SPARTAN ACADEMY

 On this Saturday, February 23, 2008 students from White Station competed in the Tennessee History Day competition at the University of Tennessee.  Tensions were high as schools such as Lausanne, Ridgeway, St. Agnes, Snowden, and St. Benedict piled in through the suites at the Autozone Park.  Students from White Station included tenth and ninth graders from Mr. Whitehead and Mr. Moore’s world history classes.  As each students confidently prepared for their presentations, the competition lightened up.  The projects included displays, dramas, and presentations.  Each had its own floor and sections. The judging was important to the overall grade, almost as important as the project itself.  The first rounds were announced early, and many White Stationers went on to runner-ups.  And some, such as Sanhitha V. and Melissa  S.  went on to state immediately for being the only senior presenters.  Other presenters include groups such as Medina K. and Angie L., Bhavna K., Sahaj S., Alex. A. , and individual presenters such as Gina S. and Rena L.

                                                            - S.V.

The White Station Rugby team won against Brighton over the weekend.  The score was 5-0.  Several members of the Rugby team are Spartan Academy freshmen.   Congratulations to the girls team.  (Look for a list of Academy members on the team in the 9th grade hallway soon.)

The White Station boys basketball team won it’s first game in the regional tournament on Saturday at Central High School.  Two outstanding team members are Academy members:  Andre and Marvin.  We’re proud of you, guys. 

On Feb. 23 MANY members of Bellevue Baptist Church converged on White Station High School campus to do major damage to barren beds, leftover leaves, woeful walls and a pedestrian picnic area. 

·         Volunteers raked and bagged mounds of leaves left from fall shedding. 

 ·         Shrubbery was added to barren spots in the front flower bed and to the front of the East gym where many bushes had died. 

·         Cork strips were added to walls.  The Spartan Academy teachers and student will be happy to see fresh, new cork strips on the walls above the lockers.  These strips have been attached to the wall so that student work can be displayed.  In the past Monday morning meant rounding up fallen posters as tape gave way during the weekend.

·         New fencing was installed to define the picnic area where many students spend lunch.  The fence extends from the East gym to the cafeteria and from the ROTC building to the corner of the band room.  These sections of fence will prevent outsiders from wandering onto the picnic area as well as remind student that leaving the cafeteria or picnic area is not allowed.  

THANK YOU TO “BELLEVUE BAPTIST LOVES MEMPHIS” for offering to assist White Station in making our campus look beautiful.  We appreciate the volunteers who gave up a Saturday to complete projects that we have dreamed about.   White Station High School loves Bellevue volunteers!

The WOW TeamThe WOW team is about 9^th grade students wanting to help make the 9^th grade a  place where student want to be.  The team also wants to make the school not look blah!  One WOW team member got us an adopter, Home Depot.  We’re getting a lot of things done.  If you want to join the WOW team, please contact Ms. Sutton in the 9^th grade office.

Projects the WOW team is working on:

·         Banners in the hallway

·         Birthday posters

·         Sports recognition

·         9^th grade calendar

·         Positive posters

·         Made the 9^th grade hallway look the best

·         Giving students something to help make their time here enjoyable

Catherine S.

WordSmith competition is for grades 7-12.  There are three dashes:  the 40-word, the 80-word and the 120-word.  It is very much like an athletic competition in that they practice and practice.  We have coaching sessions after school in the weeks building up to the competition.  Each school can only enter two students in each grade.  For WSHS, that is the worst part as we have so many good writers.  We have to have our own in-house tryouts to determine which two go.  Our 9^th grade team was made up of Jacob and Brendan. 

The competition comes from every school in Shelby County, including the private schools.  There is a 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winner in each dash.  There are two honorable mentions.  All those who place are awarded ribbons and are then allowed to compete in the 400-word dash, which takes place late in the afternoon after all the other dashes are over.  Of our 8 contestants, seven took ribbons and got to come back to compete in the 400.  We don’t have those results yet. 

120-Word Dash – Jacob (9^th Grade), 2^nd place

80-Word Dash – Brendan (9^th Grade), 2^nd place

Ms. Stauffer

On Monday night, Feb. 11, the 9th grade women’s team competed in the regional state tournament.  The team was blazing with three pointers, full court passes, outstanding dribbling and breath taking hook shots.  The Lady Spartans won the tournament and brought home medals for Most Valuable Player, three of the six all tournament planyers and a plaque for winning.  The team is fearlessly led by Coach Sarah Condra.  Congratulations to the 9th grade women’s team at the Spartan Academy.

Mrs. McFalls’ students are currently working on a project worth a lot of points this six weeks. They can choose their own partners to form a group of about seven people and are given almost free reign on their assignment. The restrictions are that the projects can be displayed only as a children’s book, radio broadcast, documentary, or arts festival, but the topic can be on pretty much anything. For example, one group is doing its project on the Amazon rainforest, while another is on violence and bullying. The topics cover a wide range.  The project is due next week on Monday, February 11th.

Black History in Honors English

What do you think of when you see the word “February”?  For many in the American world it is a time of football and Valentine’s Day presents, but for the school-going child it is about Black History. Black History Month is a special time in the year that students learn about African Americans, their history, and why it’s so important to learn about them.

            In Mrs. Jones’ Honors English, students are learning about the African Americans that helped shape the literary world we live in today.  Each student is assigned a unique person that has to do with arts or literature and is instructed to compose a three-stanza poem about them and to also make an intriguing visual on that same person. 

            “It helps us learn that Black History is more than just Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks.  I think it is a great idea to research more on people that we might not know. For example, I’m doing Toni Morrison, the first African woman to receive a literary prize.” says Randa T.  “ This was fun - working with my group, and it’s going to be interesting when we present it because we just get up there and – and go for it.”

                                                                                                -S.V

            For most of us, this weekend was spent in the aftermath of the Homecoming game –Go Spartans! For some of us, the weekend was spent in a United Nations conference.  This weekend the Mid-south Model United Nations conference was held at Rhodes College.  The conference lasted for five hours on Friday, fifteen hours on Saturday, and five hours on Sunday.  The other competitive schools included Houston High and Germantown High.

            “This year we had the highest in participation in Model UN and most of the delegates were freshmen.” stated Mrs. Matson, the sponsor, earlier in the first meeting of the club.  Sources state that there were twenty-four freshmen participants, twice the number of delegates from some of the other schools.  

            In Model UN, students become mature delegates from distant countries to discuss problems that the real United Nations is going through.  The trick?  Students also have to solve the issues by writing however many resolutions it takes to make the majority agree to the plan. 

            Congratulations to freshman Stephanie K. for winning Best Delegation –France.  Next year, we’ll take all the prizes!

- S. V.