By Peter Hyle
Thursday, May 2nd the world language classes held an International Picnic at Galena Lamb Park. Before putting an end to the tradition a few years ago, this event was held annually. This is the first year it has been brought back, and is now something they plan to continue yearly.
By McKenna Click
FC held its annual Academic pep rally in the auxiliary gym on Friday afternoon. The main focus of this pep rally was to recognize students with outstanding academic achievements and encourage students to finish the year with enthusiasm in their studies. This year’s pep rally showcased a magician, complimenting the theme, “We’ve got the magic”.
By Alesha McCulloch
This year’s Thunder over Louisville fireworks and air show is this Saturday, April 20th.
The air show begins at 3 p.m. and the fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m.
The theme for this year’s Thunder is “Thunder Vision” which is a tribute to music from TV shows. The music will be everything from game shows to reality television.
“My favorite thing to do at Thunder is people watch. I love to walk around and look at all the interesting people that come to Thunder,” said freshman Skyler Nardi.
If you bring your 3D glasses, you can put them on reveal 3D images of fireworks on this year’s Thunder over Louisville Poster.
“The thing I like the most about Thunder is all of the good food they provide,” said sophomore Kiley Atchley.
For the air show at Thunder this year, you may see fewer military planes due to monetary cutbacks. This means more civilian planes.
“I enjoy lots of things about Thunder over Louisville, but the thing I enjoy the most would have to be sitting with all my friends and watching the firework show,” said junior Blayne Miles.
You can also see aircrafts like Apache Blackhawks, Super 300, Biplane, and L-39 Jet before the Thunder begins.
“Riding the rides would have to be my favorite activity while down at Thunder,” said sophomore Dylan Paris.
By Bailey Hussung
Today, English and Journalism teacher Jim Lang received the Excel award for the school district. After being nominated for this commendation, Lang had to undergo a rigorous interview and screening process, in addition to submitting coworker, student, and parent letters of recommendations.
The award ceremony included guest speakers, a Jazz band performance, student testimonials and a reception following.
By Peter Hyle
This past week at FC, English teacher Anne Martin’s sophomore English honors classes held debates over various subjects. These arguments covered topics such as gun laws, government spending, and technology. Devoting well over a month to this assignment, students perfected their speaking skills and learned new ways to form argumentative claims.
This assignment served many purposes in each of the classes.
“It had them practice skills of argument, which is a standard,” said Martin. “It also required them to speak in a proper, elegant manner and tested their collaboration skills.”
Students realized the immediate challenges, and even some that were unexpected.
“My partner and I both had differing views about our topic, so it was hard to decide what should be our final debate. In the end, we compromised and it turned out great,” said sophomore Jordyn Boling.
Despite the problems, each student was given both instructions and time to prepare.
“It took about a month to go through the process of writing their argumentative essays. We took a break after they were turned in so I could grade, and we spent that break watching student debaters online and practicing speaking skills,” said Martin. “After getting their papers back, I talked to my students about revising their work and we went over the time requirements, presentation order, and topics.”
During the preparations, many of the students felt at ease with the time and instructions given by their teacher.
“Mrs. Martin helped us prepare for the presentations by giving us a helpful rubric and strict, yet easy to follow ways to organize our debates. It was a lot of help and without it I think our presentation would have looked sloppy and disorganized,” said Boling.
Martin took her students opinion into consideration, making sure that the assignment didn’t come across as too intimidating or complicated.
“I talked to my first period class and had them help me edit the guidelines on my rubric,” said Martin.
Without all the instructions, the students might not have completed this assignment as smoothly.
“She didn’t hold our hand, but she made it clear what we needed to do,” said sophomore Brett Yeaton. “She gave us a great rubric and easy guidelines.”
Not only were the directions concise, but other components of this assignment made the whole project easier.
“I think that Mrs. Martin’s assistance was the only thing keeping me from looking like an idiot in front of my class,” said sophomore Caitlin Fien.
Overall, Martin’s sophomore English Honors classes impressed their teacher with their debates.
“I was very pleased to see my students rising to the expectations I set. Even though they were nervous, each one made it through the presentations. I hope now that they are more comfortable with public speaking, which is a big part of high school life,” said Martin.