By: F. Harris On Friday, October 21, 2016, senior candidate Jade Barge was announced as the 2016 EF Homecoming Queen. Jade was crowned by the beautiful previous queen, Miss Shiloh Pearson. Jade took the field in her stunning dress with her escorts, friend Austin Vallejo and father Ferron Woods, by her side. “I was more than excited to be able to represent my class for my first year being on the court and my last year here,” Jade stated. Getting ready for homecoming court can make for a chaotic day. “I went to Carthage, had my hair and makeup done, and rushed back to EF to get into my dress,” Jade said. Appearing on the homecoming court can be stressful, but Jade claims her escorts were there to calm her nerves and make everything better. “I chose him [Austin] because he never fails to make everything fun; he had me laughing constantly. My dad did as well,” Jade said. Jade was surprised to hear her name called, but she said the experience was the best part of high school so far. “I was SHOCKED!” Jade said. “I was quite happy with just being on the court, but to be able to receive that crown from Shiloh has just outshined anything and everything that has happened in my high school career.”
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By: M. Fitzgerald
The week of October 24th - 28th was Red Ribbon Week at the elementary. Red Ribbon Week is about saying NO to Drugs, raising anti-bullying awareness, dressing up, and making posters to display your views. “My favorite thing about Red Ribbon Week is saying NO to drugs,” 5th grader Desmund Harrison said. Dressing up is a fun part of Red Ribbon Week for many of the students. “I love dressing up the most,” fifth grader Jordan Williams said. The elementary always aligns Red Ribbon Week with Halloween so the students can wear their costumes to school on Friday. “Costume day is my favorite day,” Pre-K Izaballa Fitzgerald said. Red Ribbon Week is a fun way for elementary students to learn important lessons that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. By: H. Whitehead
Up! Down! Side to Side! And Upside down! Hey look, there's even a merry-go-round. No it's not a carnival, it's the Louisiana State Fair. Every year towards the end of October, the Louisiana Fair comes around! It's a family extravaganza! There's not only tons of fun and scary rides, but there are many games, food stands and even fun little activities and crafts for the whole family. With Shreveport being right down the road, many students have fond memories of attending the Louisiana State Fair. “ I like seeing all the different energy in people,” junior Annabelle Ellis said. “I like the vibes, and I love the food. One time I went to the fair with Cheyenne Earl. We got stuck upside down on a ride called the Octopus.” Other people have similar reasons of loving the Louisiana Fair, but many people have crazy memories. “I like going there with my friends and having fun on the rides,” junior Faith Harris said. “I usually eat a footlong corndog with ketchup and a funnel cake. I usually go to the rodeo they have there, and that's pretty exciting. One time at the zoo they have, I saw a giraffe spit carrots on the lady feeding him.” The fair is about experiences, fun and laughter, and great moments. And sometimes you just need to get out once in awhile. “I just like it because it's a chance to get out of the house for once and do something for fun,” junior Nick Fottenbury said. “ I also like to spend a whole lot of money. If I'm hungry, then I'll eat the food.” The fair is a joyful experience for many people. It's time to have fun, so get ready because the fair starts today, October 27! By:Kelsie Marcantel
Costumes, candy, and horror movies until 3:00 a.m. The best time of the year is right around the corner, so be ready to see students and some teachers skipping down the hallways, singing “This Is Halloween.” Halloween actually began over 2,000 years ago as a Celtic festival, Samhain(sow-in), where the Celts would dress up to ward off any ghostly presences. The Celts believed that on All Hallows Eve, a veil between the living and the dead would be lifted, causing the dead to roam with the living. Now, we wear costumes to go trick-or-treating or get that one night a year we don’t have to be ourselves. The point is, Halloween is a both sacred and fun holiday people love and honour. “I have loved Halloween since I was a little girl,” English 3 teacher Amanda Ware said. “ I have a theatre degree, so of course, dressing up and doing stage makeup is something I look forward to. Now that I get to share the magic of trick-or-treating with my kiddos, it’s that much better!” People of all ages can enjoy this frighteningly fun holiday with family and friends. Whether they like the candy, the scares, or just spending time with loved ones, everyone has a reason for adoring this esteemed celebration. “My favorite part of Halloween is watching the community come together for the children and the scary movie marathons,” senior Bailey Ebarb said. Halloween is full of great traditions like trick-or-treating, and from those admired and joyful times, everyone has created lasting memories. If someone was to ask a friend what their favorite Halloween memory, whether they are 36 or 17, the friend would probably be able to reminisce a time where they celebrated All Hallows Eve. “In 5th grade, I got sick at school and got to go home,” sophomore Haley Horton said. “I spent all of Halloween with my mawmaw. We watched The Addams Family and Charlie Brown. When I got to feeling better, she let me eat lots of candy. My favorite costume would be when I was Superwoman. I got to wear arm cuffs and velvet. I felt like I was actually Superwoman, especially when I felt like I was flying from having my hands out the car and the wind hit me.” So, with Halloween right around the corner, it’s time to gather up the best costume and plan a candy route. If you think you’re too old, go to the mental asylum and enjoy Halloween… or you can go to the haunted house the seniors set up this year at the old community center next to the volunteer fire station. They will be there from 7-11 PM. Either way, everyone is going to have a great time full of sweets, screams, and scary movies. Happy Halloween! By: A. Ellis
Cheers thunder across the Waskom football field as the Elysian Fields Yellow Jackets swarm out of the Hive, practically flying with excitement. The Thursday night before, EF’s jv beat Waskom’s jv 28-20. The jv boys came back from a two-touchdown lead and stomped the Wildcats in the 4th quarter. Before the varsity kickoff, the nervousness in the air was palpable. From the 1st quarter to the 4th, emotions flared. “Early in the game, after Waskom scored in the first minute, I was in heart-attack mode,” Coach Parker said. The players were in the same boat. “I was on edge the whole first half,” DeBraden Hadnot said. As the game progressed, the cloud of tension over the Elysian FIelds crowd eased. “I was excited to play defense because we were all determined to keep Waskom from scoring,” Nathan Johnson said. After four long quarters of hustle and heart, the Yellow Jackets were able to strut off that field with a powerfully victorious mindset. “There wasn’t a finer victory in the world,” Coach Parker said. By: M. Fitzgerald
Thanksgiving Break will take place from November 20th-26th. During this week, people honor many different traditions and many families have favorite foods they serve up for Thanksgiving Dinner. Junior Kylie Pacheco had a typical answer about her favorite Thanksgiving treat. “My favorite thing about Thanksgiving break is going to starbucks to get a pumpkin spice latte because they’re bae!” Kylie said. There are many different Thanksgiving traditions. “My favorite tradition is carving pumpkins with my nieces and nephews,” sophomore Shayla Carson. “I enjoy spending time with them.” Not every family simply eats turkey and dressing for Thanksgiving dinner. “My favorite food is my grandma's cheesy spaghetti and my aunt’s oreo pie,” freshman Abby Penn said. People have different traditions, favorite foods and different things to do during the break, and that's what makes Thanksgiving break so fun and special. By: A. Ellis
Elysian Fields’ homecoming spirit week began October 17th and ended on October 21st. The themes for the weekdays wereas follows: Music Monday, Tacky Tuesday, Way Back Wednesday, Hunt the Bearcats Thursday, and Fan Friday. “My favorite themes are Tacky Tuesday and Way Back Wednesday,” Dalton Franks said. “I want to be a greaser from the 60s.” English III teacher Amanda Ware has a different favorite. “My favorite day would’ve been Music Monday,” Mrs. Ware said. “I was devastated that I missed it because, obviously, my true calling is to be a rock-star.” The staff and students went all-out with their outfits throughout the week. Face paint, wigs, vibrant colors, and various other accessories were prominent on the campus as the week progressed. The halls were flooded with orange and white on Fan Friday. The attendants from all three campuses were buzzing with excitement for the homecoming festivities to occur later that Friday evening. By: Kelsie Marcantel
“You’re ugly. You’re fat. You’re worthless. No one loves you.” Most people would think these words are found in texts and hallways. Others know what it’s like to repeatedly hear this in their head, constantly battling demons no one knows about. People tend to believe insecurities are a cause of bullying. This is not alway the case. A lot of times, actually, the true struggle lies hidden in someone’s heart already, buried like a treasure. Except this treasure isn’t love or gold or anything someone would typically want. It’s voices tempting a person with self-hatred in their heart to give up, telling them they’re not worth it. They don’t realize, in truth, that everyone is deserving of happiness and love, no matter what their mind tries to tell them. There are always people who do see their worth. They are the lights in the dark, a shoulder to cry on, and a smile on bad days. They are people like Abbi Jose. “I do have self-love,” junior Abbi Jose said. “Sometimes it’s hard to continue with it, but for the most part, I try to keep myself positive and full of self love.” As students walk through the hallways, their classmate’s opinions on themselves may not cross their mind, but everyone has some kind of view on him or herself. If a teen or preteen strolling in the hall could read their peer’s mind… what would they be thinking on the inside? All in all, it’s important not how others view them, but what they think about themselves. Love and hate do exist, but of these, the most important is love, especially when someone has it for theirself. Self-love is an important view needed in a world full of people who bring others down. If a person is about to love and accept who they are, then happiness can be achieved. Keeping your head up and staying strong is all a part of confidence, an important and valuable quality in life. “It [self-love] is important because if you don’t have self-love then you won’t care about how your life goes,” freshman Ashlynn Ramey said. “You’ll let yourself go. You can’t exactly love others if you don’t love yourself.” Other students agree. In order to love their life, as well as the people in it, people would have to truly accept the person that they are. Without self-love, whether someone is able to hide it or not, a person is depressed. No matter how they view themselves, the truth is not seen. Where someone may see rolls of fat, someone else may see bones. It’s all about perspective, and everyone has a different view. No matter what, the only thing anyone can really do is see the significance in self-love. “Self-love is extremely important because people who don’t love themselves aren’t happy,” Abbi said.”Most of the time, they try to make others miserable, too. If people don’t have self-love, the world will be full of miserable people.” Miserableness is a contagion. Once someone is melancholy, it catches onto another person, then another. In the end, what better to save someone from depression than influencing self-love? A person around you could be battling their inner demons right now. All it takes is for someone to stand up and help. Even though it takes work, it’s worth it when it means saving someone from the possible consequences of self-hate. People throughout history have talked about love triumphing over hate, but this doesn’t always apply to fights over racism, arguments over sexuality, or disagreements over religion. Self-love conquers self-hate, and it can save someone from a war ongoing in themselves. No matter how a person views themselves, they are strong enough to fight and have what they deserve: self-love. By: H. Horton
“I’m not worth it.” “I will never make anyone happy.” “I’m not perfect.” “Will I be remembered or forgotten?” “I’m tired of all the words.” They may not be said aloud, but words like these are often swirling through the minds of bullying victims. October is bullying awareness month ,and the Elysian Fields Student Council is putting together a PSA to try to put an end to bullying. “Give a voice to the victim,” counselor Katilyn Woodley said. “When the victim has a voice and support, it takes away the bully's power.” Bullying doesn't happen at just the school level; it happens all through life, even at a work for some adults. “We live in a society where people constantly talk about others but get angry when it happens to them,” sophomore Kelsie Marcantel said. “ It’s a hypocritical, mean world, and everyone needs to work to stop the way our society works right now.” There is more than one form of bullying. “There are four forms of bullying: verbal, physical, relational, and cyberbullying,” Mrs. Woodley said. “They have to be repeated, and there must be a power struggle in order for it to be considered bullying.” People bully for many reasons, and often, the bullying behavior stems from an inside problem. “I believe people bully because they either have no life or have problems with theirs,” Kelsie said. ‘They think it’s funny because they’re ignorant.” Remember that everyone is human. “Everyone you meet is fighting their own hard battle.” Mrs. Woodley said. If you believe you have experienced or witnessed bullying, you don’t have to stay silent. There are many adults who are close by waiting and ready to help. Give the victims a voice. End bullying now. By: A. Simmons
If you are walking through the third hallway of the high school, towards the end, there is a room. In the room you can hear laughter, see color, and feel creativity radiating from all around. The person behind all of that is the new art teacher, Mrs. Nikki Perot. Mrs. Perot had a few reasons for wanting to come to Elysian Fields. “Seven years ago, I was subbing here and loved it.,” Perot said. “I then went to another school for three years and really felt a difference. I also wanted to come because, here, the discipline is black and white. There are no gray, and Coach Parker is good at his job.” The best part of being here, according to Mrs.Perot, goes back to when she was here the first time. “What I love is that the kids are allowed to be kids, and they have fun.” Mrs. Perot said. Not only is Elysian Fields fun for her, but it is a healthy work environment. “I don’t go home with headaches, and my frown lines are disappearing,” Perot said. “ People are so respectful and happy here.” |
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