Vol . 1 -2 1 | The Roar Monday, October 19, 2015

W H A T ’ S I N S I D E … L I V I N G I N T H E S H A D O W O F A S I B L I N G Jacqueline Ryan

S T U D E N T S P O T L I G H T : J O N A H H I N T O N ’ S P A P E R Sydney Beech

J O K E S F R O M D R . S H U M A N Tom Scoggin

T H E T W O D O L L A R D I L E M M A Tom Scoggin

P O L L R E S U L T S Kendall Wicker

S O N G S F O R Y O U ! Riley Holifield

G I R L ’ S B A S K E T B A L L T E A M R E V S U P F O R T H E N E W S E A S O N Makenzie Walters

S E N I O R S P O T L I G H T : R O B E R T P I C K E R I N G O N L Y S E M I F I N A L I S T I N J O N E S C O U N T Y Ryan Oehrli

T H E I P H O N E 6 S : W H A T ’ S C H A N G E D A N D W H A T ’ S T H E S A M E ? Brett Harman

L C H S H A S S U C C E S S W I T H M E E T T H E L I O N S Kiser Horne

G I A N T R O B O T F I G H T S A R E A T H I N G N O W Tyler Williams

H E A D M A S T E R ’ S C O R N E R : T R U M A N - A D E F E N S I V E F A T H E R Mr. Rowe

S E N I O R A D V I C E - I S S U E 0 2 Ryan Oehrli

LIVING IN THE SHADOW OF A SIBLINGJACQUELINE RYAN Junior High Writer !

You may be wondering: “What does it mean to live in the shadow of an older sibling?” It means that because your sibling is successful, you feel as though you must also be successful in order to feel a sense of accomplishment and self-worth. !

Quite a few junior high students at LCHS are younger siblings to upperclassmen. On the first day of school, a few of you probably heard a teacher say, “I know your brother/sister” as they were reading roll call. It’s only day one and you are already defined by your older brother or sister. This is especially hard if you have a successful older sibling. Having one is great, but no one wants to feel like they need to live up to someone else’s reputation.

!Your older sibling does not define you. They set their own bar, but you should know that you do not have to compete with them. Do not put them on a pedestal, because no one is perfect. As Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” !Find your own strengths and do something new! You don’t have to join the same clubs as your siblings, nor do you have to play the same sports. Learn from their mistakes, as well as the good things they did. You are your own person. God created you. You are unique. !While I was talking to Grace Jones, she said she feels like she has to live up to her older sisters because they were very successful academically and with extracurricular activities. Grace then said, ”Do not live in their past; live in your now.” Every single person on this earth is made in the image of God, and no one person is like another. God called us here to fulfill our own purpose, not someone else’s.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. ROWE!

Photo Credits to Leann Dunagin

S tu dent s at L C H S celebrated Headmaster Norman Rowe’s 52nd birthday on Thursday, S e p t . 2 4 . H e w a s provided a festive room renovation by thi s year’s senior class.

the ROAR LCHS

NEW

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RILEY HOLIF IELD Entertainment Writer !

There are plenty of songs out there that almost everyone has heard of, but I’m going to let both girls and guys in on some that are not all that popular yet.

Fo r t h e g i r l s , t h e re ’ s a n encouraging song by a young female artist, Bea Miller. Her album, Not an Apology, was released in the summer of 2015, but there is one song that just stands out.

“Paper Doll” is a song about the concept of bullying. It teaches us to not care what other people think and to stand up for ourselves. The line, “Cut me down / But I won’t fall / I’m not a paper doll” really expresses the powerful message to not let other people’s words or actions hurt you. So, girls, if you're looking for an empowering song, “Paper Doll” is definitely the one.

Next, a song for the guys is a new single by pop singer Andy Grammer. You may know him from hits such as “Keep Your Head Up” and “Honey I’m Good,” or maybe you have even seen him on this year’s season of “Dancing with the Stars.”

Andy recently released his new single, “Good to be Alive (Hallelujah)” that has a meaningful message behind it; not to mention, it’s catchy, too!

The meaning behind the song is that life is full of ups and downs, but there’s still so much to be thankful for. The lyrics are relatable for anyone who has accomplished something big or felt like they’ve hit a breakthrough in something.

These two songs are very inspirat ional and should definitely be on everyone’s playlist this year!

Vol . 1 -2The Roar | 2Monday, October 19, 2015

JOKES FROM DR. SHUMANDR. STEVE SHUMAN Humor Writer Compiled by Tom Scoggin !

Q: Why did the music teacher need a ladder?

A: To reach the high notes. !Q: What music are balloons scared of?

A: Pop music. !Q: What do you call a book that's about the brain?

A: A mind reader. !Q. Did you hear about the party a little boy had for his sister’s dolls?

A: It was a Barbie-Q. !Q: How does a suit put his child into bed?

A: He tux him in. !Q: What's the difference between a cat and a frog?

A: A cat has nine lives but a frog croaks every night! !Q: What is a tree's favorite drink?

A: Root beer! !Q: What four letters will frighten a burglar?

A: O I C U !Q: Where does bad light go?

A: To prism! !Q: What do sea monsters eat?

A: Fish and ships.

THE TWO DOLLAR DILEMMATOM SCOGGIN Humor Writer !

A few years ago, a family friend went to a Ward's in another town to get a burger. The burger and drink he bought costed around $2. The man paid with a two-dollar bill… The server who took his

money asked very kindly if he was kidding and tried to hand the cash back to him. The customer was very serious and asked for the manager.

Apparently, the manager was under the impression that the government did not allow

two-dollar bills to be printed. The man had a fifty-dollar bill, but, reasonably, he didn't want to have to break it.

The manager, who was starting to get f r u s t r at e d , g o t a security guard. The

guard couldn't wrap his head around what the fuss was about, so he asked the customer why he was using a two-dollar bill. The man said he did not want to break the fifty-dollar bill that he had in his pocket.

Well, the story ends with the security not caring and convincing the manager that there were still two-dollar bills around in the world.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: JONAH HINTON’S PAPERSYDNEY BEECH Feature Writer !

Here at The Roar, we are always h a p p y t o h i g h l i g h t t h e achievements of our students. Eighth-grader Jonah Hinton’s paper for Bible class is definitely worth sharing.

In Mr. Ray Harbaugh’s 8th grade Bible class, students choose one from over 40 biographies to read. These biographies are centered on the lives of inspiring Christian individuals. Once finished reading, the students are required to write a three to five paragraph summary on anything they liked in the book.

Jonah’s summary was on “Robert Moffat: Africa’s Brave Heart.”

Jonah writes, “Robert Moffat was born in Ormiston, East Lothian, Scotland in 1795. Robert was brought up in an ordinary home with his brothers and sisters. Despite this, Robert Moffat

would grow up to be a very famous missionary. As a young boy, Robert learned to work hard. Another person that would have learned to work hard at a young age is Jesus, seeing as he was brought up in a carpenter’s home.”

Mr. Harbaugh said he felt Jonah’s paper “highlighted some key things about Robert Moffat’s life.” He admired that his student went above and beyond what the original assignment required and that he wrote neatly. “I appreciate his effort and feel the local school paper would be a great avenue for future writers like Jonah,” Mr. Harbaugh said.

POLL RESULTSKENDALL WICKER Poller !

The Laurel Christian High School newspaper staff asked students who they would like to see win the upcoming presidential election. There were nine different candidates to choose from: Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, and Joe Biden. If a student did not want to vote for any of the candidates listed then they could just mark “other.” Ben

Carson came in first place with a total of seventy-three votes, and Donald Trump came in second place with forty-six votes. The option “other” came in third place with a total of eight votes. In fourth place were Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, and Bernie Sanders having seven votes. In fifth and sixth place were Hillary Clinton, who had six votes, and Ted Cruz, who had five votes. Lastly, in seventh place were Jeb Bush and Joe Biden with two votes.

SONGS FOR YOU!

Vol . 1 -2 3 | The Roar Monday, October 19, 2015

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: ROBERT PICKERING ONLY SEMIFINALIST IN JONES COUNTYRYAN OEHRLI Editor-in-chief !

Laurel Christian High Scho ol s en ior Rob er t Pickering says life for him is about doing his best so he can glorify God.

Pickering , the son of Stacey and Whitney Pickering, is the only Nat ional Mer it Scholarship semifinalist in Jones County.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is, according to its website, “an academic comp et it ion for reco gnit ion and scholarships” that began in 1955. The scholarship’s qualifiers are chosen based on their Preliminary SAT/NMSQT scores and there is a cutoff for each state.

“Anyone who knows Robert knows he’s a hard-working guy,” LCHS Headmaster Norman Rowe said. “After he took the test in his sophomore year, I identified him as someone who scored well, and so I told him he might have a chance at being a semifinalist if he continued to work at it.”

Pickering’s score that landed him a spot was “well above” the minimum needed to place, Rowe said.

“But he’s not just smart,” the headmaster said. “His student leadership is also impressive.”

Last May, Pickering was elected governor at Mississippi Boys State, a summer program where high school juniors campaign for state-level political offices and later run a mock government.

Immediately after that week-long event ended, the Rural Medical Scholars Program began. He was right back at it, taking biology classes and talking to doctors at Mississippi State University.

Now he stays busy as a coach for Little Dribblers, a program where elementary children at LCS are taught how to play basketball by high schoolers. “It’s like herding cats,” Pickering said with a laugh. “They’re just so energetic and so excited about being able to dribble a basketball, but it’s so much fun. And I was surprised to see that they do follow instructions.”

Rowe said that the selection as a semifinalist is more than just another accolade.

“He’s not just filling out a résumé,” the headmaster said. “He’s just that kind of a person. He’s the total package, but that doesn’t mean that he wears it on his sleeve.”

LCHS HAS SUCCESS WITH MEET THE LIONSKISER HORNE News Writer !

On Thursday, Sept. 22, Laurel Chri st ian High School held its annual Meet the Lions fundraiser in the school ’s gym. Through donations and money from sold barbecue plates, $2000

was raised to support fall and winter athletic programs. Coach Bill Maner, who coordinated the event, said attendance exceeded all expectations with “more t h a n 3 0 0 p e o p l e ” s how i n g up . Entertainment included a three-point

shooting contest headed by student Robert Pickering and a short dance

session featuring a few ambitious teachers “hitting the quan.” A spring Meet the Lions is planned to raise money for spring athletics, but a date and other details have not been set.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL TEAM REVS UP FOR THE NEW SEASONMAKENZIE WALTERS Sports Writer !

The goal for this year’s girls’ basketball team is to hold the opposition 0 to 30 points in every game and score at least 10 points each quarter. That’s what Tamara Grubbs, the head coach, told The

Roar in an interview on Tuesday, Sept. 29. !It’s an ambitious goal, but Grubbs is confident in her team’s abilities. She said it has a lot of new players this year, and that, for the first time in a few years, there will be a junior varsity team. !The roster is so big, in fact, that there has not yet been a practice where every player was present. !

Still, Grubbs is optimistic. “We want to win 10 games in the whole season,” she said. And just how they’ll do that? “With solid defense,” the coach said. “That’s the focus for us.” !The junior varsity team is set to play at the Lion’s Den on Nov. 2 at 6:00 p.m. They’ll be taking on the Meridian Flyers , a homeschool group. !Grubbs asked that every student at LCHS and their parents come and cheer for the new team. “Come and support us with full spirit!” she said. !Pictured from left to right Back row: Coach Tamara Grubbs, Savannah Pitts, Dixie Lei Hodges, Erin Leist, Nia Jasper, Lizzy Sullivan, Tirzah Ginn, Katherine Butler, Erin Chard, Coach Melissa Harman Front row: Khloe Shaffer, Hannah Shirley, Karoline Buter, Beth Chard, Laiken Langley, Grace Adcock

BRET T HARMAN Technology Writer !

Apple’s iPhone 6s has some new features to offer, but a lot of what’s on display is same-old, same-old. While it’s true that the 6s does some new things, it also borrows a lot from last year’s iPhone 6,

which, just like the 6s, was touted as “the latest and greatest” in technology when it came out.

So, what’s new?

For starters, there’s a new 3D touch feature. Extra options pop up for first- and third-party apps when you hold your thumb on the home screen. It adds a new level of convenience to software on the 6s, but, admittedly, there’s not much else to it.

And then there’s Live Photo, which is a bit weird. Live Photo shows what happened seconds before and after you took a picture. I have yet to understand its purpose, and what’s more: It takes up a substantial amount of storage.

Lastly, something that may actually be persuasive enough to get you to consider the 6s: the new A9 processor, the fastest processor in an iPhone to date. If it were put up against the A8 in the iPhone 6, the A9 would win by a landslide, with its 70% faster CPU performance and 90% faster graphics performance. The M9 motion processor is now built in with the A9

processor, rather than separate as it was in the A8.

Overall, though, not much has changed.

There is an obvious similarity between the two phones’ screens, with their 4.7 inch LED-backlit IPS LCD (750 x1334 pixels). The 6s might be a little brighter, but not so

much that picture quality changes, especially when you compare it to the 6. The screen for the 6s is the same screen as the one on the 6, meaning it has the same level of durability.

The last thing Apple left the same is the battery. Battery life for the iPhone 6s and the 6 are just about the same; battery life can last for ten hours, but only on Wi-Fi. The disappointment with the battery life is that it is shorter when not on Wi-Fi. This could have been an area Apple improved on, but they chose not to.

When it comes down to it, buyers are going to have to decide if they’ve waited long enough for a new iPhone, because the 6s doesn’t sell itself.

THE iPHONE 6s: WHAT’S CHANGED AND WHAT’S THE SAME?

TYLER WILL IAMS Columnist !

In the rapidly advancing world, a longtime dream of humans has finally come true: giant robots are now real. Two companies in particular have made this happen. There’s the American company, MegaBots, and the Japanese company, Suidobashi Heavy Industries. Last April, these two robotics companies shocked the world. MegaBots challenged Suidobashi to a duel, and they agreed. A specific set of rules

hasn’t been released yet, but the brawl is supposedly set for April 2016. !Suidobashi also suggested a melee combat rule, although this hasn’t been made official. !Coming from the MegaBots corner is the Mark II, a large mecha that features a two-person piloting system and two wrist-mounted paint cannonball launchers, capable of shooting at a speed of over one hundred miles per hour. This robot is meant to be the future of paintball, literally. MegaBots says its dream is to mechanize the game of paintball. This mecha doesn’t feature interchangeable weapons and is not a melee robot, but MegaBots is building a fully battle-ready robot just for the duel. MegaBots most important factor is that it’s an American company, so you can be sure it will produce a robot that is ready to scrap anything in its way and made to take hits. It may look like it was designed in a junkyard, but it doesn’t have to be pretty to demolish its opponent. !Suidobashi Heavy Industries will be bringing the Kuratas Prototype 001 to the party this April. This is a multi-weapon monster, with a single pilot cockpit and an advanced locking and targeting system. This mecha includes: four twin BB Gatling guns, a LOHAS launcher, and large, crane-like claws capable of lifting small trees. It also features a unique way of firing, the “Smile Shot.” This feature allows the Kuratas to fire over six thousand BBs a minute when the pilot smiles. No, I’m not kidding. With a single laugh, you can unleash a bullet storm in the Kuratas. But the most interesting thing about the Kuratas is its many ways of control. It can be piloted by a hands-on command hub, a master-slave function or even your phone via 3G network. Rival nations, giant robots, and a winner takes all death duel. What could possibly go wrong?

MR. ROWE LCHS Headmaster !

Harry Truman was president at the end of World War II and made the decision to use the atomic bombs on Japan. He then led our country through most of the Korean War and the early phases of the Cold War. Truman was also

a father of one daughter, Margaret Truman. He loved and adamantly supported her. After receiving some vocal training, Margaret began a singing career in 1947. However, there was one problem: she couldn’t sing very well. She did, nonetheless, get the opportunity to perform in several solo concerts. One of those concerts was performed at Constitution Hall on Dec. 5, 1950. The audience of 3,500 included President Truman, his wife Bess and British Prime Minister Clement Attlee.

Also in attendance at the concert was Paul Hume, the music editor for the Washington Post. In his column the next day, Hume wrote a scathing review of Miss Truman’s performance. He wrote, “Miss Truman is a unique American phenomenon with a pleasant voice of little size and fair quality. She is extremely attractive on stage, yet Miss Truman cannot sing very well.” He continued, stating that, “She is flat a good deal of the time… There are few moments during her recital when one can relax and feel confident that she will make her goal, which is the end of the song.” He further dropped the hammer by arguing that she “has not improved in the years we have heard her… She still cannot sing with anything approaching professional finish… And still the public goes and pays the same price it would for the world’s finest singers…” He concluded his editorial by adding, “It is an extremely unpleasant duty to record such unhappy facts about so honestly appealing a person. But as long as Miss Truman sings as she has for three years, and does today, we seem to have no recourse unless

it is to omit comment on her programs altogether.”˝

Pres ident Truman d i s covered Hume ’ s assessment when he opened his copy of the Post at 5:30 a.m. the next morning. He promptly took pen in hand and wrote a scathing, over the top note to the reviewer.

“I've just read your lousy review of Margaret's concert,” the letter said. “I've come to the conclusion that you are an ‘eight ulcer man on four ulcer pay.’ It seems to me that you are a frustrated old man [Hume was only 37 at the time.] who wishes he could have been successful. When you write such poppy-cock as was in the back section of the paper you work for it shows conclusively that you're off the beam and at least four of your ulcers are at work.”

The letter continued,“Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you'll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below! Pegler [a newspaper writer who had a very bad reputation], a gutter snipe, is a gentleman alongside you. I hope you'll accept that statement as a worse insult than a reflection on your ancestry. H.S.T.”

I hope I am not stretching this story too much to make a spiritual point. Yet, I would like to suggest that we have a heavenly Father who loves and defends his children with as much intensity as Truman, who, in a mostly unjustified way, defended his daughter. Stuart Townend’s hymn, which we sometimes sing in chapel, reminds us of that truth. “How deep the Father’s love for us / How vast beyond all measure / That He should give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure. How great the pain of searing loss / The Father turns His face away, as wounds which mar the Chosen One bring many sons to glory.”

Vol . 1 -2The Roar | 4Monday, October 19, 2015

GIANT ROBOT FIGHTS ARE A THING NOW

LET’S BE CHEERLEADERS! SUPPORT THE TEAM!MRS. HALL Journalism Teacher !

Props to the LCHS newspaper team on a job well done! The Sept. 21st publication of The Roar was well received and celebrated by faculty and students alike. With this edition, we are challenged to keep our

readers interested. Our team would appreciate getting story ideas from you! Just email us at theroar@laurelchr i st ian .org with your suggestions. !Currently, we are distributing printed editions to the students in grades 7-9. Students in grades 10-12 can access the online version from their school issued laptops. Feedback from the students has indicated that most in the upper grades would prefer having a printed edition. Also, we would like to offer enough printed editions for students to be able to share with family that might not look at our online edition. Because printed editions are costly and our newspaper budget does not allow for this

additional expense, we would like to ask our student, parent, grandparent, and business readers to sponsor our newspaper. In the coming editions, we will have a portion of the paper dedicated to those have been willing to encourage the efforts of our staff by becoming a financial sponsor. The following is a suggestion of sponsorship amounts: !$25 donation- sponsorship listing in 1 issue $50 donation- sponsorship listing in 2 issues $100 donation- sponsorship listing in 4 issues $200 donation- sponsorship listing in all remaining issues !Donations can be sent to the school office (checks made payable to LCS). Please note on the correspondence who you would like listed in the paper as the sponsor(s) and that your donation is for the newspaper. For those who are unable to be our financial cheerleaders but are enjoying the paper, please send us an e n c o u r a g i n g e m a i l a t theroar@laurelchristian.org.

HEADMASTER’S CORNER: TRUMAN - A DEFENSIVE FATHER

SENIOR ADVICE - ISSUE 02RYAN OEHRLI Editor-in-chief !

With October’s ACT right around the corner, here’s some advice from the senior class.

“Take the ACT more than once, but DON’T take it at Laurel.” - Sydney Baker

“My recommendation is to get a good score. It is a good idea.” - Anna Bell

“Try to not get that one proctor who speaks fluent not-English.” - Anna Bell

“DON’T take the ACT at Laurel.” - Ivy DeLoach

“Don’t get distracted by all the strange noises that you WILL hear.” - Laura Jones

“It’s better to have an ACT score and not need it than to need one and not have it.” - Nick Mauldin

“Take the writing test. The prompt is almost always easy and chances are you’ll score well. Besides, it only takes an extra 30 minutes.” - Ryan Oehrli

“If you need a confidence booster, take the ACT at Bay Springs. It’ll make you feel better about yourself.” - Robert Pickering

“Don’t wait until the night before to print out your ticket. If you’re like me, the website will be down and you’ll have to forge one.” - Katelyn Regan

“Never take the ACT when you have the flu.” - Jaclyn Walley