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As school opens, class size increases
BY VANESSA KIRK
As many of you know, Madison County schools opened for a fresh
new year on Friday, Aug. 19. The new year brought more students
than ever with a total of 1,263 enrolled at the high school.
Guidance counselors are amazed at how large the high school has
become. Last year there were 1,161 students enrolled at Madison
County High School.
I asked Ashley Waller if she thought the halls seemed more crowded
this year than normal, and she said, "yes, definitely."
This shows that some of the students at MCHS have obviously noticed
the larger class size.
The freshman class is the largest class with a breathtaking 473
students. The sophomore class is the second largest with 380
students. The junior class has 258 students and last, but not
least, the senior class has 224 students.
These numbers may not seem large to a more urban school, but
to rural Madison County these numbers are extremely large.
From the desk of "Rahjah the Rambunctious
Raider"
Well, I've made it through a whole week. Most of my underclassman
days were full of anxious dreams of my big Senior year. Now it's
a reality for me - my senior year is here.
It's definitely been different, that's for sure.
I think that first day was the toughest. As soon as I stepped
out of my ferocious silver Ferrari, I knew it just wasn't going
to be the same. Yeah, I was now parking in the Senior parking
lot, and I could "bust up" any underclassman that tried
to park in my spot.
But that's not what I'm talking about. These past years, when
I opened my car door, there was always a friend waiting on me,
starting off the day with a huge hug and shining smile. This
time, there was just the car parked next to me.
As I walked up from the parking lot, I took a look at everyone,
seeing how they had changed over the summer, waving to them,
and nodding a "what's up" their way. I continued walking,
went through the doors, and down the halls with this "big
senior" role I had now taken on. As I passed through, there
were the usual "Hey Rahjah, looking good!" "Foxy
Rajah, how ya' been?" and my favorite, "Rahjah Baby,
can I get your digits?" I just flashed a smile and began
to think how good the year could be. I have to admit, before
school started, I was a little leery of going back, knowing that
my closest friends would be gone off to college.
I got to the lobby and tried to catch up on how everyone had
been. The bell rang, and I headed for my first class. It seemed
weird being the oldest in the class, everyone asking me the questions.
It was like that in every class; I kept expecting to walk in
and see one of my best friends sitting in the back of the room
with a pack of rubber bands ready to shoot. I kept expecting
to walk through the door and almost get hit in the head with
a peppermint flying across the room. But my fellas were gone.
The saddest part of the day was when the final bell rang, and
I went to meet everyone to go down to the parking lot. I got
to the lobby, and no one that used to be there was there. So
I went on down to the parking lot and hung out with the new seniors
- the Class of 2001. We talked a while, joked around, just kind
of hung around and I had a good time. But it wasn't the same
as last year - it felt a little empty and low-key. Last year
it was wild chaos in the afternoons. My keys were stolen and
thrown all over the place, my friends and I would try to break
into each others' cars, antennas were stolen, cars were rolled,
footballs were thrown, after school plans were made and laughter
was shared. We laughed so hard. I missed all that really bad,
but I knew that thinking about it wasn't going to make it better.
So I decided to take the advice from a recently graduated friend
to "suck it up and get on with it."
And I will - I'm going to have to. I am going to have just as
much fun this year as I did last year, laughing, cracking jokes,
and being the big senior at MCHS. I will meet new people, I will
bond closer with old ones. All of the seniors will. We are a
new class, with new memories to make, new moments to share. These
are our last days before we have to grow up and go to college.
So I say we enjoy it, Class of 2001. We can make every class
interesting, homecoming dance unforgettable, sport events historical,
and prom amazing.
And you know, I think that it just might not be so hard.
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New principal holds class meetings
BY TESSA HOLLIS
Students do not normally get up and leave class at 9:30 a.m.,
but on Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 23 and Aug. 24, certain classes
were dismissed early to go to the gym and meet with the new principal,
Mr. Bob Rhinehart.
During the meeting certain handbook policies were discussed and
the students were given more information about certain topics
such as drugs, weapons, dress code, general behavior and attendance.
While seniors and juniors were used to most of the handbook policies,
many underclassmen are still making adjustments.
"I agree that we need certain rules and regulations, but
policies concerning the dress code and drugs and weapons could
use some work," said freshman Patricia Daniel.
In addition to Rhinehart, Lara Sanders, a senior and the student
council vice-president, spoke to the juniors and seniors about
changes that the student council is planning on making. Some
ideas that are in discussion are a winter dance and a school
newspaper, ideas which many students are excited about.
"I'm real excited to see student council taking such an
active role this year. They've got some great ideas going and
I hope to see things like the dance happen, especially my senior
year," Senior Jennifer Helms said.
Overall the meetings were a success and many of the students
appreciate the principal taking the time to get acquainted with
the student body and letting us know what he expects of us.
"Mr. Rhinehart seems really nice and as a freshman I hope
that I will get to know him better as I progress through school,"
freshman Ashley Stanfield said.
Many agree and all hope that Mr. Rhinehart feels welcome in our
school.
Kasey Hale excels in and out of classroom
BY ELIZABETH BLEAKLEY
One of our outstanding juniors this year is Kasey Hale. She is
optimistic, dedicated, friendly, and "someone we all admire,"
according to junior Kelli Burroughs. Kasey lives with her 7-year-old
sister Kaitlyn and her parents, Marc and Debbie, who are very
supportive and close to her.
Kasey is active in extracurriculars and academics. She has participated
in football, basketball, and competition cheering and had the
highest GPA on the cheerleading squad last year.
Being inducted into the National Honor Society and having the
highest World Geography for 1999 are two more of her achievements.
When she isn't dedicating time to school, Kasey is hanging out
with her friends or attending Colbert Baptist Church. "God
is the most important thing in my life," Kasey says.
Over the summer Kasey visited the beach and attended a marine
biology camp in San Antonio, Texas. Although she greatly enjoyed
working with a diverse group of high school students, she is
now focusing her career interests elsewhere. Kasey is looking
forward to a challenging junior year because she enjoys "being
introduced to new things, spending time with people and recognizing
your identity."
But the worst part of school to her, as with most students, is
waking up bright and early at 6 a.m. for a brand new day.
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