The Wonderous World of Mr. Ogle: Part I

by Blade Hall

Mr. Ogle started his teacher blog two years ago to try and extend the classroom and its discussions. He had wanted to try and reach out to students that needed help outside of class. This past summer he started to do his Adventures in Fatherhood blog as a hobby and hopes to use it as a rough draft for a book he wants to write about his life and, as the name implies, what he has experienced as a father. He also wanted to build a relationship with his students on a more personal level and show that teachers have families and lives outside of school too; they aren't just robots that go on the charger after 3:20 and get off at 8:10.

Mr. Ogle also teaches a creative writing class that’s meant to prepare students for college and designed his lesson plans and class work to resemble those of a college class. One of the things that he has his students do is frequently write a blog. So far he’s been surprised by the knowledge that his students show through their blogs and how passionate they are about the things that they write about. These blogs have been viewed by people from fifteen different countries, but he wants to get these literacy works viewed by a bigger audience of viewers. The topics of these blogs range from school life to things like hunting and mechanics. Then, there are some that are modeling Mr. Ogle’s own blog and talk about their home lives or what it’s like to be a brother or sister.

Mr. Ogle wants his students to take the skills that they learned in class and apply them to whatever career they choose so they “can go beyond English.”

Curl Up on the Couch with Something Scary

by Olivia Underwood

With Halloween just a short time away, now is the time to stock up on Hollywood’s scariest horror films. But with so many out there, which scary movies are looking good and which ones are looking sad? Well I’m here to help with my handy-dandy pumpkin scary scale!

1 Pumpkin = Is this movie a comedy?
2 Pumpkins = Oookay, a little spooky.
3 Pumpkins = NOOOO! DON’T GO IN THERE!
4 Pumpkins = I think I just peed my pants…

Movie 1: Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho = 4 Pumpkins
This movie is a classic and a must see for all horror or suspense movie lovers. As always Hitchcock’s use of music, atmosphere, and just the right amount of gore gives viewers an enjoyable ride. This film follows the story of the strange disappearance of blonde beauty Marion from the sinister Bait’s motel. With a twisty ending and an awesome starring role played by Antony Perkins, this is one you shouldn’t watch alone.

Movie 2: Killer Clowns from Outer Space = 1 Pumpkin
Alright, I know there are many people that are deathly afraid of clowns, but this movie is simply ridiculous. The plot follows a man as he tries to save a town from the evil clowns that have crash landed their space ship nearby. Although the clown costumes are a little creepy, the fights are ridiculous, the drunken sheriff is annoying, and the acting is terrible. Not surprisingly, with a 1 Pumpkin rating, this is one you can skip.

Movie 3: The Invasion = 3 Pumpkins
This 2007 remake of the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a thrilling ride of suspense with one of my favorite actresses, Nicole Kidman, as the starring role. Kidman plays a mother and a doctor who must save her son from an alien invasion of the microscopic scale. The rules of the game? Never trust anyone, never show emotion, and NEVER fall asleep. For making me look a little funny at my friends and neighbors, I give this movie three pumpkins.

Movie 4: Sleepy Hollow = 2 Pumpkins
This movie is a Tim Burton retelling of the tale of the headless horsemen. With Johnny Depp as policeman Ichabod Crane, this movie is a wonderful time but isn’t quite as scary as some. There are plenty of bloodless decapitations but I would still recommend that you give this enjoyable movie a try.

She Calls Him Raymond...

by Blade Hall

Brett Eldredge’s first single, “Raymond”, was premiered on CMT October 1st. He wrote the song while thinking about his grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s. Because of this first hit he’s been named CMT’s “Next Big Thing.”

While watching the music video, I can remember thinking to myself, “Wow, these are such deep, emotional song lyrics.” This is a great thing for someone so young and him being a “rookie” in the country music business. It shows that he has great potential and he’s an amazing song writer. I’m definitely going to keep an ear out for all of Brett’s music throughout his career. After hearing from a friend that Brett was a native from Paris, it just made him seem that much more amazing. I can’t help myself from thinking that this won’t be his last hit single. I can’t help myself from anticipating his debut album and waiting for him to release new songs.

Brett is very active for now. is going to be performing at the Second Annual Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s For the Love of George Cocktail Party along with South of Eden and Shannon Brown while also touring around the country for a radio show. He’s going to places like Miami, Orlando, and the famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville talking about his songs and making the people of Paris proud. I know I’m not the only one when I say good luck Brett and we hope you have a lot of success in your career!

by Kayla Foushee

Everyone needs a boost of confidence every once and a while. I recently read a book that was all about confidence and self esteem. This wonderful book was about something people go through every day. It’s about how no matter what people do to fit in, if you let the people that make fun of you get to you, you’ll feel as if you aren’t good enough. This is the message of Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee.

In Artichoke’s Heart the main characters name is Rosemary and she has a problem. She’s over weight. All she’d ever wanted to do was fit in. In an attempt to fit in she asked her mother to get her this special jacket that everyone was getting. Her mother scrimps and saves to get her the jacket and they only have it in green. When she arrives at school with her new jacket and people start making fun of her and calling her ‘artichoke’ or ‘arty’ or ‘choky.’

As we move forward into Rose’s future, she hits an all time high or all time low. Rose’s weight hits 204. She decides now that she has to change something. Though her methods of losing weight may not be the best, none the less she tries. However while Rose is going through her weight problem she finds out her mother has Hodgkin’s disease. While Rose is battling with her weight, Rose’s mother is facing her disease head on.

Through Rose’s process of losing weight she gains a true friend and boy that really care about her. Rose loses her weight over a period of time but also gains confidence and caring people. "Well... when you look at a person's eyes or her smile, you can't tell how much she weighs..." (p253).Even though she loses the weight people still make fun of her but she’s at the point where she knows now that she has people that love and care about her. “Life is like an artichoke, you can only get so much at a time. I finally see that now.” (p275)

Rose goes through a lot of stuff over the course of the book, and I know that what she went through could actually happen and has happened to people out our school. I learned a valuable lesson from this book. Making fun of people is awful. Even if you think they don’t care I’m almost positive they do. Don’t judge a book by its cover because if you do you might be missing out on the most valuable lesson of your life.