue. It is not simply enough to learn how to do something. We must also learn how to apply that information to whatever we do.

We have to diversify how we teach. We have to identify, apply and then discern. The discernment portion is not truly left up to the teachers, but more so the students. They must discern whether or not they have an interest in a particular area of study.

This is by no means the golden ticket that will solve all of our problems or eradicate poverty around the world.

We still have to find ways to adequately fund schools. We still lack healthy, nutritious meal options in many schools. Our schools themselves still need to weed-out incompetent educators and minimize bureaucracy. And then we need to face the problem of students who attend school even though they simply don’t want to learn.

In due time, we will figure out these solutions. For now let’s just take it one step at a time and keep in

mind that in solving these education issues we also will come one step closer to solving poverty in our community, our state, our nation and the world.

Combating poverty through education

Our view

Helping others

FROM THE PEN OF CHRISTO HICKS

The high price of applying to colleges and universitiesIn this 21st Century

world, more young students are seeking a college education

as a means of achieving a good job with a high paying salary to provide for themselves and the families they hope to build.

Between 1980 and 2012, college enrollment rose from 26 percent to 41 percent among Americans 18 to 24.

Former economic barriers are crumbling down, allowing more young people the opportunity and privilege of a college education. Pell Grants, need-based financial aid and merit-based scholarships all contribute to making higher education more affordable.

However, some barriers still stand.The average student, depending on

whether he or she attends an in-state public university or a private college, pays between $23,000 and $46,000 yearly to attend college.

Add that up for four years and a

student could graduate with nearly $250,000 in debt.

If this student decides to attend graduate school, law school or medical school, his or her debt can jump from $250,000 to an astronomical amount of money.

To put the cost of higher education in proper perspective, a student could purchase a nice three-bedroom, two-bath home for the amount of money he or she spends on a college education.

College admissions are the bane of many high school juniors and seniors.

Everyone wants to find and be accepted into their dream college. But just like anything associated with college, it will come at a cost.

While the national average for a single college application is $41, that figure spikes when applying to colleges that receive a large amount of applications. Stanford, for example, charges students $90 to apply. Nearly 40 colleges rake in at or above $75 for each application.

The College Board recommends that each student apply to between five and

eight colleges. If a student follows that advice, he or she could end up paying between $200 and $600 to apply for colleges he or she may not even want to attend.

Additionally, it’s customary that an applicant must take either the ACT, SAT or both. Each test costs between $30 and $65 per testing date.

ACTStudent.org recommends that a student take three ACT tests between his or her sophomore and senior year. The cost to do so could reach as much as $195.

In addition, students must send their ACT or SAT scores to the schools to which they apply – something that, in turn, costs $12 for each.

If a student chooses to send all three ACT scores to all eight colleges to which he or she applied, that alone could cost another $300.

Although incidental, some high schools also charge their own students for their guidance counselors to send off transcripts to colleges.

The startling grand total of applying to the amount of colleges

JACKHALLeditor

recommended by the College Board; taking the ACT or SAT the amount of times recommended by the testing companies; and reporting those scores to colleges could hit a student’s bank account by $1,100 or more.

In the end, the act of a student applying to and choosing a college or university to attend becomes its own separate industry. In essence, colleges, universities and even testing companies have become businesses and students have become their profit.

It’s customary that an applicant must take either the ACT, SAT or both. Each test costs between $30 and $65 per testing date.”

“

Former economic barriers are crumbling down, allowing more young people the opportunity and privilege of a college education.”

“

Trump’s disturbing candidacy

There are 86,400 seconds in a day – a number that seems minute to some and implausibly large to others. For some, this number is the length of suffering they must endure in a

single interval. For others in a more pleasant state, it means nothing.

Please take time to read through the stories our staff has compiled in a package we call “Giving Hope, Spreading Joy.” Think of those in our community who need help. Think of how our St. Joe community has worked to provide that help. And think of the example Brother John Brennan has set for us all.

Now, we ask you to do several things that will help others in need and work toward eliminating poverty. We ask you to stop complaining about your own situation. We ask you to be kind to others who are less fortunate. We ask you to stay positive.

And we ask you to think about how you can join us – help with the school’s Angel Tree or give to its food drives, for example – in what is and should be a never-ending effort to make our community a better place and, in the process, give hope and spread joy.

STRATONGARRARD

opinion editor

CLASS OF 2016

beneath his persona and look at his voter base, the answer is quite obvious.

Ever since the beginning of the Internet, tempers seem to have escalated among many voters who have used the Internet to vent much of their anger previously kept at bay by manners and polite conversation.

Much of this anger could be attributed to the anonymity of the Internet, allowing people to say what they want with zero consequences – which may seem desirable in an age in which a slightly extreme politically-correct group of people lambasts

anyone who says anything remotely disagreeable to minorities. We are a nation built on freedom of speech, even if some may disagree with what is said.

Serious discussions were once done in a civil and respectful manner. This, again, has eroded. And that erosion has begun to spread alongside a growing number of outraged Americans looking for something at which to be mad.

Blind rage

This blind rage is potentially the most dangerous weapon in American politics today, in part because such raw emotion is contagious and, as history has shown, the people who harbor those feelings are far more likely to vote.

So long as Trump maintains his current image, he might just pull off the most unlikely and devastating presidential primary win in decades.

So, either we’ll all be investing in “Make America Great Again” ball caps for the next four-to-eight years. Or the Republican Party will suffer a Goldwater-esque implosion that will destroy what good standing the GOP has with Latinos and Muslims, if not the vast majority of Americans, for the next four to eight decades.

Trump, for his hubris alone, shouldn’t be near the top of the polls or in any genuine position of political power.”

“

Editor:

The recent terrorist attack in Paris shocked me along with millions of others. I was thinking about how everyone came together in this time of distress. We saw this when 9/11 occurred and everyone joined together in sorrow. So, in about a year or so will we still be standing strong together or will everyone go back to themselves?

After 9/11, we stayed with each other and mourned for a long time. But now we really only think about it during times of distress. For example, there is one day dedicated to 9/11. That is the only time I think about it unless there is an attack like the recent one in Paris or the Boston Marathon bombing.

This worries me because I feel that no matter how long ago it occurred, there should be some memory of what happened. People were doing their regular routines, going to see family, or helping others. Then, we read about people taking control of planes and crashing them in buildings.

I think about how I will probably forget about the Paris bombings in a year, and it will just be a little memory somewhere in my head. I’m willing to bet that I won’t be the only one, either.

So, now I have a new priority in my life: To try and remember how many lives have been lost, and pray for all the families who have to mourn everyday thinking about it.

Colin PraytorEighth grade

Opinion PAGE A3THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015

Among high school players this year, at least 11 have died from head injuries, neck injuries or heart-related illnesses.”

“

Speaking out on safety in high school sportsSeconds after Reed

Collins took the snap late in the second quarter, a

Lake High School player blind-sided the backup Bruins quarterback.

Collins hoped to jump-start a stagnant offense in a late-season, Oct. 23 high school football game. Instead, he was sprawled on his own 25 yard line writhing in pain.

“So many thoughts were racing through my head,” Collins said. “I had no idea what was wrong. All I knew is that I was in a terrible amount of pain.

“I started to think if I was ever going to be able to play again. I started thinking that I felt like I let my team down by not giving it my all every day at practice because I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Collins sprained his neck, was hospitalized overnight and wore a neck brace for several weeks. While he has since recovered, what happened to him is part of a nationwide trend in dangerous, game-time, on-the-field injuries.

Everyone in Mississippi knows about the late Chucky Mullins, the Ole Miss football player who was paralyzed after hitting a Vanderbilt player during the Oct. 28, 1989, Rebels-Commodore

football game. Mullins died May 6, 1991, from a pulmonary embolism – a complication from his injury.

Since then, the number of injuries among football players has increased. Among high school players this year, at least 11 have died from head injuries, neck injuries or heart-related illnesses.

One of those was Roderick Williams, 17, of Waynesboro, Ga., who died two weeks after collapsing. Another, senior quarterback, Evan Murray of Washington, N.J., died after being hit in the backfield and unknowingly lacerated his spleen.

The increase in injuries and deaths has even attracted the attention of Congress. A bipartisan proposal, the High School Football Safety Study Act, would require the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention to study the causes of football-related deaths.

While that’s a great move, here is a simple suggestion that could have immediate results: Mississippi should require fully staffed ambulances on every high school campus for the duration of a high school football game.

While Collins lay in pain on the football field at Lake, coaches and medical personnel tried to stabilize him – all while waiting for at least 45 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.

Why did he have to wait so long? Scott County had no ambulance within 30 minutes of Lake High School.

With no one knowing the extent of Collins’ injury, that long wait put his safety and life in danger. When you think about, it placed all football players on the field that night at Lake in danger.

More could and should be done to improve the safety of high school, college and even professional athletes in Mississippi and around the nation. We should make sure every sports player feel that he or she can receive necessary medical attention if needed.

As Jennifer Collins, Reed’s mother, put it: “It was definitely the scariest time in my life. No parent wants to see their child, or any other child for that matter, injured on that field and not able to get up.”

Photo Special to The Bear Facts

Considering the sad plight of Syrian refugees

Letters to the editor

Editor:

I think that it is important to address the topic that many states in the United States are not allowing refugees. As we know, there have been many terrorist attacks around the world – the most recent one in Paris. So, many states are not allowing refugees. This is because many terrorists pretend to be refugees to get into America and other countries.

I think that it is important to address this because there are two sides to this decision. The Christian side of me says we should welcome refugees and help them in any way we can. But the other side of me says I want be protected and feel safe.

Unfortunately, we have to be careful and make sure the terrorists don’t come into the United States. It’s difficult because there are refugees who want to come to America and be free.

There are many who need our help. As much as we want to help others, we have to make sure we’re safe. I would like to be safe like most of us.

But there are still many ways we can help refugees. We can send them food, clothing, etc. We cannot help the fact that the terrorists are mentally ill, but we have to keep ourselves safe. And to me, that’s what matters. Maybe someday we will have world peace.

Katherine G. Cowger Eighth grade

Be careful with what you say and what you do

Editor:

Sayings such as “Treat others the way you want to be treated” and “Don’t judge a book by its cover” have completely lost their meanings because they are used so often. It is just like when you repeat a word over and over again until suddenly its meaning vanishes into thin air without a trace as to where it went.

In this case, it is crucial that we recall what these sayings truly mean in order to be decent human beings and make life in this world worth everything. Hatred is constantly displayed in our lives. People do not seem to understand how much their words can truly affect others.

Now is the time to take a step back and realize that being kind to everyone will drastically change our own lives and the lives of others. Gossiping, judging and simply being rude to people is not the solution to the world becoming a better place.

Everyone is guilty of making mistakes like these, but as Paulo Coelho once said: “A mistake repeated more than once is a decision.”

If we repeatedly continue to make the same mistakes, they will only become more powerful and change the world for the worse instead of the better.

We shouldn’t assume things about people based on what we hear, see or think. Even if you know something about someone, you shouldn’t judge them because of it.

Degrading a person because of their attitude, mood or something they did to you shouldn’t be tolerated. God calls us to forgive, no matter what the circumstances are. If we don’t forgive, hatred fills our hearts in places that could be replaced with love.

You never know what’s going on in a person’s life, so judging them and saying mean things about them could lead to emotional damage that no one should suffer through. We should always think before we speak or make assumptions.

I have hope that one day living in this world will be an honor for anyone who gets the opportunity. It is up to all of us to make that dream a reality. Hatred only leads to greater tragedy, so we must always remember how big of an impact kindness can make on the world.

Mary Grace StewartEighth grade

Lady Bruin volleyball team: Congratulations

Editor:

I wanted to write to you about the fantastic varsity volleyball team. The varsity volleyball team is a great group of girls who work hard at what they do. This hard work has certainly paid off as the team made it to the playoffs. The team worked extremely hard to make it that far.

If you went to a volleyball game, you could feel the energy as soon as you walked in. The students were hyped-up about the game. I think that helped the girls to not give up and to strive forward to win. I also think what really helped the team was how a lot of the students came out to support the team.

Even though the team lost the playoff game, the players won to me because of the hard work and dedication they put in every day and because of the support of the students.

Congratulations varsity volleyball team for making it to the play-offs. And go Bruins!

Logan DorseyEighth grade

We must not forget what happened in Paris

Editor:

Over the Thanksgiving break, my family and I went to Nicaragua on a mission trip. Nicaragua is a very special place to me. Each and every time I hear it come up in a conversation, a smile pops up on my face and memories fill my heart. Even though Nicaraguans have almost nothing, they still are the happiest people I have ever met.

I went to Nicaragua with an organization called Amigos for Christ. While I was down in Nicaragua, our goal was to start on a well for a village named La Coyo Terra. This meant we would dig a waterline where the pipes would go. We had to dig the line two miles long, and a shovel deep.

We started this project on Monday of Thanksgiving week. But on Sunday, the day before, Amigos for Christ showed us what to look forward to.

On that day, all the people who came with Amigos for Christ climbed an active volcano about 2,800-feet tall that was made up of pebbles that were hard to climb. It was physically the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Once my whole family reached the top, we realized how the climb was worth it. The view was jaw-dropping.

Starting Monday, we dug. It was 90 degrees-and-above all week long. The ground was made of huge tree roots and sometimes really big rock. Many Nicaraguans helped us.

We finished about a mile of the digging the whole week. Throughout the entire time, the Nicaraguans were happy, thankful, and hardworking.

God really helped show me how I wanted my life to be in Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan people have little, but are happier than everyone in the United States combined. And they have more love in their hearts than anyone I know.

Morrissey Claire HarmonEighth grade

Spending Thanksgiving helping Nicaraguans

GRANTMURPHY

sports editor

Sophomore quarterback Reed Collins in the hospital following his injury at the St. Joe-Lake football game.

Consider trying out for Lady Bruin softball

Editor:

I’m in the eighth grade, and I’ve played softball with the Lady Bruins since the seventh grade.

I started playing softball when I was 6 years old. I have played recreation league and select softball. I play short stop most of the time and sometimes second base.

As a seventh grader, I was fortunate enough to play on the varsity team. I love playing with the older girls because they are more experienced, and I can learn from them.

The girls on the team were incredible. They always knew how to

make me feel better when I made the wrong play, and they always congratulated me when I made the right play. I really enjoyed their company.

Last year was an unforgettable year. We made it to the playoffs, but unfortunately we lost in the first round. It’s okay because over all we gave it our best shot.

This year, our goal is to make it to the playoffs and win. Since my experience from last year was amazing I have no doubt that this year will be the same.

I encourage any girl considering playing a team sport to give the Lady Bruins a try. The team could really use a few good players. Maybe one of those players is you.

Try out for the team, and hopefully you will love the team the same as I do.

Lily Grace BurgessEighth grade

Let’s react with common sense and pray for peace

Editor:

I would like to write about my opinion on ISIS and the terrorist attacks. By removing power of Saddam Hussein, the late strict ruler of Iraq, the country went into chaos. By removing a strong structure where everyone followed the rules, it left the way open for

powerful groups such as ISIS.Terrorist attacks also include the recent attacks in France. Now,

refugees from Syria are coming because of civil wars and the ISIS attacks.

Now, some states in the United States are refusing refugees to enter, citing safety concerns. But in my opinion, those people really need help, and the United States is a safe country with not as much economic problems as Europe. There is a bad side about this though: In all these thousands of refugees there could be one bad person who could destroy all.

The world can’t react with wild anger and revenge when they get hurt. We have to react with common sense. I am deeply and sincerely sorry for everyone affected by terrorist attacks. Let us all mention World Peace in our prayers.

Sophia de LangeEighth grade

Bruin NewsTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015PAGE A4

By MATTHEW HENDLEYThe Bear Facts

Facsimile(601) 961-9494

Bridgett Mcdade claytonAttorney at Law

Heritage Building, Suite 301401 E. Capitol St.

Jackson, Mississippi 39201-2608attybmc@bellsouth.net

Telephone(601) 961-9494

rep. earle S. BankSChairman, Enrolled Bills

District 67, Hinds CountyMississippi House of Representatives

2307 M.L. King DriveJackson, MS 39213

Capitol: (601) 359-9392Bus: (601) 969-3040, (601) 969-2221

Cell: (601) 316-2856Email: ebankslaw@aol.com

COMING IN JANUARY

BRUIN NEWS NOWwith JoJo Katool

Fridays during homeroom

Musical talent has always been abun-dant among students at St. Joseph Cath-olic School.

During their high school years, stu-dents are encouraged to exhibit their God-given talent at school – whether in the choir, the band or the spring musical.

What is quite rare, however, is a musi-cal talent that is extraordinary, one who exceeds expectations, a talent who could gain exceptional notoriety.

Jake Slinkard, a St. Joseph graduate, undoubtedly has the “it” factor needed to become a professional musician. His impressive voice, guitar skills and natu-ral stage presence make him an example of a rising artist.

Performing has always been a part of

Slinkard’s life, and he displayed this tal-ent at St. Joseph. Slinkard participated in the spring musical three times as a student and also sang in the Mass choir. During his senior year, he sang “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” at St. Joseph’s “Gifts of the Season.”

“Jake was a delightful student,” said St. Joseph teacher Mrs. Terri Cooper. “I enjoyed hearing him sing in the choir, but it was a real treat the year he per-formed at ‘Gifts of the Season.’

“It was fun to watch his personality shine through his talent,” she said.

Last summer, Slinkard told family and friends that he would pursue a career as a full-time musician after he graduates from Mississippi State University this month.

Since August, Slinkard has been per-forming around eight gigs per month –

which is a full schedule considering that he is still a full-time student.

Slinkard said once he graduates, he

plans to play around 12 gigs per month – which will give him more experience while still setting aside some time to write and record songs.

“It’s the entertainment industry; there is no secret formula,” Slinkard said. “I think you just have to work hard, work smart and have the patience to let it hap-pen.”

There is no doubt that he has the work ethic.

“Most importantly, I have to have the right mind-set to keep working,” Slinkard said, “because it’s what you are actually doing, not just what you are trying to do.”

He realizes that life as a musician is difficult. But with the positive outlook and dedication he has, his path to suc-cess could be promising.

For the past few months, Slinkard

St. Joe alum Jake Slinkard eyes music businesshas performed everywhere he can. He performs mainly in Starkville, but will occasionally make the trip to play in his hometown of Jackson.

He has performed with numerous bands, most notably with a band he co-founded, Adkins and Beasley.

The band consisted of three other Jackson-area residents: Chris Cooper, a St. Joseph graduate; Carson Braymer; and Jacob Hendley.

The group became very well-known in Starkville over the past two years. The group was even named “Starkvil-lians of the Week” this past April by The Starkville Free Press.

Only time will tell if Slinkard’s life-long dream will become a reality. He knows what he must give and what he must give up in order to succeed.

It’s the entertainment industry; there is no secret formula. You just have to work hard.”

– Jake Slinkard,St. Joe alumnus

“

will do assignments online and teachers will take attendance online.

“Moving St. Joe into a similar sys-tem,” she said, “will help students in the long run and prepare them better for col-lege.”

High school students will take their computers home; it is undecided if middle school students will take theirs home.

Tyler O’Hara, who teaches 12th grade English, said he plans to use the com-puter in his class.

“Well, it’s a balancing act,” Mr. O’Hara said. “I want it to be very in-teractive, but also still have educational value. It can’t just be used for things I could just give you as homework.”

Mr. O’Hara said he would like stu-dents to use the computer for interactive

research or data collection.“Instead of me putting a Power-

Point up, (students) could research it in groups,” he said.

“I think there are some types of on-line quizzes. That would make grading so much easier for someone with my schedule.”

Mr. O’Hara said he would like to as-sess and grade quickly by using the In-

CONCERT, from page A1Mr. Russell teaches per-formed “The First Noel.”

“Incorporat-ing dancing and singing into mul-tiple numbers is tough,” said Mrs. Molly Windham, the choral music teacher at St. Joe.

“You have to really work at it to perfect it.”

Mr. Russell said the band and choir complemented each other well this year,

“There have been years when the band was larger . . . than the choral music program,” he said.

“But over the past six years, the quality of the choral music program has increased tremen-dously. Our sound has evolved into something that we’re all very proud of.

“I believe that the reputation of the quality of the program is a big part of what draws people to ‘Gifts of the Sea-son,’” Mr. Rus-sell said.

“It’s an excel-lent opportunity for people who don’t know St. Joe to come and see what we have to offer in the Fine Arts department.”

“Gifts of the Season” ended with “The Grinch,” performed by the band and Mr. Christopher Callahan, the St. Joe physics teacher.

The number included some technical difficulties involving the microphone. But Mr. Cal-lahan kept up very well without missing a beat.

At the end, students performed stirring encores of crowd favor-

ites such as “Carol of the Bells” and “Sleigh Ride.”

I believe the reputation of the quality of the program is a big part of what draws people to ‘Gifts of the Season.’”

– Ronnie Russell,St. Joe band

director and Fine Arts Department

“ MOLLY

WINDHAMRONNIE

RUSSELL

Photo by Isabel Hebert/The Bear FactsThe Spirit Steppers perform during the “Gifts of the Season” Christmas concert.

COMPUTERS, from page A1ternet.

“We would all be on the same page and see what all of us would need to work on to move forward,” he said.

“So, those are the two things that I am eager to use it for – more interactive information gathering and class assess-ments.”

Merry Christmas&

Happy New Year

from the staff of

The Bear Facts

needs help until you ask.

It’s quite a stretch to say that the St. Joe community can completely wipe out poverty alone. But we can certainly help make a large difference in our community.

That’s why, working together as a school, we can help.

Bruin NewsPAGE A5THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015

We must be intentional about helping others who are less fortunate than we are.”

– Brenda Cofer, seventh grade

history teacher

“

Middle school students stage coat drive for winter

GIVING HOPE, SPREADING JOY

Most St. Joseph Catholic School students are blessed to live

comfortable lives. They have all the necessities they need, while others aren’t as lucky.

Many Mississippians live in poverty. Some don’t have homes. Others don’t have nice clothes, especially during the cold winter months.

Poverty isn’t just a local problem. Millions of people around the world are affected. Poverty doesn’t just touch adults; children also experience it.

In fact, poverty can have extremely harmful effects on children that include a higher risk of chronic illnesses, a decrease in growth, a lack of education, and a lack of decent medical attention.

You can help solve these problems by donating money to charities, having a community food or clothes drive, or reaching out to a neighbor in need. You never know who

Mrs. Brenda Cofer, the St. Joe middle school social studies teacher, teaches us that “we are insulated in our own little worlds, and we must be intentional about

helping others who are less fortunate than we are.”

So, this holiday season, the middle school students decided to do their part by sponsoring a coat drive. Although poverty exists worldwide, the middle school is focusing on the less fortunate in our area.

The need is more than apparent. Seventh grader Abby Starmes mentioned seeing people on the streets in downtown Jackson begging for money.

Another seventh grader, Augusta Hirn, talked about how students have a house and a heater when it’s cold – but “there are people outside without those necessities.”

And Mrs. Elise Bingham, the seventh-grade science teacher, said poverty is a serious issue.

“It is very hard to realize that we probably know people living in poverty and we don’t even know it,” she said,

Poverty seems to exist everywhere, and it seems more and more people are falling into it. We, as a community, must help everyone struck down by poverty, famine and abandonment.

More people can and should be involved in the fight against poverty. The world will never change if someone doesn’t take the first step.

Anyone can make a difference in this world. All you need is a strong will to do so – and we believe that anyone here at St. Joe can take a stand. That’s why the middle school staged a successful coat drive.

What will you do?

Bianca McCarty and Cass Simpson are seventh graders at St. Joseph Catholic School.

Brother John, a member of the Christian Brothers and a fixture at St. Joe for 15 years, has helped set the direction of the school’s community outreach and building on the spirit of Gospel service to metropolitan Jackson.

St. Joe students, faculty, staff, family and alumni have always helped those in need, those less fortunate and area charitable groups through such efforts as food drives, coat drives and even the BruinTHON – which benefits Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital.

But it is Brother John’s efforts that set the overall tone. The man never seems to stop. He is almost always working to help a family or group of people who could use an extra push. Brother John does more than most people at St. Joe know.

WEEKLY DONATION

He makes a weekly donation to help families from money raised by selling homemade cookies in his class. He coordinates fundraisers to help underprivileged children attend the Mississippi State Fair every October, an effort that this year raised $1,200 so 33 children could attend.

He helps raise donations to purchase Thanksgiving dinners for families that otherwise would not be able to afford one. He collects money to buy hams for families at Easter. And before school starts each fall, he buys underprivileged children “bridge books” that supply study materials for the summer between grades.

In the past, Brother John helped coordinate the school’s Angel Tree at Christmas, an effort to provide gifts for children who may not have much or anything at all to open Christmas morning. This year, the Service Club will coordinate the St. Joe Angel Tree.

Brother John didn’t deny the glorification of his work.“Yes, it can be rewarding,” Brother John said. “But really it is to

make life better for others. “Even just recently some people I know have been able to get

jobs, money’s coming back into the house and they can afford to go places besides the Salvation Army for clothes. And that also instills pride in people.”

CHRISTIAN BROTHER

Brother John is a member of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, a religious order that was founded by Blessed Edmund Rice and originated in Ireland during the 1800s. He joined the order after graduating from high school in 1968.

“I wanted to be a school teacher, and I was always taught by brothers,” he said. “So what better place to start than there?”

Somewhere in the stretch of his teaching career in New York, he found himself staying on an estate owned by a personal pal of President Dwight D. Eisenhower learning how to teach AP U.S. History from members of National Geographic. In 1998, he found home at St. Joseph Catholic School in Jackson.

Mrs. Mary Banks, St. Joe’s campus minister, said she has always been impressed by Brother John’s dedication.

“When I first got here I could tell that he was committed. Not only to St. Joe, but to everyone that he meets,” Mrs. Banks said. “He really embodies the heart of Christian service. I look up to him as I believe most other people at St. Joe do.”

Brother John said he loves what he does at St. Joseph Catholic School.

He encompasses a core value that all Christians should adhere to – service to the less fortunate. His work has inspired others every year he has remained in service to St. Joe.

“I consider myself a channel between the faculty and

students at St. Joe and the poor,” Brother John said. “Why do I do this? Well because we are all called upon by the

Lord to do things for others.”

Every year, St. Joe holds mul-tiple food drives to offer nourish-ment to the hungry. However, not many people know exactly where that food goes.

After every canned food drive, St. Joe sends their profits to the Mississippi Food Network. MFN distributes to people all over the state dealing with poverty-related hunger.

Every one out of four Missis-sippians struggle with hunger, so as a Catholic school, St. Joe takes on efforts to decrease hunger in Mississippi. For example, last month the Latin Club collected cans for the fall food drive.

St. Joe turns the food drives into a competition between all the different grades, but due to the Latin Club’s substantial do-nation the rules bent a little this time and allowed the school’s clubs to enter in the race.

“I got my students to do this because this is why we are here on Earth,” said Matthew Hosler, the Latin teacher.

Hosler had his students keep the project a secret, so that the Latin Club would still be able to contribute. He told his students that even if they weren’t allowed into the competition that they’d still be doing good by donating to a worthy cause.

The Latin Club donated the most over the whole school and won the competition.

Enthusiasm for caring for those in need has grown on St.

By CATHERINE COOKThe Bear Facts

BROTHER JOHN, from page A1

Joe’s campus. Teachers have a strong sense of pride in their stu-dents because of it.

“I am very proud of (seniors), and I think they have had a posi-tive effect on our student body this year,” said Mary Banks, the campus minister, adding that the senior leadership has been in-credible this year.

The school also provides food from the annual St. Joseph’s altar to the Gleaners. St. Joseph’s altar

is a universal tradition celebrated by Catholics once a year.

The Gleaners’ main purpose is to salvage food that would otherwise be thrown away. They do however, take donations. The food they collect is then distrib-uted to local shelters.

This year, it is undetermined whether the school will have an altar because St. Joseph’s Day, March 19, falls on a Saturday. The date is also around the time of Spring Break.

Service is a major component of the St. Joe community, and all teachers encourage their students to participate in several service opportunities and go beyond the minimum.

“I hope that students see ser-vice as an opportunity not an obligation for class. Service is an integral part of the Christ’s call-ing to us as Christians. Through-out the Gospels, Jesus challenges his followers to put others before themselves and I hope that stu-dents pursue service activities that truly fulfill this,” Mrs. Banks said.

Photo by Catherine Cook/The Bear FactsSeventh graders Elizabeth Weisenberger, Jessica Smith and Chase Taylor work with the middle school coat drive by organizing the donations.

Photo by Catherine Cook/The Bear FactsSmart Kelly and Brother John Brennan visit outside the Jackson home of Smart’s grandmother. Brother John brought the family pizza for dinner one night last month.

St. Joe food drive fights hunger

BIANCAMcCARTY

CASSSIMPSON

The Bear Facts file photo

We are all called upon by the Lord to do things for others.”

– Brother John Brennan, a

member of the Christian Brothers

“

He really embodies the heart of Christian service. I look up to him as I believe most other people at St. Joe do.”

– Mary Banks,campus minister

“

The staff of

THE BEAR FACTSTHE SHIELD

&BRUIN BROADCASTING

wishes everyone

A MERRY CHRISTMAS&

A HAPPY NEW YEAR

ANGEL TREE, from page A1the tree and then purchase a gift for the boy or girl named.

St. Joe students who participate don’t have to purchase a specific gift. They simply purchase an age-appropriate gift that costs about $10. Gifts should be unwrapped with the tag attached to it.

Couch said gift ideas can include anything pink or Barbie dolls for girls, while gifts for boys could include Tonka trucks, Legos or Transformers.

The St. Joe Service Club is sponsoring the Angel Tree this year; the tree went up Dec. 7 outside Mrs. Mary Banks’ office in the Ad-ministration Building.

Brother John Brennan, who has leads and organizes most outreach efforts on campus throughout the school year, provided names for the Angel Tree. The names come from families helps in the Jackson area.

“After all the gifts are collected, Brother John distributes them to the families,” said

Mrs. Banks, who teachers economics and history as well as serves as St. Joe’s campus minister.

Brother John said the Angel Tree is an important project at St. Joe.

“By providing clothing, toys, games, etc., to a disadvantaged child at Christmas, the season during which we commemorate the joy associated with the birth of Jesus, a needy child is made happy through the gen-erosity of a benefactor – an angel,” Brother John said.

The Angel Tree acts as a bridge between a caring individual and a child in need, he said.

“It is also a boost to a child’s self-esteem when he or she receives a gift from a person who shows concern for that child,” he said.

“Knowing that someone out there cares for them is a special feeling for many a dis-advantaged child.”

By providing clothing, toys, games, etc., to a disadvantaged child at Christmas ... a needy child is made happy through the generosity of a benefactor – an angel.”

– Brother John Brennan,a member of the

Christian Brothers and a St. Joe religion teacher

“

St. Joe students help load donated food onto Mississippi Food Network trucks during a 2014 food drive.

Bruin NewsTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015PAGE A6

Mrs. Dena Kinsey and a num-ber of St. Joe students will take a pilgrimage to Krakow, Poland, next summer for World Youth Day.

Every two to three years, the Pope holds an international youth event called World Youth Day.

The 14th World Youth Day will take place in the summer of 2016. In honor of the birth place of Pope John Paul II, Pope Francis will celebrate the event in Poland.

“So, we’re going to Poland to see him at the 2016 World Youth Day,” said Mrs. Kinsey, St. Joe’s high school director and the se-nior religion teacher.

“A pilgrimage is a journey a

Students plan 2016 trip to World Youth Daypilgrim takes to come to know God better,” said Amelia Rizor. “The purpose of the pilgrimage is for young people of St. Richard Catholic Church (and) St. Joseph Catholic School to grow in their relationship with Christ and ex-perience their Catholic faith in a new and different way.”

Ms. Rizor is a youth minister at St. Richard Catholic Church. Ms. Rizor is in charge of organiz-ing the trip to Poland and decided to give St. Joe the opportunity to participate in this educational and religious event.

“I asked St. Joseph Catholic School to participate because I felt as if there would be students from St. Joseph who would be blessed by this trip. I also felt that I should invite them to participate since St. Richard is a supporter of St. Joe and so many of our youth

attend St. Joe,” Ms. Rizor said.St. Joe students will leave July

23 and return Aug. 1. They will be in the presence of Pope Fran-cis on at least three to four occa-sions. The Pope will arrive July 28, at which time he will be wel-comed.

On July 29, the Pope will lead pilgrims in praying the Stations of the Cross. On July 30, Pope Francis will have an evening prayer vigil; he will celebrate the closing Mass on July 31.

However, there are some re-strictions to attend. Students have to be 16 years old by the time of the trip. The cost of the trip will be about $3,600.

“Pilgrims have the choice to either pay for 100 percent of the trip themselves or to participate in fundraisers,” Ms. Rizor said.

“So far, we have sold cas-

Ed Meek told St. Joe students in October about his experiences covering the integration of the University of Mississippi and the arrival of James Meredith.

Meek, a former Ole Miss vice chancellor, is author of the book “Riot” about the Ole Miss riot surrounding the admission of Meredith. He spoke to St. Joe journalism students.

Meek grew up in Tallahatchie County. He attended Ole Miss to study journalism, an interest formed from working at local newspapers from sixth to 12th grades.

Meek was on the Ole Miss campus when Meredith arrived in 1962, the first African American student at the university. Mer-edith’s arrival sparked violent confrontations between students and authorities – and Meek was right in the middle of it, working

Ed Meek, former Ole Miss official, publishes book on riots

in the Lyceum. Meek said he talks to Meredith

regularly these days. “He's a good friend of mine,

was then and is now,” Meek said. “He said he knew if he could break the barrier at Ole Miss then the walls would come tumbling down.”

Meek felt a certain urgency to photograph the riots, as did several other journalists from all over the world. The journalists covering Meredith’s admission created chaos, so Meek was put in charge of them.

Meek said he met some very

fine journalists who have gone on to become extraordinary peo-ple. He even stood in what was practically a war zone between Mississippians and the federal troops just to take pictures.

Bottles of tear gas and home-made bombs flew by him, he said, adding he had to crawl on the ground to escape the tear gas.

“I’m standing right in front of the Lyceum and hear something fly by,” he remembered. “It was a beer bottle of something, and it hit a marshal upside the head.”

President John F. Kennedy or-dered no one to take pictures of Meredith in the classroom. Yet Meek took photos of Meredith sitting alone abandoned by his classmates and professor. Meek snuck in the classroom with his camera hidden in his raincoat to record this historical moment.

Meek locked the photos in his safety deposit box for 40 years. Now he published the photos in his book “Riot.”

I asked St. Joseph Catholic School to participate because I felt as if there would be students . . . who would be blessed by this trip.”

– Amelia Rizor,youth minister at St. Richard

Catholic Church

“

By PETRA RIVERAThe Bear Facts

By CATHERINE COOKThe Bear Facts

seroles, raffled off baskets and Yeti coolers, participated in an art show, and held a movie night. Youth also have the option of writing a support letter to send to friends and family,” she said.

The group will also go to a few other cities like Wadowice, which is Pope John Paul II’s hometown, and Oświęcim.

“We’re also going to go Aus-chwitz, where one of the concen-tration camps from World War II was. I believe we’re also going to take a pilgrimage (in Wadowice) called Walking In The Footsteps Of JP2 (John Paul II).”

“And its shows you where he grew up and what he did when he was living there as a young person and a young priest.” said Mrs. Kinsey.

n Who: St. Joseph Catholic School students who are 16 or above by July 23.

n What: World Youth Day, a celebration of Catholicism for young Catholics.

n When: July 23-Aug. 1; students will be back in time for the start of school.

n Where: Krakow, Poland. Students will also visit other locations like Waldowice and Auschwitz.

n Why: To increase youth participation in the Catholic Church.

WYD 2016

U First Medical ClinicMary Johnson FNP-BC

P.O. Box 2835276 South Liberty St.

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Phone: (601) 407-1137 FAX: (601) 407-1134

WALK-INS WELCOME

Middle SchoolPAGE A7THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015

Robert Droel: Excited to be part of St. JoeBy JOE PEARSON

The Bear Factsmund Rice in 1802. Tradition-ally, the group has served as teachers. Besides Mr. Droel, the other representative on campus is Brother John Brennan.

“I am excited to be a part of the vibrant culture here,” said Mr. Droel said, a native of Chicago and an alumnus of Brother Rice High School.

After his high school, Mr. Dro-el spent four years at Iona Col-lege and then attended Catholic Theological Union.

Mr. Droel attended CTU for two years and earned his degree in the New Testament. From there, he had his first teaching job as a substitute teacher and campus minister at St. Laurence High School, an all-boys school in Chicago.

Mr. Droel is still in the pro-cess of becoming a member of the Christian Brothers and has already completed three of the necessary six years of training. He also is in the process of get-ting his master’s degree.

“I have found my time with the Brothers to be very helpful in the discernment process, and they have helped me to grow as a person of faith,” Mr. Droel said. “There have been ups and downs, but I feel I am on the right path.”

With the number of religious vocations shrinking and the need for people to serve, anyone con-sidering a call could serve in sev-eral roles that include a priest, a brother or a nun.

One religious organization long associated with St. Joseph Catholic School has a new pres-ence this year: Robert Droel – the new eighth grade religion teacher who is also training to become a member of the Congregation of Christian Brothers.

The Irish Christian Brothers were founded by Brother Ed-

Photo by Catherine Cook/The Bear FactsMr. Robert Droel reviews religion with his eighth-grade religion class in advance of the semester exam this week. Mr. Droel is a first-year teacher at St. Joseph Catholic School.

Brother John Brennan, a teacher at St. Joe and a Christian Brother for 54 years, is origi-nally from Hull, Mass. He went to school at Catholic Memorial High School, and, like Mr. Droel, was influenced by his high school to join the Christian Brothers.

Also like Mr. Droel, Brother John attended Iona College. Brother John added that he has very much enjoyed his time as a Christian Brother.

I am excited to be a part of the vibrant culture here.”

– Robert Droel,eighth-grade

religion teacher

“

Vocations are very important for the Church and the spread of the Gospel message,”

– Brother John Brennan,

teacher and member of the

Christian Brothers

“

“As always, vocations are very important for the Church and the spread of the Gospel message,” Brother John said. “It is impor-tant we encourage those who want to follow vocations such as

brothers, sisters and priests.”Mr. Droel said that everyone

has a vocation. For him, he said, his calling is with the Christian Brothers.

“I would encourage all young

men and women to think about what they are passionate about and how they can best use their gifts and talents to serve God and the world,” Mr. Droel said.

Rep. eaRle S. BankSChairman, Enrolled Bills

District 67, Hinds CountyMississippi House of Representatives

2307 M.L. King DriveJackson, MS 39213

Capitol: (601) 359-9392Bus: (601) 969-3040, (601) 969-2221

Cell: (601) 316-2856Email: ebankslaw@aol.com

CHOIR, from page A8were looking forward to partici-pating in this year’s production of “Gifts of the Season.”

“I’m nervous, but still excit-ed,” said Kailey Luster, a seventh grader. “I want to accomplish a better understanding of how to play snare. I want to be able to play a lot faster.”

The eighth-grade choir class has 10 students, six girls and four boys.

Mary Grace Stewart, a class member, was in the choir and sang in “Gifts of the Season” during her seventh grade year. She said she chose to take choir

for a full year because she loves to sing.

Sophia de Lange, another stu-dent in the choir class, said she loved the idea of taking choir as a class that lasted the entire school year.

“When I saw that we could take the class all year, I wanted to be in the class,” de Lange said.

“I like singing, and I love Ms. Windham.” de Lange said. “She is a very good singer and piano player. Every class with her is fun and helps me to be a better singer.”

I like singing and I love Mrs. Windham. She is a very good singer and piano player.”

– Sophia de Lange,

eighth-grader

“

NICHOLAS, from page A8said, “Take your mark.”

I lowered myself on the block and became still. The buzzer sounded, and I sprung off the block into the freezing water.

“High school swimming is about placing, not about your times,” said Mrs. Lauri Collins, the Bruins swim coach.

It was predicted that I would place second in both events for prelims. The top eight swimmers made it into finals for every event.

Both relays in which I participated placed first in the prelims. After each race, I walked over to my team; they made me feel wonderful by congratulating me and telling me I did a great job.

We had a three-hour break before finals began. I rode back to the calm hotel, which was about to be swarmed with

swimmers. I went up to the hotel room to

sleep; I did not want to swim at finals because I was exhausted.

“Finals were less stressful,” Clements said.

After warm-ups, I was ready to compete. I placed the same for my individual events and relays.

I was not surprised when the girls became state champions. St. Andrew’s, our competition, placed second in the state.

Overall, I was happy for the team to win state, but I am not happy with my times. I hope next year will be a great success.

I am excited to see all the new and experienced swimmers that will join next year.

After each race, I walked over to my team; they made me feel wonderful by congratulating me and telling me I did a great job.”

“

COMING IN JANUARY

BRUIN NEWS NOWwith JoJo Katool

St. Joseph Catholic School’s weekly video news cast

Eighth grader Lake Dodson said the 2008 Olympics inspired him to try fencing. Dodson has been fencing since 2012.

“I enjoy the overall flow of fencing,” he said, “and that it is unlike most sports that people play around here like football or soccer.”

Eighth grade acting star Hannah Dear loves being on the stage. Last year, she won a part in the St. Joe production of “Little Shop of Horrors.”

“I look up to (theater teacher) Leslie Harkins. I would like to further develop my talents as she did,” Dear said.

Dear described “Little Shop” as “a wacky play and very out there.”

When Pope Francis visited the United States in September, two St. Joe eighth-grad-ers – Sophia de Lange and Will Turner – traveled with their families to see the pontiff.

The pope visited Washington, D.C.; New York City; and Phila-delphia. In Washington the Pope met with President Barack Obama and spoke to the U.S. Senate and House. In New York, the pontiff spoke to the United Na-tions General Assembly. And in Philadelphia, he visited officials and said Mass.

De Lange said she and her family were inspired by the pope’s visit.

“My favorite part about the trip was all the talks they had for teenagers,” de Lange said.

During every race of the state swim meet last

month, the only thing I could think about was the St. Joseph Catholic School swim team winning it all.

I am a member of the Bruin swim team and qualified to participate in the state championship meet.

When I and other team members arrived at The Tupelo Aquatic Center last

StudentS trek to philadelphiaTurner, de Lange see Pope Francis in U.S.

See NICHOLAS, PAGE A7

MIDDLE SCHOOL

BUZZ

droel excited to be at St. Joe

Robert Droel, who teaches eighth-grade religion, is one of the newest faces at St. Joseph Catholic School this year.

Besides teaching religion, Mr. Droel, a native of Chicago, also is working on completing all requirements to become a member of the Christian Brothers.

Middle School News, Page A7

See CHOIR, PAGE A7

Middle School Reportthe

PAGE A8 l THE BEAR FACTS l THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015 l ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL

St. Joe swimmers represent the school in meetmonth, warm air filled the room. You also could smell the strong odor of chlorine. The center is home to three large pools placed across the building.

Empty bleachers sat alongside the pool. But the next morning, they all would be filled with competitive swimmers.

Our team quickly changed out of our uniforms and Halloween costumes and into our swimsuits. We walked around the pool to our lanes. I saw different teams from Mississippi practicing for the biggest meet of the high school season.

The entire Bruin team jumped into the water for warm-ups. Cold water splashed

across my body as I jumped in.Jack Clements, a seventh grader, was

swimming in my lane. He told me he was very nervous because it was his first time to be at a large swim meet.

“I was seriously shaking during prelims,” he remembered.

Saturday morning of the meet was hectic. We were in first warm-ups, so we had to leave our hotel just as the sun was rising. The water in the pool felt colder than the night before; I was anxious to get out of the pool and get a towel.

The team had an hour of anticipation and stress before the prelims began.

Before every race, I stretched my sore

muscles. I couldn’t focus because cold air was blowing from the air ducts above me. I would check to see if my goggles were tight and my cap was hugging my face.

As I walked up to the blocks, the uninterested official blew the whistle three times. This alerted the crowd to quiet because the race was about to start.

The other official spoke through the compact microphone announcing the event and heat of the race. Once again, an official blew the whistle for a long note.

This told the swimmers to step on the blocks and prepare to dive in. The official

Seventh grader takes St. Joe Spelling BeeBy CHRISTO HICKS

The Bear Facts

Seventh grade student Abia Walker will advance to the Madison County Spelling Bee early next year after winning the St. Joe contest by spelling “inimical.”

Walker won after competing with 13 other seventh and eighth graders through five rounds of words. Finishing second was eighth grade student Jaden Coleman.

Walker was excited by the win.“They didn’t say it, thankfully, but the

word I am most worried about is ‘pha-raoh.’” Walker said. “It’s hard to spell.”

The St. Joe Spelling Bee is a popular annual event open to students in grades 7 and 8. Each seventh and eighth grade English class holds its own spelling bee; class winners advance to the school event.

This year marked the third straight year that a seventh grader won the St. Joe Spelling Bee. Last year, Neziah Igwe-

buike won; the year before, Leila de Gruy won.

This year’s spelling bee started with simple words such as “whiff” and grew hard quickly. Words like “alternative” and “plaintiff” were quickly knocking contes-tants out of the competition.

After four rounds, Coleman and Walker were all who remained.

Coleman ran into trouble with the word “plaintiff”; when he spelled the word, he left out the first “i.”

Coleman’s mistake put the pressure on Walker, who had to spell her next word correctly in order to claim the champion-ship,

It was sudden death for Walker, but her perfect spelling of “inimical” secured her coveted first place.

While it will be another year before St. Joe sees another spelling bee champion, Walker still has at least one more contest left in which to participate.

Photo Special to The Bear FactsAbia Walker, left, a seventh grader, won the St. Joe Spelling Been on Tuesday, Dec, 1. Eighth grader Jaden Coleman finished second. Walker advances to the county spelling bee.

Middle schoolers vital to band, choirSPREADING CHRISTMAS JOY

By KRISTIN MILLERThe Bear Facts

While the vast majority of members of the St. Joe band and choir are from high school, middle school students play an important role in both.

Middle schoolers can take band as a class year round. And this year, choir was offered as a new year-long class for eighth graders.

Mrs. Molly Windham, the St. Joe choir teacher and director, came up with the idea to replace a quarter-long choir class with one that lasted the entire school year.

“I figured the class could be like band and just be year-round.” Mrs. Windham said recently.

“It also gives opportunities to the students to go out and share our singing with the community when we go on field trips. They also have the chance to earn (service) hours because some of the activities that the choir par-ticipates in count as service projects.”

That’s exactly what happened earlier this month when members of the St. Joe choir and St. Joe band – including middle school members – performed Christmas music for residents at nearby St. Catherine’s Village.

Mr. Ronnie Russell, the Fine Arts Department chair-man and the band director, said residents at St. Cathe-rine’s appreciated and enjoyed the concert.

Middle school students who are in the St. Joe band said they have enjoyed the experience. They said they

ABOVE PHOTO: Members of the St. Joe band and choir – including many middle school students – perform Christmas music earlier this month for residents of St. Catherine’s Village. The band members also performed for the annual “Gifts of the Season” Christmas concert on campus. Photo Special to The Bear Facts

TOP PHOTO: Amelia Ladner, left, and Sophia de Lange, both eighth graders, perform with the choir at St. Catherine’s Village earlier this month. Photo Special to The Bear Facts

ANNA CHRISNICHOLAS

SOPHIADE LANGE

WILLTURNER

the Spotlight:hannah dear

Fencing lureS eighth grader

LAKE DODSON

As time ran out in the last regular season football game against Pelahatchee, fans quickly started looking toward the 2016 season next year.

With the St. Joe Bruins ending the 2015 campaign with a 3-8 record, some people considered it a disappointment. But players and coaches considered 2015 a rebuilding year.

“I feel we made great strides towards excellence; howev-er, we also fell back in some areas of the game,” said junior quarterback Jack Garrard.

Despite the many losses, the Bruins came away with two

best field goal in that game.”Diamond’s performance in the St.

Andrew’s game was typical for a student athlete who has excelled in just about every sport he has played. And Diamond has participated in many.

Besides football, Diamond also has

actually it was. Diamond was determined to leave St. Joe as a senior with a win against his school’s top rival. A 21-7 loss last year on the road at St. Andrew’s just didn’t sit well.

So, late in the fourth quarter, lined up on the 5-yard line, down 7-3, Diamond took the ball on a handoff.

He broke through several tackles. He crossed the goal line. He scored. The crowd erupted in cheers. And Diamond celebrated in the end zone with his teammates.

“I will for sure remember that game forever,” Diamond said. “ It was my best touchdown and our winning score over our rival. And I also made my season-

Coach Miller Todd’s newborn triplets, Mary, Mollie and James, were born Dec. 3. They have an average weight of 3 pounds and are improving

Make sure to help support the Miller family in any way possible.

Bowling for success

Bruin Bowling looks to build on last year

Whatever he does . . . Diamond literally gives 110 percent. He never quits.”“

Bruin SportsPAGE B1 l THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015 l ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL

See DIAMOND, Page B2

The St. Joe men’s and women’s bowling teams look to repeat their playoff run of last year. The boys team finished eighth in state meet, while the girls finished third in north state meet.

This year, Coach Dennis Dil-lon, looks to lead the women’s team to state.

On the other hand, the men’s team will be led by physics teacher Chris Callahan. Last year was his first year as a coach, and he looks to improve the success of the team.

SportS formS due now

Students who participate in any sport for the 2015-2016 school year must complete these forms as soon as possible: an Informed Consent Form, a Concussion Information Form, a Medical Release Form, and a Diocesan Release Form/Athletic Participation Agreement. They can contact Coach David Wissel for more information.

THE SCORE

Spring into baSeball

The St. Joe Bruins baseball season is just a little more than two months away. Coach Gerard McCall hopes to build on the success of last year’s team, which made it to the playoffs.

The Bruins will open the season on Feb. 26 with a home again against St. Al. The Bruins will have a second home game the following day on Feb. 27.

todd’S tripletS triumph

Lady Bruins take state swim title

Bruin swimmer Alaina Liess. The Lady Bruins placed first in the state meet in Tupelo while the men finished second.

Diamond: Dedicated, hard-working athlete

Special to The Bear Facts

Photo by Leila de Gruy/The Bear Facts

MILLERTODD

Late in the fourth quarter, lined up on the

5-yard line and down 7-3 against arch-rival St. Andrew’s, fullback Eric Diamond knew he could score the winning touchdown.

Diamond had scored easily before on long and short runs as well as field goals and extra points he kicked for the home-standing St. Joseph Catholic School Bruins.

This time was no different. Well,

GRANT MURPHY

Sports Editor

played varsity soccer and baseball at St. Joe. This year, he will forego soccer and focus his time and energy this spring solely playing varsity baseball.

Whatever he does – both in the classroom and on the field – Diamond literally gives 110 percent. He never quits. It’s a quality that has endeared him to teachers and fellow student athletes.

Terry Cassreino, who has taught eighth grade English since 2011, said he still remembers working with Eric as an eighth-grader.

“Eric’s work ethic in English was impeccable and impressive,” Mr.

See BRUIN SWIM TEAM, Page B2

Bruin hoops on fire early

PURE POWER

You’ve made it through runs around the campus in October. You’ve survived tryouts. You’ve paid the price in order to be a part of the St. Joseph basketball team.

All the early-morning strength and condi-tioning work-outs have led to the court and what could be a season to re-member for the Bruins.

The work-outs have their way of filtering the team to get the best pos-sible squad.

There is no such thing as a halfway-committed St. Joseph bas-ketball player.

The boy’s team looks to build off last

year’s 15-10 season with more experience and more weapons.

Considering their off-season was spent with professional trainer Coach Nick Stamps, it can be argued that no team on the schedule has out-trained the Bruins.

Pair that with the downright natural talent of the squad, and you get maybe the most well- rounded group since the 2011-2012 team that was led by De-narius Odell, Nick Beasley and Charlie Waddingham.

The Lady Bruins have a young team with only one senior and one junior. Four freshman start-ers have left the team trying to find their identity.

Turnovers and missed oppor-tunities have been a problem so far for the inexperienced girls team. The Lady Bruins, however, seemed to have felt a little spark toward the end of the Madison Central game.

Freshmen Luckett Nixon and Hallie Greer handle the ball,

St. Joseph powerlifting team raises the bar, builds strength and keeps varsity football players in shape during off-season

One hundred-forty pounds rests on the bench rack in the St. Joseph Catholic School Field House, just on top of

the hill overlooking Bill Raphael Field.As music blares, sophomore Terrance

Myles prepares to lift his maximum bench press weight.

While this is all part of Myles’ normal routine, one thing stands out: Myles is a tall, thin teenager few would believe plays varsity football let alone plays it with much skill and determination.

“I thought my main sports would be football and track,” Myles said matter-of-factly, adding that he surprised himself and others when he found success in lifting weights. “But now I can add powerlifting to the list.”

Myles isn’t lifting alone. Other members of the St. Joe powerlifting team cheered him on as he reached a new personal best one day last month:

Many students and even some faculty are unaware that St. Joe has a powerlifting team. Last year, the team was rejuvenated with the arrival of St. Joe alumnus Mark Girard, who teaches eighth grade social studies and coaches

Boys team finishes second place in state

See POWERLIFTING, Page B2

Going into the State Swim Championship Meet as the heavy favorite did not scare the St. Joe Lady Bruins – if anything, some said it may have fueled them to swim faster.

The Lady Bruins, who captured the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class I State Championship, scored 140 points – doubling the second place finish by the St. Andrew’s Episcopal School women’s team.

The Bruins’ domination was obvious by win-

ning all three relay events: the 200 medley, the 200 free and the 400 free. Leading the team was senior Sophia Waddingham, who won the 50 freestyle, placed second in the 50 back and led two of the relays.

Sophomore Emma Adkins won the team’s other individual gold in the 100 freestyle. Adkins also swam on two relays and placed sixth in the 200 IM.

Anna Chris Nicholas and her sister Avery swam on two winning relays each and scored individually for the team. Avery, a sophomore, finished third in the 100 breaststroke and fourth in the 200 individ-ual medley. Anna Chris, an eighth-grader, placed second in both the 200 and the 500 freestyle.

Seventh grader Elizabeth Weisenberger grabbed

Sophomore T.J. Myles lifts weights. Myles, who plays cornerback for the Bruins, is one of several varsity football players who partici-pate in the Bruin powerlifting team during the football off-season.

Photo by Leila de Gruy/The Bear Facts

By JOSHUA CLAYTONThe Bear Facts

Running back Mason Fridge makes a play in an early-season football game verses Cathedral. The Bruins ended the year 3-8.

Photo by Catherine Cook/The Bear Facts

Bruin football team looks to 2016 after off-year

By JON DALE DIECKMANThe Bear Facts

See FOOTBALL, Page B2

SPORTS ANALYSIS

By JOSHUA CLAYTONThe Bear Facts

See HOOPS, Page B2

SPORTS ANALYSIS

WINFORDROSS

BERGENTEETER

did you know? If Olympic swimmer Michael

Phelps was a country, he would rank number 35 on the all-time Olympic gold medal list – ahead of more than over 97 countries.

National Football League referees receive Super Bowl rings. While not as large as those of the players, it’s still a nice souvenir for the work they put on the Big Game.

The Phillipines has competed in the most summer Olympics – 16 – without winning a Gold Medal.

offensive and defensive line for the varsity football team.

Coach Girard played football at St. Joe under the legendary Bill Raphael, the same man whose name graces the Bruin football field.

Coach Girard has coached high school sports for the last 20 years,

Coach Girard wanted to put in place a rewarding offseason strength and conditioning program for football players, hence the need for a powerlifting team and program.

The program is not just about picking up and putting down metal plates and weights.

Coach Girard and Coach Kenner Purvis use test weights and the number of reps to determine what the maximum amount of weight a lifter can handle.

This process is repeated after a certain amount of time to track progress.

Last year, the group of football players turned into a true powerlifting team as everyone was required to compete in the Class 2A Regional Meet.

Considering it was the first

Cassreino said. “He worked so hard that he won an academic award for his dramatic improvement in his English grades over the course of a year.”

Trey Frierson, a sophomore varsity baseball player, said Diamond serves as a role model for younger players.

“I definitely look up to Eric as a leader and definitely someone who I strive to be like,” Frierson said. “His work ethic and determination is like no other.”

While Diamond has had a lot of success in baseball – he served as the winning pitcher in the 2015 game that ended the Bruins’ 22-year losing streak against St. Andrew’s – his high school football career has been a difficult road.

Diamond played football in elementary school and really enjoyed it. After taking a break from the sport in middle school, he decided to play ball for St. Joe as a freshman.

third in the 500 free and seventh in the 200 free. Fellow seventh grader Abby Starnes won third in the 100 butterfly and eighth in the 200 IM.

Junior Ellie Smith, in addi-tion to being on two relays and fifth in the 500, came in third in the 50 freestyle. Teammate Ca-leigh Hankins was fourth; Han-kins, a freshman, finished sixth in the 100 free also.

Bruin swim Coach Lauri Col-lins, in her ninth year leading the St. Joe team, was thrilled with her first girls’ championship.

“What a team effort it was,” Collins said. “The state team was comprised of girls from every grade at St. Joe, and only one of those was a senior. It makes us all eager for next year already.”

The St. Joe boys swim team finished their sea-son strong, also, coming from a third place finish in 2014 to placing second this year in Tupelo. The boys’ state team also had at least one finalist from

Bruin SportsTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015PAGE B2

year, the team performed well – with two lifters qualifying for the 2A South State meet.

Senior Straton Garrard competed in the 275-pound weight class and Myles lifted in the 114-pound class. Other lifters that hope to do well this year are “Savage” Will Walenta, Cameron Watson and Sales deLaBarre.

Coach Girard hopes to have more of the same success he experienced last year by bringing a full team to regionals for more chances to qualify.

“I feel confident that we can have at least one or two move on to South State,” he said.

The coach said it’s a long-term

BRUIN SWIM TEAM, from page B1each of the six grades at the school.

Seniors Nick Burrow and Jack Collins, junior Graham Hlavac and eighth grader Kenny Thomas were top scorers for the Bruins.

Burrow was second in the 50 free and fourth in the 100 free. Collins was third in the 100 and fourth in the 200 free. Hlavac took silver in the 100 breaststroke and fourth in the 200 IM. Thomas was third in the 500 free and fourth in the 100 butterfly.

The other scorers finishing in the Top 8 for the men were seniors Will Butts and Brantley Bariola, sophomore Andrew Dotson, freshman Jacob Har-kins and seventh-grader Jack Clements.

The men’s relays from St. Joe took second in the 400 freestyle, third in the 200 freestyle and fourth in the 200 medley relay.

The St. Joe team had 58 swimmers this season. Forty of those qualified to swim at the district championship, and 22 of those went on to compete at state.

Eighteen individuals advanced to the finals as did all six relay teams.

LAURICOLLINS

I definitely look up to Eric as a leader and definitely someone who I strive to be like.”

– Trey Frierson,a sophomore

“

I hope for the baseball team to make a good playoff run as we did last year.”

– Eric Diamond,a senior

“

huge back-to-back wins against key rivals: the St. Al Flashes and the St. Andrew’s Saints.

In the St. Al game, the Bruins moved up-and-down the field at will. The Bruins wore down that St. Al team until they gave up. In the end, St. Joe walked away with a 35-17 win.

The very next week, the Bruins squared off in the Battle of High-land Colony against arch rival St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. The

game was a nail-biter.

All of the points were scored by se-nior fullback and kicker Eric Diamond – including a game-win-ning drive with under 2

minutes left in the contest.The season’s third win came

at Homecoming when the Bru-ins defeated the Rebels of Scott Central. Even though this was the last win of the season, the win sent the seniors off without a loss on any of their homecoming

games in their career. Many people were pleased

with the effort the Bruins showed on the field.

“I feel like we should have definitely won a couple of our losses,” said sophomore safety John Turner.

Next year, Coach Miller Todd will turn to a strong and experi-enced group of seniors to take over as leaders.

Todd will have a team made up of juniors and seniors with a lot of experience and playing time.

The team will deal with the addition of the upcoming fresh-man who will be relied on to help the Bruins in practice and maybe even in the games.

MILLERTODD

JOHN TURNER

FOOTBALL, from page B1

goal to get five or six people to the state meet. The powerlifting team has proven to be a good team-building experience to help football players gain strength and improve their relationships with their teammates and lifters at other schools.

“I just like the feeling of finally being able to beat your last max weight and seeing your progress,” said senior Charles King, who used the program to build strength as a defensive lineman for the 2015 football season.

One look into the T.M. Buddy Harkins Fieldhouse can show how pumped the team gets Lifters get monstrous cheers from their teammates as they attempt to handle larger amounts of weight than they’ve ever tried.

Myles serves as an example that anyone can join the powerlifting team and succeed if they are willing to work.

The workouts take place everyday after school in the fieldhouse. The regional meet is set to take place in February.

“Anyone is welcome to come,” Girard said.

POWERLIFTING, from page B1

MARKGIRARD

CHARLESKING

I feel confident that we can have at least one or two (powerlifters) move on to South State.”

– Mark Girard,powerlifting

coach

“

HOOPS, from page B1

As the final second expired in the most important game of the year, the screams of the Bruin faithful and Lady Bruin soccer team members filled the air

In the midst of the screams was a deep, cool, collected Caribbean-accent-ed voice that belonged to Dwayne Dem-min, the Bruin’s soccer coach for both the boys and the girls teams.

Demmin, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, is a former Belhaven Blazer and professional soccer player. He has coached the Bruin boys team for more

than 15 years and last year became the girls coach.

He led the Lady Bruins to the state championship ear-lier this year. He hopes to repeat the success this year with the girls team and win a state championship for the boys.

The 2015 championship win came against South Pontotoc. The Bruins bested the Cougars 3-0. Goals were

By JON DALE DIECKMANThe Bear Facts

TAYLORHEALY

DIAMOND, from page B1

In 10th grade, though, Diamond suffered a severe back injury that forced him to sit out his sophomore year. The injury was so serious, it threatened to also derail his baseball and soccer careers.

But with a lot of hard work and rehab, Diamond made it back in time to play football his junior year. Now, he is a senior enjoying his last year representing the Bruins in athletic competition.

Although the football team posted a disappointing 3-8 record this year, Diamond still had a stellar season.

Now he is ready for the start of baseball season and hopes to see his team perform better than the 18-7 record posted last year. The Bruins advanced to the playoffs, losing in the third round to Taylorsville.

“I hope for the baseball team to make a good playoff run as we did last year,” Diamond said. “It would be great if we were able to take home a state title.”

ERIC DIAMOND

while junior Bergen Teeter tries to handle all rebound and weak layups.

They are improving more and more every day.

On the boys squad, Ridgeland High School transfer Gabe Wat-son gives the Bruins a real threat handling the ball – he is some-one who can take over the game at any time.

The junior’s crafty and cre-ative passing skills can allow opportunities for sophomore Winford Ross to get easy points around the rim.

Senior Chauncey Taylor and junior Kydarrius Williams are pure shooters and can get hot around the perimeter.

Another senior, Jamal Holmes-Griffin, is coming back from an ACL tear last season.

Holmes-Grffin can create scoring opportunities and shut down any team’s quickest guard with his hustle on defense.

The boy’s team has started off well with quality wins over Germantown and Madison Central in the Madison County Tournament along with one loss to St. Andrews in the season

home opener. The Bruins head into the Christmas break in

great shape.

CHAUNCEYTAYLOR

KYDARRIUSWILLIAMS

Girls soccer team defends title, boys eye championshipscored by Katelyn Hanneke, Allie Mil-ner and Joanna Bellan.

During the playoff run, defense was the key to success. No goals were al-lowed in the playoffs. Bridget Abadie, who graduated last year, was an all-state goalie.

The girls team also lost four starters from a year ago, two of whom were among the top scorers. However, the Bruins return their leading scorer Allie Milner who had 14 goals last year.

Stepping up and replacing those who graduated are seniors Taylor Healy and Katelyn Hanneke. Both have a lot expe-rience playing the past few years.

The girls hold great expectations to repeat as state champions.

“I expect us to bond and form friend-ships because that was a key to our suc-cess last year,” Healy said. “It allowed us to communicate better on the field.”

Hanneke, Healy and Milner will be the attack on the offensive side, while sophomores Katie Joseph and Maddie Grace LaFleur are returning defenders.

The Bruin men’s team hopes to re-bound from a first round playoff loss last season to St. Patrick.

The team is led by seniors Russell Patterson, Alejandro Flores, Alex Jep-son and Brantley Bariola. The team will

play with several young players.“Even though we are young, I feel we

can compete with teams of any level,” Patterson said.

With Patterson and Flores leading the offensive attack, the Bruin defense will replace three players – two of whom graduated and one who transferred. The biggest role to fill will be goalie.

A couple of returning players saw time as goalie last season, including Patterson and Jepson. The upcoming season holds great expectations.

EntertainmentPAGE B3THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015

‘Seussical’ set for St. Joe’s spring musical

‘Star Wars’ and the Force to awaken this week

Christmas upon us once again

By MARY GRACE STEWARTThe Bear Facts

By STRATON GARRARDThe Bear Facts

The musical “Seussical” is coming to St. Joseph Catholic School in the spring – and students are excited about what is expected to be an great event.

The hit Broadway musical is based on the Dr. Seuss’ stories “Horton Hears a Who,” “Horton Hatches the Egg” and “Miss Gertrude McFuzz.” The show originally opened on Broadway Nov. 30, 2000, and closed May 20, 2001.

Leslie Harkins, St. Joe’s theater teach-er, will direct the production. Rehearsals are expected to begin in January, and the production will hit the stage in April.

“You’ll be singing the songs in your head for a month after you hear them,” Ms. Harkins said.

“Seussical” will be a total opposite of last year’s spring musical, “The Lit-tle Shop of Horrors.” “Seussical,” Ms. Harkins said, is “very kind, friendly and

upbeat.”Aislinn Boggan, an eighth grader,

plans to be involved in the musical – her fourth theatrical production since be-coming a student at St. Joe last year. She said she is looking forward to working with Ms. Harkins.

Other middle school students said they also plan to become involved in the musical. Bella Smith, a seventh grader, hopes to gain valuable experience from the production – her first at St. Joe.

“Since I’m in the youngest grade here, people might think I’m unskilled,” Smith said.

Ms. Harkins said she needs students interested in working hard.

“Talent, dedication and drive are al-ways first on my list of things to look for in a person,” she aid.

While age isn’t a factor when it comes to talent, Ms. Harkins said that “with this show, we have a kid character – so I can’t have someone who is 6-feet tall

to play a kid.”Ms. Harkins plans to have a cast of

at least 30 people. It will be one of the largest casts St. Joe has had, and she is

excited to have that many people.Although the show will be fun for ev-

eryone involved, there will also be some challenges. Ms. Harkins said she will

face challenges as well. At certain points in the show, she said,

two Dr. Seuss worlds exist at the same time on the stage. While it may seem easy, she said, “one world is a micro-scopic world.”

Ms. Harkins said “Seussical” will go down in St. Joe history and one of the school’s best. She says that she’s scared about the size of the whole thing, but also excited about it.

“I’m anxious to accept the challenge and begin,” she said.

“Seussical” is one of Ms. Harkins’ favorite musicals because she has per-formed in it in the past. She said she wants to make sure everyone involved in the production from the cast to the backstage crew has fun.

“I’ll do that by living by my motto: ‘There’s a time for fun and a time for se-rious,’” Ms. Harkins said. “We will have plenty of both.”

It’s time to revisit that storied saga from a galaxy far, far away.

“Star Wars,” the epic space opera with a fan base spanning half a galaxy, returns to this star system and your local theater Friday with the premier of the potentially record-crushing spectacle titled “The Force Awakens.”

In case you’ve been living among Ja-was for literally your entire life, “Star Wars” is a revolutionary space fantasy saga birthed within the mind of one of the most daring cinematic scoundrels this side of the Kessel Run: George Lu-cas.

This spectacle of heroism, romance and danger begins with what is collo-quially known as “The Original Tril-ogy” consisting of “A New Hope,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.” The three films, collectively known as Episodes IV, V and VI, first hit screens in 1977 with the last install-ment showing up in 1983.

A second trilogy, which hit theaters 1999 through 2005, reinvigorated the fan base by telling the origin story of Darth Vader with what was billed as Episodes I, II and III. Those films intro-duced the beloved saga to a new gen-eration that came to love the stories as

much, if not more than, their fathers and mothers before them.

Such may be the case with “The Force Awakens.” The suspense and hysteria surrounding, penetrating and binding fans in regards to this movie is simply staggering.

Yes, this has been without a doubt the most anticipated movie of the year – helped in part by the unstoppable might of the Galactic Emp, sorry, I meant the Walt Disney company serving ravenous hype-mad fans teasers, trailers, hints at possible leaks that inevitably turn out to be unfounded, and new merchandise pushed forth since before Thanksgiving of last year. The results have been im-pressive, most impressive.

Websites like Fandango, which sells movie tickets online, suffered a major crash in its servers soon after tickets for “The Force Awakens” went on sale. The film sold eight times as many tickets as the film “The Hunger Games,” making it the site’s best first-day seller according to a company spokesperson.

IMAX Corp. also stated that “The Force Awakens” presales that same day far outpaced first day sales for “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Avengers” and “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” Can someone say “Unlimited Power”?

Since then, “Star Wars” has also managed to sell $50 million in advance

ticket sales as of November, shattering a record previously by $25 million that was set by “The Dark Knight Returns.” Don’t forget: The tickets went on sale well before a month before the movie premiered – a gargantuan feat not seen since the demise of the Death Star back in 1977.

There are some, however, who have a bad feeling about the newest installment to the franchise. The last set of movies trilogy was fraught with many perceived flaws; some people are worried that di-rector J.J. Abrams, who took over the

reins of the film when George Lucas sold his company to Disney, won’t be up to the monumental task of success-fully creating an engaging story.

Don’t listen to any of that Bantha fod-der. This will be an excellent movie, a record-smashing hit that will cause your eyeballs to leap from their sockets in or-der to get a more optimal view of the big screen.

Abrams did, after all, create an ex-citing installment in the “Star Trek” franchise, a Herculean feat. And the es-teemed screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, the genius who wrote the script for “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi,” is back for more.

So at the very least the script won’t be stodgy and awkward.

Many fans of the saga are certainly thrilled for the release, evidence found not only with the presale ticket records broken, but also by the fans who line whole city blocks waiting for the re-lease.

A mass of 100 plus fans and count-ing have already gathered outside of the Chinese Theater in Hollywood in order to get tickets for “The Force Awakens” on the release day before the relative few who haven’t already bought them online.

According to one of the campers, this was done in the tradition of the first

Photo by Jack Hall/The Bear FactsEric Diamond holds up a lightsaber.

“Star Wars” screening, as the Chinese Theater was one of the few in the whole country that 20th Century Fox let screen the original for fear of it not being main-stream enough to garner a serious profit.

Their lack of faith disturbs me.Fans of “Star Wars,” as well as the

casual cinematic connoisseur, will un-doubtedly have much to look forward to on Friday – both because a new movie is to be added to that grand pantheon, and because that same movie begins a decade-long odyssey that further ex-pands upon the sequel trilogy.

It is my sincere hope you’ll join me at the cinema, then, lightsabers and as-tromech droids in tow. May the Force be with you.

Christmas is coming once again to St. Joe, and students are ready to get exams over with (me included).

Students are also ready to go home and celebrate or go on vacation, and visit family members.

Everyone has different vacation plans.

Sometimes people just stay home and relax with their parents, some go visit relatives, and others go on trips to not only visit family, but to do other fun ac-tivities as well.

Between grades 9-12, students have a wide variety of places to visit and people to see.

I spoke to Covey Lockhart, a fresh-man; Sammy Indest, a sophomore; Gra-ham Hlavac, a junior; and Jo-Jo Katool, a senior, to see what they are planning to do.

“I’m going to New Orleans,” Hlavac told me. He said that he's going to visit family right outside Baton Rouge.

I spoke to Lockhart next.

“I’m going deer hunting,” he said. And that’s basically all he told me.

The next person I spoke to was Ind-est. He’s doing what most people do for holidays, and that’s visiting relatives.

He’s going to his grandmother’s house to spread the holiday cheer.

Finally, I talked to Katool. He gave me all the details to what he’s

doing. He said his family is coming to town. He’s going to eat with his grand-parents with the whole family.

The next day, he’ll eat lunch with his dad’s side of the family, and then dinner with his mom’s side of the family.

He really looks forward to seeing all his relatives.

As for me, I’m going to stay home and relax.

My grandparents are planning on coming down from Bay St. Louis, Mis-sissippi on a train, and they will stay for a few days in a hotel near my neighbor-hood. I can’t wait to see them.

I wonder what I’ll get for Christmas this year. Santa is watching you.

I’m going to New Orleans, we’re visiting family outside Baton Rouge.”

-Graham Hlavac

“

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Office: (601) 607-7750 Bell & McCoyCell: (601) 941-6872 Lighting and ControlsFax: (601) 607-7753 1888 Main Street, Suite C-271cwolf@bellandmccoy.com Madison, MS 39110www.bellandmccoy.com

It is my sincere hope you’ll join me at the cinema, then, lightsabers and astromech droids in tow. May the Force be with you.”

“

JOHN LEEentertainment editor

“The Drop Box.” This film is geared toward Christians, but I think all religions can find it intriguing.

It takes you along a South Korean pastor’s mission to save babies that have been abandoned in the streets. While you see long-term effects on these children, it’s incredible to see how the pastor looks past all the physical flaws and embraces these children.

These three films will keep you intrigued. And at the end, they will also leave you thinking – which is the best thing a film can do.

I’d like to say thank you to Netflix for always being there for me and allowing me to watch my favorite television show non-stop; however, it is absolutely terrible when you remove titles from your list.

There are two titles of movies

EntertainmentTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015PAGE B4

There’s a shift from previous technology to more modern devices.”

– Mrs. Mary Banks, campus minister

“

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Technology: changing entertainmentClose your eyes. Imagine that

you’re in 1915. What can you imagine people doing back then? And no, don’t

look it up on your phone.What did people living in the early

20th Century use for entertainment? All they had were books, very early radio and moving pictures such as “Mickey Mouse.” That’s a lot different compared to now. Today, in the 21st Century, we have iPhones, iPads, tablets, Nooks, Kindles, flat-screen televisions and many other things. There’s even some talk about self-tying shoes in the future.

Parents will always tell kids of this generation about what they had. My parents always tell me: “We didn’t have the Internet when I was your age.

We always had to go to the library to do research for whatever we were doing.”

These days, we mostly use phones, television and the Internet for entertainment. Smart phones feature games to play. Kindles and Nooks are for book-readers. Netflix and Hulu offer TV shows. And Spotify and iHeartRadio feature music.

I spoke with sophomore Graham Hlavac about this topic and asked him about what things he uses to read

books, watch TV and listen to music. He told me that he uses Spotify to listen to his music, and he watches cable TV.

Looking back on how people

entertained themselves several generations ago, the world of entertainment is a whole lot different.

Mrs. Mary Banks, campus minister at St. Joe, has a similar view on this topic.

“As far as technology trends goes, there’s a shift from previous technology to more modern devices,” Mrs. Banks said.

“Devices such as Kindles, iPads and computers are seen across the board in the classroom, and it’s evident in the way that we’re having to adjust our teaching styles.”

In my opinion, things really have changed a whole lot with technology. I remember when I got the first iPod for my birthday, and I was really excited. I also remember when my mom had the

JOHN LEEentertainment editor

newest iPhone, which was the iPhone 3G. Man, that kind of phone seems ancient nowadays. Now, we have the iPhone 6s, Mac computers, and a lot of other cool stuff.

I have to say that if we didn’t have technology in our lives, the way we lived would be completely different. Just imagine how life would be without phones. We’d have to use ink and parchment to write letters like they do in Harry Potter. That would be interesting.

Technology really has a huge impact on our lives, and life would be so much different without it. I wouldn’t have the ability to write this column if not for my trusty program known as Microsoft Word.

Don’t miss these Netflix films

All Netflixers can relate to the moment when you finish watching a program,

and you have absolutely no idea what to move onto next.

To help, I have a few suggestions.

My first is “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” starring Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio. This film is a mix of genres: comedy, drama, and romance.

DiCaprio and Depp play brothers. DiCaprio’s character Arnie has mental set-backs, while Depp’s character Gilbert struggles with owning up to his family. It’s interesting to see these two clash.

The film “Bernie” could very well be one of Jack Black’s best, but it is quite underrated. The film is based on a true story and never fails to keep you entertained and shocked.

Bernie, Black’s character, forms a friendship with the most unlikable, rich lady in town. Later, Bernie commits a crime, and his actions afterward throw you in a whirlwind.

Finally, you need to watch

that I had originally watched on Netflix and found them incredible, but now sadly they are gone. I encourage you to find them because they are worth watching.

“Dead Poets Society” is a classic starring Robin Williams, who plays a teacher trying to change his students’ lives. While he is frowned upon for unorthodox methods, he leaves a legacy that lives on in his students. Finally, there is “Life Is Beautiful.” This film is without a doubt one of the best movies I have ever watched.

Although its topic is the Holocaust and it is a very sad movie, the movie left an imprint on me as a human. This film is more than worth your time, and I feel that everyone, especially those in my generation and younger, should watch to fully understand the lives of the Jews living in the concentration camps.

I encourage you to take time off from binge-watching your favorite TV show and watch these films, and I hope you love them as much as I do.

Novel ‘All the Light’ worth a read

“All The Light We Cannot See,” published in 2014, is a beautifully written novel by An-thony Doerr.

The story is about a 16-year-old blind girl in France during World War II and a German radio specialist who stationed in the same city.

The story opens in the city of Saint-Malo in the province of Brittany, France. On Aug. 7, 1944, a squadron of Allied planes bombed the city.

A 16-year-old girl named Marie-Laure, who was living in the city at the time, survived the bombing. The story flashes back to when Marie-Laure was 6 and her eyesight was deteriorating.

After she lost her vision, her father, who worked in the Paris History Museum, made a minia-ture scale model of Paris out of wood so she could find her way around Paris even though she could not see.

When she was 16, the Nazis conquered Paris and she escaped to Saint Malo.

The other main character is Werner Pfenning, who grew up in an orphanage in the German mining town of Zollverein.

One day, Werner found a radio in a compost heap. In the follow-ing days, Werner taught himself how to fix radios. This knowl-edge helped him land a position in the German army as a commu-nications officer.

The main part of the story is about how Werner and Marie-Laure meet through radio com-munications.

The story is composed of very short chapters that move back and forth between the main char-acters. “All the Light We Cannot See” tells the story of the daily lives of people who lived under the German occupation and how they survived.

One way people survived was by communicating through the radio to each other. For ex-ample, when Werner is trapped in the Hotel of Bees during the bombing, he hears Marie-Laure read a book over the radio called

“Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Verne. When he hears her reading, he goes out and finds her.

“All the Light We Cannot See” is a must-read book because it was a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2014.

I recommend this book for anyone who likes reading about the history of World War II and for anyone who is interested in the problems of blind people.

I liked this book because it was different from all the other World War II books that I have read be-fore.

By ISABEL HEBERTThe Bear Facts

CATHERINE COOK

REVIEW

Bruin NewsPAGE B5THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015

‘Game Day’ comes to St. Joe

“Game Day” made an appearance at St. Joe on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015.

The mock-ESPN “Game Day” event staged by the Bruin Sports Radio staff, brought excitement to the entire school.

The event even attracted WAPT Sports Director Ray Coleman, a St. Joe alumnus, to serve as “guest picker.” Coleman chose the Bruins as the team to win that night.

Other activities included the take down of a Scott Central fan and a Kick-Off directed by senior Eric Diamond. The seniors also performed a flash mob.

Overall, it was a fun day and a great way to end the school week.

Top photo: The senior class of 2016 participated in a flash mob during the Game Day at St. Joe pep rally. Photo by Olivia Patterson/The Bear Facts

Middle right: Pam and Bill Walberg show their support for the Bruins.Photo by Catherine Cook/The Bear Facts

Middle left: The St. Joe mascot defeats senior Alex Jepson, who was playing the role of a Scott Central fan. Photo by Olivia Patterson/The Bear Facts

Above: Junior Matthew Hendley shows his support for the Todd/Purvis campaign and bares it all as a member of the Bleacher Creatures. Photo by Catherine Cook/The Bear Facts

Bottom right: Junior Taylor Lyle and sophomore Allie Milner show off their signs for the Creative Sign Competition hosted that day.Photo by Catherine Cook/The Bear Facts

Bruin NewsTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015PAGE B6

Home of the Bruins:Homecoming 2015Homecoming 2015 kicked off with assemblies and games every

morning led by the Student Council. Mrs. Dena Kinsey, the high school director, said: “The cheerleaders, Spirit Steppers, band, football team and Student Council all work to make Homecoming Week as fabulous as possible.”

After morning assemblies, students began to get excited for a pep rally coming at the end of the week. The Bruin Sports Radio broadcast team brought “High School Game Day” to St. Joe.

After an exciting pep rally, the football team defeated Scott Central. During halftime, senior Alannah Frierson was crowned homecoming queen for the 2015 year.

Top left: Alannah Frierson flashes a smile at her father and escort for the night, Jimmy Frierson, moments after being crowned St. Joe’s Homecom-

ing Queen for 2015. Photo by Catherine Cook/The Bear Facts

Top right: Alannah Frierson, Homecoming Queen, shows off her crown, dress and sash. Photo by Catherine Cook/The Bear Facts

Center left: Sophomore maid Akili Lewis smiles at her uncle and escort.Photo by Lake Dodson/The Bear Facts

Bottom left: Freshman maids Luckett Nixon, left, and Olivia Osborne pose for a photo after their debut on the St. Joe Court. Photo by Alin Garcia/The

Bear Facts

Center right: Reed Collins, left, a sophomore; Nick Louvier, a junior; and Mason Fridge, a senior, celebrate after a touchdown by the Bruins. Photo

by Lake Dotson/The Bear Facts

Bottom right: Junior JoJo Gray-Lewis, patiently awaits the snap. Photo by Alin Garcia/The Bear Facts