The consolidation of Memphis City Schools and Shelby County Schools has been one of the hottest topics since the beginning of 2011. Two top administrators recently began to clarify the topic for The Panthers Prey.

The Panthers Prey: How did the consolidation of the two schools start?

Mr. Gideon, assistant principal: Memphis City Schools decided they did not want to function on their own. And since this is the case, Shelby County Schools have to incorporate this into their own system. So, instead of having two systems, you have one.

TPP: What does this mean to the students?

Mr. Gideon: There will be a lot more opportunities. A bigger school system means more choices, hopefully.

TPP: What does this mean to the school?

Mr. Gideon: It is hard to tell right now. It just depends on how it is decided to be run.

Mr. Hawkins, BHS principal, added more detail.

TPP: What does consolidation mean for the students?

Mr. Hawkins: The students will not be affected at all. The only people that could possibly be affected are the administrators.

TPP: What does consolidation mean for the school?

Mr. Hawkins: We could get more resources, and our test scores will probably go up.

Recently, a feasibility report was released with information about whether Bartlett schools could stand alone as a district rather than be a part of the consolidated Shelby County Schools. This report can be found at http://www.cityofbartlett.org/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1257.

The consolidation is set to start in the 2013-14 school year, when this year’s sophomores will graduate. More information and opinions on the consolidation process may be found on these sites:

www.scsk12.org (the website for the Shelby County Schools)

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/news/local/bartlett-cordova/

www.memphisdailynews.com

www.saveshelbycounty.org/question-about-consolidation.html

The one-act play “was about quality, not quantity,” said Dickerson, star of the play and Drama Club vice-president. What it lacked in length it compensated for in suspense and plot as it kept the audience on the edge of their seats.

The play began with chatty invalid Leona Stevenson calling around due to her loneliness because of her husband’s absence. Demanding of the operator, she seems bratty and spoiled, causing the audience to hold a bit of disdain for her, just like the operator does. However, as the play progresses quickly and Leona desperately tries to save a “poor woman’s life,” the audience begins to feel more compassion for her. By the end of the play, she’s drawn in with her humility and good nature, causing the onlooker to desperately hope, as she does, that she will be rescued.

While the audience is saddened by Leona’s predictable death, their reactions to the play would have been greatly diminished had it not been for the dramatic lighting and the believable sets. Everyone knows the element that draws an audience into a play is its credibility. Had lights not gone down the exact moment Bradlee Heath flung his arm to “stab” Dickerson, the audience would have seen that he, in fact, didn’t touch her. It’s because of the wonderful lighting crew that viewers believe a knife slit Leona’s throat. The reality isn’t just based on the actors and the lighting either.

There was an element of authenticity to the sets that made the audience believe they were actually sitting at the edge of Leona’s room. The movie may have gotten only three out of four stars from American film-critic Leonard Maltin, but Bartlett’s stage rendition got four our of four from the audience. While the audience clapped for the cast and crew, the participants applauded Kevin Rodgers, director and drama teacher. “Mr.Rodgers is fabulous!” said Dickerson.

Players and owners simply couldn’t agree on how to split the revenue. In the end, players will earn 49% and the owners will receive 51%. The reason the agreement dragged on was because the players wanted a 50/50 split.

During the lockout, most players were on courts in China and European countries. Kevin Durant, Lebron James, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony traveled around the U.S. and played charity games.

But now with the season looming, fans can experience their favorite team, whether it be the hometown Memphis Grizzlies, (who had their best season last year with their upset of San Antonio in the playoffs), the always popular LA Lakers, the Chicago Bulls and MVP Derrick Rose, The Boston Celtics, the championship winning Dallas Mavericks, and yes-the Miami Heat with the “Big 3” of Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and Lebron James.

Don’t be surprised if the aging Lakers and Celtics benefit from this lockout. The shortened season can only help these two teams get another championship. Fewer games mean fewer injuries, and these two teams have been devastated by injuries going into the playoffs the past few years.

But, the shortened season could also benefit younger teams like Miami, Memphis, or the Oklahoma City Thunder. The youth and talent in these franchises could get warmed up fast and keep that fire in the playoffs.

How do you see this strange season ending? Dallas repeating? Or possibly Miami winning its first after the addition of James and Bosh? Regardless, it will be unlike any other. And the season starts on a holiday full of giving, but there will be no giving of any wins on that day.

Mix-It-Up Day got students to mingle outside of their usual company and help expand their friend circle. The Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Cheerleaders got everyone pumped up by cheering, chanting, and dancing all over the place as D.J. and track coach Jim Steinbrecher played lots of line-dance songs and took it all the way back to the 90′s.

Ian Lee, junior, thought that Mix-It-Up Day was, “…a fun experience that people need to participate in.” Everyone seemed to love the music as they sang along, and started conga lines. Greg Johnson, junior, loved it, “because I just met this girl and now we’re buying Snowflake tickets for this Saturday.” Most liked that seating was distributed based on birthdays rather than the color they were wearing. The same students agreed that birthday months were a better conversation topic shirt colors.

The entire cafeteria buzzed with music and conversation. Dancing and balloons promoted the lively and exciting aura. It was really the students’ participation and the hard work of everyone involved that made the day a success.

The senior section seemed less lively as many seniors joined the celebrating. Some said they understood the school’s admirable aim, but chose not to participate, saying it felt like “peer pressure.” When students were put together suddenly and with no choice, some felt awkward because they no longer knew anyone around them.

Perhaps with enough Mix-It-Up Days, awkwardness will melt away with the music, but for now at the end of the day most can still say they had fun.

Similar to “Homecoming Week,” everyday highlighted something different. Monday was “Pledge Day.” A-lunch students went to the table in the cafeteria where Moore had them sign a pledge to stop a certain type of bullying and to collect a ribbon to wear the next day. Black represented “cyber bullying,” green represented “bullying,” and yellow represented “teen suicide prevention.” Tuesday was “Pledge Day,” when the students wore the pledge ribbon received Monday.

“Stoplight Day” was Wednesday, where students wore red, yellow, or green to show their opinion of the severity of bullying at Bartlett High School. Green ribbons meant that the wearer thought that bullying was not a problem. Yellow meant that bullying is only a moderate problem, and red symbolized that bullying “needs to stop now.”

Thursday was “Dress for Success Day” where students were dressed in business attire, as if they were going to a job interview. Friday was “Name Day” where students made a shirt with hurtful names they have been called.

Thankfully, Jana Radford, the college and career counselor in the guidance office in the A Building, helps students from getting completely lost. “As long as my door is open and no one else is in my office, and I’m not on the phone, you are more than welcome to come and see me.” Her best periods are second, third, and sixth.

Radford recommends checking out the cost. With tuition rising, it can be a struggle to cover expenses. She also warns against not getting fooled by companies that want “fifty dollars to find you a scholarship.” They may say, ”Oh, we don’t care about your grades or ACT score,” but that “is simply not how it works,” Radford said.

Money does not solve everything, however. A 2010 report by ACT, the IOWA testing company, estimated one-third of 2010 freshmen would not return for sophomore year. Students should ask questions about what colleges do to retain freshmen at their schools. The college should help students adjust and keep their grades up, because so many students get homesick or leave due to failing grades.

Students should also be asking themselves questions about what they want out of a college by taking into consideration where they will feel comfortable. If students are shy, they may not want a big college with crowds and a classroom with 300 other students. However, a very outgoing person may enjoy a bustling campus with lots of clubs and organizations. Some students cannot wait to get far away, but if some get homesick easily, they may want a college close enough to come home on weekends.

Radford also suggested looking over websites started by students, Rate My Professors.com. Most people think it is a joke, but students seriously share useful information. One student may say the teacher is very “hands-on” and students who prefer a different style can avoid the teacher’s class.

Students should also make certain a college is reputable. “If a college doesn’t ask for your records…(or claim) they will guarantee admission, or scholarship money without seeing your grades or ACT scores, then that’s not legitimate,” Radford said.

Likewise, it is not always easy to determine if a college is accredited. Often a “big governing body will accredit a college, but each department major area also has a level of accreditation.” For example, the Education Department and Business Department have separate accreditations by governing bodies.  Radford says websites can provide that information. Radford said, ”…a lot of times you’ll work more with (the department) than you will with the university as a whole.”

There are many schools with locations all over the United States that are wonderful. Radford says these schools can be a good thing if the student is willing to stay on top of things. Lots of times students just assume that the school is going to put them on the right track and everything is going to be just fine, but it is the student’s job to make sure that the school is doing everything they can for them.

Radford said that a student knows they have made the right college choice when they feel comfortable at that school, when there are enough things they like to make them stay and enjoy it. “I hate to be philosophical, but deep down you’ll just know.”

Rounding out the Editorial Board are all the section editors: People Editor Brooke Dugan (senior); Sports Editor Matt LeVier (senior); Clubs and Organizations Editor Bradlee Heath (senior); Academics Editor Rachel Ward, (junior); and Senior Tribute/Ad Manager Megan Sedory (senior).

The Panther Parade yearbook is sold everyday at lunch and in room A23 before and after school. Yearbooksforever.com is another place to buy the book. Ads and tributes may also lock in online.   The price of the 63^rd volume is $65 until October when the publisher’s price goes up.

The EOCs at Bartlett will take place May 3-5 and also the 10-12. These tests can be vital to whether or not a person passes a class and moves on to the next grade, because they count for 20% of the second semester average in that class.

The EOCs being administered this year include the following classes: Algebra I, Algebra II, Biology, English 9, English 10, and US History.

“I’m so not excited for these upcoming EOCs,” said sophomore Tonica Jackson.

And why would a student be excited? They get to sit in a room for over two long hours and complete a test that could either make or break their grade. Another pressure that comes with these tests is the fact that next year they will be a part of teacher evaluations next year. Every teacher will get evaluated, and some over students they have never taught, under the new guidelines the state has issued.

While this test is vital, it may not be very fun for those who have slacked off most of the year.

“It’s just going to be so much studying to do,” said freshman Autumn Gordon.

Studying for these tests will be hard if students attempt to study all their notes from the year in one night.

According to Oxfordlearning.com some easy study tips are attainable and easy to follow. The first step is to not cram all of one’s studying into one night. It is easier to memorize material over days of preparation than a seven-hour cram session. Students should plan out what and how much to study each night to keep themselves on track and ready for when the test comes.

Students should also make notes of their own if they are studying from a book, and write the concepts in their own words to get a better understanding of the material. Also, they should not focus too much on the material that one may already know well; challenging themselves with the harder topics will prove more beneficial. It is a good idea to be an active learner while in class too.

A good source for advice on studying is Studytips.com, which provides studying tips for nearly everything under the sun.

Keep distractions to a minimum while hitting the books by avoiding televisions, cell phones, or loud music will help as well. Finding a quiet place to study can engender a calm and a serious attitude which will make it easier to retain information.

Even though these exams can seem huge and treacherous to students, they are easily conquered with good study skills and active learners who feel the pressure of tests as big as these.

McClatchy Newspapers

(MCT)

WASHINGTON — It took years for the U.S. military to track Osama bin Laden down, finding him not in a cave in the inaccessible tribal regions of Pakistan, but in a sumptuous luxury compound built just six years ago in the same city that is home to Pakistan’s most prestigious military academy.

The raid that killed him lasted just 40 minutes.

U.S. officials briefing reporters here said the raid involved a helicopter assault on a compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad by a small U.S. team.

Bin Laden resisted the U.S. team and was shot in the head, they said. Also killed were bin Laden’s most trusted courier and one of bin Laden’s sons, as well as a woman one of the men tried to use as a human shield, they said.

“Bin Laden was killed as our operators came into the compound,” said one senior administration official, who like the others, spoke on condition they not be further identified because of the situation’s sensitivity.

Only U.S. personnel were involved in the raid, and Obama’s decision to launch it wasn’t shared with any other country, including Pakistan, whose most powerful intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, has long been suspected by U.S. officials of maintaining links to extremist groups close to al-Qaida.

One senior administration official indicated that the U.S. was pursuing with the Pakistani government the question of whether any Pakistani officials were aware of bin Laden’s presence.

“We are very concerned that he was inside Pakistan,” he said.

The compound was uncovered after years of effort by the CIA, which had been gathering leads on individuals in bin Laden’s inner circle, including his couriers. Some of their names were provided by al-Qaida members captured by the U.S.

“One courier in particular had our constant attention,” said a second senior administration official, who declined to release his name, but described him as a “protege” of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged architect of the 9/11 attacks who was captured in Pakistan in March 2003 and is in U.S. custody at Guantanamo.

The CIA positively identified the courier four years ago and two years ago identified areas of Pakistan where the courier and his brother were operating. But because they employed such tight operations security, the agency was unable to pinpoint their residence until last year.

The captured al-Qaida members only knew the courier’s nom de guerre, but they told U.S. intelligence officers that he was “one of the few … trusted by bin Laden,” and that the pair might be living together, he continued.

The courier and his brother were tracked to a massive, palatial compound built in 2005 at the end of a dirt road in an isolated and “affluent” suburb of Abbottabad favored by retired Pakistani military officers, said the second senior administration official, who added that it was believed that the residence was constructed specifically for bin Laden.

“We were shocked by what we saw,” he said, describing the compound as being eight times larger than any of the area’s other homes, surrounded by 12- to 18-foot walls topped by barbed wire. Different sections of the structure were walled off from each other.

The “extraordinary security measures” also included two electrified security gates. Trash was burned before being taken out for disposal, he said.

The compound was built at a cost of $1 million — a great deal for a residence in impoverished Pakistan — yet it had no telephone or Internet connections, and the third floor was surrounded by a “seven-foot privacy wall” for its occupants.

The courier and his brother, meanwhile, “had no explainable source of income,” said the second administration official, who added that “we soon learned that more people were living at the compound” than just the two men and their families.

CIA analysts, working with the eavesdroppers of the National Security Agency and experts at the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Agency, which analyzes satellite imagery, concluded “with strong probability” that a third family — bin Laden, his youngest wife and several family members — also were living there, he said.

The compound’s massive security, its isolated location and its size “was consistent with what our experts had expected bin Laden’s hideout would look like,” he continued. “No other candidate fit the bill as well as bin Laden did.”

Months of planning went into the helicopter-borne operation, said a third senior administration official, who declined to provide many details, including how many personnel and aircraft participated. Obama met with a close circle of top national security aides five times since March 14 to review the intelligence assessment and plans for the operation before giving the final go-ahead.

The compound’s high walls, security precautions, suburban location “and proximity to Islamabad made” the operation extreme risky, he said.

The third senior administration official described the operation as “a surgical raid by a small team designed to minimize collateral damage.”

“Our team was in the compound for under 40 minutes,” he said.

The senior administration officials said that the operation complied with U.S. and international law, and stressed that Obama had repeatedly put Pakistan on notice that the U.S. would act if it received actionable intelligence on the whereabouts of bin Laden or other terrorist threats.

A fourth senior administration official warned that “there may be a heightened threat” of terrorism against the U.S. homeland and Americans overseas as a result of bin Laden’s killing.

The administration, he said, was taking “every possible effort” to detect and thwart any retaliatory terrorist strikes.

But he called bin Laden’s death “the single greatest victory” in the long campaign to crush al-Qaida.

As for bin Laden’s body, it will “be handled in accordance with Islamic practice and tradition,” which dictate that the funeral and burial be held within 24 hours of death, the fourth official said. He declined to elaborate.

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(c) 2011, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Visit the McClatchy Washington Bureau on the World Wide Web at www.mcclatchydc.com.

LONDON — If a single prince is in want of a wife, no one puts on a better show than the British when he finally gets one.

That truth was universally acknowledged Friday when William Arthur Philip Louis Mountbatten-Windsor, second in line to the British throne, married Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, his college sweetheart, in a ceremony dripping with tradition and sparkly jewels.

The couple exchanged vows in the soaring Gothic interior of Westminster Abbey before 1,900 guests, including more than 40 crowned heads and scores of dignitaries and celebrities. Also present was Prince William’s 85-year-old grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, the prim and proper head of a royal family that hopes to receive a boost from a new generation capable of rebranding the monarchy for the 21st century.

Outside the church, hundreds of thousands of well-wishers converged on central London, watching the wedding on jumbo screens in Hyde Park and cheering the newlyweds as they rode in an open-topped carriage from the abbey to Buckingham Palace.

In many ways, it was a chance for a normally reserved people to celebrate not just a royal marriage but themselves, an occasion for an outpouring of patriotism at a time of economic uncertainty and painful public austerity.

“It’s a big British event. We don’t usually have big British events,” said 28-year-old James Ravenscroft, a Londoner who was draped in a large British flag. His friends were similarly decked out.

Many spectators had camped overnight to nab the best vantage points along the short procession route. Along with Britain’sUnion Jack, the flags of such countries as Brazil, Canada, Kenya and the U.S. also dotted the crowds, evidence of the abiding fascination that Britain’s monarchy holds for foreigners, even those who gave the royal family the heave-ho 235 years ago.

There was excitement when the abbey bells began pealing to herald the arrival of honored guests and members of the bejeweled and beribboned wedding party. There was laughter when William struggled to work the thin wedding band of Welsh gold onto Middleton’s finger, possibly putting the safety of the royal ring-fitter’s head in doubt.

But there was poignancy, too, in the knowledge that 14 years ago, William had sat stoically in the same church as a teenager for the funeral of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in Paris.

That tragic event, and the palace’s out-of-touch response to the national upwelling of grief that followed, pushed public opinion of the royal family to its lowest level in years. Many supporters are now counting on William, 28, a personable and sympathetic figure with a strong resemblance to his mother, to help revive the monarchy’s reputation and glamour.

A completely new, and no doubt daunting, life awaits Middleton, who is now the wife of, essentially, a junior partner in “the Firm,” as the royal family likes to style itself.

Confident and poised, Middleton is the first university-educated woman to marry an heir in the direct line of succession to the throne. Somehow in Britain’s complicated and arcane class system, she is considered “middle class,” even though her parents have made millions from their home-based party-supplies business.

But Middleton, 29, is no longer a commoner: The queen announced Friday morning that William and his bride would henceforth be known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, with Middleton awarded the title “Her Royal Highness.” She is not, however, a princess, regardless of the fairytale fantasies of her fans.

Her main career duty has passed from helping her parents produce party favors to helping the royal family produce an heir. Welcome to the world of dynastic rule.

Commentators have wondered how Middleton will take to the fishbowl life that proved so soul-destroying for the mother-in-law she never knew.

But paradoxically, some Britons say Middleton’s ordinary, if well-heeled, upbringing positions her well for her new, more rarefied role. They see their likely future queen as someone who embodies modern values and can relate to average folk, a good companion to a prince who also seems more accessible and down-to-earth, despite his list of servants that makes “Upstairs, Downstairs” look like child’s play.

“She’s a normal everyday person, isn’t she? She comes from a village in Berkshire. She went to the village shops,” said businessman Andrew Collett, 44. “Every girl’s dream is to marry a prince, and she did it.”

Such is the burgeoning popularity of “Wills and Kate” that polls show a significant number of Britons would like to see the young prince bypass his father, Prince Charles, and ascend the throne when Elizabeth dies. That remains an unlikely prospect, though.

“People may want William to succeed his grandmother, but at the same time, Charles has been waiting such a long time — he should have a shot at it,” said Jane Taylor, 48, a nurse who came to London on Friday from the city of Southampton. “If he didn’t, it would be like pages ripped out of the history book.”

The wedding itself seemed to have been ripped from the pages of a military manual, such was its attention to detail and timing down to every minute.

Guests began arriving long before the 11 a.m. service, creating a sea of colorful hats and tuxedo tails inside the abbey’s medieval nave. Big cheers from the hordes outside greeted celebrities like Elton John and David Beckham.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard received a muted reception, perhaps because, though the queen is Australia’s head of state, Gillard is an avowed republican who believes the royal family ought to be out of a job.

A trumpet fanfare announced the arrival of the canary-yellow-clad queen, who has reigned for 59 years. A majority of Britons alive today have known no other sovereign, and polls consistently show her to be the monarchy’s most-respected figure.

Friday’s was the grandest royal wedding in 30 years, when William’s parents, Charles and Diana, tied the knot before a worldwide TV audience of about 750 million. The potential audience for William’s nuptials was estimated at 2 billion.

The service itself was mostly traditional, with a few modern flourishes. Young maple trees in huge planters were hauled inside the abbey to lend it a garden feel (reported price tag: up to $80,000), and new music was commissioned for the event.

Middleton pledged to love and honor but not to “obey” her husband, though, once he becomes king, she will technically owe him her total allegiance.

Afterward, the newlyweds left the church for their coach ride to Buckingham Palace, escorted by helmeted guards of the royal Household Cavalry. The possible showers that were forecast never materialized. When Middleton came out on the palace’s balcony with William to wave at the surging crowds who will one day be her subjects, she could be seen to say: “Wow.”

Then came a pair of kisses that will be endlessly broadcast around the world.

To the delight of the crowds, the happy couple later emerged unexpectedly from the palace riding in a classic blue Aston Martin being driven by William himself.

Neither he nor Middleton appeared to be wearing seatbelts. But even with 5,000 police officers crawling over London, in one of the biggest security operations the city has ever seen, they managed to escape getting a ticket.

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(c) 2011, Los Angeles Times.

Visit the Los Angeles Times on the Internet at http://www.latimes.com/.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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