Giant Word

By: Reporters Seth Jones and JoJo Collins   

This year’s NFL season has been very controversial. Many people think different teams will win the Super Bowl or go to the playoffs. We chose these picks through statistical analysis of previous performances in the season.

In the first round of the NFC playoffs the Dallas Cowboys will lose to the Detroit Lions. The Lions’ offense has been phenomenal this season. With the help of their quarterback, Matt Stafford, the Lions started the season by winning five games.

The New Orleans Saints will defeat the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints are ranked first for overall passing yards. Their quarterback, Drew Brees, has passed for 4,031 yards.

At the start of the second round of the NFC playoffs the Detroit Lions will lose to the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are ranked third in passing yards and remain undefeated.

When the San Francisco 49ers take on the New Orleans Saints, they will win due to their excellent defense. The 49ers have best defense in the NFL against rushing.

The Packers will then defeat the 49ers in a close game. The advantage is with the Packers because their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, has over 3,000 passing yards. The Packers’ passing strategy will overcome the 49ers’ defense.

The first round of the AFC playoffs will be the Houston Texans versus the New York Jets. The Jets will win in a very close game because the Texans won’t have their starting quarterback, Matt Schaub, or their starting running back, Arian Foster.

The Denver Broncos will defeat the Pittsburg Steelers. The Steelers will not be at 100 percent due to recent recovery from injuries. The Broncos are also ranked number one in rushing and their quarterback, Tim Tebow, has been on a hot streak.

The New York Jets will lose to the New England Patriots. The Patriots have already beaten the Jets in blowout games two times this season. The Jets’ defense has improved since those games, but they will be no match for the Patriots’ offense.

The Baltimore Ravens will play the Denver Broncos. The Ravens’ defense will shutdown Tim Tebow and his running game. Statistics show that the Ravens will beat the Broncos fairly easily.

In the AFC Championship game the Patriots will beat the Ravens in a very close game. The Patriots’ offense is one of the best in the league and the Ravens’ defense is one of the best, too. The Patriots will find a way to beat the Ravens’ defense and win the game.

The Super Bowl is the most important football game of the year. It decides after a long season which team is truly the best. This game will include the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots. This will be a rematch of Super Bowl XXXI when the Packers beat the Patriots 35-21.

The Packers will win Super Bowl XLVI in an extremely tight game. The Packers and the Patriots offenses have proved to be excellent. Both teams’ defenses have not been great this season. The Packers’ quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, will help the team score enough points so defensive skills won’t matter.

Do you think this is accurate? Leave your comment here at Giantword.com.

NFC

Cowboys                             Lions

Lions                                      Packers                               Packers

Packers                                                                                                               Packers

Saints                                    Saints                                    49ers

Falcons                                 49ers

Packers                                                                                                                                                                           Packers

AFC

Texans                                  Jets

Jets                                        Patriots                                  Patriots

Patriots                                                                                                                 Patriots

Broncos                                Broncos                                Ravens

Steelers                                               Ravens

By Joseph Bryant, Sports Editor

High school sports are beginning to come to a close for the season. Varsity has playoffs while the JV teams’ seasons are over, but is this fair? All teams have practiced and played the same amount throughout the season, but only the varsity squad gets the chance to play for different levels of championships. Is that really fair if all teams have worked just as hard?

No, it is not fair for a group of kids who have worked just as hard not to have the chance to play for a prestigious title. It stops the players short of actually representing their school and competing to show who has the best team. I know for myself that I would be upset if I didn’t get the chance to prove my ability other than during the regular season.

The playoffs bring a more intense atmosphere of competitiveness. That is what playing sports is all about. It’s about the competition. If JV players are being stopped short of competing then that is cutting them short of showing off their talent and competitive drive.

My question is, why they don’t have them?

“It’s because of the time constraint and the lack of facilities,” said interim athletic director Mr. Doug Charley.

I believe that JV players should be given the opportunity to have playoffs. Some sort of schedule adjustment that could allow for playoffs must be possible.  I personally think that it could be done by reducing the number of regular season games and adding a playoff so that the season ends at the same time. While it would be a difficult thing to accomplish, I think that the outcome of adding playoffs to the JV season would enhance the competitive aspect and give those athletes a chance to compete outside of the regular season.

By Allison Graves, Technology Manager

Like the Black Plague in 14^th century Europe a new disease is sweeping across the nation.  Unfortunately, this disease is affecting many students here at Waynesboro High School and is very contagious—senioritis.  Senioritis is a common sickness felt by seniors in many high schools.  The disease has many symptoms including increased laziness and an impatience for graduation. Although senioritis was said to only affect students who are close to graduation, it is now spreading to juniors and even some sophomores.

As a junior, I know firsthand that senioritis has evolved into junioritis.  As the fourth quarter takes full swing, I feel like completing homework assignments is becoming my last priority.  The weather is warming up and the last thing I want to do is think about school.

The worst part about junioritis is that it takes it affect when it is most important to focus and “buckle down” on studies. This is because the last quarter of high school is filled with assessments, exams, and other major grades which are deciding factors in a cumulative GPA.  Also, other end-of-the-year activities such as Prom seem to consume time rather than homework.

If my feelings of laziness are already affecting me as a junior, I cannot imagine what it is like for seniors.  Seniors are even closer to ending their high school journey.  Not to mention, many seniors have been accepted into colleges, so they feel secured.   As a result they lose their drive and motivation to study.

I’m sorry to report that the only known cure for this disease is summer, which is far too late for those wanting to keep their GPAs high.  As the year comes to a close it is important to focus on what’s important and avoid the contagious Senioritis, and now Junioritis, no matter how hard the task.

With this year coming to an end soon, it is hard to treat any cases of Senioritis or Junioritis but next year, as a school, we can avoid it some of its effects.   If we remember that we are at school to better our knowledge regarding core subjects perhaps seniors and juniors next year will not suffer from the ever growing disease. I think stressing the reason we attend school on a daily basis is one way we can make Waynesboro High School a better place that achieves more.

By Aysha Adrees, Publicity Manager

I can hear the cars whizzing by on the damp road. The wind is blowing in through the classroom’s windows. Everyone is being strangely quiet today.

I am hearing the keys of the keyboards clicking away on either side of me as my fellow Journalism classmates concentrate on their work.

The gloomy weather seems like it has affected the mood of everyone. I don’t hear people laughing, or the faint sound of pop and rap music playing through the ear buds of iPods.

It’s hard to believe it’s almost Spring Break. Even though spring rains have kicked in, students and teachers aren’t excitedly chatting about what plans they have for the week off.

Perhaps people have just become too exhausted. Maybe the regular routine of listening to lectures and doing homework has become so unbearably repetitive that hopes for a relaxing break sound almost surreal.

Everybody is leaning on the knuckles of their fist, their weight on the elbow that is propping them up.

For a minute, there’s no sound. The printer isn’t making noise; no one is talking, typing, or giggling, as people usually do. There is not even any bustle in the hallway.

All the commotion is outside. A day of beautiful weather is just calling us to the joy, energy, and vivaciousness of its ruckus. That day seems quite far away.

Katie Mullin
Toddler Observation\Blog
Toddlers, they teeter they totter, they weeble and wobble, they smell good and bad, they are sticky, and high energy, but most of all they spread happiness and make you laugh and smile.
Jumping: Joseph is about a year and two months. He tries to jump. His eyes meets every one else’s in the room as he continues to shout, “ee-ee-ee-ee!” He does this with a smile on his face, while he manages to get one of his feet off the ground, but only stands on his toes on the other foot.
Music: No matter how he is feeling or what he is doing, Joseph seems to always fit in a dance if music is playing. He whines as he hates getting dressed. A sibling decides to hit a button on his toy making it play music. Joseph shakes his hips and bobbles his head for a moment and then continues to whine.
Wrestling: Joseph bends his knees blows some spit bubbles and walks his way towards his brother who was expecting Joseph to jump on top of him as they play wrestle. Instead Joseph simply makes his way around to his brother’s stomach facing the other way, and plops down on his butt. Joseph then stands, grabs his brother by the hair and tries to drag him, as if his own personal bean bag chair.
Toddlers can be a lot of hard work, because they love to explore and learn, but they make up for it with their cuteness and the way they make you laugh and smile.

Alisha Majors, Reporter

To me sports aren’t just games to play. I wish I could speak firsthand of this experience, but unfortunately I’m just I bystander on the sidelines. That doesn’t mean that I can’t see how deeply sports impacts the players and how important sports are to them.

To the average person sports is something that we have to put up with in gym class or something that shows on ESPN when we’re channel surfing. Sports can be a way of life for some, or just an extracurricular that’s going to look good on a college application for others. To a true athlete though, it’s not all fun and games. It’s personal.

They say you should join a sports team to be more involved but I have never had the energy or made the time or commitment a dedicated athlete has had. In a way it seems like a disappointment that I don’t have that athletic attribute in me, or that I can’t physically excel, but at the end of the day athleticism is a surreal vision that just doesn’t work for me because I lack the aptitude. The societal perception of teen is that we all need physical exercise and I wish that I had more ability but for now I’m just going to watch from the sidelines.

Joseph Bryant, Sports Editor

With the regular season coming to an end, an issue has risen as to who should be the National Basketball Association’s most valuable player or “M.V.P.” Several candidates are up for vote including two-time defending M.V.P.  Lebron James. Also up for the position are Chicago Bulls all-star Derrick Rose, Lakers Star Kobe Bryant, and Magic Center, Dwight Howard. These athletes are some of the main runners for M.V.P. Many arguments have been brought up regarding who should be picked for the honor of the most valuable player in the league. In my own personal opinion, Dwight Howard should be the number one candidate because of his ability to control the paint, the boards, and almost score at will. Another reason he should be M.V.P is his outstanding defensive play that has given him records of most blocks in a single season as well as many other defensive honors that are sure to come. I believe that while the others mentioned are great and extremely valuable to their team, Howard is the main guy for his team. The Orlando Magic struggle without him and they struggle to find another player to help share the load. This is the reason that he should be M.V.P. In my definition of what the M.V.P should be, it should be a guy that the team can always count on and without him they become a much weaker team. Tell us who you think should be the M.V.P.

By Kaylyn Riddle, Reporter

I may wear glass slippers, but my hero wears combat boots. Having a dad being in the military is a lot harder then it seems. Being a military child is hard also; we would do anything to spend time with my dad. In my situation, my dad has been overseas twice, both times for eight months. But with electronics these days, I am able and fortunate to be able to Skype and call him.

A civilian child kisses her parents goodnight, a military child kisses a picture of them goodnight. A civilian child talks on the phone for fun, a military child would do anything for a 15- minute phone call. Even though we keep in touch sometimes, he misses out on those moments that most families take for granted. But for my dad, he’d do anything to see his kids grow up. From my brother’s first baseball game, to my sister’s last horseshow, these are the moments that matter.

Most military kids move six to nine times while growing up: they have to be great at making friends quickly, carry a lot of responsibilities, and have to deal with the deployments and carry a sense of worry that many kids will never know. My family will be moving for the third time this summer.

They look ordinary, they lace up the same, but it’s not the boots that matter; it’s my dad in the boots that means the world to me. Every child has a hero, and mine is my dad. He’s risking his life, in Afghanistan, to serve our country. And for those kids who also have a parent or parents overseas, it’s nice to have someone to talk to once in awhile.

By: Colleen Detwiler

I enjoy playing baseball, but I’m not eligible to play because I’m a girl. I don’t really think that it’s entirely fair to some of the students who would like to play sports and are not allowed.

It is unfair that women can’t play sports that men play.

I have coaches, teachers, friends, and family saying to try out for softball because it has the same basics as baseball but there are so many things that are different about the sport. The pitch is much different, the size of the bat and the ball are much different, the field in softball is much smaller than in baseball. Boys are allowed to play baseball and softball, but girls are only allowed to play softball. To me this seems sexist, but it is my only opinion.

Most students understand that the school isn’t well funded to get a coach, afford the apparel, and form a team with enough members that are interested, but I still think that trying wouldn’t hurt. Even if teachers asked students if they are interested in something such as hockey, lacrosse, rugby, skiing, snowboarding, etc., and if they are interested then start raising money to be able to afford to play the game and then there shouldn’t be much of a problem. You could ask parents even if they would want to coach, or teachers. They just have to know what they are doing.

We should get more sports teams going, allowing men and women to play equally. I think in my opinion that many people would be much happier with that, just like me.

By Brittany Kirkman, reporter

 Commitment. Whether being involved in a job, school, or sports, commitment is a key component to success.  WHS is currently in the midst of putting together a main stage play called Bermuda Triangle Getaway. Some students have already learned all of their lines, cues, and stage directions for the upcoming show on March 31- April 2. Others, however, have not taken their role as an actor so seriously.  Some students are showing up late, leaving early, or not bothering to come at all. This becomes a problem when trying to get through rehearsals and it takes a painfully long time to get through only one scene.

 Throughout the school there is an extreme dedication to various sports and I think that is a very good thing; don’t get me wrong. I truly believe that if you start something you should finish it. See, that’s my point; these students had committed to this production before they committed to spring sports.

  A number of other students are involved in a spring sport but they still come for the first half of play practice to at least get a little practice in. These actors for the most part know their lines and cues. The problem lies with the people who are missing the majority of practices and are not taking the initiative to study lines on their own time.

 This play will only succeed if there is a group effort and we get down to business and do the best we can to work hard and diligently. I want to make the point that there are actually a lot of students who have the script down and are doing fantastic. This production is a team effort though and needs to be taken as seriously as any other sport or commitment because this is just as important.

 When people start something they should be completely devoted and committed to it. This play should be the complete priority of the actors during the next week and a half. Instead of putting the play on the back burner and prioritizing sports instead of this play, actors should really take the commitment of being in a play more seriously.