Tag Archives: Megan Hardin

Features

Students reveal their favorite neighborhoods to trick or treat

Leave a comment

By Megan Hardin

Today everybody will be rushing home to get ready for what the night has in store for them. Parents will be preparing bowls full of candy to give out while their children get dressed in the costumes of their choice.

Halloween comes only once a year and is the one night where people can dress up and pretend to be something that they are not along with the rest of society. With the norm of dressing up comes the usual activity of going around from house to house and getting free candy. Trick or treating has been the traditional thing to do on Halloween ever since the holiday was created.

There are neighborhoods all over Floyd County that participate in trick or treating, but there a select few that the students here favor. 200 students were asked to give their favorite neighborhoods to go trick or treating, based on their answers these are the top three neighborhoods to go in.

1.  The Woods of Lafayette is located in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. It is known for its very large, glamorous houses that are spread out all over the neighborhood. Because the neighborhood is so large there are a lot of houses that people can go to and get candy. Senior Sara Kost said that the Woods of Lafayette is her favorite place to go on Halloween because there are so many houses there to choose from and you can get a lot more candy there. The candy that is given out there is also another reason why the Woods of Lafayette is the number one neighborhood to go to. Sophomore Tylan Davis went there last Halloween and got more than just the average candy that is usually handed out.

“When I went there some houses were just handing out the candy that all the other houses around were, but there were some houses that I went to that had special made candies. I got a package of these special candies from Schimpff’s and a lot of really oversized candy bars. They were really delicious,” said Daivs.

The Woods of Lafayette is also very easy to find and close to a lot of people’s homes. The location and size of the neighborhood along with the candy that is offered there makes the Woods of Lafayette a great neighborhood to go trick or treating in.

2. Clover Creek, which is located in Greenville, Indiana, is about five minutes away from FC. Although it is not as big as the Woods of Lafayette there are still plenty of houses to go trick or treating at in Clover Creek. Not only do you get treats there but you also get a bit of entertainment. In the yard of one of the residents there is a graveyard scene with a witch to sometimes scare, and always entertain the people trick or treating.

“When I went there they had a lot of the people passing out candy in costume and trying to put on a sort of show. They had people with their yards decorated and performing as their character that they were dressed up as. It was really cool to see because all the other neighborhoods that I went to didn’t have that,” said junior Emily Hardin.

To help make trick or treating more exciting in Clover Creek the whole community comes together, including the fire department.

“Every year our local fire department comes into the neighborhood and passes out candy. They ride around in their gear with their sirens on. I think that they help to attract a lot of the people into the neighborhood. It’s quite a site to see,” said resident of Clover Creek Connie Keith.

The entertainment and the atmosphere make Clover Creek one of the best neighborhoods to go to.

3. Wind Dance Farms is off of Highway 150 in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. It is also a large neighborhood which is what makes it one of the students favorite neighborhoods. Most students like to go trick or treating there due to its size and the amount of candy that they get there.

” I went trick or treating there because I knew that I would get a lot of candy from there and that there would be a lot of houses to go to,” said senior Annie Reisert.

Another reason that Wind Dance Farms is liked by the students is because it is and easy place to get to.

“Since it is close school and off the highway I knew how to get there already. It was very easy to get to and then I didn’t get lost once I was in there. I really liked going trick or treating there,” said junior Kassie Leuthart.

Wind Dace Farms is an easy accessible neighborhood and a good place to go trick or treating for people of any age.

Tonight is the night where people all over Floyd County, and the nation,  will be dressing up and going around in neighborhoods and trick or treating. With Halloween only coming once a year, this is the only opportunity that students get to go out all dressed up and get free candy. No matter what age, a person can always go trick or treating on Halloween. If you are going out for Halloween tonight, stop by one of the listed neighborhoods.

Forum

Kansai impresses with staff and food

Leave a comment

By Megan Hardin

It is dinner time and you and your parents or friends are trying to figure out what restaurant to eat at. You think and all that comes to mind are those fast food chain restaurants that can be found just about anywhere. Why not try something new? If your taste buds are in the mood for a different kind of food, go to Kansai, a Japanese steakhouse. Kansai is not very far away or hard to get to. It is located at 1370 Veteran’s Parkway in Clarksville.

When walking into Kansai you are welcomed with a more personal feeling, entertaining environment. You can choose to sit at a regular table or a large table with a grill attached to the middle of it. Choosing to sit at the larger table with the grill is the better option of the two. By sitting there people are provided with more of a show having their dinner being cooked right in front of them, a few purposely lit fires, and depending on the chef, jokes and a juggling act. The food comes straight off of the grill hot and right on to your plate.

Kansai’s food is a little high priced with their lowest dinner costing $12 and their most expensive costing $32. They have a few options for vegetarians including tofu, and plenty of items for meat lovers including steak, chicken, scallops, shrimp, and lobster. With every dinner comes vegetables and rice. The rice being the main food attraction with bits off egg and peas in it along with a special made dark Kansai sauce. Before each meal is cooked on the grill, soup and salad are served. The soup is decently flavored, resembling a chicken broth with slivers of mushrooms in it. The salad is covered in a special orange salad dressing that Kansai makes themselves.

The staff at Kansai are very friendly and always ready to serve you. Kansai is a family friendly restaurant that people can come to for a special occasion or just because they want some classic Japanese food. Kansai is open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on friday and saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. You might want to come a little early because there might be a wait for a grill table.Next time you are in the mood to try something different, stop on by at Kansai.

News, Peter Hyle

Early graduation provides a quicker start on college life

Leave a comment
Junior Samantha Knies works on an assignment in her radio/TV class. Knies is planning to graduate early. Photo by Megan Hardin.

By Megan Hardin and Peter Hyle

Every year students come to school prepared for a full year of hard work and classes. For some it can seem like a never ending school year, but for a select few their school year is shorter than most. This is the case for the students that graduate early.

“In the past there have been one or two [students that graduate early] but we are starting to see more students that want to,” said principal Janie Whaley.

A student cannot just want to graduate early and then do so, though. There is a process that students must go through in order to even be considered for early graduation.

“They have to fill out a form a semester before they wish to graduate and say why they want to. Then we have to look at all their credits and classes and see if they are even eligible. After we do that we meet with that student and their parents and tell them if they can or cannot graduate and if they can; then, they have to write out a plan of what they are going to do and we need to see an acceptance letter from a college,” said Whaley.

With those requirements every student that has been approved to graduate early and those wishing to must work twice as hard to get everything they need to do done on time.

“It is kind of hectic and stressful. I have to take all seven of my classes here at FC then I have to go home and take the other classes that I need online. I have to work really hard and much longer to get good grades and get everything done,” said junior Samantha Knies, who is trying to graduate early this year.

Even though it takes a lot of hard work and time, graduating early can be a big pay off.

FC graduate Emma Slentz, who graduated a semester early last year, agreed that graduating early is completely worth it.

“It does take a lot of work but it is worth it and it is what is necessary to graduate early and head towards your future even more. It was the best thing for me to do and I am so happy that I did it. Graduating early allowed me to get an earlier start on my life and let me discover what it is I really want to do,” said Slentz.

Graduating early can help get a start on the future but it can also take away from the high school experiences that everyone wishes to have.

“If a student chooses to graduate early they need to understand that they aren’t eligible to get scholarships, participate in all of the senior activities that we have or the activities that they would have attended if they were staying their entire four years of high school, and they most likely will not get to go to prom or graduation,” said Whaley.

The decision is all up to the student if they chose to miss out on those activities and they feel that graduating early is worth it the choice is out there for them. It all depends upon the student.

Graduating early can greatly help a student that chooses to do so by letting them get a head start in college and move on to that step of their life. For the students that feel like they are ready for that then graduating early can be the right choice for them.

“I think that it depends on the person if they will choose to stay all four years or move on with their lives earlier than others, but graduating early is definitely a good option out there for students,” said Whaley.

Features

New student seeks fresh start

Leave a comment

By Megan Hardin

Starting over at a new school can be a very frightening experience for some students. Not knowing how that school works or the people in it can leave a person feeling as if they have to start back up from scratch. For junior Anna Gibson that new start is just what she needed.

“At my old school there were a lot of issues with small town drama, but now at Floyd Central it is so big that even if it does happen it won’t matter; the people here don’t judge you,” said Anna.

There is more than meets the surface with Anna’s transfer to FC, though.

“There were people [at my old school] that were trying to start a lot of drama with me and they began harassing me and it got to the point where I was being bullied,” said Anna.

As soon as Anna told her parents she was being bullied they took immediate action to try and stop their daughter’s pain.

“After I found out what was going on I was sad and felt helpless because I wanted the best for her and want it to stop. We told her to go to the counselor at school, but when they didn’t help I knew that we would have to do something about it and there needed to be a change,” said Pam Gibson, Anna’s mother.

The change that they were looking for was FC.

“We decided that she would go to Floyd Central because it is closer to home than the other schools and it has more education options. She also has a few friends there so we thought that the transition would be easier,” said Mrs. Gibson.

Having a few familiar faces at FC has helped Anna feel more like she belongs.

“It definitely helped having some friends here to start with so that they could help me out and be there with me. Now I’ve made more friends and my experience so far has been amazing here,” said Anna.

Senior Heaven Bailey has known Anna for three years and was excited to have one of her close friends become a Highlander.

“I was so happy when I found out that she was coming here. It’s sad that she had to come here under bad circumstances but now it will be so much easier and better for her to be at FC,” said Bailey.

Even with being at a new school Anna still keeps in touch with a few of her friends from her old school.

A friends of Anna’s,  Erica Daly has been with her for all of her high school career up until now but still manages to catch up with her when she can. Even though she is sad that one of her close friends no longer goes to school with her, she knows that it is for the best.

“Now that she changed schools you can tell that she is happier now and relieved that she doesn’t have to deal with the people who were bullying her anymore,” said Daly.

Though she no longer has to deal with her bullies Anna still notices how being bullied has changed her.

“I’m much more shy now and less talkative. I don’t let people get as close to me as I used to. I have also learned that we shouldn’t be so mean to people because we don’t know where they are coming from.”

With the bad there always comes good. Anna along with her family and friends can all agree that coming to FC is the best thing for her to do.

“I actually wake up wanting to go to school now and not dreading the day,” said Anna.

Her coming to FC was not only the best thing for Anna but it was also the best decision for the entire family.

“I love her coming to FC. I can actually have some peace of mind now knowing that she will be okay and she actually smiles now. If she is happy then we are happy, and she is the happiest that I have seen her in two years,” said Mrs. Gibson.