Senioritis takes over

Ever felt like school should just be over? Seniors who are experiencing laziness, dealing with impatience, or finding themselves sick of doing work may have contracted the infamous disease Senioritis. This disease is known to infect seniors. Added to that disorder, spring fever can make school virtually intolerable for afflicted seniors.

“I think I’ve had Senioritis all year,” said senior Parker Bryan.

Underclassmen are also easy victims for spring fever. Summer is coming for them, but that following fall they have to gear up and return back to school. They should also realize that while this disease is in the air, their grades are still being counted either for or against their GPA. Even if it means having to distance oneself from the computer, television, or cell phone, a good exam score will be the ultimate reward. Students having trouble focusing should try to take a few short breaks in the studying time to stretch or simply relax their mind, as long as they get back to work as quickly as possible. They have to have the will power to deny themselves the great weather and sunshine to finish up homework and be prepared for class the next day. Someday these tips will also be handy when dealing with senioritis.

“I’m just so ready for the homework to end and for summer,” said sophomore Savannah Donnely.

Seniors feel as if this is the home stretch, a long home stretch that takes longer than they thought to complete. The impatient bunch cannot focus enough to accomplish small homework tasks or study for a major test. This puts them behind or failing because of a low-test grade. Though they may say “it will not hurt my average,” they could not be more wrong.

“Most seniors figure it’s time to slack off and just wait for summer to come,” said senior Camille Maynard.

Colleges review end-of-the-year transcripts, and seniors are re-evaluated after the school year is finished. According to Collegeboard.com, almost every college has placed a new clause in their acceptance letters: “Your admission is contingent on your continued successful performance.” A senior’s continued performance means the admission counselors will be looking over whether or not a senior slacked off the last couple of semesters.

Studying may be a senior with senioritis or an underclassmen with spring fever’s worst nightmare. A person could put what they have to study to music, or make up a set of hand gestures to help them recollect their studying. For other sorts of studying, like Math or Science, where a student has a set of problems to complete the student could turn it into a race of sorts. The race isn’t about getting done quickly, it’s about getting the problems done right and for each one the person gets right they can reward themselves with a piece of candy or a minute break. Not only one sole senior is hit with senioritis, so finding a study group if one is interested should not be too hard.

Teachers are by far the worst victims of spring fever. When a teacher catches this it can be fatal not only to them but also to their students. They are supposed to prepare them for the huge tests at the end of the year such as the EOC or semester exam, and if they fail to do so it can hurt a student’s grade. A student’s grades reflect a teacher’s job, which could hurt the teacher as much as the student.

The cure for teachers requires a bit more creativity and a lot more fun. They should find entertaining ways to teach and help their students learn. No one dislikes stickers as a reward for getting an answer right; in fact getting the ones with happy smiles makes it all the better. Candy is also a great reward to get the students up and ready to answer and paying attention, just make sure to give it to them right before their next class. Teachers could also make a game out of the lesson and fashion it after Jeopardy or Bingo.

English teachers may find that acting out a play may help students become more engaged. Math teachers could create a game with teams and whichever team wins the game, which will consist of problems from the lessons, could obtain extra credit on a test or quiz. Science teachers could find it is time to stop the lectures and break out the lab equipment for fun experiments. History or Geography teachers could scheme up creative songs to help students remember important dates or places.

Sadly, homework will not do itself and most people do not have photographic memories, but with fun ways to study or even conducting class, battling these diseases will be a piece of cake.

Seniors accomplish excellence

There comes a time in high school that requires seniors to put these last four years behind them. Some will go to Bethel University and play their sport like Alyssa Montague, Jimmy Davis, and John Kraft.

Davis and Kraft are both very talented bowlers. They strive for excellence in every game and have been doing so for the last four years at Bartlett High School.

“So many people do not know there are scholarships available for both men and especially women in the field of bowling,” said Coach Art Thompson.

For the very first time in the history of Bartlett High School, these two students have been awarded partial scholarships for the sport of bowling. They have signed a letter of intent to go to Bethel University with $9000 per year.  This includes room, board, tuition, meals, and books according to their coach, Art Thompson.

Yes, being a panther is fun but the reality is that when one becomes a senior the days of college are right around the corner.

“I’m definitely prepared for college. I know I’m going to miss my friends and all the fun I had these years, but now I’m going to have to focus on the future at college,” said senior Jimmy Davis.

Going on to college and leaving the days of high school behind is tough for one to do.

“I’m ready to leave high school but at the same time I’m not ready to leave everything behind,” said senior John Kraft.

Track star Alyssa Montague will also attend Bethel University. She signed her letter of intent on March 24. She holds the top two school record times in the 800 meters, having broken it twice and is close to breaking the record again. She is also close to breaking the 1600-meter record. With all of these achievements under her belt, she is qualified for the sectional championship in the following races: 200 meter, 400 meter, 800 meter, and 1600 meter according to her coach, Steve Sullivan.

“I’m excited for college because my sister goes there and I think the track team will be fun,” said Alyssa Montague.

Montague has put a tremendous amount of work and effort into the track team.

“She has shown leadership and work ethic by overcoming injuries, sickness, lack of transportation and set two school records and is close to setting two more,” said Coach Steve Sullivan.

Bartlett High School says goodbye to all of those seniors in Spring, Fall, and Winter sports.  They are all going to higher places and nothing but success is wished upon them.

Senior dropout rates decreasing

Senior year is hailed as being the easiest year in a high school student’s life. It is a wonder that at such an “easy time” some seniors choose the option to dropout.

The event dropout rate is defined as the percentage of students who drop out of high school between one October and the next. Compared to the National event dropout rate of 3.5% in 2008, Tennessee in 2010 had an event dropout rate of 2.7%.

Here at Bartlett High School, the dropout rate is very low. Out of the 296 graduating seniors of 2010, only 10 dropped out according to guidance counselor Brenda Pilant.

Students who carry low grades or have poor attendance records are more likely to drop out according to the Georgia Family Connection Partnership. Of course the lucky old “senioritis” hits students hard on this single most important time of their life.

“Some students definitely have senioritis. They just want to finish right now,” guidance counselor Andrea Beck said.

However, finishing school right now can cause heartache for some seniors. They feel so pressured and get caught up in the wrong habits- like procrastination.

Social networking sites, texting, family issues, and relationship problems can all be setbacks for the senior. It is a wonder that one can go through so much and still at the end come up standing.

President Obama said it best when he told Miami Central High School on Fri. March 4, “The single most important thing companies are looking for is highly skilled, highly educated workers. You can’t drop out, you can’t even think about dropping out.”

By dropping out, a senior would miss a lot of job opportunities that could be had if they had not. Students who do decide to drop out can expect to make $17,299 a year while a student who went to college and received a bachelors degree makes three times more, $51,671, according to All4ed.org.

At the end of the day, this decision is important to both the senior and the parents of the senior.

“Once we talk it out, staying in school and finishing up is always the better option,” guidance counselor Andrea Beck said.

Staying in school and walking across the stage at graduation shows something to an anticipated senior. If they choose to go on to gain higher education, that just proves that although these last nine months may have been hard to bear but despite everything they made it.

Seniors should study these tips to defeat the ACT

As many seniors know, the ACT is coming up soon, and preparing for the test is a necessity.  Seniors may have trouble studying for this test, but that is completely normal.

The ACT is a test that colleges use to predict future success for seniors.  To take the ACT, seniors have to register and pay $33 for the basic test (math, science, reading, and English) or $48 for the basic test plus the writing portion.  The writing part of the ACT is optional depending on what college seniors choose.  Each category is scored separately and then they are averaged together for the final score.

Important tips to help seniors on the ACT include the following:

-Read all directions gradually and thoroughly.  Seniors need to understand what they are supposed to do on the questions so they do not get them all wrong.

-Read all questions and answers carefully.  Even one word can make a difference in the meaning of the question. Seniors can misread questions and answers easily, and end up getting them wrong even though they knew the right answer.

-Do not spend a long time on a passage or question.  Spending too much time on one question can make seniors lose time and end up not finishing the test.

-Answer every question or be penalized. If seniors have trouble on a question they should just skip it and go back later, or guess. They are not penalized for guessing.

-Answer every question; seniors are not penalized for guessing. Making an educated guess can sometimes be the only option when test takers do not know the answer. It is better to guess then to not answer at all.

-When the “five minutes left” is announced pay attention.  This helps seniors know they have five minutes left and need to start guessing so they are not penalized.

-Use a No. 2 pencil with a good eraser to erase wrong answers fully.  Seniors need to use a No. 2 pencil so their test can be graded.  The machines that grade the ACT will count every answer wrong if answered in pen, marker, or anything that is not a No. 2 pencil.

-Answer every question; seniors are not penalized for guessing.  It is better to guess then to not answer at all.

-Answer easy questions first then more difficult ones last.  Answering the easier ones first can save time for seniors to fly through those and head on to the hard ones last where they can spend much needed time on the difficult ones.

-Use the process of elimination.  Looking at all of the answers and then eliminating the obviously wrong ones can save a lot of time and lower answers down to two instead of four.  It gives seniors the ability to get more of their answers right.

-Recheck every question.  When seniors recheck their answers they may find that their answer made no sense at all and they can change it to the right one.

-Do not continue after testing has been called.  Seniors who do this will be disqualified and earn a zero for the test.

Taking the ACT more than once is recommended if students scored low.  Also if students do not enjoy the score they made, they can retake it and make a higher score.

“I recommend taking the ACT once and just seeing how you perform on it, then when you get your score back you can decide whether or not you want to take prep courses,” College and Career Counselor Jana Radford said.

Certain colleges, such as the University of Florida, University of Alabama, and most of the colleges in California, require the writing test.  Many others, including the University of Memphis and University of Mississippi, do not require it.  Seniors can visit the ACT student website for a list of colleges and their requirements.

When seniors register, they have four college choices where their scores can be sent.  If they want to choose more than four colleges they have to pay $10 for each additional college.  Normally students do not choose more than four colleges unless they are unsure about which college they want to attend.

Testing Dates

-Dec. 11
-Feb. 12
-Apr. 9
-June 11

Calculators not permitted:

-TI-89
-TI-92
-TI-Nspire CAS Note: TI-Nspire (non-CAS) is permitted.
- HP 48GII
-HP 40G
-HP 49G
-HP50G
-Algebra FX 20
-ClassPad 300
-ClassPad 330
-CFX-9970G

The night before the test, seniors need to get plenty of sleep and place what they need for the test somewhere they will not forget it.  Seniors need to bring their ID, admission ticket, and the right calculator for the ACT.

Teens with jobs becoming workaholics

The number of teens with jobs is slowly decreasing. In fact, according to the Census Bureau employment data, teen employment has dropped 6.9% since the early 2000s. The amount of teens unemployed may seem like a terrible problem for teenagers, but it may just be a good situation.

According to an informal survey conducted in some senior English classes at Bartlett High School, 35.5% of teenagers ages 17 to 18 work 21 through 48 hours a week, and 22.9% of the same students spend less than 1 hour on their homework a week. 31.25% of students spend one through three hours a week, and 34.3% of students spend less than 30 minutes on homework a day.

The question left unanswered is, “Why are they working at all?”

Problems like teens spending too much time at work are solved by labor laws, but looking at the survey data, some employers do not abide by these rules.

According to Tennessee labor laws, the workplace must have the laws posted; however, 9.5% of employers did not have them posted, according to the students surveyed. How are teens able to know when their employers are disobeying the rules without the knowledge of the rules? 36.5% of students surveyed were not even sure if their employer had them posted. Having the rules posted in the workplace helps the student know if their employer is being harsh on their hours and disobeying the rules that are for the student’s benefit.

Also, according to labor laws, teens are not allowed to stay at work past 10 p.m. without parental consent. Even then, they are only allowed to work past 10 p.m. three times a week. Of the students surveyed, 23.3% of teens left work at 10-12 p.m. on a regular basis.

The time spent at work may not seem too big of a deal, but it affects students’ attention at school due to lack of sleep. In the Journal of Educational Research, researchers Kusum Singh, Sandra Dika, and Mido Chang said, “Students who work longer hours are likely to display less engagement, less motivation, and less effort to learn.” Plus, in the Journal for Human Resources, Donna S. Rothstein discovered that the more the teens worked, the less they achieved academically.

Teens should have knowledge of the labor laws, ask their work to have them posted, and make sure that their employer enforces them. After all, employers who do not follow the rules may hinder their employees’ academic progress. Jobs may be beneficial for teaching teens responsibility and teamwork, but they can also be harmful by depriving the student of study time.

The Panther’s Prey bids farewell to five seniors

The Panther’s Prey will be losing more of its senior staffers than normal this year. These five seniors, who will be heading off to college this fall, have worked very hard to make their last year a good one.

Laura Sledge has been a member of The Panther’s Prey newspaper staff for three years. In her years on staff she has served as the sports editor, the content editor, and the current editor-in-chief.

“I joined newspaper because I love writing, and got a completely different experience than I had expected. The work is hard, but I love the small atmosphere of the class and I made some really good friends in the past three years,” Sledge said.

Although she admits it was challenging, Sledge says that being on staff has helped her a lot in school.

“Also, being on newspaper has helped my writing composition, grammar, and vocabulary skills, and it has given me real life experience because it was kind of like a job. Even though it gets stressful sometimes, it feels really good to be a part of something and to be able to look at my finished product and be proud of it,” Sledge said.

Sledge, who enjoys reading, cooking, hiking, and camping in her free time, will attend The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she plans to double major in political science and criminal justice. Sledge also holds a job at the Bartlett Cinema 10.

Ashley Fowler, who has  also been on staff for three years, has served as features and layout editor for The Panther’s Prey, and is now managing editor.

“It [Newspaper] has helped me so much with school, and I love to write,” Fowler said.

She also says that she loves the friends she has made.

“Laura and I have a relationship that will never fade, and my adviser always has my back,” Fowler said.

Fowler enjoys playing the piano, writing songs, and reading. Fowler will major in biology. She plans on attending The University of Memphis for one year and then transfer to Spelman College in Atlanta Georgia for the remainder of her college years. Fowler, who has been working at Chick-Fil-A since the age of 14, hopes to be a pharmacist.

Margaret Cross, who has been a part of staff for two years, has served as sports editor and, currently, as copy editor.

“Being on newspaper helped me to decide that I want to go into publishing,” Cross said. “Plus, it let my creative juices flow more freely, and everyone was like a family.”

Cross enjoys taking long walks, listening to music and doing crossword puzzles in her free time. Cross will double major in German and English at The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and wants to go into publishing as either a translator or copy editor. She is currently employed by Fresh Slices.

Macy Linton has been a part of staff for two years. Linton has been features editor and is currently serving as opinions editor.

“The people in it [Newspaper] are fantastic, and even though I’m really bad about deadlines, it still helps my writing,” Linton said.

Linton enjoys writing and hanging out with friends. Linton will attend Louisiana State University to major in ecology and evolutionary science, along with environmental studies. Linton hopes to one day become a conservationist or an environmentalist.

Also, this year, these four seniors had to make the change from a print newspaper to an online publication.

Jessica Ferrell, who just joined staff this year, is the news editor and head photographer. Ferrell transferred to Bartlett this year from Macon Road Baptist School, where she served on the school’s yearbook staff.

“It [Newspaper] strengthened my writing skills. And since it was my first year at the school, it let me meet people,” Ferrell said.

Ferrell has played both softball and basketball and was also a cheerleader, but now she enjoys writing poetry and photography. She plans on attending Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, in the fall to major in English, after which she will pursue a career as a high school English teacher. Currently, Ferrell holds a job at McAlister’s Deli.

All the girls have different reasons for joining staff, and will take their experience to different places after graduation.

With their different experiences and talents, the girls came together, along with the rest of the staff, to produce each issue of The Panther’s Prey newspaper.

“Over the past few years, the paper has been our baby, and its something we can really be proud of accomplishing,” Sledge said, “and I am. I’m very proud.”

Volleyball girls finish season

The volleyball season recently came to a close when the team progressed through districts and participated in the regional tournament. With a final record of 27-14, the team attended regionals as district runner-up, where they played Brighton and lost, ending their season.

Despite the disappointment of their loss, the team played their season not only to win, but also for the enjoyment of the game.

“Its pressure, but it’s one of those things you enjoy, and it’s a one-in-a-lifetime kind of thing,” senior Melanie Horne said. “You have to act a certain way and maintain a leadership role, not only for the team, but also for the coach.”

The seniors took the lead in the season, as the underclassmen look up to the seniors as an example not only in school, but also on the sports teams.

“When the seniors do their jobs, the underclassmen do their jobs,” head coach Sherrie Walker said.

Because of their team work, in the district matches the Bartlett volleyball team played Raleigh Egypt High School and Bolton High School and won both with a score of 3-0. Their streak ended when they lost to Arlington 3-2. Then, they went to regional and lost to Brighton High School 3-0.

“Overall they were disappointed [regionals] because they did so well last week,” Walker said, “but, realistically they knew they didn’t play their best and have been better at times.”

Through the wins and losses, the team had a lot of parental support this season.  However, student supporters showed up more at the beginning of the season, and slowly began fade from the bleachers as the weeks passed.  In spite of decreasing student support, the team still had some very dedicated fans that came to support them, even at away games.

“They’ve had a pretty good season,” sophomore Joseph Slezak said. “My girlfriend’s on the team, so as a show of support I bought food and went to their away games.”

As the season came to a close, the team had mixed feelings about the way in which it ended. However, their loss does not prevent them from feeling as if their season was a success.

“I don’t agree with people that say they have no regrets,” Horne said. “Of course there are things I’d change, but was it still a great season? Yes.”