Tag Archives: features

Alyssa Book, Blake Dykes, Features

A look into the past: introduction into new series

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By Blake Dykes and Alyssa Book

From generation to generation crucial events seem to fade over time and lose their significance.
This week the Bagpiper will revisit drastic moments that have shaped the world and reveal the personal stories behind them. These events include: The Vietnam War, Pearl Harbor, The Holocaust, 9/11, the 2008 Election, the space shuttle tragedy in the 1980s, the Berlin Wall falling, and Hurricane Katrina.

Make sure you check in every day this week for a new addition to this series.

Features

Dance Marathon inspires enthusiasm in community

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By Lauren Holstner

On Saturday, Feb. 18, the Dance Marathon was held. The Dance Marathon is a charity event to benefit the Riley’s Children Hospital. This is the second year FC had held the Dance Marathon.

The Dance Marathon was a six hours long marathon of standing, no sitting allowed.  It benefits the families who cannot afford the medical treatment that they need.  Some students and teachers at FC are or were once Riley kids who received treatment and some of their lives were saved by Riley’s Children Hospital.

 “It was very successful,” said Tiffany Stansbury, the head of the committee for Dance Marathon.

The Dance Marathon was a fun and energetic event, that I personally loved.  From the hot air balloon rides to dancing, this event had a magical feel that made everyone just want to have fun.  The energy was great with Wii games and Kinect, along with its many bounce houses and act

Students practice the Dance Marathon's morale dance.

ivities I was never bored.

The food was great and mostly donated, along with the shirts and the gifts for the kids.  The best part of the whole thing was being able to say we were able raise part of the $24,503 to help all of the families who need it.  Everyone who contributed to the Dance Marathon to make it so great has my thanks.

From the food to the final dance for the Riley kids, the entire day was amazing and I cannot wait for next year to see what new activities there will be and how much money we can raise.  The Dance Marathon was incredible and even more people should come next year.  The students and faculty who put this event together deserve to be thanked for all the hard work put in to make the Dance Marathon a success.

I know I cannot wait for next year and hope to see many more people there next year.

Features

DIY makes a comeback

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By Gwen P. Galeza

The effects of the recession might have hit some people hard, but among the creative people, it has only brought out their more productive and creative sides.

“The number one reason is that I am very cheap,” joked computer apps and web design teacher Kelly Bratcher. “However, I also am a creative person and I like to see the outcome of projects that I created from scratch.”

DIY (do it yourself) projects have been around since the dawn of time, but it is nothing like what society has today. With the boom of blogs and social media it has become easier to do things in a unique way.

“With social media now, people are able to share ideas better than ever. I think it is motivating or inspiring people to try their own DIY projects. You no longer need to purchase a book; you can get thousands of ideas instantly from websites,” said Bratcher.

Bratcher’s DIY projects started off when she purchased her new Kindle.  While browsing for cases she found the prices way beyond her budget and called them ‘ridiculous.’ She then searched online (Etsy.com) for inspiration and decided to take a journey to her closet and the Dollar Store.

“I started saving some shirts and jackets that I planned on getting rid of to use. My tip is to use items around the house,” said Bratcher.

While some use DIY projects for alternatives, other use it as a way to come out of their shells.

“It is very important to me because I am a quiet person and it gives me a way to express myself,” said senior Brandi Wilson.

Wilson enjoys making her own clothing and paper dresses. She aspires to be a Fashion Designer in the near future.

“DIYing” is also another way for students to create a certain comfort zone because of the personality that it brought.

“I do DIY projects to get my mind off of things. It keeps me entertained and I like making things,” said junior Jenna Knauer.

In her free time, Knauer makes bracelets that she sports everyday. She also joined the National Art Honor Society and sold her bracelets to profit the club.

When the norm has become “I made this” rather than “I bought this,” this DIY trend will surely hit it big with everybody.

“I think more people will do it because people are starting to break away and not do what is expected of them,” said Wilson. “People want to stand out and by making something, you put your personality into it.”

 

 

How to make Peter Pan collars by Grace Runkel.

Peter Pan collars are one of the more popular trend in the DIY area. They compliment every outfit even as boring as boring as sweaters and t-shirts.

Materials

2 pieces of 21 inches of lace trim

Snaps

Buttons

Needle

Thread

Pins

Scissors

 

Claire DeFrancisci, Features

Abnormal weather may prevent snow days before winter break

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By Claire DeFrancisci
Additional reporting by Rebekah Landers

This is the weather forecast this week for the Floyds Knobs area.

This week there has been a noticeable amount of warm weather in the Southern Indiana region. Instead of a foot of snow Southern Indiana has had several inches of rain. The lack of accumulating snow will damper the chances of snow days before Winter Break.

“I want it to snow really bad, it’s not normal for it to be this warm in December,” said sophomore Deja Jones.

The abnormally warm weather is most likely not here to stay. According to  Astronomy and Meteorology teacher CJ Jackson, the temperature will drop to a high of 34 degrees within the next  five days.

“Right now [the weather] is above average because we’ve had so many high temperatures. That’s because last year we had such cool temperatures over the European landmass. We had big blocking dome of pressure, and it wasn’t allowing the weather to move like it normally does. This year it’s moving like it normally does, so we’re getting unusually warm but kind of normal. That’s going to change in the next five days,” said Jackson

The next question that comes up is whether or not the school corporation will have snow days before the end of the semester. This year if FC has snow days before Winter Break, then the school will use the snow make-up days on Dec. 21 and 22. Many students and teachers have different opinions on this new system.

“I think that it’s a bad thing because families plan to travel and they expect to have the entire Christmas Break to do that,” said sophomore Tiffany Bowen.

For this reason it is strongly encouraged for families to not plan vacations around finals week, in case any sudden changes in the schedule occur. Although most students are reluctant to give away time from the much anticipated Winter Break, Jackson has a different view on the subject.

“[The snow make-up days] are pretty good because it helps decompress the prom and graduation issue when you have as many inclimate days as we have had over the past two or three years then that gets us to the point where we have to ask if we have to back commencement up so it kind of relieves that pressure. It’s awkward in that we have not done it before, but based on our last three years it will be a good way to relieve some of the pressure,” said Jackson.

To check up on the weather watch your local news or type in your zip code to the Weather.com  site.
Blake Dykes, Columns, Forum

Book smart teens lack common sense

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By Blake Dykes
“Mom how do you turn the washer on?””The only thing I can make is toast.””I don’t know how to start a lawn mower.”

These are some of the most common sentences spoken amongst teenagers. Even more so I find my friends asking how to do simple tasks like this. Occasionally, I even ask some of these questions.

You would think high school students would be able to do simple things like cleaning and cooking, however many students have never been taught these things.

In school we learn how to find the slope of lines, evolution of the world, and what demonstrative adjectives are. Although, are not taught the little chores, and necessities for life.

One would think that parents would teach these things. However, many people do not think much about it.

People mostly assume they know how to do these things, but once trying to realize they cannot.

On the other hand, there are some teens that do not have supportive parents in their lives. This is where schools should step in, and focus on teaching these mandatory skills for life.

In high school students are not concerned with this. I know very few people that fold their own laundry, cook their own dinner, and so on. It is not unheard of, just the majority of people.
Why would anyone want to do a chore that their parents will do if it does not get completed?

This laziness or inexperience will cause an issue in the future.

Once you have gone to college you may be shocked that the big pile of dirty clothes keeps building up on the floor, and eventually the lack of clean clothes. Or you no longer have any eating utensils, because they are all built up in the sink.

Ask yourself this question, do you know how to preform these jobs? Cooking for instance, not just mac and cheese, but could you really prepare a decent meal? Or do you know how to clean your bathroom? That could result in a mess.

Now it is time to take the initiative and ask for help. If a parent is not able to help you out then Google it, you can find anything on the Internet.

At the end of the day, there is no reason to not be able to fold your own laundry.