Mock Presidential Election

       Tuesday will be the 56th consecutive quadrennial election in United States history for President and Vice President. This year is a unique year for the presidential candidates because one candidate, Barack Obama, is the first black man to run for Presidential office. The other candidate, John McCain, is over 70 years old, which is the oldest candidate in US history to run for President.  The Democratic Party has elected Obama to run as their candidate, and the Republican Party has elected McCain as their candidate. It is also the first time in history that both candidates are sitting Senators.

     Although almost all students at Deerfield-Windsor School will not be eligible to vote next week in this year’s election, it is still important for them to know the issues each candidate is for and against. It is also nearly impossible for students to avoid seeing some kind of media on the election. Teenagers can see the campaigns everywhere on television, in the paper, in magazines, and even on signs in their neighbor’s yard. Because they will see this everyday, why not get out there and educate themselves about each candidate?  Students should find out which candidate has the same views as they do and from this information, they can decide who they would vote for if they were eligible to participate in the election.

     To enable students to “vote” for president without being 18, the upper campus at Deerfield has decided to hold a mock election for the President. It will last until Thursday and the results will be announced Friday. Each student will be able to “vote” using any computer in the Media Center or in any computer in the Computer Lab. The directions are printed out and give the students easy steps to follow to “vote”.

     The website that created this great idea is youthleadership.net The University of Virginia Center for Politics produced this website. “Through this website, students may participate in mock elections, a mock congress and campaign simulations, and teachers may download civics and government lesson plans.
” Every student is encouraged to log on and vote for the candidate they like best. Students should get their voice out there even if it will not affect our country. So no matter whomever you are voting for, go to the lab and vote today. Teenagers should see what its like to vote and prepare themselves for when they do turn 18 and are eligible to. 

Miss DWS Pageant

     “And the Miss DWS for 2007 is…Kaitlyn Daugherty.” Those were the words of Ms. Newsome, high school English teacher, announcing the winner at the DWS pageant last year. Excitement around school has been recently swarming about all the talk of the pageant this year, which is November 10^th. It will be the 36^th pageant in Deerfield history, being that the first one was in 1973. The pageant will be held at the Albany Municipal Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be on sale November 5^th-7^th at the DWS upper campus and also at the Municipal Auditorium starting at 6:30 p.m. the night of the show.  The ticket price will be twelve dollars for each person.

     In the past years, high school English teacher, Ms. Newsome, has been the Mistress of Ceremonies for the pageant. She adds a creative and personal touch to the times when the curtains are closed by telling the audience stories of her classes or trips she has gone on in the past. Ms. Newsome will not be the Mistress of Ceremonies this year though because she has a pre-planned event she has to attend the same night.  The new voice will be Mr. Nowack, a high school English teacher taking on the Master of Ceremonies. “I am very excited to be filling in for Ms. Newsome this year. I hope I can live up to her standards since I know she has done such an excellent job in the past,” says Nowack when asked about taking on Newsome’s role.

     Many people do not know all the work and preparation the pageant constants must put into to getting ready for the pageant. The constants start practicing for their talent right when they discover they are in the pageant, which can be as early as the first week of school! There are rehearsals starting two weeks before the pageant for all the constants and even nightly rehearsals the week before. Varsity Football Cheerleading Representative Devon Bacon says, “The earlier the constants start practicing their talent, the less stressful the experience will be. Especially, when you are a dancer, like me, you have to perfect your technique as well as your facial expressions. I am very excited for November 10^th because I finally get to reveal all the work I have put in to the judges.” There are fifteen constants this year in the pageant and each one will be sure to shine through each of their talents. So come to the Municipal Auditorium November 10^th and cheer on all the girls and also see who will become Miss DWS of 2008.    

Principal interview

    Students may often wonder what school or college their teachers or principal attended. Well the Deerfield students can learn about Mr. Collin's background from my interview with him I had this morning. He attended Ga Southwestern, Ga Southern, and Florida State. His favorite subject has been History, which led him to the AP US History class he teaches to Sophomores. Mr. Collins also told me that growing up he knew he was interested in working in the school system since his father and grandfather were teachers and coaches. To learn more, watch the video below! 

Locks of Love

     Locks of Love is a non-profit organization started in 1997. It gives young kids with cancer and losing their hair, a human hair wig. These kids are going through so much and they want to live a life as normal as possible. The wigs allow them to live a normal life and not be ashamed of having a bald head. I chose to write about Locks of Love because I think it is such a significant and outstanding organization. People can donate their hair if it is at least 10 inches long and is not bleached. I feel so strongly about this organization because I think it is so good for people to donate their hair without out even knowing the person they are giving it to. Watch the video below to learn more and find out how you can get invloved to help change a life!

Deerfield vs. Southland game

     Tonight is the first region football game against our oldest rival, Southland Academy. Many students are anticipating the game and are so ready to show some good school spirit. Rumors around school are said to be that the students at Southland are wearing their annual camo outfits. They think wearing the camo will represent them "hunting" us since we go to Deerfield. Some students here are considering wearing white to "white-out" our rival. We will see tonight how these ideas turn out. 

     I interviewed seniors Lee Leach and Laine Moore to ask them what they think of the game tonight, who will win, and their plans to show school spirit. Being seniors this year, the girls are so excited for this game since we have been rivals for so many years. We have beat them many times in the past and hopefully will tonight. Leach and Moore told me their plans to eat before the game in Americus, cheer their team on, and hopefully see us win for their last year at Deerfield. Being also that it is the first region game of the season, the team is very anxious for this win against our biggest rival. Watch the video below to see Lee Leach and Laine Moore talk about the game! 

Fall Break!

    The whole school is looking forward to Fall Break, which means having this Monday and Tuesday off from school. Students can’t wait to have two full days off to go on a trip or just stay home and relax. Senior Sarah Schatz says, "I will be visiting Wake-forest and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I am very anxious to get a picture of what the schools are really like and hopefully decide on where to go." Many seniors will be visiting colleges this weekend to get a feel to where they might be interrested in going.
    Some students are also deciding to just stay in Albany and relax here for the weekend. Having two days off from school is a good time to catch up on sleep, go to a movie with friends, or even start on that school project due soon. Teachers are glad to have two school days off too. They can't wait to be able to spend more time with their families or take a neat trip. Coach Hobbs has told his Today's World class that he is taking his family camping this weekend. Since the weather is great this time of year, get outside and have a great Fall Break!

Grandparents Day!

     Tomorrow is a day that students love and have looked forward to this whole week. It's called Grandparent's Day. Students love Grandparents Day because they get to eat lunch with their grandparents, their grandparents get to see all of their friends, and they also are able to see what their grandchildren are doing in school. Every student's grandparent is invited to come Friday at 11:30 and gather in the new gym and eat lunch. After eating the lunch, provided by the PTO, Mr. Henry will give his annual greeting speech, football danceline will perform, and the chorus will sing. Students are also encouraged to show their grandparents around the campus and introduce them to their teachers and see their classrooms before leaving.
Grandparent's Day has been an event at Deerfield for as long as anyone can remember. Senior Abigail Long when asked about her opinion of the day says, "It's one of the best days of my school year because all the performances are great and there's nothing better than eating lunch with my grandmother. I will miss it very much next year when I am at college." Many students will always remember this day as one that was a fun, positive one. It lets students take a break from their classes and have a lunch with the people that they love the most! Hundreds of grandparents should be here and it will hopefully be a huge success!

Wood You Stock the Box?

    Deerfield-Windsor does whatever possible to raise money for many organizations, including Sally Foster and the magazine sale.  However, the current drive is a special one for Homecoming week. Student Council has organized a can food drive this week to collect food of the less fortunate people in Albany. There will be boxes throughout the school for students to put cans in. The cans will then be sent to the food bank of Southwest Georgia after being collected on Friday.  

     In order to try and get students to bring in an excess of cans, Students Council has made a contest each grade is competing for. Which ever grade brings the most cans at the end of the week will win a pizza party. It's a great thing for students to do to get involved with the school and the community. Senior Haley Fulford, a member of Student Council, is in charge of the can drive. "We wanted to do this for a good cause for people that are less fortunate than us. We need everyone to participate even if they bring in one can," she says.  Get involved and bring in those can goods; not only for the purpose of winning the pizza party but the satisfaction of helping others less fortunate!  

Making Volunteering Fun!

     Most people know that as a Deerfield student, one must obtain 55 volunteer hours during highschool before graduating as a senior. There are many ways and places students can volunteer to get these hours, but the object is making this a time a time to look forward to, instead of dreading it. From working at a church bible school, helping at the soup kitchen, or giving one's time at the anual Relay for Life at Darton College. 

    Volunteering can be fun if a person picks the right location. If a student likes animals - help out at the animal shelter, or if they like young kids - help at a day care. Picking places that seem fun, will make it more enjoyable to do instead of something that has to be done just to graduate. Also, get friends to come and make it a group activity!  

90210 Show Brings Negative Self Image for Young Girls

Teenagers today, especially teenage girls, are going to extremes to be skinny and sadly they strive to impress people with their bodies. The other day I read an article about the new 90210 cast being overly skinny. It is reported that the girls from the show don’t eat. Even last week's issue of Us Weekly Magazine had its main story line be the fact that the show's stars are "Too Thin For TV". 

I think celebrities and the media can affect young girls and make them yearn to look like their "so called" role models or characters in their favorite television shows. In return these girls suffer from anorexia, bulimia and this most often results in low self esteem.

Students all around my school are talking about how much they love the new show, 90210, and how pretty the girls are. We want to look and be like them. We envy their lifestyle, their clothes, and their looks. The image we perceive of the show makes it very difficult to live in reality and face the harsh truths of not having the best bodies or trendiest clothes. Also ramped rumors about the main characters being anorexic is definitely not benefitting a teen's self-image. Being that 90210 is a hit show already, from only having three episodes so far, the producers and cast need to make sure that it is bringing positive body image to the young girl viewers. The producers should make sure their cast is healthy and are giving out "good" media attention.

Planning and Stress of Homecoming

     Homecoming, for high school students, is a time that some will remember the rest of their lives. Whether it be spirit week activities, the senior lunch auction, the football game, the Homecoming queen getting crowned, or the dance, Homecoming week is a favorite for the student body. Students can't wait to see what the Homecoming theme is and what new ideas or events they can take place in this year.

     Despite Homecoming week being the best week a student has during the school year, Student Council would say that it is the most stressful and time-consuming week they deal with. When asked why Homecoming week is so stressful, Sudent Council Co-President Wimberly Glass said, "We want students to enjoy Homecoming week and have fun, and we know that if they don't like the activities we have, it's our fault." Most people do not know that the student council starts more than six months before to create a theme and plan for the Homecoming the following year. They try and make it the best they can, so planning early is a key factor. There are so many things the student council is in charge for during homecoming week, including the senior auction, designing the t-shirts, organizing homecoming court, and more. Glass said, "As soon as school starts, we meet once a week to discuss homecoming week and the activites we want to have. Being co-president also means that I have more work and the event consumes more time than other officers because a lot is expected out of me."

    Although planning homecoming week is a lot to do and can be stressful, Glass said that she loves being co-president and likes the challenages it brings. "I like seeing all the students participating in the activites we spent so much time in planning and hope that it will be a memorable event."

YoungLife!

   YoungLife is an amazing cross cultural organization that thrives to help teenagers learn about God and also have fun. It has forever changed thousands of teenagers lives. It was started in 1941 by Jim Rayburn, of Texas. Rayburn, along with four other men, collaborated to invent the "club" idea for teenagers. Their goal was to show kids that faith in God can not only be fun, but exhilarating and life changing. YoungLife is now all across the U.S. and even in other countires, with almost 150 groups just in Georgia! There are also 20 different YoungLife camps in the U.S. kids can visit for weekend or week long trips all year long. Each week YoungLife leaders in each area have "club", where high school students sing songs, play games, and have a bible lesson. It's fun for the teenager and they get to hang out with their friends.

   Albany has had a YoungLife group since 1993. They meet every Monday at The Fish Camp on Gillonville Road.The Albany group will be having the anual"muckfest" in two weeks. This is when the leaders make a giant food fight in a big field and all the teenagers play in it. The Albany fire station volunteers to come in their fire truck to hose every down after. It is always the highlight of the year. During the winter, the Albany group travels to Sharptop Cove, located in Jasper, Georgia for a weekend trip. "Club" started this week and more than 50 kids showed up!

 All the seniors were assigned to bring as many freshman as they could, and it was a success. All the teenagers enjoyed it, and hopefully will all be back next week. 

Enthusiastic Pep Rally Talks

    Senior football players have been giving "player talks" at the pep rally's for years. Two or three senior players come up to the microphone after the cheerleaders cheer.  They tell the student body to come out to the game that night and support them. Often times these speeches are very predictable and boring. The players usually take turns talking each week so all the seniors players that want to talk are able to.

    Patrick Miller, senior running back, has chosen to give "player talks" the past two weeks. Known for his sarcasm and humor, he has given very entertaining speeches. The first pep rally, Patrick gave the metaphor of playing Tattnall by "breaking up" with them. He explained to the students that they were going to beat them so bad, it would be like "breaking up with them" . The second pep rally Patrick told a story about running over a squrill with his car, by saying that they are gonna "run over" Stratford and beat them. Patrick always uses funny ways to entertain the student body to hope that the students will want to come to the game and cheer them on! 

New Bleachers Brings More School Spirit

   Talk all around school has resulted in an addition to the football stadium at Deerfield. The administration has purchased new bleachers to try and achieve more school spirit from students at the football games. The new bleachers have been placed on the track behind the twenty and thirty yard lines. The cheerleaders are hoping that students will sit in the new bleachers and cheer on the football team. Senior cheerleader Devon Bacon said, "We just really need more school spirit at the games, and we think that adding a student section would help a lot. We'll see how it works out and we're hoping for the best."
   Last friday night was the first home game that the bleachers were used at, and it was a big sucess. The bleachers brought so much more school spirit because that was the only place for the students to stand and cheer for the players. Fans could look around and see that the Deefield side was filled with spirit and liveliness. Devon Bacon was asked after the game how she felt the game went with the new student section. She said, "I think the bleachers helped so much and the students acted more involved in the game. We really want all the students to sit there each game to hlpe us cheer on our football team."

Senior Lounge

   The Senior Lounge is a room in the main hallway at school that is just for seniors. The seniors can come sit in there before school starts, during a student's free period, during break and lunch, and after school. Students can study, sit and talk, or even eat a snack, since there is a vending machine in there. "It's a great place to go and relax during my free period", says senior Ashton Pace. 

  Each summer the rising seniors get to come to school and re-paint the senior lounge based on their taste. Students are pretty much able to paint the room how ever you want, with Mr. Collin's permission. The girls are usually the ones that paint because the boys just don't really care to paint. It is a fun thing to do during the summer and also lets you spend time with your friends. Senior artist Abigail Long says, "I think my friends and I did a great job painting it. It was hard work but so worth it. We had a lot of fun." 

    

Homecoming!

   This year being a senior I am very excited about Homecoming, despite the fact it is over a month away. I can't wait for all the different activites that we will do throughout the week, the football game, voting for Homecoming queen and of course ending in the dance that Saturday night.  Plus numerous events that will be unknown to us until the week of homecoming.
   There is so much stuff needed to be done before Homecoming can happen each year. The student council must organize the events and activites the students will do Thursday and Friday during the week. In the years past we have had field games, a Mr. DWS pageant, highschool floats for each grade. The football team must practice for the big Homecoming game, the Homecoming queen will be announced, and almost all the highschool girls will purchase dresses for the dance. This week is probably the most favorite during the whole entire school year.

Deerfield's First Football Game

  Football season is one of the biggest events people look foward to during the school year. It represents our school in our athletic department, lets students illustrate their school spirit, and can determine one school's goal to a state championship.

   Tomorrow night will be the first football game for the Deerfield Windsor Knights. The Knights will play Tattnall Square Academy for the open season game in Macon. Tattnall has always been a big rival for football and will be a hard team to beat. "We are gonna get out there and make a statement early in the game. They are a team we haven't beaten in the last ten years so our goal is to get out there, and take care of busniess," says senior linebacker Patrick Miller. 

Democrat Convention

This week the Democrat Convention has started with many guests speaking in behalf of Obama. The list includes Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Mark Warner, Al Gore, and Joe Biden. Hilary Clinton spoke last night while making it clear she was a clear Obama supporter. She told the audience that it doesn't matter which person they voted for; wether it was herself or Obama, but to elect a democrat for President. She explained that she is on his team to fight for the future of the United States of America.

Hilary Clinton also made it clear that the country can not let McCain be in office. "No way. No How. No McCain. Barack Obama is my candidate. And he must be our president," Clinton said. If your interested in reading more about last night's convention or Hilary's speech, click here for the video

I am very excited to start this blog. It should be very interesting, but a great experience!

test blog!!