By: H. Whitehead
The dark and eerie ways of the world are swarming us. Chills and frights overcome everyone's mind as it comes around. Spooky season is a fantastic time of the year. All things creepy and scary finally have a chance to come out and be free. Being a true believer in all things evil around this time of the year tends to cause extra goosebumps. We know there is real evil, spiritual and physical, and monsters are real, though they may not be in your closet or under the bed. It's still really fun to believe in scary things. Having picnics in graveyards from dawn until dusk, remembering the old days with the dead. There’s a lot of fun self-scare stuff to do during this season. These kinds of activities are also considered somewhat normal as long as they’re done during the month of October. There’s nothing better than staying up in bed all night, cuddled next to a big pillow, watching the most frightening movies you can find. We love getting scared, and this has been true since the beginning of time. Scary stories around a fire or on a flat screen have kept people too scared to fall asleep throughout history. Spooky season is enjoyed and expressed in many different ways. It's up to you just how spooked you want to get. So get ready!
0 Comments
By: K. Marcantel
As the veil between our world and the spirit world lifts, wolves howl at the bright moon above. The long dead escape their realm and come to our plane of existence. Small children and young adults alike wear colorful, frightening masks, not knowing the ancient tradition of doing so serves a much greater purpose. All Hallows Eve has arrived. All Hallows Eve, much more commonly known as “Halloween,” is seen in today’s society as the one fun holiday a year where people can gorge on candy, become someone else behind a mask and watch scary movies after a long day of corn mazes, haunted houses and costume parties. Little do so few realize that Halloween is actually a very old holiday meant to do far more frightening things than entertain “ghouls” and “vampires.” Samhain (sow-in) is the true name for this terrifying night. It is a festival created and celebrated by the ancient Celts. They lived in what is now Ireland as well as northern France and the United Kingdom. Across these places, the new year would be rejoiced on the first day of November. November 1 is the marking of harvest summer’s end and the beginning of the dark winter that pierced them with freezing temperatures which they associated with death. The night before the new year celebration, October 31, was believed to be a night where the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead became weaker, allowing spirits to come into our Earthly realm. This night became when the Celtic people would celebrate what they called Samhain. Of course, there were many issues the Celts found with having the dead among the living. The spirits were said to damage their crops that the living were highly dependent on. The souls also supposedly created trouble in general. There were advantages to the veil between worlds being thinned. Legends say the Celtic priests, or the “Druids,” could make predictions about the future easier with help from the spirits. The locals found this to be extremely important as the treacherous winter approached, especially since they were highly dependent upon the natural world. The prophecies gave them both direction along with comfort that everything would be alright as they faced the coldness and darkness. While Halloween may be celebrated today with a bonfire party, 2,000 years ago, the Celts had the Druids build a huge, sacred bonfires. It may not sound too far off from modern experiences, but there is a major twist in the Celtic tradition. At the bonfire, townspeople would throw crops as well as animals into the raging flames to sacrifice to their gods. Animal heads and skins were also used to create costumes to wear as the fires grew and crackled into the night and everyone attempted to tell each other their fortune. The costumes were often worn to ward off spirits by scaring them. This is where the tradition of wearing costumes on Halloween came from. The fire from the bonfire was then passed on to hearths in people’s homes through torches so that the Celts could keep warm as the freeze would set in soon. The tradition of bobbing apples most likely came from what would come many years later. In 43 A.D., a vast majority of Celtic territory had been conquered by the Roman Empire. Under their rule, two Roman festivals were added to the Samhain celebration, one of them being a day to honor the goddess of trees and fruits, Pomona. Her symbol was the apple. The incorporation of this Roman festival with Samhain most likely led to the creation of bobbing for apples, another tradition done to this day. No matter how you celebrate Halloween, Samhain, or whatever you may call it, if you do, the most important thing is that you stay safe through all the fun. There has always been a realistic terror along with supernatural frights during this time of the year. From reports of razors in candy to clowns terrorizing people, it’s easy to fear Halloween and all it brings. But Halloween is still a fun tradition no one should miss out on. Light the bonfire (don’t throw Spot in, please? Thanks.), put on your costumes (hopefully just from Party City) and hit up all the haunted houses and mazes. Or maybe just stay in and binge watch horror movies as you sip apple cider. It’s also possible you just ignore the holiday all together along with the trick-or-treaters at your door as you slip into your sheets. No matter what it is you do, have a happy Halloween. By: K. Marcantel
The students of the month for October are juniors Tyler Choi and Reese Griffin. Tyler Choi is the 16-year-old son of Jana and Sun Choi. The intelligent individual is involved in multiple extracurricular activities which include UIL Spelling, UIL Debate, student council, and National Honor Society. UIL Spelling just so happens to be this young man’s favorite class of all. If you ever see Tyler off of the school grounds, you are most likely to find him hanging out with his friends, especially at the movies. Tyler’s future plans include graduating college and having a successful career. The other 16-year-old junior with the title of October student of the month is Reese Griffin. She is the daughter of James and Penny Griffin. Both a lover of academics and athletics, Reese is involved in UIL Spelling, UIL Vocabulary, National Honor Society, volleyball, softball, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Her favorite class is English. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her friends, reading, and playing sports. Reese has made it a goal to attend college to pursue a degree in physical therapy or teaching. By : C. Barras
Rain was pouring down, turf was getting kicked up, fans watched the scoreboard nervously, and each team hoped for the win. Elysian Fields played against their rival, Waskom, on October 19. Both teams played hard, but Elysian Fields ended up losing with a score of 26-28. It was an emotional but exciting night for both of the teams. “Our guys know how big that game is every year, most of them have watched this rivalry their entire life, so you see a lot of passion coming from them during the entire week of practice,” coach Bryarious Anderson said. “That passion carries over into the game.” The boys may have lost against Waskom, but they’re not going to let that game hold them back from getting to the playoffs. “The boys have shown time and time again that they are willing to put in the work to go the extra mile,” coach Clay Brown said. “Waskom was just a small speed bump to achieve greater things, and we can adjust and get back on the road to winning state.” There were still great moments out there on the field during the game. They enjoyed every moment of it and won’t dwell in the past and let the Waskom game ruin the rest of their season. “I’d have to say that the best play Friday night was when Chris Smith recovered the fumble and raised the score 13-0,” senior football player Jake McCreary said. The coaches believe it’ll be a great season for them in the end if they keep working hard and pushing to win against the other teams. There are only 3 district games left in the season, and the boys plan to give their all. “We learn from the game and fix what we did wrong,” coach Blake Walls said. “The Brahmas are the next challenge in front of us, and that’s what we’re focused on now.” By: M. Rogers, R. Perkins
Were you thinking of going trick-or-treating? You might want to enjoy it while you can because the law is on the move. Teenagers who trick-or-treat in some cities could face something more threatening than any costumed zombie or clown. Some cities, such a Chesapeake, Virginia and Newport News, North Carolina, have passed an age limit law, which is about 12-13 years of age, for trick-or-treaters. Anyone older than this who is caught engaging in anything similar to trick-or-treating will face up to 6 months of jail time and a fine of $100+. Some cities will even jail or fine anyone who is trick-or-treating after 8 p.m. regardless of age. “I don’t like it,” sophomore Aneeka Perkins said. “You should be able to go at any age. Teens should still be allowed to dress up.” In accordance with this law, children 14-years-old and below are allowed to trick or treat. “I think it’s stupid,” sophomore Mary Morgan said. “They should allow anyone to trick or treat.” In many countries around the world, there is no age limit when it comes to trick-or-treating because people believe that children should be allowed to enjoy this activity for as long as they want. “I don’t see any harm in letting teenagers trick or treat,” Mrs. Sue Deaton said. “They should let kids be kids while they still can.” Enjoy being a kid while you can because you don’t stay young forever. By: S. Wray, T. Nealy
As the year moves on, so does the season. It's that time again when we say our goodbye to volleyball. The 2018 high school volleyball teams will have their last game October 23 at Daingerfield at 4:30 pm. Head coach Macy Cherry is sad to see volleyball coming to an end, but she feels it's been a great season. “I feel like the season has gone really good,” Cherry said. “Once season does come to a end, I will miss this group of kids.” Junior Trinity Ford believes it's been a fun season but has also has ups and downs. She feels the team learned how to cooperate. “I think the season has had some bumps in the road, but we’ve had a blast and overcame all of the drama,” Trinity said. Assistant coach Sierra Bradshaw will miss the girls. “I think the season went well,” Bradshaw said. “My girls learned lots of new things and improved every practice.” Although volleyball is coming to an end, the new friendships that were made will last. By: B. Copeland
The high school band has been through many practices during the night and in the morning to perfect their show. With only so many members, their designs and hard work paid off. The band had a pre-UIL contest on Saturday, October 13, following the Queen City football game. “The pre contest was very eventful and tiring, but I’m glad we were able to compete,” sophomore Jessica Collins said. After displaying their show on the field in front of the judges, band director Jeremy Hendrix went to get the score. The band scored a 3. With 5 being the worst and 1 being the best, the band did not to as well as last year at pre-UIL but certainly not bad. “Even though our score was only a 3, I know with a lot more practice and determination that we’ll do better at actual contest,” junior Carly Barras said. UIL contest was held on Tuesday, October 23. The band ended up with a 2. “I am super proud of our band,” Jessica said. “We did our best, and all the hard work paid off. We even did better at contest than at pre-UIL, and that rarely ever happens since contest tends to be judged harder.” Overall, the performance of the band has improved greatly and will continue to do so as they move on this school year. By: J. Collins
Student council went to a Dallas Mavericks basketball game on Monday, October 22 for the fifth annual time. Student council was invited to Dallas Mavericks 9th annual Leadership Day once again. The members of student council that went to the game include: Kayla Butenschoen, Haley Horton, Jovona Wallace, Lynnleigh Otwell, Kelsie Marcantel, Justice Gooch, Jonathan Ramsey, Tyler Choi, and Micheal Braden. Some of these students also went last year. “I went last year, and it was a great experience,” Kelsie said. “We had the chance to learn leadership skills and watch an awesome Mavs game. We even got to see a proposal, and 2 girls from our group earned court-side seats.” They also enjoyed the events that happened this year. “We didn’t get to stay long, but the experience was great as always,” Kelsie said. “Every part of the wonderful opportunity was fun, from getting lost on our way to the parking lot to watching the Dallas Mavericks dominate the Chicago Bulls.” Some students are already prepared for next year’s Mavs game. “It was very fun and eventful,” Justice said. “I had a great time growing like a family with my fellow student council members.” The students had a great time and hope to go again next year. By: C. Cooper, K. King
Her heart was pounding as she waited to see whose name they would call. The time was finally here. “And your 2018 Elysian Fields High School homecoming queen is Makenna Lewis.” She could not believe it. Makenna Lewis was crowned homecoming queen September 28 at the homecoming game. Makenna and three other candidates were up for the crown. Makena was crowned by last year’s queen Kallin Stevenson. Makenna is involved in multiple activities including volleyball and cheer, making Friday a “stressful process.” “I had just got done with a volleyball game,” Makenna said. “I had to rush to get back to the the school in time, but it was all worth it because it turned out to a great night.” Makenna always has a smile on her face and is a leader to her peers. Many younger students adore and admire her. “I look up to her as a cheerleader and as a person,” freshman Kamryn Trost said. “She is always cheerful and nice to others.” Senior Cameron Caudle was her proud escort for homecoming. “I have been her escort since sophomore year,” Cameron said. “I was so excited for the opportunity to escort her for a third year. Makenna is a leader in our school and truly deserved the honor of being crowned queen.” By: K. Trost, K. Haigh
Halloween is approaching soon, and iconic horror movies are in theaters. The infamous Michael Myers slasher film ‘Halloween’ is one creepy movie that should be on your bucket list to see this October if you’re in for a scare. The newest edition of ‘Halloween,’ the eleventh of the on going series, is about Michael Myers, a killer that was put into a psych ward after a murder spree on Halloween night, 1978. The movie is based on the lone survivor, Laurie Strode, being hunted down forty years after the spree for Michael’s revenge after his bus crashes and he escapes, returning to Haddonfield, Illinois. “The movie had some good jump scares,” freshman Kamryn Trost said. “They scared me half to death. There was a major plot twist that no one in the theater expected. I heard so many gasps. Overall, the movie was a blast!” Some students have been following the franchise for years. “I often found myself half-shrinking into my seat in terror and excitement!” sophomore Ki-san Haigh said. “Being a fan of Halloween for almost 7 years of my life, I can say the film has no flaws whatsoever. It definitely had quotes from the other films. That was super cool to hear again!” ‘Halloween’ was a great edition to a horrifying series of films that kept viewers on the edge of their seats. “It was a good movie,” sophomore Alicia Walker said. “I didn’t want it to end. Throughout the whole movie, I was trying to put together a puzzle of how it would end. I was on edge the whole time!” The movie was riddled with amazing details and throwbacks from previous movies. We highly recommend going to see it. |
The StaffA heads up on the down low at EFHS. Archives
October 2022
Categories |