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There are two words that every athlete trying out for a sport dread, and those two words are “you’re cut.” Some coaches are nice enough to say “sorry you didn't make it,” but both of these sayings have one thing in common: you did not make the team. However, coaches don’t say this for no reason. Every athlete in school gets a fair chance to prove their skills during tryout week. It all depends on the player and how they present themselves through their effort and attitude.

 The girls’ and boys’ basketball and soccer teams are in the gym and on the field everyday after school, working their hardest to try and make the squad. There are only a limited number of spots on the team that can be filled, which makes getting on the team more difficult. There is a lot of irony in this situation because the main point of playing sports (besides having fun) is the chance to play against other teams; but in reality you are competing against your fellow classmates and friends in attempt to make the squad, or, if you are really good, get a starting position. All of the winter sports teams are trying their hardest to impress their coaches and push themselves into being the best they can be.

 The boys’ basketball practices mainly consist of running because they have to get in shape for the upcoming season. The girls’ basketball team starts out with some laps around the gym, which then escalates to drills that have a lot more running. The main purpose of these drills is to get the girls in shape, especially for those who did not play a fall sport. Next they do shooting drills and practice their offense, and end off the practice with some scrimmaging.

The girls’ and boys’ soccer teams have been working hard in the weight room in previous weeks in order to get strong for their season, along with some major conditioning that includes a lot of running. They have mainly been practicing the fundamentals such as passing, footwork, and defensive and offensive plays. The girls’ team had to pass the Cooper’s test, a mile and a half run in under 13 minutes to make it on the Varsity team.

 Tryout week is mainly about conditioning and preparing for the real season. It helps the coaches see those who are physically and mentally ready to play, and those who are not. Tryouts provide coaches with the opportunity to see how dedicated and coachable a player is to a sport, and whether or not they display the desire to succeed within a team. If they do, then there is no need to fear those dreadful two words.

Story by: Rachael Lemon  

Three teachers in sixty days. That was the time duration in which Mrs. Beasley’s former class suffered until Mrs. Quirante provided the relief that the students desperately needed. At the beginning of November, Mrs. Margaret Quirante, who goes by Mrs.Q, stepped in as the permanent English teacher in room 32.

 During her high school career, Mrs. Q took a year to be an exchange student in Japan, where she fell in love with the Japanese culture. Continuing into college, she moved back to Japan to work in the news entertainment industry, which later took her to New York and Chicago.

That’s when Mrs. Q had a epiphany. Overwhelmed with passion, Mrs. Q became teary-eyed reflecting over the reasons why she became a teacher. Due to working in news entertainment, Mrs. Q was constantly covering stories that were negative. She needed a change, so she became a teacher to bring positivity to the world. “Taking upon a high school English class was a challenge that I was glad to take on” states Mrs. Q.

Having started off the year jumping between substitute teachers, Jasmine Rodriguez expresses that she could not be any happier to have Mrs.Q as a teacher. “Her style of teaching is not much different, and she was able to pick up the work we were doing and continue on where the others left off.”

Mrs. Q is exactly what the English department needed to bring equilibrium to the campus.

The Interact Club is making an effort to give food to 500 less fortunate families in the community. These families are given the food needed to have a plentiful Thanksgiving meal. They are lucky enough, with the help of the Interact Club, to have their dinners in their own homes rather than eating at a soup kitchen or going to the community meal at Breaking Bread. The food for the families include: a turkey, cranberries, rolls, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and a pumpkin pie.

The Interact Club has been managing the food drive since 1998. The club started out giving only 50 turkeys and 50 bags of food. Since then, the Interact Club has grown to 500 turkeys and 500 bags of food for the families.

When having the responsibility of giving 500 meals to families, something has to go wrong. Mrs. Cosgriff says “it’s a matter of what complication it will be this year.” One year, the turkey truck was an hour late. All of the families were already lined up and waiting to get their turkey. Cosgriff says “That was one of the biggest complications, but there is always a complication of making sure we have enough food for everyone.”

 However, the Interact Club cannot fulfill this goal of 500 bags of food without the help of fellow Wildcats. Students are asked to bring in to their second period class canned and boxed food for the food drive. While some students do it out of the goodness of their hearts, others bring in the food to get some extra credit from their teachers. The Interact Club also gives a prize to the class who donates the most food.

 Former student Scott Clinkscales decided he would spread the joy of giving by helping his brother Mark’s 2nd period English class donate canned food. Clinkscales was generous enough to donate over 150 cans of food to the class, putting them in first place for the Interact Club prize.

Whether you’re pitching in to see the gratefulness of these families, or trying to win the Interact prize, it’s all for a good cause and the Wildcats are willing to help every year.