Blog Archives

The Boos and Woos of Trick-or-Treating

10/30/2014

By: Morgan Foster
Lifestyle Editor

Stores are advertising bags of candy and creepy decorations are appearing in store windows. Costume shops are going through the biggest customer wave. It’s time for Halloween! On Friday the 31st, children and teens alike will be running around, getting candy from adults. Or do teens even go out this time of year?

Sophomore Jawan Penton, says “I like to go trick or treating and scaring little kids. I dress as a DC comics character or a wrestler.”

Are teens too old to be trick or treating? Some say of course not and take advantage of this opportunity to hang out with friends and get free candy.

Others say it’s only for little kids, as they hand out candy or go to parties.

“I don’t do anything on Halloween,” says sophomore, Kevin Lasser.

In an informal survey of students, 44% said that they go out trick or treating whereas 13% said that they do nothing. Others go to parties or hand out candy to kids at the door. So, many still carry on the tradition of trick or treating.

Fall Choir Concert

10/22/2014

By: Emily Xu
Extras Editor

Leading the way in the music department, the Manassas Park Choral program put on their very first concert on Monday, October 20th.

One of four concerts, the Fall Concert consists primarily of songs that help the choirs develop and blend as a group. Manassas Park’s program consists of about 100 students that have an interest and love in music. The choirs are conducted by Kristina Schenck, who also teaches music theory and piano ensemble, and was accompanied by Ms. Kelly Burcher, the middle school choir director, and junior Emily Xu.

Starting off the concert was the Men’s Choir, singing Mighty Men of Song, followed by combined Men’s and Women’s Choir, who sang Flying Free, a melodious piece accompanied by junior Brielle Wichelt on the flute.

“They were wonderful and their hard work was evident in their performance. They truly did sound lovely and I can’t wait to see how much better they sound in other concerts,” said junior Katherine Canales.

The Women’s Choir took the stage next with Exultate Justi in Domino, followed by Women’s Select with Sail Away With Me and Prints of Peace, a spiritual including African American traditionals.

“I thought they sounded beautiful. The choir sounded like teenage angels,” said junior Lorenzo May.

Finally, the Chamber Singers performed We Are the Choir, Jenny Kiss’d Me, and Lord Make Me An Instrument.

“We really killed it on our a capella piece, Jenny Kiss’d Me, and I loved the intensity in Lord Make Me An Instrument from everyone,” said senior Jackson Geer.

The finale incorporated all choirs in singing Baba Yetu, the theme song to the video game Civilization IV.

Missed this concert, but eager for more? The Manassas Park Band Program has their Fall Concert on Monday, October 27th, at 6:59 p.m. in the Thomas H. DeBolt Auditorium, and don’t forget to mark your calendars for the Band and Choir Holiday Concert on December 8th.

The Maze Runner: Book vs Movie

10/22/2014

By: Zoha Husain
Staff Writer

Not only was The Maze Runner a thrilling read, but it was also an incredible movie. A dystopian novel by James Dashner, it centers around a young boy named Thomas. One day, he arrives at a place known as ‘The Glade,’ with no recollection of his past, his family, or even his name. As he slowly adjusts to his surroundings, he learns more about the unusual place.

Released last month, this movie has been very popular, with many people interested in seeing how the movie would turn out in comparison to the book. Thomas, the main character, is played by Dylan O’Brien and Teresa is played by Kaya Scodelario. These actors did a good job portraying the feelings and emotions of the two main characters. Although some viewers complained that the actors looked a little older than they should, this was not seen as a concerning issue.

In the book, a boy is brought to ‘The Glade’ every month through an elevator. No one understands why or how, but they all work together, each having their own job in order for everything to function. Supplies are also brought through the elevator, but that is not a means for escape. The boys have been trapped there for a couple years, with no way out of the glade, except for the maze, which is outside the walls. However, there’s a catch. The doors open every morning and close at dusk. No one has survived the night in the glade because of the monsters that roam there. The runners explore the maze, and look for a way out. As soon as Thomas learns about the runners, he knows he wants to be one of them.

Right as Thomas starts to make friends, and become a part of the group, something unprecedented happens; a girl named Theresa shows up. There have never been any girls in the glade. This is not helped by the fact that Theresa seems to know his name. Since Thomas was the last one to show up, the others become suspicious of Thomas. Eventually, however, Thomas regains their trust and becomes a runner. Do they ever escape? Read to find out.

Surprisingly, the movie was very similar to the book, with no major plot differences. However, there are a few minor discrepancies. As readers may have noticed, Thomas regains his memory faster in the book than in the movie. Theresa also regains consciousness very quickly. Time is sped up which is very understandable because of the time limit for movies.

Also, in the book, the runners had the job of mapping out the glade every day, to see if there was a way out. In the movie, instead of maps, there was a 3D model that portrayed the maze. However, instead of detracting from the image, this provides a better visual of the Glade.

Overall, the movie was very interesting and action-packed. The sound effects were great and helped with the overall suspense. The vivid colors provided a good contrast between the characters and the background. I would definitely recommend this movie to others! Who knows, The Scorch Trials (Book 2) may be made into a movie next!

Smile! It's Picture Day!

10/15/2014

By: Morgan Foster
Lifestyle Editor

Many students cringe in fear of having their photos in the yearbook. Others simply trash the flyers. And some get outfits together the night before and practice smiling before going in to take the photos.

Is Picture Day really that big of a deal or is it just a day where you go to school and to take a picture? Lots of parents like to make sure their kids look nice for their pictures. It’s a mad dash for the door dodging parents who are trying to fix your hair or adjust your shirt and make comments such as “Did you iron that last night?” and “Are you really going to wear that to school picture day?” However, leaving the house is only half the battle.

It varies when students take their pictures because some will have English last and go 5 ½ hours since last seeing themselves before taking this picture. However, some might get to take their pictures first! Also, some students may have gym that day and had to take all their nice clothes, crumple them on the floor and put them back on again. By the time they get there, goodness knows what their clothes look like. And then comes time for the actual picture.

Overbuilding In Manassas Park?

10/9/2014

By: Morgan Foster
Lifestyle Editor

I’m sure everyone has noticed that Manassas Park is undergoing a LOT of construction. But for now, let’s chat about it. I think the first major reconstruction in Manassas Park was when they demolished all the trees to make our City Center. However the city center is not thriving because, businesses haven’t set up shop and residents aren’t moving in. Now, the city is blowing up the natural rock wall that was pretty in the winter time when the water would freeze over top of it and then melt, making a waterfall. Animals are losing their homes and the residents losing their sight of nature. It’s beginning to feel cramped. Plus, all these buildings should attract more people and that means more students. Do you think your class sizes are too big as it is?

Details on Spirit Week and Homecoming

10/9/2014

By: Caitlin Lawrence
Managing Editor

Have you participated in Spirit Week? Spirit week is a fun way to kick off Homecoming! Some activities include lunch games, class walls, and dressing up for spirit days.

The spirit days are:
Monday: Hippie Day
Tuesday: Wacky Tacky Day
Wednesday: Breast Cancer Awareness Day (wear pink)
Thursday: Character Day
Friday: Spirit Day

Many students and teachers dressed up for each of these days to show their energetic school spirit. Some outfits that they wore were a Minecraft creeper, ketchup and mustard bottles, a pirate, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and Dumbledore from Harry Potter.

Weekly Polls- October 6

10/7/2014

The iPhone 6

10/1/2014

By: Morgan Foster
Lifestyle Editor

The IPhone 6 and IPhone 6 Plus made a breaking debut September 19th, 2014. The technological world was shaken as many Apple stores world and nationwide were crowded as people rushed to buy the new phones. At starting prices of a startling $300, it shows the dedication of many Apple users. The new phones have the brand new iOS 8, 2 8-megapixel cameras with time-elapse capabilities, and many other awesome features, the IPhone 6 and 6 plus are a welcomed change to the Apple family! However, with
every positive, there are a few negatives. One of which being the price. Not many students have $300 dollars to spend on a phone, on top of the early upgrading fee you might have to pay, and the 4G internet payment. Also, there have been claims that the IPhone bends when placed in your pockets for an extended period of time! This is obviously not supposed to happen. The large size has been an inconvenience for people who use their phones with one hand, which is basically everybody. Overall, the IPhone 6 is the biggest development in technology! If you have an IPhone 6 and like it, congratulations on your new phone. And if you’re like me, owning an IPhone 4 and waiting for your upgrade to come, the best of luck and patience to you!

#trendingtopicstime

10/1/2014

By: Morgan Foster

Lifestyle Editor

The Ice-Bucket Challenge

Who has not heard of it? The Ice Bucket Challenge was one of the biggest trends this summer! For those who have not heard of The Ice Bucket Challenge, you are nominated by someone you know to dump a bucket of ice water on your head. If you choose not to accept the challenge, you are asked to please donate money to the ALS Association to work to find a cure. If you do dump the water on your head, ALS asks you to please use hashtags such as #icebucketchallenge, #alsicebucketchallenge or #strikeoutals to raise awareness and to nominate 3 other people to keep the trend going. This was a wildly popular thing to do over the summer but very few people actually got information about what ALS is. So, here are the facts:

Show Your Spirit!

10/1/2014

By: Zoha Husain
Staff Writer

Spirit Week days, Homecoming, Class Walls, it’s all here!

Hey guys! This is where you’ll find exciting events that are coming up! This year there have been a lot of new changes in the school. For instance, there will be three pep rallies this year. Yep, you read it right :) There are three, which is a huge change from the one pep rally we’ve had in the previous years. The first pep rally is scheduled for October 10th so make sure to wear black and gold! We will be playing some very exciting games during the pep rally, such as musical chairs, and having a tricycle race. The week of October 10th is also spirit week, so help your class win by dressing up each day!

Monday- Hippie Day- Get out those tie-dyed t-shirts

Tuesday- Wacky Tacky Day- Everyone will be looking silly, so don’t be afraid to go all out for this one!

Wednesday- Breast Cancer Awareness- On Wednesday, we wear pink!

Thursday- Character Day- Dress up like your favorite Disney character, Marvel Hero, or any other character appropriate for school ☺

Friday- Black & Gold- Show your cougar pride by wearing black and gold!

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