Howe Grads Observe 500 Year Old Tradition

by Samantha HillFreshman

• • •

What is a baccalaureate, you might ask. Freshman student Dawn Hooper replied “I think it is someone who gets a degree in college.” Sophomore student Mary Henry replied, “It is a church, on the night before, or a couple of days before the graduation. They have a service and it’s all for the seniors who are graduating.” Some students answered the question with “I have absolutely no idea.” What is a baccalaureate? And what is the reason behind it?

According to Wikipedia, the baccalaureate was said to have originated at Oxford University in 1432 when all of the bachelors were to deliver a sermon in Latin as part of his academic requirements. Because of the earliest universities in the U.S were usually to teach ministers, the

continued on page 2

Bryan Vandever, Pastor of Springhill Baptist Church in Monroe, OK addresses the Howe Senior Class of 2009 as members of the Board of Education and Administration look on. Howe Seniors’ graduation ceremonies are scheduled for Friday, May 22 at 8:00 p.m. in the Howe Gymnasium.

Baccalaureate held May 17

CHRISTOPHER OLIVER: “I like baccalaureate because it is a chance to spend one last night celebrating God together with my senior friends before we graduate.”

ASHLEY SCROGGINS: “It makes the seniors feel more confident knowing that God’s going to be with each and every one of them through out the struggles of the future.”

BRYAN VANDEVER: “When I was asked to speak at this year’s baccalaureate I was very honored. It meant a lot to me that I was able to speak to the same students that I taught my first year [at Howe].”

THE PAW PRINTFREE ISSUE NO. 4

HOWE PUBLIC SCHOOLS/SPRING 2009/VOLUME ONE

Baccalaureate• • •

British’s version of the baccalaureate service continued. Through out the years the baccalaureate ceremony has grown greatly, and has become an important event to seniors all around the U.S. The Wikipedia definition states that a baccalaureate is a “Service/celebration which honors the graduating senior class from a college or a high school. The event is often, but not necessarily, of a religious nature, almost always Christian.” The baccalaureate service at Howe is currently considered a non-denominational service. This year Bryan Vandever of Springhill Baptist Church in Monroe,Oklahoma was chosen by the senior class of “09” to speak at this year’s baccalaureate. “When I was asked to speak at this year’s baccalaureate I was very honored. It meant a lot to me that I was able to speak to the same students that I taught my first year [at Howe].” Also chosen to be apart of the ceremony was Bentley Hill. Bentley is the director of the Baptist Student Union on the campus of Carl Albert State College in Poteau. He was chosen to present a prayer at the end of the ceremony. Both the speaker and the benedictory firmly

believe in the importance of participating in the baccalaureate. “It gives us an opportunity to call on God and to ask for his continual guidance and direction in our lives. We are a physical beings but we are also spiritual beings as well. This is just a way to thank God for bringing these students this far in life and asking Him to continue to guide them through life's struggles. Bentley states, “I think it’s a good thing to be a part of because it just shows that we haven’t totally taken God out of our schools. And I believe that we should never take Him out of schools.” Both of the men agreed that having a baccalaureate is a very positive and immense thing to participate in.

The baccalaureate is a ceremony that is not hosted by the school itself. It is a ceremony that Seniors are not required to attend. It is their choice. “I like baccalaureate because it is a chance to spend one last night celebrating God together with my senior friends before we graduate,” said senior student Christopher Oliver. Ashley Scroggins stated, “It’s a good thing to be a part of because it is a time for the ministers to bless the graduating class. It makes the seniors feel more confident knowing that God’s going to be with each and every

one of them through out the struggles of the future.” This year’s baccalaureate service was held in the Howe School Gymnasium, on May 17. Many people stated that this year’s baccalaureate was one of the best Howe has ever had.

NULLAM PRETIUM: ALIQUAM SED IPSUM EROS?

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— Urna Semper, Ipsum

Sit Amet 38%

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continued from page 1

24ABBY LANDEROS, 8TH GRADE: “Different, Fun, Exciting, Demerits, Crazy, Sleepy, Sports, Pictures, Great, Weird, Studying, Friends, Courtney, Hayley, Chelsea, Sarah, Lauren, Hilarious Moments, Inside Jokes, Memories, Sad, Unforgettable”

LINDSAY MCCOWN, SENIOR: “Where do I start. This year has gone by so fast, but I’m going to miss High School and the people I have met!””

THE YEAR IN 24 WORDS

BROOKE VANDEVER, 8TH GRADE: Fun but boring at the same time. Basketball was a challenge, but we succeeded. It was my last year in middle school, it was sad.”

THE YEAR IN 24 WORDS

GENERAL CADAVER

DEMO

April 24: The Howe High School Science Club took a Virtual Field Trip to the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and participated in a General Cadaver Demonstration performed by Ray Vollmer.

“Well it was pretty awesome, you don’t see a cadaver everyday,” said Dawn Hooper.

by Michelle EvansFreshman

• • •Everyone is going green! Recycling, conserving energy and water. What can we do as a people to help save the planet? There are many things such as turning off a light when you are not in a room or take a shorter shower in the mornings.

Schools across the country and around the world are taking small steps to go green. One local school is going to only have a four day week next school year to cut down on energy and the energy cost. Their days will be a little bit longer but they will have a three day weekend every week. There are other ways for a school to go green though.

Any school can have recycling bins on campus. Every school can ask students to bring their own water bottles instead of buying a bottled water everyday. If every school turned off any/all electronics when they were not in use think about how much energy that would save a semester.

Here at Howe we have a lot of computers and technology. If they were turned off when we were not using them and every evening when the students left the school that could be a dollar amount that was being saved along with conserving energy.

Howe Public schools spends $5,003.08 on average for electricity alone in a single month. We spend $794.46 on average for water a month and for $835.13 on average

for gas. That adds up to be about $6,632.26 on average per month just for water, gas and electricity! That adds up to $79,592.04 a year(not a school year)!

According to www.bulidgreenschools.com, Green schools cost less to operate, freeing up resources to truly improve students’ education. Their carefully planned acoustics and abundant daylight make it easier and more comfortable for students to learn. Their clean indoor air cuts down

sick days and gives our children a head start for a healthy, prosperous future. And their innovative design provides a wealth of hands-on learning opportunities. Public and private schools alike are realizing that going green is a no-brainer. If a green school saved $100,000 per year in operational costs, that's roughly enough to hire two new teachers, buy 200 new computers or purchase 5,000 new textbooks.

GOING GREEN: WHAT CAN WE DO AT HHS?

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— Fringilla Viverr, Lorem

“Louem adipiscing elit, set eiusmod tempor incidunt et labore et dolore magna aliquam. Ut enim louem tempor incidunt et labore et dolore.”

— Urna Semper, Ipsum

Sit Amet 38%

Ligula Quis Diam 34%

Duis Vitae 16%

Ut et Neque 6%

Pellentesque 3%

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GOING GREEN

You can run a TV for six hours

on the amount of electricity

that is saved by recycling one aluminum can.

For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.

KYLE SWARTS, 8TH GRADE: This year was kinda good and bad, we did not get to go on a lot of trips this year, but this year was OK.

MARIAH LANDEROS, FRESHMAN: My second semester was really great. I had a lot of fun, lot and lots of memories. I hope next year is somewhat alike.

24THE YEAR IN 24 WORDS

THE YEAR IN 24 WORDS

BRIANNA HILLEBRAND, FRESHMAN: Basketball was really awesome. I missed my 8th grade buddies. I made new friends, and I am really looking forward to next year.

Swine Fluby Rogelio Zamora

Freshman• • •

There is a virus spreading and it has got people worried. Schools all over the country are closing due to H1N1 also known as swine flu. According to our school nurse, Lori Hall “The flu is spread from droplets. If a person sneezes or coughs on someone else or on something such as a doorknob, if you touch the knob you get the germ. If you touch your mouth nose or eyes or if someone coughs into your mouth nose or eyes and that is how through their respiratory droplets you get the germ.”

The swine flu can be deadly if it is not treated There are 5,710 cases in the U.S and there have been 8 deaths total. Samantha Hill, freshman, says “I haven’t heard a lot about it, but the fact that people are dying from it that is a concern.” The number of cases are growing. You can help prevent the flu according to our school nurse, “The most important thing to do is wash your hands under soap and water for twenty seconds. If you are coughing or sneezing cover your mouth not with your hand but with a tissue or

the bend of your arm.” These are some things you can do to make sure you don’t get the flu or spread the flu.

VFT Team Place 3rdin KC3 Contest

Instructor Tammy Parks and her Broadcast Journalism students from Howe recently participated in the KC3 (Kids Creating

Community Content) Contest. The contest was sponsored by TANDBERG and the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC) to challenge middle and high school teams, from across the United States, to develop and present an engaging and dynamic videoconferencing program about their community. Programs were evaluated on national standards aligned content and materials, interactivity, communication skills, presentation strategy and the effective use of

technology.

PURSE RAIDERS

Shirt, eye lash curler, germX, MP3 player, lip gloss, mascara, car keys, eye shadow, cough drops, chap stick, phone charger, calculator, wallet, note cards, money, memory card, pencils, deodorant, eye liner, tweezers, and trash.

— Brittany Ritter

PURSE RAIDERS

A freshman at Howe High School, Chasity Sanders is an active member in FCS, FCCLA, and YAB. She is on the high school basketball team. Chasity enjoys playing basketball, texting, and going swimming.

Cell phone, camera, make-up bag, baby lotion, pencils, library book, wallet, tooth brush, tooth paste, floss, bracelet, gum, batteries, house keys, canker medicine, hair thing, and trash.

The High School team placed third with their program “Indian Territory, Western Lawmen and Outlaws: Tales from the Courthouse of "Hanging Judge" Parker”. They identified and researched the topic to develop an informational live videoconferencing program and presented it to students from Irasburg Village School, Irasburg, VT, as well as a team of judges. Members of Howe’s team included Dawn Hooper, Samantha Hill, Jared Brown, Rogelio Zamora, Nicole Vongnarath, and Kristen Lovell.

Andrea Ford Named Choctaw Senior Princess

by Amber HoodFreshman

• • •On Saturday, May 9, Andrea Ford participated in the Choctaw Princess Pageant of 2009 in Poteau, Oklahoma. She won a $2000 scholarship to Carl Albert State College in Poteau, Oklahoma, $500 from the Choctaw Nation, and $100 from District 4 Councilman, Delton Cox. She wore a traditional Choctaw dress Everything on the dress is symbolic, for example the x’s stand for stickball, which is a game that the Choctaw nation used to play back in the old days. Her talent was performing the Lords Prayer in Native American sign language. The competition stressed her out at first but it was an all around great opportunity for her. Andrea Ford commented that when she looks back, it was never really all that difficult after all even though she started getting prepared pretty late.

Honor Gradsby Abigail McGarrah

Freshman• • •

According to Howe Schools handbook, Students will be selected from each graduating class for the award of valedictorian, salutatorian, and historian. Students must attend Howe High School for at least three (3) semesters prior to the

selection of the honors. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of four (4) units during their senior year. The valedictorian of the graduating class will be chosen as the person with the highest seven(7) semester grade point average (GPA) plus honor credits,for the student’s high school academic career. A minimum GPA of 3.5 will be required for the valedictorian. The salutatorian of the graduating class shall be the graduating senior having the second

highest GPA plus honor credits for the student’s first seven (7) semesters or high school. A minimum GPA or 3.5 will be required for the salutatorian. The historian of the graduating class shall be the graduating senior having the third highest seven (7) semester GPA plus honor credits. A minimum GPA or 3.25 will be required for the historian.

HOWE CLASS OF 2009 HONOR GRADUATES

“I was really excited because I worked really hard this year. I wasn’t really striving to be valedictorian or anything. I think anybody can do it if they do their work, try hard, and pay attention in class.”

— Ariel Landeros, Historian

“I had worked toward the goal as honor grad since my freshman year. Being the salutatorian is a great honor, and I feel proud that I am representing my class as salutatorian.”

— Samantha Carter, Salutatorian

CROWNING GLORY

Jerra Washington, Howe 6th grader, was named 1st runner-up in the Choctaw Nation Little Miss division, pictured with Jerra are Delton Cox, DIstrict 4 Councilman and Andrea Ford, Senior Princess.

Andrea was awarded over $2,650 is cash scholarships to attend Carl Albert State College in Poteau, OK.

“I felt accomplished and very excited! I had worked very hard to get that award and it was a very tough competition, but it was well worth it! It feels amazing!”

— Ashley Scroggins, Valedictorian

FFA Conventionby Kristen Lovell

Freshman• • •

How many of you have ever been to FFA Convention. Well its an experience worth doing over and over again. So many kids across Oklahoma attend Convention every year, and every year I can guarantee you that every one of them take something different and better out of it each time they attend. You sit in the ford center either down on the floor as a delegate or up in the stands with the rest of the group, and you are listening to the thousands of awards that are given away, and your watching all these talented kids sing or do a talent that some have never seen. Or your listening to the awesome speakers and comedians that give you their speeches that make you want to go home and change, not only your life but all the peoples lives around you. You are just surrounded by all this good that is contagious and your wishing it would take ahold of you!

Then, when they turn all the lights off and all the thousands of kids and mentors stand up and they cheer for our State officers as their running out onto the stage. You can almost feel the quietness and the stillness of every person in the building as Chelsea Clifton, our state FFA president comes out to the middle of the stage and asks them to bow theirs heads in prayer. You can smell the scent of the new blue and gold jackets, you can see the pride in their eyes, you can nearly see all the smiles as she says amen and says please welcome Chad Hymas. Throughout the time that this man his chance to tell the story of how he was paralyzed from the neck down while working out in the field, I started to realize something. This man, is paralyzed from the neck down, but he still tells these kids to get up and get out. He is crippled, but he has worked so hard, progressed so

much over the past years, that he was able to become a professional speaker and go all over the world and share his amazing story.

You can see tears falling all over the room as he tells us how he became paralyzed by a 1000 pound hay bail his tractor dropped on him. And how it was his wife and children who found him. If you can just imagine the power this man is feeling, knowing he is affecting thousands of kids at that very moment. He teaches you how to stick your neck out and fly in the face of fear of rejection and overwhelming discouragement.

From the time you walk into that building and from the time you leave, you are surrounded by this feeling of joy. Because you know everyone in that room is there because they want to be, not because there was nothing better to do, but because they know that FFA Convention is an experience they will never forget. The younger kids that are there, are simply in awe and shock

because who knew something to do with FFA could be so life changing. Then, you have the older kids that are loving ever minute of the experience. They want more, and they know there will be, because FFA is something that will always be around. Its not just about becoming a welder or farmer when your older. Its about what kind of a welder or farmer you choose to become.

PURSE RAIDERS

Kristen Lovell is a Freshman at Howe High School. She is an active member of FFA. Kristen is a member of the Choctaw Youth Advisory Board, is active in FCS and her youth group at church.

Wallet, make-up bag, water, MP3 player, cell phone, house keys, Carmex, screw driver, ear-rings, crackers, nails, money, notes, pencils, pens, bobby pins, calculator, and trash.

FFA ConventionHighlights From The

State ConventionApril 28-30, 2009

Howe Attendees 36# of ladders hit 0Boys vs Girls 1:5# of pens collected 150# of busses returned with 2

by Austin Bennett8th Grade

• • •

School Field TripsSUMMER

MOVIESIf you’re a big fan of Ben Stiller’s “Night at the Museum” be sure to check out “Battle of the Smithsonian” In theaters May 22.

Dance right over to your nearest theater and buy a ticket to “Dance Flick” which also opens May 22. A hilarious new comedy that brings together the talents of two generations, from the clan who brought us the “Scary Movie” franchise and many more great movies.

Disney Pixar’s “UP” invites you on an outstanding journey into a lost world, with the least duo on earth. and that comes out on May 29th.

Fan of Eddie Murphy? check out his new comedy coming out on June 12th which is called “Imagine That”

Sandra Bullock is forced to marry her male assistant in order to stay in the country. This little twist is difficult when they have to fake their way to a surprise wedding. Want to know more?! Jump right on their Adventure to “The Proposal” In theaters June 19th.

EVERYONE LOVES THE END OF SCHOOL FIELD TRIP, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ALIKE. WHETHER IT IS GOING TO CHUCK E. CHEESE OR GOING TO MAGIC SPRINGS, STUDENTS CANNOT WAIT TO GET OUT OF CLASS AND HAVE FUN. For our 8th graders in Middle School this has their last trip until their senior year. They will miss these trips, not realizing just yet how much fun they have had. The Middle School was hoping to take their trip at Magic Springs, but do to the water park being shut-down for maintenance, they decided to go elsewhere. They went to Tulsa to the Oilers Ice Skating rink and then onto the Imax Theatre to watch Monsters vs Aliens in 3D. The 5th graders, though, still went to Magic Springs. Because the water park and the bigger rides were closed, they did not get to ride almost any rides. They took their trip on May 15th.

On May 20th, the 3rd and 4th grades are going to going to watch the movie ‘Earth’ at the Poteau theatre, then CC’s Pizza, on May 20th. I had the privilege to talk to a 3rd grader about what he was looking forward to about their trip, but apparently the only thing he was looking forward to was eating pizza at CC’s. The PreK through 2nd grade are going to Chuck E. Cheese on May 21, then to Creekmore park. Everyone is excited about the trip, including my mother, Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Bobbitt’s PreK assistant, she says she is looking forward to the trip because “It means school is almost out!”

School TripsMay 2009

Chuck E. Cheese PK-2ndMovie “Earth” 3rd-4thMagic Springs 5thIce Skating/IMAX MSMagic Springs Seniors

Mrs. Sockey’s PreSchool Class at Creekmore Park

in Fort Smith, Arkansas

Put A Ring On ItABOUT ME

Name: Nicole Vongnarath

Age: 14

Grade: Freshman

Town: Poteau, OK

Purchased Purity Ring: Fall 2008

Quote: “Of coarse it stands for sex after marriage but not only all about sex but it’s kind of like waiting for true love, like the ring says “True Love Waits,” and I stand by that 100%.”

PURITY RINGS. WHAT ARE THEY? WHERE CAN I GET ONE? THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS ONE ASKS. RECENTLY STUDENTS AT HOWE HIGH SCHOOL HAVE GIVEN THEIR OPINIONS ABOUT PURITY RINGS. Howe High School student Megan Brown tells us a little more about the ring and what it stands for, for her, “I think it stands for staying pure and it’s like kind of a gift of you giving your whole self to your husband like waiting until marriage and every time your tempted to do anything you just look down at your finger and your like wow that was a mistake or that will be a mistake and i’ll regret it.” She tells us how she learned about the ring. “I learned about it from a friend. She was wearing it, and I just asked her what it meant, and I just thought it was really cool so I bought one”.

Howe High School student Samantha Hill explains how getting the ring was a personal and spiritual decision, “The reason it was personal was because a lot of my friends were getting them, and I thought it was pretty cool and everything and they all gave their reasons and I wanted to get mine. But my reason spiritually and religiously is because

there are a couple of scriptures in the bible. In Genesis 2:24, it says “for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and they will become one flesh.” So it’s pretty much sex after marriage and that’s what I believe in, and I think that the purity ring is an awesome symbol of showing that your willing to wait for your future spouse.”

Howe High School student Nicole Vongnarath gives advice to those who are trying to make the decision to get a purity ring, “My advice would be... it’s your choice and if you want to get a ring to symbolize what your choice is then go for it.” She also tells us what it means to her, “Of coarse it stands for sex after marriage, but not only [is it] all about sex, it’s kind of like waiting for true love, like the ring says True Love Waits and I stand by that 100%.”

Purity Rings are rings that you wear when your make a promise to yourself to stay pure until marriage. The price is ranged from $17 to $27 dollars, you can find them at you local bookstore or order them online.

Teens not being abstinent results in:

Millions of serious and deadly STD’s every year.40 million abortions since the early 1970s.

Millions of families torn apart every yearMillions of broken hearts every year.

Millions of teens raising children in poverty every year.

M i l l i o n s o f u n w a n t e d pregnancies every year.www.purityrings.com

NUMBERSAccording to a Media

Research Center article, “Running

Purity Rings around MTV,” In August 2008, the sales of “True Love Waits” rings were up

113%.

by Mariah LanderosFreshman

• • •

by Jennifer Wright• • •

Howe Lady Lions softball girls were in the last game of Regionals trying to win it to go to State. It was a very close game against Pocola when they went into extra innings. All the fans were on their toes cheering for the Lady Lions! Finally the game ended with the final score being 13-11 the Howe Lady Lions win it! The fans cheered and the Lady Lions celebrated, they are State bound! Senior Ashley Scroggins had this to say about the very close game, “The Regionals game was crazy! We felt like we had the game won like about five times that game, but then Pocola felt like they won the game like five times. So it just went back and forth and back and forth. It was very stressful, but after the game was over and we came out on top it made it feel even better winning regionals and going to State.”

The girls were on their way to National Softball Hall of Fame Stadium after the Sports Banquet to

play their first game in the State Tournament against Hobart. The girls played at 3:00PM. Unfortunately, The Lady Lions got beat by Hobart 21-12.

The girls were very upset that their season had come to an end, but at the same time they were excited that they had made it to State. Ashley had this to say about making it to State, “It feels great to make state, one time in Softball and it makes it even better that it was my Senior year, because even though we didn't win the State Tournament it kind of feels like we went out with a bang because this is the first time in a long time that any softball team around here has went to State. There is no better feeling than to go to State even if we did loose and end it that way our Senior year.” Coach Vandever had this to say about the season, “We have met every goal for the season. We made it to State for the 3rd time in History and the 2nd time in history in Slow pitch so I am a very proud coach!”

Lady Lions Wrap Season at State

#3 Chelsea Baggs

#4 Katie BenAmor

#5 Tori Kellogg

#7 Raye McKenzie

#8 Cierra Yandell

#10 Ashley Scroggins

#11 Kelsey Parks

#12 Taylor Cawhorn

#13 Summer Durant

#14 Jordan Wilburn

#15 Miranda Lambert

#18 Randa Grant

#20 Whitney Johnson

#22 Lynsey White

#26 Sarah Henry

#31 Samantha Carter

Head Coach Bryan Vandever

Asst. Coach Shane Brown

THE PAW PRINT: REPORTERSSamantha Hill Jennifer Wright

Nicole Vongnarath Jared Brown

Michelle Evans Austin Bennett

Arlie Crouch Dawn Hooper

Rogelio Zamora Chasity Sanders

Mariah Helmandollar Amber Hood

Kristen Lovell Mariah Landeros

Viddy Zamora Abigail McGarrah

THE PAW PRINTISSUE no. 17VOLUME 01

Tammy G. Parks, Advisertammygparks@mac.com

Howe Public SchoolsP.O. Box 259

Howe, Oklahoma 74940www.howeschools.org

HOWE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

P.O. Box 259Howe, Oklahoma 74940

by Arlie Crouch8th Grade

• • •Mrs. Buchanan and her class are planting trees around campus. Every class, pre-k through 12th grade gets their own tree.

Mrs. Buchanan and her class received a grant from the U.S Forestry Service. The class chose five varieties of trees:

leland cypress, triumph elm, river birch, autumn blaze maple and shantung maple. They planted 20 trees around the school campus. Mrs. Buchanan and her class are planting one tree for every grade so that not only will they be apart of the campus but so that every one feels involved.

Mrs. Buchanan says that she has talked to some of the seniors that have planted trees when they were in

kindergarden and that they even pointed out the tree, and that they could bring back their kids and show them their tree someday. Mrs. Buchanan plans on planting more shrubs and more flowers next year. Visit their project website at: http://podcast.howeschools.org/~hsscience

HHS Science Classes Receive Grant