The Birds Eye View

December 2014

Announcements
The Winter
Formal, hosted by the
senior class, will be
held on January 31st.
All classes are able to
attend.
FCA meets
every Thursday morning at 6:45 a.m. in Ms.
Stephens room.
Spring Mills
High School is running
a Jeans for Teens"
drive from now until
February 1st. Please
bring any gently worn
jeans to room 103.
Please see Mr. Copenhaver or Cailin Mosser
for more information.

Announcements
Alexis DeLong
won the Youth Art Month
State Flag contest. Her
flag is hanging in the National Art Honor Case in
the cafeteria.

The Official Newspaper of the Spring Mills Cardinals

Volume 2, Issue 2

Read What You Want Day

By ERIN SLONAKER

On October 18, the English department hosted the first of a

monthly event called Read What
You Want Day. The program was
created to dedicate one day to celebrate reading together in English
class. I was surprised my students chose the book they were
reading in class to read on Read
What You Want Day, Mrs. Hilliard said happily. She also said she
really enjoyed the day because she Read What You Want Day is enjoyable because its
and very relaxing, stated junior Elmar Talbot. The
got to read all day. The two books nice
article I was reading interested me because it was about
she selected were Fahrenheit 451 new technology for diabetes. This day made me realize
by Ray Bradbury and Swaplandia! that reading isnt all about dragons and fairytales, but
also facts to help the world.
by Karen Russell. Mrs. Madden
and Mrs. Rantanen also spoke
about some of the books they read, which consisted of Nightmare In Europe by Judy
S. Walter, Mrs. Mercedes by Stephen King, Zombie Daycare Center by Craig Halloran, and Closer to Home by Mercedes Lackey.
Continued on page 8

Putting the Pep in Pep Rally

By ASHLEY BOOTHE

Homecoming week has come and gone successfully, thanks to

everyone who participated, but it isnt a proper Spirit Week
without a pep rally to top it all off. On Friday, September 26th,
students were brought to the stadium after lunch and were seated
according to class. The festivities began with the marching band
performing their halftime show as well as various other songs
The Spring Mills High School dance team shows off
and
the cheerleaders leading the entire school through chants and
their moves for the first time! After the performance,
cheers
of victory. Then, Mr. Copenhaver and class president KaGabby Green stated, Im so proud of our team and
how hard we have worked.
ra Iden led the way to the first activity of the evening: the class
Tug-of-War.
Continued on page 10

Lady Eagles vs. Lady Cards battle

By TIFFANY SAMPLES

On October 7, the Hedgesville Eagles played against the

Lady Cards at Cardinal Stadium. The Lady Cards started
out well, but after Hedgesville scored its second goal, the
Cardinals started to make mental mistakes. However, Coach
Taylor and Athletic Director Dan Comer stated that the
team is doing very well compared to last season. During the
game, the Lady Cards came together as a team and did a
great job playing in the rain. Soccer player Sydnei Taylor
Player number 13 Carly Watson kicks the ball away from a
has 22 goals this season. Even though it was a Cardinal
Hedgesville player.
loss, the ball was back and forth the whole game, and the
Lady Cards held their heads high. Not one player lost their
Cardinal pride.

Goal keeper Kaylee Walty catches the ball to protect the goal.

Dressing up Spirit Week

By CHELSEA LATHAM

On the week of September 22-26, Spring Mills High School held its second annual Spirit Week to celebrate
homecoming.
Day one was Character Day, where students dressed as their favorite fictional characters. Day two was Twin
Day, where students twinned with their best friends. Day three was Generation Day: freshmen dressed up as
toddlers, sophomores as college students, juniors as middle aged adults, and the seniors as senior citizens.
Day four was Super Hero vs. Villains Day: freshmen and juniors were villains while sophomores and seniors
were superheroes. Day five was Spirit Day, where students wore red, white, and blue to show their Cardinal
pride.
The seniors won each of the Spirit Week dress-up competitions, allowing them to maintain hold of the spirit
stick they won last year. Spirit Week is a means of getting everyone excited about the homecoming football
game. For the game, the Cardinals, who played Petersburg, came out victorious with a final score of 56-0.

Taylor Severt and Kassie Cook took twin day to an extreme.

A group of sophomores dressed up for Character Day. From

left: Katherine Jordan, Alison Whitener, Lexie Emert,
Kinleigh Stanton, and Katherine Holliday.

Courtney Tomes and Mr. Copenhaver dressed up for Hero

vs. Villains day.

Seniors, Brock Adams, Elizabeth Baker, Ashley Boothe, Peyton Bean, Tania Boh, and Kristen Blaine were senior citizens
for Generation Day.

Mrs. Hilliards AP Literature class shows their school spirit.

Cougars Leave Cardinals Vexed

By ASHLEY BOOTHE

SHENANDOAH JUNCTION- The Cougars ravaged the Cardinals

in a 3-1 victory but were on the verge of breaking in the final set.
Spring Mills served first with their lead setter, Annyssa Greene,
but fell to the Cougars in mere minutes. Jeffersons Mallory Jackson, 12 kills and 2 aces, besieged the ball several times in the first
set as she struck the ball hard and aimed for the feet of the CardiAt the first pep rally, girls soccer team captain
nals. Mallory succeeded on multiple occasions, but unfortunately
Lex Reyes celebrates the beginning of a new
her
power also brought a lot of plays to an end as they were hit far
season. Everyone was really involved and
past
the in bounds territory. The score of the first set was 25-16 in
could feel the energy, Lex said.
favor of Jefferson, making the set score, 1-0.
In the second set, Spring Mills managed to fight back with Erica Conaughty and Leah Smith performing
many digs and kills for their team. No stats were reported for the players, but their effort showed on the scoreboard as they began to slowly catch the Cougars with scores climbing from 0-18 over the course of the set.
Unfortunately, Jefferson managed rally to take the second set under their belts with a score of 25-18 despite
their efforts.
With two wins and only one more to seal the victory for the Cougars, the teams went to battle after a court
shift and this time, the Cardinals fought hard enough to snatch a victory for themselves. The pressure was
heavy on both teams, as a victory for the Cardinals meant another set to play, and the Cougars were determined to keep their lead. However, Smith, Greene, Brittney Parsley, and Madison Carter came together in the
set to block kills, make key serves that ended in aces, and to set the ball at the right place for them to score.
The end score of the third set was set at 24- 26. The final set initially proved to be in Spring Mills favor as
their score rapidly went up from kills, digs, and blocks made by Greene, Carter, and Smith. The Cougars responded with high powered attacks to the ball from Hunter Slivka, 13 kills and 4 aces, and Mallory that
pushed the scores up both ways. Head coach, Ryan Mills, of Jefferson claimed that the first two games were
played better than the last two, and that the girls really lost focus, in reference to the many balls knocked
out of play in the instances of her teams pressure and aggression. Though it did not matter in the end, as the
Cougars managed to push past the Cardinals and secure their final victory with a score of 25-21. The Varsity
Cougars now stand at 5-6-3 with their victory tonight and the Junior Varsity Cougars, who also claimed victory tonight over the Cardinals, stand at 8-7-1.

Underdog Juniors Defeat Seniors in Powder Puff Game

By SHEPHERD SNYDER
Guest Writer

Spirit Week at SMHS came to a close as the girls from the junior and senior classes competed in a flag football
game the night before the homecoming game. Many of the students who attended the game expected a win
from the usually dominant senior class, but the end result proved the opposite. After a quiet first half with the
score remaining at 0-0, as well as a breathtaking halftime performance starring the Powder Puff Cheerleaders,
the game quickly picked up the pace. The juniors brought out their full potential in the second half, scoring
two touchdowns and an extra point while the seniors only scored one. After a third insurance touchdown with
fifteen seconds on the clock, the 11th graders came out on top with a final score of 19-6.

Senior Powder Puff players and cheerleaders perform a popular dance called the Bobby Shmurda before starting
their game.

The junior team commemorates their victory over the senior

team by holding up the number 1 sign for a group photo.
Gabby Green dances in the middle of the senior
teams huddle.

Despite their loss, the senior team remain cheerful for a group shot after the
game.
Austin Phipps, Brock Adams, and
Derek Metz base Jonathan McGuire.

The Night Among The Stars

By KRISTEN BLAINE and BALEIGH PAYNE

The stars aligned on homecoming night when over 600

students came out for the Midnight in Hollywood dance.
I loved how much the student body worked together to
make the cafeteria look so beautiful, and the stars for the
homecoming court were an excellent idea, said Carly
Watson. Many other students were pleased with how well
the decorations fit the theme. Austin Bremmerman added,
The dcor made me feel so fancy. As students walked
in, they stepped onto a red carpet and were showered with
photos taken by paparazzi. Then, they continued down the
Thompson, Lexi Bush, and Tania Boh enjoy their
hallway and saw the stars on the ground with the famous Jordan
last homecoming.
homecoming courts names engraved on them. Once students entered the cafeteria, a large Hollywood sign was
displayed on the side of the dance floor. Lights cascaded from the ceiling down into a chandelier effect. The
Hollywood sign was so amazing, and the lights created a wonderful ambiance, said student body president
Kara Iden.
The music this year was very diverse, according to some students, because a new DJ was hired. I found the
music to be very enjoyable and thought the DJ was the best part of the night, exclaimed Kara Iden. Cody
Hottle explained how he adored the energy and said it was a night he would never forget.
The homecoming court consisted of freshmen Sophia Perez, Lauren Riner, Mason Caldwell and Trenton
Kerns. The sophomores were Gracie Wiggins, Ashley Burger, Hunter Munson and Colton Henson. Junior
court was Breann Holland, Lydia Harden, Cory Wyttenback and Garret Hooper. Lastly the seniors were Derek
Metz, Sarah Burke, Cody Hottle, Nyah Wade, Jonathan McGuire, Courtney Tomes, Angel Mercado and Erica
Conaughty. Freshman prince Mason Caldwell added, My first homecoming was a success, and I was so happy when I made the court. I really hope we have a winter formal so everyone can come together and have a
great time again. After all of the courts names were announced, king and queen Derek Metz and Courtney
Tomes were finally revealed. Metz said, I was honored to be on the court of my last homecoming in high
school. I had a really great time at the dance. An overwhelming amount of student participation was seen at
the dance, which shows how much school pride the SMHS student body has.

Daniel Springer, Hailey McGuire, Kedo

Lightbody, and Sophia Perez enjoyed
goofing around in the homecoming
props photo booth.

Courtney Tomes became the first Spring Mills

High School Homecoming Queen.
Senior Tyler Tribby enjoys his last homecoming with his friend, junior Orlando
Barahona.

Austin Hurtman, Chantel Wright, Casey Baith, and Demetrious Jalepes pair up in the props photo booth.

Kaitlin Wrye and Stephen Werrhoff take a break from

the dancing.

Amanda Keplinger, Amanda Weller, and Alexis

Painter enjoy their first homecoming.
Derek Metz became the first Spring Mills
High School Homecoming King.
7

First Homecoming Victory

By ASHLEY BOOTHE

A crowning moment to top off homecoming week for the Spring Mills Cardinals came in the form of a 56-0
victory over the Petersburg Vikings. Petersburg received first with Chris Halterman taking the ball to the 44
yard line from the 15. Unfortunately, the return was a short lived success. The Vikings couldnt advance past
the line of scrimmage and were forced to punt to Spring Mills, giving the Cardinals possession of the ball. Cody Hammond, Demetreus Jalepes, and William Sweeney managed to push the ball from the 25 yard line to the
43 yard line, putting their team into a reasonable position, only to have Sweeney fumble the ball and have the
Vikings take over on the 29 yard line.
Another abrupt burst of prosperity for the Vikings, but even with the fumble, they could not advance past
the defensive line and were set back multiple times with 10 or more yards between them and a first down. Casey Goldizen, who totaled up most of the plays run by the Vikings, ended up losing more than he gained as the
Vikings rushed for a total of -18 yards. From there, it was up to Spring Mills to stop the ball, get possession
and score, which they managed within the first quarter. Lane Riner, with a total of 118 passing yards the entire
game, scored the first touchdown for Spring Mills from the 1 yard line.
The night only became more austere for Petersburg with 4th downs coming just as quickly as kick returns.
With only 35 passing yards, it fell on the shoulders of the Petersburg defense to try and take control of the
game. Unfortunately for the Vikings, Riner and his team launched themselves into the endzone time and time
again. Riner notably managed to perform an incredible hand-off fake to run seemingly unnoticed up the field
to make the score 34-0 before the 2nd half. It was either fake the hand off or complete the hand-off, and the
running back made a great fake, so I ran, said Riner about the play.
The rest of the game was spent in the same pattern as before with Petersburg being unable to gain a single
point on the board. Notable top players of the nights game were Riner, 118 passing yards, and Jalepes, 170
rushing yards. Our execution is what made this game good, said head coach Derek Munson as he reflected
on the victory. We went out and did that this week, and it shows on the scoreboard when you execute. This
was the first set of back to back victories for Spring Mills and the first homecoming win for the team.

Read What Continued

Shelby Daymude read a book on firefighting. She eagerly said,
I really want to become a firefighter when I get older, so this really is interesting.
I love dancing, said Emily Keefer. Thats why Life In Motion is a really good book, because it's about a famous dancer. Despite the obvious difference in taste between the students
and staff at Spring Mills High, most seemed to enjoy the day and
looked forward to the next Read What You Want Day, which was
held November 19.
Senior Brandon Vaughn decided to read his Physiology book on Read What You Want Day. When
asked why he chose this book, he stated that he was
studying up for a big test they had soon. He said that
his Physiology class was one of his favorite and very
interesting!

When asked what she thinks about the opportunity to

read all class period, junior Allaysia Palmer replied, I
love it. Its awesome to see other students enjoying
books!
8

Pep Rally Continued...

The senior class was pitted against the sophomore class
in the first round, and as participants stood in their positions, the students began to cheer loudly for their teams.
Unfortunately for the sophomores, the seniors quickly took
the victory from them as they practically drug them across
the turf of the field. Next were the juniors against the freshmen to determine who would face the seniors in the semifinals. The upperclassmen, once again, prevailed and adShepherd Snyder gets into his trumpet solo during the
vanced to face the senior class. Tensions were high, and as
song Malaguenia. I had a lot of fun in marching band
the teams prepared themselves, their respective sections in the this year. It was hard work but it definitely paid off,
stated Snyder.
bleachers roared with chants and cheers in hopes that their
class would be victorious. In a landslide victory, the juniors
advanced to face the teachers in the final round of the Tug-Of-War competition.
The stands roared to life once more, the juniors cheering for their team and the seniors cheering for the
teachers, as the rope was pulled taut and the juniors began slowly sliding forward from the force of the teachers. It all came to an end with the teachers on top, much to the dismay of the junior class.
Next in the line of events would be a performance by our own Fusion Dance Team, who performed to various songs and displayed good execution in their routine. Shortly after the performance, Student Government
prepared for the relay race that included time-consuming challenges such as eating a pack of crackers and
wrapping a teammate in toilet paper in order to proceed to the pie in the face of a teacher at the end of the challenge. Seniors managed to claim victory in this event, bringing forth the pride of their fellow classmates who
looked on from the stands.
After the relay race came the water balloon toss with each class having two participants. The aim of the
game was to throw the balloon to your partner without it bursting. Upon completion of the catch, participants
were asked to step back a yard at a time, making each throw more difficult than the last. The first to fall were
the freshmen, as the balloon burst in the hands of the participant before the throw could be made. Second to
fall were the juniors, as the balloon made impact with the ground and burst on contact. It then came down to
the sophomores vs. the seniors, and one small slip of the hand could mean the end of the challenge for one of
the teams. In the final throw, however, the sophomores failed to complete the catch, making the seniors once
again victorious.
At the end of the pep rally, Mr. Donato took center stage to announce the winner of the coveted Spirit Stick
that was held in his hand. A junior cheerleader did attempt to take the spirit stick from him but ultimately
failed and went back to the sidelines as Mr. Donato continued. The Spirit Stick would be awarded to the class
who participated the most in the spirit days, and as Mr. Donato went through the list of days, the senior class
remained at the top for all five spirit days and were awarded the spirit stick.
Senior members of SGA gathered together after receiving their prize, lead themselves in a final cheer, then
fell to the ground before getting back up and bringing it to the rest of the senior class. All of this in preparation
for the homecoming football game against the Petersburg Vikings proved to be quite successful in terms of
both participation and setting school traditions.
To top everything off, the homecoming game would end in the first ever blowout game in Cardinal history
as well as our first homecoming victory with a final score of 56-0 over Petersburg. Many turned out for this
game and it was a proud moment for the players, students, and even the teachers as the week concluded with
the homecoming dance. SGA would like to thank everyone who participated in the spirit days, the pep rally,
and attended the dance on Saturday, and they hope that this kind of success will continue next year.

10

Although the juniors succeeded in defeating the other class

levels in the tug of war contest, the seniors received the spirit
stick for earning the most points during the entire Homecoming week. Jordan Alston, pictured above, said, This pep
rally was better than any other pep rally and brought people
together.

Hali Dirting nails her high-v during one of the

cheerleaders stunts. When asked what she
thought of the homecoming pep rally, cheerleader Chrissy Petit said, I had a lot of fun, and
there was a lot of interaction, especially with the
scavenger hunt.

To the chants of their classmates, senior students hold up the

spirit stick after winning the pep rally games, dress up days,
and Olweus video competition.

Homecoming isnt just about the football team or the football program, stated head football coach Derek Munson during his speech to the student body. Its about you guys.
The Senior Powder Puff Team stunts Jonathon McGuire while
performing their half-time routine for the student body during
the pep rally. I derive my inspiration from the cheerleaders of
Spring Mills High School; without them I couldnt be the man I
am today, McGuire said.
11

Cardinals Fall to Trojans 35-28

By ASHLEY BOOTHE

Hampshire just barely captured their first win on the road with a close score of 35-28 over Spring Mills.
Hampshire dominated most of the first half with the first touchdown being scored by Andrew Thomas after
they gained possession on a punt from Spring Mills: a 45 yard touchdown with 4:37 left in the first quarter.
Thomas led Hampshire in the number of plays accumulated, most of them being carries. It was the only goal
made in the first quarter. Just under ten plays later at the start of the second quarter, Zachary Rhodes rushed in
for a 3 yard touchdown at 1st and goal thus increasing the score from 7 to 14 with the extra point from Evan
Staley. This put Spring Mills further into a losing situation and continued until the last two minutes of the first
half.
Early on in those first couple of possessions we had miscues and a couple penalties, said head coach
Derek Munson. It made it difficult for us to get anything going in the first half. On the next possession,
Spring Mills took only five plays for Lane Riner to connect to Cody Hammond on a 37 yard pass that brought
the Cardinals to the 12 yard line. Once in scoring position, Riner then connected to Jordan Alston for a 12 yard
touchdown, putting 6 on the board for Spring Mills. It didnt stop there, however, as a two point conversion
was completed, a pass from Riner to Clay Pierce, to set the score at 21-8 and end the half.
The second half became more intense with both teams having to punt at least once before the next touchdown was scored. On the second punt from Spring Mills, Dalton Pritte ran for a 44 yard touchdown to increase
Hampshires lead to 19. It was short lived, though, as the very next play Spring Mills responded with Demetreus Jalepes 68 yard kick return to the 33 yard line. From there, it was a matter of gaining small amounts of
yardage to get in scoring position. Jalepes then brought things full circle with a 2 yard touchdown, but the Cardinals failed on a two point conversion attempt.
Spring Mills then recovered the kick intended for Hampshire at the 49 yard line. The kick was recovered by
Devion Warnsley and gave Spring Mills the leverage it needed. Fifteen yards and two plays later, Riner completed a pass to Hammond once again for a 33 yard touchdown to set the score at 28-20. At that point, things
began to look promising for Hampshire as it managed to keep Spring Mills from scoring anymore in the 3rd
quarter and kept possession into the 4th.
Spring Mills was quick to push Hampshire to punt, allowing them only 4 plays and 5 yards gained. The Cardinals pushed their way down field to the 6 yard line where Riner rushed in for another touchdown which
made the score 28-26. A two point conversion tied the game at 28-28 with 8:02 left in the quarter. Things
looked bleak in that moment for Hampshire, but the Trojans would rally to break the tie several plays later
when Rhodes pressed through the defensive line to score a 3 yard touchdown for his team. Staley then kicked
the final field goal and left Spring Mills unable to recuperate.

12

Nitrome: Taking Your Pixelized Past to the Extreme

By WHITNEY CUNNINGHAM

Nitrome.com is a website played by online gamers every day. As of now, Nitrome has a total of
135 flash games with its 135th game being TurnUndead, released on October 7, 2014. All of their
games on the website, however, are pixelated, just
like the games on Nintendos Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Games such as Pixel Pop,
Super Treadmill, The Bucket, Silly Sausage, and
Mega Mash (all were released in the early 2010s)
are designed as if they are to be played on a Nintendo device from the mid-1980s. The rest of the
flash games are entertaining mini-pixel games
with cute game designs. You may also purchase
the Nitrome Touchy app for your mobile device.
Nitrome Limited, founded by Mat Annal and Heather Stancliffe, is an independent game development company from London, England. Created from a conversation, Annal persuaded Stancliffe that they should make
games for mobile phones. This website was launched on April 3, 2005, with a preview of Chick Flick. Nitromes 100th game, Nitrome Must Die, was released in November 2011; players have to shoot enemies from
99 different games before Nitrome Must Die.
All of the 135 games are singular in their story lines. Take, for instance, Silly Sausage, Worm Food, and
Sky Serpents. Silly Sausage is one of the retro-device games; Worm Food is a game available for the Nitrome
Touchy app, and Sky Serpents is one of your average Nitrome games. Silly Sausage is a platform-like game
where you play as a fictional sausage-like dog that can stretch to collect gems. Collecting all the gems in the
level advances the player to the next level. However, there are many different obstacles in the game. Touching
the obstacles will make the dog lose health. Losing all lives will result in a game over, forcing the player to
retry the level.
In Worm Food, the players character is a mutant worm that eats people from an ancient tribe. By using the
arrow keys on the keyboard to control the worm, the worm must eat enough food to fill up the bar so the next
level can be unlocked. Otherwise, the worm will die and the player will have to replay the level. When this
game is played via the Nitrome Touchy app, the controls on device are used as if playing the game full-screen
on the computer. As this game gets more challenging, completing all 20 levels proves quite difficult.
Sky Serpents is a game played as a young Viking who will master the skills of his father by defeating 15
sky serpents. Use the arrow keys to control the movements and attacks of the Viking. Go to where the heart of
the serpent is present and press the space bar to attack the sky serpent. Defeating all hearts of the serpent will
kill it and advance a player to the next level. To avoid replaying a level, players must not lose all their health.
Hundreds of players sign up for a Nitrome account every day as they may play any of the 135 games on the
website. Want more? Nitrome Touchy is free in the App Store and fun for all ages. Also try some of Nitromes games available in the App Store as well, such as 8bit Doves and Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage. When
you have nothing to do on the computer, try Nitrome!

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Calendar of Events
Tuesday, December 9
Strings concert 7 p.m.
Elementary and Middle School
Wednesday, December 11
SMHS Music Dept. concert 7
p.m.

SMHS Athletics
16

Monday, December 16
SMHS strings show

Wednesday, December 18
SMHS Music Dept. show

Tuesday, December 17
SMHS choral concert 7-8:30
p.m.

Special thanks to CNB for sponsoring the Birds Eye View!

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