Baby Chicks are Cute but Samonella isn't

Many families buy chicks for Easter presents, but these little birds may be carrying more than just an afternoon of fun. Salmonella is caused by bacteria in animal feces. Sometimes the chicks get their feces on their beaks, wings, and feathers. When children go to pick the chicks up they get the feces on their hands. Most children put their hands in their mouths, and if they haven't washed their hands they can get food poisoning,(salmonella). The best way to prevent salmonella is just to wash your hands after you handle the chicks. So next time you touch a chick be sure to wash your hands.

by: Seth and Monte

Gun Safety

We believe you need to have a background check to be able to purchase a gun. It is not the gun that is violent it is the person that uses the gun to make violence. Guns such as machine guns, snipers, and other dangerous guns should only be able to be used for wars. We also believe you should have to have a separate gun license to purchase a gun.


Ryan
Daulton
Tanner

Gas Prices

Officials say people are driving less which means there's less money from gas taxes to fix the state. Also according to state revenue department, Iowans used about 19 million fewer gallons of gasoline and ethanol- blended fuels from February 2007 to February 2008 than in the previous 12-month period. Gas is over $3 a gallon, the overriding reason people are cutting back on unnecessary trips.

Heather

Homework

For our blog project we did it on the way we felt about homework and they way a couple of teachers felt about homework. The two teachers were Mr. Mast and Mrs. Orr. First we asked the teachers how they felt about homework. Mr. Mast said he thinks that without it, students are not able to learn and master concepts. Mrs. Orr said she thinks it is important to do individual work but too much can be stressful. We think it refreshes our mind but we shouldn't have too much of it. Another question we asked is how long do you think homework should take. Mr. Mast said he thinks it should take 20-30 minutes a subject. Mrs. Orr said she thinks it should take 2 hours a night at the most for all subjects. We thought it should only take 20-30 minutes for all of it. Mrs. The next question we asked was should we have it or not. Mr. Mast said definitely. Mrs. Orr said yes but not every night, especially Fridays. We said yes but definitely not on weekends. The last question we asked is do you think it helps us get better grades. Mr. Mast said yes if you don't do homework you will probably not do well on tests or quizzes. Mrs. Orr said "I think it helps teachers more than the students". It can help improve grades. We said that it helps us on class work and tests or quizzes. That is how Mr. Mast and Mrs. Orr felt about homework. It is also how we felt about homework.

Jake V.
Jacob F.
Christian W.

School Shootings and Shooting Threats

These terrible shootings are often provoked by the shooter's classmates or former classmates who have annoyed the shooter to violence as a form of revenge.
Some killers will create a false alarm, and in the chaos, open fire on the victims. Other times, there are written and/or verbal threats. The Virginia Tech shooting started with a written threat. In other cases, a threat is received or delivered by an accomplice and the building or area is locked down A.S.A.P. Sometimes the killer will already be in the building and either take hostages or start shooting randomly. Shootings can be any time, any day, anywhere. It doesn't matter if you are the killer's best friend or their enemy, you can be killed even if they don't want you to be. They are shooting aimlessly and don't care (or don't know) who they hit.


Grace
Alex

Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter is out of Major League Baseball until late July for the St. Louis Cardinals. He injured his elbow September 30th 2007 playing the Pitsburg Pirates. He will most likely have to go back to the minors until he he is fully recovered. Now all us fans can do is wait and see. Go here for major league stats.

Gage
Harlee
Dallas
DJ

GOING GREEN!

What has the environment ever done to you?Nothing right?Well then why are we destroying it?If you are concerned about what can happen listen to this; companies are starting to realize that they can help.Here's some tabs on what companies are making doing and what you can do to help the environment.Cleaning products like chlorox decided to go green and so did laundry detergent.Also jewlery,makeup,clothes solar panels to heat and light buildings,paint,light bulbs,and cars.Actually,in some states they are banning water bottles because people are not recycling them.Also taxis are "going green"by turning hybrid.You have control on what happens to our earth so choose recycle or don't recycle.

What if Animals Fought Back?

What if animals started hunting us? Where would we go? What would we do? This probably won't ever happen but what would we do if it did? What do you think we should if it did happen. Why would we do that?


Matt,
Eathen, Austin

Lock down 101

Has your school been in or practiced a lock down? Well if not, you need to! Being safe in a lock down, is key. So, we are going to tell you how your school and everyone in it, will be safe during a lock down.
Your classroom should be prepared. You need to close the windows and blinds, lock and shut the door,turn off the lights, remain silent and cooperative, turn off all electronics, and remove the battery from cell phones, blackberry's, and other hand held devices. Make sure all children stay with the group the teacher is in. Now there is possibility you may be in the hallway, you are to run to the nearest classroom and try to get in. For more information go to school lock downs.
We hope you have learned something from this. If you or anyone you know doesn't know what to do in a lock down please tell them, because safety is key, and we want everyone to stay safe.

Serenity N.
Courtney P.
Kaytlynn S.

St. Louis Cardinals

It started in Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. It was the final inning in the 2006 World Series. 2 strikes and the pitching. The pitcher threw the ball and the batter went to hit the ball and missed. For a moment it felt like the world stopped. The crowd cheered and screamed as the players in the dugout ran out on the field and made a big dog pile. David Eckstein was awarded M.V.P. 6 months after the World Series; a heart breaking accident on Interstate 64 took place. The pitcher of the Cardinals, John Hancock, was killed. He died on the scene. The Saturday before his death he pitched three innings against the Cubs. As the 2008 season is about to begin the St.Louis Cards traded third baseman Scott Rolen will be playing for Troy Glaus. Rolen will be playing for the Toronto Blue Jays. Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder won't be ready opening day, but the new player (Juan Gonzalez) is there to rescue them in the new season. Eight players are injured: Matt Clement, Chris Carpenter, Juan Encarnacion, Dewon Brazelton, and Mark Mulder. Albert Pujols has an elbow injury and probably will be out, but right now it is not for sure thing. It looks as if the Cardinals are already off to a rough season,but in the end Cardinals Fans will always love them.

Rebecca

Amanda

How kids are efeected by heavy metal music

I personally think that kids are not effected negatively by heavy metal music .I'm always telling kids about music i like and telling them to get on you tube and look up the bands i suggest.The worst comment ive gotten so far is slipknots mask are scary.I think that parent with nothing better to do than be paranoid are the only ones who will object.I personally love metal in all its forms.Anyone who objects probably isn't a friend of mine.Please give me your opinions on this matter.

Badminton

Badminton is a sport that you use a birdie in. Anyone that starts to bleed must leave immediately. A coin toss determines who gets it first. Games are played to fifteen points. You must win by two points.Points are only scored if you are serving the bird. Both feet must be firm. You can only score if they miss, hit it twice. If the bird hits a player it goes to the other team. Some faults are if a player goes under the net , hits the net , or the bird gets stuck in the net.


Courtney Zach
Heather

Halo3

The newest of the halo projects is a global phenomenon. It is the number one game of the century. The game is about when the covenant controls the earth and we are forced in to outer space in the year 2552. With the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance. 14.5 million units have been sold worldwide. It is the most complete online multiplayer experience ever conceived.

Roman,Chase ,Jacob,Trevor

Farm Income and Cost

The farm income and cost briefing room provides indicators of economic performance for the U.S. farm sector and major crop and livestock farm groups. The farm balance sheet estimates that the USDA and other public and private sectors form a perspective about the financial health of the U.S. agricultural economy. Identification of these businesses enables analysis to more closely examine factors contributing to performance. Farmers estimate a farm sector income with component accounts for the U.S.,1910-2008.

BY:Thomas
Kayleen

Vending Machines

Most vending machines have all junk food. Some people think there should be more healthy foods. We think there should be healthy and non-healthy foods. If there is a junk food machine there should be healthy food one also. We can only use ours before and after school hours. We think you should be able to use it during school if you want more for lunch or if you forget your lunch. There have been news reports about school vending machines having all junk food in vending machines. We think there should be some healthy foods too.


by :Monte W.
Seth T.

Decrease In Band Kids

Band at Payson Seymour starts in the 5th grade and stays around the same numbers until 6th grade.Then when they hit Jr. High the numbers dramatically decrease. The reasons Mr. Bowman(our band and chorus instructor)thinks it is such a dramatic decrease are:

1.More choice of classes you can pick from Agriculture, Art, Keyboarding, and Home Economics.

2.Kids are not as interested in music because in grade school you had 3 choices band, guitar,or chorus.


Mr. Bowman believes his numbers will go up because he has been with this group of kids all the way through from sixth grade.It is also a rather large class so that should help to.

Daulton,Tanner,Ryan

Is Brittany Crazy of Not?

"Hit me baby one more time." I'm sure you've heard of this song before Brittany Spears turned crazy. She was a gymnast when she was young. At 8 years old she auditioned for the Disney Channel Series, but the producer of the show introduced her to the New Mickey Mouse Club. She was too young to join the series, but the producer of the show introduced her to a New York City Agent. In 1997 Spears joined an all female pop group and then decided to go solo. She was eventually signed by the Jive records and became an opening act for pop groups 'N Sync and Backstreet Boys.' Spears debut single " Baby One More Time" was released in 1998 and was an international. That was just the beginning of her fame. Now she has two children, went to Rehab, married once for 55 hours, and is always getting caught drinking and driving.

So, do you think Brittany has gotten twisted in the Hollywood fame or is she still good at heart?

You Decide!

Taylor
Kristen
Ariann

2008 Presidential Election

As most people know, the amount of candidates for president are now limited to six individuals. These individuals include Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on the democratic side. The republican side consists of Ron Paul, John McCain, and Mike Huckabee. Then, there is Ralph Nader who is the only independent candidate. Within our group, we have narrowed it down to two candidates who we want to win. These two candidates are Barack Obama and Ron Paul. Half of our group wants Barack Obama to win the presidential election because he will bring the troops home within the first 16 to 18 months of his presidency. Also, it would make a point that any race can be president. The other half of our group wants Ron Paul to win because he is a republican and goes for what we believe are the right things. These include going against abortion. He has even stated that he will bring the military home immediately. We have told you our opinion on this election. Who will you vote for in the 2008 Presidential election?

By: E. Davis A. Zanger B. Hultz L. Cunningham

iPod vs. Zune

With all the new mp3 players coning out, it is becoming a battle between iPod and Zune. iPods not only have an appealing thinness, but also have a click wheel. On the other hand, Zunes can share music with other Zunes and possess Wi-Fi capability. Both can hold pictures, videos, and music. Which one you choose will depend on what you are looking for. If you are a person that exercises regularly, the lightweight iPod is probably the best choice. If you are accustomed to traveling a lot, Zune's large screen for videos is great. I personally prefer iPods, but I have a friend that assures me that Zunes are definitely better. Zunes and iPods are both great. Check out zunescene to find out more about Zunes and iPods.
-Catherine Richards
Hannah Mahon

8th Grade Volleyball

The Payson Seymour Jr. High volleyball team has had a very successful season, with an undefeated record of 16-0. We started the season off with two tough games against Unity and Quincy. We prepared for the Quincy game and were nervous to play them. We won the game in two. We played our last home game Thursday February 21 with a win. We had a tournament at Unity where we finished second. In our regional the Lady Braves are seeded number one and will get a bye the first game.

J. Patrick
K. Huber
E. Smith

Safety Features

We have all been thinking about new safety features on equipment. A lot of times they can be helpful, but sometimes they can be a pain.
We have all been mowing the lawn since we were 8 to 10 years old. We were so light, the weight limit on the seat would turn off the mower. Also on combines (harvesting machines) there is a buzzer that tells you when the hopper is full. This can be a pain because sometimes you can still put more grain in the hopper. The buzzer doesn't turn off until you unload. These features can prevent injuries or death from happening. These safety features can also alert you before a serious accident.
Even though these safety features can be a pain, won't regret them in the end.


chris chad eric

HUNTING

You should not be able to go over the limit of killing deer, because killing too many deer messes with the cycle of life. You need to stop at the limit but hunting is good money off the products they are selling for hunting supplies. Hunting is just not for fun it is a game. They make a lot of money off of the deer meat like summer sausage. It is around $10 for a roll of it. We learned from William J. Doeson that deer hunting helps limit overpopulation.

Brandon
Joey
Amy

Gas Prices

Gas prices are too high! They are about $3.50 a gallon. Austin,Matt,and I have no clue why they are getting so high. It's ridiculous! Why do you thick they are so high? What price do you think it should be?
Eathen
Matt
Austin

Army Suicide

In 2007 suicide made a 20% jump from the year before. As many as 121 American soldiers committed suicide in 2007 alone. A total of 121, if all confirmed is more than double the 52 reported in 2001. Reports show an increase of self- inflicted injuries and attempted injuries. The soldiers who committed suicide showed signs of post- traumatic stress. 35% of soldiers are searching for medical health help after they have returned from the war. Officials have worked to set up a number of new programs and ones. These provide mental health care to the force. Troops that are avoiding counseling fear it will harm their career.


Written by:Alex Zanger
& Grace Behrensmeyer

3-team blockbuster trade

Did you hear about the last second trade right at the deadline? The teams that were included in this trade are the Cleveland Cavaliers,Seattle Supersonics,and the Chicago bulls.The Cleveland Cavaliers got Ben Wallace,Wally Szczerbiak,Joe Smith, Delonte West, and a 2009 second round draft pick. The Bulls got Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden,Cedric Simmons, and Shannon Brown. The Supersonics got Ira Newble, Donyell Marshall,and Adrian Griffin.
By:Zach
Skyler
Michael

Mission Rogue

If you have watched television or picked up a copy of your local newspaper lately, then you probably have heard about the plan to destroy an United States spy satellite. If you haven't you are probably wondering why they are destroying it in the first place. They are destroying it because they need to destroy the hydrazine tank, reducing or eliminating the risk to people on Earth to hazardous chemicals. Even though the intentions of this plan seems helpful, there are still faults. These faults are that some people are afraid that some of the three thousand pieces of debris, all smaller than a football, would land on Earth. Not to fear, it's unlikely that any piece of debris would remain in-tact to impact the ground. Experts are now saying that the mission to destroy the Rogue Spy Satellite was a success.

By: Courtney P.
Kaytlynn S.
Serenity N.

Top Ten Most Dangerous Cities in the U.S.

1. Detroit,MI
2. St. Louis, MO
3. Flint, MI
4. Oakland, CA
5. Camden, NJ
6. Birmingham, AL
7. North Charleston, SC
8. Memphis, TN
9. Richmond, CA
10. Cleveland, OH

As a group we thought that finding the most dangerous cities in the U.S. would be interesting. The list at the top is what we found. As you can see, Detroit is the most dangerous U.S. city. We found statistics on this site. The thing that surprised us the most was that none of New Yorks sections were on the list. We thought that Harlem, New York, the home of Frank Lucas or the "American Gangster" would at least be on the list.

Dallas, D.J., Gage, Harlee

MDA event

Every year in Quincy, during the first few months, there is an MDA event (Muscular Dystrophy Association) and they pick some people to go to jail, but not for a bad reason. They do this to raise money. They get the money from the bail, and the bail money goes to the kids with the muscular disease. This year it just so happens to be my youth pastor who volunteered. By March 12, 2008 we have to raise 1,500 dollars for his bail, which as I said earlier, goes to the MDA. If you would like to help us raise money go to www.mdaevent.org/participantinfo and click the big orange button that says "click here to help me make my goal" and make a donation. Thank You

Jodie Kennedy
Samantha Skirvin

Nba All Star Weekend 2008

Wow! What a great turnout for the All Star weekend in New Orleans. First off, we think it was a great idea to have there in celebration of the restoration of the city. It kicked off with the Celebrities game on Friday evening. Next was the Rookie Challenge but yet again the sophomores came out on top . Then on Saturday evening there was a series of events. First off was the shooting stars challenge. This is where a NBA player, a WNBA player, and a NBA legend team up to make a series of shots. The Spurs were the winners. Following that was the skills challenge. This is where the top guards maneuver threw ab obstacle course of dribbling, shooting, and passing. Last years winner, Dwayne Wade, did not come out on top. Cris Paul won. Next was the Three Point Shootout where the best long range shooters come together to compete. Jason Kapono defended his title and won. Ending the night was the spectacular dunk contest . The competitors included Generld Green, Jamario moon, Rudy Gay, and the winner Dwight Howard with a perfect score of 200. He also had 2 dunks in the top 5 dunks of all time. Which included the superman dunk and the behind the backboard windmill. Next night on Sunday was the NBA All Star Game. The east dominated by more than 24 points at one time until the last quarter where he west came back and got the lead. But they could not keep the lead. the East came back and won 134-128. Lebron James was the 2008 NBA All Star Game MVP with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assist, and 2 steals. That concluded the 2008 NBA All Star Weekend.


Dylan Epley
Tyler Shelton
Aaron Edwards
Landon Epperson

Dog Fighting

Dog fighting is an illegal and organized, violent fight between dogs. An estimated 40,000 people are in dog fighting every year in the U.S. Fight purses can be as high as $100,000. The dogs used (such as pit bulls, terriers, and bull dogs, etc.) have to be trained to be tenacious, courageous, tireless, and powerful. To make the dogs jaws more powerful, they feed them smaller dogs or animals. Fights take place in garages, alleys, or abandoned buildings. The dogs fight to the death or until one cannot fight any longer.
Dog fighting is wrong. It is abusive and no one should even consider doing it. They are forcing animals to be mean and ferocious. They are also killing or extremely harming them. The animals could have been nice and loving, but they are forcing them to turn out like savages. Anyone who does this should be punished. Dog fighting is a crude sport. Would you want your pet to be put up against another to the death?

Lacey
Sarah
Megan

NBA Point Guards and Power Forwards

We chose are blog on NBA point guards and power forwards. Some of the candidates for point guards are Steve Nash with 17.5 points per game,11.4 assists per game, and .7 steals per game. Another is Ray Allen with 18.7 points per game, 3.1 assists per game, and 1 steal per game. Last but not least, Allen Iverson 26.6 points per game, 7.3 assists per game, and 2.05 steals per game.

For power forwards we have Amare Stoudamire, Kevin Garrnet, and Kenyon Martin. Amare Stoudamire has 23.7 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game, and 2.3 blocks per game. Kevin Garnett has 18.6 points per game, 9.8 rebounds per game, and 1.4 blocks per game. Also we have Kenyon Martin which has 11.4 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, and 1.4 blocks per game. So that is it, you decide who do you think who the best point guard and power forward.


Christian Witte
Jacob Farr
Jake Voss

How Could You!

How could you hurt this?

Well, if you think nobody would you' re wrong! Many animals are abused each year. Thousands more are crying out for help like the Pitt Bull that was severely beaten and then set on fire. But for others help came too late, like the cat that was in the neighbors yard and was shot with a shotgun, or the dog who was shot, skinned, and then decapitated. To help other animals like these, you can join the ASPCA today!


Breanna
Brittany
Alexis
Gabby

My Chemical Romance Top 10 Songs

My Chemical Romance is one of our favorite bands. Here are their top 10 songs:
1.Thanks for the Venom
2.Cemetery Drive
3.To the End
4.Vampires will never hurt you
5.Helena
6.The Jetset Life is Gonna Kill You
7.I'm Not Okay(I Promise)/drowning lessons
8.Demolition Lovers
9.The Ghost of You
10.I Never Told You What I Do For A Living

We like all of the songs. If you also like them then check out this website.

Melissa W.
Gretchen M.
Tiffany V.

Chevy trucks

This truck has only been in the shop three times. It has a 3 inch lift kit,It can pull up to 4,000 pounds. The engine is a 350 5.7 liter fuel injector. This truck gets 14-15 miles per gallon. This truck can really go through some mud. It has a lot of power in it.

Another good truck is a 454 ss big block. This truck is completely stock. It came with 400 pound of torque and 230 horsepower. The only thing rebuilt is the engine he put over $2000

worth of parts in it .

Caleb
Andrew
Jeremy
Brandon

Drama in Payson

WOW......coming to school is really a trip. Everyday this person hates that person and then the next day they're best friends. There is never a dull day in Payson! Like as of right now I know of two disputes, and I'm in them both. But honestly, it gets old! It's all stupid and pointless. You're going to see them every day so just put your differences aside! No one has the time or patience for it so just get along and stop all the drama! T.J. says '' Don't start none don't get none,and it's mostly the girls."

T.J.
Sadie

How Do Movies Effect People

Do you think movies effect a lot of peoples lives? Yes, because people can watch C.S.I. and it can encourage you to get more house protection. Movies like Juno can effect people by making you think about sex. Not all guys will claim the baby or help take care of the baby. When kids watch violent movies they may grow up to be violent themselves. The Punisher is a good example of a violent movie.

School Shootings

Did you know that violence in video games and movies can influence students, and other people to commit school shootings? Causes of school shootings include teasing, breakups, fights at school, bullying, depression, and mental illness. The publicity of past school shooters on the news- and/or in magazines, when the crime is committed, is not very smart. This creates idols for teased, picked on, and bullied teens all over the world. Most school shootings have been committed by current, or former, angry, and teased students. The majority of the shootings are committed by kids in their teens. Since the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings, many other "small" shootings have occurred. Even though some picked on, teased, and bullied teens turn to guns to solve their problems, there are also many others that don't. So school shootings, we believe, should not get so much publicity, because they can become a source of encouragement for other angry kids.


Laaken Stotler
Courtney Rees
Daniellle Ellison

Northern Illinois Shooting

How could someone commit a shooting on Valentines Day? Well, 27 year old Steve Kazmierczak killed five students plus himself at Northern Illinois University. He took an anti-anxiety drug and a sleeping aid in addition to the antidepressant Prozac. He had stopped taking Prozac three weeks before the shooting. He didn't hold any grudges against anyone or have any social problems. We think the fact that he stopped taking Prozac is why he committed the shooting. Also, since he didn't have any noticeable problems no one thought he would do something like this. What do you think the cause of this could have been? For more information check out this article.
Cheyanne B.
Kellie M.

Wii vs 360

Which would you rather have Wii or 360? The three people in our group have different opinions. Two people in our group think the Wii is best because it is cheaper and you play like you're in the game. The Wii also keeps you active while you play. The other person in our group thinks the 360 is better. He thinks the 360 is better because it has better graphics and better games . He also thinks the controllers are better. What do you think?

Rap Music's Influense on Teens

Teenagers who listen to rap music tend to be like the people in the rap videos. These videos can give teens a negative attitude. The people who rap sometimes say bad words and it makes teens say these thing. For example, if the rap is about getting drunk the teens who listen to the rap will want to go get drunk themselves. Teens are being wrongly influenced by this music. Teens already have enough peer pressure, listening to this music just makes it all worse. Some people are starting to blame rap music for the way teens act. These teens need need positive role models. We recommend edited or Christian versions of rap music that teens love so much, but you need to step up and control what you listen to. We all agree that rap is good but kids that are too young, who don't know better, don't need to listen to it.

Abram, Johnny, Megan, Sierra

Cheating Superbowl Team

Should they win or not? The Patriot's have recently been caught cheating against opposing teams. One specific team was the Baltimore Raven's. Against this team, they illegally called a timeout during the game. Due to this occasion, the majority of our group believes that this team should have been immediately disqualified from the Superbowl. On the other hand, some people believe that they should have been disqualified from just that specific game. This undefeated team is now at the Superbowl for the fourth time within the past seven years. They will be facing the New York Giants. Within our group, the majority of us think that even though the Giants are not as good as the Patriot's, they should still win for the fact that they played fairly throughout their season. As with the Patriot's, there is another side to this conflict. The other side is that Giants should win because they are just an all around better team. Do you think that the Patriot's or the Giants should win?

A. Zanger
L. Cunningham
E. Davis
B. Hultz

Old-school vs. Tech-school

Technology is advancing and schools should be up to date with it. Instead of using binders, students should be using laptops to carry everything they need for school. Textbooks should be recorded on CDs, and homework could be transported by e-mail. Classes could be recorded on videos and put on the Internet for students who were absent. More teachers are starting to get up-to-date with the most modern items in technology to use in their classrooms. Kindergarten teachers to college professors are incorporating technology into their classes to reach further out to their students. All they need is the right equipment and the extra push to get going.
However, not all teachers are ready to make the jump from old-school to tech-school. Who knows when they'll finally be up-to-date with the latest in tech-teaching?

By: Kellie and Cheyanne

Pickle ball

In my group we are going to talk about pickle ball. Pickle ball is
a good game. But I think that the ball has to many holes.
And the net is to small.But Brandon thinks the ball
is alright. The net is ok. Amy thinks people that
are not in shape can not play and you can
go to 11 points.

Joey
Amy
Brandon

School Lunches

The school lunches at Payson, Ill. are too expensive if you ask Matt, Eathen, or myself. They are $3.50 each. At Hy-Vee you can get a pound of turkey for $4.00. If you get a turkey sandwich at school it is $3.50. Some people can't afford that much just to feed their kids. It costs more to eat lunch at school than to put a gallon of gas in your car. If you eat school lunches every day for a month it's about $75! We think that's a load of malarky! Do you think this is too much for a school lunch? How much do your school lunches cost? How much do you think they should be? Please answer these questions.

Austin, Matt, Eathen

School Issues

Some school issues are Teachers and their anger problems, cell phones, and dressing out. Teachers can get angry very quick and lose their temper. When a student asked a question he/she got very upset and told the student not ask a stupid question or go to iss! teacher shouldn't take cell phones because they are for emergencies only and should be on when the parents can't get though to the school. you should have to put the cell phones on the desks. Some students think dressing out is an issue because it takes too much time to get dressed. Also students don't have time to get to other classes on time. Girls think it's nasty and sweaty. Girls and guys don't like getting dressed in front of each other.

Heather, Courtney, Zach

Seymour School Teacher

This teacher teaches all grades in High school. He/She doesn't teach with the proper techniques. What we do in that class is mostly walk in, read the board get the folders and have class. When the bell rings we leave. On certain days we come to school, mostly on a Sunday, about 2 or 3 times a year. After that we get a party if we were good in class. If you didn't show up that day, you don't get the party, and usually your grade drops to a F. In my opinion, I think we should have it held on Fridays and the kids should be able to pick some things we do in the class. This teacher should treat each class equal because sometimes it feels like he/she puts some students down. I'm not saying this teacher has to change his/her teaching ways, it's just he/she should give a "new way" a shot and maybe it will work out. If it doesn't he/she can go back to his/her way of teaching.

Amanda M.
Rebecca B.

Windows xp vs. Windows Vista

What do you think? Windows Vista or Windows xp. For us it is Windows xp.
For those of you who don't know, Vista is the newest version of Windows. Vista came out with a business setup. It currently has nine different versions , which include home versions.
We personally don't like it because it can get a lot of viruses and uses a lot of memory. It is very hard to buy a new computer with out it, but because of all of the complaints, Dell gives you a choice. There are a few good points like the brighter color and better picture.
We believe that Windows Vista is not worth the learning process and the ratings show that it is not very good.

Chad L. Chris E. Eric M.

Air Conditioning in Schools

Do the schools in your district have air conditioning? Our schools don't. How do people expect students to concentrate and enjoy school when you can't think about anything except for the heat? Students seem to get very cranky when it is hot outside. Also, other schools around us have air conditioning, even our grade school does! If our schools got air conditioning, students might follow the dress code and wear appropriate clothes. Another thing air conditioning would change is that we wouldn't have to get out of school early because of the heat. Our school has heat, so why not air conditioning? One last thing that proves that we should have air conditioning is that all of Payson's residents pay taxes to our school and they should go to air conditioning. Since we pay taxes they might as well benefit the teachers and students.

-Courtney
-Danielle
-Laaken

Schoolwork Before Sports?

Tuesday January 15, 2008- the 8th graders of Payson Seymour Jr. High had a very important basketball game, 8th grade recognition. This should have been a memorable night, but became stressful when we were assigned an unreasonable amount of homework.
As they say, "school comes first". Sports are optional, but having homework in all subjects is a little much. Playing sports not only keeps you fit, but can help you get scholarships. Hard work is essential, but homework can hinder our performance.
Although sports are fun, schoolwork can get you farther in life. In 50 years, is it really going to matter that you were the star quarterback? When you are 65 years old, you will probably be sitting on the couch, reading a book.
As young as we are, we love playing sports. We realize teachers give us a lot of homework on game nights, but education is one of the most important life lessons.

-Hannah M.
-Catherine R.

Catching Your Own Bait

Fathead minnows, leeches, and worms are mainstays in bait-shop refrigerators across the country. These old standards have produced stringers of game fish for decades, and decades to come. For a greater selection of live bait that will give you the ability to change with the fish, skip the tackle shop and catch your own. Most fisherman enjoy catching their own bait, with traps, seines, and cast nets. Make sure that these types of bait catching are allowed in your state or country. The down side to catching your own bait is that some people may illegally keep game fish that were caught in the traps, seines, or cast nets. The plus is that you get a large variety of bait to pick from.

Seth T.
Monte W.

Favorite NBA Player's

Ryan's, Daulton's, and Tanner's favorite NBA players and their positions.

Ryan's Daulton's Tanner's (In Order)

PG: Allen Iverson, Derron Williams, Baron Davis
SG: Dwayne Wade, Michael Jordan (retired), Reggie Miller (retired)
SF:Carmelo Anthony, Shawn Marion, Danny Granger
PF: Karl Malone, Carlos Boozer, Jermaine O'neal
C: Shaq, Amare Stoudmire, Amare Stoudmire

We agree that Baron Davis is the best point guard out of these.
We agree that Michael Jordan was the best shooting guard.
Shawn Marion for small forward.
Karl Malone for power forward.
Amare Stoudmire for Center.
We chose these players for their outstanding abilities.


What are your picks and why?
By: Tanner Plunk, Daulton Speckhart, and Ryan Hildebrand

Music To My Ears!

These are the top 10 songs among 7th graders at Payson Seymour High School. Nearly all the 7th graders like pop, hip hop, and rap more than country or classic rock. People here obviously like more "up to date", or newer music. Teachers on the other hand, not so much. Almost all the teachers at Seymour High School are still in the past. I think it's time to get out with the old and in with the new!

Top 10 songs

1. Crank Dat-Solja Boy
2. Low-T-pain and Flo Rida
3. Paralyzer-Finger Eleven
4. Last Resort-Papa Roach
5. Redneck Woman-Gretchen Wilson
6. White N Nerdy-Weird Al Yankovic
7. Rockstar-Nickleback
8. Kiss Kiss-Chris Brown
9. Wall To Wall-Chris Brown
10. Watchin' You- Rodney Atkins

A. Liebig
B. Epley
G. Bliss
B. Myers

Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger, famous actor for movies known for A Knights Tale, Brokeback Mountain, and so on was found, dead on January 22, 2008, in his apartment in New York City. No one knows exactly how he dided, but they will figure it out sooner or later. Some say it was drug overdose, which is what I think might of happened. As soon as the public heard people started to place flowers in front of the apartment in which he stayed. Comment on things that you think Heath might of died of.

B Benham
M Raleigh

Heat vs. Cavaliers

On January 20,2008 the Cavaliers and the Heat played. Lebron James, a small forward for the Cavaliers, scored 25 points leading the team to a victory.On the other side Dwyane Wade, a guard for the Heat, scored 40 points. At the end of the game Lebron had a last second dunk but the person who passed him the ball threw it too low and he missed it. So the Cavaliers win over the Heat.




Trevor H., Chase M., Roman V., Jacob M.

Breakfast

Breakfast should be served at both schools so the people who eat breakfast don't freeze to death. The school will also make more money. This way its a win-win situation. You could use the multipurpose room for this. The students will be happy and the school will have money to support us. We should follow Central Jr. High's example.
Kalab Hill
Ben Walker
Chris Sherwood

Escaped criminals in Adams County

Did you hear about the two criminals that escaped from the Adams County Jail in December 2007? These criminals were considered highly dangerous. One was caught hiding in a house near the prison. Three weeks later, the second criminal was apprehended.
What does this tell us? It tells us that we need stronger security, such as electric fences, more cameras and guards, and more alarms on the walls in case someone tries to escape. Unfortunately, this would be very costly.

Michael S.
Skyler D.
Zach S.

SPORTS INJURIES and HOW TO PREVENT THEM

Many people get hurt playing sports. A teammate on our volleyball team this past 2 weeks had to sit out of practices and games because of a sports injury. She twisted her left knee.

Some ways to prevent a sports injury like hers include a few simple steps.

• Before a game or practice be sure to stretch your back, legs, arms, and hands. Also make sure that you run.
• Drink plenty of water before and after a game.
  
• Get plenty of sleep. That means to go to bed early and not late.
  
• Do simple exercises to prevent pulling a muscle or breaking a bone.

Doing these steps can help prevent and cure your injuries.

Kristen Loos, Taylor Plunk, and Ariann Ippensen

"MYSPACE" A safe haven? Or a deadly chatroom? YOU DECIDE!

You probably have heard of a social site called Myspace. Myspace is a social site where people can interact with others around the WORLD. Alot of you reading this probably have one. But, the next time you log on think about this... You are putting yourself at risk for identity theft, kidnapping, and many more deadly situations. You may have heard of the girl on there who had an INTERNET RELATIONSHIP which ended up in suicide. This girl killed herself because her boyfriend (whom she did not know) broke up with her. But, when her parents tried to find the identity of the allegged boyfriend, the evidence was shocking! Her parents discovered that he was actually fake! So the next time you are on Myspace, think of the consequences!

By: Kaytlynn S.
Courtney P.
Serenity N.

Thoroughbred Horses

I have horses at home, and so we decided to write about Thoroughbreds. A Thoroughbred is usually very tall, about 17 - 19 hands high. A hand is four inches. These horses are mostly used for racing, because of their height and stamina. However, they are very expensive to buy, especially if they have champion bloodlines, which will make them worth much more. Special feed may or may not be required. Some feeds will help stamina, and some will help strength and energy. Training these horses can range in difficulty from moderately easy to relatively hard. A normal color range includes bay (a brown with black legs), black, white, gray, and red ( a deep orange color). Racehorses are mostly geldings or stallions, but a few mares will usually be allowed. Alex and I both think that racing these horses is very dangerous and pointless, because if you fall, you're most likely to be injured or killed. Those horses are going at a top speed of about 45 MPH and if you fall you'll be very sorry. They have iron shoes and those hurt!

Grace Behrensmeyer
Alex Zanger

Cellphones in School?

Should cellphones be allowed in school? Everyday when you go to school everyone has their cellphone. We believe that cellphones should be allowed in school but left in your lockers and off. You can have them with you, and on, before school, during lunch, and after school. The most frustrating thing to a teacher is when a cellphone goes off in class or a person is texting in class. We took a guess that about 75% of high school students have cellphones. They are thinking about putting pay phones in the school. Do you think cellphones should be allowed in school?

Harlee F., Dallas C., Gage M., DJ S.

Six Flags

Does your family love going on vacations? Do you like to travel? Well in my opinion six flags in St. Louis would be a great place to visit this summer. Its a great place to bring your kids with all of the rides such as their new ones like the Tony Hawk or the Superman. Now I know you have heard how it cut off a girls legs but trust me, I've rode it myself even after that happened and it's the most exciting ride ever. Their water park is like a whole other place with just as many water rides as there are other rides, even with a place especially for the kids while you relax in their lazy river. The best part about it is the tornado. It's like a giant toilet bowl flushing you down. After you've had all this excitement in one you can stop at one of their restaurants like their steak house or one of there more subtle places like Pizza Hut or Burger King.

Samantha Skirvin
Jodie Kennedy

School lunches

Most people love school lunches but we think we should have more of a variety for our lunch. They should change the lunches sometimes. During lent they always have meat. They should have fish sticks. We also think we should have breakfast. Some of us might not have time to go over to the grade school to eat breakfast. We think we should get different food like ravioli, pizza, and other food. That is why we need more of a variety at lunch.

Tiffany V.
Melissa W.
Gretchen M.

Girl Lockerooms

Most females from Payson Seymour agree that we should have a better lockeroom situation. For instance, one of the two stalls doesn't lock creating a wait. There is a demand for more space to change. The floor, lockers, and shower areas are dirty, dented, and unsanitary. The girls that are in a sport need bigger lockers that can hold all their equipment. When school starts and begins to end the weather is warm outside and the locker room get hot and stuffy without a fan or air conditioning. Guys have more privacy then the girls. There is an office right outside the girl locker room where male teachers go into when the door is wide-open. I think that these issues should be brought to the school boards attention.

K. Huber
E. Smith
J. Patrick

Jr. High Exclusion

We, the junior high students from Payson, are excluded from many activities. At our school we have a spirit week before Homecoming. The high school students are to dress "themed" all week long. One of these days is "Color Wars". The students are to dress in certain colors, or their class colors. The junior high doesn't have class colors, therefore can not participate. Everyday the students who participate are counted and put into a percent of the number of students in that grade. No matter how many junior high students participate we are not counted. A common thing for our high school students to do is run out of the tunnel and break through a paper teepee. Our 8th grade boys were denied when they asked if they could do this at their last home game. The junior high is also excluded from lunch privileges. The high school is allowed to order their lunch from Fastop. During the holidays they are allowed to decorate the halls, lobby, and gym. We decorated our hall for Christmas and our decorations were taken down. One more thing the high school gets that we don't is a pep bus taken to almost every away game, but they didn't take one to the 7th grade regional championship game. Does anyone else think this is unfair??

Sarah W.
Lacey H.
Megan S.

Myspace

Myspace, safe or nonsafe?

Myspace can be bad because of sex offenders and spammers. Sex offenders are all over the web. They try to persuade you to do bad things. Spammers can damage your computer and also try to get you to do bad things.
On the plus side it is a place for you to talk with your friends and get to know your friends you don't see very often. It also could keep your phone bill down, because you stay in touch using Myspace.

"WHAT'S YOUR CALL?"

BY: JACOB FARR, JAKE VOSS, AND CHRISTIAN WITTE

Clogging

Clogging is a type of dance. It is kinda like tap dancing, except you use different shoes. Clogging shoes have metal soles on the bottom of the toes, and the heels. In order to do clogging you need fast beating music. Clogging is for all races, all backgrounds, and for any gender. Clogging levels are beginner, intermediate, expert, advanced, and professional. You can take lessons at Cheryl Lotsch Studio, and in Hannibal. Most people does not know what clogging is. Thomas who is in my group does not know what clogging is. Clogging is a very cool type of dance. Even if you have never taken clogging before, maybe you could try. Also clogging is a very good cardiovascular workout.

By: Kaleen Lay
Thomas Ulrich

Smoking Ban

The new law that was accepted on January 1 was the smoking ban. There are lots of negatives. Bar owners will lose a lot of income and people will stop going to bars because there are not able to smoke. People that smoke often like to eat before they smoke so therefore people will stop going out to eat. This may also make bar owners mad because they don't have a choice or not to ban smoking. Owners should be able to put special rooms in there buildings for smoking. The only positive to this is that you can see the other side of the bar.


T.J. Klitz
Josh Benjamin
Mercedes Clayton

Super Bowl XLII

The three boys in our group believe something different about Super Bowl XLII. Jordan and Dallas believe the Giants will beat the New England Patriots. They believe that they will kick a game winning field goal. The score will be 23-21 Giants. Shelton believes different, that New England will crush the Giants 51-0. Manning will throw five interceptions and Brady will throw seven touchdown passes.

Shelton L.
Dallas C.
Jordan K.

School Sports

Volleyball

What do you think about volleyball? It is one of the most common in the United States. Volleyball takes lots of skill and endurance, but one of the most important parts is conditioning(even though it's not are favorite). It gets you in shape and gets you prepared for whats to come. You have to move your feet and have lots of strength to spike the ball. When you bump you have to have straight arms to hit it to the setter. Then the setter has to set it to the spiker, so they can hit the ball to get a point. Our favorite part about volleyball is spiking. Whats yours? Sierra and Megan

Baseball

Our favorite sport is baseball because you always meet new people on the field. The best part about baseball is hearing the ball hit the bat. When the crowd cheers for you it makes you want to give 110% in the game. One of our favorite parts of baseball is hitting a home run to win the game. Whats your favorite part? Johnny and Abram

Sierra D.
Megan B.
Johnny M.
Abram W.

Hunting

When you are out hunting you would want to have your best friend with you. That would be the new Earthmate GPS p-N 20, because if you are out hunting and you get lost in the dark the new Earthmate has high sensitivity, and a bright colored screen. You can have one for $410 at Delorme.com.

If you have a long walk ahead of you and your 4x4 wouldn't make it you can bust out the Arctic Cat 366. It is light weight with 4x4 on demand and it has great fuel economy, good braking, and it has full length foot boards to protect your feet. It can be bought for $5,369.

When you bag yourself a nice buck you want nothing else but a good sharp knife to get the job done, and that knife is the new Gerber knife. It has a big heavy blade that could cut open a car door. You could get it for $69 to $136.

B Lord
J Davenport
C Hocking
A Smith

Junior High Lunches

This is crazy! Junior High is getting extremely bad lunches and it is incredibly expensive. They charge $3.75 for one soggy meal and sometimes you find hair in your food. Talk about gross! the only good meals we get are chicken strips and chinese. We should be able to order food from the fast stop like the high school. That is unfair. So in conclusion, junior high gets the short end of the stick when it comes to lunches. What do you think?

Aaron E.
Landon E.
Dylan E.
Tyler S.